The Orphaned Omega

Chapter 3

[Dorothea’s POV]

The next morning, I got up just before dawn and went through my usual routine. I was just about to get dressed in my work clothes when I got a text on my phone. I flipped it open – yes, I said flipped it, that’s how crappy of a phone I owned – and read the message.

Lori: You will NOT come into work today. That’s an order! Fran will be there at 6 pm sharp. Get some actual rest.

I groaned. I had secretly hoped they would have forgotten about dressing me up like a Barbie doll. I looked at the time – it was just past 5:30 am. I decided that I would clean my house and when the sun was fully up, I would go see if I could help with setting up for tonight. If I showed good effort as a team player, I’d be more favorably looked at when it came to warrior recruitment. And you know what they say – an idle mind is the devil’s playground. I preferred to keep busy, so I didn’t have to dwell on Rosemary or the rest of my abysmal life. I was headed back from the kitchen to get changed for the day but stopped to pause and look at the ajar door across from the bathroom – Rosemary’s room. I shuffled forward and gently pushed the door open to see the room fully. It had the same metal-framed farmhouse bed sitting in the middle of the room, a light blue handmade quilt with tiny yellow daisies spread across it. The windows had breezy white curtains that were fluttering from the morning spring air whistling by outside. Two nightstands adorned either side of the bed, still with Rosemary’s reading glasses on one of them. Lycans have perfect vision well into late life, but after their mate dies, they begin to age and show signs of degeneration quicker than others. I could still smell her here in this little room – chocolate chip cookies and caramel, apple cider and cinnamon. She had always smelled like home. I stood in the doorway of her room, not daring to go further in the fear of messing up the inside. My heart broke again as I thought of her on her very last day on this plane, on this Earth.

8 Months Previous

Rosemary sat on the two-seater sofa in the squished, warmly lit living room we shared. I sat across from her on the old, lumpy armchair. It still smelled vaguely of her late mate, which may have been why she only sat there when she thought I wasn’t around. Sometimes I would catch her sitting and murmuring to herself – or rather, to him. Telling him all about me and how she was doing. She would inhale deeply and sigh wistfully, pain gripping her heart as she thought of him. Mates in the Lycan world were the purest, strongest forms of love. It was hard to resist the mate pull, and two mates would be in love for the rest of their years. Mating made you stronger, it completed you. Mates were two sides of the same coin, two halves of a whole. They were destiny, fated by Selene and Asteria to love one another as fiercely as they had. And Rosemary and Hank had spent 95 years together, having met when they were just 19. Both had still been fit as a fiddle when Hank died – perks of being a Lycan. Most of us age slower than a human, often living well into the hundreds. But after your mate dies, having been together for so long, part of you dies with them. Some that are young may be able to recover and find second-chance mates, but for those as entwined as Hank and Rosemary, there was no living without the other. Many had even thought she may only live another year or so after his passing.

Rosemary looked up at me from her knitting and smiled softly. “You know I love you, bug?”

I looked up at her from my homework and nodded. “Of course, Rosie. I love you too.”

She smiled again, her eyes looking distant. “I don’t want to leave you, but I miss him so much.”

I felt myself go cold and my throat suddenly felt thick, like I couldn’t swallow or speak. I moved the stuff off my lap, and I went to her, kneeling in front of her. I looked up into her serene, beautiful face. She had withered before my eyes over the past several years, wrinkles creating canyons on her once-smooth face. But her eyes still sparkled their silver-blue and her cornsilk hair cascaded down to her shoulders in soft waves. She gently cupped my face in her hand and looked back at me. Her peach-colored lips upturned in a smile once more. “Oh, my Hank would have been so proud of you. So happy to call you his own.”

I nodded in her hand, still unable to form words. I felt tears well up in my eyes for the first time in years. After having lived with Ms. Jillian for just three months, I had learned very quickly that crying was a waste of energy. It was useless. But this moment spurred something in me that brought on the waterworks.

