Page 9 of The Accidental Omega
“No,” answers Ryson, the gray haired one, answers, eyes like the Caribbean Sea. “We areallalphas, and we have... locations in the pack, jobs. But you are ouronlyomega.” He stares at mehard, those pretty eyes trying to convey something, but I’m not sure what.
“So... there are no betas in your...our...pack?”
“Not yet,” Wells, the nice one says, “There are Celnoe males and females that are betas, but none have meshed with our pack. Several other nearby planets have betas that can be found in our Celnoe packs as well.”
He must see my eyes widen for he hurriedly adds, “And now that you are a pack member, you will also have a say in who joins the pack. Even ifanotheromega was matched to us, you’d have the power to overrule the match.”
I look out the window, feeling overwhelmed. The vehicle is driving itself over the pink street-ribbon thing. It looks painted onto the ground of the city, not something solid, and low-shrubby plants grow very close to it. Again, withblueleaves. These are more of a sky blue than the ones I saw bearing fruit on the roofs.
The big guy holding me on his lap rumbles, “Celnoe packstypicallyhave three or four alphas, but not more; only one omega, now, and perhaps several betas.”
I twist and look at him. His black hair brushes his broad shoulders in an artfully messy way and his eyes are the bright blue of a forget-me-not. His skin is the darkest, most teal of the four. And his horns curl in a full circle.
I lick my lips. His eyes track the movement silently.
I ask, still feeling off-center, “What... um,job, do betas take in the pack?”
Ryson answers from my side, “Was this not included in your information packet?” He sounds annoyed about it. But I’m starting to think that’s his normal tone of voice.
“No. Honestly, it was pretty vague on the details of your species and planet.” My gaze is drawn out the windows again, the city seeming well-laid out and not too tightly packed likemost human ones. There are lots of blue-leaved trees and shrubs and I see many aliens that look like mine, all dressed in comfortable looking dresses or loose pants and tunics.
But then my eyes land upon a female with wings and I gasp.
All four guys jump.
“Why is she naked?” I ask, worry settling deep in my gut.
I see them exchange a glance before they all look to Wells.
He clears his throat, “That,” he nods towards the naked winged woman, “is a matched omega. Many packs keep their omegas nude, as a general rule.”
Ryson adds darkly, “Some... only for punishment.”
Oh fuck.
I shake my head and I feel Zallan's hand around my waist tighten minutely. But, much like the rest of my life, I lack the restraint to shut the fuck up.
I say, “No. That’s not gonna work for me.”
The grin Ryson throws me is wicked and I feel my nipples tighten inexplicably. “I’ll be the judge of that, little omega.”
THE REST OF THE RIDEI am mute. I think they sense that I’m annoyed or stunned or something and do not bother me. I stare out the windows as we leave the city and enter a forest. Many trees are huge, with a reddish, rough bark and huge trunks. I have to tilt my head to see the heart-shaped blue leaves above us. Smaller plants edge close to the pink strip that the vehicle follows. Twice our vehicle passes other, similar, vehicles that have “pulled over” to let us pass.
At some point, the one named Wells tells me of their two moons, how the bigger one represents their Goddess Zatura, and the smaller one represents the first alpha, who follows after her, devotedly.
As we smoothly roll through the forest, Nara passes me a glass with a clear substance. I arch an eyebrow at him.
He chuckles and again I see a flash of sharp teeth, “It’s water. We are also a carbon-based life form, so we also require water for our bodies to function.”
I sip it silently as the forest thins out and we veer off onto a smaller pink strip that winds around the huge trees as the ‘road’ thins to a tiny thread. Around the last corner, the tall trees become crowded by a variety of shrubs, some with implausibly large flowers, and I gasp.
Again the guys jump, and I lean forward to the window.
Visible above the treetops are several mountains, the orangish light painting them in a warm shade. A small river threads its way through the huge trees, next to the cabin that I assume is to be home.
But ‘cabin’ is the wrong word. I don’t know what word to use though. It’s made of logs, but I bet they are humongous. The roof is similar to an A-frame cabin I’ve seen in paintings and photos back home. But the house itself isgiant. I blink and look over my shoulder at Zallan, who has held me silently to his body the entire ride.
“What is it, little one?” he murmurs into my loose, presumably messy, hair.
