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I don’t remember who that person was, or what I did. I may as well be a virgin, since my transgressions have been pulled from me so thoroughly, I don’t know what forced my mother to commit me.

It’s very difficult to understand, and I often feel as if I’m missing pieces of myself. It doesn’t help my anxiety or the feeling of constantly being off balance.

“Anyway,” Cassidy stresses. “I will admit that being in a space with so many alphas can be overwhelming. I’m glad your mother thought of putting us outside with plenty of ventilation from the fans to help dispel all the pheromones.”

I very much doubt that’s why my mother did that, and I find myself pressing my lips together slightly to remind myself not to say what I’m thinking. It’s become a habit, though not one anyone would notice.

“Please eat something,” Abbott begs. “I can’t enjoy any of this until you do.”

“Same,” Lyle sighs. “It’s taking everything inside of me not to load up your plate because I don’t know what you like.”

“It would help if I knew what some of this was,” I confess, making a few of them relax slightly.

“Well, that is a valid point,” Cassidy murmurs. “Try the strawberry sandwich, and I’ll ask the housekeeper. I can see her peeking out.”

At the widening of my eyes, she shakes her head.

“Oh, I’m blaming my question on Abbott,” she chuckles. “He’s a picky eater anyway.”

Abbott mock glares at Cassidy as she calls over the housekeeper, asking her to explain what everything is. Five minutes later, I’m eating things I’m actually enjoying, and everyone is more relaxed around me.

I don’t know much about alphas. It’s silly since I’m an omega, but I’ve only spent time around my mother’s omega and beta friends and their kids. I’m unused to so much attention, or the fact that they all seem to want to get me what I need as I’m reaching for it.

“What is your favorite thing to do, Nina?” Lyle asks, taking a sip of his tea.

I have no idea.Outside of studying to ensure that I don’t disappoint my mother and exercising, I couldn’t tell you what I enjoy.

“I don’t know if others would think it’s enjoyable, but I like going for a run in the morning and reading outside,” I admit. “It may be hot, but I can’t get enough of how pretty it is out.”

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that,” Lyle sayswith a shrug. “We’re lucky to live in such a beautiful place. Gardens like this aren’t found just anywhere.”

Even though my mother travels with her husband, she loves flowers. I’ll have to give her that. She also hasn’t left at all since I returned home. I still don’t think this counts as actually being a parent, not when she’s parading me around in front of alphas to pack me off.

My eyes travel to the giant tree in the backyard, my lips twitching in memory at how I used to climb it.

“What are you smiling about?” an alpha asks. Glancing at him, my mind reels in panic to find his name.Easton.God, my nerves are going to be so shot by the end of this.

“When I was a little girl, I used to climb that tree,” I say, shrugging. “I may have had a thing for being outdoors even then.”

“I used to give my parents gray hair,” Cassidy admits. “If I could climb, scale, or jump off of it… I would. It’s part of being a kid.”

“I’m surprised your mother would allow that,” Easton says carefully. “She doesn’t seem the type, Nina.”

“She’s not,” I murmur, picking up a mini croissant. “Sometimes, the tree limbs called anyway.”

Easton gazes at me as I take a bite of my pastry before nodding. It feels as if I told him more than I meant to with that sentence. He doesn’t pry any more, and the conversation turns away from the topic of trees and climbing them.

I find that I enjoy having tea with this group, and that it wasn’t as terrible as I thought it would be. They rightly have questions about me, and I respond. Slowly, I find the confidence to ask them in turn, and I can feel their satisfaction as I do.

Alphas want to protect.Somewhere, those words drift through my mind, and I can see it in the way they try to set me at ease as well as ensure that I have enough to eat.

Maybe this won’t be so terrible. I thought being packed up would mean forcing myself to conform to what they wanted meto be. My mother seems to change her personality with each marriage, having multiple people around that I need to please seems impossible.

“Nina,” Cassidy says, pulling me out of thoughts.

I really like her and her pack. I haven’t felt attracted to anyone here, but maybe that takes time? I don’t know much about how attraction works, or if it’s supposed to be instantaneous.

“Yes,” I reply with a smile. I don’t want her to think I’ve retreated completely from the conversation. Sometimes, I just check out and don’t mean any harm by it.