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“Here, Red.” He reaches over Mandy and holds the plate in front of me. Looking up, I’m caught in his green gaze. “We made you breakfast.”
Slowly, I reach up to grab the plate. I feel like every eye in the room is on me right now. But all I can see is the emerald orbs staring into me. That’s what it feels like, like he is staring into my soul. I swear, from this one look alone, and the heat in his eyes tells me he very much is interested in what he sees. My wolf is going crazy, whirling around in my mind and howling like crazy. His scent is taking over all rational thought, and I can't think straight and nothing makes sense except for him.
I’m lost in his vortex, but someone clears their throat and the spell his scent and gaze has over me breaks. Quickly glancing around the room, I notice that everyone is staring at us. Mandy and her pack look like they have a secret, while the other guys look like they want to strangle Skylar. My face flames red and my eyes drop to the plate in my hand as I slowly lower it to the table. I can’t believe I let that happen. Hell, I’m not even surewhatjust happened. I just know that I’m drawn to CJ and his pack and I want nothing more than for what my body and strangely bossy wolf is telling me.
“Mates! Mates!”My wolf is screaming over and over again in my mind.
She keeps sending images of us playing with wolves in my mind and pushing at my mind to get out. I won’t let her out right now, but I ask her what she is talking about. Of course, I don’t get an answer, just howls and the word mate repeated over and over again. She doesn’t calm down until Erik forcefully drags Skylar to the spot on the other side of the table, the farthest away from me he could possibly be. My head is still down, focused on the food I haven’t touched, but through my lashes, I see Mandy look between me and Skylar before sharing a glance with her mates. Nobody says a word and an awkward silence descends on the dining room.
Charles clears his throat and picks up his fork before diving into his breakfast. That sets off a chain reaction, and soon everyone but me is eating. Charles makes small talk with CJ and the conversations flow from there. The first few words are stilted, but soon, the atmosphere relaxes. I noticed that Mandy didn’t touch her food until some of the tension in the room cleared, same as me. Maybe it’s an Omega thing, not being able to eat in stressful situations. Either way, I’m starving from not eating yesterday and the food smells amazing! I pick up my fork and dive into the fluffy eggs. They are covered in cheese, my favorite way to eat them, and the grits on the plate beside them taste delicious when I mix them together. A little hum leaves my throat and I pretend to not notice all four of the boys wiggling in their chairs a bit at the sound. I need to talk to Mandy before I let my mind and wolf convince me of something that may not be possible.
After breakfast, I claim clean up duty and Mandy chimes in to help. It’s like the woman can read my mind and knows I want to talk to her. All of the males at the table try to argue, but one look from Mandy has them running out of the room. The sight of seven large men literally running away from the tiny woman beside me has me laughing. Abby walks in as I’m trying to calm myself and she is looking over her shoulder. When she is completely in the room, she turns towards us with scrunched brows, looking confused and amused all at once.
“What the hell is wrong with the Alphas? They look like someone lit their tails on fire and snatched their chew toys away.”
That has me laughing all over again. They did look a little sullen and afraid as they left the room and scattered to random parts of the house. I want to explain, but I can’t get any coherent words out around the peals of laughter. Abby watches me with a smile on her face and Mandy rubs my back as I take deep calming breaths. A few chuckles slip out now and then, but for the most part, I’ve settled down.
“Mandy looked at them when they tried to tell us we weren’tallowed,” My fingers pump up and down in the universal air quote sign when I say allowed. “to clean up after breakfast. I’ve never seen anyone move that damn fast in my life.”
Abby chuckles now. She gives Mandy a mock stern face and wags a finger at her. “Mandy! You know better than to scare the Alphas with your mom-look. That shit is terrifying, it has been since you were two.”
The two women and I pass jokes back and forth as we gather dishes. Abby snacks on some fruit and bacon left over as she relaxes on the counter while Mandy and I wash dishes. The topic of what happened between me and Skylar gets brought up way sooner than I wanted, but I know I can’t avoid it, so I suck it up and ask the questions I need to.
“So, you and Sky had a moment there. Wanna talk about it?” Mandy doesn’t look up from the plate she is rinsing and Abby just watches us with a raised brow.
“I mean, I guess. I do have some questions now that I know I'm … you know.”
“An Omega? You have to say it Becca. Nothing we do will change it and the sooner you embrace it the easier it will be to accept the things you and your wolf will or have done.” Abby is in teacher mode, lecturing me, but I don’t mind. She has always been a straight shooter and I really appreciate that about her.
