Fuck, I need a drink. Excusing myself from Simon, I make my way to the kitchen and walk to the section of the counter where they have drinks out and grab a wine cooler. Beer? No thank you. I'm going to go with the sugary grape juice because I love myself.
Cracking open my drink, I take a sip and look around the crowded kitchen. Titus catches my eye, talking with someone inthe opposite corner of the kitchen, but it's hard to see over so many heads.
That is until Titus shifts, and I see he's speaking with…Enzo? The same one I just gave a haircut to earlier today. Damn. My eyes flit between the two of them, and I realize just how similar they look. Enzo must be Titus' brother…the one whose omega left them. Enzo's skin tone is a little darker than Titus'…I feel like I remember Cady saying they have different moms.
I'd go up and say hi, in fact, the thought has my heart pounding wildly at the thought of talking with the older alpha in a non-work setting…but they look like they're in deep conversation. Maybe we can catch up a little later.
Taking my drink back to the front room, where Cady, Archie, and Ollie, seem to have started a dance floor, I look around for anyone I know.
"Hannah!" Wren's voice calls out over the music, and I turn to smile at my friend, who is looking adorable in a cozy sweater and leggings, her black hair in two dutch braids. This girl is about as omega as you can get. Well, besides the fact that she stabbed an alpha in the pack her parents tried to sell her to years ago.
"Wren!" I shout, giving her a hug. "Where's Brennan?" One of the alphas that extracted her from her bad situation, Brennan, is now one ofheralphas, and is usually her shadow at social events like this.
"I think he's hanging out with Matteo," she gestures over her shoulder to where Brennan is, in fact, leaning against a wall next to Mattie, his eyes firmly on his omega. I give a little wave that he returns, and then there's another omega joining us. "Oh! Have you met Archie's sister, Bethany?"
The omega in question does look familiar, but I can't quite place why. "Hi, I'm Hannah," I introduce myself, and she nods, smiling. Bethany's long, black hair is gently curled, and her big honey brown eyes take me in.
"I actually think we've met. I work at the OMS?"
Ah, fuck. Someone who has a firsthand view of my failures as an omega.
"I thought you looked familiar." I wince.
"We have more in common than you think," Bethany mutters, so quiet I almost don't hear it.
Wren doesn't let her get away with that though, and she lets out a gasp. "What happened? I thought you had a pack?"
Bethany frowns, looking down at her feet. "I caught them with another omega."
"Oh, fuck." The words tumble out of my mouth before I can stop them. "Please tell me you weren't bonded."
She lets out a bitter laugh. "Yeah, I had wondered why they still hadn't bitten me after three years, and I guess I should be thankful I found out now rather than later."
"You know what, Bethany? Fuck them," Wren snaps. "They're assholes if they would cheat on someone as amazing as you."
"Actually, in general cheaters tend to be assholes," I add, thinking of Charlie and how things ended with us. Bethany lets out a startled laugh at my bluntness, and I think I might like her.
"You know what I mean," Wren rolls her eyes, "Bethany is amazing, and she deserves the best pack, right?" She looks to me for confirmation, and I nod.
"Right."
"Let's dance!"
So we do. With the wine cooler loosening me up a little, I feel light and free as I dance with the other omegas, my hands are in the air, and I don't miss the way the other partiers eyes linger on me as I move.
I don't let it go to my head. It always starts out like this, and then they get to know me and decide they aren't interested.
I'm having a great time, until Wren glances behind me, and her eyes widen.
"Oh my god, Hannah, it's that alpha! The one who took you home the night shit went down with pack Sheffield."
I whip around, turning towards the front door just in time to see him.
Shit.
Shit, shit,shit.
Ducking my head and hiding behind Wren, she makes a surprised sound. "What are you doing, Hann—"