Page 46 of The Omega Exchange: Omnibus (The Exchange)

Chapter Two

Wolfe

"Hey, Evie, how have you been?" I ask, leaning against the doorframe to her office.

"I'm good," she assures me. "How about you?"

"Good. Is Anastasia almost ready to go?" I ask, scratching at my jaw. I spotted her before she bolted into the bathroom. "Did she purposely run from me?"

I laugh.

Evie glances away.

What the fuck is that about?

"She'll be right out. Are you staying with her during the meet and greet?" Evie asks. She's still staring at the door Anastasia disappeared into. "Or should I get Tom to assign someone to stay with her?"

"What meet and greet?" I growl. My voice is clipped, and Evie jumps. "Shit, sorry." I laugh awkwardly as I rub at the back of my neck.

"She's planning to go to one of the mixers?" I try again.

"Ana needs to find alphas soon," Evie says slowly, like this should be obvious, well-known knowledge.

"She just had a heat a month ago," I say, trying to calm my raging system.

"Yes. And at most she's got two months before another will come. She's coming off suppressants, which can make them erratic and much faster than with a natural cycle."

Everything she's saying makes logical sense, but it's not what I want to hear.

Fucking Vik and his ridiculous crusade against her father. If he's not careful, he'll push her away completely.

I've stayed close the last month, but kept enough distance to not step on Vik's toes.

We live together, but we aren't a pack. Well, not really. I mean, can you even be a pack with only three members? My parents' pack has eight. I have six dads and two moms, and I always imagined I'd be part of a big pack. There's also the fact that we don't act very pack-like.

The owners' pack eats together, works out together, and all that was before they found their omega. Vik, Castro, and I are more like roommates who say 'hi' when we see each other. Cas cooks sometimes, but Vik and I grab leftovers whenever we see them.

"Normally I'd never betray someone's trust this way." Evie eyes the bathroom door. "But I'm starting to get a little worried about her. She's been down in the dumps since Viktor left, but it's getting worse. If he's not coming back…"

"He is," I assure her, although at this point, I don't know why I'm defending the fucker.

I told him the worst thing he could do would be to leave right after Ana's heat.

Did he listen to me?

Fuck no.

Realization dawns. I sigh heavily. "She feels like he rejected her."

Evie grimaces, but nods her agreement. "I think any omega would."

I sigh because I totally get it.

I'm pretty sure Vik thinks taking down Ana's corrupt-as-fuck father counts as a courting gift. Unfortunately for him, he's thinking like an alpha and not a vulnerable omega.

Anastasia comes out of the bathroom, and my breath catches. Her thick blonde hair falls around her shoulders in waves. She's fucking stunning, even in Evie's oversized clothes. It's the down-in-the-dumps look on her face that makes my posture stiffen.

My eyes zero in on the tip of her nose. It's red, and her face is blotchy.

I wish Vik was around so I could knock his ass out, then revive him and do it all over again. We'd then do that several more times just for good measure. Just to make sure it really penetrates that thick skull of his.

"Do you need us to stick around until one of your alphas get here?" I ask Evie as Anastasia comes to my side.

"Already here," Tom Murphy says from behind me. He's my boss, and one of the owners of the lodge. He's also one of the biggest guys I've ever seen. I'm tall, but Murphy is next level.

Ana jolts at the sound of his voice. I wrap an arm around her back and guide her out after we say our goodbyes.

We head through the building and Ana stares out the window like she does every time we walk past the wall of glass. The lodge is in the mountains and has that upscale rustic log cabin vibe. I love it up here. Ana never fails to take in the view. It really is incredible if you're not used to it.

We step out into the cool evening air. It's still chilly enough that Ana leans in close to my chest as we aim for The Exchange side.

When Anastasia first got here she was enrolled in The Omega Exchange side of the business. After the details of how she got here came out, she ended up taking a job in the bookstore working with Everly.

"You're heading to one of the mixers?"

"Yeah," Ana agrees. "I think it's time I see what's out there." She laughs uncomfortably. "I don't want to wait until the last minute like last time. According to my blood work, it could start as soon as the next few weeks."

"Christ," I say, pulling her closer to my chest.

It doesn't bother me a bit that she doesn't consider me an option.

Except, it really fucking does.

The entire idea behind The Exchange is setting up alphas and omegas who might not otherwise find each other. A small portion of the omegas that come into the program are looking to get out of a bad situation, but the rest are trying to find a match outside of their standard geographical region.

