Chapter 24: The Omega's Outburst

OLIVIA

“So, what’s the plan for the next time Olivia’s in heat? A romp?”

Olivia was relieved she hadn’t been mid-bite when the question was asked. She would have choked.

Her cheeks flamed as the words registered, and she avoided eye contact with everyone at the table.

She didn’t need to look to sense the tension escalating.

Jason—or at least she thought that was his name—sat frozen, while Alexander was rigid. She was surprised the fork in his hand hadn’t snapped in half.

“What?”

Maya queried before popping a strawberry slice into her mouth. She glanced at Olivia, then Alexander, then back to Olivia. She touched her nose, her lips pursed.

“Unless—did you keep the same cycle as when you were human? Monthly?”

Was she really expected to discuss this? At the dinner table? ~With everyone listening~? Olivia hunched forward, her hands clenched in her lap, fingers gripping her T-shirt.

“I—uh, no? I—it’s every, um, two…three months.”

“Oh,” Maya responded, sounding pleasantly surprised. “So, it’s like us then! I wasn’t sure. We don’t get many bitten ones.”

How could she forget?

“So, you two have a bit of time before you’re holed up in a room together.”

“I—”

“Maya, ~enough,~” Alexander interjected, his teeth clenched.

Right. Because it was inevitable, wasn’t it? As Will had so eloquently stated, it was all her fault.

She was a sex-crazed ~bitch~ if you believed his version of events. She knew her feelings for him had been unrequited and she’d been okay with that.

Sure, there had been some physical attraction, but you couldn’t build a relationship on that alone. He was in love with someone else.

She had accepted that, but to suggest that he had ~slept~ with her only because ~she had thrown herself at him helplessly~?

“Because I’m an omega, right?” All eyes at the table turned to her. “If I throw myself at him, he can’t resist. Or he can’t resist because I’ll smell like a bitch in heat?”

They all exchanged glances, but no one looked at her. She was vaguely aware of the harshness in her voice but—~enough~. Was she wrong?

She’d been a stranger that day at the hospital. He hadn’t even ~seen~ her when he had pulled her into the room with him.

It wasn’t as if he’d been captivated by her beauty or charmed by her personality.

Her scent alone had attracted him, and that had been enough for him.

Will’s words echoed in her mind, and she ~hated~ it.

“Olivia—”

But Maya didn’t get a chance to finish.

“What are you implying?”

Olivia lifted her gaze, locking eyes with Alexander. His hand was frozen mid-motion, his fork skewering a slice of apple.

“You’re interested in me because I’m an omega.”

“Is that what he told you?” His voice was frosty, slicing through her.

“That’s what I am, right? Omegas, we ~force~ people to sleep with us.” The words came out more bitter than she intended. She was supposed to take the week to clear her head, to think.

She hadn’t expected Maya to bring ~that~ up.

She wasn’t prepared to deal with this. She didn’t want to think about it.

Will’s words had tainted all of Alexander’s actions: his invitation to join the pack, retrieving her clothes, the kiss…

Everything had turned sour.

“So because that jerk can’t keep it in his pants, we’re all mindless idiots?”

“I—”

He dropped his fork, the clatter echoing, and then he stood, slamming his hands on the table. Olivia felt it shake from the force of his action.

“He’s a weak, worthless beta, who likes to play alpha. He’s manipulative and a liar. He ~used~ you and you let him.

“I have my choice, ~Livy~. I don’t sleep with anyone I don’t want to. I’m man enough to own up to my actions and their consequences.”

“Al—”

“If I had the desire to sleep with an omega, there are plenty who’d willingly offer themselves to me. I don’t need the trouble of coaxing you into it.”

His words cut through her like a knife. She’d seen many facets of him, but this level of fury in his blue eyes was new to her.

Nothing she’d said warranted this kind of wrath.

Could it be that she was wounded by Will, but was it all a fabrication?

Maya had confirmed parts of it; she was more susceptible to alphas, she was a more appealing option to most… Which meant she had to be cautious.

What a farce.

She believed she’d been cautious all along.

Apparently, she’d been mistaken.

Olivia felt the need to respond but she was at a loss for words. Was he trying to incite her? Was he attempting to provoke her or was he just venting his anger?

“~Alex.~”

Ultimately, it was Maya’s voice that broke the tension. But he ignored her. Alexander clenched his fists and walked away from the table.

Jason set down his fork and stretched his shoulders.

He raised his hand, tapping his pursed lips with a curled knuckle. The silence was overwhelming. “I’ll, um, I’ll go after him...” He stood up, the chair scraping the floor as he moved, and then, he followed Alexander’s path.

Olivia let her head fall back, her nostrils flaring as she breathed out. “I don’t understand him...” The man who’d pursued her had followed her and now she’d upset him.

