Page 4 of The Alpha: Part One
"We're not asking for applications and interviews, Benny. We need to find somebody we can connect with. Desie will go to Mateo's or Lucas's when the fires start, we've already talked about that, remember?" He holds up the calendar we've been marking up. There are at least fifteen dates circled throughout the rest of the month.
"And the fights? We don't do many anymore, but I know we'll be called in for at least two this month." I pull up the last text I got from Alpha Flores. "Next week. You know we'll be called in next week. We'll have to miss the mid-week building session; and if we get our asses handed to us, we might have to miss the weekend mixer."
"Nah. We won't be that beat up, even if we don't win the match. Maybe if some of the council sees us at the meets it could make a difference and they'll let it slide that we don't have a third. It's a stretch, but not impossible." He crosses out the pack builder in the middle of next week. "Let's go get some dinner. We can't do anything else right now, anyway. We've got a plan now. It's going to be alright."
I let out a heavy sigh. I hope it will be alright. I don't know what we'll do if it isn't.
Chapter three
Desie
"You promise you didn't hurt them?" Mateo might kill me if I keep asking him about my boys one more time, but I can't help it. I couldn't handle answering any of their texts. I was already trying so hard not to fall apart. Then Amber saw them running through the neighbor's yard and yelled for Mateo to take my brothers outside and I lost it. What were they even trying to accomplish, anyway?
"No, Desir'ee. Nobody hurt them. If anything, we helped them. And I hope they listen this time. We'll be at the omega mixer in a few minutes. Are you ready?"
"No."
He rubs the back of his neck and glances at Amber. She's been his omega since I was a little girl; so long that I don't remember her coming into our family, it's like she's just always been here. She's perfect for him, and she's perfect for Lucas and Tony, too. They're such a great pack. That's how it was supposed to be for me with the twins and Rafe. Now it's not going to happen and every time I think about it I feel like throwing up.
"Tonight isn't about making any choices, honey," Amber takes my hand in hers and rubs the back. "Tonight is just about looking and seeing. Maybe a few conversations. Nothing serious and nothing permanent. All you have to do tonight is be polite and throw around a few smiles. We'll all be right there with you. Nobody will get out of hand, and if anybody rubs you the wrong way all you need to do is point to them. Your brothers will get rid of them. Try to have some fun. There's supposed to be a decent band playing. You always enjoy the music. Just concentrate on that if things get to be too much."
Mateo sends her a grateful smile, but I can't bring myself to give her one of my own. I feel like I'm being delivered to an executioner's block in a pretty dress.
In less time than it should have taken, I'm taking Lucas's hand when he opens the door to help me out of the car. It doesn't feel real. I was never supposed to actually go to any of this, not in any context. I was supposed to attend them with my pack, with Michael and Benny and the third that never showed up. I was just supposed to attend a few of the mixers to socially establish myself with my pack. But here I am, twenty-two years old, at my first Omega Mixer looking for a pack that will work. I'd say a pack that was good enough, but no pack that doesn't include the twins will ever be good enough.
"Deep breath, D. You've got this. It's just a stuffy party with fancy finger food and a few people who want you to meet them. You don't even need to remember their names tonight if you don't want to. Just sit with us and have snacks until Amber and Tony drag you out to the dance floor. Rose will be here soon, Tio Carlos just texted me to look for her when she gets here. You girls can tear up the dance floor and we'll make sure nobody does anything more than look. You can have a little fun tonight if you let yourself."
I squeeze his arm and look up at him. "I'll try, Lucas. I promise. I don't mean to be such a baby about this."
"If you were happy about it, I would be worried. Let's try to think about the things you will like about tonight. You like music, even if it is a mediocre local band. You like trying new foods, and based on every one of these I've ever been to, there will be new things to try. You like dancing, and you love dancing with Amber. I'll even spin you around a few times if you want. Let's try to have fun, yeah?"
He gets a genuine smile and another squeeze. "You're my favorite, you know."
