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“The omega,” she corrected. “It means that the alpha has risen. Every few hundred years, the alpha rises to lead us and to spread the seed of our kind. Without our alpha, our species would die out. There hasn’t been an alpha in existence since the early 1600s.”
“Why is that?”
“Betas are infertile, at least they are after several generations or they reach a certain age. Every wolf in this room with me is incapable of siring children.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“You are special. Through mechanisms we do not understand, when an alpha rises, so does an omega, or in other words, his fated mate. Something in your DNA responds to him, maybe something epigenetically repressed that is activated once you’re in his presence or maybe it is through some other mechanism, but it really doesn’t matter. Your existence is direct evidence that our alpha has risen. I had felt him in my bones, but I was reluctant to believe it was real.”
“How do you know all this?”
“Because I was living in Rome when the last alpha rose.”
I stilled. That would mean she was more than three hundred years old.
“I was born in the year 1645. I stopped being fertile in 1701.”
Holy shit. This was a scientific anomaly like nothing I had ever seen.
“The alpha is going to be coming for us and for you, once he realizes you’re here. He won’t tolerate the captivity of his betas and he will free us. It won’t be long. I can feel he isn’t far and that he will bring the power of the pack with him. He won’t come alone. They’ll destroy this facility in an effort to give the betas the freedom to follow their alpha, just like nature intended.”
“How have you survived this long?”
“We’re strong and we’re intelligent. The humans think they have us secure down here, but it is our nature to evaluate everything for a weakness. We have been biding our time until the alpha rises and that time is now. We only have to wait for him to arrive to help us take back our freedom.”
“How do you know the alpha is coming for you? And for me?”
“I can feel him coming for us. I can also feel his anger but most of all, I can feel his hunger to find his mate. You’d best prepare yourself, omega, because when he comes for you, he’s never going to let you go.”
* * *
When I returned to Livingston, I didn’t tell him what Rebecca had told me, just that she had explained what her kind were and that she had wanted to get to know me on a woman to woman level. He’d taken my word at face value and then, in his excitement to have me here, proceeded to show me the rest of the lab and the resources I had at my disposal. I found myself only partially listening, my mind too wrapped up in what Rebecca and I had discussed. Finally, when he sensed my detachment, he looked at his watch. It was nearly eight o’clock and I hadn’t eaten a thing since breakfast. My stomach chose that moment to voice its displeasure and growled loudly in protest. Livingston chuckled and his eyes sparkled with amusement at hearing it.
“Look at the time! I’m sure you’re exhausted and pretty hungry. I’ll show you to your room, and let me tell you, this place has the most fantastic room service. Pretty much whatever you want, whenever you want. It’s so incredibly good!” he exclaimed. “It’s not far, follow me.”
True to his word, he brought me to a small apartment that was only a few minutes’ walk away from the lab. There, he showed me the room service menu and pointed out his favorites, which happened to the berry-glazed French toast and the chefs specially made cinnamon pancakes. I grinned, remembering just how much of a sweet tooth my former mentor had. Apparently, some things never change.
“It’s good to see you again, Dawn. I’m looking forward to working with you, just like old times,” he exclaimed elatedly.
“As am I,” I answered, smiling in return.
He didn’t stay much longer, only to point out essential information like what floors I didn’t have access to and the fact that the lab was shut down after midnight unless explicit permission was obtained first.
After Livingston retired to his own quarters, I picked up the phone and ordered the French toast he’d liked so much, only I added eggs and sausage to my order. I didn’t care that it was dinnertime. I was going to have breakfast because I
wanted to.
It had been a day and sometimes sugar made it all better. The only thing better would have been sex, but I hadn’t had that in years thanks to my work.
I didn’t know what I was going to do with the information I had learned just yet, but I would deal with it in the morning. Funny little thing about science, sometimes even the very best things in life got put on the backburner because the next grant was due, the next manuscript needed to be submitted, and more data was required for either one or even both at the exact same time. Science never slept, but I certainly was going to tonight.
* * *
I woke up early that morning exhausted. Blinking my weariness away, I stared at the digital clock on the nightstand. It read 5:00 a.m. It wasn’t time to get up yet. No way.
I closed my eyes and groaned as I wondered what had woken me up in the first place. I curled up into the soft mattress, pulling the covers up and over my shoulders as a shiver raced down my spine. Just as I began to drift back into dreamland, the bed shook beneath me, and my eyes shot open.
What the hell was that?
