Chapter Ten
I was so excited that my leg was shaking under the dining table. Every time one of my mates so much as smiled in my direction, I mock-glared at them.
I was waiting for Koda to arrive. She was finally coming over almost a week after we’d made plans, since my stitches were officially out. The back of my head still looked dramatic from the injury and subsequent surgery, but it was basically healed. At least superficially.
Originally, Zeke had planned his date to be tonight, but after I’d admitted I wanted to wait until Koda had come over, he rescheduled it. That, too, had my nerves all jumbled.
If shit went wrong tonight, it would probably ruin tomorrow’s date. Not that I was going to postpone our date until I could get into a proper hair appointment. Maybe I’d actually schedule the salon if my idea didn’t turn out good with Koda’s help. Maybe I should’ve scheduled the appointment just to have a backup? Oh, well.
The beautiful chime of the doorbell had me scooting out of the chair, basically running toward the sound.
“Do not open that door, rebel,” Jackson yelled.
I stopped in front of the ornate wood, bouncing on my toes. My mate kissed the top of my head before opening the door, exposing Koda and her own alpha mates.
I watched her mouth open, staring at everything like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Her scent was the first thing I noticed—distinctly beta, although drenched in alpha scents. I worked hard to not crinkle my nose at the idea of other alpha odors invading my home. She was taller than me, especially with her boots that had an inch of platform on them. Her hair was dyed, with less than an inch of her natural roots coming in, showing it was done fairly recently.
“Hannah, oh, it’s such a relief to see that you’re okay.” Koda immediately hugged me, squeezing me tightly.
“We’ve been talking on the phone,” I reminded her.
Pulling away, she waved a hand in the air. “That doesn’t count. I need to see you with my own eyes.”
“You going to introduce us, Koda bear?” one of her alphas asked.
I watched Koda blush. “Sorry, I forgot. Hannah, these are my mates, Jenson, Aidan, and Enzo.”
The males were handsome, in a commercially attractive way, but what really put me off were their scents. They lacked personality, smelling like the nest after my mates and I cleaned it, but before we’d rolled around in it.
“Hi. Do you have the stuff?” I asked Koda.
She turned to the blond male who handed her a brown paper bag. “Yep, all right here. Although Addy says we should lay some towels down.”
“I’ll get them for you,” Seb said.
I basically dragged Koda after my mate. We were going to be using the first-floor bathroom, mostly because it was the most unused in the house, but it helped that the guest bathroom was huge.
Zeke and Han followed after us, dragging along chairs we could use from the dining table. Seb came in with a bunch of towels, helping to lay them on the floor, and then over the chairs.
“That should be good enough,” Seb admitted.
“If anything truly gets stained, we’ll just replace it,” Han added.
It was Zeke who leaned close, kissing my cheek and whispering, “Have fun.”
As soon as the door shut, Koda started taking everything out of the bag. “I’ve been watching videos on how to cut hair. The dying part should actually be relatively easy.”
“Which do we do first?”
That question had her pause. “Dye? Maybe you’ll love the color and want to keep some length?”
I nodded. “Good plan.”
There wasn’t much more to set up, so I positioned myself in the chair, straddling it and holding onto the chair back. I wrapped a towel over my shoulders, letting my hair fall on top of it while Koda pulled the coloring stuff out of the box. First was hair bleach.
She squeezed some into a bowl and then started to apply it.
“Thanks for doing this,” I told her. “The place I apparently usually get my hair done wanted me to wait weeks to get in.”
She chuckled. “I know. You’re the one who recommended the place to me. It’s where I got this done. I didn’t even leave the place until I’d booked the next appointment.”
“Smart. They did a wonderful job. And the color is adorable. Most people dye their hair to a natural shade, but I love the big statement color.”
“I was already getting familiar with the stares. Now I just sort of pretend people only talk about me because of my hair.”
I tried to move my head, turning around to look at her, wondering what she was talking about, but she turned my head, so I was facing forward again. “I don’t want to mess it up.”
“It’s just bleach. I don’t think that’s possible.”
She hmphed and I took that as her disagreeing.
“How come people stare at you?” I knew it would be something private. I was just more curious than I was polite.
