Page 10 of Small Town Shy Omega
My Alphas fixed my car, they shopped for groceries, and they even planned the low-sodium meals I wanted.
In my other relationships, when I wasn’t doing everything, and serving my Alphas hand and foot, they bought me the thingstheywanted.
If an ex-Alpha bought me a gift, it wasn’t a crystal pendant or moon ring that I might like, engraved with my star sign.
No, it’d probably be some soap or bath bomb I wouldn’t even like—and not because I don’t like bath bombs, but becauseIwasn’t even consulted before they picked it out.
They just assumed I liked soap, spa material, lotions, and bath bombs… And maybe I did say I liked those things once, but then they just kept buying the same spa things over and over again.
My Alphas… asked. Or if they didn't ask, they simply… knew. Knew whatnotto do, which was almost as impressive as figuring out whattodo.
“I think we’re matches,” I said with alarm, my hand on my studio’s window. I had to smoke a bowl to calm myself. An Omega probably shouldn’t cry as much as me, but honest to Fate I was grateful.
Grateful that they got me. Grateful that they understood.
“Thank you for sharing,”Josh said, holding my hand as he stared into my eyes.
“I-I feel so silly,” I hiccuped, needing a sip of my raspberry tea to keep the nerves down.
Mid-afternoon sunlight blazed in through the window, painting our sofa in buttery light. Josh held my hand, listening to everything I said about my stepparents who’d rejected me, letting my grandfather adopt me.
“Don’t feel silly,” he said quietly, rubbing his thumb on my wrist. “Your feelings matter, Layla. When you talk…”
I ticked my head up. “What?”
“Let's just say, that when an Omega opens up, it’s an honor to listen to her. Omegas don’t just share their feelings freely… And I’m a lucky, lucky Alpha to be able to hear you share about your stepmother. And your former mother-in-law.”
He even listened to the part I slipped in about my former mother-in-law.
When I stopped crying, I just turned to the side, because staring into his eyes was too powerful right now.
“Josh,” I breathed out, eating a bite of the raspberry ice cream he and Blake made by hand, churning the cream out in the barn, because I’d said it was my favorite flavor. “When I talk to you, I feel like…” I pushed out a breath. “You’re listening.”
“Of course I’m listening,” and Josh frowned. “Why wouldn’t you think that?”
“Other Alphas typically don’t listen as much.” My heart panged, and I dropped my head. “Do you know what I’ve been called in the past? Too emotional…too needy,my last pack said. They didn't really hear me, and they certainly wouldn’t put down their phones—I think they were scrolling Instagram or so they said—or their video game controllers to even listen to me.”
Josh nodded. “Hearing you speak about your stepmom’s comments growing up, really helps me get to know your Omega better, Layla. And getting to know you, well. That’s the mostimportantthing to me, and I don’t know why it wouldn’t be. I can’t fathom why an Alpha wouldn’t want to listen to you, and…”
Josh’s eyes went to the clock.
“We’ve talked for hours,” I said guiltily, seeing it was almost midnight.
Josh turned back to me, smiling as he held my hand. “It’s not long enough, I’m afraid. You have a gift about you, Layla, when you speak I can hear your heart. Really hear it—and it’s a miraculously beautiful heart.”
I kept talking, and to my absolute shock, Josh kept listening.NoAlpha—and I mean zero, nada—ever gave me more than twenty minutes at a time, and I often felt like they were keeping a timer beside them. Ready to beep when I exceeded my limit.
Alphas often enjoyed claiming that they measured results. Not when they played video games, apparently. When talking to me, they seemed to always get furious that we weren’t reaching the “point” in a conversation, whatever that rude crap might be.
Josh, and the others in the pack?
My eyes drifted to the clock, the hands nearly striking midnight. Pale moonlight drifted through the cracked window, and cicadas hummed in the distance.
“My former mother-in-law…” My voice trailed off, and I don’t even know how long I talked, but Josh listened to it all.
He seemed genuinely interested, and I was so impressed that I just lost myself in his eyes, and halfway through… I didn't even know whether I was still talking about my former mother-in-law, whether I was still mad at her, or whether I was still talking because, almost like a test or something, I wanted to see whether Josh would still listen…
And hedidlisten, holy moly. He listened to every word I said, as if I was Sappho and my words were pure poetry.
