Loving The Alpha’s Omega

by Emma Knox

  I admitted, that my heart was racing faster than my brain was. The pounding was an elephant stampede heading to trample me. At one point I felt sick and tender, needing to nestle under my duvet and wallow in my welcomed reminders of a past love life, not that Drake and I had actually been in love. I rotated back to the car…then back to the lodge…then pretended that I was fine as a few Alphas and Omegas found my antics too entertaining for my liking.

  I managed to enter the lodge behind them. There was a que and nobody at the front desk. We all waited and waited. One couple even went outside to search for the owners. But soon Steven was at the front desk. “Sorry about the wait. Had to setup the Omega Lounge which is in high demand today for ice cream. I had to pop-out to get some more for the scoopers who are serving.”

  After Steven’s explanation was accepted, he quickly ushered everybody into their rooms with keys, and then it came to my turn.

  “We have rooms 12b and 1a available for a special price with all-inclusive breakfast, lunch, and discounts on all drinks and beverages. That’s if you’re interested?”

  “I…I just wanted to speak to you, Steven.”

  His eyes rapidly locked onto me. “Ian …”

  “Yeah. It’s been awhile. I know.”

  We sat in the backroom where Steven and Drake kept all their access keys to restricted areas. Ordinary folk weren’t allowed to enter here, normally. These would usually be handed to staff. There was also a CCTV camera system that consisted of two large screens that could monitor multiple rooms and hotspots like the dancefloors and lounges around the lodge. I sat in the one recliner, while Steven pulled up a spare chair from another room.

  “What brings you here?” He sat down in front of me.

  “I suppose, the wind blew me in this direction.”

  “I don’t know if that’s a good thing. Because I could just blow you right out of here. Never to see you again.”

  “I wouldn’t blame you. I acted out of instinct. I had feelings. I got hurt and I acted in the wrong way. I paid my dues for it more than you and Drake would ever understand. It took a hell of a lot for me to come here and apologize. I know it’s been a few years, but time heals wounds, right?”

  “Not always. You just move on.”

  “Well, I know you don’t care, but after the…incident…with you and Drake… I…well, I was hurt. Then I found someone I thought would be my mate…turned out I was wrong. Again. Now, well, my wounds are starting to heal. New roots are growing. And the time for me to say sorry to you and Drake is long overdue.”

  “So, you came to say sorry?”

  “If you and Drake would allow me to, then yeah, that’s why I’m here.”

  Steven was about to speak, but like a well told punchline that hits you right on the funny bone – Drake came into the backroom. “It’s getting busy out there. I need you on—” Drake saw me. He gulped and lost his freedom of speech. He was about to close the door and leave me and Steven to it, but Steven arose from his seat in a hurry.

  “Drake, come in.”

  Drake folded his arms and avoided having to deal with me. A common practice of his was each finger would tap on his forearm like the movement of a spider, just before he would go into his famous bitchy monologue that typically had me in stiches when he couldn’t hold back from speaking his mind on the victim. I would be on the bartering end now. “Isn’t it time to be going home, Ian? It’s getting late.”

  Steven frowned. “No bitchiness, Drake. He’s here because he has something to say to us both.”

  “Ian said all he had to that night.”

  I arose. “And that was coming from being hurt. You hurt me, Drake.” I couldn’t leave that pain out of my next set of words. “I actually thought me and you were going to have something that would stand the test of time.”

  “How wrong you were. How naïve. How inexperienced.” He ignored Steven’s serious irises that were touching the top of his sockets with a slight edge to the side. Steven wouldn’t accept Drake’s rudeness that he inflicted upon me. “Steven might be able to hold back from speaking his mind, but you know how I am, Ian.”

  “I know it wasn’t your fault, Drake!” The shakes came upon me, but I put it to bed. I no longer had that anger in my heart over Drake. I was at peace now. I could move aside and allow Garret a chance to renew the wallpaper with something jazzier. I had enough of mourning over Alphas that were in love with others. “Steven and you were fated. I…just didn’t know how to handle the rejection.”

