6. Hazel

HAZEL

Ryder had been the consummate gentleman, well, as much a gentleman as one could be after all the nasty (very consensual) things he did to my body. He'd slipped out of me at some point during my nap, woke me briefly when he was trying to discreetly clean me before tucking me in like a burrito. I didn't even hear him leave.

I finished my nap with no concept of time, a delicious ache between my thighs and my real hair plastered to my head beneath the wig.

It took far longer than I wanted to admit to get myself looking presentable. But once I did, I rode the elevator down my usual fourteen floors and wondered if Aleks would be at the front desk this evening.

When I first moved into 101 Riverside, I'd misjudged him in a lot of ways. With his perpetually flat expression, I was sure he hated me.

I invented a lot of reasons why that was. My hair was more long and luscious than his messy short blonde waves and he was jealous. Or maybe it was because one time I set off the fire alarm for my entire floor when I accidentally charred my steak until it was a hockey puck. Then there was the delivery incident. He told me I had a package, I said I would be right down, got distracted and forgot for the next 3 business days.

I mean, I would've hated me.

Then one fateful morning, I watched his colleagues surprise him with a birthday cake and his expression did not waver throughout the entire song.

That's when I knew it was just his face.

But just to be sure, I decided to check.

"Hey Aleks. Do you hate me?" I had asked as I plopped my arms on the counter in front of him.

His eyes widened in panic. "What? No! Hazel, what the h—"

Ok, good to clear that up.

I decided we would be friends from then on.

I stepped into the lobby, an involuntary smile quirking up when I spotted him.

"No dartboard today?" Aleks quipped.

He didn't even glance up from his textbook. Nevertheless, I stuck my tongue out. "No. That was a special one-time-only event."

Aleks finally looked up at the same time as I got a hit of his fresh water scent.

Clear, glacier-fed waters ran over smooth rocks before finding their home in a pristine lake. Stillness, a gloved hand in mine and two fogs of quiet breath.

It matched his haunting ice-blue eyes.

I shook my head as casually as possible, trying to clear it. That was…different. I suppose I should just be thankful his beta scent was fainter instead of causing me to do something truly embarrassing like whine for him.

He would hold it over my head for the rest of our lives.

Aleks was eyeing my outfit quizzically. I knew hoping for a heartwarming compliment to start my night off right was way too much to ask for.

"Come on. Spit it out," I prompted.

"Just be careful," he said seriously, before turning back to his textbook. "Piracy of the high seas is still a crime."

He was a moron who did not understand that my little corset gave my otherwise casual outfit the structure and shape it needed.

"Christ, you give me a headache," I said, staring up at the ceiling exasperatedly.

"Good. Consider it payback for the ten thousand you've given me."

I wanted to reach over and give him a well-deserved shove sideways.

"I'm going to Juno's," I explained. "Her pack is celebrating tonight."

Aleks' hand stopped mid page-turn. "Oh. Your friend from that interview."

I wasn't surprised that even Aleks had heard. Juno's interview with the acclaimed journalist Ava Simmons had been watched by millions across the country. My best friend had been through so much after dissolving the bonds of her previous abusive pack. I'd never felt so helpless seeing the return of her old prime in her life, his lies amplified by the extremist alpha rights group the Alpha Brotherhood and the sensationalist news network SSNN. Having to hear him fabricate a different story of their time together. Having so many people believe him. All to further some sort of fucked-up agenda against omegas being able to dissolve unconsented bonds.

I was so incredibly proud of her for choosing to speak up on behalf of all omegas. To fight against the rising tide of public dissent towards one-way bond dissolution.

My dartboard seemed so tiny in the grand scheme of things but Juno seemed to get some catharsis from turning the picture of her abuser into a pincushion so that's all that mattered.

"How is she?" Aleks asked. "It's pretty fucked how SSNN twisted her story so much. What happened to Andrew Zhao anyway?"

I wasn't sure if it was common knowledge that Juno's prime alpha had barked the piece of shit into complete submission so I just gave Aleks a half-hearted shrug. "Juno's just happy to put it all behind her."

"Well if he turns up again, I'm sure you'll be able to make him walk the plank."

That was it.

I leaned over, making sure the counter edge propped up my ample bosom. "Do you think my outfit looks bad?" I asked, my lip trembling with false insecurity. I lowered my eyes submissively. "I can go change if you want."

Aleks looked stricken. "No, not at all," he stammered, waving both hands urgently. His eyes darted down to my cleavage, widened slightly and then snapped back to my face in panic. "You look amazing. I didn't mean anything by my comment. Hazel, I would never—"

I couldn't take it anymore. I pushed back off the counter and laughed. "Men. You're so fucking easy sometimes."

"Goddammit."

I turned to leave, making sure to give my hips an extra sashay as I did so. I was almost at the lobby door when Aleks called out.

"Are you still doing your deliveries by yourself?"

