Page 451 of Omega for the Pack

“Haha,” said Olivia, stacking her plate with a massive scoop of rice.

After we sufficiently piled our plates with food, we found an empty cushion in this giant social room. As we sat and ate, I was mostly on alert that we’d get dragged away anytime to get knotted and bred. But as I observed the omegas, they all looked…relaxed. Relaxed, pampered, and fed. I didn’t like any of this one bit.

“I was so hungry,” said Olivia. “But I refused to eat anything when I first arrived here.”

“You mean, you didn’t eat anything from the time you got here?” I asked, shocked. I barely survived today, especially after the long, hot car ride.

“Nope,” said Olivia. “I was on edge until you knocked on my door. Now I’m more relaxed and not so alone, you know?”

Tears pricked my eyes. Olivia wasn’t one to get all mushy like this, and for her to open up like this was a big deal.

“You’re going to make me cry,” I said, smiling through my tears. “We’ll get out of here, one way or another.”

“I know,” she said, her eyes glistening. “I’ll be counting the days until that happens.”

I began to wonder if there was any hope at all, but I had to say it for her comfort, at least. Realistically, I didn’t think anyone would look for me unless my family tried to visit me or heard about me on the news. Ben and Ty would probably contact my family if I didn’t show up to work. That was that, at least.

“Good evening, omegas,” announced Henry, walking into the Social Room. A few omegas giggled, and a few waved at him. They all looked delighted to meet him, and I wondered if he knotted any of them. The thought suddenly grossed me out.

“Ugh, it’s like a cult,” I said.

“Tell me about it,” said Olivia.

“I want to welcome our newest arrivals,” said Henry, his eyes on me. “Our job as alphas is to ensure you are all comfortable and well-taken care of. We aim to produce the healthiest alpha babies on Howl’s Edge.”

I looked over at Olivia, who was rolling her eyes.

“He didn’t need to kidnap us for that.”

“But not only that,” continued Henry in a louder voice. I was sure he could hear Olivia with his powerful alpha hearing. “Many of you have found a better home here than anywhere else in the real world. In here, you could live out your full omega potential. Nesting, breeding, and being shown all the love and cuddles in the world.”

I could hear all the sighs of contentment from the omegas in the room. It was a dream life of many omegas, but notmydream. I wanted to sing. I didn’t want to end up giving birth to a bunch of babies and never see my family again.

I didn’t realize my hand was raised until Henry called on me.

“What if we’re not interested in having babies? How can we go back home to our families?” I said boldly and loudly. This time, he had to answer me. There was no evading the question. Not in front of fifty omegas. Some omegas looked shocked that I would ask that question and be so disrespectful to an alpha.

“If you are not happy here, we can chat later about how we can improve,” said Henry, oblivious to my rising frustration. He somehow avoided answering me altogether. “I’m going to go over a few rules here. At nine p.m., everyone should be in their rooms, awaiting their alpha handlers. They will spend the nightwith you to try and bring you to heat. Please let me know if you are in heat. The alpha handlers will immediately care for you before you go into further pain from your heat.”

Take care?As in knotting, I thought snidely.

He left after his speech, and the room was once again filled with chatter. I wondered how all these omegas were freaking happy. This wasn’t good at all.

“I want to talk to these omegas,” said Olivia after we finished our plates and washed our hands in the bathroom down the hall. When we returned, she eyed two blond omegas who looked like they were related. “Hi, may we sit with you?”

“Sure,” said one of them with gentle grace as she patted the blue circle cushion. It was roomy, and there was space for five to sit. The second omega didn’t look thrilled to see us there, and she looked wary. They looked similar to each other and in their twenties.

“How long have you ladies been here?” asked Olivia. “We’re new.”

“A year,” said the one who invited us to sit. “I’m Julie.”

“My name’s Olivia. Are you two related?”

“Yes, I’m her younger sister,” said the second omega. “My name’s Treasure.” They both looked at me expectantly.

“I’m Lacy,” I said, and their eyes widened.

“TheLacy from Electric Rose?” asked Julie. “I knew you looked familiar.”

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