Page 15 of Omega Scorned

Time had flown by while I was drawing and thinking. My art video was long over. The house was silent. Had they already left? Without even saying goodbye?

I checked the time and it was already after two in the afternoon. It was a bit early to have left, but maybe they'd gone over to help set up.

Cracking open my door, I listened for any sounds. Nothing. My stomach rumbled, but I didn't feel like making myself food, so I went to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water before settling on the sofa. I put on a silly romantic comedy to keepmy mind busy while the men and their omega, who was pretty enough to be shown in public.

BBQ

Oren

There were at least 20 people gathered in our backyard and I'd met all the nearest neighbors when the pack next door walked through the gate.

Without her.

Instead, they had a beautiful model-like woman with them. This must be Candace.

Santi was already greeting them when I stepped up to his side with a smile.

"I'm Jake," the tall, neatly groomed one said. "This is Rory, Daryl, and our omega, Candace."

"Great to meet you, this is our omega, Oren. Grayson is on the grill and Jude is hiding somewhere around here," Santi said easily. He gave me a glance and I could feel his curiosity through the bond. He hadn't even met Emilia, but he knew this wasn't her.

"Come grab some food," I invited, gesturing toward the grill and the table we'd laid out with food.

As the pack moved toward the food, they greeted other neighbors who seemed pleased to chat with Candace. Did they notice Emilia was missing? I frowned, wondering what was happening here.

Then Jude appeared. He scanned the pack with a frown and walked up to them, instantly moving to Jake.

"Where's Emilia?"

The other alpha looked surprised. "Emilia? She doesn't leave the house."

"Funny, we met her the other day," Jude commented, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the alpha.

"What?" Jake looked genuinely confused. Had she neglected to tell them about our afternoon together? "How?"

"She came over for lemonade," I said, trying to gauge their reaction. The men all looked at each other. Candace looked annoyed.

"I'm hungry," she whined. Okay, I didn't like her.

"Emilia is… special," Jake said with a tight smile. "We took her in because she had nowhere else to go and it was a shame to let her languish in the center. She doesn't like to be in public because," he gestured to his face. "So, we just let her muddle along with her hobbies and keep her fed and such."

"She's sweet, but with that face, you can understand why she prefers to avoid gatherings like this," Candace giggled. "This would be a nightmare for her."

I let them walk away and Jude turned to me.

"Is that true? Does she hate leaving the house?"

"How the hell should I know?" I looked at the house next door, scanning the upper windows that looked over the fence.

"I'm going to find out." Jude headed for the gate.

"What are you doing?"

"Asking her." He stopped and gazed into the distance for a moment. "I'm taking food."

A minute later, armed with a plate piled high with food, he marched out the gate and over to the next house. I trotted after him, wanting to stop him from scaring her, but also very curious about what she might say.

Jude rang the bell and when Emilia didn't immediately appear, he rang it again, twice in rapid succession.