Page 9 of Follow Your Instincts (Fairview City Omegaverse)

“Option two is hiring a professional heat partner. We work with several agencies that employ Alphas for this purpose. You’d have a chance to find an Alpha with a compatible scent and meet them beforehand to make things less awkward.

They are all fully background checked and fitted with teeth caps, of course,” Andreas said.

“Teeth caps?” I asked, bewildered. “What the fuck are teeth caps?”

Steffi and Andreas exchanged a look. “Oh, dear, we really do need the long version,” Steffi said.

Andreas smiled at me. “We’ve been talking about unbonded and unclaimed Omegas. Do you know how that process works? The bonding process?”

“Well, if it involves teeth caps, then obviously I do not,” I replied.

Andreas chuckled. “Alphas and Omegas create bonds through claiming bites. When an Alpha claims an Omega, a bond is formed between them. Like a tether between souls. They’re still researching the science behind it, but I can speak from experience.”

He pulled down his cream colored sweater to show two scarred bite marks on the smooth, dark skin of his neck. “These are two of my bond marks,” he said. “The third one is in a place I’m not allowed to show you in the office.”

I stared at him, dumbfounded. “I thought it was like, signing a document or something.”

Steffi burst out laughing, and I scowled. “Oh, chicken, I don’t mean to laugh at you, but there couldn’t be anything further from signing a document as getting a bond mark.”

“Omegas in heat are known to ask for claiming bites, even if they wouldn’t want one in their normal, non-hormone-addled state of mind,” Andreas said. “Hence the teeth caps on professional heat partners.”

“This shit is fucking weird, guys,” I said and leaned back in my chair, rubbing a hand across my forehead.

“They don’t show this in the porn?” Steffi asked.

“The WHAT?” Andreas said.

“The porn, the Alpha and Omega porn,” Steffi said, exasperated. “Maggie told Kimber she’d watched it before!”

I flushed again. “I mean, I guess I never really watched it all the way to the end of a video,” I said, then started laughing too. My efficient masturbation skills had let me down. “Can we please change the subject?”

We had to give Andreas a moment to catch his breath and stop laughing. “I can’t believe you got Steffi to say ‘porn,’” he said, still gasping. “Okay, okay, option three. Finding a pack.”

“How soon can I find one?” I asked.

“Well, that depends on a few factors,” Andreas said.

“The best way to find potential pack matches is through scent compatibility. We have scent samples from most of the packs in the state, and whichever ones smell the… yummiest are the ones you should be most compatible with on a biological le vel. We’ll also try our best to match you with packs that have similar beliefs and life goals - there’s a questionnaire for that part.

And once you’ve chosen a few packs that seem like good options, we can set up meet and greets.

If and when sparks fly, you’ll start getting to know them. ”

“We used to call it courting,” Steffi said. “But Andreas thinks that’s too old-fashioned.”

Andreas rolled his eyes. “Do you want me to call it courting?” he asked me.

“I really don’t care,” I laughed. How long has it been since I’ve laughed this much? I thought.

“Finding a pack can take a while, which is why we encourage you to consider a professional partner for your first heat. Two and a half months is not a lot of time, and many Omegas do not feel comfortable going through their heat with Alphas they may not end up liking once the pheromones settle down,” Andreas said.

“But, of course, the choice is ultimately yours.”

I nodded, digesting all the information. “So, once I find a pack and we do the whole bonding thing, my perfume will chill out enough that I can be in public without getting mauled by a feral Alpha?”

“I might say that once you find the partners that make your heart sing and you all make the choice to spend the rest of your lives together in blissful harmony, you’ll settle into life as a bonded Omega. But yes, that’s the basic idea,” Steffi said.

“She’s a romantic,” Andreas said and gave her an affectionate pat on the shoulder.

“Not every pack match is based on ooey gooey feelings. A lot of Omegas choose their mates based on more practical considerations, like finances and personal beliefs, rather than the packs that smell the most enticing. Love and harmony still grow in those matches, there’s just fewer fireworks. ”

That sounded like my ideal situation. I could find a pack that would be open to me working as a detective.

I wasn’t so sure about kids, but I wasn’t completely against the idea, so that would be a factor, too.

Nice, easygoing Alphas that would respect my independence, even if the feelings weren’t too strong.

I could probably live with that if it meant continuing my work.

“We can start the pack matching process, no matter what you choose for your first heat, dear,” Steffi said. “But I think that’s quite enough admin for today. Why don’t you go and relax a bit?”

