Page 14 of Altius
“Just Joaquin. After we got mated, the Toledanos basically adopted me. His moms are my moms, and his sisters are my sisters. It’s the only family I’ve ever known.”
Morgan regarded me with a steady, neutral expression, free of judgment or pressure. Her only reaction was to pat the bed,inviting me to sit down. I perched at the very edge of the mattress.
“You know DesiPret?” I asked, staring at the expensive yet nondescript cream carpet.
Thousands of children had been victimized by DesiPret, a shady, now-banned blood test that claimed to predict a baby’s future designation with ninety-nine percent accuracy. A bullshit claim, of course—but the damage was done.
There was a drastic increase in child abandonments of supposedly beta babies by parents with ulterior motives. Because a disgusting subset of society still found ways to make money off alphas and omegas.
They might not get sold outright anymore, but if you pour enough money into a finishing school education, even a moderately talented omega can land a wealthy pack, moving their parents several rungs up the social ladder in one fell swoop.
“Did your parents—” Morgan’s tone was clinical, but her revised choice of words revealed her anger on my behalf. “Did your genetic donors use it on you?”
Her subtle indignation had no right to fill me with rose-hued relief, but it did.
“Yes. At least, that’s what one of my social workers told me when I was a kid,” I said. Thankfully, I knew Morgan wouldn’t think less of me for what I was about to reveal. “Must have rush-ordered the results because when they returned me to the hospital, citing financial hardship, it was considered a legal surrender since I was less than a month old. Went into foster care, like all the other abandoned babies, and got bounced around a lot. By the time they outlawed DesiPret and changed the rules regarding designation protections for minors, I was too old to appeal to most families looking to adopt.”
Pheromones like metallic-laced velvet cushioned me. A thread of pure orchid caressed my cheek, as compelling asit was reassuring. The rusted edge reminded me of the steel running through Morgan’s spine, her steadfast resolve, and self-determination.
Her scent signature was clearer and more potent than yesterday. As I reveled in the heady rush of her momentary protection, I understood why the alphas were in such a state. If her pheromones were so enticing to me, a beta, they must be intoxicating for a compatible alpha.
Wait.
Wyatt and Cal made sense. They were her current boyfriend and old crush, so compatibility was to be expected.
Joaquin being attracted to her scent was a relief because it boded well for our mutual potential.
But Owen…
He’d shown up for dinner last night uninvited. Had he picked up her pheromones in the hallway and been drawn inside, intrigued by their source—by Morgan?
Holy shit. Joaquin was right.
Even if Owen wouldn’t admit it, because of the convoluted web of professional ethics surrounding Morgan, he was interested in her, too.
Our entire pack—well, preferred pack—was attracted to the same woman. Our brilliant, beautiful, prickly, persevering Morgan.
And if she was willing to date Cal, maybe there was still a chance for the rest of us.
I turned to look at her, buoyed by a sense of hope—only to find her venting her frustration with my biological parents on the poor granola bar, systematically breaking it into smaller and smaller pieces, drowning them in the remnants of her tea.
“Have you ever looked into them?” she asked.
“No. But I did see a high society mating notice last year for an omega girl who looked just like me, but more feminine.Super pretty. Had the finishing school pedigree and everything. Figured they probably couldn’t afford to raise me and her. At least, not if they wanted to move up in the world.”
She sighed, leaning back against the headboard, squinting at me with sympathy. Not pity. An emotion neither of us had much tolerance for.
“I know it’s not worth much, but I’m sorry, Alijah,” she said. “You deserved so much better. But I’m relieved—and honestly thrilled—that you have a family now.”
“Me too. Between therapy and Joaquin, I’m in a much better place. But, if you want to make me feel even better, we could be Saturday slugs together,” I said, despite knowing the proposal was a non-starter. “Maybe watch a few episodes ofDesignation Dance-Offor something?”
Morgan broke the remaining piece of the granola bar in half and looked at me with unexpected interest. “Is that the dancing show with celebrity teams?”
“Yes! Have you watched it?”
She shook her head, swapping the granola bits for another grape. “They keep offering Jacobi more and more money to do it. Grace thinks he should. Easy for her to say. She won her season.”
“Grace?” A past winner immediately came to mind, sending a flash of excitement through me. “You meanGrace Arata?”
