Page 75 of Omega for the Pack

Tears flowed freely down my face, drenching the dress. I knelt on the ground, hugging the dress to my heart, inhaling Mom’s scent. It still had her flowery perfume that I loved when I snuggled up against her.

I felt numb as each tear dripped down my face. I sat there, rocking back and forth, holding her dress to my heart. I missed her so much. Her laughter and her stories. She loved to read, and I’d always go into her room, where sometimes she’d read aloud to me when I was a child.

“What do I do, Mom?” I whispered.

I sat there, hopeless and lost. The only thing of comfort was the dress. The only nice thing my father ever did since she died was to give me her dress. Staying in this house any longer with my father was unbearable. It was time to leave, whether it was through an auction or not. And that was the motivation I needed.

It was now or never. I slowly stood up and changed into the dress. It was a bit tight since Mom was more petite than I was, but the length was good.

In the bathroom, I washed my face and combed out my long hair- allowing the waves from yesterday to fall down my shoulders. Then, I used Mom’s makeup, dabbing on purple eyeshadow to match the dress. I was pretty sure the makeup was expired, but that was all I had—no time to be picky.

“Are you done yet?” my dad called, appearing at the bathroom door. He wore a beige suit that made his skin look blotchy and gross.

“Yes, I think so. I just have to take the pills now,” I said. The two heat suppressants and the scent blocker. “Last night, I didn’t take any.”

He might’ve forgotten with all the auction excitement.

“I threw them away,” he said with an evil smile. “You have to be as appealing as possible to the buyers. No refunds.”

What?!Without the heat suppressants, I could go into heat at any time, and I would need a pack of alphas to have sex with during my fertile time. It would be dangerous if I went into heat. Without a knot from an alpha, an omega could get sick and eventually go unconscious- in some cases, even die. I couldn't believe I was under the mercy of the alpha pack who would purchase me.

It wasnoon by the time we drove to the Omega Auction. The place was so far out it was nearly an hour’s drive. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw signs saying the next auction was starting at noon. I had never been to one of these auctions because I had no reason to be here. But it was still the norm for leftover omegas to be sold, especially for poorer families who didn’t have many options.

My dad drove around to the back of a building.

“We’re here. If you embarrass me at all, you’re dead,” he threatened, looking over at me as he unbuckled his seat belt.

I didn’t say anything as I stepped out of the car. I vowed to never talk to him again after today. We walked towards the open door in the back, and I watched as my dad greeted the baldauctioneer. The auctioneer was holding a measuring tape and a clipboard fussing around but stopped when he saw me walk in.

“I’d like to put my daughter up for auction,” my dad stated matter-of-factly. Like the auction was an everyday thing. This was going to be seared into my memory forever. The auctioneer looked at me like I was an object as he measured my breasts and my waist over my dress.

“Perfect. She will bring in some money,” the auctioneer said. “Now, let’s get you over to the makeup guy. Your purple eyeshadow is atrocious.”

Before I knew it, I was seated next to ten other omegas with families fussing excitedly over them. Like this was the best thing to ever happen to them. I was confused and baffled by all of this. But I noticed that the families barely had any clothes on, some with their sandals ripped in many places covered in sand from the island.

We were in a large studio, getting prepped before they took us outside to the stage. My dad was chatting loudly with a few other alphas as he watched me with hawkish eyes, ensuring I complied and didn’t run away.

Ididwant to run away, but there was nowhere to hide in Howl’s Edge.

The makeup artist wearing a floral shirt approached me and immediately started drenching my face in foundation. I closed my eyes, hating every moment of it. I didn’t need all that makeup and was sure I’d look like a clown at the end. As I sat there with my eyes closed, I thought about my mom and what she would say if she saw this. She would tell me to have fun and roll with it—that things would always get better.

I smiled slightly, thinking of how optimistic she was while I was the total opposite.

“Ooh, la la. Look in the mirror. You look amazing,” said the makeup artist with a flourish, waving his hand to the mirror infront of me. My eyes widened when I caught my reflection in the mirror. He had accentuated my features with gold eyeshadow, making my eyes look seductive with his color choices.

“Oh wow,” I whispered, pressing my plump red lips together.

It wastime for the auction, and it was sweltering outside. My mom’s thick velvet dress did nothing to help with the heat. I was chained by the ankle to two other omegas on either side of me. The purple-haired omega to my right looked miserable and kept flicking the crowd off with her middle finger.

“What are you doing?” I whispered.

“Lowering my value,” she smirked. “It’s how I was passed up on the last two auctions. No one wants a badly behaved omega.”

“I might have to take a page out of your book,” I muttered. I didn’t have the guts to flick off an entire crowd of alphas, and my dad was eagerly watching from the back. The omega on my other side was nervous, sweat beading down her forehead, constantly biting her fingernails. I squinted in the sun, looking out at the small crowd of buyers who had started shouting prices at the auctioneer.

They were going down the line, and I was almost next.

As I looked at the buyers, I saw groups of alphas in packs. Some were leering and gazing at us with lustful gazes. Ugh, this was going to be horrible. I felt sorry for the omega who ended up with a creepy buyer. Then, my eyes stopped on a familiar patch of white silver hair.

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