“What do you mean?”

She shrugged. “He can be so exasperating. ~Pushy~. A ~jerk~. And then sometimes he’s kind—I don’t get it.”

He behaved domineering, calculated and now he was acting as if she’d hurt his feelings. Had she? Could he blame her for questioning his motives?

Maya slammed her hands on the table. “Can I be frank with you?”

“Because you usually hold back?”

She might not have known Maya for long, but she quickly realized that she was as blunt as they come.

She pointed her index finger at her. “You got me there. Listen…” She leaned back in her chair.

“No one, and I mean”—she patted her chest with her open hand—“~No one~ would enjoy seeing Alex squirm more than me. It’s satisfying to see him work for it, you know?”

She chuckled. “But let me tell you this. He’s the alpha. Alex always gets his way. He gives an order, people obey. That’s how it is. His self-control? He’s never needed it.”

So far, this was a pretty accurate portrayal of the man she had come to know.

He’d give her the illusion of choice but they both knew she’d essentially have to do what he wanted.

He had his moments.

He was ~honest~, even when he was being a total jerk.

Then again, if he hadn’t been so persistent, she might never have uncovered the web of lies that was her life. It didn’t make him any less irritating, but she couldn’t entirely ~despise~ him for it.

“It’s like I told you the other night. Alphas—it’s hard to resist their commands. It’s harder for you because you’re an omega.”

“And this explains why he’s a jerk sometimes?”

Maya’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not finished.”

She cleared her throat. “That night. At the hospital. You ran away, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So what, you have super speed?”

“What? No.”

“You hid really well, and he couldn’t find you?”

“He did find me. He came to my apartment and then followed me back to work.”

“Exactly.”

“I don’t understand.”

“If he’d wanted to, he could have caught you that night. He didn’t. You were in heat, you’re an omega, you’re his—” The freckles on her face disappeared under the bright red blush that spread across her pale skin.

“You’re his ~type~. He could have. We both know that if he’d pushed, you would have let him have his way with you.”

~Harsh~. Yet, not entirely ~untrue~. She’d barely resisted him, and he was a stranger. Could she have continued to resist him?

Her ego wanted to say yes, but her logical side knew better. “I suppose so.”

“He released you. He hasn’t cornered you and had his way with you.”

He had kissed her.

And there was that morning…~Nope~. Not going there. “I’m not sure what you’re getting at.”

“He left because he’s angry. He doesn’t like that ~beta~ and you compared them. Alex walked away. He should have been more open with you, but he let you go.

“He’s a jerk who doesn’t know how to handle this because that fool has never had to strive for anything in his life.

“I mean, by all means, make him suffer for a ~long~ time, but just as this whole ~werewolves aren’t evil~ concept is new to you? Dealing with someone who knows nothing about werewolves is new to him.

“You’re more human than wolf. We don’t mingle with humans. What’s offensive and unacceptable to you isn’t necessarily so for us.”

Olivia opened her mouth, then shut it. ~Great~. Now she felt guilty. She shouldn’t.

He was accountable for his emotions and whatever else he was grappling with, and she was responsible for her own mess.

That didn’t mean he had the right to bully her into doing whatever he wanted…~Even~ if that was his usual way.

~But~, she was ready to admit—not to him, though—that she might have imposed a lot of her misconceptions on him and she might have left him with very little choice. After all, she hadn’t been paying attention to him at all.

“It’s difficult to trust him—or anyone. I thought I knew Will. I was so naive, it never occurred to me to question what he told me.”

Maya leaned in, placing her hand over Olivia’s. “How could you have known? Werewolves are myths and monsters to humans. How could you distinguish the good from the bad?”

“It made sense. The one who bit me—he was brutal. I wanted werewolves to be…”

“Monsters.”

She winced. “I’m sorry.”

Maya waved her off. “Don’t be. If something tried to devour me, I’d be pretty pissed too.”

Olivia smiled. “I don’t get why he cares about me. I don’t want to be deceived again.”

“I understand. But unless you hone your sense of smell, you can’t ensure it won’t happen again. You’re going to have to take a risk at some point.”

“And how do I do that?”

“Do what?”

She pointed to her nose.

“Oh, I can assist you with that.”

“Really?”

“How about this? You tell me what happened with the beta, and I’ll help you turn your nose into a lie detector.”

She felt like she could trust Maya.

But, at the end of the day, she was part of Alexander’s pack. Her loyalty was to him. If she shared what happened the other night, would it get back to him? Likely. Was that a bad thing? He knew most of it already.

What would it change?

Maya had already given her some valuable information. Information that only benefited Olivia. It didn’t aid Alexander, it didn’t aid Maya. She’d done it solely for Olivia.

If she wanted the story, she could tell her what happened. She felt too involved in the situation to see it clearly.

“Deal.”