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What? I’m so confused.
Fuck.
I’m about to shatter his world because he already has this idea about me, which is not even close to being right.
“I think there’s been a mistake.” I take a step back, swatting his hand from my face instinctively. My mom would grab me by the hair and scream in my face for such a disrespectful move, but I can’t help it. “I don’t know what was in my paperwork that made you believe otherwise, but I’m as pure as any other omega up for betrothal. These expectations you have...I’m sorry. I don’t understand them.”
Adrian cocks his head, giving me a long once-over. “You cannot possibly tell me that you haven’t requested assistance during your heat in the last ten years. That sounds utterly torturous.”
“Ten years? I’ve only had one. How old do you think I am?” Embarrassment sneaks into my cheeks, heating my face. This isn’t the kind of conversation I expected to have with my alpha within the first ten minutes of meeting him.
I glance at a wall mirror, half-expecting to see my face suddenly aged with wrinkles and other signs of maturity, but I look the same as I always have. Maybe a bit tired. Stressed. But not older...at least, I think.
Adrian purses his lips. “You’re thirty-one and absolutely stunning.”
“I look thirty-one?” I know he didn’t say it, but why would he think that? Now I’m self-conscious, and I can’t look at Adrian. Fuck this awkwardness.
“Well, no. Not at all, Scarlett. I’m parroting the information in your paperwork. I can show you.” Adrian pulls out his cell phone and taps the screen, his brows scrunching as he scrolls through whatever he’s looking at. He turns his phone and holds it out to me. “See. Your profile says thirty-one. You’re a Scorpio with your birthday coming in November and almost thirty-two. Your mother didn’t correct me during our conversation and arrangement-making. The first thing I asked her was if you would be okay with joining a pack a little bit older. She said you looked over the profiles I submitted and were thrilled to marry us.”
A mixture of emotions crashes through me. This sounds as if mom knew about this for a while and she chose not to tell me. I shouldn’t have expected anything different. There is no rhyme or reason to how she selects our packs apart from her idea of what a perfect payday is. She cares so little for me. I thought it would be different. I thought that if I were agreeable and more obedient than my older sisters, I’d have a different outcome. But here I am. Blindsided, confused, and now staring down an alpha who might throw me out the second he realizes my mom lied.
My brain screams to suck it up and act as if everything is okay. This isn’t the end of the world. Adrian might be older, but he’s still attractive. Seemingly kind. He’s also honest. It’s just all the other stuff. The experience. I’m not who he wanted.
It’s unfortunate that my mouth has other plans. “I didn’t even know someone proposed until less than an hour ago. I learned your name from the driver. I don’t even know how big your pack is or who is on it.” I jet my hand out and poke the screen of his phone. “And that’s a typo. I’m twenty-one. I guess my mom didn’t care enough to actually read through anything and fix it.”
I bite my lip and turn around, refusing to face Adrian. I don’t want to see his expression. I don’t want to see the anger fill his eyes after discovering what a piece of shit situation my mom put us both in. Because I’m clearly not who he and his pack were looking for.
His gentle hand grasps my shoulder. “Scarlett, I’m so sorry. I should have known after my meeting last week when she told me you’d prefer to skip any sort of courting. You have quite the respectable pack, but she was a bit off.”
“Not off. Desperate. I have an obligation to my pack that my mother has to help me fulfill by being married. Things get complicated if I’m not. She could lose her precious royalty status.” I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to wrap my head around everything. “All of this self-doubt because of a fucking typo.” I mutter the last comment under my breath, forcing myself to straighten my shoulders.