“Yes, I know that I’m an Omega, I just don’t really know what that means.” I sigh and pick up another plate to wash. If I keep my hands busy, I won’t have to focus on the feelings bubbling inside me or the embarrassment of asking my crush's mom to help me with the feelings I have towards him and his Pack. “I’ve spent the whole week preparing to Manifest as a Beta. I’ve researched them and asked other betas about their experiences. Now, I’m an Omega and I have no idea what is normal and what isn’t.”
Passing the plate along, I hold my breath and wait for a response. I didn’t really ask a question, but I opened the topic. I want to see what they will say about Omegas as a manifestation before I ask for specifics. Abby is honest to a fault and Mandy is so empathetic, I know she will understand what I need without me ever having to say it directly.
“Yes, well, that may be a bit of our fault.” Abby shifts a bit on the counter. She looks a little uncomfortable, but continues on anyway. “We’ve all noticed a few Omega tendencies in you these last two weeks, but none of us thought it was possible. We should have prepared you for the possibility anyways, no matter how slim we thought the chances were.”
“Come on now, Abby. That isn’t fair. We did the best we could with the knowledge we had.” Mandy gently chastises Abby, who sticks her tongue out but nods her head. “Becca, sweety I know that this all must be very hard for you. It was hard for me, and I knew there was a chance I could be an Omega. Just know that we are here for you no matter what. Omegas really aren’t that different from Betas. Sure,” She hands Abby a towel and shoos her off the counter and towards the clean dishes. “We have heats and feel emotions stronger, but really, that isn’t so bad most of the time.”
“Mandy, I think you are downplaying this too much. I know you don’t want to overwhelm her, but she needs to know everything.”
Abby and Mandy go back and forth, arguing about how much to tell me right now. I climb up onto the counter and let them talk it out, but I already know that I’ll demand to know everything. It’s how I work. Having information helps me not feel so off center. I like to know what to expect and what a normal reaction is. So when the two girls start growling and their answers get snippy, I cut in.
“Enough you two.” My words aren’t loud or even sharp. But they are firm enough to get the older women’s attention. “Mandy, I really appreciate you looking out for me, but I want to know it all. It’ll help me feel more balanced and in control. And Abby, I love that you support me and want what’s best for me, but Mandy is right. I’m feeling a lot right now and it's really easy to overwhelm me. That is why I need both of you there. Abby to give facts, and Mandy to clarify emotions.” The two of them nod, accepting what I’m saying without argument. So I keep going, hoping to keep control of the conversation. “Why don’t we go out to the pool? We can hang out there today and talk about everything. Tomorrow we can address what to do about the council and the genetic tests August wants to run. I’m not against it, but I don’t think my parents will do it, honestly.”
Mandy smiles at me, a proud gleam in her eyes. It seems that me asserting my wants and needs makes her happy. I’m glad that I can do that, make her happy and give her something to be proud of me about. Abby looks impressed and that makes me proud too. I want to do this right, and today I apparently did that. Once the two of them agree, I run up to my room to get changed into a bathing suit. All of the guys left the house when Abby got here, so I don’t worry about running into anyone. I’m wearing a tiny little neon pink bikini, but the black cover up I throw over it keeps it decent enough.
Abby and Mandy are already down by the pool by the time I get down there, so I waste no time jumping into the cool water. It’s still June in the south, so the sun is blazing bright and hot. The water feels amazing and my whole body relaxes as I do lap after lap. That is exactly what I wanted to happen. I need to be relaxed and happy to have this talk, otherwise I’ll shut down and not ask the questions I need to ask. Abby and Mandy are sitting on the side of the pool with their feet in the water, watching me swim back and forth and talking quietly. I slowly make my way over to them and pull myself out of the water to sit between them. I smile mischievously to myself as I shake out my long puffy hair, slinging water all over the two of them. They groan and swat my arms as I chuckle. I wrap my arms around them and tug them to my body in a group hug that has them laughing with me. Mandy shoves my arm off her shoulder, but Abby settles into my side.
Chapter Nineteen
Omega One-o-One
“Okay.TimeforOmegaOne-o-one. Is there something specific you want to start with or am I laying it all out there?” Mandy pushes her sunglasses down from the top of her head. They are so big, they cover half her face, but she still looks stunning.
“Just hit me with it and I’ll ask questions as they come.”
Nodding, she jumps right into it. She tells me that Omegas are genetically created to be able to mate with Alphas. She explains that Alphas’ reproductive systems are a bit different from Betas, so they can’t mate with a Beta without possibly hurting them. I ask what is so different and Abby cuts into the conversation.
“Alphas have a knot. It's a … I guess bulb is the best description. Anyway, Alphas have an addition to the bottom of their penis that expands during sex. It locks the Alpha and Omega together when they come so that they can be sure of a more successful procreation.”
