From Alpha to Omega

by Cilla B Anthony

  As Brogan prepared the tray to bring to the table, Tate - his douche friend since childhood who never gave two shits about anyone but himself - almost tripped over his own feet to take the heavy tray from the delicate Omega.

  This behavior didn’t just happen since he met Jaime, no it was always there. This told Brogan that Tate changed his behavior to match his and that he, Brogan had been the douche and as he looked at the people sitting around his table, he was happy that they were a forgiving lot.

  Chapter 23

  Things were going well between Cade and Brogan and he didn’t want to ruin their progress, so he decided to get some help. He thought it best to talk to someone who understood Omegas and the first person he thought of was Amanda Wheeler, but as much as she worked with Omegas, she still thought like an Alpha.

  His next thought was Benji, but Liam came with Benji and Cade wanted a private conversation and the one Omega who would give him that was his mother. She was a classic Omega even if she was a bit old fashioned, so while Brogan visited with his friends, Cade had lunch with his mother to determine what his next step should be.

  Cade stood when he saw her enter the coffee shop, she was beautiful his mother. Susan Cooper was the epitome of what he thought an Omega should be. She was poised and stylish. If needed she could put together dinner party for ten at a moment’s notice and not break a sweat.

  She was everything that Brogan was not.

  She wore her collar like a badge of honor, while Brogan hated even the thought of being collared and was upset that he was chipped. So upset that Cade sometimes caught him scratching at the spot the chip had been injected. It didn’t matter that the one she now wore was made of 18K gold with diamonds instead of the leather one his dad gave her when they first mated; to Brogan it was a sign of ownership and it made him nauseous at the thought of wearing one.

  If he was being honest, she was the standard that he measured Brogan by, and his mate came up lacking. Since he was being honest, there aren’t many modern Omegas that could hold a candle to his mother she was a dying breed and that made him both happy and sad.

  The sadness came from the thought of losing the Omega’s single mindedness goal to make their Alpha mate happy. The happiness was for the same reason because Omega’s should be allowed to have that same happiness.

  As he watched her float (he swore that her feet never touched the floor) towards him, Cade had an epiphany, he didn’t want a mate like his mother. He’d always been the smartest kid in the room and to end up stuck with a mate who couldn’t hold a conversation with him would drive him crazy.

  Nature gave each bonded couple what they needed in a mate, his dad needed a 1960’s Omega at his side to navigate through life but Cade didn’t. When he first took over Brogan’s position, he created a job for him to get him out of the Omega pool, but he’d run away before he could present the position to him. Instead he offered it to his friend Jamal’s Omega mate, and she was excelling at the position.

  As their business grew, there were more positions for Omegas coming within the company, but because of his past actions, Brogan couldn’t be offered because of the publicity from when he ran away. An Omega running away would make the news, but an Omega attacking a football hero before running away made national news. It’s been six months since Brogan’s been back home, but new clients still ask if that runaway Omega was working in the firm.

  “Hi sweetie,” Susan Cooper greeted him with a kiss, “it’s been so long since you and I had lunch together.”

  “It has been,” Cade agreed, “you and dad will have to come over for dinner soon.”.

  “And subject us to one of Brogan’s meals?” She laughed. “how about you guys come to the house and I’ll cook dinner. Your father is very picky.”.

  Her dismissal of Brogan’s cooking made the hair on the back of his neck rise and his teeth threatened to drop. He wanted to attack anyone, including his own mother who attacked his mate. “He’s trying mom.”.

  “I know that son, but until he gets better, you can come to the house. Don’t get an attitude with me, Cade Andrew Cooper. I know that you want to defend your mate, but Brogan is not a good cook and you know it. If you want me to, I can give him lessons.”.

  “Thank you for the offer, I’ll discuss it with him.”.

  The waiter came and took their orders, but Cade could tell that his mother had something to say.

  “Discuss it?” She shot him a disgusted look when the waiter left. “If you want him to be a better cook then you decide if you want him to take cooking lessons. Now I understand why he felt the need to run to his father, you’re too lenient with him and he knew that he needed a firm hand. He’s about to give birth and the only meal he can prepare is cold cereal or scrambled eggs…”

  “Surely you’re not suggesting that I beat him mother,” Cade asked through gritted teeth.

  “No, son, save that for extreme offenses, I’m just suggesting that you take a firm hand with him and let him know who’s Alpha and who’s Omega.” Susan stopped speaking and looked at her son and saw the shock and the anger that registered there. “Why are you so shocked Cade?”.

  “I’m. I’m shocked to hear an Omega advocate corporal punishment and that I keep a tight reign over him. I remember growing up and thinking that you have it so easy; someone told you what to do and when to do it. You didn’t have to worry about money or make any major decisions. I guess because that’s the way things were, I didn’t think about how this would affect Omegas. I’m sorry mom that I let my Alpha privilege blind me.”

