Chapter 2 & 3

Chapter 2

Talya

Omegas are very territorial concerning other omegas but usually, that means about their personal space and their alphas. I’ve found some omegas over the years take it to a different level. Being an omega, I know what it looks like and how it feels to actually feel my hackles rising when something of mine is encroached upon by another omega.

I also know that many omegas play it up. Fake the feeling that another omega is too close. Most of the time, it’s for attention. Omegas love attention and we seek it out, especially when we feel secure in our environments. The truly amusing thing to me is when I’m in the vicinity of another omega and witness them trying to pretend that I’m making them uncomfortable.

Do I take pleasure in calling them out? Yes. Yes, I do. I love to see the way they get flustered and embarrassed. Because I like authenticity. Honestly. I don’t play games. Who has time for that.

And thus why I don’t have any omega friends except online.

There’s a website called Omega Forums where omegas can talk, ask advice, learn about being an omega when their life hasn’t ben conducive to the proper education, and make friendships. We’re talking virtual friendships, of course. The world isn’t a safe enough place to trust that even all these people presenting as omegas are indeed omegas.

The website has a vetting process but it’s not perfect. Not as thorough or in depth as the Heat Hideaway, which was a bummer. It would be nice to have some omega friends who understood the particular struggles you’re going through.

I’ve been on the Omega Forums for a few years, looking for someone with the same situation I was in. Hoping for advice but secretly praying that I’ll find someone who has had success in finding a pack after presenting with the same challenges I have.

I have my alpha. I’ve had him since I was a teenager. There’s not a day that goes by where I regret any decision we’ve made.

That being said, finding a pack has been an uphill battle. More than that. We’re scaling a mountain that never peaks.

There are thousands of packs in the world. And thus far, not a single one that I’ve been interested in has been interested in an omega who already has a bonded alpha. They’re in the market for an omega. Period. No baggage. And I wasn’t willing to give up my alpha.

Not that I could if I wanted to. I’m bonded. I have a bite. I feel Colby in me all the time. His strong, reassuring presence and deep love. Everything an omega needs.

Everything except a pack.

I cannot say how many rejected a meeting outright when they learn that I come with an alpha. Far too many to count. And the number that has been willing to meet us but also declined a courtship because I have an alpha are just as great.

It’s like they thought I was joking. Oh, sure. We’ll meet you and your alpha. Then I get there and it’s, oh, you weren’t kidding when you said you were already bonded.

They waist all our times.

Yet, we keep trying. And I keep scrolling the Omega Forums for a glimmer of hope.

I need a pack. We both need a pack. That’s how our biology works. I have an alpha that’s wholly mine. Someone who satisfied everything in me. But we’re both hardwired to crave the unity a pack offers. The family and affection. Everything.

PackTease: Hey, girl. Any luck?

There was usually a message waiting for me when I logged into the Omega Forums. I had gained a few ‘friends’ through the website but I was very careful with any kind of personal information I gave out. It was common knowledge that I was a female omega and I had a single male alpha. And that we were looking for a pack.

We wouldn’t find a pack here but that’s not what I was looking for. I just… I wanted to be encouraged by a happily ever after that might have started in a similar fashion to my life. I love my alpha. I’d never even dream of not having him. He was my person. My entire world.

But finding a pack to accept us both was wearing on us. I could feel his guilt more and more every day. Because without him, I’d have found a pack many times over by now. He didn’t understand that I’d never give him up. I’d rather not have a pack than not have my alpha.

KnotMyPack: Nope. Search is still on.

PackTease was one of my closest friends on the site. She was sweet, had a pack of four alphas, and their first little one is on the way. She spent a lot of time on the Forums as a stay at home omega.

I was also a stay at home omega. I took classes online and did some freelance digital graphics to pass the time. But the world wasn’t friendly enough for an omega. There were too many dark corners and it was just safer to stay here when I didn’t have my alpha with me. I had a bite. That should take me off the list of gaining attention. But I was too afraid.

