Page 10 of For the First Time
He didn’t look convinced, but he finally let me go.“All right then.I guess I’ll be seeing you around.Have a good rest of your day.Try not to get stuck in any more holes—the roads here aren’t meant for little cars like yours.”He frowned harder.“In fact, maybe we should have you park at the visitor’s center and drive you back and forth.”
“That really isn’t necessary—”
“It is.Unless you know how to drive a four-wheeler?”
I glanced at my car.It had four wheels.Was that somehow different?Didn’t all vehicles have four wheels except for semis?
“By that look alone, I’m going to assume that’s a no.All right.I’ll make sure one of us picks you up.”
“Really, that isn’t necessary.This was the only hole I hit, and I definitely won’t be making that mistake again.”
I watched Franklyn Oaks’s eyebrow arch.The single raised blond brow gave him an imperious look.“Last I checked, I’m your boss.That means I’m in charge of your safety.It also means, you gotta listen to me.Do I have that right?”
His words sent a shiver down my spine, but it was the sensation between my thighs that made me simultaneously weak and worried.I always understood the draw omegas had to alphas, to have someone constantly defend and protect them.I’d never thought it was weird.In fact, for a long time, I’d wished to be an omega in order to feel that level of cherished.That was when I was young.Before I’d realized I’d never present, never have that level of devotion aimed at me.Feeling it then, even if it was a true fraction of what an alpha showed an omega, it made me desperate for more.Like I was a child again, crossing my fingers and toes as I made a birthday wish to be an omega.
“Eve, I want your words.”Franklyn Oaks stepped closer.Too close.Impropriety level close.Close enough that I made out his scent of crackers dipped in honey.My stomach growled at the scent, making him smile.
Like Atlas, he was tall, although slightly bulkier from his alpha genetics.He might’ve been an accountant, but he’d obviously spent a lot of his time outdoors considering his tanned skin.Just like his hair, his eyelashes were a light blond, which made his eyes look dramatic.“Your agreement, Eve.You’ll park at the visitors’ center and let one of us drive you.At least until we get the road patched up.”
I nodded, whispering the word, “Okay.”
“Very good, darlin.Now, I’d like your phone.”
“My phone?”
“Yeah, you know, the thing you use to call and text.I’d like to put my number in it.In case you get stuck in any more potholes.”He must’ve known I was about to argue since he shook his head, “Ah-ah.No arguing.Phone, please.”
I was going to need their numbers anyway since I was going to work for them, so I grabbed my phone and created a new contact for him, letting him put in his number himself.I saved it when he handed it back, noticing he’d only entered the name Oaks.
“That’s a unique name,” I’d admitted.
“Got a brother named Trevor Lake and a sister Marie Snow.I think I lucked out.Now get out of here and get something to eat.And drive safely.If you need me, call.Don’t forget to park at the visitors’ center next time.”
I chuckled.“Anything else?”
He looked like he was actually considering it for a moment.“Yeah.No more descenter.”He walked away, opening the gate so he could go home and then walking past me back to his truck, reaching up to tip his hat at me.
I scrambled into my car, refusing to look in the rearview mirror and watch Oaks.My body was convinced that he had been flirting with me and the giddy sensation was making it impossible to fight my own smile.These men, both Atlas and Oaks, they were something else.Manly and protective and smelled good.They were caring, not just about each other, but about me, too.I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I’d been the center of attention.
Sure, when I spoke with omegas and packs before they would listen to me, but that was Eve Tellus, employee with the Omega Compound.Not Eve Tellus, a beta.A woman.
Just as quickly as my good mood came, it disappeared.
Fantasizing about a pack wasn’t appropriate.It would be one thing if they weren’t officially formed, if they were maybe looking for a beta to help round out the extreme emotions from alphas and omegas.This wasn’t that.I was there for a job.For employment.That fact shouldn’t have been heartbreaking.
So they smelled good.So they were kind.I just had a little crush, and I doubted anyone could blame me for it.They were handsome men, objectively.And I was lonely, in a vulnerable place after being fired.It didn’t help that my only friends were omegas with packs of adoring alphas.I was just having some slight designation dysphoria.It mostly happened in young children but spending a lot of time around other designations could have this effect on betas.Unfortunately, it was more common than people acknowledged.
I’d learned a long time ago to be happy in my body.No amount of wishing or anything else was going to magically change me into another designation.I wasn’t meant to be coddled by an alpha, to be scent marked and claimed.I was okay with that.I was.Truly.Maybe I hadn’t been when I was younger.Now, though, I got to help omegas, and I was proud of that.Being a beta meant I wasn’t limited by my natural tendencies or the social influence of the alphas around me.I could be level minded and ensure everyone around me was safe and happy.
I knew I was lonely, I just hadn’t realized how desperate I’d gotten for attention.It might’ve been time to find another beta.Not to settle down with, just to fuck.I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d gone out.
There were a few beta-only clubs that I’d enjoyed in the past.I never took anyone home since it wouldn’t have been respectful to ask them to wear descenter, and I would’ve asked if I had.Either I stayed at the club and made do with a bathroom with a lock or I’d go back to his place.Sex was great.And while I might not have had the libido of the other designations, I enjoyed the company and intimacy.
I also drew the line at sex.There wasn’t a need for a date, before or after.I wasn’t looking to settle down, mostly because I couldn’t imagine myself being happy with a single, beta partner.I craved the multiple attention of a pack.Except that wasn’t biologically possible.So, sex only.
If I was remembering correctly, it had been nearly a year since the last time I sought out any sort of company.Had it really been that long?I’d have to check my planner when I got home.I’d always marked my sexual exploits to ensure I got tested afterward—diseases and pregnancy alike.Betas struggled more with conceiving, but it was always possible, even if the chance was slim.And diseases were always a risk.
Turning back onto city paved roads, the drive became smoother.I hadn’t noticed how bumpy driving on the dirt had been.
