Page 78 of The Omega Archives: Part Three

“We’re doing ok,” she answered, glancing over her shoulder at me. “I’ll leave you two to it.”

The door shut behind her, leaving Lucas and I in a stagnant silence for a period that could’ve been a minute or an hour. But I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I tried to memorize every little detail from the mess of his hair to the way his eyes still somehow sparkled even when they were pained.

“You look…” he drifted off, breath shaking.

“Thank you,” I said, knowing what he was trying to say. Appreciated the normalcy of it all. Especially since he was maybe one of the only people beyond Cal who said it outright to me before.

I did, after all, look beautiful.

I mean, who wouldn’t look at least a little stunning in such an expensive dress? It may not have been the garment I’d have chosen for myself, but I had never worn anything like it. It also felt like I was walking to my funeral in it.

A tight, red dress didn’t quite feel proper for this or that event either, however. Especially not as I looked towards the window where I saw the rest of the omegas rushing to the main building, their puffy tulle pink and yellow dresses catching under the last bits of daylight as the sun went down in streaks of color they mimicked.

Light and flowy and simply pretty. Romantic.

Like little fairytale princesses finding their princes.

Luckily, I was used to feeling out of place. And from this point on, romance would be the last thing on my mind.

I was trying to revert even as I stood in my scarlet red dress, imagining it as armor. I was going into the choosing ceremony not as an omega with hearts in her eyes, but as one who knew what it took to survive.

And would survive again.

“I should be going with you,” Lucas brought my attention back to him.

I shook my head. “No. We both know that we can’t do that.”

“I could. God, Ella,” he ran his hand through his hair, mussing it up straight at the front of his head even more than it was. A single curl twisted towards his temples.

The happy-go-lucky alpha I first met was no longer in front of me. Over the past few weeks he’d been torn apart, and I felt more than a little guilty about that and the part I unfortunately played in it.

He reached out and cupped the sides of my face. “I love you. I can’t imagine this life now without you in it. I know fate is funny and stupid, but I’m starting to believe in it, with you.”

“I…” I hesitated and shook my head. Unsure or not, I needed to say it. I was always unsure. Always hesitant. And for what? “I love you, Lucas. I’m so sorry. You’re going to make some omega happy someday. Any girl. But please, don’t waste your time on me. Who knows, you could have another scent match out there.”

“You think that?”

“Just be happy,” I said. “One of us has to be. Right? Scent match or not.”

“I don’t think that’s what it means.”

“Why can’t it?” He didn’t answer. His brow was creased and face drawn. “Promise me? You’ll let me go and choose life and happiness?”

He paused and nodded. “I’m going to choose happiness. For you.”

I held his hands tightly, biting the inside of my cheek to stop the emotions from surfacing for him to see. “Good.”

The room looked like a dark romantic ball where people were dancing and there was a stage at the center where I had been toldthat alphas would publicly proclaim their claim upon an omega if she would have them.

As if they had a choice.

Or I guess I should rephrase that. As if I had a choice. There were likely many omegas here who were happy about how things turned out for them. Maybe they even met an alpha they had easily fallen head over heels for in the past month when they were taken out on courting dates and delivered expensive gifts. Perhaps that is why there were so many dimly lit corners in here as well as air circulation to keep scents from lingering too long for which I was sure we were all grateful.

Especially me, considering every scent made me want to sneeze or physically revolt the past few days as my heat grew closer than ever.

But I tried not to think about it still. As much as I could, anyway.

I itched at the back of my neck, trying not to fidget uncomfortably as I walked into the main building of the academy where even more people were than usual. The courting ceremony wasn’t just a celebration for those involved. It was an alpha and omega community event with most families also here to fawn over their children and praise them for what would end up more like an engagement or even a marriage depending on how they felt about hosting a big wedding.

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