Page 13 of Capturing Their Omega

“The only difference between you and me is that I can smell pheromones.”

She once said that to me with a smile after a couple of Omegas looked down on me at a diner here in Silverwood. They'd made fun of me and called me human. Cassie, despite her condition, had stood up for me, defending me vehemently against those Omegas. I could stand up for myself even though I didn't have a chance of winning against them in a fight. I simply chose to ignore them. I’d been treated like that for almost my entire life.

The tires of my bike screech against the tar, smoking as I bring the motorcycle to a halt outside Jeremiah's bookstore. I kill the engine and hop off, hurrying to get inside.

“Oh my God, his pheromones are so nice,” one of the two ladies coming out of the shop says to the other, and they both giggle, blushing.

From their small statures, I can tell that they are most likely Omegas, and they are obviously talking about my brother, Jeremiah.

Pheromones.

I don't have pheromones, nor can I smell any. I've lost count of the number of times I've been intimidated by people with their pheromones. Most of the time though, I'll just stand there and watch them stare menacingly at me without feeling anything. Nothing at all. Even when everyone around me seems to react to whatever those guys are doing, I just stand there, clueless, because I am a Beta.

Growing up, blending in with my peers wasn't really easy for me because I hadn't yet come to terms with my reality. Therefore, I always felt left out, like I didn't belong… like I was an outcast or something. I had spent nights asking, why me? However, as time went on and the bullying started, I gradually began to understand myself and appreciate myself more. Slowly, the feeling of hurt that came with being a Beta was buried deep down inside me.

“Is that his brother?” the other girl asks the first with a stolen glance in my direction.

“Yeah, it is,” the first responds in the same hushed tone.

“Oh, my! He is cute too.”

“Yeah…but he's a Beta.”

The previous girl makes the statement with a touch of pity and disdain as they both walk past me. Not like it matters. They both look like they’re still in high school, meaning I wouldn’t look twice at them. Jeremiah wouldn’t either. He’s thirty-two. Technically, what they think about either of us is of no consequence.

Their words do remind me of my fate with Cassie, though. You see, as a Beta, I'm at a disadvantage when it comes to mating and love… unless I only date Betas. Cassie is an Omega, and as such, she is much better off with an Alpha, like Jeremiah.

Even if I eventually end up with an Omega, she will have to be on blockers all the time because, as nature would have it, an Omega will always need an Alpha. When an Omega goes into heat, the only thing that can satisfy them is an Alpha's knot. It's the only thing that can give them a fulfilled heat. I don't have a knot.

I ignore the two ladies and walk into the bookstore.

Jeremiah is scribbling something down on a notepad on the countertop when I approach him. He jerks his head up, and his green eyes shimmer behind those horn-rimmed glasses as they settle on me.

“Hey, buddy!” he says with a smile and shakes my hand. Jeremiah squints, looking behind me. “Where's Cassie?”

I go quiet, fixing my gaze on him. I can tell that he can smell the worry and fear emanating from me.

“Eric…where is she?” His tone is a lot more serious at this point.

I take out the pill and drop it before him on the countertop.

“What's this?” He picks it up, curious as to how it relates to his question.

“One of Cassie's pills,” I reply.

“Okay…” he drawls lazily. “And what exactly are you doing with one of them, Eric? You know how she gets when she doesn’t have her meds.” He seems pissed, but demeanor is still calm.

“She’s running out of them as we speak, brother,” I reply.

“What?” His brows knit in shock and concern.

“That's why I’m here,” I say to him. “Someone bumped into her at school, and unfortunately, her pill bottle fell out of her hand.”

“Shit!” he exclaims softly, massaging his eyeballs.

“They were all trampled, and now she has one, and I have one. That’s it.”

I haven't finished talking yet, and my brother is already packing up the books on the counter and tossing them into the drawer. He walks over to a clothing hanger on the wall and picks up his black coat.

---