Recently we learned that one of the omegas on the Forum who had been in the middle of a courting for her new pack had been stolen. There was a hot market for omegas. There were those who didn’t think it should be up to the omega to choose their pack. The strongest alphas should have the right to omegas over anyone else.

Evidence said that this omega, who went by OmegaHart, had been targeted by these alphas. She’d been abducted. We didn’t have any real answers or information. Omega abductions stopped being broadcasted years ago since it was such a common occurrence now.

The world was terrifying.

Packs meant safety.

PackTease: Don’t give up hope, babe. I know your pack is out there.

KnotMyPack: I hope so. My alpha is getting discouraged.

The word wasn’t strong enough. He ran the gambit of emotions. Furious. Irritated. Discouraged. Guilt.

The front door opened and I paused to listen with my fingers hovering over the keyboard. It was only one so I didn’t think it was Colby. It was likely Fenton.

Omegas traditionally stay home and don’t work. It’s not our job to take care of the house or the family, though many omegas fall into that role. But alphas craved being able to take care of their omega. Of their pack in general. And so, an omega often found herself at home.

Since we grew up with that expectation, it wasn’t that difficult a role to accept.

However, in this economy, a single income for a young alpha wasn’t enough to live on. I added to it with graphic design work but we still needed a little more to live comfortably.

And that was where Fenton came in. Soon after Colby graduated college and we left dorm living, it became apparent that an entry level salary wasn’t going to support us both. So we got a roommate.

Fenton poked his head in my room and grinned. “Hey, love,” he greeted. “Okay?”

I nodded. “Home early, Fen.”

He shrugged, rolling his eyes. “Boss is a piece of shit. I have an interview in an hour and hopefully I can tell him right where to go tomorrow.”

“Good luck!”

Fenton winked. “Need some lunch before I go?”

He might be a beta, but he naturally tried to take care of me just as much as Colby did. Grinning, I shook my head. “I already ate. I’d have made you a sandwich if I knew you were going to be home.”

“Meh,” he answered, waving me off. “Why didn’t Colby prepare your lunch?”

My computer dinged and I glanced back, trying to hold in a smile. “He did. You know he did.” Despite that I stayed home and Colby went to work, he still prepared me breakfast and lunch every day. I managed to take care of dinner three or so nights a week.

Cooking was not my strong suit. I was liable to burn anything more frequently than it would come out edible. Sometimes, if it was stupid simple, I could manage to produce food. It wasn’t often tasty but it was sustenance.

“He did,” I said. “But I can probably make a sandwich.”

Fenton gave me an amused look. He turned for the kitchen, leaving more door open as he called down the hall. “Any word back form Beka?”

Beka was our Guardian through Omega Registry. We’ve been working with her for almost a decade now. I’d stopped requesting scent samples since we’ve rarely received an interest to meet from a pack I was actually interested in. At this point, if a pack appeared even remotely interested on Pack Listing, we gave their information to Beka to see if they were interested in a meeting.

Usually it was a no.

Currently, we had three pack inquiries out. I haven’t felt a glimmer of hope in years. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I’ve been excited or optimistic when putting out an inquiry with Beka. Usually, it was just going through the motions and expecting that they’d all deny a meeting.

I couldn’t even remember a thing about the three we’d given her.

“Nope,” I said, swiveling my chair back to the computer. “I’m not expecting anything, either.”

“Their loss, sweetheart. You and Colby are a catch,” Fenton said.

I smirked. The three of us had talked about starting our own pack but Fenton didn’t seem interested. With all his terms of endearment, he truly felt no attraction towards either of us. Not that it was necessary to be packmates but I think Fenton was hoping that if he found a pack, it would be heat and longing and love.

Colby and I understood that. We felt the same way. Which was why we kept looking.

“Yeah,” I answered as I scrolled through the Forum for a second. Sighing, I switched over to Pack Listing and logged in.

Per usual, I checked my profile. When I first registered with the Omega Registry, I got dinged all the time from packs that were interested in me. But when I told them I had an alpha, too, they immediately disappeared, retracting their interested. I’ve since added that to my profile and the pokes have stopped.

I still checked.

And I didn’t receive anything different today than I have in the past several years. Crickets.