I sighed. This was the one sticking point between us. I still remembered the day Aleks had found out about my job.

I was on my way to the post office when I tripped and fell, spilling my tote bag of carefully packed, vacuum-sealed slick panties all over the shiny tiled surface of the lobby. Aleks rushed over to help. Despite my discreet packaging and complete lack of suspicion on his part when he asked why I had so many packages, my brain short circuited. The only lie it could come up with was to scream ‘tell him you're a drug mule!' over and over.

He prompted me again, probably confused by my goldfish face before I finally blurted out, "I do OmegaFans and sell my panties to subscribers."

Aleks dropped the package he was holding like a live snake. "And you take these to the post office yourself?"

Of all the things I thought he would fixate on, that was the last thing on the list.

"It's not safe, Hazel! What if your buyers track you down?"

"Well then it's a good thing I live in an expensive, secure apartment building with a nosy beta to stop them."

"I'm being serious!"

"So am I!"

We stared at each other, stuck at an impasse, chests heaving.

"Let me take it for you," Aleks finally said, looking determined.

"No," I shot back immediately.

Sometimes people felt the need to coddle omegas. Probably some long, dormant part of their lizard brain coming into play, telling them to protect the rare crown jewel of their pack.

I was not a jewel and we were not a pack.

"Aleks." I hoped my warning tone would be enough.

His mouth formed a thin line. "Night, Hazel. Enjoy the party."

I could hardly believe the omega who answered the door was the same girl who used to bathe herself in scent-neutralising spray before mentally working herself up to a coffee catch-up. Juno was now happily bonded to all six members of her pack.

I was overjoyed for her. Juno and I were joined at the hip during the active stages of the bond dissolution trials almost four years ago now. Cheersing the tiny paper cups rattling with pills like we were at cocktail hour. Waiting nervously while the other got their bondmark injections.

Going out to eat after group therapy sessions was our saving grace. Chocolate was usually involved during the most taxing ones where we had to focus on our bond and visualise it breaking.

Even with her own mountain-load of baggage she was there for me during the worst of it. I think she believed she was a burden because of how fragile she was in those early days.

But the truth was, I only got through everything because of her.

Juno welcomed me inside her house and brought me over to a few other omegas we had known from our time living in the Omega Village.

"Hey Hazel!"

"Addie!" I rushed over and gave Adeline a hug. She was the only other unbonded omega there who had been through the trials too, albeit with a much later group. Nevertheless, I felt an automatic sense of kinship with her. "I didn't know you were coming!"

"The baby's getting quality time with my Appa and Umma." Adeline grinned, before checking her watch. "I can't stay super late but it's so nice to get out and have actual adult interactions."

I greeted the other omegas, catching each other up on our lives. Alice and Tilly had had a much smoother route as omegas, living in the Omega Village as regular residents while they courted packs. Tilly had a fairytale courtship when she clicked immediately with three alpha brothers at her very first gala. None were scent matched but were very happy regardless. Alice went through an entire season unsuccessfully before deciding to give the scent matching department a try. She was still embarrassed about how, er, excited she got when she scented her alpha's card, even though the omegas who worked there assured her any and all reactions were completely normal.

Alice and Tilly were in the middle of complaining about the Alpha Brotherhood. Thankfully, it didn't sound like their alphas were supporters.

"I keep telling Val she has to stop watching their videos and her Looptok algorithm will correct itself," Alice complained.

"Oh my gosh, yeah! Don't give them views!" Tilly said, shaking her head.

"I know, but it's like a car wreck situation. She can't look away. At least after Juno's interview there's way more people stitching that nonsense to call out their lies." Alice expelled a relieved breath.

"I wish those videos were the ones my father-in-law got," Tilly sighed. "My boys are this close to freezing out their dad completely because of all his rants about bond dissolution taking away alpha rights."

Alice made a snipping motion with her fingers. "Cut him off from SSNN."

"He would die, that man lives and breathes that stupid channel."

I vaguely remembered something Tilly had mentioned before about her alphas' family. "How many ex-wives does he have again?" I asked, amused.

"Three!" Tilly threw up her hands in exasperation. "All betas so of course their bonds dissolved easily once the relationships fell apart. You'd think that would make someone empathetic but noooooo."

Adeline looked between us all clearly feeling out of the loop. "Henry's really close to walking," she added lamely, before her head drooped defeatedly. "God, the baby bubble is real."

I patted her arm reassuringly. "Henry sounds like the perfect man to have by your side during this whole mess," I told her, earning myself a grateful smile.

"What about you, Hazel? Any alphas sniffing around?" Alice gave me a playful jab with her elbow.

"What are you talking about, of course she does," Tilly tittered. "Hazel always has the best stories about yummy heat services alphas."

"Who's your flavour of the week, Hazel? You have to give us practically married folks something juicy!"

Before I could concoct a socially acceptable lie, Juno appeared and saved me.

"Want to meet my brother?"