  Drake raised an eyebrow.

  “I…hope you can forgive me.” Each word stammered out, no longer weighing me down and making me cry. It truly did pay to ask for forgiveness. “I’m sorry. I apologize for trying to sabotage what you and Steven had. I was jealous. Young. And not able to deal with rejection. It was a first heartbreak. I know it didn’t mean much to you, but I had been excited to be mated. I acted reprehensibly. I hope you both will forgive me.”

  “I’ve already forgiven you, Ian.” Steven sounded relieved.

  The only pig in the mud was Drake who had his chin pointed and huffed compulsively. “Is it because you’ve found yourself some new pen—”

  “Drake! Not everything is about sex and the male organs. The kid is pouring himself out here. Have some heart.”

  “I have none.”

  Me and Steven couldn’t help but burst out with a snicker. It cleared the room of negativity. The camel’s hump could come off. Drake broke the ice unwillingly, but it helped his own stubbornness. Me and Steven laughed again.

  “What is so funny?” Drake asked, very serious with that question. His own humor was always out feeding the ducks. “Fine. You’re forgiven.”

  The rope had been cut. “That was hard. But I’m glad we can all just move into sunlight.”

  “We sure can.” Steven was generally pleased. “Do you have any plans? Do you want to come for a drink?”

  “No. I have a date.”

  “Ah nice. Well, I hope it goes well.” Steven elbowed Drake who was literally done with talking.

  “Yeah-me-too,” Drake said that so quickly that Steven just let him be. He was searching for some keys.

  Me and Steven just shook our heads at one another and smiled. We knew him too well. That was just how he was: straight to the point. You either consent to it. Or cut it out your life completely.

  …

  I saw Garret, ruggedly scratching his stubble and chastely trying to make himself look a little neater. The thing with Garret was that he had an exterior that needed plenty of work. He wasn’t a smooth criminal. He was ridged and no iron could help fix him. I was used to the kind of neat that borderlined an obsessive-compulsive disorder with cleanliness for his appearance and way of living, like Drake and Drew.

  Garret would be less on the spectrum, and more on wearing a shirt inside out and not combing his hair because who needed to when you had that sex appeal streaming from it. It was curlier than usual now, like he has used a curling iron. A little longer too. I liked it. And when he saw me, I made the little effort to give him a catwalk with some hips and a bright and shining star smile.

  He licked his fingers and showed me his dimples. When I reached the table, there was a strawberry cheesecake and double pepperoni pizza with pineapples on my side. On his side, was a bowl of lemon sherbet ice cream with chocolate sprinkles, and two plates to place the pizza upon.

  I was starving and didn’t realize until I placed my jacket down and rudely got sucked in. I had to regain myself when I took a slice of pepperoni and dipped it in the cheesecake.

  Garret humorously stopped me. “You might want to eat that separate.”

  “I should say hi to you…but I can’t even deny the food.”

  “Does that pepperoni pizza and cheesecake have more appeal than me?”

  “Should I test it and let you know?” I grinned.

  Garret smiled. “I dare you to.”

  Garret didn’t need to dare me. I was craving it so badly that I alm
ost stuffed the whole slice into my mouth as some of the ice cream fell onto the table. Garret looked like he wanted to barf, but it was better than deer meat when in my shifter form. I took another…and another…and on the fourth slice my cheesecake was half done and I had to wipe my mouth. I had no shame in front of Garret who was stuck in a daze at my eating habits. I put the fourth slice down and drank some water that was on the table in a small glass. I laughed gently. “Do I win that dare?”

  “You do.” He laughed, his dimples appearing and disappearing. “That was the weirdest combo I’ve ever seen. I could not stomach that.”

  “Well Garret, that’s me! A weird lover of pizza and cheesecake.”

  “Tell me you’re done with that combination?”

  “I have two slices left.”

  Garret jokingly covered his eyes. “Oh no! He’s going to go for that again. How will I be able to kiss him?”

  “Look past that. And see that he finds you quite sexy.”

  “Who? Ian? But he likes pizza and cheesecake together.”