“Ah, actually, one more piece of admin,” Andreas said.

“Since you’ll be staying here, you’ll need to abide by a few rules.

No Alphas on the premises unless they are sanctioned by Steffi or me.

Betas must be approved guests and use the descenter before they enter the property.

And if you’d like to go out, we strongly encourage you to have someone with you at all times, and bring descenter spray with you. ”

“There’s that ‘strongly encourage’ again,” I said wryly. “But I am allowed to leave?”

“Absolutely, dear, you’re not a hostage. We just want you to be safe,” Steffi said.

I nodded and stood up to stretch. “Thank you so much, guys,” I said. “But I have to go outside before I lose my mind.”

I sat out on the lawn for the rest of the afternoon, reading a murder mystery on my phone that I was pretty sure I’d already solved in Chapter 3, and waiting for Kira to show up.

I’d texted her and asked her to bring some essentials back to the Center for me from my apartment.

Steffi had found a soft sweatsuit for me to wear, but I wanted my own clothes.

It was peaceful. Another Omega with long blonde hair was making slow laps around the walking path, but didn’t seem to want to talk. We smiled at each other, though. The weather was perfect for October, crisp but not cold.

One of the perks of growing up in foster care was the ability to shut down the shit I didn’t want to deal with. I could feel the anger boiling inside me, but I kept the lid on tight. I had cried enough yesterday, more than I had in years, and I was sick of feeling so ripped open .

Kira arrived in the early evening with takeout and another duffle bag. Katie, a sweet Beta girl that worked nights at the center buzzed her in. I was waiting for her in the lobby and we stared at each other for a moment.

“Hey, babe,” Kira said softly, then launched herself at me.

So much for no more crying , I said as I let her crash into me and wrapped her in a fierce hug.

Her scent, so familiar, was stronger to me now and no less comforting.

She smelled like the salt on a breeze coming off the ocean and French lavender.

I took a huge whiff of her hair and cried even harder.

“Are you smelling me, you weirdo?” she asked, and her voice was choked up too.

“Sorry,” I said and pulled back to look down at her with a watery smile.

If I’d had to bet on either of us presenting as an Omega, it would’ve been Kira, hands down. She was about 5’4” and had beautiful wavy hair that I’d coveted since the first time I’d seen her at the Rosen’s house.

We were both eight years old, and she’d already been there a couple of years before I arrived.

I remembered seeing her, standing in the living room with Mr. and Mrs. Rosen, all of them smiling.

I hated her on sight. Her pretty brown hair and pretty brown skin, and straight white teeth.

I was already too tall, my hair stuck out in all directions like a frizzy halo, and my pale skin was peeling and burned from the summer sun.

I felt like an ogre while she was the pretty princess of our story.

Except, of course, Kira was just as beautiful inside as out. She immediately ran to me and grabbed my hands. “Wanna play Bratz? I just got new outfits for Cloe, so you can play her if you want,” she said. “Can I braid your hair too? I’m a really good braider.”

Turns out it’s hard to hate someone who really wants to love you.

“I wanna know how you’re doing, but first you should change,” she said and stepped out of my hug. “I brought all the comfy stuff. ”

I laughed and swiped the back of my hand across my tears to wipe them away. Thank god for sisters , I thought.

After changing, Kira and I sat on the floor of my room and divvied up the Indian food she’d brought from Taj, my favorite restaurant in the city.

“This is so fucking good,” I said, moaning, around a mouthful of methi malai matar and garlic naan. My throat swelling had gone down enough to enjoy the food.

“Down, girl. If you moan like that around an Alpha now, they’re gonna cum in their pants or something,” Kira said.

I leaned my head back against the foot of the bed. “Please don’t talk about Alphas right now.”

“You get until the end of dinner, and then reality hits, babe,” she said. “But fine, I’ll tell you all about me instead.”

Kira was a party girl, but only because it was her job.

She worked as a writer for a lifestyle website, and the editors encouraged her to create an “aspirational” online persona to match.

Basically, she was an influencer and had started to get a few brand deals that were more lucrative than the writing she did.

“You missed a fun night out last night,” she said and shoveled in more chicken tikka. “You never come out with meeeeee.”

“Yeah, cause I have a job that requires me to not be hungover to function. And every time I go out with you I feel like shit for like three days after,” I said.