I scrolled through the site, absently clicking on pack profiles and reading them. It was hard to be picky since I thought at this rate, we’d be lucky if we found a pack at all. I was still an omega. Arguably, that should have been enough incentive for a pack.

It wasn’t.

It wasn’t long before my mind wandered and I switched back to the Forum instead. It was difficult to focus on looking through packs when I knew they were going to pass us up. I couldn’t count how many times I’d felt the sting of rejection from a pack I was excited about. It made me numb and uninterested.

And yet, I still dreamed that one day Colby and I would find a pack.

PackTease: So, there’s a new app where you can interact with packs more freely than you can with the Listing and Registry. You and your alpha should check it out.

KnotMyPack: What kind of app?

PackTease: I’ve seen it mentioned a few times. I think it’s called Pack Stop. Maybe you’ll have better luck there. I’ve heard some happy stories but keep in mind, it’s not too heavily policed. So you should definitely wait until your alpha is with you.

I smirked. This was what the omega community should be like. Not the fake territorial dispute. We should be looking to support each other. Give advice and friendship. Look out for another omega’s safety.

Not the nasty, petty way omegas tend to be.

KnotMyPack: Thanks. I’ll look it up when he gets home.

PackTease: Sweet. I hope it’s a good thing. Let me know when you do.

I nodded as another chat popped up.

IamOmegaDik: Hey, sweetheart. You okay? Haven’t seen you on in a while.

Grinning, I typed back a response.

KnotMyPack: Yep. I had a few graphics that I was working on. Trying to break into the cover industry. What’s new with you? How’s the courting?

I was already anticipating his answer. OmegaDik is a male omega. One of the few and precious. So incredibly rare, they’re like finding a natural black diamond unaltered by man. He was sweet and a genuine flirt.

He also didn’t want a pack though he was just as terrified of the omega abductions as every other omega so he was trying to convince himself that he could settle for a pack. In the years I’ve known him, he’s been courted by a dozen and always, he finds something wrong. A reason they’re not compatible. And he starts over.

IamOmegaDik: I’m not feeling it. They’re really sweet and I think they’d be a fantastic pack but they’re just not doing it for me. I think I’m broken, Knotty girl.

I think he was searching for something but wasn’t finding it. That had him convinced that he didn’t want a pack when he really did. And since he wasn’t finding the dream, not meeting some expectations that even he didn’t know, no pack had reached that pinnacle of pack perfection.

KnotMyPack: Ah, honey. You’re not broken. You just haven’t found your fairy tale pack.

IamOmegaDik: Pfft. I don’t think I want a fairy tale. Maybe I need a twisted, dark romance. Maybe I don’t even want a romance at all. Maybe an erotic novel is more my style.

I laughed, shaking my head. OmegaDik was a reader of all the smutty genres.

My phone rang before I could answer at the same time Fenton called to me that he was leaving and there was hot chocolate brewing in the percolator for me. I smiled as I answered my phone, my heart fluttering when I saw Colby’s face on my screen.

“Hey, alpha,” I answered.

“My beautiful omega,” he said, his voice deep and growly. A purr in his deep baritone. “You okay?”

I think both men here were expecting me to fall apart. It was a constant question that I was fielding from both of them.

“I’m fine, Colby. Are you okay?”

His deep chuckle made a flurry of heat sweep through me. “I’m fine, baby. What you up to?”

I sighed. “Finished a cover this morning but not sure if I like it enough to offer it as a premade. Tried to look through some more packs but lost interest. Now I’m chatting with PackTease and OmegaDik.”

“OmegaDik single again?” he asked, amusement in his voice.

I grinned. “Yep. If not officially, it’s coming.”

Colby grinned. “Well, on that note. Beka called. Packs Grange and Meadow declined a meeting.” I sighed though there wasn’t so much as a flicker of surprise or frustration. I was beyond that point. When his pause continued, I held my breath. “Pack Dolby has agreed to a meeting.”

