Page 20 of For What It's Worth

“Hey, babe, what are you still doing out here? The pack’s inside.” I threw my arm around the omega’s shoulder and gave her a quick kiss on the side of her head, demonstrating a propriety ownership I didn’t actually have. Her lavender scent was mingled with annoyance, but she didn’t have a trace of fear. With her tall heels and my baby ones, we were just about the same size.

The other omega smiled wide when she looked at me, picking up on my intent quickly.

She squeezed her arms around my side tightly, and I couldn’t help the pride invading my chest that I was able to help her. Since my inner omega had set her sights on Jenson’s pack, she had no problem with protecting this already mated omega. And she was already mated—I could scent her claiming bites this close, not that I admitted it.

“These males wouldn’t let me in.” She added a little pout, which definitely worked in our favor.

“Well, it won’t be a problem now, right?” I asked.

Both males scented the air, but I knew even if I was part of her pack, they wouldn’t scent me on her unless we’d touched recently. Alphas could bond with both omegas and betas, but betas and omegas couldn’t directly bond together. They had to be connected through an alpha. I was hoping the omega’s flowery lavender scent was potent enough to block out the lack of scent markers on me.

“You have a beta in your pack?” Guard One asked the omega, obviously not liking that idea. Despite not actually being a beta, I rolled my eyes. Typical alphas. All they cared about were omegas and knotting them. And maybe their pack, if they had one.

“Yep,” the omega said cheerfully.

Guard Two looked between us before he addressed me. “Omegas can’t be out without a pack member. You’d be wise to remember that. Some males not as nice as us might have called her in to the Omega Compound by now. Your whole pack would have to be evaluated to see if you were caring for this little omega properly.”

I wanted to roll my eyes again at the guard referring to himself as ‘nice’, but I managed to stop myself so I didn’t anger the alpha. The omega next to me didn’t have the same concern, considering she huffed like what Guard Two said was idiotic. But it made sense—I doubted the omega had gone through yearly mandatory beta relations classes explaining how to appear unthreatening to an omega and how to ensure you didn’t anger an alpha. I had attended one since the year I was tested and my natural perfume had officially deemed me a beta.

The guards slowly parted ways and let us in. But before the door closed behind us Guard Two grabbed my arm, holding me back. His alpha scent reminded me of leather, making my skin feel just as tight and uncomfortable as if the material was constricting me and not his pheromones.

The omega stopped when I did, but I said, “Go find the rest of the pack, babe.”

She marched off, a determined glint in her eyes, and I gave my attention—and glare—to the hand on my arm.

The male released me as Guard One let the door shut, crowding me against his friend. His own alpha scent was like petrol leaking at a gas station. With both alphas close, I scented their distaste for my presumed designation.

Even with my inner omega sending me strong warnings to get the hell away from these alphas, I would’ve called my outing a success. I’d met an omega, like me, that didn’t care about societal rules.

My inner omega demanded to be released so it could attack the threatening alphas. I might not have been strong enough to physically fight them off, but I was sure the element of surprise—mixed with running the hell away while they were supposed to be working—would be enough.

“What’s a beta like you doing in a pack with an omega?” Guard Two asked. Or demanded.

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business.” I tried stepping away from the males, but both moved with me, continuing to keep me trapped between them. My inner omega bristled at these males’ attempts to … well, to exist near me.

“I doubt they give you any attention at all in that pack. They have an omega, what do they need you for?” Guard One asked.

“But we could help you with that. I bet you’re already forgotten now that the little omega is here,” Guard Two said.

There were a million ways for me to say ‘no’ and ‘ew’, but I was saved by the door to the club flying open. A large male, another alpha, loomed at the entrance with the purple haired omega clinging to him.

He was tall, strongly built, with dark black skin and a shaved head. He dressed in more casual clothes than his omega and looked like he should be at a sports bar, not a jazz club, but who was I to judge?

“C’mon, babe,” the omega whined like she was waiting for me. “I want to get drinks before the band starts.”

“As you can see,” I said to the guards, “I’m not easily forgettable.”

The guards didn’t move, but they let me walk away.

I smiled at the omega bouncing up and down on her heels like she enjoyed this little game.

She stretched her hand out to me and I took it, cause why the hell not.

Her alpha glared at the guards but followed behind us as the omega brought me to her table. There were already two alphas sitting in a booth, and luckily, it was a rather large booth. Obviously, this place understood pack dynamics.

One look and I assumed the other two males were alphas. When I scented the air, their alpha designations were confirmed. It was hard to dissect which scent belonged to who as all the smells mingled together, but they all had one thing in common: they reminded me of fruits.

The omega pulled me to sit with her while the alpha that helped rescue me took a seat on the other end of the U-shaped table.

---