Page 3 of The Bear, the Eagle, and their Wombat Omega (Omegas of Animals: SD #14)

Steve

People go to college for a lot of reasons. Some go because they have a very specific career in mind. Others because it’s expected of them, and yet others because they just don’t want to be in the workplace yet.

I wasn’t one to judge anybody’s decisions, especially given the fact that the only reason I went to college was to prove to my wisdom that I wasn’t the “useless” member of the alpha family.

I was more than just the alpha son, more than just an omega who could be the stepping stone some alpha needed for power in the pack, more than just a handsome face.

My father was not pleased when I told him my plans. He firmly believed I should settle down, find a role within the wisdom, and be happy-happy.

And as I left for college that day, I wasn’t so sure that was going to be the result.

I’d always gone to school in the wisdom, so it wasn’t like I had a lot of experience with the greater world around me. I’d been so sheltered, so protected, and suddenly I was thrust into a huge university where there were more humans than shifters and a whole lot of academic pressure.

But there was also freedom. I had friends—not what you’d call amazing besties because they couldn’t know who I truly was—but we had fun. We went to parties. We played intramural sports. We even attended the plays the other students put on.

I was a typical college student, with one exception…being a wombat shifter. I met lions and bears and foxes throughout my time there, but they looked down at me because of my beast. The one group I should’ve fit in with was the one that excluded me completely.

Graduation day finally arrived, but my parents didn’t bother to come. To them, I had wasted four years I could’ve spent helping the wisdom. In their eyes, I pretty much failed. I didn’t leave there with straight As, the true sign of success apparently.

Their opinion didn’t matter, not anymore. I’d earned my degree and was proud of it. But when I applied to grad schools and got to the interview portion, I realized I didn’t really want to go to school anymore. But I also didn’t want to go home. And that’s how I landed in San Diego.

I had enough money saved up from my part-time job to get a low-end apartment, and quickly found a position at a convenience store.

That wasn’t my dream, though. My dream was to start a business, one that would prove to my parents I wasn’t useless, but would also, more importantly, give me the life that I longed for.

It was a lot of work. I started by organizing small events. Some barely made any money after my expenses, and a few I did just because I believed in the cause. But slowly, over time, I started to get a name for myself.

I wasn’t huge, not by any means, but I’d been able to quit the convenience store a few months back, and things were looking up. I hadn’t realized how strong my name had gotten until I got a call asking for a meeting from none other than Karma, from Animals.

I was sure it was a prank. Karma and her mate ran the original Animals, which was nowhere near San Diego. Why would she be calling me? But then she told me that she was here helping her cousin-in-law with the San Diego sister club.

To say I was nervous was an understatement. Doing anything at an Animals location could break me into a whole entirely new demographic and get my business really going.

I’d offered to come to her, but she asked to meet at my office. I was embarrassed because it was basically a closet I rented in a large building. It was hardly Karma-worthy.

It didn’t even have any windows, unless you included the poster of a window that I had up with a beautiful skyline.

My wombat didn’t love the space, especially when the door was closed. He felt trapped. But building a business took many baby steps. Initially, my office was my then living room/bedroom, sofa/bed. I’d definitely already moved up from there.

I had everything set out neatly…a pot of coffee and a kettle of hot water sat on my file cabinet, my desk was neat, and I had a chair ready for her.

Would it be too much for me to wait outside to escort her in? Was it not enough? I was still trying to figure it out when she walked in. I didn’t know why I was so nervous. What was the worst that could happen? She decided to go another way?

All my worry had been for nothing because the second she greeted me, I was at ease.

“I love your poster,” she said, and I believed her. She wasn’t looking down on me like my family would if they saw it.

She sat in the visitor’s chair in front of my desk. “I have heard such amazing things about what you do.”

“Oh, thank you. Ma’am—”

“Not ma’am. Karma. It’s spelled very differently.”

I wasn’t sure if I was being scolded or if she was serious, but I wasn’t making the ma’am mistake again.

“Thank you, Karma. You said you had a project we might work together on.”

“I do. It’s a charity fundraiser, and I’m only here for a short time and I am sadly unable to do it. You may have heard of some of the past events hosted at the various Animals locations.”

I grew up sheltered, but I’d heard of them. I’d be surprised if there was a shifter who hadn’t.

“Of course, I have. They’re legendary.”

“They have been well received, and I know this one will be too. Management over there could do an amazing job, but something tells me you need to be the one.”

It felt like I was missing a key piece of understanding in her wording, but I brushed it aside. It was time to get down to business. Having this in my portfolio was going to be everything.

“Shall we go over the details?”

“Absolutely.” I grabbed my pen, ready to write them all down.

In most ways, this was going to be a piece of cake, since she gave me very clear directions, including a list of possible vendors. For most clients, I would take that as a red flag or a dozen even, but, with her, I don’t know, it just hit differently.

By the time we were done, she had given me a deposit check and told me she felt great about her decision.

How was this my life?