Chapter 8

Eight

JADE

" W ake up, little omega," said a male voice behind me.

I groaned, burying my face in the pillow. It sounded like the alpha with the curly blond hair. Nick or something was his name. Recollection of the previous night made me squirm. They had all seen me naked last night. The pillow smelled like Caleb, as I inhaled his scent.

Caleb had shaved me last night. My pussy twitched at the memory.

Oh my god .

"I'm still tired," I said, my voice muffled in the pillow. It was way too embarrassing to show my face to the alphas. And the bed was so warm, but I needed to pee.

"We have a big day today," said Nick, gently shaking my shoulder. "Today is your lunch with your matched alpha pack. And you need to dress up and look stunning."

"Wait, I thought you were taking me home today. What lunch?"

"We decided to have the Onyxpaw Pack meet you here instead of at the headquarters," said Nick. "No one wants to be out there stuck in the rain."

Groaning, I turned around, facing Nick who was lying next to me. His hands were crossed over his waist with one knee up. He wore dark jeans, a navy blue checkered shirt, a thin silver chain around his neck, and a small diamond earring on his left ear. His blond curls were tamed into a ponytail, and I had to admit he looked really good. I hoped the pack they had for me looked half as hot.

"I have nothing to wear," I said, tugging on my oversized shirt.

"Oh crap, you're right," he said. He glanced towards the window. "We can attempt to go shopping."

"Isn't it raining outside?"

"It slowed down enough, and our truck is invincible."

"Where's everyone?" I asked, sitting up.

"Bruce will join us for our shopping trip. Caleb is talking to someone to get your car towed," said Nick. "Dravin is on-duty to prepare the house for your big alpha meeting. Are you excited to meet the new pack we matched you with?"

"Well, they're not my pack yet ," I said. "Normally, how does the process go?"

"We interview the alpha pack and the omega separately to make sure they're not crazy or anything," said Nick. "Then they meet. After the meeting, they tell us if they'd like to continue to see each other."

"So I'll have a choice to refuse if I wanted to?"

"Of course! It's a dating agency," laughed Nick. "Not the fucking Omega Auction."

For some reason, I couldn't fathom having a choice of picking which pack I wanted. To just pick and choose- not based on each other's scents. An alpha's scent may appeal to me, but he could be the biggest alpha-hole. Natural biology played a part in the survival of the werewolf blood in our veins on Howl's Edge. Excitement swirled in my belly at the thought of meeting them.

I couldn't wait to meet the Onyxpaw Pack and hoped to moons they were at least decent guys.

It was around eleven a.m. when we arrived at the Moon Cloud Mall, the biggest mall on Howl's Edge. It wasn't too crowded for a Friday, but it still had its fair share of betas, omegas, alphas, and an occasion delta security guard roaming around.

"Let's go to that dress shop over there," I said, pointing to the shop across from us. There were several dress shops, but one was for curvier ladies like myself. I loved coming here to shop whenever I wasn't working. I wasn't exactly great with money and it was something I needed to work on.

"Alright," said Bruce, quietly walking ahead of me for protection as Nick walked beside me.

Since I had no scent blockers, alphas would constantly look my way. Omegas were conditioned to hide their natural scent and allure since birth. I knew it was for my own protection. But if it meant alphas would start paying attention to me, I didn't want scent blockers anymore. Scent blockers were a thing to control omegas. A single omega could start a war between packs if they desired her, and it was also a way for the government to keep things under control. Beta females constantly envied us, even though we couldn't be our real selves. At this moment, I wasn't used to alphas gazing at me with a need and desire in their eyes.

In a couple hours, I'd meet my matched pack for lunch. My heart jumped again at the prospect.

Would they like me? Was I finally going to have good news to tell my mother?

As I scanned the rack for dresses, I was looking for a dress that would complement my figure. Nothing too formfitting or baggy. Three other people were in the shop beside the cashier, who was chewing on bubble gum, looking bored as she gazed at us like we were going to steal something.

Bruce had wandered off to the wall, looking at baseball caps.

"How about this one?" Nick asked me, holding out a sky-blue dress that had short fluttery sleeves. It looked fitted and flared out at the waist with a slim brown belt.

"Oh wow, it's so cute," I said, then looked at the price tag. "Maybe we can get something like it, but cheaper."

