Page 196 of Omega for the Pack

“You kissed her too?” I asked, surprised.

“Right after her bath,” said Jack. “My sister would be shocked to death if she knew I finally kissed someone.”

“All this time, I thought you were fucking asexual,” I joked, punching his arm playfully.

“Ha, very funny,” he replied dryly.

We have been good friends since he showed up at the Omega Ball yearly with his sister Jade. I was a bodyguard at the palace then and was assigned to work with Jack on this new secret plant location. I was more than happy to quit my boring guard job, travel frequently, and do what I love.

“I’m guessing your sister still hasn’t been matched with a pack yet?”

“No, she hasn’t. Her self-confidence is waning even though she makes a damn good nurse,” said Jack.

Jade was like my little sister, and I always joked with her at the Omega Ball that she would find her hunky alpha mates one day.

“Well, you might end up lonely for a long time, too, if you’re picky,” I said while staring at the redheaded beauty in front of us. I wanted Vanessa into our pack. “Do you know anything about Vanessa yet? How she ended up here?”

“No,” sighed Jack. “She seemed to have a rough past, from what she told me. And she ran here when she was about to get auctioned off.”

“It’s odd someone would auction her off,” I said. “She intrigues me.”

“Don’t get obsessed with her,” warned Jack. “She’s not for us and will never be.”

“You never know,” I countered.

Eight

VANESSA

That same night, I was quietly packing our clothes while Gabe slept in the bed.

I didn’t care if the pack didn’t want me. Going back to Howl’s Edge tomorrow morning was out of the question for me. It wasn’t going to happen, whether the pack liked it or not.

But if the pack was willing to take and protect me…

No, I couldn’t go there.

There was no such thing as alphas being good to their omega. They would eventually tire of me and sell me off. It was just how things were. For now, I could run to a different state, get a job and start over. I know I could do it. I’ve done it before and would do it again.

After zipping up the suitcase, I laid my head against it, exhausted. It wasn’t even that late, but I was already tired from running around with Gabe all day, and the greenhouse fumes did something to my brain.

I still didn’t feel like myself.

There was a soft knock on the door, and I sat up in alert. Then, I stood up and made my way to the door, opening it.

It was Jack, and he was shuffling his feet, looking a tiny bit nervous. I’d never seen an alpha nervous before, and it somehow made me more comfortable seeing him vulnerable.

“What’s going on?” I whispered, gently shutting the door behind me as we stood in the hallway.

“Liam told me you wanted to be our omega,” he said. Immediately, butterflies swirled in my stomach, realizing they had talked about me. I wished I’d never opened my big mouth. I had better plans now.

“I changed my mind. It’s okay,” I said quickly, and his face reddened.

“So you don’t want to be part of my pack anymore?”

“Are you offering?”

“I’m just asking,” he said.

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