“I bonded my pack. The world sees me as a beta that took the position of an omega. At a school with a lot of alphas, I’m not exactly popular.”
“What about with the betas?”
My hair was officially covered in bleach. The smell was strong, attempting to burn all my nose hairs and making my eyes water.
Koda washed her hands before answering. “I’ve gotten a lot of support too. Probably mixed with the betas. Some think I’ve sold myself off to alphas, trying to be an omega while others see it as a sort of protest against omegas.”
“It’s obvious none of them are in a pack.”
“What do you mean?”
“If they were, then they wouldn’t question why you’re in a pack or why alphas would bond a beta. Designations are supposed to be about biology, not social rules. They’re supposed to help us understand each other, not control our actions.”
I wanted to get up and pace, the conversation something I was truly passionate about. I forced myself to stay seated, as I continued. “Designations might hold facts, but I don’t get why laws should be based on them. Sure, I go into heat, but it should be my choice if and when I want alphas to help me through it. It doesn’t make sense to make rules on biology. We’re people, with emotions, not just sex organs.”
My spiel came to an anticlimactic end since it was just Koda and I, alone, in a bathroom surrounded by hair products.
“Even your memory loss didn’t change your opinions and beliefs. I’m glad,” Koda admitted. “You’re not wrong, though. Rudimentary science has had a weird hold on social norms. The knowledge and understanding of designations were supposed to be helpful, not condemning.”
“It’s abuse. Not just the rules themselves that hurt people, but intelligence abuse. Like that politician guy who was talking shit about me the other week? He has easy access to the public to spread information that was blatantly wrong, knowing that no one could argue with him.”
A timer went off on Koda’s phone and then we very awkwardly rinsed the bleach out of my hair. It involved leaning into the shower, with the rain shower head already on. Koda stood next to me with a fresh towel trying to protect the top of my shirt from getting soaked.
We were both getting slightly splashed around the ankles, but this was the best we could do. Finally, all the bleach was out and then I had my hair wrapped up in a towel.
“Shit, I forgot a blow-dryer. Do you have one?” Koda asked.
I snorted. “I literally have no idea.”
All of my mates’ bathrooms had my shower and morning necessities which I’ve been using since I haven’t slept a single night alone. Considering my room was technically my nest, I knew a dryer wasn’t in there.
Koda opened the door, yelling through the small crack she made, “Does Hannah have a hairdryer?”
I heard some yelling, and then someone stomping their way up the stairs. Then someone handed a dryer to Koda who effectively shut the door in their face, earning a chuckle out of me. It took some time to get my hair dry again, the strands looking more yellow than white.
“Does this look right to you?” Koda asked when she finished. She was looking at my hair too, both of us not quite sure why it wasn’t as light as we’d expected.
I shrugged. “The color will cover it anyways, right?”
She nodded. “I guess we’re going to find out.”
Another bowl was mixed, and a new towel was wrapped around my shoulders. Without further ado, Koda grabbed a chunk of the dye and popped it onto my hair. At least this mixture didn’t smell as bad.
“How are your classes going?” Koda asked.
“Fine. I’m behind, but apparently Seb has managed to work something out with my professors. I’m trying to review everything we’ve already done before jumping into starting something new. Plus, I want to pick out a major.”
“You’re undecided.”
“That’s an understatement. They’re so many options.”
I watched in the mirror as Koda’s eyebrows furrowed. I watched her bite the inside of her cheek, looking like she had something to say.
“What?” I asked.
She still wasn’t looking at me, all of her intense concentration suddenly on my hair. “Did you know that I consider myself an omega? I nest, can take a knot, have a strong sense of smell, all of the omega characteristics without perfuming like one. When I first applied to the academy, I was told that they’d require a test to prove my beta status.”
“Academy?”
“Braker Academy. It’s where I met Jen and the others.”
I felt my jaw drop. She said it so casually as if Braker Academy wasn’t one of the top prestigious schools. If I remembered correctly, it had literally just opened its doors to betas.
“Obviously I submitted it. I’d hoped that whatever had stopped me from perfuming would also hide me from being diagnosed as an omega. Not forever. Just long enough to go to school. And it did. At the end of the day, when it came to picking my major, I just chose one.”
