Page 5 of Their Perfect Omega

Kayla put her hand on my arm. “You know none of this is your fault. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you that.”

“I know it’s not, but my brain doesn’t care. I had a plan. I worked hard to be the best and some bitter omega couldn’t handle that,” I spewed. “And Omega Match just said we’re sorry you didn’t match, now be on your merry little pack-less way.” I opened my eyes and let the tears that had been building fall freely. “It’s not fair that I worked so hard and a stupid program can make me feel so… so unwanted.”

Omegas used to be able to work for Omega Match until one decided she wanted to destroy it. She had admitted to messing with Kayla’s matches, but she hadn’t admitted to anything else yet. I knew the second the investigators had talked to me about my match list that the deceitful omega had most likely tampered with mine too.

If she’d been able to mess with Kayla’s, she certainly was capable of fucking other omegas over too. At least it worked out well for my sister, even though she didn’t want a pack in the first place.

“You aren’t unwanted. I just know you’re going to find the perfect pack this fall.” She moved closer and wrapped her arms around me. “Maybe once you get things cleared up with OPS for this little unauthorized road trip, you can transfer to a compound down here.”

Los Angeles has a decent enough academy, but the one in Washington was named Elite for a reason. Packs traveled from across the country for the opportunity to meet the graduating omegas and have the chance to match with them. The compound I lived in was highly sought after because the omegas were also invited to the academy’s meet and greets.

“Fuck OPS and Omega Match.” I sat up, breaking the hug.

Kayla gasped because I never spoke badly about anything to do with being an omega or our governing bodies. But I’d been holding it in for a month, and now that I was reunited with my sister, I couldn’t hold it in any longer.

I stood, my grip tight on my water bottle as I began to pace. “I hate that I can’t say a word about it. I don’t see why we even have Omega Match if it doesn’t protect omegas like it’s supposed to. Who knows how many employees have been paid to change match results or were pissed at an omega and messed their list up.”

“I’m sure they’re putting things in place to prevent that from happening ever again.” Kayla patted the seat where I’d just been sitting. “Are you done? Your face is turning red and you’re starting to smell like burnt chocolate, even over that awful perfume.”

I plopped down next to her. “I’m done. Sorry.” I turned to bury my face against her shoulder.

She sighed, wrapping an arm around me. “Before we found out about all the tampering business, remember how you would reassure me that everything was going to work out?”

I nodded, trying to calm myself down. She was right about me starting to smell like burnt chocolate. My scent rarely took on the bitter smell, but it was happening more and more frequently.

“You’re going to match with a great pack, whether it be this fall or next spring or whenever. You’re Kara motherfucking Sterling. Boss ass bitch andtheperfect omega for a pack. You’ve been working nonstop since we went to kindergarten and this whole thing is even more reason for you to take a break and relax.” She pulled back, and her glossy blue eyes stared back at me, mirrors of my own. “Sometimes being perfect means letting go of what’s holding you back.”

I wiped at my cheeks. “Nothing is holding me back except Omega Match.”

“You’re holding yourself back, Kara. All the anger and self-loathing is eating you from the inside out, except now it’s leaking out of the wounds.” She looked at my hair. “And your hair… are you making a nest with it?”

“I wanted to look more like my twin.” My hair was piled on top of my head in a frizzy bun instead of down or in a ponytail of well-defined curls. “When did you become so wise?”

She rolled her eyes and huffed out an exasperated breath. “I’ve always been wise. I just needed four alphas to really bring it out.”

I looked out across the backyard and at the gorgeous view. The sun was starting to set, and the sky was turning pink. It was a mostly clear day—surprising for Los Angeles—and I could see the faintest hint of the ocean far in the distance. “That is some ocean view.”

“Tell me about it. Can you believe they have that listed on Zillow? A house up the street also says it has an ocean view. What a joke.”

We fell into a fit of giggles, my mood already lifting. Being here with my sister was exactly what I needed.

* * *

With the copious amounts of Mexican food and the two bottles of Twist Knot wine Kayla and I consumed later that night, I was surprised we’d made it to the living room to pass out.

The smell wasn’t so bad inside now, but I didn’t know if it was because of the de-scenting spray Kayla had sprayed or the wine muddling my senses. De-scenting spray was the best, but how had she even gotten any? Oh, that’s right. She was a billionaire now.

Groaning, I rolled off the sofa and onto my hands and knees. I needed to pee, and I wasn’t about to ruin a couch that probably cost as much as a car. I reached over and patted my sister’s head. She was passed out cold, a pillow clutched against her chest.

She really was the best sister in the world. We didn’t always see eye to eye growing up and our priorities in life were vastly different, but she was my other half. The yin to my yang. The Cheech to my Chong.

I giggled and smacked my hand over my mouth. As if I’d ever smoke weed.

Using the ottoman coffee table to push myself up, the empty wine bottles clinked together on the tray. Kayla didn’t even stir. She’d always been a heavy sleeper, and I bet that pillow with her pack’s scents all over it made her even more dead to the world.

My lower lip wobbled; I wanted a pack.

I somehow found my way to the bathroom, only running into the wall once or maybe twice. At the academy, there’d been a strict no-alcohol policy—which no one followed—because omegas could not handle their liquor, especially on heat suppressants.

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