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“How about this weekend?” I offer. “We’ll school Riley up so that you’re up to the Woods’s standards. Besides, it’ll be a fun way to spend the weekend.”
“I can help too,” says Miles with a shrug.
I glance over at Fox, who shakes his head. “I have a game on Saturday.”
Thane gives him a look of betrayal that he doesn’t really mean.
“All right,” says Riley, with doubt in her eyes. “Let’s make me the perfect Omega.” The four of us clink our beer bottles together in agreement, and after a moment and maybe some puppy dog eyes from Fox, Thane begrudgingly taps his bottle against ours.
Operation Fake Mating Bond is a go.
NINETEEN
—
R I L E Y
When I was younger,my fathers took me to see a play at the local high school. This was when we were still a family, when I wasn’t considered someone who caused drama for no reason. When my parents believed what I said when I said it.
The play was about a poor young Omega, taken in by an Alpha prince who was bet by his best friend that he could pass her off as a princess by the end of the year. The Alpha worked with the Omega for weeks, teaching her all the etiquette and rules and finally passing her off as a princess at the holiday ball.
I loved that play so much. I wanted it to be real. I remember going home and recreating that princess’s story a thousand different ways in a thousand different stories in various stages of completion. I knew then that I was destined to tell stories to others.
But living them…?
I feel like that princess in the movie now. I’m the Woods pack’s poor Omega, and I’m being coached to become a princess—or at least someone worthy enough to be presented in front of the Drs. Woods.
“I don’t understand why I have to learn this,” I groan, flopping down on the sofa in the living room. “I literally write about this kind of thing all the time. None of this is new, even if I didn’t go to the Omega Academy. I’ve done research. I know how they talk, what’s expected.”
Levi holds up a placating hand. “Sure, sure, but have you actually done it in practice? It’s one thing to write about the proper way to pour tea as an Omega hostess, it’s another thing to do it in real life.”
I glare up at him. “And you’re an expert?”
He scoffs at my sarcastic accusation. “No, of course not. I bought a book.” He bends over to pick up a book from the coffee table and shows me the bright yellow cover.
“Omega Etiquette for Dummies.” I blink at him. “You’re serious.”
He nods, a strand of his hair flopping over onto his forehead. “And there’s always the internet. We can find anything on YouTube. Last year, our thermostat went out, and I fixed it all by myself with some video by a guy named Bob.” He waves his hand in front of the book like he’s on a game show offering me the grand prize.
“Fine,” I groan. “Let’s do it. What are we working on first?”
“First is, well, you.” He holds out his hand to me. “Stand up. Now, address me.”
I stand up and face him. “Um… hello, Levi.”
“Hello, Riley.” He smiles and takes my chin, guiding it downward. “Now, do it again, but don’t look me in the eye. Omegas don’t look Alphas directly in the eye.”
“Well, that’s stupid,” I mumble. “How do I know what they look like if I can’t look up?”
Hand still on my chin, Levi guides my head back up until we’re eye to eye. “Riley, love. Listen to me. I know every independent, rebellious thought in your head right now because I’ve got them all, too. I hate the way Omegas are treated. I hate the way you have to act. It isn’t right. But there are better ways to fight oppression than rebelling against things like shows of respect right off the bat. Especially because once they get to know you the way we do, they could be very important allies.”
I’m touched by his declaration, but I can’t buy into that kind of optimism. “Really? How do you figure that when they’re so conservative about Omega behavior?”
“Because I believe in you, Riley, and I believe you will change their minds.”
Levi’s smile is so sincere, and his smug look shows how confident he is in his words. I don’t see how a small, sickly Omega like me, who has been lying for years, could possibly impress three of the most prestigious doctors in the world. But if Levi smiles at me like that, I’m sure as hell going to give it my best try.
He has a certain air about him. Like a teacher, but not the preachy know-it-all kind, the kind you want to impress. The kind you peek at from beneath your lashes when you think he isn’t paying attention, just to study the sharp line of his jaw. Or the way his rolled sleeves fit just right into the crooks of his elbows.
