Page 86 of The Omega Exchange: Omnibus (The Exchange)

Chapter Three

Melody

The next week is busy as I prepare to head to The Omega Exchange.

I wait and wait to see if I’ll be pre-matched, but I’m not. It doesn’t matter. I’m going to New England to ride out my heat and see if anything works out when I’m face-to-face with the available packs.

I don’t know how long it’ll be until I come back to my apartment, so I spend a couple days cleaning everything.

I completely empty the fridge the day before my flight.

There’s not much since I purposely avoided going grocery shopping, but even the little bit of takeout and condiments manages to turn my stomach.

I know it’s stress.

I’ve never handled pressure well.

The only plus side is that Ben is completely MIA. I haven’t seen or heard from him since Valentine’s Day. I should be grateful for that fact, but somehow, even that manages to hurt my feelings.

The next morning, I grab my already packed suitcases and load them into the back of my car. It’s early, and my stomach rolls with tension.

My mom is driving me to the airport, but I already know she isn’t happy with me. She spent the last few days lecturing the hell out of me, but I’m twenty-six years old.

I have to start living for myself, or I’m going to end up not even really living at all.

The drive to the airport is tense.

As soon as we pull up to the drop off area, I blow out a breath of pure relief. My mom helps me unload my bags, but I can tell she’s itching to say something. She’s been distant and cold the entire trip.

“I love you.” I lean in for a hug, hiking my backpack up my shoulder.

My mom sighs, shaking her head. “I think you should come back home with me . . .”

I try not to let it bother me. I really do, but I hate the way she seems content to see me trapped in the same small town she’s been in her entire life. She knows there are no prospects for my future and no one to build a family with.

“Mel, I’m serious, men make mistakes, and sometimes you have to overlook bad behavior, but Ben loves you—”

“I can’t do this right now,” I tell her, glancing over my shoulder toward the doors that lead into the airport. “I love you. I’ll see you soon.”

“You’ve never listened to my advice.” She presses her lips together, shaking her head.

My jaw falls.

Is she joking?

She’s the entire reason why I ended up with Ben.

I dated Ben’s brother Luke in high school, but after the number of times that she lectured me about how it wouldn’t be fair to Luke for us to stay together, I finally caved.

She went on and on about how I would need alphas and how Luke would never be one.

I broke up with Luke and Ben immediately started chasing me hard. Only as soon as he caught me, he realized he didn’t want me.

My whole damn life in Texas has been toxic.

I lean over, giving her a kiss on the cheek, and bolt before she can talk me out of it. I hate that I don’t have even one person in my corner, but I’m going to start being that for myself.

The flight is fine, but I don’t feel great.

I’m not sure if it’s stress or maybe a sign that my heat is coming faster than I expected.

My stomach aches, but I toss an arm around my middle and pull my shoulders back. I don’t care if I feel like crap. I’m not letting anything stop me from doing this.

I thought long and hard about it on the plane and came to the conclusion that it’s not me that’s unlovable.

It’s Ben.

He can’t love me because he doesn’t have the ability to care about anyone but himself.

Or maybe he can, and I just wasn’t the right person for him.

Whatever it is, that’s fine.

I’m willing to accept that I don’t know it all and move on.

I’ve been waiting for this spot for two months. I’m not missing out because my body shuts down under stress.

The Exchange offers omegas the chance to match with alphas outside their geographical region.

They also provide a safe haven for omegas trying to escape a bad situation, but that’s not why I had to be accepted.

I needed them to take me since none of the alphas in my small town consider me an option.

If I can’t find a pack willing to ride out my upcoming heat with me, then The Exchange has alphas on standby.

The shuttle bus has a few other omegas, and the scent of so many of us in one place is giving me a headache and making me a little car sick.

My sense of smell is hypersensitive when my heat gets close.

I shut my eyes and rest my head against the seat. Despite feeling kind of crummy, this is exciting.

Finally finding alphas and a pack is something I should have done years ago. If nothing else, I’ll ride out my heat for the first time with someone who isn’t Ben.

It’s sad, but at this point, even that feels like a step in the right direction.

There’s practically no traffic, and the weather isn’t bad, but the drive is long.

