Page 25 of Follow Your Instincts (Fairview City Omegaverse)
Maggie
T rue to her word, Captain Harcourt sent her Omega out to the Center to visit me. It was late October, and the days were starting to get shorter and shorter. Rosie arrived at the Center just as the sun was starting to set.
The last thing I wanted to do was go to a weird dinner with my boss’s partner, but it seemed like a bad career move to say no. I put on a decent outfit, and Bridget helped me tame my curls into something manageable. I felt like I was going on a blind date.
“Oh, Rosie, my dear, it’s so lovely to see you,” Steffi said, greeting her warmly. “You look wonderful.”
“Thanks, you too,” Rosie said and hugged Steffi.
“This place hasn’t changed at all,” she said, smiling, then turned to me.
She was even shorter than Jess and had wavy brown hair that fell past her tiny waist. I was immediately jealous of her petiteness and curves.
Her scent of vanilla and strawberry was subtle and sweet.
“Hi, Maggie, it’s nice to meet you,” she said with genuine warmth.
“You too,” I said, trying not to sound too wary.
“Should we go get some dinner?” She asked. “There’s a great Cuban place near here; they have the most delicious tres leches.”
“Sure,” I said, still trying to figure out why she was there beyond some sense of obligation from Harcourt.
We decided to walk the ten minutes to the restaurant, bundled up against the chilly night air. The restaurant was small and quiet, and we were two of only six customers.
“So, how are you doing?” Rosie asked after we sat down.
“I’m okay,” I said.
“Alice said you were pretty pissed the night you presented,” she said, giving me a penetrating look.
It took me a moment to realize “Alice” must have been Harcourt’s first name. “Yeah, I was angry. I am angry,” I conceded. “It just seems incredibly unfair to give up my entire life.”
Rosie nodded. “I understand the feeling. I presented unexpectedly, too, which is how I ended up at the Center. I was adopted, and my poor parents had no idea what to do to help me find a pack. I was twenty when I presented, and I was so angry. I had to drop out of college because back then, there weren't online classes like there are now. My girlfriend dumped me because she knew I’d need a pack and couldn’t stand the thought of me with anyone else. My whole life was turned upside down.”
“That sounds familiar,” I said. The waiter brought us ham and cheese croquetas, and we took a few moments to enjoy the first hot bites.
“But I entered the match process and met Alice, Greg, and Fitz, and everything started to make sense,” she said around a mouthful. “We courted for a few months, but I knew right away that they were my pack.”
My stomach twisted. Had I lost my only chance at that kind of connection?
“Have you had any luck with the matching process?” she asked.
“Um. Kind of,” I said. “I found a pack that I’m scent compatible with. But the first time I spent time with the whole pack, things got weird.”
“Weird how? Sex dungeon weird?”
I barked a laugh. “You should meet my sister Kira, that’s the same thing she asked.
And no, it got interpersonal conflict weird.
One of the pack members, the leader, actually, freaked out when he saw me kissing Ben.
He started growling and grabbed Ben’s shoulder.
Lucas, he’s super tall, got him to snap out of it.
But it was like he got territorial over Ben, like he didn’t want me kissing him.
And he doesn’t seem very interested in me. ”
“Huh. That is weird. But it doesn’t sound like he’s not interested. It could be he was jealous of Ben touching you ,” Rosie said.
I shook my head. “Trust me, that’s not it.”
“Do you like these guys?” she asked.
“I think so. I don’t really know them, but they seem pretty great. Most of them anyway,” I grumbled.
“Well, there’s an easy way to fix it,” Rosie said. “You could try talking to them about it.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, super easy.”
“I’m serious. If you’re going to be part of a pack, even if it’s not this one, you have to learn to communicate about the awkward stuff. Shutting down doesn’t help at all. Trust me. I learned that the hard way.”
“So, what, just call them and be like ‘Hey, let’s talk about the weird thing that happened in your kitchen when I was making out with Ben?’” I said sarcastically.
“I mean, yeah,” Rosie said with a laugh. “Seems like the easiest way to do it.”
I scoffed.
“Do whatever you want. But I’d at least talk to them before you give up so easily,” Rosie said.
I stewed on Rosie’s advice the rest of the night and barely slept. Would they even want to talk to me again after I ghosted them for almost two weeks ?
If only I could stop thinking about them, this would be so much easier.
By the time morning rolled around, I had made up my mind. I’d call Ben and see if they wanted to meet somewhere for coffee the next day. Neutral territory was key. We could try and clear the air, and I could ask Lachlan, politely, what the hell his problem with me was.
And if it didn’t work out I could at least draw a line under the whole thing and hopefully stop perfuming whenever I thought about them. Even stupid, annoying Lachlan.
Steffi tracked me down at breakfast to give me my mail. It was the usual collection of bills and junk mail that was delivered to a P.O. box before being brought to the Center. Except for one envelope that Steffi handed over separately. “This one looks a little special,” she said, winking.
It was hand-addressed to me at the Center, with Pack Murray as the return address. They wrote me a letter? I thought.
I slipped outside into the brisk morning air of the courtyard to read it. I didn’t want to endure Jess’s contempt if she saw I had an honest-to-god letter from a pack.
And not just a letter. A handwritten letter.
Dear Maggie,
I hope you’ll forgive me for reaching out uninvited, but I figured a letter would be best since you can easily throw it away unread if you want.
First, I want to apologize for the way I acted when you visited our home.
I don’t have much of an explanation beyond the fact that our pack has never experienced true scent compatibility with an Omega before, and my instincts got the best of me.
It was never my intention to make you uncomfortable, especially in light of your recent assault by an Alpha. Again, I am sincerely sorry.
That’s the most important part of this letter. If you’ve read this far, feel free to throw it away now or burn it if you want.
At the risk of seeming delusional to the point of insanity, considering how our last meeting ended, I am extending an invitation to another one on whatever terms you’d accept.
Ben is beside himself, missing you, Soren is even more monosyllabic than usual, and Lucas has stopped cooking.
Even though the connection was brief, I believe they have all felt it deeply, and I would be doing my pack a disservice if I didn’t try to reopen the door to a deeper one.
And I would love the chance to get to know you better if you’ll allow it. As well as repeat this apology, wholeheartedly, in person.
There is absolutely no pressure to respond. We will respect your decision, and this will be the last time any member of the pack reaches out to you without your express desire.
If you do want to try again, you know how to reach us.
Yours sincerely,
Lachlan Murray
I laughed out loud in pure disbelief when I finished reading it, then immediately reread it three times.
I had to hand it to him. It was a good letter.
The idea that Ben, Soren, and Lucas might be missing me was gratifying since I was still fighting the urge to burrow into my bed at the thought of never seeing them again. I also appreciated Lachlan’s attempt at an olive branch.
Luckily, I’d already decided to call Ben. Or else I might have had to admit the letter was very persuasive.
I read the letter one more time, like a heroine in a Victorian novel. A letter . No one had ever written me one and my heart sang with a secret thrill. It made me feel special. And my inner Omega liked that very much.
He doesn’t see you that way , I thought sternly. But I folded up the letter and held it to my nose. Sure enough, a hint of Lachlan’s whiskey scent still clung to the page.