Page 16 of Their Perfect Omega

“At her house. It’s a long story.” I buckled my seat belt as we turned onto the street. I looked out the back window to see if the police were still at Kayla’s but didn’t see them. “I’m not supposed to be here, and the gate busted so there are security guards until it can be fixed.”

“Did they fuck you?” Payne—or did he want to be called Avery?—stroked Gizmo’s head.

Cal inhaled sharply and then moaned. “Fuck. Why aren’t you on scent blockers?”

My face heated and I shrank against the door. “I am. I didn’t fuck anyone.” I didn’t like how weak I sounded, like a pitiful omega looking for her alphas to soothe her.

Scent blockers weren’t perfect, and if an omega was attracted to alphas, the blockers only worked so well. They dulled the scent just enough not to cause alphas to go into a rut, and most places we encountered alphas pumped scent neutralizers through the ventilation systems.

Alcohol also lessened their effectiveness and I’d had plenty of that.

“How the hell did Gizzy get ahold of your suppressants?” Payne was still pissed, but his voice softened a bit.

“I left them on the coffee table. I’d gone out to my car to get them and then ended up in your pool.” I looked out the window, not wanting to see either of their reactions. “I had a rough night.”

“Not as rough as Giz.” Cal turned down a few streets, and a few minutes later, we were in an area that had businesses.

Gizmo was still breathing, and I bit my inner cheek to stop myself from crying again when Cal turned into a parking lot for Hillside Veterinary Hospital. There were only a few cars in the parking lot, which was a relief.

Cal pulled right up to the door and Payne got out with the dog, the weight of him no problem. He went through the sliding door and Cal turned into a parking space. He shut off the car and put his forehead against the steering wheel.

Headlights flashed into the SUV and a sports car parked next to us, Tate and Alvaro jumping out and not even noticing me and Cal still inside.

“I’m so sorry.” I wanted to put my hand on his shoulder but sat on my hands instead.

He shook his head and sat up, unhooking his seat belt. “Are you staying out here?”

“Can I? Just for a few minutes?” I needed a minute to breathe and tell myself that everything would be okay.

“Lock the doors when you get out.” He handed me the keys over his shoulder and left me sitting in the darkness wondering what else could possibly go wrong.

CHAPTEREIGHT

Avery

The helplessness I felt watching the vet tech rush Gizzy into the back was clawing at my insides. Once again, our negligence was hurting our pack, and I didn’t know how much more we could take.

Ever since we’d matched and then had it promptly rejected, things had not been the same between us. On the outside, we looked like a well-adjusted pack who had the world at the tips of our fingers, but we were barely holding on.

We hadn’t even spent a full day with the omega before she decided we weren’t worth the effort. It was a blow to our pack bond that was ready for an omega, and the added pressure of fame just made it ten times harder.

I sat down in the waiting room, cradling my head in my hands. Gizzy knew better than to eat random shit he found. He was a well-trained dog who could be left beside a steak and not eat it until told to do so.

The sliding doors at the entrance of the hospital opened and clomping feet ran toward the empty front desk. “Where is he?”

My hands dropped to my lap, and I sighed. “They rushed him back.”

Alvaro and Tate finally noticed me sitting off to the side. The fear in their eyes probably matched my own. Alvaro looked at the elderly couple sitting on the other side and then came to sit next to me.

Tate rubbed his temples. “How could we let this happen?Whydid it happen?”

I leaned my head back against the wall and looked at the ceiling, trying to control myself from exploding. “Why was there an omega in our house? An unbonded omega?”

The receptionist that had rushed through the swinging doors with the vet tech came back out, looked at us with wide eyes, and went back to her desk. She wasn’t that much older than us and I hoped this didn’t end up all over the internet.

Cal came jogging through the doors and went to the front desk.

“Cal.” Alvaro sounded as tired as he looked. We all did.

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