Page 54 of Dream Mates (Into The Parallel Omegaverse #2)
Creed took a sip of coffee and grinned. “Ah, yes, because you’re being courted. Where are you going?”
“We’re going to tour a farm that’s a bourbon distillery and have a sunset picnic. I’m excited.” My shoulders wiggled happily.
A hand went to Verity’s heart. “You’re being courted. Oh, that’s so sweet. I think I know where you’re talking about. It’s popular for weddings. Now, is he a physicist too? You’re at the conference together, or did he just come to keep you company?”
“I’m a theoretical mathematician, and I work for his company. He surprised me with the trip because I wanted to see the particle cutter over at PIIP.” My head ducked a little. “I thought it was pretty romantic.”
“It is. Show Verity a picture of him.” Creed’s grin widened.
I gave him a look as I found the picture of Spence and I from the science dinner. “That’s Spencer.”
“That dress,” she breathed. “That’s a Vecci from their new collection. And he’s… wait, is that…” Verity exhaled. “You’re being courted by Spencer Thanukos? ”
“I am.” My shoulders danced again. “I also work for Compass BioTek.” Might as well lay it out.
Verity looked at her brother. “Why would Ina want you to meet someone from Compass BioTek? Are you trying to give the parents a heart attack?”
Creed’s look went impassive. “Graduation is soon, and I want to get my own job, not work for Strauss. Compass BioTek is a top company hiring people in my field. They’re doing great things and treat their employees well.”
“You applied for the job. I… good for you… but there will be fallout if you get it and take it. It’s also far away.” Verity winced. “Our parents don’t like Compass BioTek. You work there? Did you walk into his office and there was sizzle? Sorry, I read too many boss romances.” She giggled.
“Me, too.” I laughed. “Have you read Assistant to the Boss? We’re reading it for book club and so far it’s great. Very spicy, but fantastic.” Maybe I’d finish it tomorrow while lying on the beach.
“Is that the one with the omega boss and the alpha assistant?” Her eyes gleamed. “It’s in the pile for after I finish this project I’m working on. You’re in a smutty book club? Yes, please.”
“I haven’t gone to a meeting yet, but it sounded like a fun way to make some friends since I’m new in town.”
“I’ve got a couple of good titles to suggest,” she said. “Can I text them to you?”
“Sure.” I didn’t see any issue with Verity having my number. She seemed nice.
“So, how did you meet? Courted by the billionaire. There’s a novel right there.” Verity giggled.
“I think I’ve read that one,” I laughed.
“He’s packmates with my mates. The first time we met I was standing in the kitchen, in PJs, arguing with one of the other alphas.
” I pulled up the picture from my birthday.
“There’s my mate Wes, and my mate Evan, and that’s Evan’s little sister Riley, she’s part of the pack, too.
Then there’s Jett, Brennan, and of course, Spencer. ”
“I’m so happy for you. You have two mates in the pack? Are they physicists? Why didn’t they come?” She looked around. “I’m a little nervous about you being here without anyone.”
I waved that off. “I’m fine. While my mate Wes works with me, he’s in cybersecurity and has work to do. Evan’s an advocate for the Omega Center. And Spencer is nearby at a meeting, he’s just not on campus.”
“Evan, that giant one, is not an alpha?” Verity asked, studying the picture.
“Nope, he’s an omega.”
Verity fanned herself with her hand. “That teddy bear of a man is an omega? How do I get me a giant omega hunk? Mmm mmmm mmmmmmm. I had no idea they made them in extra-large and I do like my guys taller than me. Please tell me that he has a younger brother?”
Creed snorted. “Verity has a thing for big guys. And yeah, I didn’t know they made them that big either.”
Oh? Omegas tended to be on the small side, guys included, while most alpha females were not. I could see how Evan’s size might make him especially tasty. Also, Verity was taller than any of the alpha females I’d met so far. She was probably six-foot without her heels.
“He’s the only boy. But, yeah.” My grin went dopey. “While I love Wes with all my heart, Evan was everything I never knew I needed.”
And Spencer was everything I never knew I wanted.
“Cybersecurity? How did you meet? He came to fix your computer on your first day at work?” Verity asked. “Or did you have a one night stand in a bar and realized the next day that he was your new supervisor–Oooh, or did you yell at him in the parking lot?”
I laughed because I loved all those tropes. “I just started at Compass a few weeks ago. Spence got me the job after I moved here to be with Wes. I’ve actually known Wes since I was ten.”
