Page 47 of Choosing Their Omega

Yeah, hell no. I can see it in the faces of my pack mates: they don’t want any Omega except for Lily.

Part of why they ask you to keep your options open is because this isn’t like a normal auction. You don’t out-bid other people until whoever has the most money takes home the prize. Instead, you put in a bid for the Omega of your choosing, which includes your profile with information about your professional and personal life.

It’s part of why Alphas who come to these things tend to be a little older. You need to provide for your Omega and take care of her, and that means financial stability. There are definitely gold-digging Omegas out there, which is another reason we haven’t bothered to look. Why waste our time with Omegas who will try to mate us because of our wealth and NHL fame? We’d rather focus on winning games. Especially Cruz.

But Lily doesn’t care about any of that. She didn’t want handouts from us. She’s definitely not in this for our wealth.

But since it’s up to the Omega to decide which Alpha or pack she’ll allow to court her, the Omega you think is amazing might not pick you. They might go with someone else. That means you need to keep your options open and consider various Omegas to increase the chances that one will agree in thinking you’re compatible.

I’ve heard of Alphas who had to go to several presentations before they found the right Omega.

That’s not us. We’re not looking for just any Omega. We’re not even looking for an Omega at all. We’re looking for Lily. We’re here for Lily. And we’ll do whatever it takes so that she gives us a chance.

After we put in our bid, we have to wait a few more minutes as everyone settles down. Then, fucking finally, the doors open and the Omegas are brought in to mingle.

There are minders for all the Omegas, and they’re keeping a damn sharp eye on the Alphas. If anyone tries to get into an old-fashioned dominance fight or postures too hard, or tries to pressure an Omega into something, those minders will be there faster than you can say ‘oh fuck.’

Pretty sure some of them are even carrying tasers. They take the business of protecting their young charges seriously.

I appreciate it. There’s a lot of pressure on Omegas right now, to pick the right mate for themselves. I don’t envy them. And if my pack and I can’t protect Lily right now since she’s not officially ours, I’m glad to know that she’s being kept safe by people who care.

And there she is.

My heart sounds like a drum in my ears as Lily enters the room and makes her way around. She’s got her minder with her, introducing her to the various Alphas who’ve put in a bit. It really does feel like half the damn room.

Lawson growls low in the back of his throat and Knox doesn’t look too damn pleased either. I can see their fingers twitching, both men itching to get in a fight with any other Alpha who tries to get in close to Lily.

But we hold ourselves back. We have to behave.

I take hope from how Lily looks while she speaks to the other Alphas. She has a polite smile on her face, but it’s nothing like the look of wonder and hope she sent our way while she was on stage.

“She’s headed our way,” Lawson whispers.

“About damn time,” Cruz mutters.

Lily walks up to us, her minder a little behind her. Lily smiles. “You came.”

She looks like she might cry with joy. I want to take her into my arms and never, ever let her go.

Ben squirms until Knox sets him down and he can run up and hug her. Lily sinks to her knees and wraps her arms around him, holding on tightly. “Oh, sweetie,” she whispers. “I missed you so much, every day.”

“I missed you!” Ben pulls back to look at her. “When are you coming home?”

Lily looks up at us, her eyes wide. Cruz steps forward. “We do want you to come home, Lily. All of us.”

“But not as our nanny,” I add. I want it to be clear. “We want you to come home with us as our Omega.”

The smile on Lily’s face is more dazzling than the sun.

Chapter 15

Lily

My heart felt like it stopped when I caught the scent of Cruz, Miles, Knox, and Lawson in the crowd of assembled Alphas, and it feels like it stops again now hearing Miles declare they want me as their Omega.

The time I spent at ORD has been fine. I truly have no complaints about it. I was housed in a dormitory with several other newly presenting Omegas, and we all got along well—even though most of them were a bit younger than me. I felt comfortable, accepted, and safe… but still, nothing ever felt as good as the time I spent at the Alphas’ house, living with them and helping take care of Ben.

I still can’t quite believe they’re really here. I caught their scents the instant I came out onto the stage, and it almost made me miss a step as I forgot how to walk for a second. Now, in front of them, I feel like I’m going to cry from how badly I want them.

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