Chapter 3

Talya

I wasn’t sure if the idea of Pack Dolby was a positive thing or not. Hell, I didn’t even remember them. Biting my lip, I turned to the computer and pulled up the Pack Listing site and clicked to my profile. Beka hadn’t updated my profile yet to reflect the results of the last three inquiries. They still showed <pending meeting> next to their names.

Carefully avoiding the very long list of <declined by pack> list below it, I clicked on Pack Dolby. Four alphas. Dalton, Trevor, Clyde, and Ringer. They had an old farmstead that they were grooming for an ATV trail system in northern Montana.

“Well?” Colby asked.

The profiles didn’t offer much so aside from their names, a posed headshot of each of them, and then the basics such as age, career, etc., there wasn’t much to go on.

“Sure,” I said. “We did put in an inquiry. Did Beka say anything?”

“No,” Colby said. I heard his sigh though he kept it light. “She said they agreed, and we’ll schedule a trip this weekend. That’s all.”

“Alright, then this weekend it is.”

“I’ll be home in a couple hours. Love you.”

I smiled, swinging my chair around. “Love you, too.”

Hanging up the phone, I glanced at their images on the screen. Mid thirties to late forties with well-established careers, a nice home, and looking for an omega. It was something, I suppose.

“You’re looking so beautiful these days, Talya,” Beka said when she met us at the gate. I was probably the longest running omega within the Registry at this point. A decade. A fucking decade! It shouldn’t be this hard.

I hugged her and she pated my cheeks. “How are you feeling, darling?” she asked.

“Everything is good,” I assured her, backing to Colby’s side. He wrapped an arm around me and placed a hand on my hip. Beka smiled at him, patting his arm as she led us through the terminal to the cars outside.

“It’s an hour drive from here. In the middle of wonderful fields and rivers. You’ve reacquainted yourselves with their profile?”

“We have,” Colby said. “Beka, are we wasting our time?”

She opened the door and allowed us to get into the back of a roomy car before climbing into the front with the driver. The privacy screen remained down, and she twisted in her seat to look at us. At this rate, we knew her well enough to read her expression. Nothing about it said she was confident or that this trip would be promising.

“Honey, we’re looking for a needle in a haystack. And honestly, I’m just as shocked as you are that this is such a process. I’m still fighting with the powers that be to change up the Pack Listing software to encompass those who are willing to look at an omega who already has an alpha. It’s like pulling teeth that are sideways and impacted.” She shook her head. “I’ll tell you this: they were hesitant but excited to meet you. I’m not sure if that’s good or not.”

I looked at Colby. He’d been listening but his attention was out the window.

“Do you want their scent samples?”

“Oh!” I said, moving across the small space to reach them. She handed me the small box and I moved back.

“I’ll leave you two be. Let me know if you need anything.” Beka had the privacy screen rolling up and I was left alone with my alpha.

“What do you think?” I asked.

Colby shook his head. “I think we’re wasting this weekend but who knows? I hope I’m wrong.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. I had a habit of apologizing even knowing that there was nothing either of us could do to change the situation.

He turned my face towards him, his big hand hot against my skin. I still flushed like the day we met every time he looked at me. My stomach fluttered and my heart raced.

Was it so much to ask for a pack filled with alphas like this who wanted us both?

“Don’t you dare apologize, precious,” he murmured, caressing my lips with his. “Fenton’s right. Every rejection is their loss. Not yours.”

“Ours,” I said.

One corner of his lips quirked up and my pussy fluttered this time. There was no sexier man than mine.

“I mean it, precious. Their loss.”

I sighed, nodding. “Wanna smell these with me?” I asked, holding up the little box.

That half-smile graced his lips again and I was nearly ready to ask him for his knot. We had some time. Maybe not enough but some.

Colby smelled like sandalwood and allspice. Fresh and masculine. It always made me salivate. In the profiles on Pack Listing were sections that also included their scents. I’d never put much faith in what they say since the ones I’d requested never matched what I imagined they’d smell like based on their descriptions.

My alpha opened the box and handed me the first card. Dalton. Cigar smoke and leather. I opened the little plastic case and almost gagged as it hit my nostrils. I stopped the gag but immediately coughed while shutting it tight.