  Susan sat back in her and looked at Cade as though she was seeing him for the first time, “You think that because your father and the government have a say in my life that I’m weak, don’t you?”.

  His silence gave her his answer.

  “Do you know why your father is a doctor?” She asked him.

  “No,” he answered her not sure what his father’s profession had to do with the conversation.

  “Because I guided him to the medical profession. He wanted to go into law and was taking pre-law classes when I made him realize that he didn’t have to the ability to talk in front of people or the oratory skills needed to be a lawyer. Even more important, he didn’t have the desire. He wanted to be a lawyer because his Alpha father told him to and once, I steered him into medicine, I had to decide what was the best field. With his temperament Pediatric Medicine was the best choice.”

  Cade looked at his mother in surprise.

  “Your problem is that despite that fact that you think you’re a progressive Alpha, you have built in prejudices that you’re not even aware of. Just because Brogan is having a hard time adjusting, don’t think that all Omegas are like him. We are strong and wield more power than you realize. Except for abusive assholes, we run Alphas.”

  “Sure mom,” Cade indulged her.

  “You don’t believe me? Just look at how Brogan has you running around in circles trying to make life better for him. If an Omega isn’t happy then the Alpha will suffer. If you plan to truly fight for Omegas, make sure that you know what you’re fighting for.”

  The waiter came with their order and the pair ate in silence, Susan was angry, and Cade was pensive. She gave him a lot to think about. He never realized that even though he hadn’t been as vocal as Brogan had been when he was an Alpha, he was just as bigoted.

  The way he saw it, he was worse than Brogan, because with Brogan you knew what you were getting, but with Cade his bigotry was hidden under a mask of being progressive, when he was really saying the same thing.

  “Mom, if I’ve ever made you feel inferior, then I am so damned sorry, I thought I was treating you with respect and love.”

  “If I’m making you feel that you or your father has treated me badly then I’m the one who’s sorry,” She apologized softly. “My life has been a good one. I loved making my Alpha happy, and given time Brogan will too. I understand that what makes you happy is not the same thing that made your father happy
and that’s wonderful. Your generation thinks that you invented this change, my mother’s generation had it much worse. Omegas were covered from head to toe and had to walk behind their Alphas at all times.”

  “I’m glad that times have changed, I think had Brogan been changed during those times then he would have killed himself.”

  “No, he wouldn’t, that’s an Alpha reaction. As I told you before Omegas are made of stronger stuff.”

  “I guess so, I never thought about you guiding dad,” he chuckled using air quotes.

  “Please don’t think I was malicious; I just knew what would make him happy. Before I did any career counseling, I wanted to make sure that he was happy and being happy is more than just a career choice. I know what his favorite meal is, how he likes his coffee and whom to make sure that he steers clear of at an office party.”

  “Mom that’s wonderful, but you keep talking about what made dad happy what did he do to make you happy? Mating is for a lifetime, so he’s not the only one who’s supposed to enjoy his life. What about you? I want to make sure that Brogan is happy as well and cooking a good dinner for me is not going to accomplish that.”

  “When we were pups, we were in a communal litter until we were about eight. It’s the way things have always been done. If the other Omegas and sometimes Beta’s didn’t like the way you parented your pup, then they could call a meeting with the other parents and overrule a decision that I as a parent made for my children. Sometimes in extreme situations the pup could be taken away. When your brother Josh was born, I didn’t want to put him into the litter, I wanted us to make choices for our kids. Because I knew how he took his coffee, how to keep a clean home and help him make a career choice, and was a good mate to him he stood up to the pack and told them that we could raise our kids without interference from them.”

  “You started that movement?” Cade whistled impressed that his little Omega mom had did something so ballsy.

  “No, I didn’t start the movement, I’d read about it and I knew that I wanted that for my kids. You should be glad that we did that.”

  “Why?” Cade asked. Yeah, it gave parents more control over their children, but he would have turned out fine if his parents were an example of being reared in a litter.

  “Because I was able to teach you the things, I wanted you to learn, and it worked. If I hadn’t made that choice, then I wouldn’t be sitting here with my Alpha son discussing how to make things better for Omega’s. Who knows, when that little Omega Brogan is carrying is an adult, he or she will be horrified at the Omega’s are treated right now. Here’s a thought for you Cade, instead of letting Brogan serve you how about…do you even know how Brogan takes his coffee? Do you know what his favorite food is? Don’t be that Alpha, Cade. I know that you have the tools to make this generation understand how their treatment of Omegas is disgusting. You and those guys you’re working with are on the way to making it better, but let your life reflect your deeds.”

  “Mom I don’t know if your faith in me is deserved,” Cade told her. “I don’t know if I have the strength to lead a revolution.”

  “Son you have the tools and the strength; your father and I gave them to you and as far as leading a revolution I’m not asking you to protest in the streets, what I’m asking you is to keep doing what you’re doing but better. Don’t say you want Brogan to have equal rights but still demand that he waits on you hand and foot. If enough people, see you behaving in a certain manner then they become used to seeing it and it becomes normal. Things like not wanting your pups to be raised in a litter.”

