Chapter 4

Four

JADE

" P lease sit," said the bathroom guy who had given me the dating agency card.

Swallowing nervously, I walked inside the conference room- feeling like this was a job interview instead of a dating agency where single omegas looked for love.

It wasn't very welcoming, and I could already see what needed to be done to re-design this room. Make it warm and welcoming for omegas. If they were going out of business, I wouldn't be surprised.

I clumsily pulled out a chair, blushing when it almost toppled over. The rain from my umbrella dripped loudly onto the marble floors in the quiet of the room. I tucked it between my feet under the chair hurriedly.

"The rain out there is pretty crazy," I said awkwardly. I was trying to break some of the tension in the room, and I didn't dare look in Bruce's direction. He probably understood why I didn't respond to his text this morning.

"It sure is. The rain's coming down hard," observed the bathroom guy, looking at me with a slight tilt of his head. He was pretty intimidating but hot as fuck when he wasn't rushing away from me in a hurry. "I'm Caleb."

Okay. So the bathroom guy had a name.

Caleb introduced the alpha with the short red hair next to him as Dravin, who was stocky, and the blond alpha with messy ringlets was Nick. Then there was Bruce.

I nodded as if I was meeting Bruce for the first time. Thank god he didn't say anything about meeting me yesterday.

He kept things professional, and I relaxed more in my chair.

"We will ask you a few questions to make sure you're a good match for the pack," said Nick. "Is that okay with you, Miss Jade?"

He was quickly writing down a few things on a piece of paper. He looked like he didn't like wasting time on small talk and worked quickly.

"Yes," I said.

"How old are you?" he asked, his gray eyes staring into mine. It was unnerving.

"Twenty-eight," I said. He didn't bat an eye as he wrote that down.

Bruce asked me the next question, and I was totally unprepared for it.

"Why are you here, Jade?"

He wasn't looking down at his papers or anything. He was fully focused on me, which made me even more nervous as I scrambled to gather my thoughts. All I could focus on was the stupid umbrella dripping all over my shoes and soaking my feet.

"I'm here to look for love," I said vaguely, looking down at the table, studying each fissure of the wooden material.

"Why haven't you found love?"

"I was very focused on my career, and before I knew it, I was getting older," I said.

"What do you work as?" asked Caleb, crossing his hands on the table.

"Nurse," I replied slowly. I wasn't sure if I should tell them the entire truth of it all. That I was broke and needed a wealthy alpha pack to save my ass. It was embarrassing but not something I was going to readily admit.

"I sense something is off with that answer," said Caleb. "I've been interviewing for years. Are you lying about something, omega?"

"I am a nurse, but I quit to pursue my real passion for art and design," I said. Damn him . He was smart and could detect a lie. Some alphas were like that, and not all were blundering tall macho men.

"So, unemployed?" asked Nick, writing furiously on his clipboard.

My stomach flipped. Were they going to reject me now?

"That's perfect," said Caleb. "Exactly what the Onyxpaw Pack are looking for. They are old-fashioned, looking for a nice homely omega. All we need to do now is get your measurements, and we can set up an official meeting with your future pack."

Oh no, I thought. Did they want a compliant, unemployed omega?! I wasn't sure if I wanted this after all.

"Measurements?"

"Beth should have been here by now to measure you," said Nick. "What's the holdup with Beth?"

Caleb picked up the phone from the desk and quickly spoke to someone.

"Beth called out today," said Caleb, his eyes flashing. Then he turned to me. "I will measure you myself then."

"What do you mean?" I asked again. What was he measuring exactly?

"The Onyxpaw Pack has a certain requirement regarding your body," he explained. "Please remove your shirt and jeans."

"Are you serious?" I asked, shocked. I already felt self-conscious about my body.

I was chubbier than the average omega.

"Without any measurements, unfortunately, we won't be able to continue with you," said Caleb, standing up with a measuring tape in his hands. He walked around the table, leaning against the edge while waiting for me.

I slowly stood up, extra aware of the alphas staring at me.

"Right here? In front of them?" I asked.

"Trust me, this is perfectly normal," said Caleb, his voice betraying impatience. "Omegas have to get measured. Now please remove your shirt and jeans."

Was I wearing my good bra today?

I hoped to the moons I wasn't wearing torn underwear either.

My hands shook as I lifted the hem of my shirt, revealing my stomach. I had never undressed in front of an alpha. Let alone a whole pack of them. I didn't dare look at their faces as I whipped my shirt off, letting it drop.

Shit , it fell on top of the wet umbrella.

I quickly picked it up and threw it on my chair. I looked down at my blue sports bra that I had put no thought into wearing. My face was so red by the time I pulled my jeans off, revealing my high-waisted cotton underwear, which covered my belly button.

Letting out a long breath, I watched as Caleb's eyes scanned my body from head to toe. His mouth quirked into a flash of a smile upon noticing my underwear.

Great . They all probably thought I was the most un-sexiest omega alive, and no wonder I was still single.

He wrapped the tape measure around my chest, his fingers pressing against my nipples as he tried to hold the tape measure steady. I tried to regulate my breathing since his closeness made my heart pump faster than a rocket.

He smelled fucking amazing.

I inhaled his alpha scent mixed with rich cologne. His watch sparkled at every angle as he tightened the tape measure around my breasts, calling out the numbers to the alphas as Nick wrote them down. My nipples hardened every time his fingers brushed past or tweaked them. Warmth curled in my belly, and my pussy was getting wetter each time he did that. For some reason, the glint in his eyes exposed the fact that he knew what he was doing. Toying with me without being able to claim me as his.

And if I said anything, it would make me look crazy.

So I kept quiet as he measured my waist next.

"Healthy hips to bear robust children," he said. "Time to measure your thighs next. Spread your legs for me, please."

When I spread my legs, his nostrils flared.

My apple scent was strong because of how much slick I was producing right now. I was wet as hell, and he knew it. I suddenly wondered if he hated my smell as he bent his head, wrapping the tape around my right thigh. I took a shower before getting here, so I couldn't smell that bad.

He quickly pulled away from me, like he couldn't get away fast enough. Like he was allergic to me, and I felt mildly hurt by that.

"Done?" I asked.

"Done," he said. "The receptionist will take a picture of you upfront, and then you are free to go. We'll call back to schedule an appointment with your matched pack if they approve."

It had only been five minutes of driving before I gave up and parked next to a children's playground. The rain was coming down hard, and it was dark now, making visibility impossible for me. My car was pretty ancient and tiny to go against mother nature right now.

So I sat in the car, hoping to wait it out, watching the swings fly wildly in the wind.

After the interview, I felt weirded out that four alphas had seen me uncovered. I couldn't even look at Bruce the entire time. Looking down at my phone, I didn't see any further texts from him either. He was probably disgusted after seeing me. I wasn't the magical belle he'd met last night at the ball.

This was me today. The real me. Whether he liked it or not.

Whatever. I'd soon get matched up to a wealthy pack and be free from all my problems. I couldn't wait. After all, I've met most of their requirements. So there shouldn't be a reason I'd get rejected unless my physical measurements put them off. And if it did, screw them.

Suddenly my phone went off with a loud beep.

A flash flood warning. Nooo .

"I have to get home," I muttered to myself as I started up the car again. I tried to back the car out, but the tires had sunk into the mud. "No, no, no."

I tried to move forward and back, but that only served to push the tires deeper into the mud.

I was fucking stuck out here, and there was no one around for miles.