She gently tucked a piece of my dark hair behind my ear. “My little Thea, you are so beautiful. So strong. You have been the light of my life for the past four or so years. I couldn’t have asked for any more of a blessing.”

The tears spilled down my cheeks now and with their release I felt my ability to speak return. “Rosie…You have been my blessing. I love you so much. I... I can’t do this without you.”

“Shhh, my child,” she said, wiping my tears with her thumbs. “Yes, you can. You are stronger than even you know.” Rosemary sighed and her eyes took on that distant look once more. “I just miss him so much, Thea…it hurts me every day.”

“I know.” I let out a little sob and I crawled up to be beside her on the couch. I wrapped my arms around her and rest my head in her lap. She started to stroke my hair.

“I didn’t think I would survive without him,” she whispered. “I couldn’t leave my home for 6 months. I had no one left. But then I went into town to buy some bread and there you were, a mop-headed little girl trailing after Jillian. You looked so forlorn and in you I saw myself. I knew we needed one another. Thea, you have given me the strength to keep going.”

I looked up at her and saw tears were coming down her cheeks too.

“I wish I could see you find your mate. I wish I had the strength to see grandpups. But I fear…” Her words were shaky now, as if her voice were failing her.

“Shhhh,” I murmured. “I know.” I know you want to be with Hank and Travis. I know you miss them more than words can describe.

She leaned down to give me a kiss on the forehead and then resumed stroking my hair. We lay in silence like this, me wrapped around her tiny body and her running her little, bony hand through the strands of my hair. I didn’t know how long we were like this; all I knew was that I never wanted the moment to end. I knew what would happen when it did, and I wasn’t ready to face that yet. I knew I would miss her more than words could ever describe. But like it or not, I felt her rhythmic caresses slow and then, all too soon, stop. I felt her chest rise and fall one last time as she breathed out a sigh. Not a sigh of pain, not a sigh of longing. A sigh of relief. I didn’t have it in me to move as I began to sob, weeping for the loss of the woman that I loved as a mother.

Present Day

I forced myself to pull away from the room, shutting the door behind me as if it would help preserve the memories. Rosemary had been my saving grace, my everything, and there wasn’t a moment that went by where I didn’t think of her. I rubbed at my face and went back to my bedroom to change clothes, choosing a pair of black leggings and a plain dark blue top – something that would be easy to move in, and not make me stand out. I made myself a cup of coffee and took it with me on my way to the packhouse just as the clock was turning 7:00 am.

I was quickly put to work helping set up the lawn with big, round banquet tables and setting out the chairs. I helped string the fairy lights over the large back courtyard and helped the caterers unload their truck. I was bringing a box into the kitchen when I was stopped by a girl about my age. She gave me an ugly sneer and then laughed. God, I hated Kelsey’s laugh. It sounded like a hyena.

“Look, girls,” she said, tossing long black hair over her slim shoulder. “Look how pathetic Dory is. What are you doing? Looking for scraps?”

Her best friends, Isla and Felicity, giggled. Both of them were the daughters of high-ranking pack warriors. Goddess forbid Kelsey associate with anyone middle class or lower. Felicity crossed her arms and said, “Obviously, Kels. She’s an orphan, it’s all she can afford.”

Kelsey fake-pouted at me. “Oh, poor wiw orphan Doris,” she said, using a sickly-sweet baby voice. I also knew for a fact she knew my name wasn’t Dory, or Doris but rather Dorothea. She just liked to use any way to get under my skin and dancing around my actual name was one of her favorites. “Trying to steal food from our ceremony?”

“I’m just helping the caterers,” I said softly. I made sure to keep my gaze averted like a good omega should. What I wanted to do was give her a good smack, but I could end up severely punished for even making a snide remark to a ranked member. “Can I please get into the kitchen?”

