Page 43 of For What It's Worth
I pulled down the collar of my shirt, just enough to barely show off the bandage covering the mark before the back threatened to decapitate me. The bite mark had been red and tender, before being covered in numbing ointment and a second skin bandage. There was some weird voodoo that allowed the bite to bond mates, but there was no way to heal it before it was ready. When it came to the bonds, I had no idea how it worked. That kind of information wasn’t given in the mandatory beta relations classes.
“On your collarbone? That’s actually really sexy. You’ll look hot when you’re all healed up.”
“Where are yours?”
“I’ve got two on my ass cheeks, compliments of Han and Zeke. Sebastian claimed me on my right side, in a hell of a sensitive spot between my boob and armpit, and Jackson got here.” She turned around, holding her hair up to show a bite mark on the back of her neck, just below the hairline.
I winced. “That must have hurt.”
She nodded. “Like a bitch. But it serves its purpose and all that. Just like the mark from your first alpha does.”
“What kind of purpose?”
Unfortunately, we got interrupted by the waitress before I got my answer.
A growl started to rise at the new female’s presence, but it was quickly cut off when Jen stood from the little table he and Jackson were occupying—pretending to give us space—and lifted me up so I was sitting sideways on his lap in my chair. Jackson came and stood behind Hannah, the other omega preening at her alpha’s attention.
I scented the waitress—a beta. The majority of her scent was calm and unsuspecting, but I exchanged knowing glances with Hannah, who would’ve also been able to scent the underlining irritation from the male’s displays of ownership.
Hannah didn’t show any sort of discomfort, but she did catch my eye. If she’d doubted that I was an omega, my excellent ability to scent designations and the emotions that came with it would clue her in. Betas weren’t great at scenting emotions like omegas were—even worse than alphas—but they were good at distinguishing between the designations. A survival technique to stay clear of others not in their designation.
“Good morning, everyone, I’m Renee. Thank you for waiting so kindly while I made my way out here. I can get you all started with some drinks and let you know what’s on the menu for today.” Yep, this restaurant didn’t have menus. Something about helping the planet—which I was totally behind—but it didn’t help with the decision-making aspect of ordering. “We have some healthy smoothies, a café if you’re familiar with those types of drinks, freshly pumped juices, and of course, water with your choice of toppings.”
Hannah ordered a smoothie, Jackson water—no toppings, Jen juice, and I got a macchiato with caramel drizzle. Because espresso. I’d stoutly ignored my mate’s grunt when I’d asked for an extra shot.
Our drinks arrived quickly, then our waitress sprouted out the menu from memory. By the time it was my turn to order, I just managed to blurt out the first thing I remembered. When Renee walked away, Jackson pulled the two-seater table and chairs next to ours so we could all sit together. Reluctantly, Jen moved back to his own seat, keeping one hand on the back of my neck.
“So I have to ask…” I lowered my voice, ignoring the alphas’ conversation about Jackson’s work in security. “I don’t know anything that is taught at the Omega Compound, and I was hoping you could tell me if there’s anything I should know. I mean, I’ve been given courses on bonds but as a … a beta, the lessons are usually quick and along the lines of how not to piss off an omega.”
“Like what?”
I shrugged, listing off the main points from every beta relations session, “Date within your own designation. If you’re going to spend time with an omega, make sure his or her alpha is around. Make sure you don’t touch a bonded alpha or omega because you might enrage their bondmate.”
“That’s terrible. No wonder betas hate omegas.” She shook her head. “Betas can have packs just like omegas can. Hell, there are no rules as to what constitutes a pack so long as everyone is willing and happy, but people take what’s common and force it like it’s the expected.”
I nodded my head along with her words, because she was right. That standard hadn’t stopped my alphas from pursuing me, however. Meeting my pack, the flirting, even when I first kissed Enzo before my scent perfumed, they’d thought I was a beta. And while I was going to school, they were going to have to keep up the façade. They hadn’t said anything to make me feel like my designation mattered except that I shouldn’t get caught at the school. But I couldn’t blame Jen for not wanting to get fired from his job. No one wanted to get fired.
“But shoot, what sort of questions do you have?”
I peeked over at Jen, finding that I needed to assure myself of my alpha’s presence. Sure, I felt him and was surrounded by his clean laundry scent, but...
“That’s normal,” Hannah said.
“What is?”
“The need for reassurance. OC—the Omega Compound—says you’ll never like being away from your bondmate, but in the first month it’s the worst. Side by side contact is almost a necessity or else the alpha gets jealous, and the omega feels rejected. I’ve been bonded for a year now, and I still can’t handle any of my alphas traveling without me.”
“How quickly did you bond with all of yours? I tried to get Aidan and Enzo to bite me this morning. but apparently that’s not recommended.”
Hannah giggled before trying to school her features. “It really depends. For example, with me, I took all four bites in two months. Jackson was first, then Sebastian a week later. Zeke and Han were together the following month.” She blushed slightly, obviously remembering her bonding with her alphas. I forced myself not to pressure her to spill all the information right now and instead put my energy into enjoying my macchiato until she was ready.
“But the reason I spread them apart in two groupings is because of the relationships within the pack. Jackson is first alpha which means he’s the most dominate and needed to be bonded to me first. That’s what you have with Jen. Sebastian was next because he’s closer to Jackson. My first alpha didn’t feel as threatened with Seb as he might have trying to take on Zeke or Han. Plus, Zeke and Han do everything together, so it made sense for them to bond me together.”
Hannah blushed again, but this time it caught the attention of her alpha who pulled her face against his neck and let her breathe him in. As the two shared an intimate moment, I turned to my own alpha.
The stubble along his jaw was spikey and definitely gave me beard burn even with a chaste kiss, but the pain was worth it for my alpha. With a thinner beard, his lips appeared fuller and even his cheeks looked more rounded.
Hannah cleared her throat, a little more pip in her tone as she continued. “That means a lot of sex and a lot of claiming. But like, I stayed home. My alphas did too in their first month of claiming me, and even after that they did their best to take time off or work from home. But I still always have an alpha around. Like, now, with Jackson. And if I was home? Han would be there even if he was working. So, around.”