The Omega Protection Authority is run through the government, but the program has a lot of limitations that the private sector companies don't have.

The lodge has two sides of the business. One side is a full-service ski resort and mountain getaway. The other is The Exchange.

The Exchange side runs mixers, or meet and greets, at least five times a week. Some are activities, others are meals, some are snacks and drinks. This is an evening event.

I watch the room like a hawk. There are new packs around that must have come in within the last week because I've never seen them before. Ana has gone to a few events since Vik's been away.

I always keep an eye on her to make sure no assholes get too friendly. The omegas at The Exchange always have security if they aren't bonded.

Ana isn't technically a guest of The Exchange anymore because she's an employee of the lodge, but the owners made it clear we're all to keep an eye on her. There are too many unbonded alphas around to risk it.

Anastasia stays at the mixer for less than thirty minutes. She doesn't eat, she barely mingles, and my fury reaches dangerous proportions.

Vik is a friend, but he's in the wrong in this situation.

I'm rage-texting him for the twentieth time in seven minutes when Ana comes to my side.

"I think I'm done," she says. Her voice is completely monotone.

I motherfucking hate it. At this point I'd even take the hellcat I met the first few days she was here.

"Are you hungry?" I ask, tossing an arm around her shoulder as we head out of the conference room.

"Nah, I'm just tired. I think I'll call it an early night."

"No way," I say, tilting her face to mine. "Come on, you're not quite at retirement home level yet. You can't call it a night before seven p.m. That's just depressing."

She shrugs.

Back when she first got here, she caused so much trouble that Vik didn't want to leave her alone even for the hour he went to work out.

It took a few tries before she warmed to me, but I eventually broke through the ice-queen demeanor.

"So, what are you in for?" I ask, bumping my shoulder against hers. It's the same question I ask her every time she gets stuck with me.

She scoffs.

"Wolfe whatever the hell your last name is, you can go spew your dude-bro energy elsewhere. Contrary to what Viki believes, I do not need a constant babysitter."

"Alexander," I say, swiping the long blond hair on top of my head back as I grab the take-out container off the coffee table. "Double A's for the win." She looks at me like I'm an idiot. "Both our last names start with A…"

Anastasia sighs, side-eyeing me like I'm the most frustrating human being she's ever been forced to spend time with. I get a twisted pleasure from knowing I'm annoying her. I'm not ashamed of the fact I'm a sadist.

"Ahh, I see. Not the talkative type. Not a problem.

My grandma always said I never met a stranger.

I can talk to anybody." I open my container and start poking around.

"No scent match? I'm surprised. You smell like cherry-limeade.

Sweet, but a little bit tangy or tart. Like you've got some spice in there to offset all that cherry sweetness. "

Her head swivels in my direction. Her mouth opens, but no sound comes out.

I bite into a cheese stick and nod to the sauce. "I don't double dip. Or I won't because it's not polite to do when you're sharing."

She gives me a look indicating I should shut the hell up. Or possibly toss myself off a cliff.

I smirk.

Literally, I live for this shit.

"Not with food anyway. I can think of plenty of circumstances where double dipping is completely acceptable." I drop my take-out container on my lap. "And a whole lot of fun."

Anastasia blushes. Her pale skin betrays her embarrassment. My cock hardens almost painfully. I stretch to grab my beer to hide the fact I'm into Vik's omega.

"You're not only a giant but also a humongous pain in the ass, Wolfe Alexander." Anastasia grins, nodding to my hand wrapped around my beer. "Whenever I hold one of those, my hand barely wraps around it."

I chuckle. It's difficult, but I manage to hold back the urge to tell her those tiny hands of hers wouldn't be able to wrap all the way around my cock either.

She stares at my hands, her focus on the black ring on my middle finger. I clear my throat, but she doesn't glance away.

"Do you have a hand fetish? Is that a thing? I know some guys really dig a woman's feet. Is it a chick thing to sexualize a guy's hand?" I shove a quesadilla into my mouth and nod to the food. "There's a shit-ton. Go on, help yourself."

She eyes the greasy food and cringes. "That's a stomach ache waiting to happen. I'm good, but thank you for the offer."

I frown as my throat makes a weird humming sound. "Omegas aren't meant to diet or restrict calories. Especially right before a heat."

"Freaking Viktor," she mutters, shaking her head. "I'm sure this has something to do with him."