The Rogue Omega

Chapter 17

“My goal for today is finding a job,” I told Cora the next morning.

She was the only shifter at home, and I hoped she could help me start putting my life back together.

“Also, do you know how people rent a house or apartment in Shadow Crest? Are there rental properties here, or does every pack just own its own home?”

Before answering, she handed me a plate of freshly sliced fruit.

I reminded myself not to get too comfortable being treated like royalty.

“Thank you,” I said, holding the plate carefully.

“You're welcome,” she replied with a smile. “There are actually two large apartment buildings that mainly rent to single shifters and newly formed packs. We can stop there on our way into town today and see what's available. You also have the council's newcomer allowance to help you get settled. That should cover the first rent payment. As long as you find a job within the next month, you'll be in a good position.”

I had just taken a bite of a sweet berry, and I almost dropped it from surprise.

That sounded like the perfect solution, at least for now.

“That's amazing,” I said. “I didn't realize the council had enough money to help people like that.”

Cora laughed softly as she ran her fingers through her long hair, which she had left loose in gentle waves that morning.

“We're the richest pack city in America,” she explained. “People here live comfortably because even minimum wage jobs pay much better than usual. You really don't have to worry about your future, Aria. Shadow Crest is a wonderful place to build a life.”

If my scent-matched pack hadn't been part of the picture, I might actually have thought about staying here for a few years.

“They mentioned another omega during my trial. Is she the only one living here?”

“Yes,” Cora answered. “Elara belongs to the Stormfang Pack, led by Alpha Darius.”

The Scottish tiger shifter immediately came to mind.

“Oh, right. I met him during the trial. I'd really like to meet their omega too, if you think she'd be okay with it.”

“I don't see why not,” Cora replied. “She owns a small bakery called Elara's Sweets on Bond Street, which is the main street filled with cafés and restaurants. We can stop there today, and I'll buy a few pastries for dessert tonight.”

With our plans settled, I quickly got dressed in denim shorts, a cropped white shirt, and white sneakers.

I brushed my hair and left it loose with soft waves.

Cora was already waiting by the front door.

We walked together toward a white Mercedes AMG GT parked outside.

“That's a beautiful car,” I said, stopping for a moment to admire its sleek design. “Looks like Alpha Kael isn't the only one in your pack with excellent taste in cars.”

Cora rolled her eyes dramatically, which looked funny coming from someone so graceful.

“War has a habit of buying every car he likes and pretending he bought them for someone else in the pack,” she said. “Mostly because we're always calling him a hoarder.”

I burst out laughing, and she joined me a second later.

“I both admire and fear that alpha,” I finally managed to say.

Even though I was still uneasy about the possibility that he had allowed the Blackthorn Pack to keep watching me, I genuinely liked Kael and his pack.

I just hoped that wouldn't change after we finally talked about Ryker.

The car beeped as Cora unlocked it.

“He's definitely one of a kind,” she said while looking proudly at the sports car. “And don't ever tell him I admitted this, but I absolutely love this car. He made the right choice.”

He really had.

And not just when it came to choosing cars.

Cora drove slightly below the speed limit the entire way into downtown.

The city skyline was filled with several modern glass skyscrapers.

The drive took a little longer because she deliberately chose the scenic route, pointing out different landmarks along the way.

She even showed me the Blackthorn Pack family estate behind enormous black gates.

She made no effort to hide where she was pointing.

Surprisingly, I didn't mind.

The Blackthorn Pack really was an impressively successful family.

If expensive things had been important to me, I probably would have accepted their offer without hesitation.

Unfortunately, staying alive for a long time mattered much more to me than living a short life surrounded by luxury.

Eventually, Cora parked downtown beneath the shadows of the two biggest and most impressive buildings I had seen since arriving in Shadow Crest.

The matching towers filled almost an entire city block, with a three-level parking garage sitting between them.

“This one is the Blackthorn Pack headquarters,” Cora explained, pointing toward the silver-and-black tower. “The building beside it belongs to the Stormfang Pack. Ryker and Soren are best friends, even though you wouldn't always guess that from the way they speak to each other.”

That explained why Darius hadn't treated Ryker with the same respect everyone else had shown during my trial.

Looking closely at the two buildings, I noticed that Stormfang's headquarters looked just as impressive as the Blackthorn' tower.

“What kind of business does Stormfang Pack run to afford a building like that?” I asked.

A smile spread across Cora's face.

“Shipping,” she answered. “They manage the import and export of goods throughout all the shifter cities.”

I immediately realized how obvious that should have been.

“Stormfang Shipping exists in the human world too,” I said quietly.

She nodded.

“It does. Just like Blackthorn Technologies. Those two packs have more money than they could ever spend, so it's no surprise they're always trying to outdo each other.”

Even though Ryker was my scent match, I couldn't stop wondering whether part of him wanted an omega simply because his best friend already had one.

“How does Stormfang treat their omega?” I asked. “Has she been bonded with them for a long time?”

Cora's expression immediately softened.

“Oh, Aria, they're wonderful together,” she said dreamily. “Soren and Elara have been best friends since they were children. You can tell he'd give his life for her without thinking twice. There's honestly no safer place for an omega than with their pack.”

Elara had been incredibly fortunate.

Finding an alpha who didn't misuse everything an omega could give him was probably rarer than finding a dragon shifter.

And I was fairly sure dragon shifters no longer existed.

Maybe years of friendship helped keep Darius grounded.

Because simply being a good man wouldn't be enough once the power exchange between a pack began.

From what I remembered, Mom's pack had treated her kindly at first too.

Everything changed after they bonded.

I noticed Cora looking up at the Blackthorn building again.

“Is there a reason you brought me specifically to this building?” I asked.