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“Nope! Going to relax and watch a movie!” I didn’t even look over to see who it was. My eyes were brimming with tears and I didn’t want anyone else feeling sorry for me. Once I got to my room, I locked the door and flung myself onto my bed. It was becoming my safe space, and that worried me. I had been in a dangerous place mentally before, and I could feel the weight of all the little moments adding up and bring me closer to that space again. I tried to breathe deeply, calming my body and preventing the slowly creeping anxiety from taking over. I rolled over, curling up into a ball as I lay there, my will to be social depleted for the day.
Chapter 3
Bella
3 years earlier
“Mom! Mom! Guess what!” I burst through the door of our little apartment, letting the iron screen slam behind me. She had just arrived home, taking off her apron and preparing to clean our kitchen after a tiring day of cleaning other people's houses. She had worked multiple jobs ever since I could remember, as had my father. We lived on the outskirts of a small factory town that had been struggling economically for decades. It was hard to get by, and every year it seemed to get harder.
“What is it, Bella?” She asked, and I could hear the exhaustion in her voice. I couldn’t blame her. She looked worn down, her body tired from years of overworking. But everything was about to change.
“You’ll never, ever believe it! Pack Deloney wants to officially court me!” Our town of Goldpine had two classes - the rich and the poor. And most of the poor worked for one of the many factories owned by the wealthy residents who lived in a private, gated enclave on the north side. The wealthiest of them all was Pack Deloney - the four of them were the sons of several of the top business owners in town. Collectively they would inherit the factories, commercial buildings, farmlands and majority of the businesses in town. They were the golden boys of our small city, and everyone knew who they were. They drove the best cars, had the nicest clothes, and were the most attractive men I had ever seen. Even though they attended different schools than me and my friends, I knew who they were. Everyone did.
My mom turned to look at me, the plate she had been washing slipping from her hands in surprise. “Pack Deloney? The Pack Deloney?” I nodded and bounced on the balls of my feet, giddy beyond belief. If I were to end up with Pack Deloney, my life of scraping by would be over. My parents would be taken care of, and I’d never have to worry. I would have a pack that loved me, and that was my greatest wish.
*****
It had taken everyone by surprise when I presented as an omega - they were already rare in our small town, and there were only betas in my family tree. So imagine my surprise when halfway through my shift at the diner I fell into a fever and had to go home sick, only to find out I was presenting. It was all so new - no one in my immediate family knew what to do, and they didn’t have enough money to send me to an omega boarding school to be trained. A social worker was sent out to educate me on what to expect and gave my family some ground rules on what to do now that I was presenting as an omega. Once my scent glands came in, I had to quit my job and stay home from school unless I used scent blockers and my daily suppressant. Anywhere I went would be risky, and my family had to apply for government issued heat blockers and de-scenter for me since we couldn’t afford it on our own. I was reduced to finishing my studies at home and going out only when I took my suppressants religiously. Even then, I was advised to only go to public places during the day. Our area of town wasn’t the greatest, but I’d already learned how to fight after being involved in many scuffles on my way home from school. Now I also had to be cautious of people attempting to take advantage of me because I was an omega.
The word spread fast in our small town, and pretty soon people knew that there was a rare omega in their midst. There were only a handful of us, and most presentations happened in the nicer side of town where the majority of alphas and their omega partners lived and started families. I made sure to always have someone with me for safety when I went out. One particular day I went with my beta neighbor, Trisha, to the mall. I was window shopping and dreaming of a pack that might someday be able to get me something nice like I saw all the other omegas on social media wearing. My eyes were so focused on a beautiful dress behind the glass that I didn’t notice someone was watching me until I heard a deep rumble of a voice purring behind me.
