Teaching their Omega

“This happened on such short notice,” Draven muttered. “If they called sooner to let me know, I might have had time to get things set up.”

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye but remained silent. There wasn’t much I could say to him that would change things. The Omega Centre told me that he had been listed as my guardian. It wasn’t like I had anybody else around.

Everyone believed that my mother was dead, and that my father had disappeared from the face of the earth a week before we left home.

According to the Omega Centre, I was an unclaimed omega with no family, deserted in a small town where most of them disliked me for some reason.

“Shit. I need to call Lauren to let her know,” he muttered.

Swallowing, I focused my attention on the passing scenery.

It was a small town basically in the middle of nowhere with a few shops and houses surrounded by ranches for miles. The Omega Centre was located just on the outskirts of town, newly built and fully functioning. The center had been my home for nine years and now they wanted me gone.

I was being thrown into a world I had only learned about while living at the Centre. The thought of being out in the open, surrounded by alphas filled me with fear. I had only ever been around omegas and betas with a few exceptions where the Centre had tried to find me an alpha.

Thinking about alphas made me remember what my doctor had told me a week ago when I went for my annual check-up. My heat was going to hit soon and therefore, I needed an alpha.

“Do you need anything now?” Draven asked me. “You don’t have a lot of things.”

I shook my head.

I didn’t need anything else at the moment, not clothes anyway. What I needed was a place to stay where I could hide away the moment my heat hit. Preferably somewhere far away from alphas.

Not all alphas were bad, I knew that. Draven had rescued me when I was twelve, but he had always been careful to respect my boundaries. That was something I couldn’t say about the other alphas I’d met at the Omega Centre.

The car slowed and then turned off onto a quiet street with double-story houses on either side. Green lawns, beautiful gardens and a few high walls. A fancy neighbourhood. Nothing like the place where we used to live.

He stopped the car in front of a big black metal gate and leaned forward to search for something in the glove-box. Muttering under his breath, he sat up and then leaned out the window to press a button on the box-thing that stood a few inches next to the car.

There was a low sound, and a few minutes later the gates began to open. We started moving again.

My eyes darted up to stare at the canopy of branches until we reached the end of the drive.

I certainly wasn’t expecting the house to be so big.

“Here we are.” Draven parked the car behind a sleek silver one and glanced over his shoulder at me. “We don’t have any animals.”

Swallowing, I hesitated a moment before I climbed out of the car. I glanced at Draven who was busy pulling my bags from the back of the car and then turned my attention to the house.

It was bigger than the other houses on the block. The garden was colourful and well taken care of, but from what I knew of Draven and his family, I could bet that someone other than them took care of it.

“Come on.”

I clutched the hem of my shirt as I followed him up the steps to the front door. My heartbeat increased the closer we got to it.

Meeting new people was something I hated. I was comfortable with those I already knew because I knew whether I could trust them or not.

Cool air greeted us the moment we stepped into the foyer. I tugged my t-shirt away from my sweaty skin and blew out a breath.

The first thing I noticed was the fact that nearly everything was white—from the walls to the furniture. It looked too sterile and unwelcoming. My lips twisted when I took in the paintings on one wall.

“Lauren?” Draven called.

I shifted from foot to foot as we waited for the woman to appear. My unease increased when I smelt her sickly-sweet scent that was mixed with something else. Instinct screamed at me to run, but since I had nowhere to go, I stood my ground and waited.

Not even a second later, a woman stepped into view. Her blue eyes instantly locked on me and narrowed. She frowned and then seemed to pale.

“What’s she doing here?” she sneered.

Draven lowered my bags to the floor, snapping her attention to him. “This is Sin,” he introduced. “Sin, my bonded mate, Lauren.”

“I don’t care who she is,” Lauren hissed. “What the hell is she doing in my house?”

I expected him to scold her, but he didn’t. He moved closer and reached out which made her jerk back. Frowning, Draven stared at her silently for a few seconds and then started explaining things.

“Remember that girl I told you about?” he asked. “The one I rescued from that motel that closed down a few years ago? This is her. Sin is going to stay here with us until—”

“No,” Lauren interrupted him. “She’s not staying here.”

“Can I talk to you for a moment?”

“There’s nothing to talk about! I don’t want this little—”

“Now, Lauren!” he growled, instantly silencing her. “We’ll be right back, Sin.”

Draven gave me a stiff smile before he gripped her arm and steered her into a room off to the side. He pushed the door closed behind them, but it didn’t close all the way. I could hear every single thing they were saying, and based on their conversation, Draven’s mate wanted me out of the house immediately.

