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The Crash be dammed. I was going to make sure our girl got everything she deserved.
thirty-six
Imusthavedozedoff. I only meant to close my eyes for a moment while I’d enjoyed Nick stroking my hair. But when I opened them again, a different movie was playing.
I shifted in my seat, suddenly uncomfortable, but not wanting to move. “Are you okay?” Nick whispered.
“Yeah, I just really have to pee,” I said, and he chuckled.
“Do you want me to come with you?” he asked.
“No,” I sighed. “Stay here. I’ll be back in a minute.”
I reluctantly worked my way out of the blanket cocoon Nick had built around us. I spied Angel still snuggled up with Wolf, wide awake. “Do you need to go to the bathroom, Angel?” I asked.
She nodded distractedly, still looking at the screen. “Come on, let’s go,” I urged, holding out my hand and trying not to dance on the spot. I really needed her to hurry.
We carefully maneuvered our way back out to the hallway, being careful to avoid stray hands and feet between the mattresses. Many of the omegas were still watching the movie, enjoying the rare treat, but plenty had already fallen asleep.
“Are you going to the bathroom?” Emma asked me as I passed, and I nodded. “Can I come too?”
I’d often seen in movies how women always went to the bathroom together, and I’d been curious about the phenomenon. At the Palace, we always used our own bathrooms and had handlers watching us when we were in groups or common areas. I don’t think I’d ever had another woman in the bathroom with me, beside my handler.
“Sure. We can all go,” I said easily. “Just hurry up, I’m busting.” Emma laughed. It was such a simple thing, but it felt like doing something so mundane together made us both feel normal.
I brushed a hand over Angel’s hair. She grabbed my hand, then Emma’s, and walked happily between the two of us. There were men’s and women’s bathrooms in the hallway outside the ballroom, for when they held parties and we headed for them. I grinned as I came out to wash my hands and listened to Angel sing a song from the movie to herself in the stall next to me. She paused to yawn halfway through a lyric.
“So,” I said to Emma, “Miles and Owen seem nice.”
Emma blushed furiously. “They’re just helping.”
I nodded my head agreeably. “Uh, huh.”
Her blush deepened and she suddenly blurted out, “They said they’re my mates.”
“Yeah, there seems to be a lot of that going around. Do you feel the same?”
She laughed nervously. “I feel pulled to them, but I haven’t encouraged them. The pull seems to be getting stronger the more I resist it, though. I’ve been here since my early teens. I know nothing about alphas and I’m not really sure what I’m doing. Plus, I’m sharing a room with two dozen omegas.”
She stumbled to a stop and put her hand over her mouth, as if she hadn’t meant to say all of that. I didn’t know Emma that well, but it seemed as if she really needed to talk. I also didn’t know how I’d gone from the girl who hung back in the shadows to the one who people approached for advice.
“Uh, I don’t know if Sam has spoken to Miles or Owen about it or not, but they don’t let unmated alphas into the secret location with the omegas. If you want some time to figure it out, you could come to the farm with us instead? When we get there, we can sit down with Lexie and Maia to have a girl chat? They’ve both gone through it and really helped me. Cary can take Angel for a play with some of the farm animals,” I said as I heard Angel’s toilet flush.
“You don’t think Lexie and Maia would mind if I came to the farm?” she asked.
“Not at all. They’re a very welcoming community. Plus, I’m sure Sam would be relieved to have some of his team still with him, rather than Miles and Owen chasing you up the mountain,” I laughed, as she blushed. I didn’t want to tell her we’d already discussed that it might be a solution without talking to any of them first.
Emma looked relieved. “That would be great. Thank you so much, Ava.”
“What’s a mate?” Angel asked as she came out of her stall.
Emma and I both stared at each other. Another toilet flushing had me spinning around. I hadn’t realized anyone else was in here. I’d been so busting to pee I hadn’t even looked when we came in, I’d just dashed straight for a stall.
“A mate is someone who chooses an omega,” Nicole said as she sashayed across to the taps and washed her hands alongside Angel. “It’s a special bond, and an omega should feel privileged to be chosen. It’s a little greedy to accept more than one, though.”
Nicole shot both Emma and me a glare in the mirror, then plastered on a fake smile as she looked down at Angel. She held her hand out to her. “Want to come and get a treat?”
“Yes, yes, yes,” Angel shouted, jumping up and down, proving she’d already had enough sugar. She threw herself at Nicole, who looked startled, but grabbed Angel’s hand, anyway.
