My eyes found Anders again, and he crossed his arms, as someone who doesn’t regret his actions. There were many tests available to identify an omega. It was easy biology, but most omegas showed themselves in puberty. Isadora was obviously one. No beta could perfume a room from her mere presence like this. I could identify every note of her scent, like expensive wine, each one was more extravagant than the next.
“You are an omega,” I told her. “Now, what we have to do is take a sample of your blood and match it to the international database to find your pack.”
Her eyes flashed with anger when I mentioned a pack. Karl told her stories, of course. I wonder what he said about us? If he was as hurt as we were from that time.
“And if I don’t want a pack?”
Again, my eyes found Anders for an explanation. Why would he bring her here if she wasn’t willing to match with a pack?
Isadora’s palm descended over the table with a whack, demanding attention. “What happens if I don’t want a pack?”
“She goes back to her life in Brazil, right?” Anders dragged on.
I shook my head at him, but the words coming from my mouth were positive. “Yes, of course. You’re not obligated to remain with anyone.”
She took in my words, nodding as I spoke. “So all I have to do is take a blood test, and then I can walk away?”
“If you don’t like to meet them or stay with them. They will of course try to court you.”
What kind of Alpha wouldn’t? Even the times before when omegas weren’t this scarce, the life mission of an honorable Alpha was to care for and spoil his omega. Now? The moment the database matches them, I know they would hop in a plane and come to see her.
But this scenario didn’t seem to entice Isadora by the way her small nose wiggled at the mention of courting.
“Who is Sven?” she asked next.
Tension built back over my shoulders. Anders was rough and did things before telling people, but we mostly agreed on things. Sven was something else. He was very close to Karl, both of them very logical, and when Karl left, he closed up completely, even to us. We were still a pack, and we shared this house, but I knew Sven wasn’t the same anymore.
He buried himself in his work, deciding to help people in our village was the best use of his time. He was a community doctor. His hours were supposed to be flexible, yet some weeks I didn’t even see a shadow of him. He froze up like the lake when Karl left, and we couldn’t reach him anymore, not after so many years. I couldn’t even imagine how to start.
“He’s our pack member.”
Isadora’s hand balled into a fist. “And let me guess? He has feelings about my dad too?”
There was no point in trying to guess or explain Sven’s behavior. I plastered a forced smile over my lips and got up. “I bet you’re tired. Shall I show you the guest room?”
Chapter Five
Isadora
The guest bedroom had a beautiful view of a lake, and while it was summer, there was already frost on the grass by the bank. Per moved quickly around the room, showing me the shower and bringing my bags up. I crossed my arms in front of my chest and waited until he was done, and I could be alone once again.
With an awkward wave, he finally left, and my shoulders dropped at the same time as my eyes closed with a regretful sigh. Was keeping Dad’s house that important? I wanted his advice and input because the same bleeding heart who guided me to preserve it at any cost knew that he would be the first to burn the house down if it kept me away from Sweden.
These men wore their feelings about my dad on their expressions. Anders had a sneer over his lips and said my dad’s name as if it were a curse. Per was softer, his face was open, his eyes bright green behind glasses that would look dorky on anyone without his jawline. He talked about my dad as if he were a puppy who got lost in the woods.
As if I didn’t hate their reactions already, there was also Sven. Per wasn’t smooth enough about it. It quickly became clear that he didn’t want to get into too much detail about the remaining pack member, and that made me extremely uneasy. Was Sven worse than Anders? Softer than Per?
My suitcase awaited me by the bed in a clear invitation. I could just wheel it back around to the airport. As annoying as Anders was, I didn’t take him as someone who would keep me here against my wishes. I could go and forget about the whole thing. Just leave and find a job, then get an apartment with roommates.
Move to a cheaper town.
Instead, my eyes wandered back to the lake. I watched a woman stroll by. She had two boys with her, and they were about ten years old. She smiled while giving them stones to throw over the water until a man approached. Her smile suddenly got bigger, and even bigger when another man came through.
They took turns kissing her on the lips before joining the kids by the lake. I watched them for longer than acceptable while my mind replayed everything I’d learned so far.
Life here didn’t look bad. The family kept playing and smiling. They looked happy and satisfied with life. It was nothing like I thought it was going to be, yet it was too soon to make any judgments. Dad had lived here his whole life. He had a reason to leave and a reason to warn me to stay away. I stepped away from the window and closed the curtains. It didn’t matter what it looked like and only what it was.
I wasn’t able to unpack. It felt like a decision whether to take my clothes from my bag and line them up inside the wardrobe, but I also couldn’t leave and give away my family’s home. Instead, I sat on the bed, looked at the pristine white walls in miserable contemplation until my body gave up and my eyes closed. It didn’t take long, and I was sleeping.
