Flashback: 1866
There were so many bodies, so many noises. So many smells. Too many smells, mixing together and clashing in an obscene way. But one scent stood out, a delicate floral scent I couldn’t quite identify. But why could I smell it?
Fruits and florals were omega scents. Betas had comfortable nature scents, like rain and leaves and the ocean on a stormy day. Neutral, inoffensive. Safe. And alphas had deep scents. Different types of wood, smoke, leather, coffee... Scents that made everything feel warm, protected. Scents that made it feel like home.
But omegas couldn’t smell other omega scents. So why was this mystery floral scent slowly driving me crazy? And who did it belong to?
I scanned the ballroom, the dyed silk of my dress feeling unbearably itchy against my skin as my inner omega called out to the scent that was overwhelming my senses. I’d glanced over countless betas, their green eyes flashing in contrast to their neutral navy and black suits and dresses, as they chattered away without a care. My eyes had wandered over the other omegas, the pastels of their outfits a beautiful complement to their sapphire eyes. They’d stayed in small groups, furthest across the room from the alphas. A safety precaution on a night like this. Even with the celebration of the Emperor’s new queen-consort, it could still be a dangerous time for unclaimed omegas.
As I dragged my eyes over the endless sea of alphas in their deep, jewel toned suits, the scent I was trying to track seemed to fade. As if they didn’t want me to find them. As if their scent had reached out to me without their permission. As if their identity needed to stay a secret.
It was futile, though, because the moment my eyes met his midnight ones, the briefest flash of red told me it was him. His plump lips parted in surprise, his eyes widening as if he also had no idea what was going on. He shook his head almost imperceptibly, before disappearing into the crowd.
“The garden.” I felt the low voice in my mind, an alpha command, I realized. But even as my body stilled at the power behind it, I felt no sign of compulsion. The power of the alpha command had only been enough to push through my defenses, to leave the message without uttering words out loud. He was making it clear that I was not being forced. I was being given a choice. Something most omegas were never afforded.
I could choose not to follow him. I could choose to pretend nothing had happened, even as I wondered... What had happened? But I found myself walking towards the doors to the garden as if I was propelled by an invisible motor, leading me out into the crisp autumn air. I stopped short when my senses were again overwhelmed, and I could finally place the floral scent. Lilac.
“You had a choice, didn’t you?” The worry lacing his voice was so unlike that of other alpha’s I’d encountered. His voice was gentle in all the ways omegas usually are. If I hadn’t seen his eyes flash red in the ballroom, I would’ve taken him for an omega.
I turned around, facing the alpha whose scent had captivated me. He was tall, but not terribly so. He stood only slightly taller than me, my heels adding barely an inch to my height as I shifted my weight nervously. “Yes,” I breathed.
He nodded. “Good. I didn’t mean to order you. I just wanted to meet you without causing a scene.”
“A scene?” Who was this alpha, so worried of the gazes of others?
He sighed, pulling aside the collar of his shirt to reveal his pack bite. It was black, like all bites were once they’d healed, unremarkable. It was the rough tattoo below his pack bite that stunned me. The diamond like shape told me exactly who I was dealing with, and I silently cursed myself that I hadn’t guessed at it before this moment.
“Carat.” It wasn’t a question, so much as it was an acknowledgment. Of course it had to be Carat. Everyone had heard of the unconventional structure of the pack. Who their pack leader was had never been clear, as each of their alphas seemed to share equally in the responsibility. Almost as if they were a collection of smaller packs bound together. Truthfully, they could have been three packs working as one. An alliance would make sense considering the far reach of their influence. “You don’t seem like an alpha.”
He laughed sweetly. “Is that so? You don’t seem like much of an omega, either.”
“So why me?”
The delicate alpha stepped forward, his hand brushing against the edge of my sleeve. “No idea, but according to my wolf, you’re my mate.”
