Page 6 of Golden Omega

They were so sweet making all kinds of nice comments about the shop, and I found myself laughing a little and enjoying their company, wanting to keep them a little longer just because. When I came here, men were the least thing on my mind, but I’d have had to be made of plastic not to be aware of how good-looking these men were. And the fact that they were all talking to me, flirting a little maybe, went right to my head.

But I was enjoying myself, showing off a little, until I finally asked, “Why did you come in today? I presume not just to admire the flowers.”

The second man smiled and said, “No, we’re here to set up flowers for a wedding at the speakeasy.” And then I snapped out of the clouds.

A wedding. They were getting married, and I was making a fool of myself around someone else’s men. I felt so foolish.

Chapter Six

Sovann

The flower shop fit right into the ambience of Pleasant as though it had been here when the town was built. It was tucked in between the library and the hardware store, and I thought of how smart that was. Men could pick up a dozen roses to make their expensive purchase of a generator or some weird tool go over smoother with their mate or their omega.

A little bit smoother.

The architecture of the outside matched the town, and even the door had been kept vintage with a brass knob. Whoever ran it had painted it a lovely pale yellow, and it made the bouquets and gift offerings in the window shine.

The door was painted a bright white, and sheer white curtains were pulled back with ribbons.

The ambience made me feel welcome before I even walked inside. The woman behind the counter, the owner, I assumed, was gorgeous, and I stood in the open door long enough, gawking at her, to make Orin shove me inside with a chuckle. I was starstruck. Dumbstruck. Lovestruck. All of the above.

Her blonde hair bounced as she spoke to her customers. She made eye contact and was really listening to what the older woman wanted.

And maybe it was the flowers. Or the selection of scented candles, but something smelled incredible. Sunshine and daisies and a hint of summer. I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what that meant, but it gave me the feeling of sitting in a field while the sun beamed down on me.

The owner, Hema, showed us around, but the second the wedding was mentioned, the omega’s entire demeanor changed. Now that I was near her, I knew the scent was all her. The omega’s perfume filled the place and complemented the flowers.

Until the word wedding left Orin’s mouth. Then the scent soured a bit. Almost smelled burned like a marshmallow toasted over the fire too long.

What happened? Did she not like arranging flowers for weddings? I thought events were the pinnacle of excitement for a florist, but maybe that was just an incorrect assumption.

Perhaps events were a pain in the ass for them.

Otherwise, I had no explanation for the omega’s swift change of attitude and scent.

Unless it was me.

“I haven’t seen the speakeasy yet. I honestly didn’t know Pleasant had one. Can one of you describe it, so I know what we’re working with?”

Orin’s turn. It was his business. “It’s dark. Blacks and wines, and it’s supposed to give off a dark, secret vibe.”

“I see. Well, we could go with that theme and keep things edgy. Do you think the omega, the bride, would like that?”

I nodded. “I think so. We were given free rein.”

“Okay. Let’s go with that, then. I have some ideas.”

She came back with a tablet and plugged in some words and before long, had an arrangement for us to look at. A beautiful bouquet with dark-red flowers with hints of forest greenery. I thought about Karissa with her lovely red hair and knew this would be perfect. I sent a quick text to Poe, and he said it was fine. They weren’t going traditional anyway. Her dress was black, one that he had picked out. Not her usual thing, but they wanted dark romance.

Dark romance they were going to get.

“I think that’s perfect,” I said after texting Poe and then showing the guys.

“Great. Should I come up with some more ideas and then give you the price? I need to order asap and get to work.”

“Yes, please,” Altan said. His cheeks were slightly red. I was glad I wasn’t the only one affected by this omega.

In fact, I was more than affected. The more she talked, the more my wolf drooled over her. He actually called out mate. He’d never done that before.