“You would look so beautiful wearing that.” I turned, my body already responding to the voice. Imagine my surprise when I saw it was the one and only Lance Deloney looking down at me. He was impossibly tall, golden-haired and gorgeous - and the son of the Robert Deloney, owner of the Deloney car dealership chain and several factories. Lance had formed his pack with the other sons of the richest men in town at a young age, who were all alphas in their own right. I stared at him, my mouth open as no words came out. “What’s wrong? You don’t have to be shy.” He stepped up to me, his hand reaching to push a lock of hair behind my ear. I shivered at his touch. Even on suppressants, my omega side loved the touch of an alpha. I had never had one pay me any attention before, and I had no idea it would affect me like this. It was like a drug - I couldn't look away. He leaned in, taking a closer look at me. “Would you like to try it on?”
I stammered, not sure what to do. “I… I’m not looking to buy clothes right now.” He looked startled, then broke out in a laugh. “Let’s go inside. Don’t worry about buying anything.” I looked over at my friend Trisha, who was just as surprised as I was that Lance Deloney was speaking to me. She just looked at me with wide eyes and gave me two thumbs up. Lance laid his hand on the small of my back, gently guiding me into the store as I floated along, not sure if I was in a dream.
“Excuse me?” Lance got the attention of the saleslady, who straightened up as soon as she saw who was speaking to her. “She’d like to try on the dress in the window. What size do you wear?” He turned to ask me as I saw the saleswoman rush to gather the dress for me. “I - usually a small.” I answered, blushing as I saw him smile at me.
“Yes, you’re certainly a small omega, aren’t you?” My eyes widened at his words.
“How did you know?” Even though the gossip in town had spread, most other girls my age hadn’t shot up in height yet, and I could get away with not standing out as an omega. I knew eventually I’d become curvier and would stay at this small height, but for now I was happy to be overlooked so I could still go out and about. Lance ushered me to a dressing room, taking the dress from the saleswoman and handing it to me. His large hand lingered as it grazed mine, sending me into a cloud of happiness and desire.
“I’m Lance Deloney. I know everything that happens in this town. Now, try this on and we can see how beautiful you look.” His words warmed me as he closed the door, and I looked at the dress in my hands. It was nicer than anything I owned. I slowly put it on, my hands shaking as I zipped it up. In the mirror, I looked like a different person. Classy, put together and beautiful. The dress fit me like a glove, showing off my body in ways that my old jeans and ratty used shirts never could. I opened the dressing room door timidly, watching as Lance’s face lit up in satisfaction.
“Look at you! The prettiest girl in town!” His praise washed over me like a warm bath, melting me and making me feel at ease. “I’d like to purchase this. And some nice shoes to go with it.” His words were directed at the saleswoman, who nodded and rushed to grab a few pairs to show me. I looked at him in shock. Was he really buying this for me? The next few minutes went by like a dream. We found a pair of gorgeous shoes to match the dress, and a bracelet to top it off. “Don’t bother changing out of it, you look too pretty to go back to those old clothes.” Lance reached behind me to remove the tag from the dress, handing it to the saleswoman who looked thrilled to have him there.
I looked at him, blushing and confused at the attention. “I’m sorry, I don’t know if I can accept all this.” It was more than my parents could ever afford, and he acted so casually about handing over his credit card to the saleswoman as we spoke.
“Please, it would be a crime not to spoil an omega as cute as you. Plus, I want you to look nice when I introduce you to my pack.” I looked up at him when I heard that word.
“Your pack?” He nodded, taking back his card and putting it in his wallet as he held his hand out for me. My old clothes were in a shopping bag now, which he carried for me. I slowly took his hand, feeling warm, cherished and protected. We walked out of the store and I immediately felt eyes on me. Walking around with a Deloney pack member was like walking around with a celebrity. People looked and whispered, trying to be discreet about it. I beamed as he led me through the shopping mall. Trisha had left, probably hoping not to be a third wheel. It was just like an omega fairy tale - the alpha came to find me, and now he would take me to his pack and we would live happily ever after. Lance texted someone on his phone, then veered toward the door. “Ready princess?” I looked with surprise as we walked out the sliding doors. A sleek convertible sports car pulled up, and inside were the other three members of Pack Deloney - Brandon, Chad and Dallas. They smiled as Lance brought me to the car, his arm warped around my shoulder. “Boys, let me introduce you to Miss Bella Carter.” Brandon, a dark-haired alpha, gave a low whistle while the other two assessed me, their nods and smiles of approval making me feel like fainting.
