Page 4 of Omega's Formula

By the time I get back to my room, I’m so tired that I can hardly see straight. I don’t get changed. I don’t eat. I just collapse straight onto my bed and pass out.

I wake in a panic when my phone buzzes. It’s completely dark and I’m fully dressed. I’d been sleeping so deeply that for a moment, I am completely confused as to where I am. Even so, muscle memory has me grabbing the phone and staring at the screen before I’m even fully conscious. I’ve had years of emergency texts from the hospital. Fear is ingrained.

It’s not the hospital and it’s not Ellie.

The top of the text reads:CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE BEEN MATCHED.

I blink at the bright screen, waiting for my brain to catch up. The first thing I think is: they said 48-72 hours. It’s not been 48 hours.

My hands shake as I swipe to open and read it in full.

No.

MATCH COMPATIBILITY: 98.8%, Prime Match

ALPHA: Erik Nilsson

No. Oh no. Anyone but him.

Erik Nilsson: the alpha whose company bought my stolen research. The asshole who built an empire on work that should have had my name on it.

I’m going to be sick.

I read the rest of the notification through blurred vision.

Initial meeting scheduled: Wednesday, 2:00 PM, Bureau Downtown Office. Attendance is mandatory for prime matches. Failure to attend may result in penalties including fines and loss of omega benefits.

Wednesday. That’s tomorrow. I’m supposed to be at work at two. I’m going to have to take time off work and I need my work. I need the hours. I need the damn pay check.

Somehow, that’s what infuriates me the most. Not only am I going to have to turn up at the damned Bureau to talk to Erik fucking Nilsson but I’m going to lose money by doing it.

I need to pull myself together. I need to figure out what the hell I’m going to do and how I’m going to get out of this.

I sit up, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. I need coffee. Or coffees. Preferably some kind of espresso that I can mainline straight into my veins because right now my brain is broadcasting static.

All I can think is that this is all my own fault. I was dumb enough to think to myself that I’d marry the devil himself to save Ellie.

I guess Fate loves a good joke because she just delivered me to him.

2. Erik

“You’ve brought your lawyer to lunch with your sister? That’s very on-brand for you, Erik.”

Anna’s voice carries that particular mix of affection and exasperation she’s perfected over the years. I glance up from my tablet where I’m reviewing our latest sales figures. The quarterly reports are excellent. Better than excellent. We’ve exceeded projections by eighteen percent. That’s mind-blowing.

My sister is standing beside the table, hands on her hips. She loves telling me off. It’s practically her favorite pastime. She also knows she’s full of shit. She has no objections to Sara being her. They’ve been best friends since grade school.

Anna doesn’t even bother waiting for me to reply. She reaches over and hugs Sara first, then me.

I set the tablet aside as Anna takes a seat. “I invited Sara because she and I need to discuss how we are going to handle the Bureau. They have been persistent about matching me with completely inappropriate omegas. I’ve asked them politely to only send me ones who are suitable and they’ve ignored me. I need to understand my options.”

Sara and Anna exchange a look that I pretend not to notice. They can roll their eyes as much as they like. I don’t see why I should have to deal with the Bureau harassing me. Sara has the legal expertise to know what I can do about it, and Anna... well, Anna’s my sister. She gets bad tempered if I don’t meet her for lunch regularly.

They’re also both going to give me a hard time about me not accepting any of the matches. I may as well kill multiple birds with one stone.

Sara reaches for her water glass. “They’ve sent you six match notifications in the past four months. That’s not exactly stalking. You’ve done exactly what you’re supposed to do if you don’t like the match. You’ve turned them down.”

“It’s a waste of my time. I still need to take the time to review them first to know whether they’re worthwhile. The Bureau already has my requirements. They shouldn’t send me omegas based on blood work matches alone. Every one they’ve sent has been useless.”