Page 15 of One for the Money
It’d be one thing if they rested a hand on me, and I could get used to it. But I’m not that lucky, and I can’texactly tell a stranger to keep a hand on me for a drive. A turn to the left has me sliding into Matteo, a right turn into Quinton.
Eventually, I bury my hands under my thighs and try to dig my fingers into the seat to anchor myself.
It worksokay.
By the time we pull into the parking lot at the mall, I’m sweating, my head fuzzy, nearly sick from the light brushes of their arms. I’m going to demand I sit next to the door on the way back so I don’t get rubbed on both sides.
“Okay, where are we going first?” Quinton asks, oblivious to my discomfort. He slings his arm over Matteo’s shoulders as we walk into the massive shopping mall. They clearly have a romantic relationship. Their casual touches are sweet and intimate, and when they look at each other, it’s with a reverence that I once thought I’d be on the receiving end of from my pack. I’m surprised I don’t feel like I’m intruding on anything. It’s more like they’ve invited me in.
When we enter the mall, I stop short. People are everywhere, and I already know they’re going to bump into me, which has me swallowing down bile.
Today is hell. I just need to get into the nesting store and get out. That’s the priority today. After the ride here and the sensory overload that is the mall, I don’t know if I can handle a grocery trip. I’ll have to figure out how to get those delivered.
“You guys do what you need. I’ll meet you here in an hour,” I say, turning left and preparing to dart off.
“Hold up!” Matteo shouts, causing several people to turn and look. I duck my head, face flaming. “You can’t just run off, Alex.”
“Dr. Alex,” I say through gritted teeth. “And I don’t need your permission to go shopping.”
“Doc, you’re an unbonded, female Omega. I don’t care if I can’t smell ya, I still know what you are, which means all these assholes will too. I’m not going to have it on my head if you get snatched.” Quinton’s tone is firm for the first time. I didn’t think someone who seems perpetually stoned could be so serious.
“I’ve existed just fine on my own for years.” I haven’t. “I appreciate the concern.” I don’t. “I’ll be just fine.” I go to leave, and his hand darts out, snagging my wrist.
I flinch, an embarrassingly pathetic whine escaping me.
Several growls answer, Alphas stopping all around us.
“Get your bitch under control or I will,” one says, glaring at Quinton. “She could cause a fucking brawl with noises like that.”
“It’s not my responsibility to manage your instincts,” I snap, staring down the offending Alpha as I yank my arm from Quinton’s grip. “A whine is completely natural, a part of my biology. If hearing a little sound like that has you going so feral you want to attack someone, you’re a poor excuse for an Alpha. Omegas have no responsibility to help you control your baser urges.”
“Yeah, what she said,” Quinton snarls. “If a single Omega whine affects you like that, the problem is you, not the whine.”
The Alpha rolls his eyes and walks away, and the interest we did garner peters out. Quinton reaches out to touch my shoulder, and I flinch away from his touch.
“I’m sorry, Doc,” he says quietly. “I wasn’t thinking when I grabbed you.”
“But you do need us with you,” Matteo pipes in. I noticed he hung back while Quinton dealt with the other Alphas. It’s not like a Beta can’t hold his own against one if he needed to, and I had assumed he was the moredominant between the two. “Please. We won’t be a bother. I don’t trust the Alphas in this backwater town.”
My resolve is crumbling. I am exhausted, my senses overloaded, and I just want to go back to my nest.
Which doesn’t exist.
Which is why I’m here.
“Fine,” I whisper. “Just, please don’t say anything to anyone about where we’re going?”
Chapter 6
Alex leadsus into a nesting store, of all places.
I figured she would’ve brought her nest with her when she moved in. Most Omegas don’t just ditch their nests when they relocate.
It’s my first time in one of these, but immediately I’m comfortable. The lights are dim, a soft, cottony scent wafts through the air, and the quietest instrumental music serves as a soundtrack to the shopping experience.
My hindbrain is purring, luxuriating in the rightness of me being here. This is where an Alpha is supposed to be, where I’m needed most. To be there when my Omega needs help building a nest.
Nesting is very personal for Omegas, but that doesn’t mean they do it alone. They crave approval and praise, and since Alphas share their nests during heats, they instinctively want their Alphas to like the nest as well. I’ve heard that having Alpha input in a nest helps settle the Omega, feeling protected even when the Alpha isn’t around.
