Summer scolded Scarlett for not wearing a seatbelt as she used neon sharpies and acrylic paint to draw on different symbols that represented things from all three albums of theObsidian Alphas. Then, in the center of her tank top, she drew four black wolves howling melodies to the moon.
“Mouthwatering,” Scarlett purred.
Summer, unamused and stressed because of the time, chucked a burrito at her head. “Eat. You have until we park.”
There was no arguing. Sonnet ate two asada tacos and shared some chips and guacamole with Summer, who could barely eat because of her stress. She took one of her anxiety pills while Sonnet and Scarlett took heat-suppressing supplements.
Being an omega was no joke, and an omega in a swarm of potentially unmated alphas? There was nothing funny about that.
Sonnet’s omega was extra difficult. Since her assignment at 14, she had no communication with her omega, unlike others. The little voice that was supposed to be whispering in the back of her head had been silent for seven years, which made everything about being an omega painfully difficult. Heat cycles were the worst. She never knew what happened when her omega took over, but each time Sonnet came to her own mind, she was always cowering, covered in scratches, and surrounded by a mess. Last time there was a bite mark in her closet door. That was hard to explain to her landlord.
Scarlett talked about her omega as if she had a twin.
“She’s my soul, you know? She resides in my heart, and I cherish her so much.”
Her biological mother never talked as kindly about her omega or about being one. In fact, her birth mother kept her omega hidden, and the only time she spoke of her was to call her nasty things.
Sonnet didn’t try to think about her birth mother. She kept most of her memories about her locked in the same place her omega was hiding. The only thing that stayed vivid in her mind was being abandoned at the police station the day afterher seventh birthday, and then being picked up by Dad, whom she had never met until then. All in a few hours, Sonnet was abandoned and given a new mom, a new sister, and her dad. It wasn’t an easy transition, and it only hurt worse when she learned later that she was the product of her dad’s affair all those years ago. She was only grateful that her stepmom, Katherine, raised her with nothing but kindness and love, and that’s why she wasn’t like a stepmom to her at all.
Sonnet had her birth mother, and then she had her mom.
Sonnet squeezed her eyes tight and held in a whimper as she thought of her birth mother’s blurry face when she left her at the police station, and her mom’s tear-stained one when she was brought home. Sonnet hoped her birth mother was safe and happy, even though wherever that was wasn’t with her.
“Sonnet?” Summer was looking at Sonnet through the rearview mirror, her green eyes tight and her threat clear.Tell me what’s wrong, or I’ll stop the car right here, right now, no matter who it inconveniences.
“I’m getting nervous. You know how I am with crowds.”
Scarlett grabbed both of her hands and squeezed. Her typical, laid-back expression was now hard and determined. “You’ve got me, Sugar. You’ve got me.”
Sonnet’s heart skipped a beat, and she was brought back to high school, when a group of omegas made her cry, and Scarlett had come to her rescue with those same words.You’ve got me,which meansuse me. I’m here, so use me.Whatever, whenever, it didn’t matter. If she needed a voice, Scarlett would bark. If she needed to cry, Scarlett would be her tissue. If she needed to yell, they’d yell together, and if she needed to be alone, they’d be alone together.
Sugar and Spice.
And Salt, of course.
Summer didn’t say anything. She never interfered with her friendship with Scarlett, and Scarlett never interfered with her bond with her sister. Sonnet didn’t understand it, but she felt as if the two had made a silent vow about her, and who they should be for her, and they never seemed to quarrel about it.
Scarlett and Summer agreed they weren’t friends, and Sonnet agreed, too. Whatever strange bond they had went much deeper than friendship.
“Can you hold my hand?” Sonnet finally asked.
“Always.”
“Ah! A spot!” Summer swerved into the parking spot and hustled the girls out of the car.
Scarlett and Sonnet sprayed, rubbed, and swallowed three different types of scent blockers. There was no risking an accident tonight when it was a night to let go and have fun.
She had her girls, her Spice and her Salt, and all was as it should be.
Scarlett kept her hand firmly in hers as they waded through the lines and the crowd; Summer leading them through it like a vigilant commander in arms. She wasn’t afraid to bump shoulders or scold anyone, Alpha or Beta alike, and after a while, it was like the sea was parting for her.
The three of them found their spots right in the front, and Sonnet’s jaw was practically glued to the floor as her eyes darted around the stage, the curtain, the lights, the bodyguards and stage managers. It was the most beautiful and exciting thing she had ever witnessed.
“I think I’m in love.”
Scarlett giggled. “Wait until the hotties come out. Awooo!”
The three of them all laughed and howled in unison, making others look at them, but Sonnet didn’t care. In this moment, she was free from all her burdens and all her chains, and all shecould hope was that her omega, wherever she was, was just as happy.