Colby laughed, opening the window and letting the air racing in sweep out the awful smell.

“Oh no,” I said, cringing at the sight of the rest of them. “This isn’t going to be good.”

Colby chuckled, handing me another. Clyde. I was already scrunching my face when I opened it. It wasn’t bad at first. The fresh notes of ginger hit me. But as I relaxed, I was smacked in the face with dish soap made from rubber.

“Oh my gods,” I said, shoving it back towards him. “Please, no. These are awful.”

We didn’t smell the last two and the rest of the drive, I was dreading being in the same room as these four men. And because of this, the drive seemed to fly by. Before long, we were pulling down a large dirt driveway with a classic farm house at the end. In the distance was a large red barn and cattle milling about. I think there were even some horses running in the pasture.

“Not so bad,” Colby said quietly, helping me out of the car.

I nodded, letting a smile linger as I looked around. My alpha pulled me close, kissing the side of my head. The breeze was cool, carrying with it the scent of freshly moan grass and hay. Thankfully, it wasn’t bringing manure.

“Ready?” Beka asked.

No. But also yes. It would be short. And then we could go back to the hotel and relax before our flight home tomorrow.

Maybe we shouldn’t have come.

“No negative thoughts,” Colby said, gently pulling my gaze to his. “Don’t doom this before it begins, beautiful.”

I nodded. “Yes. Optimism and all that.”

He grinned widely and I couldn’t help but smile back. My alpha was everything.

Beka led us up the path and rang the bell. It wasn’t long before the door opened and a man I identified as Ringer based on the pack profile I’d studied stood there. He immediately sought me out, tilting his head sideways. And the expression that filled his face was one I hated more than anything.

Lust.

I tensed. Colby’s hand gripped mine tighter.

“Hello Mr. Dolby,” Beka greeted with a warm smile.

“Mrs. Henderson, welcome,” Ringer said. His gaze flickered to her briefly and I knew it for what it was. Dismissal. A beta was unimportant. Even a Guardian. “Come in.”

He stood back and Beka stepped inside with a kind thanks. I hesitated to follow. He was not the kind of alpha I wanted. And I hated the way he watched me. The way his eyes roamed my body.

Colby’s arm went around my waist, and he urged me to the door. All I had to do was say I wasn’t interested, and we’d leave. No questions asked by either Colby or Beka. And it would never matter how loudly they protested. There’d been a couple I’d done that with.

But I’d only barely met a single one of them. I had to at least meet all four. This wasn’t a pack just for me. I was looking for a home for Colby and I.

I was thankful that Colby was between Ringer and I as we walked in. Then again, as we walked past and he was behind me, all sorts of creepy crawlies skittered down my spine. This was going to be awful. I could feel it.

The other three men were standing off to the side, one talking to Beka pleasantly. That was nice to see at least. I think that one was Clyde. The other two watched me and it was plain to see their hunger. Their want.

It’s the way of the alphas: they want an omega. It almost didn’t matter if they wanted me or not. They wanted an omega.

However, as I was learning, they did have lines. And another alpha was crossing it. That was enough to make a pack decide against an omega.

Fenton was right though. If they rejected us without a meeting, they weren’t our pack. And it was no loss to us. They’d lost the chance for an omega. And I was no worse off.

Beka turned to me and smiled as Ringer rejoined his pack. She officially introduced us all around. Though the pack looked at Colby, acknowledging him with greetings, their attention was on me.

“Would you like a tour or would you like to chat first?” Dalton asked.

“Talk,” I said.

He nodded, a smile gracing his lips. At least he wasn’t horrible to look at. Even if I already didn’t like the scents that were mingling in the air. They had a lot of windows. That would be necessary.

They led us into a parlor where tea, coffee, and finger snacks were waiting for us. Based on how the chairs were evenly spaced around the table, it appeared that they wanted some even footing. Colby moved his to mine before we sat and took my hand.

I’d purposefully wore a shirt that showed my bite. It’s not like it could easily be hid but I always made it very obvious. As I sat and my shirt shifted, four sets of eyes landed on my bite. Three mouths frowned.

