Page 47 of Royal Omega

Beatrice leans back on the bed, studying me. “You know something, girl? I think we’re going to be real, actual friends.”

***

WHEN THE PRODUCERSdecide that the rain is absolutely not going to let up, they rejigger our dates to work inside. I’m paired with Pack Two, who I have inwardly dubbed The Academics. They’re an FFMM pack, with scents of pencil shavings, beeswax, citrus, and sage. Although they’re all actually pretty appealing physically, they keep quoting Greek classics in a way that makes me feel isolated and stupid.

We were supposed to do a ropes course or something, but now we’re set up in the library, playing pictionary. I’m paired with one of the females and one of the males, and we all write down clues for the game, throwing them into a mixing bowl that someone snagged from the kitchen.

Turns out, the Academics take their pictionary very seriously. I wrote words like “cat” and “balloon.” When I pull a slip that says “Doric column,” I know this match is not meant to be. It takes them a few tries, but they actually figure it out. It turns out there aren’t actually that manykindsof columns, a fact that one of the men tells me in great detail.

After an hour of this, I’m about to fall to the floor and die. The pack is as disinterested in me as I am in them, and it’s clear that this isn’t going to be a love match. There’s a rose ceremony tonight, and I am very very sure that we’re both going to black-rose this situation.

As the thought comes to mind, all of the pressure and worry about this date falls away. It’s already done; we’re not going to match, and that’s totally alright with me. I shouldn’t be looking at this as a failure; it’s actually an opportunity. Sure, we might not make a connection, but I can still learn from them.

“So,” I say, “Anyone want to play a drinking game?”

Chapter Twenty - Ransom

Our date is horribleagain. The rain forces us inside, so instead of a hike in the local wilderness, we’re stuck doing flower arrangements led by one of the producers who took a class once. She has to keep stopping the filming to look up facts about flower arrangements on her phone.

The omega, a woman named Mary, seems to be terrified of me, annoyed by Conrad, and absolutely enamored with Henry. She smells too sweet, like many of the omegas here. The scent is cloying enough that I need a moment away.

Saying I need to go to the bathroom, I stride out of the dining room now bursting with flowers, and down the hall. As soon as I’m out of eyeshot, I slow my pace to a crawl, taking as long as I possibly can before I have to go back.

As I pass by, rancorous laughter erupts from the room on my right. Intrigued, I stop for a moment, watching as the door opens, and Carissa steps out, flanked by Pack Two. They reek of booze. One cameraman walks ahead of them and one behind, tracking their progress as they stagger down the hall, laughing together.

As I watch, one of the male alphas chucks Carissa on the arm in a playful gesture.

The action sets my blood on fire, and I growl despite myself. All eyes turn to look at me, along with the two cameras in the group. Carissa’s breath catches as if she’s been caught doing something wrong.

And she fucking has. What is she doing, enjoying herself with this other pack? She’s fuckingmine.

“I’ll catch up with you guys, ok?” Carissa says, touching the male on the shoulder affectionately. The action makes me even crazier.

The members of Pack Two nod. One of the females steps forward and murmurs to Carissa, “We’re going to see if we can find a snack in the kitchen. Come and join us when you’re ready?”

“You got it,” Carissa says with a smile.

---