  Cade was skeptical about what his mother was saying but he looked at his mother differently. Instead of this weak simpering Omega he thought her to be, he now saw through the appearance she presented to the world and saw the quiet strength that was in her.

  The rest of lunch was spent catching up. He offered his mom a ride, but his father had paid for the Omega car service for the entire day because mom had errands. As he watched her walk out of the restaurant Cade watched as heads turned in both admiration and respect for her because of the confidence she exuded.

  The Omega Center where Brogan had been incarcerated taught him the basics of cooking and the fundamentals of cooking and how to be a submissive Omega. He decided that Brogan was going to take the cooking lessons from his mother because she could give him the confidence that Brogan needed, that Cade wanted him to have.

  That evening when Cade arrived home, he noticed how tired Brogan looked but he still had dinner ready for Cade when he walked in the door. After dinner Cade helped a shocked Brogan clean the kitchen and then let the man rest.

  “Do you want some coffee with your dessert,” Brogan asked him.

  The question took him back to this afternoon and the conversation with his mother, “I’ll get it. Do you want a cup of tea?” Cade asked.

  “Yeah,” Brogan answered as he looked at Cade warily as though he was trying to figure out what was going on. “I take it like my coffee, milk and two sugars.”

  Cade smiled as he prepared the beverages. He didn’t see how this was going to change the world, but he was ready for the revolution to begin.

  Chapter 24

  “He’s lonely Cade,” was the first thing Benji said when he walked into his office after visiting Brogan. “I know that the lack of testosterone has changed some things but that doesn’t change the fact that he needs friends around him.”

  Cade looked at Benji and smiled at the Omega went on and on about how he needed something to stimulate his mind since he was not yet ready for work. He probably was ready, but Cade didn’t want him working just yet.

  Brogan had caused a lot of pain and this was the only way that Cade could cause him pain. Wolves by nature were pack animals and they needed pack to survive both mentally and physically. Hell, it had been Cade’s idea to put Brogan on such a short leash only giving him a mile away from their home without the buzzer going off.

  Because his list of clients was growing Cade had hired an Omega, Jamal’s new mate, Keisha Simmons to work as his assistant and had Brogan not run away the job would have been his.

  But Brogan did run, and this was his punishment.

  She was smart, funny and very efficient and Cade treasured her, but he still would have rather had Brogan fill the position. Maybe not because on those nights when he couldn’t face Brogan, she would join him for a beer and let his stew in his own juices, no questions asked and that was invaluable to him.

  “I know Benji, but he has our neighbor who keeps him busy but you’re right. I’m going to start having company around and taking him out.”

  “Good,” Benji nodded as he thought about Cade’s solution. “I know that we haven’t gotten along since I presented, but he’s different now and I want to get to know him better. We’re having a get together at the end of the month at Henry’s. Just office people, perhaps you could bring him along.”

  “I’ll talk it over with Brogan and then I’ll let you know,” Cade kept his answer vague because there was the very real possibility that Brogan would run again especially at the place, he considers his Waterloo.

  “Good I’ll see y’all there,” Benji responded as though Cade’s answer had been positive.

  After Benji left all he could think about was Brogan being lonely. He knew that his mate was isolated from everyone and that was why he’d sent their friends by this afternoon, to alleviate said boredom.

  The problem was he couldn’t depend on his friends to take part of their day to keep Brogan company because they had jobs and mates. It was Cade who’d created the problem, so it would be Cade who would solve it.

  Cade was behaving weirdly since his heat and Brogan couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Yes he could, it was the little things, like cooking breakfast for him, preparing his tea and making sure that Brogan didn’t smell his coffee when he brewed it. It reminded Brogan of when he was trying to win Lara.

  Cade was dating him, and damned if Brogan didn’t like th
e idea.

  He’s often been told that the grand gestures didn’t mean as much as the little things and whoever came up with that saying was right. As Cade was changing his game plan didn’t mean that Brogan couldn’t as well. The only thing he seemed to contribute to their lives was cooking so he tried to get better at feeding his mate.

  With cookbooks borrowed from Issa and his addiction to television cooking shows Brogan found new recipes for Cade. While he wasn’t the best cook, he did offer variety and not once did his Alpha complain and that gave Brogan the courage to try to get better.

  Cooking only took up so much of his time during the day, he spent an hour or so walking the dogs, but he still had a lot of day with nothing to do and he was going crazy. With things going so well between them he didn’t dare voice his complaint to his mate but thank god he now had the dogs for company.

  The time alone let his mind wander to the thought that he might be pregnant. He knew that the doctor had told Cade that he might be sterile, but he never said that he couldn’t conceive again, and he thought that he had. When his heat ended on the fifth day it, wasn’t gradual as he knew it should be, it was abrupt and that gave him hope.