Beka’s job was to hang out in the same room but act as if she wasn’t there unless I needed her. And that’s what she did. She was somewhere behind me. But I would have loved to see her expression right now.

I sat forward, keeping Colby’s hand tightly in mine. “I think I need to make it perfectly clear based on the way you’re frowning at me, I was completely serious when I added that I was a mated omega. Colby is my alpha and if you’re even remotely interested in me, we’re a package deal. And it’s not just a grudging acceptance I want from you. Colby would be a full member of this pack and remain my alpha.”

“Of course,” Dalton said, a smile replacing his frown. Yes, he’d been frowning. “Completely understood, omega.”

“Then what is the disgust with my bite?” I asked.

Omegas should be sweet and quiet. After all these years of nasty interviews with packs, I’d lost that stoic, submissive quality.

“I think we’re just reminded how unorthodox this is. That’s all. No offense meant, omega,” Dalton said.

I wasn’t convinced though I thought he was being truthful.

“What questions do you have for us?” Colby asked.

Dalton remained smiling as he turned his attention to Colby. Ringer flinched at his voice, scowling before he could hide it. The other two pressed their lips together in a thin line as if they were biting their tongues.

“Your profile says you’ve been together for ten years?” Dalton asked.

“Longer,” Colby said. “That’s how long we’ve been mated. We met in school and we both knew we were mates.”

Dalton nodded, his gaze turning back to me as if he couldn’t help it.

There was nonsense pleasant small talk for another twenty minutes while I became more and more tense. Besides Dalton, his pack become restless and fidgety. Irritated with the conversation. I was waiting for one to scoff or snicker or even mumble.

It didn’t happen. But they didn’t disappoint when one of them finally broke their silence. Something that Dalton looked pissed about, his scent turning sharp and making my nose itch with the need to sneeze.

“You’re completely attached and insistent on remaining with this alpha?” Clyde asked.

I rolled my eyes. “You want me to just wipe off my bond? Is that how it works?”

“Don’t be snarky!” Trevor snapped, leaning forward as he snarled at me. “That’s not an omega’s place. You will respect your pack.”

I raised a brow. “Yes, I will. Fortunately for me, you’re not my pack.”

“But we can be,” Dalton said, his voice sharp as he clearly demanded the other two shut up.

“No, you can’t,” Colby said, getting to his feet and pulling me with him. “We made it clear that we were a pair. On top of which, no one treats my omega that way and sure as fuck shouldn’t be treating theirs that way. Good luck.”

There was a moment as Pack Dolby stood and the room became saturated with scents that had me desperately trying not to cough, where I thought a physical confrontation was going to take place. Colby pulled me behind him as Ringer tried to get in his face before Dalton shoved him back, barking at him to ‘sit the fuck down’. Ringer did, dead dropping in the nearest chair.

I didn’t look back as Beka followed us out though I felt possessive, angry eyes on us. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough and I basically dove into the car.

“They’re an awful pack,” I noted, looking at Beka as she remained outside with Dalton. “I knew it before we even stepped inside.”

“Why didn’t you-”

“Because we need a pack,” I exclaimed, tears burning my eyes.

Colby pulled me into his lap and immediately began purring as he stroked my hair. “Shh, precious omega. Don’t get upset.”

I sniffled as I tried to shove down the angry tears.

“Baby, we want a pack, but I don’t think we need one. Not if the best we’re going to find is Dolby. And I fear that’s where our pickings lie where the Pack Listing is concerned,” Colby said.

I nodded, pouting. “You wouldn’t have let us choose them, right?”

Colby laughed. “Not a chance but it’s more entertaining when you shut them down than when I do. And I think you enjoy it.”

A smile touched my lips. I did enjoy it.

“If there’s a pack out there for us, we’re not going to find it on Pack Listing, Talya.”

“Then what should we do?”

Colby shook his head. “Look elsewhere.”

But where? Pack Listing was where available packs were. How were we going to find a pack without them?

I closed my eyes, wishing that our pack would just show up. Standing on our doorstep when we get home. ‘We’ve been looking everywhere for you? Let’s go home.’