“In college, before I met you, there was this group of people. A few Betas, two Alphas, and they were hoping to find an Omega,” he clears his throat, “Honestly, the idea of an Omega terrifies me, but only because I’m worried I’ll never be enough for one. So, after a few months of hanging around with them, they started talking about Packing up and being serious about courting an Omega. Even though I wasn’t bonded in, they swore we’d all stay together. When it came time to start making dates, I tried to be a part of it, but they shut me out.
“One night, I saw them out on a date with someone new, and just knew it was an Omega. So I walked over to them and askedwhat was happening, wanting to know why they had gone out without me. All they would say is that I was a joke, and they were surprised I hung around as long as I had without any kind of commitment from them. The Omega looked sympathetic, but she hadn’t ever met me, so she didn’t interfere. When I tried to introduce myself, one of the Alphas clocked me and told me to stay away. The Alpha had a class ring on and split my eyebrow. Thus, my charming scar.”
My heart is frozen, and my lungs are screaming for air. I’m pretty sure I stopped breathing as he told me about his past. For someone to string along another with the promise of a future Pack is awful. Add in how they treated him when he saw their date, and I hope like hell they never found their Omega. They don’t deserve one. The anger washes through my body, and I feel my heart go into overdrive, rage taking over my body, making me shake.
“Those motherfuck—” I stand and pace angrily around the room. “Who the hell do they think they are? Who treats someone that way? Especiallyyou, you’re amazing! What are their names? I’m gonna go beat the shit out of every single one of them!”
Simon stands and puts his hands on my shoulders. I look down slightly at him, the anger making my hands shake. One of his hands lifts to my face, cupping my cheek as he searches my eyes for something. I have no idea what he’s looking for, but he must see it because he pulls me tight to him. I grasp him hard, my arms banding around him protectively as he buries his face in my neck.
“We’re Pack, aren’t we?” Simon whispers into my neck.
“Yeah, Si, we are.”
“I don’t… I don’t know if I can handle a full Pack, Vic.”
“One day at a time, okay? I’m not leaving you, but I’m not going to force a bond on you either.”
He nods, and his hair tickles me a little as he does so. I understand why he pulls away now, and I’m so grateful he opened up to me like this. I only hope that I can be his rock the way he needs me to be.
eleven
JOSIE
Jesse is sitting on my couch, and I have to pinch myself a few times to make sure this is really happening. We were texting, and I told him it’s silly to text when he can come over, so now he’s here. In my space. With his amazing smell and smile. My inner Omega is bursting with happiness. And horniness, let’s be honest. He’s so gorgeous and I can’t help but sit right next to him, with my legs tucked under me and body facing him.
“Okay, so let me get this straight,” he says, a smile on his face, “You touch other people for a living, but you don’t touch other people?”
“Not generally, no, but it does sound silly now that you say it that way.” I smile back.
“No, not silly, it sounds like you’re careful about your boundaries, and it’s something I know nothing about. It’s pretty cool, even if it sounds a bit like an oxymoron.”
“Thanks.” I’m sure I’m blushing as I glance down at my hands. “It’s, um, it’s personal for me.”
Jesse shifts so he’s facing me directly.
“I’d love to hear about your reasons if you want to tell me, but don’t feel pressured, okay? I’m happy getting to know you at whatever pace you choose.”
My heart melts as he reaches out to gently put a hand on my knee. My leggings prevent skin contact, but it reminds me about when we held hands on our date. Should I ask him about that? I found a Match in Vic, is it possible I have another? Would Jesse even want to share? There’s no way I’m rejecting Vic even if I’m not ready to bond yet. Deciding that worrying about the future won’t help, I take a calming breath.
“Can I ask you a question first?”
He smiles, “Of course. I’m an open book for you.”
“I… Um… We… Are we a Match?” I blurt out.
Jesse’s eyes widen in surprise. He suddenly looks insecure, and I want to beat myself up for asking that question. I can’t apologize for asking, so I wait to see what he’ll say. My inner Omega wants to soothe my Alpha because he looks so unsure, but I remind myself he’s notmyAlpha until he tells me he is, so I need to be calm. I gaze steadily at him, needing this information.
He clears his throat a couple of times before replying, “Um, yeah, we are. I figured you knew. I’m sorry that I didn’t bring it up before.”
“No, don’t be sorry. I’ll explain it.” I take a deep breath and blow it out slowly with my eyes closed.
“My parents died when I was young. Four or five, something like that. I don’t remember them, really. They were both only children, so I ended up in the foster care system. None of the families that I was with werebad,really, but I got a lot of families who changed their minds after they got me. At first, it was because I was so young, they wanted older kids. Then I did have one good family, but they moved to a new state and I couldn’t join them. Once I presented as an Omega, it was worse. Nobody wanted to keep me for very long.
“I never lived in a place where physical touch was a thing, so I went the majority of my life without touch. I developed Touch Sickness in High School, but by then, I had presented asan Omega, so nobody wanted me around long enough to treat it. They avoided touching me even more at that point. Touch Sickness was pretty painful, my skin felt raw all the time, my emotions were out of control, and I was absolutely exhausted. All the time. When it turned into Touch Loss, the pain went away, but it means I can’t feel a Match. There’s no fixing it.”
Jesse just stares at me, his face a mask of sorrow. “I’m so sorry, Josie.”
“It’s not your fault. I can tell scents that pull me to people, and I was almost knocked over by yours, but when we held hands, you didn’t react at all, so I thought maybe we weren’t Matches.”
