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Fuck.My feet were moving before I even realized what was happening. One of the worst things about being an omega was how our biology responded to an alpha’s bark. It was nearly irresistible to deny a command given in that tone.
I heard him call out, “Sylvia, get back here!” but she was right there with me, her hand in mine as I half-ran to obey his order.
By the time we got to my hallway, the alpha command had more or less worn off, and Sylvia pulled me to a stop. “He barked at you!” she screeched. “Uncle G barked at you! What a complete fuc—”
I had my hand over her mouth before the word could come out. “I may not be your betasitter, but that’s not appropriate language,” I cautioned her, though I felt the same way.
An alpha’s bark was a psychological weapon, and for him to have used it in front of Sylvia and the other guests who’d witnessed the encounter with Alphonse was borderline unforgivable. It shocked me that an alpha like him, so in control at all times, so polished and urbane, could lose his grip so publicly.
“Mmmfhmm,” Sylvia mumbled, her lips moving under my fingers. I removed my hand, and she glared at me.“The question is why aren’tyoucursing? Uncle G was completely out of line.” She growled like an angry puppy. “This is literally why they invented four-letter words, Soleil.”
“You’re not wrong. But if you want to sound classy, and not get into trouble, you use old insults and swear words. Like Shakespearean or older,” I cautioned. “No f-bombs allowed.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t know any of those.”
“Well, it’s a good thing we have the internet and some time on our hands.” I opened my cabin door, gladder than ever that I’d deconstructed the nest and had the maid clean the room thoroughly. For the first time in days, it didn’t smell like sweat, sex, and pheromones. “Come on in.”
In a few minutes, we were seated on my bed, immersed in Shakespearean slang.
“I really like this one,” I muttered, jotting it in my notes. “Away, thou cream-faced loon.” Sylvia giggled. She’d hardly stopped doing so since we entered the room.
“Off with you, you cullionly barbermonger!” she whispered to herself as she scribbled the line on her arm in permanent marker.
“Sylvia!” I covered my face with my hands. “It’s an hour until dinner. Your mom is going to hate that.”
“My mom probably won’t notice,” she said with a huff. “She’s always around Alphonse, and when she’s not, she’s looking for him. She hasn’t figured out where he goes. But I know.”
“Where is he?”
“The wedding planner’s cabin,” she said, still scribbling. “Her name’s Muffin—can you believe it? At least, that’s what he calls her. I saw him come out of there yesterday, and he had lipstick on his neck and his clothes were disgusting.”
Holy crap.“Did you tell anyone?”
She gave me a look that indicated she thought I’d lost my mind. “Who would listen to me? Mom already knows I can’t stand Alphonse.”
“Tell your uncle?” I suggested.
“Ugh, he’s been so weird on this whole trip. Barking at you? I’ve never once heard him bark in my entire life. I didn’t know he was that kind of alpha.”
“I think he just hit his limit,” I offered weakly.
“I think he’s been grumpy for too long. He never would have done that sort of thing a few years ago. Even a few months ago.” Her lips grew pinched. “Plus, he fired you for being an omega, no matter what he tells anyone else. We all know it. It’s total discrimination. We’re starting a petition.”
“An omega? You think… Who thinks… What kind of a petition?” I sputtered.
“Come on, Soleil. You didn’t need to tell me or anyone. I mean, you smell awesome, almost as good as my mom. And you act… I don’t know. Nicer? It was weird. At first, I thought maybe you weren’t one; people always say omegas don’t like other peoples’ kids. And you like me, right?” She swallowed and looked down. “You didn’t want to stay in your room and not hang out with me, did you?”
Tears stung my eyes. “No. I think you’re amazing, Sylvia. I was so mad at your uncle for telling me to stay away.”
“And then he used his bark on you, like a feral alpha or something. I’m going to give him so much grief for that, don’t you worry. I’ll tell him he’s acting like a…” She peeked down at her tablet. “An embossed carbuncle!”
“Now that I’m not your betasitter, I can tell you that I agree. He was being a bit of a carbuncle.” We giggled and rolled onto our backs, staring at the ceiling. She felt like a younger sister to me. I wanted to protect her from the world.
“Now that you’re not my betasitter, you could talk to Mom. You’re an adult, and an omega like her. Maybe she’d listen to you,” she said after a moment, sitting up on her knees. She had changed into one of my t-shirts and a pair of my shorts, which embarrassingly fit her far better than they did me. “Tonight at dinner, I could distract Alphonse, and you could talk to her.”
“Honestly, I’m not sure that would work. Your uncle has tried, and... sometimes love is blind.” I sighed. “At this point, she’d probably have to catch him in the middle of a felony.”
“Or something,” Sylvia mused. “If she caught him… I don’t know, hurting someone on the boat? Like, before the wedding.”
