Page 24 of Storm
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As we approachthe meet and greet venue, I can see the line stretching around the block—triple the number of alphas from yesterday. This being the last day, it seems like every desperate pack in Crescent City has shown up for one final chance. When we step inside, the noise hits me like a physical force—the rumble of alpha voices, the mingling of too many scents, the palpable desperation in the air.
I glance at Harley and see her scanning the crowd anxiously, her eyes darting from face to face, searching for her blueberry pancakes alpha. The disappointment is already settling in her expression.
"It's okay. You'll find the dream today," I tell her, taking her hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. I hate seeing her like this. "I can just feel it."
"You too. I hope today brings your dream," she replies with a small smile, but I can see she doesn't believe it. The slump in her shoulders tells me she's losing hope with each passing minute.
I wink at her, putting on my most confident face. "Oh, I've found my dream."
And I have—it's just not here in this room full of alphas. My dream is waiting for me outside these walls, has been for four years. Rook. Freedom. A life that's actually mine.
The parade of alphas today is more frantic than ever, each pack practically climbing over each other to reach us, more desperate than the last on this final day of selection. It's just like an auction and I'm the prize. They don't even try to pretend it's not.
I sit back in my throne-like chair, watching as Veronica meticulously writes down each pack I express the slightest interest in. I'm being strategic today, only nodding at the elite packs, the ones with money and status. Not because I want them—fuck no—but because they're the only ones who could afford the ridiculously high entrance fee for the lottery. The closer they are to the city center, the better.
Veronica notices my pattern and leans down, her voice low and approving. "That's good, Storm. The elite packs will treat you more like one of them. You'll have a better life than if you end up with some beta-born alphas who can barely afford to feed themselves."
I force a smile, wanting to tell her exactly where she can shove her classist bullshit. Instead, I just nod and continue my charade, pretending to be the good omega who wants a prestigious pack.
"Would you like me to add Pack Montgomery to the list?" Veronica asks after a particularly wealthy group of alphas finishes their meeting with me. "They have three summer homes and their lead alpha owns half the banking district."
"Absolutely," I say, flashing my most convincing smile. "They seemed... promising."
Veronica beams, scribbling their name on her clipboard. She's so pleased with my apparent cooperation that she doesn't notice when I lean forward to grab a mint from the bowl beside her. My fingers brush against the stack of blank lottery tickets next to her registry book.
Quick as lightning, I palm two tickets, sliding them into my bra while pretending to adjust my dress. My heart hammers against my ribs, but no one notices. Not even Harley, who's busy with her own selection across the room. No one ever suspects a little omega of anything devious.
I smile to myself, a small private victory. I now have the blank tickets we need. I'll surprise Harley with hers later, when we're alone and safe from prying eyes and ears.
I sit on a large, padded chair that feels more like a throne, smiling emptily as pack after pack struts before me, hoping for my approval to have their pack names placed in the barrel I will be spinning in less than a week. Their scents mingle and clash in the air—woodsy, musky, overbearingly sweet—making my head spin and my stomach turn.
Across from me, Harley sits with her usual bundle of energy, her eyes constantly scanning the room for her blueberry pancakes alpha. I can see the frustration growing in her, the slump of her shoulders more pronounced with each pack that isn't him. Today is our last chance, and her dream alpha hasn't shown up.
"Miss Storm?" My attention snaps back to the alpha pack currently wasting their breath in front of me.
What was their name again?Doesn't matter.These alphas live well outside the city. As they drone on about their jobs at the shipyard, their plans for the future, their dreams of building a family, I nod and smile, pretending to listen while tuning them out completely. My thoughts wander. I'm a million miles away from here, running through possibilities like they're the only thing tethering me to sanity.
I dream of my future with Rook. The two of us together, free from all this bullshit, finally living the life we've always wanted.
I let them ramble on and flash that thousand-watt smile like they've already won, but I know how to play this game now. And this time, I'll be the one walking away with exactly what I want.
When we leave,that's when I notice the sounds again. The chanting. The protesters. They're growing louder as we get closer to the exit, voices merging with a sense of anger.
At least a hundred alpha voices rising in unison, echoing off the concrete walls.
They're shouting for freedom, for change, for an end to a system that holds them down. Hell, I want that too.
The security at the entrance is doubled, and we have to wait by the door until it's safe to leave. I wonder how much longer they can keep this up before the whole system collapses. I hope it's soon.
Beta-born are always treated like scum. They live on the poverty line and never can get off it. I know what that's like. I am one of them. Elites are always on top.
Harley looks nervous and tries to move past the protesters, but I slow down, taking it all in. I can't help but feel a thrill of rebellion surge through me. This system is so fucked up. Alphas without an omega turn feral by the time they're in their forties. The government just come and take them away… I know what they do with them. They kill them.
Because a feral alpha can't be fixed. And I've seen feral alphas. I've never seen or heard of an elite going feral. It's unheard of. They have the money, the power to rig these lotteries. I don't remember the last time a beta-born pack even won an omega. These alphas are fighting for their lives. The only problem is a lack of omegas. There isn't enough.
I used to think Rook could end up like that. Feral and taken away. It's sad, and the only one thing I'm grateful for being an omega. Is Rook will never have that happen.
