Page 43 of Choosing Their Omega

“We’ll give you a bit of time, then put you in the next presentation. We don’t want to keep putting you out there if it’s the same Alphas coming every time, that’s just futile. We want to make sure you’ll have variety, so that there’s a better chance of you finding Alphas you want to have court you.”

“And then if I do find them?”

“We install you in the house with the Alphas and make sure that everything’s aboveboard. All Alphas have to run background checks, and we make sure they’re suitable.”

“Can an Alpha slip past the system? Or be denied because of… some, I don’t know, paperwork problem, or something?”

Katherine smiles. “You read a lot of romance novels, don’t you?”

I nod, feeling embarrassed.

“They’re delightful, of course. I read some myself. But honestly, Lily, the process is far calmer and more drama-free than what you read in novels. Novels are about entertainment above all else. Yes, it’s possible that an unsuitable Alpha could slip through the system, and yes, it’s possible that a wonderful Alpha could be denied for reasons that are unfair. Life happens. But you’re not going to get ravished by a mob boss at your presentation. I promise you.”

That startles a laugh out of me, and Katherine’s grin widens. “There’s that smile. You really have nothing to worry about. I know it can be intimidating, but our goal is only to find you people who will make you happy. Preferably before your heat hits, but we’ll never rush you.”

“Joanna mentioned it could be difficult to go through heat without an Alpha, especially for my first time.”

“That’s true. It’s also true that a heat is the perfect time for you and your Alphas to seal the bond with a bite.”

“The mating bite?”

“Yes.”

I shiver. That bite will be what seals me to an Alpha, or multiple Alphas, for the rest of my life. I’ve always found it insanely sexy, but I never thought that I would actually get it. There’s so many things I thought I would never get, because I was a Beta.

Now, I’ll actually have them. My pulse quickens with a mix of nerves and excitement, and I blow out a breath, bringing myself back down to earth.

None of that matters if it’s not an Alpha or a pack that I actually want to be with, and that’s what worries me. I feel like I already found the Alphas that I want—or at least, my body wants them. But I don’t know if they want me in return. We’ve only known each other for a short time, and like Katherine said, this is real life, not one of my novels.

Katherine finishes our tour and they run their tests, then she gets me to the housing facility where I’ll be staying, showing me my room and the house rules.

“I think that’s everything,” she finishes. Then she pauses. “As I said, everything is going to be up to you. Your choice. That includes picking your Alphas. If there are Alphas whom you would like to put in a bid for you, you can tell them you’d like that. You don’t have to just wait and hope that they do it on their own.”

My pulse races as I catch her hint. She must mean Cruz and his pack. I’m sure that Joanna noticed the way I almost clung to them when she came to get me, and she must’ve told Katherine.

The idea of my desire for these men being so obvious makes my face heat up again.

I do wish they would put in a bid for me. The idea of getting to be with them properly, as an Omega, to have all of them, makes butterflies flap in my stomach. I could have all the things I thought I’d never get because I was a Beta, and they don’t have an Omega yet.

So maybe…

But no. No. I can’t ask them to bid for me. Cruz told me himself that they haven’t mated yet because they’ve been focused on their careers. They won’t want an Omega right now, distracting them. They’re in the middle of the hockey season, and they need to focus.

I can’t ask them to put my needs above theirs. Especially when they barely know me.

But… how can I convince my Omega side to crave anyone else?

Chapter 14

Miles

We have an away game a few days after Lily was taken to the ORD office, which means travel, and making sure Ben has childcare while we’re gone.

It’s frustrating for all of us. I can feel it wafting off the others like invisible waves. We just had childcare all set up for Ben. Lily would’ve taken great care of him while we were gone. I know it, and everyone else knows it too.

Now it feels like we’re back to square one.

Our first away game is the opposite of the game we had last week, where we were so focused that we played better than ever. Everything felt easier. We skated faster and better, zooming around on the ice, but it didn’t feel like we had to push ourselves harder to make it happen.

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