"Listen, it's on us," said Nick, his gray eyes darkening like a thunderstorm, and my stomach flipped. "Grab as many things as you need. You don't need to pay us back. This is your future, and you have to look your best."

"Thank you," I said softly.

"Also, we won't get paid if you look hideous," he joked, and I rolled my eyes.

"Alright then, where's the fitting room?"

I located the tiny fitting room hidden in the back.

The cashier didn't look too happy as she saw me entering the fitting room without talking to her. Nick and Bruce waited outside as I pulled off my shirt from yesterday, which had dried from the rain, and my jeans. When I slipped the dress over my head, the soft fabric glided against my skin. I took a deep breath and looked at myself in the full-length mirror. The vivid blue of the dress complemented my skin perfectly, and the fitted bodice hugged my curves in all the right places. The skirt flared out playfully as I twirled in the mirror. I couldn't help but smile at how fun and flirty it looked. Tightening the belt around my waist, created an hourglass shape and modern feel.

"May we see it?" asked Nick.

"Yeah, one sec," I said, twirling one more time in the mirror and then opening the door. Nick's eyes widened as he gasped. Bruce looked me up and down approvingly.

"You look like wife material," said Nick, grasping me by the shoulders and spinning me around.

"It might be a little too sexy," said Bruce, rubbing his short gray beard. Maybe he felt uncomfortable with the arrangement of my meeting with the Onyxpaw Pack. Either way, we needed to talk about it. But right now, I wanted to continue shopping for my jewelry and makeup. And at least have fun doing that.

After shopping, we sat in the food court, eating a small breakfast.

I was eating a croissant while the guys had donuts. The croissant was a nice treat after having to walk around all day in the mall. It was a massive mall, with the store being two floors down. We managed to find matching blue jewelry, and I also picked up a few makeup supplies I needed to fully impress the pack that was coming over later.

"Do you need to get anything else?" asked Nick, taking a big bite of his chocolate donut.

"I don't think so," I said. "You guys helped me so much to help make my dreams come true."

"It will happen for you. I can feel it," said Nick. I wasn't sure if he meant it or if he was excited about making money from our match. My heart fluttered again, at the thought of meeting them.

"Not with that pack," interjected Bruce. My heart sank when I realized he wasn't happy about me meeting the Onyxpaw Pack. Then he asked the question I was dreading. "Didn't you feel a connection with me at the Omega Ball? I'm confused, Jade. Is this what you really want?"

Nick's face turned pink as he tried to deflect what Bruce said.

"Don't mind him. He's just a little jealous…" Nick was saying.

"It's okay, Nick," I said, setting down my croissant and turning to Bruce. "I did have a connection with you that night. I'm not going to lie and deny that."

"So what happened then? Why did you sign up for Enchanted Nests?"

There was rising tension in the air. He wasn't happy at all, and I could feel the depth of my rejection of him in this moment.

"I was about to get evicted from my home," I said.

"So this is about money," he replied, disappointed and shaking his head.

"I didn't save much as a nurse because I was using it to pay for my business," I explained. "I quit my job without thinking things through. Actually, I did, but I didn't care because the job was so stressful. Yes, I want a pack who will take care of me and that's my choice."

"Thank you for making that clear," said Bruce, not meeting my eyes.

For some reason, this conversation felt painful to me. My chest hurt as I took a bite of the croissant which felt dry in my throat now. I wanted Bruce to be okay with me. To still talk to me, even though we only met for a few hours. Seeing his good morning text made my heart flutter, and I would never see that again. I would never be able to dance in his arms again.

I wasn't sure if he could be a soulmate of mine. But, if he was, then no power in the universe would separate us. And that's how I saw it.

"Can you imagine being Caleb's mate?" said Nick. I could tell he was trying to lighten the conversation and the heaviness around it.

"Being Caleb's mate would be a disaster," I said, even though inside, I enjoyed being taken care of last night. He took care of every little thing for me. It was for the best, though because I would get ultra-spoiled.

"I grew up in a large family," said Nick. "I wish Caleb could get his act together and finally pick an omega. I crave to have lots of children, just like Bruce here. But, if things don't work out between you and the Onyxpaw Pack, keep us in mind."

When he winked at me, I blushed – unable to believe what he just said.