  I noticed Garret’s eyes smiling at me though the gap of his index and middle finger.

  “He’s gorgeous though. Maybe I can look past it.”

  I cover my eyes too. And peer at him through my middle and ring fingers. “I hope he can. Because I might have something to tell him.”

  Garret removed his hand from his face and grabbed a couple of pineapple pieces from the pizza. “Could it have anything to do with his strange appetite?”

  “On a serious note. Maybe.”

  He chucked the pineapple pizzas into his mouth like one, two, three, four, five— one in and then the other. His mouth became full after that.

  “Firstly though, you look sexy.”

  Garret gave me a sexy wink. He was still chewing so couldn’t speak.

  “I wanted to also thank you for the other night.”

  Garret brushed it off as a humble nothing, part of being a good and noble citizen. I wanted him to hear how much it helped me though.

  “Garret, I really had no reason to carry on living. And then up pops this buff guy with a friendly face and dimples to steal. I can never repay you for something so huge like that.”

  “You’re repaying me now. By being here and enjoying my company. I owe you, for showing me that it’s never too late to save your own self.”

  I smirked. “God, this date is quite deep.”

  “I prefer it that way. It means I can get to know you.” Garret grabbed a slice of pizza. “And you have a good family. People that care. And you can add me to that list now.”

  “And…” How did I word this again? “Are kids ever on the agenda?” It came out that way. I felt it was a weird way to place a sentence.

  Garret put down the slice of pizza, because I was ripping off the crust of my own and smothering my knife that was full of his lemon ice cream all over it until the beige crust was a whitish yellow lemon and smelt of sherbet dust. “Mmm.” It tasted wonderful.

  Garret wasn’t so sure that my taste buds were in their right mind. “What do you have to tell me, Ian? I know some things about, you know, getting weird urges and eating the way you do.”

  “Garret, we had sex. And it might mean that from that intercourse, I caught the pregnancy flu from you. I’m not sure, but, I’ve been having some symptoms and …” I didn’t really want to tell him. It was so soon. So quick. It could have been a one-night stand and nothing more. But Garret seemed nice. Real nice. And I had to. Because who knew?

  He sighed. Not from oh my God, are you serious? Abort! Abort! He just had his thinking cap on and was moving his head to no music at all. Back-forth-back-forth-back-forth-back-forth — until his thoughts were able to be processed. “Right. No need to choke on your pizza.”

  I did choke. Because I thought he had lost his mind. He came around to my side and patted me on my back. It helped. And the food went down the right hole.

  “Calm down, Ian. I’m not running to join the nuns. We can just…we can…go get you checked. And see what the results turn out to be. Then we take it from there.”

  I’m still swallowing the rest of food.

  “We should go now and sort this.” He got up and grabbed my jacket for me.

  “Whatever the results, just come to me and let me know.” I believed Garret when he said this. We drove to a nearby store not far from the Omega Lounge and I purchased a pregnancy test from the medical aisle. Garret waited for me in the driver’s seat, while I used the store’s bathroom after telling the owner that I was about to puke up an elephant.

  He said, “That’s pretty large. Go ahead and use it. It’s not usually for customers though.”

  I went to the loo, nervously took the pregnancy kit out the packaging with green for yes, and red for no, you won’t be planning your baby shower anytime soon. I did what I had to do…urinated on the kit, then bit my nails and waited for the one minute to be over with. I left the bathroom because although no customers were permitted to use it, it smelt like sewer operatives had come-on by for a toiler break with their dirty shoes.

  I checked some magazines to kill the time. Garret honked the horn out of boredom more than impatience. Five minutes passed, and I already heard the kit go ding! Like when a cake was baked in an oven.

  I thanked the man for letting me use his bathroom and left the shop, pulled out the pregnancy kit and held my breath. Garret jumped over the side of the car and ran to me when he could tell that my mouth was open wide underneath my palm. He hulkingly panted, that run wasn’t far though.

  “What does it say? What does it say?” Garret was eager to know.

  My palm fell from grace. “It’s negative.”

