Page 10 of Bitter Truths

“Liar.” She tightens her hold on my fingers, maintaining that fake-sweet smile. “You’ve been off for days, and every time I mention them, you get this look.”

“What look?”

“Like you’re one heartbeat away from either puking on this table or dissolving into tears.” She leans closer until her perfume chokes me with each breath. “Holy shit. You’re planning to throw yourself at them, aren’t you?”

Words stick like tar, leaving only a damning silence.

Whitney’s mouth pops open in surprise. “Oh my god, you are!” Her voice drops to a scandalized accusation that somehow cuts louder than screaming. “After all these years of pining, you’re going to spread your legs and beg them to claim you?”

“Whitney—” My knuckles go white around my glass.

“I can’t believe it.” She sits back, her nails tapping the table in a rhythm that picks at every raw nerve. “Little Bianca Quinn, going alpha hunting. Honestly, I didn’t think you had the guts. I’d never debase myself like that—proper omegas make alphas crawl through glass for a chance.”

My fork clatters against the plate. The sound is sharp enough to make nearby diners glance our way. My fingers tighten around the edge of the table.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Whit.”

“Don’t be so sensitive.” Her hand covers mine, her smile not reaching her eyes. “It’s just... there’s a lot at stake. Especially since—” She hesitates.

“Since what?”

“Since you still don’t smell right. How would they even know it’s real?” The words come out sharp, grating. “I asked Daddy about it once. Hypothetically. About an omega who thinks she found her match before awakening.”

My skin prickles with embarrassment. The restaurant tilts. I bite down hard, my teeth grinding. “You told your dad?” My jaw drops. “Whitney, you promised⁠—”

“Not about you specifically.” Her eyes slide away from mine. “I was just curious.”

Just curious. After ten years of friendship, she shared my secret with her dad as if it were research data.

“He said if there was a real match, the omega would awaken when exposed to her compatible alphas. The biological triggers would be too strong.”

She doesn’t say it, but I hear it anyway. Fifteen years around them. Nothing. No dramatic awakening. No fireworks. No magical moment where we all just... know.

The sandwich sits like concrete in my stomach. What if they never want me the way I want them?

I know nothing but them.

“Maybe I’m the exception.” The words sound stupid, even to me.

Whitney’s eyebrows knit together. “Or maybe you’ve romanticized your brother’s friends into something bigger. It’s natural, B. You’re not the first girl who craved a taste of forbidden fruit. Perhaps you convinced yourself there’s more there because they feel comfortable.”

“It’s not like that.” What if she’s right? The thought makes me sick. Have I been lying to myself this whole time?

“Are you sure? From here, it looks like you’re obsessing over four guys who treat you like a sister. If they wanted you, don’t you think they’d have made a move by now? They’re not exactly the shy types.” She reaches for me. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

I pull away. “Thanks.”

The restaurant air tastes stale now. Whitney’s perfume coats my tongue with a sweetness that makes me queasy.

“Now, about your dress... a soft blue would make your eyes pop.”

She flips to graduation outfits as if she didn’t just gut me. Her voice washes over me while I check out mentally, nodding when it seems appropriate.

If there was a real match, the omega would release scent when exposed to her compatible alphas.

What if she’s right? What if this is all my imagination?

My parents and Winston are still out when I get home. Silence feels like a gift after Whitney’s relentless chatter.