Kelsey scoffed. “So, you’re sucking up to Luna Evelyn.” She reached out and tried to grab the box. I yanked it back and she screeched, holding up her hand. A fake nail was missing from her index finger. “Oh, you ugly mutt! You will pay for that!”

I watched it all happen in slow motion. Kelsey lunged for the box and yanked it away from me, dumping the contents all over the floor. Produce went flying everywhere. Dozens of eggs crashed onto the linoleum, splattering all over my feet. Oranges and apples rolled off into the kitchen. Tomatoes bounced along the ground. The bag of flour burst open, sending puffs of white dust into the air. She smirked and dropped the box onto the ground.

“Best get to cleaning up this mess,” Kelsey said. “By the way, no one will ever love you. So, stop trying.” She strutted off haughtily, Twiddle-Dee and Twiddle-Dumb at her heels.

I groaned and went to get a mop to clean up the eggy mess. I tried to find justification in the torment of my fellow teenagers, but in the end, I often just came to the conclusion that teenagers were just mean for the sake of being mean. Find the oddball and crush them to make yourself feel better. That was it. I’d taken worse than what Kelsey had just given me, but the barbs still got the better of me sometimes. I tried my best to keep my head held high and not get carried away with what others thought of me, but some things had snuck through my armor. Like the very real possibility that Kelsey was right – maybe no one would ever love me. My birth family didn’t care enough about me to take me in, so why should I think anyone else would love me? Maybe I was cursed. The people that choose to love me didn’t have great outcomes. Dad and Rosemary died after all. I had to keep Lorelai and Francesca at arm’s length so they wouldn’t meet the same fate. And if it wasn’t the idea that no one would love me, it was the thought of no one taking me seriously. I wasn’t respected by my peers, and the rest of the pack members barely even glanced at me. I held onto a dwindling hope that if I became a warrior, I could earn respect and my life would change. But what if I was just destined to be this outside loner forever?

I managed to clean up the mess in the kitchen before anyone else came by, and I glanced at the time as I was wiping my hands dry by the sink. 5:53. Crap, I was set to be late. I hurried out of the packhouse to get on my way home, but as luck would have it, I slammed right into what felt a lot like a brick wall. I careened backwards and fell right onto my butt.

Graceful and smooth, Thea. I thought to myself. I looked up to find it was not a brick wall I had run into but rather Ian Weller himself. I quickly averted my gaze when I realized. “Sorry, Alpha,” I murmured. “I didn’t see you.”

“Seriously?” Ian scoffed, looking down at himself and brushing flour and egg from his shirt that had smeared off me. “What is wrong with you?”

“Sorry, Alpha,” I practically whispered. I kept my gaze low and away from him. I started to collect myself up off the floor but I decided staying seated until he was gone was better.

“Whatever,” he said. “Just don’t get in my way again.” With that, he stormed off up the stairs.

I waited until I couldn’t hear footsteps anymore and let out a sigh of relief. That could have been a lot worse for me. Had it been Ian’s father, I may have even spent the night in a detainment cell for insubordination or some other excuse to exert power over me. I got myself to my feet and headed outside, breaking into a full-blown sprint to make it home. I skidded onto the porch just as Francesca and Lori pulled into the drive. I waved at them and headed inside.

I left the door open behind me and headed toward my bedroom to get out of the soiled clothes I was wearing. Cleaning up the kitchen had left me with flour all over me and bits of egg too. I came back out to greet them wrapped in my fluffy bathrobe. “Hi,” I smiled.

Fran walked toward me carrying a tote bag and a garment bag with my dress in it. “Come on, you look like you need a shower. Best get to it.”

I chuckled, following her down the short hall. “Feel free to get set up in my room.”

“Way ahead of you,” Fran called.

I headed into the bathroom to get a quick shower and as soon as I was done, I was ushered into my room by Lori. She pushed me down onto a stool from the kitchen and got to work blow-drying my hair.