"Yeah, I am," he smirks. Then he takes another big breath with me as he walks us into the banquet hall.
I was expecting everything to be more, I don't know, posh. I was prepared for warm lighting and roses on the tables and little plates with one bite of food on them being passed around. Instead, the hall is done up for what looks like a high school dance. It's pretty, not overdone, not garish; but the more I look at it, the more it starts to resemble a teenager-decorated gymnasium, which is unfortunate and more than a little off-putting. For me. Most of the omegas here are at least four years younger than I am. They look right at home in this setting. What's making me feel most uncomfortable is the alphas and packs congregating at the bar and around a few of the tables. They're all several years older than me, making them way older than the majority of the omegas. I mean, that's not really an issue, especially considering Rafe was seven years older than me. But I know for a fact that Alpha Joseph Taylor is every bit of thirty-eight years old, and seeing him grinning at Angela Perez, who is all of seventeen, is bizarre and pretty disgusting. She looks thrilled about it, though. I guess she would be. Alpha Taylor will have a place on the WCC as soon as his hateful, decrepit father dies. Angela could do much worse, even with that age gap.
"Try not to look so horrified and disgusted," Lucas murmurs into my ear. "You don't have to talk to any wrinkled ball sacks if you don't want to. Angela's had her eye on him and his pack for two years. They're perfect for each other. They're just waiting for her birthday to make it official."
I shoot him a side eye.
"Don't look at me like that. People like what they like."
I roll my eyes. "I guess. Where am I supposed to go? Do I need to sign in or something?" I didn't see a sign-up table when we came in, and there are no place cards on any of the tables that I've seen. I thought it would be more organized and stuffy than this.
"You just pick a table where you feel comfortable and claim it. We'll follow your lead. You know that mixers are mostly geared toward omegas. Comfortable omegas are happy omegas."
He gets another side eye. "I am neither comfortable nor happy." Then I proceed to choose the backmost corner table I can find and sit down in a chair that will only give the room my profile. When I glance back at my brother, he's pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head. Mateo and the rest of our entourage joins him, and Amber is the embodiment of annoyance. She stomps across the floor and stands in front of me, hand on hip, lips pursed, and eyebrows raised high.
"I know you're not happy. Nobody blames you. But you can't be obtuse. You can sit at this table in the back, but you need to at least face the room. Tony and Sebastian are ordering drinks. Once the band starts playing we're going to dance. All of us. They'll keep you and me in the middle, obviously, but we are going to dance. I know it's hard but can you try to have some fun with me? You haven't been out with us in ages because of school, but you're graduating in a few weeks! The hard part's over. Maybe we can consider tonight a celebration of that. Would that be so bad?"
I look out at the hall that's quickly becoming crowded. It's easy to tell which of us are omegas because we're literally surrounded by our families or other chaperones. Every one of them is rosy-cheeked and wide-eyed with excitement. I'm the only one who looks like I'm attending a funeral. Amber's right. I can celebrate my hard work tonight with my family and friends. I've worked endlessly for my degrees, and I've passed every single exam with flying colors. As soon as the ink dries on my diploma and licenses, I have a position in the natal unit at Bellton Medical. It might not be the best hospital on the West Coast, but it's nothing to sniff at. "Okay. I can do that. We can celebrate tonight. I'll do better."
"Good! Don't worry about anything else. Here comes Tony. Look at all those umbrella drinks!" She snorts a laugh. "I guess we're all drinking frilly drinks tonight."
I laugh with her. Seeing big, bad Tony and Sebastion juggling seven fruity drinks with colorful paper umbrellas stuck in them definitely improves my mood.
After Amber and I finish our drinks, we drag Tony and Lucas out onto the floor. The band sounds great and people are starting to enjoy themselves. The rest of my brothers join us on the floor and it starts getting easier to relax. None of the alphas in attendance have done anything more than send me a few curious looks, and I almost feel like I can let my guard down. I only think of the twins, and how they should be here with me, every other minute instead of every second. If I keep going at this rate, I might actually have a good time tonight.
