Page 13 of The Omega Exchange: Omnibus
"Let's get you to your room," Luke says, spinning around and heading back down the stairs. "I'm surprised your pack lost sight of you long enough for you to disappear."
We make it to the landing between floors. "I don't have a pack. I mean they had a match to introduce me to, but they're not here…"
His eyebrows rise. I don't wait to see the look of pity that I know from experience comes next. I move to head down the next flight of stairs.
"That makes sense I guess," Luke muses from behind me as we descend.
"What does?"
"I've been here going on four years, and I've never seen the bosses with an omega. I mean, chatting at the mixers orintroducing themselves as the owners, sure, but I've never seen an omega in their suites." Luke brushes past me and nods to the corridor on the floor we're on. "It's this way."
We make it to a door about halfway down the hallway. Luke stops and nods toward the door.
"Here, let me," he says, grabbing the key from my hand. "I'll show you around since you didn't get the tour earlier." He opens the door, and we step inside. My bags are piled right inside the entryway.
Luke flips on the light. The room is essentially a large hotel room, but it feels homey and inviting. Directly past the entryway there's a door to the immediate right, which is a small bathroom.
Luke heads further into the room. There's a small living room area to the left, and on the right are two more doors.
"The middle door is the nest," Luke says, opening the door and flipping the light on. "It connects directly to the bathroom. All this is much smaller than the suite you'll be assigned once you pick a pack." He steps back out and over to the last door. "This is your bedroom."
I step inside as he holds the door open. It's beautiful. The room is decorated in light pinks and soft greens. The four-poster bed has soft pink and gray curtains that are currently tied back, and a fluffy patchwork quilt that looks soft and comfortable.
It's lovely. There's a small bookshelf in the corner, and I'm immediately drawn to it. Sliding a hand down my thighs, I hold my dress in place as I squat down to examine which titles I got lucky enough to have in my room.
The sound of my suitcases being dropped into the closet draws my attention. Luke stands a foot away, studying me intently.
"They found you in the library," he says with a smirk. "Are you a big reader?"
I smile as I stand. "You could say that. I appraise old books and antiques for a living, but yes, I love reading."
Luke takes a step back. He looks confused.
"It's really not all that glamorous," I say, laughing awkwardly. "Mostly I stumble around estate sales, pricing old things so the new generation can sell them off for quick cash."
"I don't think I've ever met an omega who has a job," he says, scratching at his jaw.
I drop the books and papers in my hand on the bed. Yeah, I've heard that before. I head back toward the living room.
It's not like I'm opposed to staying home and raising a family. But the opportunity never arose. I had to learn to provide for myself, and it wasn't easy.
There are laws that protect an omega's right to work and be hired the same as anyone else, but the reality of it is that many employers passed me over. They never explicitly say it's because I'm an omega, but excitement over my resume regularly vanished when they learned my designation.
I stop near the hallway that leads to the door. "Thanks for making sure I got here safe and sound."
"No problem, Evie," Luke says, brushing past me on the way to the door.
A shiver runs through my entire body as I get a strong hit of his scent. He smells electric, like the air right before a storm. My hand catches his arm and, despite how uncalled for it is, I pull gently. I don't have a hope of moving the man on my own—but he complies, spinning back around. My face lands on his chest.
"I've never smelled a scent like yours," I murmur before I can stop myself.
"Sorry, sweetheart, your nose must be malfunctioning," he says in a clipped tone. "I'm not an alpha."
"I-I'm sorry?" I stammer. "I never said you were." I shake my head and take several big steps back. "I apologize, that was so inappropriate."
He gives an easy smile, but the strange throbbing in my chest isn't my own. As an omega I pick up on the emotions of those around me, and this discomfort isn't mine. Mine is definitely present, but this is a different ache.
"No problem," Luke says, sliding by. "Just didn't want you to be confused. It's happened before."