The entire area is incredible. New England in late winter is nothing like Texas. Besides the nightmare Christmas trip to North Carolina, I’ve never really traveled.

This place is beautiful, but totally different from what I’m used to.

We take a long bridge that’s so close to the water it feels like a road directly on top of the ocean. The view is breathtaking, but it’s scary as the waves crash against the tops of the barriers.

We pull up to the massive hotel, and it feels like all the breath leaves my lungs.

The exterior is white with gray accents. There’s a huge circular driveway that has a few parking spots directly in front of the entrance.

The building is almost a U shape and the pull up area is close to the bottom. Each side of the hotel has rooms that face out over the cliffs and have a view of the ocean.

The entire island is covered in trees. Some are lush and still green, and some are barren since they’ve lost their leaves, but I can only imagine how beautiful all this is in the spring or especially in autumn.

It doesn’t take long for everyone to get off the small shuttle bus, and we stand in a group huddled together as we wait to head inside.

Texas can get cool in the winter, especially at night. This seems like it’s an entirely different kind of cold. There’s no wind at the moment, but I’m freezing. I thought I packed accordingly, but maybe I made the wrong choices.

Several large men come out flanking an older woman as she heads down the stairs. She’s pretty and not dressed for the weather at all. She waves a hand, calling us closer, and we make our way up the steps and into the hotel.

The lobby is sleek and modern with white and gray marble flooring . . . I think that’s what it is. It’s some type of hard stone that fits the decor to perfection. The walls are white with simple silver beams to accentuate the unbelievably high ceiling.

There’s a reception desk, but our coordinator doesn’t guide us to it.

She stops near it and clasps her hands in front of her.

“I’m Kara, the main coordinator for The Exchange.

The hotel is a separate business. There are two sides to the building,” she says, smiling brightly.

“The right side is the larger tower and it hosts all the guests who are on the island for golf, fishing, or other amenities. The left side houses all of the employees who live here full time and also The Exchange.”

She gestures to the left of the check-in desk. The entire area is open in a bright, airy way. There are several small seating areas further toward the glass walls on our right and left, but the wall directly behind her is solid as it houses the desk.

“Each side of the building has two elevators,” she says, gesturing to the wall with buttons.

“The exterior elevator is open glass. The interior is standard. If you have no preference, you can hit the button in the middle. Otherwise, select the button on the side closest to the elevator you’d prefer. ”

I immediately sidestep to the one without glass walls. They arrive and we funnel inside. The ride up is smooth, and although the elevator is spacious, my stomach sloshes for the entire ride.

My eyes close, and I take a few deep breaths to keep from vomiting on their fancy flooring.

“Are you okay?” a growly voice asks.

My eyes pop open. I give a nod despite my dizziness. There’s a giant alpha leaning over in front of me and everyone else is gone.

Kara stands outside the doors, gathering up the rest of the group of omegas from both elevators.

“Do you get claustrophobic?” the man asks, taking a step back. He stretches out a hand nearly touching my shoulder and then clenches it into a fist. “If so, we should probably get you out of here.”

He’s tall, even for an alpha. Then again, I’m five-seven, so I guess it’s relative.

His brown hair is longer on top and very short on the sides.

It’s curly and thick, and the color matches his full beard.

It’s not long, but it’s fluffy. His pale blue eyes are extremely expressive as he frowns at me.

“No. Sorry, I think I’m stressed.”

“It’s understandable,” he says, extending an arm for me to head out first. “But you’ve got nothing to be afraid of.”

“Thank you.” I push off the back wall and head out of the elevator.

“The way the building is set up, this floor is actually at ground level with the outdoor pool and the cliff face,” Kara says.

“This is where we do check-in for The Exchange. We have a full-time nurse practitioner on staff and a few of you will need to see her at some point in the next day or two. All mingling activities are held on this floor.”

She begins sifting through her paperwork and another older woman joins her.

“Last names A through M with me,” the new woman says.

“N through Z with me,” Kara says.

I step over to Kara’s line and lean against the wall. My stress is definitely getting the better of me. My knees feel shaky and the urge to bolt is strong.

It’s one of the most frustrating things about being an omega. Our urges demand we please those around us. If that doesn’t work, instinct tells us to run at the first sign of trouble.