Page 8 of Claiming the Pack’s Omega (Riverwell Omegaverse #2)

Reyna

M y keys are cold in my hand as I unlock the door to the garage. I let out a sigh that I can see clouding in the air in front of me. It’s nearly as cold inside my room as it is outside.

I set down my duffel bag full of my heels, makeup, and work outfits by my bed and toss the small paper bag of medicine onto my bedside table.

Theo was kind enough to have some medicine for my fever delivered to the club. I tried insisting on paying for it, but he wouldn’t hear a word about it.

I’m grateful. After Daisy got sick last week, we went through all the medicine I bought for her.

I do feel surprisingly well-rested. Seven hours of straight sleep is a lot more than I’m used to. Usually, I take naps after I’ve gotten my siblings to school, and even if I have a full night, my sleep tends to be pretty restless.

I don’t want to admit it to myself, but sleeping in an alpha’s arms seems to have done something to my brain because I slept like a baby.

I press my hand to my forehead. I still feel pretty feverish. I should take some of that medicine Theo bought me.

I grab the water bottle I keep by my bed and tear open the paper bag. A bottle of fever reducer and pain reliever fall onto my bed, along with a few crisp one hundred dollar bills, and a note.

I stare down at my bed, my brain not processing what I’m looking at.

Did Theo accidentally put what looks like five hundred dollars of cash in the bag? No, of course not. This was on purpose.

I pick up the note.

I’m not stingy with my tips ;)

See you next week

—Theo

I swallow hard, picking up the cash. Even his money is fancy like he only gets fresh new bills whenever he goes to withdraw money from the bank.

My hand lifts to my neck, where the bruises from that other client and that sleazy beta have faded, but the memories linger.

I let an alpha choke me so hard I bruised for five hundred and this alpha is giving me five hundred for just sleeping in the same bed as him.

Actually sleeping. Not even “sleeping” with him.

If his note is any indication, he plans on seeing me again next week. I’ll have to make it up to him. A regular client like him? Who doesn’t expect ridiculous things from me, tips well, and seems to actually view me as a human rather than an omega sex toy?

I didn’t think clients like him existed.

I open the bottles of medicine, peeling back the tamper seals, before popping a few in my mouth and swallowing them with a swig from my water bottle.

Time for a shower. I still have to get all of this makeup off. Probably wasn’t good that I slept in it, but I’ve definitely done worse to my body before. Hopefully, I won’t break out.

I head over to the makeshift bathroom my dad constructed for me last year when I told him I wanted to move out of “room” in the house so my younger brother Eli could have his own space instead of sharing with our sisters.

That room was a converted closet, so there was barely any space in the first place, but Eli is still twelve, so he’s got a couple of years before that room really starts to feel cramped.

I moved into the garage over the summer, so I didn’t realize how goddamned cold it would be out here during the winter, but I’m not going to complain. Savannah actually has room inside the bedroom she shares with Daisy for a desk for her to study at and Eli actually has privacy.

That seems to be a general theme of my life. I’m willing to put up with a lot for my family.

After a scalding hot shower, I change into an old, threadbare baggy t-shirt, a clean hoodie, and a thick pair of sweatpants and head up to the main part of the house.

Savannah stands at the kitchen stove, cooking what looks like eggs and bacon.

“Shit, Sav, you didn’t have to start cooking breakfast! That’s my job!” I say.

“I’m fifteen, I’m not a kid anymore, I can cook us breakfast.” She looks up at me, her eyes going wide. “You kinda look like shit.”

“Savannah Alice Carver, that’s not a nice thing to say to your sister,” our mom says, flying into the kitchen, her dark brown hair piled atop her head in a messy bun.

“Don’t worry about it, Mom,” I laugh, leaning against the counter. “I feel like shit, so it makes sense.”

“Here’s your toast, Mom,” Savannah says, taking a couple of slices of toast from the toaster and handing them to her. “And I didn’t mean Rey looks bad, I just meant she doesn’t look like she feels too good.”

“Thank you, sweetie.” Mom grabs her toast from Sav, glancing at the clock and cursing under her breath.

If she rushes, she won’t be late for work, but today is definitely an “eat toast while she drives to the diner” kind of morning.

She stops in front of me, her eyes drawing down in concern. “Savannah is right, you don’t look well.”

“Yeah, I’m running a fever. I think I caught whatever Daisy had last week.”

