Page 38 of Harley

“This is not acceptable, Pack Bentley. This isn’t up to omega code. There aren’t any blackout blinds. There are no fairy lights. You don’t have a full-size nest mattress on the floor. It’s just...” Veronica kicks my blankets to the side and something in me snaps. She touched my nest.

I grip Ace’s hand tighter. And I feel his shift into me, giving me his strength.

Looking closer, I can see the thin mattress under there she’s referring to. I didn’t have an issue at all. At least I don’t think I did. I just didn’t feel right in there because I was missing Zayd’s scent...right?

“It’s fine,” I grit through my teeth. I want to claw her for messing with it.

“No, this is not fine. There are rules, Harley. If they got the pamphlet at the meet and greet, they would have known what to do. But they didn’t. Did they?” She looks over at Ace, not even threatened by his size, and eyes him up.

“We did, but I unfortunately lost it,” he answers and she eyes him for a moment. Like she can get him to crack and admit they weren’t there. I don’t know how good my poker face is right now...I’m still reeling that she touched what was mine.

“Mmm, conveniently lost,” she hums.

She moves from that room and makes her way down the hallway, opening the other alphas’ rooms and having a sniff. Ugh...I really don’t like her in my space and smelling my alphas. I make a sound in the back of my throat, and Ace steps in front of me.

“You are upsetting our omega. Are you done?” he asks.

I peer around him and watch the way she scribbles words on her notepad. I don’t think any of them are good.

“No, I haven’t finished. I will prove you weren’t there and that, somehow, you entered your names into the lottery. I don’t know how you did it, but I will find out.”

Fuck. There are so many ways to prove it. For one, they never paid for a ticket. There would be bank transactions and receipts. So far, she hasn’t thought of that, so I won’t be putting that into her mind.

Ace clears his throat. “If anything, you should be looking at pack Henley. They caused a bit of an uproar when Storm pulled them on Choosing Day. They’re elite, and they entered the draw of a beta-born omega. There’s gotta be rules about that.”

Veronica shakes her head. “No, any packs can enter the lotteries. There are no rules about who can enter. If the pack is fit and healthy, they can enter the omega Choosing Day. The Henleys entered that lottery, just like any other. I know they did and now they have retired they have moved on and we have new alphas in charge.” The way her eye twitches gives her away. She didn’t know. She couldn’t have.

But I can’t tell her that I know that she’s lying, because that would prove both Storm and I rigged the draws. I still don’t know why Storm rigged it for Jonathan, though. I hope he is treating her right. She must have caused a huge mess for them all. I’m surprised they didn’t say there was a mistake and make her choose again. Unless they wanted her...and they knew she was going to rig it.

No that’s not possible. He wasn’t happy with me, and knew something was up. He didn’t know about the way I rigged the draw so there’s no way he knew the same for Storm. No… that was real surprise on his face and he did the best he could with the acceptance and retirement speech on the spot.

Veronica clears her throat. “Anyway, it was their first time in the lottery, and I assume they were trying their hand at entering. Like most packs do, but not Bentley. They have never entered a draw. I would know...I’ve monitored all the entries for the past ten years.”

Ugh. She seems to the think she’s the superior one here, but she’s not. She’s got no power in that Omega House, except what the alphas give to her. But now there are new alphas… what’s gonna happen to Gage? Are they gonna come for him. I had a deal with Jonathan.

My heart starts to race, I need to speak to Gage. I need to make sure he’s okay.

Someone clears his throat, and I look over to find Dash, his hands behind his back and his eyes lowered. “Excuse me, would you like something to eat or drink, Veronica?” he asks her. I find it odd that he’s asking her that now.

But she turns to him. “Ah, the pack beta...Dash, was it? You should have offered that to me as soon as I sat in your living room. You didn’t offer refreshments, and I marked that down. Now is too late, and I failed you.”

My mouth drops open. Was this a test? If we don’t pass...what happens?

“Veronica, can I ask, what is the purpose of your visit? Like, are you supposed to check that I’m okay? And that I’m happy? Because I am. So, you don’t need to be here anymore or fail my packs beta.”

The faster she leaves, the faster I can breathe. I feel like I’ve been holding my breath since the moment I walked into the living room and saw her there.

“No, Harley. I’m here as part of the omega program. We need to make sure all your basic needs are being taken care of before we officially sign off. If not, we will redraw—in private, of course. And you will get a more suitable pack that can accommodate an omega. That happens more often than you realize,” she says to Ace.

My mouth drops open. They redraw? I’ve never heard of that. What the hell.

“Even if the omega is happy with her pack?” I ask without thinking.

She looks down at her clipboard again and writes something down. My chest grows tight, and I feel like I can’t breathe. She can’t take me away. I won’t let her do that. She finally looks up at me.

“Yes, Harley. Even if the omega is happy, as they wont know true happiness until they get the perfect pack. This is all stated on the rules on entry. In the fine print.”

I roll my eyes. Of course it’s in the fine print. No one reads that. If they knew this, they might not sell as many tickets. I wonder how much money they make off us. Especially since they are hoping I pop out a bunch more omegas for the alpha’s of the city. You would think we get some type of cash prize with it.

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