Page 7 of For All My Effort
Everyone seemed to stop talking, obviously realizing I was awake. Just barely peeking open my eyes, I could see Han in front of me, giving me an amused smile. It made him look impossibly more handsome as dimples appeared on both of his cheeks.
“If you talk to them, I’ll sneak out of here and bring you a shake.” He whispered the words softly and he suddenly had all of my attention.
“A shake?”
“I guess you don’t remember. But we have a secret place that we like going to. The others don’t know where it is, so they try to bring you random ones. It’s usually just a little game we all play, although now that I’m trying to describe it—”
“Will you get one too?”
The sad look that was creeping onto Han’s face disappears at my question. “Sure. I’ll let the others know that you’re willing to meet with the OC rep.”
Han stood and left, taking Zeke with him. The two alphas seemed unusually close, not just because they were leaving together, but in how physically close they walked side by side. It wasn’t impossible for alphas to be together, although omegas were known to be territorial. That was not my feeling about the idea, however, if my blooming scent of arousal was any indication.
Jackson basically prowling toward me didn’t help the growing scent of lavender either. He stopped at the foot of the bed, leaning over the end with his fists on the mattress looking like the predator he was. “I’ll tell them to leave. You don’t have to speak with them.”
Behind him, Seb moved closer. “It’s better to just let them in. I don’t want them making a visit to the house and ruining the safe space Hannah’s created there.”
“She doesn’t have to see them at all. It should be her choice.”
Seb sighed. “It should. Unfortunately, that’s not the way it works. They’re following protocol. It’ll raise flags if we deny them.”
“What sort of protocol?” I asked.
“You came in with a severe head injury. The hospital called the center to talk to you about abuse.”
Jackson growled, pushing off the bed to start pacing. “Absolutely ridiculous.”
“What do you say, princess? Seb asked. “We won’t be able to stay in here with you, but we’ll be just outside the room.”
I agreed, mostly because I knew saying ‘no’ wasn’t truly an option. The OC always got its way. Their decisions controlled the peace officers, the law makers, the social rules. It wasn’t just a place to home unbonded omegas, it was a neatly packaged form of control. Their ‘scientists’ made claims that turned into laws and with such a beautiful working relationship with enforcement, it wasn’t a surprise that our society was heavily regulated by their influence.
Seb basically had to haul Jackson out of the room. No doubt, the other alpha was letting him, but there was something special about the way Jackson wanted to protect me. I wasn’t oblivious to both males doing what they thought was right. I just loved seeing someone stand up for me, even against someone else who they also loved.
My moment of quiet almost had me falling back asleep.
It seemed rare that I was actually left alone. Technically, I knew that I’d have to have a nest at the house I was living in with the alphas. Since I couldn’t remember that, though, I thought about my nest at the compound. It was private, but it hadn’t given me comfort. From the rest of the omegas living nearby, sure. From my life? No.
I winced when my fingers found the stitches on the back of my head. It wasn’t even a conscious thought to touch it, something just kept drawing my hand to the square bald spot.
When I left the hospital, I was planning on getting my hair fixed. I didn’t remember dying it purple and as much as I imagined it looked cute, it didn’t feel right anymore. Maybe a burnt orange. Or a red. And shorter. Definitely shorter.
As I was lost in thought, someone entered my space. I hadn’t heard the door—it was their scent that drew my attention. Sweet, just not naturally. Some betas used a chemical perfume to create a distinct scent to cover their softer, natural one. Either for the purposes of blending in with omegas, or for trying to attract an alpha.
Some of the beta employees at the compound wore fake perfumes because they thought omegas worked best with other omegas. That we’d be more likely to trust them, seek them out, that sort of thing.
“Hello, Hannah.” The beta was leaning against the door, a notebook pressed tightly against her chest. She was dressed in a long, tight pencil skirt and a blouse tucked in. Flats rather than heels which added to the beta-wanting-to-be-an-omega vibe since omegas were stereotypically short.
“Hi.”
“My name is Eve. I’m with the Omega Center. I was hoping to speak with you for a few minutes, would that be okay?”
“Sure.”
She gave me a soft smile, and I couldn’t help wondering if it was the same one she’d give a child. No matter what betas said, I’d never met one that liked me. Some pretended to be kind, gushing over me or my scent or something else that they thought would make me their best friend. This type of beta was easy enough to spot because they were strangers that constantly touched me, hoping to get enough of my scent on them that they’d attract the attentions of alphas.
Then there were the kinds of betas who didn’t even pretend to tolerate me. All they saw were the courting dates, the private rooms, and the fact that we didn’t work—if you didn’t consider mandatory lessons on pleasing your mates, work.
Those betas didn’t get it though, the concept of a golden cage. They wanted an easy life, and they could have it. It would be hard, but the only thing stopping an alpha pack from mating a beta were social norms.