Page 4 of Happy Birthday, Omega
It is the most stunning thing she’s ever seen, but it’s too much. Too much to give to someone anonymously. Too much to give to an Omega whose own parents didn’t want her. April receives a measly annual stipend from the academy, and she’d never in a million years spend it on such an expensive gown. She makes do with the donations on campus, like the brown, shapeless dress hanging on the back of her door that she planned to wear tonight.
Panic settles in her chest and squeezes her eyes shut.Too much. Too much.
She breathes deeply for a few moments, allowing herself to calm before peeking through her lashes at the open dress box. The shimmer catches her eye, and she smiles softly. It’s a thoughtful gift, if extravagant. She wonders whether her birthday suitor knows she’s attending a ball that evening, or if they assumed she likes sparkly things. Most Omegas do. April certainly does.
Later that evening, wearing the stunning blue gown, April feels like the prettiest Omega in the ballroom. It’s a mingling event for The Omega Academy and The Alpha Academy. A chance for both designations to learn how to cohabitate and interact with each other. It’s the first time April has attended such an event, her teachers agreeing she’s ready for the next phase of her education, and her senses are thoroughly overwhelmed.
She gulps down a glass of champagne when she thinks no one is looking and swiftly replaces it with another from a passing Beta server. She downs that one too.
“I saw that,” a deep voice resonates from behind her.
She squeaks and spins around with wide, startled eyes.
“Easy there April, I didn’t mean to give you a fright.” It’s Bryce, and he’s all grown up. The teenage clumsiness in him from two years ago appears to have evolved into charming confidence. Though his smile is still lopsided, and somehow that makes it even more devastating.
She gapes at him, her mouth opening and closing. The spark of attraction she’d previously felt roars into an open flame.
“It’s alright,” she finally gushes, knowing her cheeks are red. “It’s nice to see you, Bryce.”
She tries to chastise herself for her inappropriate reaction to him. How can she think about him like that? He’s her only link back to her previous life, and she remembers when he went through a phase of only wearing Star Wars t-shirts and carrying a plastic glow-in-the-dark lightsaber around the house. The day she presented as an Omega was the worst day of her life, and Bryce had been there. He saw the side glances her parents had shared, and the half-hearted consoling pats on her back. She’d sobbed into her hands and wiped snot on her hoodie sleeve. He’d seen it all.
But,oh. He looks incredible and smells even better. She can’t help but lick her lips, capturing more of his heady scent on the tip of her tongue. He smells like pine needles, fresh and outdoorsy. It’s paired with an unusual scent that takes her a moment to pinpoint, but she eventually recognizes it as chalk. Combined with his masculine Alpha pheromones, it’s a unique blend that shouldn’t smell as intoxicatingly delicious as it does.
April licks her lips again, holding back a purr of delight.
“It’s your birthday today, isn’t it?” He asks kindly, keeping his smile closed lipped, hiding his teeth from view. He moves with an assured grace, careful to keep his body language non-threatening. She smiles back, amused to note that he must have received instructions regarding interacting with Omegas since their last meeting.
Rule number one: don’t flash predatory teeth at the skittish, submissive designation.
She nods, unwilling to trust herself to speak without releasing a keening mewl. Damn Omega instincts.
“I hope you don’t mind me saying, but you look lovely tonight.”
April feels the heat creep up her decolletage but can do nothing to stop it. A full-body blush blooms without her permission. She blames the hastily drunk champagne.
“T-Thank you,” she squeaks, looking down at her shoes to avoid his intense gaze. He must find her blush amusing.
Bryce takes a step closer to her, and she’s suddenly intensely aware of her throbbing mating gland.
“It was a birthday gift.” She gestures to the gown and twirls on the spot, letting him take in the full effect of the dress. “And it has pockets!”
She fights back a visible cringe. Why did she do that? It was so juvenile. Like a toddler showing an adult that they tied their own shoelaces.
He doesn’t make fun of her, instead he steps closer with an intense expression she cannot read. In a slow and deliberate manner, he drags his gaze up and down, feasting on both her dress and the contours of her body, and she feels his intense scrutiny like a caress.
“Your benefactor has exquisite taste. The color matches your eyes perfectly,” he says. His voice lowering during their conversation, a heady richness seeping into his tone that sends chills up her exposed arms.
Bryce reaches out to touch the fabric at her thigh, slow enough for her to recoil if she wants to. Instead, she holds her breath in anticipation. An explosion of tingles erupts at her thigh as he gently touches the gown’s fabric, and she watches with fascination as his fingers run over the intricate stitches, his large hand making the tiny sequins look even more delicate. She can feel the warmth coming from his skin through the dress’s fabric, and she can think of nothing else.
She finally raises her gaze to meet his, and releases her held breath in a shaky exhale. His boyish charm is gone and replaced by a predatory, hungry expression. It frightens her. It excites her. It turns her on.
Slick trickles from her, and she delights in his flared nostrils. Just as she takes a step closer to him, a chaperone appears at her shoulder and gently takes her by the elbow. “Alpha, you know the rules. No touching.”
“Ah, yes. Apologies, Omega. I don’t know what came over me,” Bryce says, clearing his throat and stepping back. He absently rubs his hand, like he can feel her residual warmth as much as she can feel it on her thigh.
The chaperone leads her away, and April sends a wanting glance back at Bryce. As she’s led away, she thinks she catches his soft words.
“Happy Birthday, Omega.”