Fran came over and settled a towel on my lap, taking one of my hands in hers. She examined my nails and picked up a file to begin to reshape them some. When she was done, she started to paint my nails in a similar blush pink to the dress.

“I still don’t know what all the fuss is with me today,” I said, closing my eyes as they both continued their work.

“First, it’s a major event for the pack. We should all look our best,” Lori said.

“No one is going to notice if I’m in a paper bag,” I mumbled.

Lori chuckled. “Well, all the same, you deserve to be in something more than a paper bag. It’s not often we have an Alpha Ceremony, and we wanted you to have a good night.”

Fran nodded. “Plus, like Lori said earlier, you could meet your mate. We want you to look your best!”

“Why, so he’s less likely to reject me?” I muttered.

“What?” Lori exclaimed, worry coloring her tone. “What are you talking about?”

“Why would someone reject you?” Fran asked softly.

I opened my eyes and looked between them, seeing the concern on their faces. “Because I’m just a wolf. If he’s a Lycan…there is a really good chance that I will be rejected.”

“Oh, honey,” Lori frowned. She came around and knelt in front of me. “He would have to be an absolute i***t to reject you. You have so much to offer. Lycan, wolf, human. Who cares?”

“A lot of Lycans do, Lori,” I said. “You know that.”

“I—” Lori was about to argue with me again, but Fran put a hand on her arm to stop her.

“That may be, Thea. But times are changing. The Queen herself finally outlawed wolf s*****y, and is rumored to have other pro-wolf laws in the works,” Fran pointed out.

She was right. The Queen of all Lycans did seem to have more sympathy for the plight of wolves. So far though, not much had really changed for the better in terms of Lycans’ views on wolves. Besides, I wasn’t keen on being compared to the Queen. She was vicious and was known for her numerous executions within her reign – many of them wolves, despite her ‘pro-wolf’ sentiment. It was why they called her the Blood Queen, and the rumor was that she just killed for fun.

I shook my head. “How about I just promise to do my best to have a good time tonight?”

Lori and Fran exchanged a look with one another but dropped the subject and went back to working on my hair and nails. “Alright,” Lori said. “Good enough for us.”

By the time they were done with me and had finished getting ready themselves, the sun was long gone and the moon was high in the sky. The Ceremony was bound to start within the next hour, just before midnight. Lori walked out of the bathroom in a floor-length navy dress that hugged her curvy body perfectly. She had her dirty blonde hair in natural waves down her back and walked elegantly in her strappy heels. I smiled at her, thinking of how she looked as radiant as the Moon Goddess herself tonight.

Francesca seemed to think similarly, as she got up from her place beside me on the couch and walked over to her mate with a wide smile on her full lips. “You look stunning,” she said, grasping Lori’s hands in her own.

Lori echoed Fran’s smile with her own, her blue eyes sweeping over the shorter woman. Fran was voluptuous and the green dress she wore accentuated her ample cleavage perfectly with its low square-neck cut. It looked gorgeous against her deep tan skin, and Fran ensured Lorelai would have plenty to look at all night by corralling her ringlet hair up into a coronet. “And you, my love,” Lorelai practically purred. “Look exquisite.”

The pair shared a brief, loving kiss before pulling away and turning to look at me hand-in-hand. At the same time, they said, “And you, darling, are a treasure to behold!”

I stuck my tongue out at them. “Did you rehearse that?”

“Maybe,” Lori laughed. She motioned for me to stand and ushered me over to the hall closet. She swung open the door so I could see myself for the first time in the full-length mirror there. I took in my appearance, and I had to admit that maybe the pair was right. I did look pretty good. I didn’t look like myself at all, but I looked…desirable.