“It’s not my fault you can’t hang,” she said. “Maybe if you came out more often, you wouldn’t be such a baby back bitch.”

I took another bite to give myself time to respond. I definitely wouldn’t be able to go out with her for the foreseeable future. Suddenly, the food I’d been enjoying felt like concrete in my stomach.

Kira sighed. “It’s time for reality, huh?”

I nodded.

She pushed the food to the side. “Switch places,” she said. “I’ll braid your hair. ”

She sat at the foot of the bed, and I stayed on the floor. She started sectioning off pieces, and I closed my eyes against another flood of tears.

“Two braids or one?” She asked, as always.

“Two,” I said and rolled my shoulders to loosen some of the tension in my neck.

This time, I wasn’t sure if the tears were for those two little girls we’d been back then at the Rosen’s, both of us feeling out of place without knowing why, or if it was because I’d lost something I couldn’t name. Freedom , I thought. You lost your freedom.

“Talk to me, babe,” Kira said. “I know you have something to say.”

“I’m fucking pissed,” I said finally. “I’m so fucking angry that I’m afraid to even talk to you about it because I might never stop screaming. It’s not fair.”

“No, it’s not,” Kira said.

“I was doing so fucking good at work, Kir, like so good. I’ve been studying so much, reading up on investigation techniques and old case files.

You know how bad I want this. And now, what, I’m just supposed to give it all up cause my uterus wants Alpha dick?

FUCK that.” I slammed my fist against my thigh.

“I’m not giving up, this is my fucking LIFE. ”

“Good,” Kira said. “You shouldn’t give up.”

“And now I’m stuck here, in this very beautiful house with a bunch of fucking strangers who say ‘oh of course you’re not stuck here, you can go’ but I can’t because if I even look at a hot guy while I’m out there I might cause a fucking riot!”

“Yeah, it’s fucked,” Kira said.

“Can you please stop just agreeing with me like that? It’s making it very hard for me to stay angry,” I said. “I wanna yell at somebody, but there’s nobody to yell at except you and I’m not even mad at you!”

“You can yell at me all night, babe, that’s what sisters are for.” She finished the French braid on the left and started on the right side .

“It’s just not fair,” I said, and my voice cracked again. The anger was replaced by desolation so complete I felt like an unmoored boat being thrashed by a storm.

Kira gave up on the braid and went to sit in front of me again. “Maggie, girl, you gotta take a deep breath,” she said. Dimly, I could tell I was hyperventilating. “Breathe, babe.”

For the second time in two days, I cried until there were no tears left.

“Omega hormones are bullshit,” I finally said into Kira’s shoulder.

“You’re allowed to be upset,” she said. “This is kind of a huge, life-altering thing.”

“I feel like I’m being such a brat,” I said. “Some women fucking dream of being an Omega and I feel ungrateful for feeling like I’ve been sentenced to life in sex prison.”

Kira laughed. “Yeah, sex prison wouldn’t be so bad with the right cellmate.”

“I’m serious, though, I’m not giving up my job,” I said. “Captain said she’s putting me on a leave of absence for now, so I’ve got some time. And I’ve got a plan.”

“Hit me,” Kira said and went to finish the other half of my braid.

“Well, if I want to go back to work, Captain Harcourt said I’ll have to be bonded. So, I’m going to find a pack of nice Alphas, bond with them, and then bam, I’m back. I’ll apply for detective as planned next year, and everything is fine.”

Kira didn’t respond.

“It’s a pretty great plan,” I said.

She finished up the braid and pulled on my shoulder until I faced her. “Bitch, you are too smart to think that’s how easy it’s going to be.”

“Well, why can’t it be that easy?” I asked. “There’s got to be a pack that smells okay and wouldn’t object to their Omega working in law enforcement.”

“Maggie, they are also people,” she said. “You can’t expect people, especially a pack of Alphas, to just fall into place perfectly. Isn’t a bond like a really heavy commitment?”

God, I hated when she was right. “I think it's just like a lifetime of having my soul tethered to theirs. So like, pretty casual.”

Kira laughed and pulled me up to sit on the bed next to her. “Don’t rush into something just to feel like you’re in control,” she said.

“When did you get so smart?” I asked her.

“Bitch, I have a masters degree and you know it.” Kira shoved me so hard I almost slipped off the bed.

“Fuck, I know you’re right,” I said. “But I’m still going to at least try it my way.”

“Good luck with that,” she replied.