Page 68 of Captive Omega

I wait until she’s disappeared into the crowd and then walk to the back of the room, leaving a space between Blaine and me as I lean on the wall.

And I mentally process what the hell I just did.

I’m here to speak to Everleigh. To stay out of the way. Yet here I am, the source of the trouble that Garrison warned me might happen at parties even among friends.

You have issues, Resa, I tell myself. Serious issues.

But I don’t for one second regret what I did.

“Omega bitch with a black belt?” Blaine’s voice is faint and his expression is blank when I peek at him.

“So?”

“Nothing.” He peels his gaze from me and stares straight ahead. After a moment, I do the same. A few people glance my way, but no one comes to question why it looks like security tossed a drink at a woman’s dress.

I fucking hope to hell that dress was designer, and she never gets the stain out.

I get angry again at what she said. She wasn’t even trying to keep her voice down, and Blaine was right there. It’s like she wanted him to hear her.

Maybe it was a stabbing situation after all.

“About what happened in the kitchen…” Blaine starts in his low, raspy rumble.

“I think I understand,” I cut short what sounds like the beginnings of an apology. He scared the shit out of me more than I would willingly admit, and I’m not even close to forgiveness or forgetting. But I think I understand.

“You do?”

“Some people only see what’s in front of them.”

It’s why this world needs to change. After I perfumed, I told myself I’d still be the same Resa. I was wrong. Suddenly I was Resa, the omega, and that’s all I was.

Resa, who every three months spent four days in a heat clinic riding out her heat.

Resa, who no one could understand why she was with a beta like Henry instead of an alpha like all omegas should want.

I looked in the mirror and I was the same person I had been for most of my life, but no one else saw what I did.

Mom lucked out with Dad. They weren’t scent matches, but Mom, an omega, found true love. They didn’t have much, but they didn’t need much when they had each other. He was the owner of a car dealership he later sold, and she was fresh out of college and a wannabe journalist.

Her dream of being a journalist changed when she found out she was pregnant with me, and they moved to the suburbs while Dad gave up his struggling business to find a job that paid more to support his growing family.

Even my mom and dad asked me if I was sure about Henry after he proposed. Didn’t I want a nest and soft, snuggly things a wealthy alpha could give me? Didn’t I want to be special?

No. I just wanted to be the same person I’d always been.

Blaine’s scars and me losing my identity are not the same. But I think I can understand why Blaine would lash out when all someone sees when they look at you is a part and not the whole.

“I wish I’d punched her in the throat,” I mutter.

He makes a choked sound that might be a laugh. By the time I swivel my head to face him, he’s walking away. Has he had enough of this party?

When he disappears from view, I resume watching the party

“Here.”

I retreat, but it’s okay. No need to run. It’s just Blaine offering me a wine glass filled with something pale and gold.

“To toss in a woman’s face?” I look around in case that bitch came back while I wasn’t paying attention. “Because red wine works better for staining.”

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