“Oh no! I can pick up medicine on my way back from work? I got paid on Friday so?—”

“No need, Mom, don’t worry about it,” I say, flashing her a reassuring smile. “I got some medicine on the way back home.”

Her brows draw down in concern. “I’ll give you the money when I get back from work.”

“Seriously, it’s okay, I had someone tip me really well last night at the bar.”

Someone did tip me really well. Just not at the bar. But she doesn’t need to know that.

“I’m just going to take it easy today, try and get some rest and stuff,” I say, trying to reassure her. “You should focus on getting to work on time, you don’t want to piss off your boss.”

“You’re right,” Mom sighs. “I just worry, it’s my job to worry.”

She leans in and kisses my cheek before heading out of the kitchen.

“Daisy! Eli! Breakfast is ready!” Savannah yells.

The two of us start plating up our breakfast.

“Rey!” Daisy says, running into the kitchen in her long-sleeved, button-up, cartoon strawberry pajamas. “Good morning!”

“Good morning, Daisy,” I say, patting her on her head. She takes after our dad, with her adorable curly ringlets of auburn hair, though Dad keeps his hair cropped short so it’s easier to get engine grease out of it. “Can you help bring this plate over to the dining table? This is yours.”

“Yeah!” She says, practically bouncing at the opportunity to help.

“Morning,” Eli, our brother, says as he joins us.

“Morning, Eli,” I answer. “Could you grab some forks for us?”

“Sure,” he yawns. “By the way, the wifi is down. Could you check it out?”

“Is it? I paid it on time,” I huff. “I’ll check it out after breakfast.”

“You should rest,” Savannah says to me, setting down our plates. “Eli can wait a few hours before playing his video games. You worked overtime last night.”

I work my ass off so that I can afford to get my siblings some small comforts, like the handheld video game console I bought for Eli’s tenth birthday. It has a small crack on the screen, but I’d say it’s well worth the ninety dollars I spent on it.

If I’m willing to work to make them happy and try and give them some semblance of a childhood that I never really got, then of course I’d be willing to spend time to fix something that’s broken.

“I’d rather just get it out of the way,” I shrug. “Plus, you’ll probably need the wifi back on to turn in your homework before you go to school tomorrow, right?”

“I turned in all my homework for the week on Friday,” she says.

“Not surprising, you’re a genius.” I start digging into the plate of eggs, bacon, and toast in front of me and sigh, relaxing into the rickety wooden chair I’m sitting in. I may have gotten sleep, but I haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday. I guess I didn’t realize how hungry I was until now.

“I can take care of lunch, then, if you’re going to fix the wifi now,” Savannah offers. “That way you can get some actual good rest.”

“You seriously don’t have to.”

Savannah gives me a look. A look far too wise for her age. I’ve spent so long trying to make sure my younger siblings get a normal childhood where they don’t have to worry about the shit that I have to worry about, but I guess I’m not doing a good enough job.

“Fine,” I sigh. “But I’m getting you that test prep book I know you’ve been eyeing. I can buy it new, too, so you don’t have to spend hours erasing someone else’s answers.”

“What? Really? But that thing is fifty bucks, new!”

“I made good money last night. I’ll order it online later today when the wifi is back up, how about that?”

“Thank you! Oh my god, I’ve seriously wanted it, it has sixteen practice tests!”

“Nerd,” I cough into my food, shooting my sister a wink.

“Shut up,” Savannah rolls her eyes.

After we finish breakfast, I’m sitting on the floor in the living room with my brother staring at the wifi router.

“Do you have any idea what’s going on?” I mutter

“Nope,” he shrugs. “But I’m twelve. You’re the adult, isn’t that your job to know?”

“Believe it or not, I don’t know everything. I just pay for this shit. You’d think with the amount of money I spend a month, it wouldn’t just break like this.”

“Can you ask anyone?”

That’s a better question than his last one, but the answer is I don’t know anyone. I don’t talk to very many people other than my family.

“I’ll figure it out,” I sigh. “You should work on your homework first though, the stuff you can do without the wifi. That way when it comes back on you can just play those games you want.”

He pouts a bit, but luckily, he listens to me. I’m not in the mood for a homework fight right now.

“Alright, thanks, Rey,” Eli says.

“You’re welcome, kiddo.”

I pull out my phone and go to an online forum, taking a quick picture of the router and making a post.

My wifi is broken and idk what’s going on??

Hopefully, someone answers.