Page 48 of Welcome to Bone Town

Roman nods, giving me a long look before stomping off.

39

Cora follows Jax and Bear, but I hang back. Twice today, I’ve lost my footing. Once physically, now emotionally. I’m free-falling as Cora crouches next to Bear. He bends over the pile of wood we collected and blows a flame to life, lips perfectly puckered as his gaze meets Cora’s.

I assumed Bear’d move on once the dig was over, but I didn’t expect it to happen so soon. Secretly, I hoped it wouldn’t happen at all.

No one has ever felt as right to me as Bear.

But he’s an alpha. What can I offer him? I can’t take a knot. I don’t have heats. He needs an omega for that, and now he’s found one.

Cora pulls the puzzle box from the little bag around her waist and sits down next to the fire, studying it. Bear sits next to her, observing. They’re talking too quietly for me to hear, and a bitter feeling curdles my stomach.

I used to dream about designating as an omega and scent matching with someone. I even had a secret mood board I stashed under my bed with images of what I wanted my nest to look like.

Five of my siblings are alphas and two are omegas. My parents were shocked when I didn’t designate as either. The only beta in the family. The only one who’ll never know what it feels like to find a scent match.

Turning away from the campfire, I walk back to the fountain where Roman is testing the water. “Need a hand?”

“Already done, actually.” Roman sets aside the little test kit and scoops some of the flowing water into his cupped hands, bringing it to his mouth. Guess it’s safe to drink.

I should be wondering how they got fresh water pumped in here, and how whatever system they used lasted this long, but it doesn’t really matter. There’s a lot about the temple I can’t explain already, and right now, I’m just relieved we have fresh water. There’ll be time to study everything later.

Roman coughs and spits half of it out. I laugh. “That good, huh?”

“Like a glass of the finest wine,” Roman deadpans. “But it’s drinkable. Just a little more sulphuric than I’d prefer.”

In other words, safe enough as long as we don’t drink it for long. And it’ll taste disgusting.

“But hey, at least we won’t die from dehydration.”

We chuckle together. Roman’s gaze drifts back to the rest of the group, and my attention follows.

Bear looks over his shoulder and our eyes lock, but he looks away when Cora says something. I bring my thumb to my mouth and chew on my cuticle.

“You really like him, huh?” Roman asks.

My eyes close, and the passion on Bear’s face when he made us come floods my mind. “Yeah… yeah, I do.”

I shouldn’t. Not now that he’s scent matched. Most omegas don’t want a beta around taking away the attention of their alphas. I don’t think Cora’s like that, but we barely know each other.

Betas usually mate with other betas. To most alphas and omegas, we’re dispensable in the grand scheme of things. Useful as heat minders when alphas and omegas lose their minds, because we’re generally less affected by our hormones and emotions. Otherwise, we’re overlooked.

Not that I’m unfamiliar with the feeling of being left out. My omega mother had three alpha packmates and let’s just say each one of them wanted to have their ownbiologicalchild. Bullshit if you ask me, a family should love each other regardless of DNA, but that's how I ended up the middle child in a group of seven children.

My youngest brothers are twins, and they were what finally convinced my parents to stop trying to populate their own football team. A handful is an understatement. My parents were stuck trying to get their oldest children through high school while simultaneously watching the twins like a hawk, lest they burn down the house or something.

That left the median child—me—to tag along in the background hoping to be noticed. I’m not very confrontationalby nature, and vying for attention between my alpha and omega siblings was a struggle. I gave up on any hope that someone would take notice of me long before I hit puberty. It was so much easier to stay out of the way, devouring books and tinkering with old electronics than it was to shove myself into the spotlight.

Maybe it’s part of why I’ve been so surprised and delighted by Bear’s attention so far.

“You thirsty?” Roman changes the subject and I’m grateful to snap out of my memories. I step up to the fountain, cup my hands, and scoop some water to bring to my lips. As the liquid hits my tongue, sulfur floods my tastebuds. My face scrunches up at the taste and Roman laughs. Forcing myself to swallow, I cough a little and press my tongue to the roof of my mouth a few times, trying to clear the taste.

“Wow.Blegh. That really is horrible, isn’t it?”

“Here, I think I’ve got…” He pulls a shiny rectangular piece of gum out of his pocket. “Last one. Want half? It’ll wash away the taste, although it won’t help next time.” He breaks the stick in half and hands one to me, but I notice he doesn’t put the other in his mouth, but slips it instead into his pocket.

Little things like this make me wonder if Roman isn’t as much of an alphahole as he likes to pretend. No doubt he’s grumpy. And sarcastic, apparently. But, I think he’s got more layers to him than that.

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