Page 22 of The Omega Archives: Part One

No. Because I would not be an omega at all.

“This could be your chance. Just think–”

I clenched my jaw, shaking my head. “Rita. Stop.”

She shut her soft dark brown eyes as she took a breath. “It’s not the best option you probably think, but at this point, it’s your only option. It’ll only get harder.”

“STOP,” I yelled before I could stop myself. My head was pounding. I whispered, shutting my eyes. “Stop.”

“I know,” Rita whispered as she made her way closer to me. “I’ll work on it. I’m just a bitch who worries about you.”

I reached for Rita’s hand. I didn’t like to touch anyone often. It felt like almost a step too far. One wrong move and suddenly everything around my life could collapse if I couldn’t find it in myself to let go. “Thank you.”

Rita looked down at my hand and grasped it in hers. “You know I got you. All I need is for my only friend to…”

She let the unknown hang in the air between us.

“You have so many friends,” I said.

“Not like you, Ella.”

“That would be hard to replicate,” I agreed. I cracked a smile and we both gave short laughs. “I am sorry, Rita. Seriously, don’t stress yourself out. I’ll figure all this out.”

“It isn’t stressful for me to want to help you how I can.”

“It is. This is why I didn’t want to start to depend on you to get the pills anyway.” Though I had been depending on her. So much so that I got comfortable.

For the past two years, it had been working. Rita knew more than a few people who worked in labs, specifically those who worked on suppressants and other omega-centric medical practices.

It was easy to get the pills. Safe.

“We both knew it wouldn’t last forever,” I said. “I’ll work it out. I can get back to the last place I got them from a while back. It’s no big deal.”

“You’ll tell me if it is though, right? I know that a lot of people are good, but some... Just promise me you won’t take them from anyone you have a single question about.”

“I’ll be careful.”

“Good.” Rita took a deep breath. “I don’t want to lose my best friend. I’ll still keep my ear out too if anything changes and I can get them for you, okay?”

“Thank you. But I got this.”

I nodded as my phone buzzed on the table in front of us.

Rita narrowed her eyes on it as I quickly reached for it before she could see the screen. “Who’s that?”

Cal: I’ll pick you up on Friday at 7 pm. Should I meet you at your place or the library?

It was like even from the few messages we sent back and forth he already knew me too well.

I shouldn’t reply.

I should pretend that I never got the message and move on with my life. I had much bigger things to worry about than the beta I ran into at the coffee shop. Even if he did smell like marshmallows and was kind.

Kinder than anyone in a long time I didn’t know.

Though that too, as Rita mentioned, was probably partially my fault for being too focused on my work and myself.

But I had to be.

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