Fuck!
Our food finally arrives and I stop looking out the window long enough to take in my surroundings. It’s not a huge place, less than twenty tables to be sure. They have an old style counter with barstools, which make everything feel kitschy. Picking up my burger, I take a bite. Maybe it’s because I was super hungry, or because my whole fucking worldview was recently turned upside down, but it’s a damned good burger. Slightly crispy edges, toasted bun, the whole nine yards. There’s a pile of toppings off to the side, and some very frozen tasting French fries, but the burger itself is solid.
We finish our food, neither of us really talking, or even making eye contact. Steve looks about as desolate as I feel, and I get it. Seeing Teddy today must have thrown him for a loop. Pain and frustration are coming off him in waves. I should have noticed it before, but I’ve been kind of preoccupied with my own world crumbling over a stranger.
Sorry, Bro, bit mentally preoccupied.
Fuck, I really am just an inconsiderate asshole.
Now that I have something in my stomach, self-reflection is more of a thing.
What theHellis wrong with me?
Seriously, first I bitch at the girl.
Though in my defense I didn’t know who she was.
Then I follow her around the store and chase her outside.
Even if I hadn’t been an asshole, that would be enough to freak anybody out.
Steve is the one staring out the window now, so I guess it’s my turn to get him moving. Walking up to the register, I pay for our food and ask for a couple of to-go cups for our drinks. I get Steve up and he seems broken, empty as we walk back towards the shop where we can hopefully pick up our vehicle, and then see about finding a fucking hotel in this damned town. We need to regroup and make a plan. As much as I want to, I don’t think I’ll be able to get more information about Kelly from the shop where she works.
It’s only a couple blocks back to the shop, but the temperature seems to be dropping fast and the wind has picked up. What the fuck is it with this town? If it fucking starts snowing, I’m done with this shit. Just put me on a goddamned plane back to fucking L.A. I don’t fucking do the cold.
Lie!
I know, I can’t leave. Steve won’t abandon Teddy again, and I can’t go without Kelly, even if she isn’t an omega. I just fucking found her, and I don’t care if it was Teddy that we were scenting on her, I need her. Holding Steve close, I lean forward in this stupid fucking wind as we trudge towards the garage. We don’t have time for this shit. I need to find Teddy to snap Steve out of his freaky zombie state. Will that help me find Kelly? Ok, yes. But I’m trying to be at least someone altruistic, considering the shape that Steve is in. He seems to have shut down now that hehas food, I don’t know why the delayed reaction, but I got this. We count on each other…We used to count on Teddy too, until…
I don’t want to fucking go there. I don’t. I don’t hate him, I mean, yeah, I feel kind of betrayed, but it wasn’t his fault, he had no way of knowing he would be an omega, I just…I can’t always be on the outside looking in. I can’t always feel like the odd man out. It’s exhausting. I was never opposed to sharing an omega with the two of them, they were my brother and best friend. A tiny voice in the back of my mind whispers that it might not be too late for that. I mean, not Steve, I love the guy but turns out he isn’t into women. At all. If it was an omega heat situation, I think he would be fine. From what I’ve heard the pheromones mean you basically stay hard whether you want to or not.
Ugh, I don’t want that for my brother either. Dad’s gonna be pissed regardless. I’m not ruling Kelly out to have kids, if she wants, but she’s not an omega, and that was an integral part of Dad and Grandpa’s plan. Fucking legacy bullshit. Break up our fucking pack. We went to the fucking college they wanted, got the fucking degrees they wanted, looked for a fucking omega that we were never going to agree on because Steve only wants Teddy, and I want someone to want me for me.
The short distance back to the garage seems to take forever. Steve and the wind have slowed our pace considerably, and there is sleet coming down by the time we arrive. I open the door and shove Steve into the warm air. The bell overhead jingles loudly, but no one comes out. I expected Sal to be here since Kelly left, but there’s no sign of her. We don’t have any jackets, so I lead Steve over to a waiting area and wrap my arms around him, trying to help stop his chattering teeth.
It takes a while, but once I regain feeling in my fingers, I walk back over to the counter, staring out the window into the garage proper. I see our vehicle jacked up, and the flat front tire off on the ground beside it. Sal isn’t working on it. A younger lookingguy with white-blond hair in a ponytail is pulling down a tire off the wall, so hopefully that will be for ours. Sal seems to be having a heated discussion with a jacked looking beta. He has a small raggedy looking car up on lifts and I wonder briefly that it still runs at all; it looks more rust than metal at this point.
Then I chide myself because whoever owns the little rattletrap probably drives it more out of necessity than desire. In a town this size, you probably need a car just to get around. I don’t imagine they would have a plethora of sidewalks once you get out of the main drag.
After a few more minutes Sal throws her hands up and marches back into the front office. She pulls up short when she sees me, and her friendly demeanor from earlier is gone.Shit.I can’t say I blame her, but I am curious about what Kelly told her. Does she know about Teddy and Steve? Does she know that I followed her out of the store like a man obsessed?
Her eyes flick from me to my brother—still looking catatonic in a plastic chair—and back before she speaks. “Yeah, so…Xan wants to talk to you before we finish your car. You might have guessed but Kelly already left, so he’ll need to run your paperwork for AAA.”
I offer a smile and try not to show that I’m screaming inside because I want to have the pretty beta here again. Go back in time a few hours and not be such a complete and utter bastard. Before I can formulate a response, the beta Sal was arguing with earlier walks in. He’s only a few inches taller than her, and I’m almost knocked over by the waves of dominance and anger roll off of him as he glares at me.
Wait, the cashier at the store mentioned a Xan.
Oh...Fuck.
Yes, Kelly definitely told them what I did.
What we did?
Doesn’t matter.
“This is Xan, one of the owners of the garage, and my boss. So, I’m just gonna go help finish up your tire so we can get you guys outta here before the weather gets any worse.” Sal beats a hasty retreat back to the garage while Xan continues to glare at me.
“Listen, man, I don’t know you, and I don’t want to fuckin’ know you. My original plan when Kelly stopped by earlier was to get your tire fixed and get you the fuck outta this town ASAP. But it don’t look like that’s happening in this weather.” His hard stare flips between me and my brother who still hasn’t responded. “Kelly’s worked here for years now. She’s a good person, and she makes my job a hell of a lot easier than it used to be.” He slams a handful of paperwork down on the desk. “Also, I don’t know what you dipshits did to Teddy, but he made my omega smile, and she doesn’t like people in general. So lemme give you a piece of advice. Stay the fuck away from Kelly’s pack.”
