Page 22 of Broken Alpha (Unwanted #1)

Following the scent of coffee, I found Luke at the stove.

The sound of eggs and breakfast meat grilling echoed through the room as the coffee pot sputtered out the last of its brew.

On the kitchen bar that overlooked the living space was a vase, the bouquet of daisies he had given me the night before resting inside with clean water.

I don’t remember grabbing them from the car, which could only mean Luke went out to get them at one point.

In front of one of the chairs sat the blue daisy that I had in my hair, wilted but still alive enough to press it if I wanted to.

“Coffee mugs are in the cupboard above the machine, and creamer is in the fridge. If you like to froth your creamer, the frother is in the cupboard with the mugs.” Luke said when he noticed me, a smile on his face.

The whole moment felt rather domesticated to me, and I couldn’t help but smile, moving into the kitchen to discover that Luke had a serious mug problem upon opening the cupboard.

It had two shelves, and every inch of it was stacked with mugs of various designs, sizes, and widths.

Some had Halloween themes, others had Christmas, with a random seasonal one thrown in for good measure.

Some had no design and were simply a solid color but rounded to fit in one's hand perfectly.

There were even a few that I would deem too small for coffee; anything below 18 fluid ounces was a water cup and should not be used to siphon the life-giving liquid into my system.

They were fine for tea or even hot chocolate, but I need large cups for coffee.

I selected a teal mug for myself and a white one with a raised pumpkin on it for Luke before pulling out the frother.

I didn’t own one myself, but my parents did, and I was a sucker for frothed cream on top of my coffee, and it was one of my favorite parts about heading home for the holidays.

That reminds me, I must let them know I will come home late this year due to my heat.

I wonder what Luke is doing for Christmas.

Does his family live in town? Ignoring my thoughts, I move behind Luke to the fridge, unable to resist the urge to trace my hand across his lower back before grabbing the creamer, grinning at the pumpkin spice flavor.

“Ah, I see you’re a basic bitch too.” I teased.

“What can I say? It’s not fall without it. Can you please make enough foam for both of us? Just fill the frother to the max line.”

Nodding, I filled the frother to the line as directed.

I started the machine while Luke began to plate breakfast, setting the dishes on the island next to each other.

When the machine had done its job, I poured our coffees before topping them off with the thick, fluffy spiced foam and took them to the island before taking a seat.

As Luke sat down, I moved my portion of bacon to his plate before taking a sip of coffee, moaning at the bliss sliding down my throat.

Very few things were better than the first sip of good morning coffee.

“Don’t like bacon?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Not really. I’ll eat it if I have to, like if it’s already in something, but if I can, I’ll substitute it.”

“I don’t know if I can be with a sinner and a heathen.”

“One of us is a teacher who is sleeping with his student. We’re already sinners. However, you’re looking at this all wrong. If I dislike bacon, that means more for you.”

Luke stared at me for a moment before bursting outwards in laughter that rumbled in his chest. “Touché.”

We ate in comfortable silence. We didn’t feel the need to talk as we enjoyed the morning, but we were both acutely aware that our time together was coming to an end.

The kitchen clock mocked us, loudly ticking away the seconds we had left.

I hated that clock. Who owns an analog clock these days anyway?

I wasn’t aware I had been bouncing my knee on the bar stool until Luke reached over, resting his hand on my thigh to settle me.

“Did you know I wasn’t even supposed to be in your class?

” I rambled absentmindedly, unable to stop the influx of word vomit that flowed from my lips.

“I had my first heat at seventeen. Both my parents are Betas and couldn’t prepare me properly.

Obviously, they knew what a heat was, but there was essentially nothing they could do, and being seventeen, sex wasn’t an option since we didn’t want to risk a pregnancy so young.

The suppressants didn’t work, and I was lucid enough for my first that I was aware of how much pain I was in and how scared I was.

I begged my mom to stop it from hurting while I was curled in bed, crying.

I felt alone, and no one knew what to do.

My mom worked with another Omega who had an Omega daughter around my age.

Typically, when an Omega goes into heat, we rarely want another Omega near us unless they’re pack.

Our Omega brains see them as a threat, and we don’t want to fight for the attention of a potential mate, so my parents didn’t know what would happen if they invited this strange Omega into my space.

Having her close by, helping me through my heat and soothing me, calmed my fear.

It did nothing for the pain, but I came out of it better than if she hadn’t been there.

“When I was born, my parents knew I was an Omega, but at the time of my birth, little was known about dominants and recessives, so it didn’t really occur to the doctors and nurses to test for those.

After my heat, my mother booked an appointment, and we found out I had the dominant markers.

I will never forget what that Omega did for me, and I wanted to be that for someone else.

While it’s not a common practice, clinics are opening up positions for Omega specialists that can help the newer generation through their heats.

There is always the potential for rejection, and generally speaking, suppressants work.

But there is a chance that they won’t, and there is a chance there are more like me out there.

So I took a minor degree in nursing with a focus on Omega studies. ”

I turned to Luke to find him staring at me, focusing on my words.

His hand had slipped into mine, our fingers intertwining.

He said nothing, allowing me to explain why I was in his class.

Taking his class had been by chance, something I had done for me.

I couldn’t get over how well chance or fate lined up perfectly for me for last night even to happen.

I took a sip of coffee before continuing.

“Your class wasn’t on the list for my degree that the advisor gave me.

Erik wants to be a psychologist, which is why he’s taking it.

I remember reading the syllabus and summary of your class in the handbook, and I decided to take the class for myself.

I knew how the Omega brain worked, but I wanted to see it explained from an Alpha’s point of view.

I thought that if I took the class, I could better understand how the world sees us and how I could use that to help those I’d be in charge of.

Prepare them better for a world where they’re viewed as a hindrance to society and lesser than others.

The majority of the world thinks the way Betas and Alphas do of us Omegas, as nothing more than weak baby factories, so I wanted to see what the biology and psychology of it being taught by an Alpha would be like. ”

“And?” Luke asked. There was an odd look on his face, one that I couldn’t place. I could tell he was holding his breath, worried about how I would critique his class and inadvertently judge him. I gripped his hand tightly, giving him a soft smile.

“I expected you to be aggressive in teaching. Most Alphas are and do, in fact, push the narrative that we’re the weaker beings and should spend our lives in submission.

There are some people in the world who believe that if you go into heat at seventeen, then you’re old enough to find a pack and start breeding, regardless of the age of consent.

It’s been a fight in the Supreme Court for nearly a decade, and with more and more presenting earlier than expected, it’s become a hot topic.

So imagine my surprise when I found a class taught by someone unbiased who treated designations as equals and spent the same amount of time on both sides.

You allow fair debates, and you teach in a way that makes us think and even open the floor to critical thinking.

Even if a silly Alpha didn’t appreciate an Omega stepping in.

I don’t know why your class wasn’t offered to me, and I’m trying not to take it personally.

I’m trying not to think it’s because I was an Omega.

This is just a long way of saying that I’m happy I’m in your class.

I don’t know what the future will be for us, but for now, I’m happy. ”

“I wanted to teach the facts, even if it went against the common belief. I don’t know if I believe in fate either, despite the fact that I’ve been thinking more and more about fated mates.

I don’t know if I believe in the idea; it’s one I've never entertained. But you being in my classroom, you echo every fear and worry that I possess as well, and me being who I am, it just makes too much sense. It’s too coincidental.

I’m not saying that to rush anything or force you into an uncomfortable position.

I want to take our time still, but everything's adding up in ways I never thought possible.”

“What do you mean ‘me being who I am’?” I tilted my head, turning to look at Luke directly. He bowed his head, avoiding my eyes.