“Pleased to meet you Bella! Could we offer you a ride home?” I could hardly believe it. I nodded, and they helped me into the car where I was squeezed into the backseat between the other two large alphas, Brandon and Dallas. Brandon’s hand held my thigh as the two looked down at me. “We'll have to thank Lance later for introducing us to such a sweet omega.” Dallas pulled me close to him as the car started. “I have a feeling this one is special, don’t you agree boys?” I had stars in my eyes as they pulled away from the mall, all eyes on me and the most popular boys of Goldpine.
If I knew then what I know now, I would have run away from that town long ago, before I ever got pulled into the Deloney Pack. But as they say, red flags just look like flags when you’re wearing rose-colored glasses.
Chapter 4
Bella
Present Day
I woke up late in the morning, feeling much better after a full night of sleep. I rolled over and checked my phone, smiling when I saw I had a new message from Piper. She sent a reminder that we had plans to grab brunch and have some girl time, which made me feel chipper. There was nothing I needed more right now, and hanging out with her would take my mind off my anxiety. I quickly texted her back to come get me in an hour. At least I would be around the one person who made me feel normal. That was the thing about Piper - she was so unused to this world that she never realized why everyone else avoided me like the plague. To her, I was a normal person. She had been so unaware of how designations worked that my extended time in our social service Omega House went right over her head. When I was around her, I could pretend I was a normal person, just hanging out with my friend, and not the world’s most rejected omega. I hopped out of bed to get ready and look my best, putting a cool eye mask on to reduce the puffiness from crying the prior evening. I had a heat coming in the next few months, but I never usually took suppressants until the week before if needed, and only to make sure I was safe to go out in public. I always dreaded when my heats came around. If I didn’t have a pack to court me, I’d have to use an alpha surrogate service to get me through it. Those times were always so awkward. I didn’t enjoy having to rely on strangers to get me through a heat, even if it felt good in the moment. When I was being courted by Pack Silver, I was certain they would be the ones to help me with my next one. I was on the verge of asking them to help me through my upcoming heat right before they withdrew their courtship. Going outside as a single omega was risky for someone like me with no family around. Being out with Piper would be safe, though. She was mated and usually brought one of her bonded pack members along to keep an eye out for any trouble, having them stay nearby while she and I had our girl time.
After I was sure I looked presentable, I strolled downstairs to wait for Piper to come pick me up. The first thing her pack got her once she was bitten in was a brand new car to get around in. I remembered the day she stopped by to show it to me and we took it all over town, listening to music and laughing as we explored the city. Her life was what I always wanted - a loving pack, one that would give me all the support in the world and spoil me just like Piper’s did. It seemed like a dream that was getting further away every day. I stopped by the front desk downstairs to wait. One of the volunteers, Becky, was at the front desk. She was also an omega who had been here for a few months and didn’t much like to attend the classes, so she worked the front desk occasionally to stay busy. “You got some mail.” She said nonchalantly as she snapped the gum in her mouth.
“Really? That’s odd.” I didn’t get a lot of mail, even when a pack was interested in me. It was customary for packs to send gifts to omegas they were courting, but the ones who chose me were not quite so generous. But then again, I was getting the less desirable options now that I was basically a red flag omega. Becky handed me the envelope, and I tore open the top, expecting it to be junk mail. I read the first line of the letter, shook my head, then read it again. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, and I had to stomp my foot to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. It couldn’t be. My heart was racing so fast I thought it would burst. Maybe, just maybe, luck was finally on my side.
*****
