Page 43 of Claiming Their Omega

I really should’ve asked the men what kind of story we should have for how we got attracted to each other and why they chose me at the auction. Damn it. I can’t believe I wasn’t better about this. I should’ve known that people would think to ask about it.

Or, in Maybelle’s case, want to ask without actually asking.

“It certainly was!” Maybelle laughs again. “I hope you’re doing okay. I mean, you must be, to have four such amazing Alphas with you. You must do a lot to keep them pleased. To keep them happy.” She cocks her head. “I’m sure you’ve learned real fast how to be a proper Omega for them. You were always such a fast learner in school! Always focused on those books.”

I swallow hard. “Yeah, a real nerd, that was me.”

I don’t snap at her that the reason I was always buried in books is because she wouldn’t leave me alone. In the library, I could be safe, I could read and escape.

“And I haven’t had any complaints!” I add cheerfully, even though I haven’t had any compliments, either.

I’m not taking care of the Alphas like a ‘proper Omega’ because that’s not the relationship we have. We’re just pretending.

But even if we weren’t… I can’t help but feel a pang in my chest. I’m an Omega. Whether I want to be or not. I can’t change my biology. Unfortunately.

Maybelle glances up and down my body appraisingly, a cool, assessing look in her light blue eyes. Whatever she sees, she finds it lacking. “I’m sure,” she says sweetly, then she flounces off.

I turn back to the bar. Maybe I could use one more shot and that’ll help.

The shot does help somewhat, but I don’t truly feel any better. I know what Maybelle’s implying. I’m not an idiot.

I’m a late bloomer. I don’t know anything about being an Omega, what it entails, how my body will react, or how to give an Alpha what he wants. If these four Alphas really were serious about courting me, I would be expected to take care of them in certain ways, and I couldn’t do that.

I don’t know how.

I swallow hard again. The bar feels too hot, too crowded, too loud. I try to keep a straight face. I’m sure Maybelle’s watching me from some corner, trying to see if her words had an effect, and I don’t want her to see that she scored a hit.

But maybe she is right. I was pretending to flirt with the men earlier but I wasn’t really—they did all the work. They put the hats on my head, Hendrix kissed me, they did all of it. I can’t hold my own.

Maybelle’s mean, but she’s right.

I don’t know the first thing about being an Omega.

Chapter 13

Jesse

I can’t stop thinking about Grace.

Again.

I growl and turn off the machine I was using to sort the grain, leaning heavily against the side of it. There’s no one else around to see me. Well, Grace is around, somewhere. Damn her. The other Alphas are in town getting some replacement parts. I trust their judgment and I’d rather not be there while they all argue about what’s the best choice.

Just knowing that Grace is somewhere around here has me jumpy and cranky. I know it’s not her fault—but it’s also all her damn fault.

She just had to go and beg us for help. And because we’re all idiots, we couldn’t resist her. I couldn’t resist her. I’d hoped the whole time we argued that someone, maybe even Easton, since he might actually have the most level perspective out of all of us, would come up with a good reason not to help her.

And yet… I don’t know that there’d be a reason in the world good enough for me to say no to Grace Whitmore when she needs my help.

So now here I am. Having to deal with her presence. Her scent all over the damn place. Her smiles and giggles at the dinner table. Even when she’s not literally in front of me I can see little signs of her presence. The house is cleaner. Things have been moved around a bit. Her laundry hangs outside on the line with ours.

Hendrix and Easton are always teaching her something on the farm. She’s making noises about getting up to learn how to milk the cows, and nobody disturbs Cade’s cow milking time. That’s his personal early morning time away from people. But Cade can’t say no to the damn girl either, same as me.

It’s impossible. I need her to hurry up and get out of here so she can get out of my head, same as five years ago.

I kick the machine, then curse under my breath. No use breaking a toe because I had a fit like a teenager.

Besides, something’s up.

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