Adrian reaches out and rubs his thumb across my jaw, drawing it toward my ear to push my dark brownish-auburn hair behind it. “Which is one of the reasons why we picked you, thinking that your pack would have realized how unnecessary such obligations to our orders as alphas and omega are. I mean, Pack Clearwater was quite generous allowing me and my pack mates the opportunity to focus on our careers first to climb their ranks.” Because many packs fall under another authority. Pack Clearwater runs San Diego, and I’m sure Pack Hart wants to eventually get to the top of the hierarchy to be able to claim the Clearwater name. This same type of hierarchy helps my sisters and me, pampering and treating us as royalty despite our parents not being a top pack under Pack Carlisle’s umbrella. Our family wouldn't be well off otherwise. He continues exploring the skin down my neck, leaving his scent trail behind. It envelops me in something fruity and spicy, like fresh berries mingling with the heat of cinnamon. “I just hope this doesn’t turn you off from us. You’re a lovely woman, Scarlett.”
His closeness overwhelms me in a good way, and I inhale a soft breath, my deep-seated nature as an omega thrilled by the attention this alpha gives me. “I have been preparing for this moment all my life. Everything will be fine.” The words come automatically. “If my pack thinks you’re a good fit for me, then I trust them.”
Adrian remains expressionless, but something dark enters his light blue gaze. “I’m happy to have you here. Let me show you to your room, and I will let you get settled. I’ll also prepare the rest of our pack. This comes as a surprise, but what a pleasant accident. I do look forward to our life together. I promise to make you a very satisfied and happy woman if you let me.”
His eyes dart down to my mouth and back up, his presence getting to me in a way I never expected. It’s as if I can’t resist. I stretch up on my tiptoes and brush my lips to his, kissing him without hesitation. The soft, feather-light touch of our lips lasts only a second, and I swallow and smile as I pull away, watching his eyes light up. This is my moment now. It’s my duty to be the omega of his dreams. Like my mom would say, I need to be grateful.
Neither of us says anything as he slides his arm around my waist and guides me to the dark, curved double-sided staircase that wraps around to the second floor with another sitting area. Voices murmur from old vents, but nothing is clear enough to hear. I push my spinning thoughts away. This will work out. I know it. I already like how open he is about his feelings toward societal expectations. Maybe the error in my profile was fate.
It’s what I have to believe.
“You’ll find all the necessities you need in your bathroom, and I’ll ensure you get your belongings as soon as possible. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to come and find me. All you have to do is follow this hallway around the corner until you hit the library. My wing is just through the double doors. You can also call me. You’ll find your new phone with some other electronics at your desk. We didn’t want to overwhelm you even more about coming here, so you do have your own space where you can do as you please. We want you to feel at home because you are home now.” Adrian opens the door to my room, revealing a beautifully decorated suite, a bright contrast from everything I’ve seen in the manor so far, with furniture of white woods and a four-poster bed with silver and sapphire-colored bedding.
He leans down and kisses me again as if we’ve been kissing forever. I never thought such a gesture would feel so normal, considering I just met him, but it does. His kindness and warmth help ease my nerves and give me the courage to step forward and look around at my new life.
“I’ll be back in a bit. If you’re hungry, you can find the kitchen downstairs. Just follow the way we came in and go through the servant’s entrance on the right.” Adrian eases away from me and smiles. “Is there anything else I haven’t mentioned? I’ll print off the profiles you were supposed to have so you can look at them. I’m sure you’re anxious about meeting your other alphas.”
I only shake my head in response, my words sticking to my throat. Why do I feel as if he’s a bit nervous now? Maybe he doesn’t want to leave me, but he also doesn’t want to overwhelm me or smother me. I’ll just go along with things as I was taught until I understand him better. It’s all part of Meeting Your Alpha 101 from Omega Prep.
“Like I said, find me if you need me. It’s incredible having you here.” Adrian nods his head as he exits my suite and closes the door behind him, leaving me alone in the unfamiliar space.
A beep chimes through the room only a moment later, and I spin to watch the printer on my new desk whirl to life, shooting out a couple dozen pieces of paper. It’s the profiles Adrian mentioned.
I stride over and pick up the stack, staring at the names and pictures belonging to five men under the Pack Hart name within Pack Clearwater’s authority. Many smaller packs band together under one umbrella name, sharing a territory. And these five alphas work at my university.
Shit.