I stared at the door for a few seconds before I glanced around again. My eyes locked on the sliding doors I could see from where I stood. They had a pool too and the water looked inviting. Shaking my head, I focused on the staircase, but it only held my attention for a few seconds.

The door behind me opened, making me stumble forward.

His smell hit me first. I spun around. There was no mistaking the fact that he was alpha-born.

His eyes darted around and then locked on me. I watched in dismay as his eyes brightened, and his lips curled up into a smile. He stood straighter and puffed out his chest as his scent thickened.

“Looks like today’s my lucky day.” The door clicked shut behind him. “Who might you be, sweet omega?”

My eyes darted to the door for a few seconds, but he still stood too close to it, blocking the only escape I had. Draven was in the other room, and I knew that if I screamed, he would be here to help me, but would he do anything? The alpha that stood in front of me looked similar to him, so it meant that they were related.

“What’s your name?” he repeated.

I swallowed and took a small step back.

There was one thing I had learned about alphas, and it was that they thought that they were superior to omegas because of their status. They liked to abuse the power they held in order to get what they wanted.

An omega’s biology was different from a beta’s. An alpha had power over betas, but they couldn’t control them. They didn’t submit to an alpha because it wasn’t in their nature, but being an omega, especially an unbonded one, was dangerous. One growl and an omega would be compelled to drop to their knees and agree to everything the alpha wanted.

It was what I feared most.

I didn’t want to be bonded to an alpha or anyone for that matter which was why I ran the moment the stranger opened his mouth again. My eyes were glued to the sliding doors. I had no clue if danger waited for me beyond those doors, but I knew that they were going to lead me to my freedom.

The alpha called out behind me, making shivers race down my spine. Reaching the doors, I gripped the handle and pulled, but the door didn’t budge, not even an inch.

“It’s locked,” he said from behind me. “That door always stays locked so that my little sister can’t go near the pool when no one’s around.”

Sucking in a deep breath, I slowly turned around and jerked back when I realized how close he stood. His lips curled up into a predatory smile that made my stomach clench.

“Now answer the question,” he growled. “What’s your name?”

My lips parted, but then another scent hit me, making my knees weaken.

Goosebumps broke out over my skin when her soft voice reached my ears.

“If she refused to answer you the first time then it means that she’s not interested, so why don’t you take a hike before I make you?”

The alpha scoffed and turned, revealing the person who came to my rescue. “Mom won’t let you lay a hand on me.”

“I don’t give a fuck about your mother,” she said as she moved closer. “I’m sure your father—”

“You know nothing so stop making assumptions. What are you doing here anyway? Is my uncle too busy to keep you occupied?”

Her eyes narrowed on him, but she didn’t answer or back down when he turned his full attention on her. Rolling her eyes, the woman moved closer. She walked around him and surprised me by moving in front of me.

Her presence made some of the fear fade.

“You have a very nasty habit of sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong,” she hissed.

He smirked. “What are you going to do about it, Bella? Run to Daddy?”

She growled and took a step forward, but at that moment, Draven and his mate appeared.

“What’s going on here?” Draven questioned, eyes darting between the three of us.

“Uncle Tyrone’s toy is being a bitch again,” the young alpha said.

Draven growled. His hand shot out to grip the back of his son’s neck, making him groan and hunch down to try and ease the pain. “Is that how you talk about women? Apologize. Now!”

Other words were spoken but they flew over my head. My full focus was on the beta in front of me. There was something about her that made me want to step closer and snuggle against her.

She was offering me protection even though we were strangers.

I took a small step towards her and sucked in a breath.

She wore a few scents, but three of them stood out among all the others. Lemons, woods, and dark chocolate with a hint of cinnamon. The last one made a flood of wetness pool between my legs and a moan slipped from my lips.

Colour flooded my cheeks when I realized that they were all staring at me. Pressing my thighs together, I shifted from foot to foot.

“B-bathroom,” I croaked.

Draven gave me directions which I instantly followed.

I pushed the door closed, turned the lock, and then sagged against it. Frowning, I pushed a hand into the front of my pants and panties and brushed my fingers along the wetness that coated my sex. Pulling my hand out, I studied it and breathed out a relieved breath when I realized that it wasn’t slick.

The doctor had explained what would happen to my body as it prepared itself for my heat. For a moment I actually feared that she might have been wrong with her calculations.

A soft knock on the door made me jerk upright. I spun around and stumbled away from it as another knock came.

“Sin?” It was the beta. “Are you okay?”

I swallowed and stupidly nodded, only realizing too late that she couldn't see me. Walking over to the faucet, I opened the tap and splashed my face with some cold water. There were no towels, so I used my shirt to dry my face. After sucking in a deep breath and blowing it out, I walked over to the door, unlocked it, and then pulled it open.

