Page 12 of Follow Your Instincts (Fairview City Omegaverse)

Maggie

T he weekend passed quietly. I spent time outside with Bridget, who was content to walk in companionable silence around and around the walking path.

I was curious about her story, but I figured she’d open up when she was ready.

Bridget told me she had already been at the Center for over a year and hadn’t even started the scent-matching process.

We had a little going-away brunch for Elizabeth on Sunday morning before her pack arrived. Steffi cried when she left, and I caught a glimpse of five huge Alphas in denim and plaid embracing Elizabeth before bundling her into the waiting Sprinter van.

My first pack meeting was on the following Tuesday.

Kira had taken off work to come over and help me get ready.

She blow-dried my hair with a diffuser until my hair hung in shiny ringlets and waves.

She bullied me into wearing makeup, which I never did, and forced me into a long-sleeved blue dress that was way too tight.

“Girl, what is the point of working out to have this amazing ass if you don’t show it off?” Kira said when I threatened to take it off. “Stop complaining and accept that you are hot.”

I did have to admit that she did good work. “I look like a different person,” I said, examining myself in the mirror.

“You look like the reality TV version of yourself,” Kira said.

There were five minutes until the pack showed up, and suddenly everything was way too real. “Do you think if I told Steffi I had really bad diarrhea, we could just cancel?”

“Oh hell no, I did not just blow dry your hair for 40 minutes for you to back out now. You’re going,” she said and poked me in the back until I started walking down the hall towards the meeting room.

Andreas turned and wolf-whistled as we came down the hall. “Gorgeous,” he said.

“Thanks,” Kira and I said together. Andreas laughed.

“Hurry, dear, let’s get you in the meeting room,” Steffi said and ushered me to a chair facing the double french doors. “They’ll be here any minute.”

Kira winked and gave me a little thumbs up before going back down the hall to my room to wait.

Andreas sprayed descenter in the hallway and lobby, then joined Steffi and me.

“Which pack is this one?” I asked.

“I’m not going to tell you, you’re not supposed to be biased,” he said.

The buzzer for the front door sounded. My adrenaline spiked, and I took a deep breath, and reminded myself that I could do way harder things than meeting new people.

I had once arrested a man so out of his mind on Angel Dust that he was using two meat forks like Wolverine claws.

This would be way easier than that. Calm down , I yelled internally.

“What was wrong with them?” Kira asked 30 minutes later when I finally made it back into my room, muttering under my breath. I stripped off the dress immediately and pulled on leggings and an oversized t-shirt.

“Oh, nothing was wrong with them ,” I seethed.

“Apparently, everything was wrong with me ! Didn’t I know I was a bit old for an Omega?

Didn’t I know that the reason Omegas present in their early twenties is because they needed as much time as possible in their prime fertile years to produce other little Alphas and Omegas? ”

I took a breath, and Andreas tapped on the door before cracking it open.

“And you ,” I said, pointing at him. “I thought your little questionnaire was supposed to match me with compatible packs! What the fuck was that?”

Andreas lifted his hands in mock surrender. “I never said it was a foolproof system! That’s why we do these meetings,” he said.

“Well I never want to see those fucking assholes again,” I said.

“Noted,” Andreas said, holding back a laugh.

“It’s not funny!” I yelled, and then suddenly found myself choking back tears. “And great now I’m fucking crying again over a bunch of Alpha fuckheads that didn’t even smell that good!”

“Babe, no, don’t cry,” Kira said and hugged me with my arms still stuck down by my sides as I sobbed.

“One of them was literally named Chad,” I said, and then I wasn’t sure if I was laughing or crying.

“Can you please keep it down?” Jess complained from the door. She peered in at Kira and me with a sneer. “Oh, did the pack meeting not go well?” she asked mockingly. “I’m shocked.”

“What the fuck is wrong with her?” Kira asked as Jess turned to leave.

“I think she’s really angry, too,” I replied.

I didn’t bother dressing up for the next pack meeting.

I did make sure my hair was somewhat tamed and wore clothes that Kira deemed “acceptable”, but that was it.

Getting dolled up just put too much pressure on everything.

Plus, I was never going to dress up like that all the time, so I didn’t want to give anyone the wrong idea .

The second pack was a huge improvement. There were only three in their pack and they were all very polite and sweet.

Matt, their pack leader, brought me flowers.

He seemed like a gym rat from the way he filled out his tight t-shirt and was handsome in a friendly kind of way; short brown hair and hazel eyes that crinkled at the corners when he smiled. He smelled like apple cider and cloves.

Oliver was thinner than Matt and East Asian. He had a gorgeous British accent and perfectly coiffed hair. He smelled like pineapple with a hint of green chili. “Your scent is lovely,” he said, and the smile he gave me had something spicy lurking underneath as well.

Reese was built like a lumberjack and had long dark hair and a red beard like a Viking. His scent came out of left field: sweet vanilla and strawberry. It was tooth-achingly sweet, and that, along with his shy smile, endeared me to him immediately.

Unlike the first meeting, they asked me questions about myself. “You’re a cop?” Matt asked, and there was no disbelief in his tone. “That’s great!”

“Yeah, I think so, too,” I said and smiled in relief.

We talked for an hour, and by the end of the meeting, I was sold. Three sweet, handsome guys who seemed to have no problem with me maintaining my career? Sign me up.

I gave each of them a hug before they left, and their scents were calming. Reese picked me up off my feet for an extra squeeze, and I laughed, blushing, when he set me back down.

“Well?” Andreas asked once they had walked out the front door. “Did I redeem myself?”

“I’m sorry I ever doubted you,” I said. “Go ahead and do whatever paperwork you need to do for the dating thing.”

Steffi looked worried. “Dear, you have another pack to meet! The one that you had such a strong reaction to, as well.”

“Yeah, I know, but I’ve made up my mind,” I said. “They’re sweet, handsome, and I like them. They seemed fine with me continuing to work. They’re perfect.”

“I believe the word you’re looking for is ‘uncomplicated’, not perfect,” Steffi said.

“Uncomplicated is perfect,” I said.

“No, perfect is perfect,” Steffi said stubbornly. “You’re going to meet with that last pack, chicken. I made Andreas save them for last on purpose, and you’re not going to ruin things by making a rash decision!”

“There’s no point,” I said. “I’m not changing my mind.”

“Then just meet with them, dear. It would be so unkind to cancel on them now,” she said.

I looked to Andreas for support. “Sorry, but I’m with Steffi on this one,” he said.

“I’m not happy with either of you right now, and I’m going to make sure Austin doesn’t give you any of the cookies we made today,” I said and stalked to the kitchen to make good on my threat.