The dress hit mid-thigh on me, and with the low strappy heel Lori had brought for me, it showed off my toned legs. The deep v-neck more than hinted at my chest’s assets, and the wrap-waist somehow made my waist look tiny which just added to the illusion that I had a good volume up top. Fran had curled my hair into loose ringlets and pinned half of it up to keep it out of my face. What really captured my attention was the way Lori had managed to change my face with make-up. The brown smokey eye and flicked winged liner really made my green eyes pop, and for the first time I entertained the idea that maybe I was pretty. I looked up at them and met their gazes in the mirror where they stood behind me. “Thank you,” I said, really meaning it this time.

Both women smiled and leaned in to hug me. Lori gave my hand a squeeze. “C’mon, let’s get going. The Ceremony won’t be long off now!”

-x-

Lorelai, Francesca, and I arrived at the packhouse and filed into the gardens out back via a long line of other pack members. My nerves started to kick up, creating cartwheels in my stomach. I don’t know why I suddenly felt on edge, but I couldn’t help the feeling. The three of us took a seat at our assigned table in the very back with all other low ranked members. I was glad to be tucked away. Maybe I’d get through tonight unscathed and unnoticed by anyone else.

A few other omegas settled at our table with us. I recognized a few of them from omega duties – Kate, Brianne, and Tom. We often had a kitchen assignment together. I smiled softly at them, and they waved back. None of us were exactly friendly, but I’d take their cordial greeting and be happy with it. Even amongst omegas, I was outcast. I had tried to become their friends over the years, but they often turned their nose up at me or begged me to stop talking to them so I didn’t lower their status even further.

“I wonder if Ian will find out Kelsey is his mate tonight,” Brianne whispered to Kate.

Kate’s blue eyes blew wide open and she put a finger over her red-painted lips in a ‘shhh’ motion. “Oh my Goddess, Bri,” she said. “Don’t say that too loudly.”

“Why not?” Brianne said, tossing dark hair over her shoulder. “Everyone knows they’ve been hooking up.”

“Yeah, but its not our place to speculate on the Alpha, or to talk about his bedroom activities!” Kate whispered, looking frantic.

“Ohhh, but I wish he’d talk to me about his bedroom activities,” Bri said, l*****g her lips.

Kate’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “Bri!”

Brianne laughed, giving a shrug. The red strap of her gown fell down her shoulder and she pulled it back up, adjusting the top of her revealing dress. “What? Any she-wolf with eyes could tell you Alpha Ian is hot.”

I was grateful when their conversation was cut short as a caterer came by the table to fill champagne glasses. I was tired of listening to that drivel. I had been surprised when Luna Evelyn had announced that omegas were expected to attend the ceremony too. Usually, with pack parties or events, omegas were the ones tending to the guests. I had played waitress my fair share of times. But I guess the Luna hadn’t wanted to take the risk that anything would go awry and had hired outside help. The waiter moved on from our table quickly, not stopping to speak to us. I heard them taking food and drink orders from tables of higher ranked members, but I guess those of us in the nosebleeds would have to eat whatever was given to us.

Lorelai and Fran were in a conversation with their neighbor, Naomi, and the rest of the table had broken out into idle chitchat too. I let their voices fade to the back of my mind as I looked over the garden. It was nearly full now, all the seats pretty much filled up. I knew that the first few rows of tables belonged to our pack, and as I didn’t recognize those in the middle of the room, I figured they must be our guests from other packs. I scanned over their faces in a vain hope that maybe one of them would jump out at me. Maybe one of them was my mate, and I could focus on finding them later. None of them sparked any additional interest in me and I sighed to myself. It had been a silly thought that a ranked member of another pack would be mated to me anyway.

Well…if not them, maybe one of the caterers? They smell like omegas! I suddenly thought to myself. I straightened a bit in my seat, a flash of renewed hope surging through me. My eyes scanned over anyone dressed in black-and-white rushing around the garden. Again, none of them jumped out at me either. I sank down again, feeling stupid for having even allowed myself to get my hopes up in the first place. Stupid, insipid girl. You’re never getting out of here, so stop dreaming.