  Garret hugged me instantly. “See. There was nothing to worry about. Nothing at all.”

  But there was. I had told him a lie.

  Chapter 8

  Garret

  Ian didn’t have to lie to me as we sat in his father’s range rover with the hardtop down. I had smelt it on him. Not only the lie he had told. But the scent of his sweet-smelling odor mingled with a new and resinous smell that came to me like it was bundled in an extreme sweat and he needed to shower. It wasn’t that he smelt, but his body was telling me something.

  “I smell that you’re pregnant, Ian. And that stick, can’t be faulty. It seems to be in good working order. Even if you chucked it over the side and got rid of it to protect yourself from having to tell me that you lied.”

  Ian preferred to watch various people exiting and entering the store. “I can take it again. We can do it again.”

  “There’s no point for you to do it again. I know you’re pregnant.”

  Ian turned his attention ahead of him now. “And how do you feel about that being the case if it is true?”

  “I said we would talk about it. And that is what we’re doing. I have no—”

  “I’ll abort it! I’ll get rid of it. It’s soon to.” He muddled up his words. “I mean, too soon. You don’t need to be saving my life and then burdened with a baby.”

  “Ian, how do you know what I do and don’t need?”

  “I just know how some Alphas can be.”

  “Well don’t cage me in the zone like all those other Alphas. How about we drive back to the lodge and I get my things?”

  Ian refused. “Is that it then? Is that it?”

  “What you on about?”

  “If you want me to give it up? Or… I’m just saying, we can work this out.”

  I gripped the back of his neck and massaged. “You need to relax and let me at least finish a thought.”

  He timidly said, “Ok.”

  “I’m telling you to drive me back to the lounge so that I can collect my things and we can head to my manor.”

  “Why?” I was still massing him and it was working.

  “Because I don’t want you to abort our kid. And neither do I want you to have it and give it up! I want us to try and have a go at this. Deep down, I’ve always wanted a baby. A family. An Omega. And
with you, I don’t see why we can’t go ahead and just do it.”

  Ian finally looked at me. “Are you serious, Garret? You want me to keep this baby growing in me? You want us to try and start a family?”

  I playfully slapped him on the back of his head. “Yes. And as you’re the one driving, so I think you’ll have to make that journey.”

  “You’re treating me like a serious mate?”

  “I’m glad you noticed. Because I do take you seriously.”

  I wasn’t too sure how my family would receive him. It was a fifty-fifty chance when it came to the Purrs. Unpredictable. Cautious, but with reason, and likely to scrutinize if they found something not to their liking. I had collected all my things from the lodge and we headed there immediately. I was in no second mind about the pregnancy and Ian as a mate, so whatever their reception of him, I would put my feelings first.

  There might be some mishaps with Ian being the timid type but prone to have eccentric moments were his introversions just went full-scale unbalanced. Ian was no stranger to the Purr’s, they had heard of his family. Everyone knew the Reluson pack. How much they knew would come aboard as we neared the manor that I had always been proud of.

  It was like a home within a hotel. The feeling that came from parking up and getting out, finding it to be both surreally exotic and glumly realistic. There was a water fountain shaped like my father in the middle that Ian had driven around. Then the gravel path and hedges that surrounded the front to the back of the manor were regular tuned with garden clippers.

  The manor stood three stories high in the shape of a birthday cake for a child with an ancient ambience and Victorian architecture. Ian absolutely loved how it looked. “It reminds me of a hotel where you wonder if it’s haunted.” That would be the perfect description. The manor was hospitable, but it would give you a moment to think if it was accessible.

  When Ian parked his range rover next to my father’s jeep, I got out and took my bags. I offered to take him too, as a joke.

  “Garret, I can take myself to the door.”

  I found that sexy. The way he said it. I walked into the manor. Nobody yet, that was a change. I placed down my bags. Ian came in next and his vision soared to the chandelier in the foyer that resembled a spinning top. Then he came crashing down to the tapestry rug of the Purr’s with the image of me, my father Aaron, Steven and Fiona.