She stood there, only a few feet away with a small smile on her lips.

“Are you okay?” she repeated her question. “Did Damian touch you? If he did, I’m going to kick his ass.”

“H-he didn’t,” I whispered.

“Good.” Stepping closer, she held out her hand. “I’m Bella.”

I stared down at her hand. It was clean and it looked soft and a part of me wanted to touch it, but the thought of it made me feel a little sick.

Luckily, I was saved by Draven once again.

“Bella,” he said softly as he stopped next to her. “Sin doesn’t like being touched.”

“Oh.” Bella’s hand dropped. “Sorry. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Can I ask you a favour?” Draven glanced between us. “You’re staying here tonight, right? Can you show Sin to one of the guest rooms and make sure that she has everything she needs? I need to get back to the station.”

“Sure.” She didn’t look happy about it at all.

“Thanks.” Draven looked at me. “Make a list of everything you need, and I’ll take a day off to take you shopping.”

I nodded.

Draven hesitated a few more seconds before he walked away. The silence didn’t last long because he only made it to the front door when his mate started yelling again.

“I told you—”

“She has nowhere to go,” Draven growled.

“Take her to the Omega Centre!” she yelled. “It’s what they’re there for.”

His reply was too low to hear, but a moment later the front door slammed shut.

Bella didn’t comment on what had been said, but she offered to show me my room. I silently followed her up the stairs as I tried to ignore the eyes burning into my back. When we reached the landing, I glanced over my shoulder at Lauren. Our eyes locked for a few seconds before I turned around.

Staying here was going to cause more problems than do any good. Omegas hated it when other omegas invaded their space, especially if they were already bonded.

“Sin?”

My eyes snapped up. I realized that I had stopped following her. “I can’t stay,” I whispered.

Her chocolate brown eyes darted over my face. “Where will you go?”

I shrugged. The center wouldn’t allow me to go back because they wanted me to mingle and find an alpha on my own.

“Is it because of Lauren?” Bella asked. “Don’t mind her. She’s a bitch to everyone. It’s not just you.”

I shook my head. My body jerked when she placed her hand on my arm. Bella instantly pulled her hand away.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I forgot.”

“I-I. . .” I could feel the panic clawing up my throat.

“Do you want some fresh air?”

I nodded.

I needed out of the house, and away from the overwhelming stench of Lauren’s sweet perfume. It was her house and although Draven’s intentions were good he just hadn’t thought things through before he agreed for me to stay here.

“How about a ride to town?”

“No.” I winced when I realized how it sounded. “I don’t want to be around. . .others.”

Bella studied me silently again but this time she had a small smile playing around her lips. “You don’t like being around people, do you?”

I shook my head.

“Me neither.”

“They always stare at me,” I told her, remembering the few times I had been obliged to go on trips to town. “And try to touch me.”

“Where did you stay before?”

I hesitated as I studied her. “You already know.”

Bella’s cheeks flooded with colour, but her stiff nod confirmed my suspicion. The town was small, but not only that, I knew that my story had been plastered all over the news when Draven found me in that room. There wasn’t a person in town that didn’t know my past which was why they always stared, and why some alphas thought they could take advantage of me.

“Come with me.” She turned and walked off in the opposite direction we were headed in, not even pausing to make sure that I followed. “I have an idea, but I need to call my mate before I do anything.”

Curiosity had me following her to what appeared to be her bedroom or a guest room. There was nothing personal in it. Just a bed and other furniture that matched the decor of the house downstairs. All that belonged to Bella was a gym bag that was on the bed.

“I’ll be right back,” she said as she grabbed something from the bag. “I’m just going to make a quick call.” Bella paused at the door and turned to look at me. “You don’t have to stay in here if—”

“I’ll stay,” I interrupted her. “The room smells like you, and I like your scent a lot more than. . .Lauren’s.”

“Oh.” She blinked at me, seeming surprised by my words. “Okay. Uhm. . .I’ll be back.”

I smiled at the door after it closed behind her. I liked her blush, and I liked the fact that she wasn’t like all the others who only stared at me and silently judged me.

But my smile faded when I took a seat on the edge of the bed well away from her bag. Maybe taking the center up on their offer wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

Alpha Jackson was willing to bond me despite all the issues I had and my troubled past. He had said that he would wait, but I didn’t trust him. Jackson was a snake of a man and one of those alphas who took pride in hurting what he owned. If I accepted him as my alpha, I would become property. I’d be a breeding machine with no say of my own.

A shudder raced down my spine. I was not going to be just another omega breeder.