“Ten?” Her hand went to her heart. “Friends to lovers? Wait, no, that would be childhood love, right? Playground?”
“The park–I told him I was going to marry him the first time I met him.” I grinned.
“That’s so romantic. Wait, you told him you were getting married when you were ten? Are you scent matches? I’ve heard that scent matches can happen before you ever awaken.” Her hands waved around as she talked.
I nodded. “We are.”
“Awww. But why are you just coming to be with their pack now? I’m guessing you recently finished your PhD. Could you not get into a program in your field near them?” she pressed.
“It’s a complicated story.” I sighed.
“Sorry, not trying to pry. It’s tough getting into a PhD program. It’s just that I find stories of scent matches fascinating, given I grew up with the story of Dad and Mumsy colliding at a conference.” She grinned.
“Really? A chemistry one?” I giggled. Finding chemistry at a chemistry conference. I’d read that.
Creed nodded. “Yep. Mom, Mumsy, and Baba were all PhD students and really good friends. They’d talked about forming a pack but–”
“Baba met Mama. She was an undergrad at their school. He was in love with her and wanted to marry her. But Mom and Mumsy didn’t really like her because she was a beta, and just a French literature major.
I know. Insufferable, right?” Verity laughed.
“Baba was debating whether he wanted to marry Mama or form a pack with his besties.”
“Meanwhile,” Creed continued, “Mumsy was doing a presentation at the conference and just generally in a bad mood. Dad was an undergrad at another university. He was nervous because he was also part of a presentation.”
“They literally collided in the hall. Mumsy’s stuff went everywhere, and Dad apologized and helped her pick it up even though she was telling him off. Then they looked at each other and froze. Because, boom.” Verity clapped her hands together. “They knew.”
Creed nodded. “Mumsy was pissed. She was considering moving back to England after she finished her PhD if they weren’t going to form a pack.
Mom was mad because she had this whole idea in her head about her, Mumsy, and Baba going to the Center and filling out an application to be matched with an omega.
She doesn’t like it when her plans go off the rails. ”
“Mama was also at the conference, though she was there with Baba just for fun, and she adored Dad. By the end of the conference, Mumsy had come around to the fact that she’d found her omega.
Mom was attracted to him, too. They decided that even if Baba didn’t want to be part of their pack, they’d start one, since you only needed three people in their state.
So, they brought Dad to his apartment, packed him up and took him back to theirs–even though they lived across the country,” Verity said.
“Wasn’t he still getting his degree?” I tried to fathom knowing that fast and making such a decision like that so quickly.
“Oh, he was. But those alpha instincts when you first meet your omega can hit you hard , and Mom and Mumsy wouldn’t let him out of their sight.
They can also be obstinate and overbearing–and it’s always Mom’s way or the causeway.
Dad was so besotted that he just went along with everything.
So, even though they’d only known each other a few days, Dad gave up everything and moved in with them, and transferred universities,” Creed added.
“It was intense and a bit of a mess. Because Dad just picked up and left, with just a few texts and emails. Mama was actually the one who did things like help Dad formally transfer universities with minimal credit loss.” Verity laughed.
“Eventually, because Mama and Dad had such a friendship, and Baba and Mama were going forward with being married, Mom and Mumsy came to terms with it and the five of them formed a pack.”
I finished off my coffee. “As nice as it is that they found their mates, this sounds like an anecdote for why the Center should be involved in these things.”
Wow. To meet your mate and it be so intense that you dropped everything, including your classes, and moved ? That was wild.
“Yep. When we were little, they kept it light and cute. We’re told the whole story when we’re older so that we understand how not to fuck everything up,” Verity added.
Creed nodded. “It was a huge mess. A lot of things might have gone smoother had they taken time to actually get to know each other before mating. So many things got dropped in the whirlwind, too. The biggest thing was Dad’s girlfriend.”
My belly turned. He’d had a girlfriend? Poor girl.
“This was where an advocate might have been helpful–and where the story gets sad,” Creed continued.
“They lived together. She was away when Mom and Mumsy moved him out. Dad was so caught up in emotions and hormones that he literally just texted Found my alphas, bye. He left no forwarding address. When she tried to get ahold of Dad, Mom and Mumsy got possessive and kept them apart. They got him a new phone number, had him change his email, take down his social media, and basically he cut himself off from everyone but his immediate family.”