Page 10 of Harley

Spotting Dahlia standing alone on the side of the stage, my thoughts turn to her. She is the nicest of the elite omegas I’ve encountered at the house. Not that we spoke much, but I want to tell her now that I hope she gets a pack that will take care of her.

She doesn’t even have her family here. I always thought all elite get to see their families. But now I think about it, she never left the house. Not like Daisy or any of the others have.

She looks so beautiful. Most elite choose their wedding gown for their Choosing Day, and she has done the same. The dress has silver threads that just glitter in the lights. I know if I have a choice, my dress will be black. Because I don't believe in all of this. I think we should have the right to choose. But I don’t even get to choose my dresses.

I move to her, and her brown eyes widen, but then she gives me a small smile.

“Dahlia, you look beautiful.”

“Thank you, Harley. So do you.” I look down to where my dress is bunched up around my feet. “I hate heels too,” she says, and I chuckle.

“I’m so sorry I never got to know you better at the house, but I hope this day is everything you dreamed it would be. I hope you get a pack that will treat you well and let you have the freedom to be yourself. Paint some of those amazing watercolors you do. You should sell them. They are so gorgeous.”

Her eyes water a little, and I feel the need to hug her. But the omega in me can’t.

I know she feels the same as she moves toward me and smiles softly. “I didn’t know you saw my paintings.”

Her statement makes me realize I really haven’t spoken to her before now. And now I never will. She’s not like the other elite omegas. I shouldn’t have lumped them all into one box. Dahlia is different.

She’s always been nice and pleasant, but she never spoke much. Since she never had anything bad to say about beta-born omegas, I always considered her to be nice.

I reach out my hand, giving her the choice of receiving some comfort from me. She hesitates at first, but then she reaches out and cups my hand. I feel some paper pressed against my palm. I look down to our hands, but she makes a sound and holds me tightly.

“Sometimes, we have to make our dreams come true,” she whispers, and she pulls her hand away slightly, and I see it’s a ticket in her hand. A lottery ticket.

I gasp...Pack Kingston.

I look up at her, and she nods. “Make your dreams come true on your Choosing Day, Harley.”

The announcements are being made when she takes the ticket back into her hand and walks out on stage, leaving me stunned.

Did I really see that? Did she show me how she will make her dreams come true by cheating the system? How did she get that ticket? Did they give it to her? Is this how all omegas get the pack they want? No... I watched Marigold cry and scream a few months back, and they had to drag her off the stage.

This is Dahlia showing me the way she’s making her dreams come true. She’s figured out a way to rig the system. The ticket looks legit. There’s no way they would think otherwise, but how?

Storm moves over to me. “Are you okay? What did she say to you?”

Instead of responding, I look over to Dahlia, and she glances back at me as she spins the barrel on stage, mixing up all the lottery tickets while the room buzzes with conversation. She turns back to face the crowd of alphas as the barrel stops, and the announcer opens the door for her to reach in and pull out a ticket.

The whole room grows quiet as she reaches in, one hand closed around her ticket and the other open. As she shuffles the tickets around, all I can do is watch. She pulls back a closed fist. The same closed fist as she put in there. I hold my breath. This is going to work. She has the name in there... It will be Pack Kingston.

She opens the ticket and smiles down at it, then looks out to the crowd with the same smile on her face as she places a hand to her chest. It’s an act. She’s giving them the show that’s expected, but she has used the process to get the pack she wants.

“Who are the lucky winners, Miss Dahlia?” The announcer asks in a drawn-out voice.

She takes a step back and shows him the name. He looks down at the audience with a huge grin on his face. “Come on up, Pack Kingston, and claim your omega.”

My mouth drops open as six large alphas and their beta run up to the stage. She did it. She cheated the system.

Dahlia smiles up at the first alpha who makes it to her. He gently touches her arm, and she leans into his touch. We all move on stage now, Veronica gesturing to clap our hands and giving us an exaggerated smile.

“I didn't doubt for one moment that you would be ours,” the large alpha says to Dahlia, and I hear him. He knew...they all knew what she would do. She chose her pack, and she showed me how to do that same.

To take charge of my own destiny.

“There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. Another complete pack, thanks to our amazing government for giving us the Choosing Day. They’re the reason we have a safe place for omegas to go and the lottery to give every pack a chance of finding their omega.

“Now, before you all leave, we have the two beta-born omegas here who have been chosen for the next lottery. Their Choosing Day will be in two weeks. We have sped this up, as we have so many unclaimed omegas looking for their packs, it’s only fair we give them their Choosing Day sooner.

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