Page 21 of Conflicting Lyrics
“No.” He shakes his head, smiling. “The complete opposite, really. Calling Wood is one of the safest places for Omegas.It’s more of a precaution. At the end of the day, Alpha and Omega hormones, urges, and instincts play a big part in their everyday lives. There's always a risk, anywhere in the world, that something could happen. An Omega going into heat without notice, an Alpha rut taking them by surprise. One sniff and boom, you are scent matches, and it’s like all common sense disappears. Okay, not all the time, but it happens.” He chuckles again.
He’s not wrong. I know all this. Well, I knowofthis. I learned almost everything there is to know about Alphas, Omegas, and Betas back at the center. The only thing is, I've never seen it for myself. Since presenting, I haven’t really spent much time in the real world to see these things happen for myself.
My nose twitches at his last comment. “Scent matches,” I sigh. “That's the real fear.”
He gives me an amused look. “You think so?”
I put my hands on my hips and nod my head curtly. “I’ve had so much of my life controlled, the last thing I want is to have my fate picked out for me because I bumped into the wrong person, or the breeze carries a scent too strong. It’s bullshit if you ask me. Like, what if I become scent matched to a serial killer? Am I supposed to just drop to my knees and declare I’m theirs? Am I supposed to just look past the fact that they murder people?”
His face splits into a grin. “I think we’re going to get along just fine.”
A smile of my own twitches my lips. “You think? I don’t know, we've just met. Give it time.”
Shaking his head with the grin still on his lips, he bends down and picks up a few of my bags as the gate starts to slide open. “Come on, Lucinda, let’s get you inside. I can tell you more on the way to the Omega compound.”
“Lucy,” I correct him. “I hate my name. Call me Lucy, please.”
“Lucy.” He nods, shooting me a wink. “I like that better.”
A little blush heats my cheeks as I stare at his back while he starts to walk through the open gate.
As cute as Rick might be, I plan on keeping my mind off men for the foreseeable future. I’m here at Calling Wood, not to find a pack, but to get a good education so I can have a better chance at the life I’ve always wanted, but didn’t think I’d ever get.
Lies. It’s not the life you’ve always wanted. You’re supposed to be in LA with HER. Now she’s living her dream without you.
My stomach sinks, just like it does any time I think about Ally.
“Lucy, are you okay?” Rick’s voice has me snapping my eyes up to meet his from where I was staring at the ground.
“Yup!” I plaster on a fake smile, putting way too much cheer into my answer.
He doesn’t look convinced but doesn’t question me further.
“Wow.” I laugh, smiling when I see the golf cart Rick is putting my bags on. “What's this for?”
Rick chuckles. “We mostly use carts to get around.”
“Cool.” I hand him my bag and climb on. “Do I get one?”
“Not quite.” He grins as he slides in next to me in the driver's seat. “But this one will be ours to use.”
“No fun,” I pout. Although I did just get my license and I’m not the best driver. Honestly, I’m not sure why they even gave me one. Maybe they felt bad?
My previous thoughts vanish as we make our way deeper into this little town within a city. I’m not even joking. This place is its own community. I’ve done some research before coming here and I know there are shops, houses, the school, even a grocery store, and doctor's offices.
And now, this is my new home.
The center was big and had a lot to offer, to the point we didn’t often have to leave to get anything if we didn’t want to.
But this place is going to provide so much more freedom and space while still being in a safe environment.
Rick stops at the school first, letting me know the Dean wants to speak with me. Something she likes to do with all new students.
The meeting with her is quick but very informative, and she gives me the keys to my new apartment. A whole damn place to myself! Not just a bachelor pad style room.
When I brought up the concern of having so much space when most Omegas would prefer smaller ones, she said that the apartments were meant to help Omegas get used to living in a space one might have with a pack. A living room, kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, all of that.
It makes sense, and thankfully, I’ll still have a space meant for a nest. But I’m not sure how I feel about living in something so big.