She shrugged like it was no big deal. “I don’t love physics, I just don’t hate it either. What was important to me was that I was getting the opportunity before I decided to settle down. I wanted shit on my own timeline. I wanted everything to be my own decision.”
I was nodding my head along with her words, agreeing and even feeling that need that always came right before I went to a protest, needing to feel the relief of demanding change, of doing something.
“I just hope you’ll get the same possibility through your online classes,” Koda finished.
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know how you’re going to school right now, but I really don’t know how you’ll be able to get a job without some major social adjustments. Education has found a way to block the symptoms of designations, but workplaces are more blatant with their bigotry.”
Her words doused all the fire inside me. The freeing feeling where it felt like if I could just get my voice heard, everyone would believe me. That I could just make a speech, march down the street, sit-in at a diner and the world would understand the need for change. My need for things to change.
The feeling of dye being applied stopped, and Koda washed her hands again before moving to crouch in front of me. “Don’t lose hope, Hannah. I didn’t mean to upset you. Omegas can’t give up. No one else is fighting for us.”
Tears burned my eyes, but I fought them back. She was right. I was Hannah motherfucking Zeal. Even if I was a little confused as to what that name meant right now, I knew it would always be a person who demanded better for omegas.
I lifted my chin. “You’re right.” That didn’t help me make a decision on which major I would choose, only now I was determined that I was going to pick one.
We continued to talk, moving the conversation to lighter things like getting to know one another superficially. Our likes and styles and vague plans.
When it came time to wash my hair again, I was absolutely in love with the color. It was such a dramatic change from the dark purple that I almost wanted to keep my hair long. If it wasn’t for that missing patch of hair over my scar, I probably would’ve.
“Ready?” Koda asked. She looked excited, the inspirational photo I’d sent her already on her phone that I was holding up for her to see.
“Let’s do it.”
“Just a reminder, I’ve literally never cut anyone’s hair before.”
I shrugged. “How hard could it be?”
****
Very hard. Cutting hair was a skill that could not be learned through osmosis visuals.
I was staring at my hair, now only a few inches long, wondering how it got this bad, this quickly.
Koda was a puddle on the floor, simultaneously laughing and crying, completely hysterical at the results. Honestly, I was starting to worry that I’d broken her.
Outside the bathroom door, I knew both my mates and Koda’s were waiting patiently to see what all the ruckus was about.
“You totally should have waited for the hair appointment,” Koda admitted as she tried to get herself under control.
“No way, we can totally save this.”
“How?” Koda wasn’t laughing anymore, genuinely wondering how I was going to save this hair. It wasn’t the color, just the cut that made me realize simply cutting the hair wasn’t enough.
“I have an idea. It might be crazy.”
“Crazier than the initial idea that we could do this after watching a few videos?”
“Good point. I need you to ask my mates for shears.”
Koda’s eyes bulged, but she did as I asked, not letting the alphas push their way into the bathroom.
“Hannah, are you sure about this?” Han’s voice sounded worried.
“It’s her hair,” Zeke said.
“I know that, but I don’t want her to regret it. You can feel her emotions. Taking a day to think about it—”
“No way,” I yelled at the door. “Trust me, Han. I need the shears.”
It was silent for just a moment before Han said, “It’s not your hair we love, Hannah. Don’t feel like you have to cut it all off because it didn’t turn out right.”
“And if I want to shave it off?”
“Then I recommend letting Zeke do it. He’s got experience doing his own hair. No offense, Koda, but it might also be the safest route.”
“Okay. Just Zeke can come in.”
It took a minute for Zeke to go get his clippers, as he called them, and then squeeze his way through the tiny slot Koda allowed with the open door. As soon as he saw me, his eyes warmed with sympathy.
“I love the color.”
“Help me.”
Zeke chuckled, pulling me into a hug that immediately had the tension leaving my body. “Don’t worry. I’ll fix you right up. I even have a good idea for a design, if you’re interested.”
I reached a hand up to touch the lines shaved into the side of his head. It was intricate and beautiful, definitely requiring a skill that couldn’t be learned just by watching a few videos.
“I didn’t do this one myself, but I used to do pretty basic ones,” he admitted.
“Like a heart?” Koda asked.
“Sure. What do you think, Hannah?”
