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On a smaller level, homes were ruled by the father, or whoever the lead alpha was. Children who showed alpha tendencies were automatically elevated above the women of the household, no matter their age.
My life was decided for me by the time I hit puberty. Omegas were groomed to please their alpha, and yes, that was as fucking creepy as it sounded. Imagine spending your weekends learning to cook, clean, and be a submissive zombie with no real thoughts of your own. Hell, omegas weren’t even allowed to nest, something that still affected me today, because it was seen as selfish. If we tried to create a nest, to carve out a small space in the home that was just ours, we were seen as being slaves to our desire. The alphas thought we needed to keep control of ourselves so that we could always prioritizetheirneeds.
Despite being out of THC for five years, I still had a hard time allowing myself to create a comfy space to unwind. The suppressants kept heats at bay well enough that I wouldn't have to fight my instincts. Now that I was out of THC, I didn’t need to fight them, but the idea of giving in to them scared the shit out of me. If it weren’t for getting some outside socialization as a kid, I’d have been even more of a mess than I currently was.
The fact that I was able to go to school was an anomaly. It was only allowed because my father didn’t want my mother to dedicate more time to my schooling than his needs. Very few of THC’s omega children had the luxury, and it was the one thing I was grateful for growing up. Though it didn’t come at no cost. I didn’t escape without a daily lecture to make sure that I remembered the importance of my purpose.
My friends still didn’t know the full extent of the shitty way I was raised, but they knew more than anyone else. That was why they were so concerned now. It had taken years for me to really break the anxiety rituals, and right now, I was probably giving them flashbacks to my early days being free of that bullshit.
“Look, why don’t we let you finish up your room so you don’t get more stressed out?” Eliza said briskly as she pulled Sienna up from the bed. “I’m declaring an emergency brunch day! So we will get ready while you finish this up and shower. We’re going to get brunch then walk you to that damn omega clinic because you smell like fucking walking sex, Hazel. No arguments!”
I nodded, a smile finally tugging at my lips. My friends were the best thing that had ever happened to me. They had stuck with me through thick and thin, always by my side even when I had run away from home after shit had hit the fan. But I wasn’t going to think about that right now.Straighten up, then shower.Now that Eliza had mentioned food, I realized how hungry I was.
I quickly and efficiently folded and put away my clothes, then I started the shower. As much as I liked these men, I knew that it wouldn’t go anywhere. I couldn’t let it go any further, for so many reasons, not the least of which was my engagement to another pack—a detail that even my besties had no idea about.
It wasn’t just my paranoia getting the best of me. Twice before, we’d had to relocate when I saw my former fiancés poking around, though I’d told my besties it was my parents I’d seen. I hadn’t been careful enough, hadn’t gone to a big enough city, something I’d corrected this time, or we, rather, since my besties had stayed by my side. THC never gave up on searching for those of us who dissented; I’d seen countless omegas dragged back.
So even after all this time away from my family, I couldn’t find it in myself to fully defy them by binding myself to another pack. Why did my life have to be so complicated?
Thirty minutes later, we were seated at some adorable bistro nestled in the heart of the city. The place was clean and modern with bold pops of forest green and gold that stood out against the white walls and ceilings. We claimed a circle booth in the back and made ourselves at home. Our brunch trips were nothing if not long.
“Welcome to Parkside Bistro,” the waiter said with a bright grin. He was a flirty omega, which I knew was going to make this brunch even better. “Lucky me, I get a table of beauties.”
“I like this place already,” I teased. “Tell me you have some sort of mimosa here?”
He scoffed, clutching his nonexistent pearls. “Oh, honey, we have standard mimosas, strawberry pineapple mimosas, cranberry mimosas… You name it, and we can probably make it.”
“Ooooh!” Sienna sang out as she did a little shimmy in her seat. “I’ll take a raspberry one.”
“One of my favorites,” he said as he jotted it down. “And you two?”
“You had me at strawberry pineapple,” I said. “And can we start out with the brunch platter appetizer?”
“Anything for you,” he flirted with a wink.
“I’ll be boring and take orange juice,” Eliza said.
“Not boring,” he chastised. “Classic.”
“I like that better,” she said. We were rewarded with a wiggle of his fingers as he hurried away.
“Teagan is going to be jealous,” Sienna noted as she glanced around. “She’d be snapping pictures. We should take a selfie with our drinks and send it over.”
“She’ll beat us with a picture of her stretched out on a beach somewhere,” Eliza huffed playfully.
They continued on, but my mind refused to let the date go. I couldn’t help but keep thinking of the guys. My stomach whirled with nerves as I considered how I’d avoid them. Sutton was my boss, so all I really had to do on that front was be curt and professional. But how would I keep the others away if they tried to reach out? The thought of hurting their feelings genuinely bothered me.
“Oh, it looks like someone’s thinking too hard,” the waiter, Theon by his name tag, said. I jumped at the greeting, then I turned to see him. He had a bottle of champagne in hand and three carafes of different-colored juices. “Let me get you a little extra champagne.” He proceeded to make me a mimosa that was predominantly champagne and just a splash of juice. I grabbed the glass and chugged it down, coughing when the bubbles tickled my throat and nose on the way down.
“Whoa,” Sienna called out. “Keep them coming, I guess.”
“Just keep her sober enough to eat, or she’ll need to be carried out of here,” he warned. There was a momentary break in his bubbliness to give us a stern look, and I pointedly took a sip of my water.
“I’ll behave! I promise. Let’s just say last night’s blind date didn’t end well for me.” In true bestie fashion, the girls didn’t call me out on the lie.
“Ouch. Been there. I’ll keep them coming. Do you want to order anything besides the appetizer?”
“God yes,” Sienna said. Her sweet tooth had struck again, so she ordered some crepes with strawberries and cream in the middle. I went for hearty, ordering an omelet and hash browns. Eliza got herself a healthy sandwich and a side of fruit.