My excitement was back up to the level before my hair disaster. I had been going for cutesy, but maybe that just wasn’t meant to be. Sweet had never really been my thing. Kind, sure. Blunt, definitely.
I sat back down in the chair and agreed. The feeling of my head being almost shaved, along with the loud buzzing sound was unsettling at first. It was louder than I anticipated since he was shaving right next to my ear, but it didn’t hurt.
By the end, my hair was so short you couldn’t grip it anymore. It made my face look sharper, harsher in a sexy way. It made my head look like I had a halo of color, and it further hid my scar since it wasn’t obvious that I was missing a chunk of hair.
“Oh, this is so dangerous,” Koda said. She was standing in front of me, tilting my chin to the side so she could take in my new haircut. “Now I’m wondering if I could pull off this look.”
“Jump in the shower, rinse off those baby hairs, and I’ll get you some new pajamas to change into. Then you can come out and present your new look to your mates.” Zeke’s declaration left no room for argument as he turned my face and pressed his lips against mine. “I also call first dibs in the nest tonight.”
Just like that, he left, leaving Koda to stare at me, wide-eyed having heard that last bit. “I am totally considering this haircut now.”
I laughed, smiling wide as I ran a hand over my head, feeling my new short hair.
Koda left so I could rinse off, and I took the time to enjoy it. The small amount of hair products I needed was actually blowing my mind. Even the little dollop seemed like too much. My cheeks were aching with how hard I was smiling.
Just as I turned the water off, Zeke peeked in and dropped off a little set of pajamas. I raised a single eyebrow at the very thin fabric he set on the chair.
“Koda and her alphas had to leave. Something about work and school tomorrow. She said she’d check in later.”
Then he was leaving again, and I was drying off. I ran the towel over my head and then pronounced my hair as dry.
I was right in my initial view of the pajamas that they were lacy and thin. The straps were skinnier than the width of my pinky and the little tie on the shorts was purely decorative. All black, it fit tight around my breasts and ass, only slightly flaring in the midriff.
My cheeks were tinged a little red from the heat of the shower, and I wondered if I looked sexy or ridiculous. Obviously, I thought the previous.
Gripping my internal confidence with every metaphorical limb I could, I lifted my chin and made my way out of the bathroom. Could I feel the cool air on my head? Yes. Was my neck suddenly cold? Also, yes. Did all the hair on my body seem to pebble from a mix of cold and anticipation? Again, yes.
But I followed the sounds of my mates’ voices into the living room. Han and Zeke were sitting on one couch together, half laying on it, so Han was leaning against the couch’s arm with Zeke between his legs. They saw me first, both sitting up with looks of pure arousal on their face.
Sebastian was sitting in the center couch, and he turned around so fast that I couldn’t help smiling at him. “Oh, Princess.”
My attention was pulled from Seb getting up from the couch as Jackson rounded the corner from the kitchen, taking one look at me and tossing his snack back onto the island. He picked me up, holding me against him with one arm around my back and the other running a palm over my head.
I had to squeeze my legs tight around him in order to hold myself up. Seb, Han, and Zeke were following after us as Jackson carried me up the stairs toward my nest.
“Fuck, your hair looks so good, rebel,” Jackson said, his scent blooming around us, becoming stronger and juicier.
“I called dibs on first fuck,” Zeke called out, chasing after us.
Jackson stopped at the top of the third floor, turning to glare at my other mate. When he turned his attention to me, raising a single eyebrow in a silent demand for an answer, I had to work to keep from smiling.
“He did,” I admitted.
Jackson growled, claiming my mouth right then and there, grinding his erection between my legs and heightening my arousal.
I was yanked from my mate, a whimper working its way up my throat until I was turned to my other alpha. Out of all my mates Zeke wasn’t the most classically handsome, but there was a sort of beauty that radiated from him. Even more so, there was a kindness, a gentleness, an understanding.
There was so much to learn about my alphas. These dates they were going to take me on, it would do more than comfort me about my place in this pack, it would help me fall even more in love with them—I knew it.
Zeke carried me into my nest, the others following. All the deliciously aroused scents of my mates, the comfort of my nest, I was sure that this moment was the beginning of my happily ever after. The second time.