The Forbidden Omega

Chapter Seven: Cora

Finished. I finished the last rose, of the last tier of Soren's cake. He didn't ask, and I hadn't truly planned this, until something sparked in my mind. A vague idea came to me, the notion that Soren could still have the beautiful cake he had designed, but it wouldn't be a wedding cake. A sort of special occasion cake, for him, that was small enough for two people to share. It was the greatest compromise I could imagine, that while I might never see him in a perfectly tailored suit, nor be able to slip my grandmother's intricate filigree wedding band onto his finger, we would have this. This perfect cake, to share.

It's no small comfort that I expected him to return any day now. My wolf feels the reassuring knowledge as well, no longer in a state of near death, now there was simply a mild disinterest in the way he regarded our surroundings. A simple feeling that while he was very much *alive,* and very much present, he was making no effort to be noticed or heard. As long as Soren was out of his sight, he wanted no part of the outside world.

Done with the intricate roses climbing the side of our cake, I take a small step backwards, admiring the effect the liquid food coloring gave pure white fondant, when painted on as if they were paper and watercolors. It was a different route than I had initially considered, but it was well worth the painstaking effort. It rendered the effect of the template I designed to the last splash of crimson. I begin to embellish the half completed cake, piping complex flourishes around the border of each of the three small tiers, in the palest of lavender icing. It was a dead ringer for vibrant white, but the secret of the Royal icing is that I had infused it with lavender blossoms, steeping a tablespoon of buds in the water I would combine with the delicate sugar.

Just as I'm finishing the first tier, I hear a soft chime, alerting me to the new arrival. I carefully place the final swirl onto the fondant, and exit the kitchen, still in my dye spilled apron. I grin as I see Cora, my Beta litter mate, and her Alpha husband, Edward, or Ed for short. I feel the impossible to resist grin spread across my face when I see her waddling into my shop. She has to have at least four pups hidden in that impressive belly, A huge litter for a mere Beta to have.

"Gods, Cor, when in the thirteen hells are you due?!" I exclaim, wiping my dusty hands on my towel looped through my apron strings. "When was the last time you saw your *feet?"* She puffs, waving her hand at me as I go in for a careful hug. " Missed you, Little Wolf." I shake Ed's hand affectionately, and Cora sniffs, trying hard not to peek at my latest project. The saloon doors of the kitchen hide most of it from view, luckily.

"Hibiscus…" she mutters, "Peach, and, gods you're bold, Ad. Lavender?" She looks at me like I'd sprouted another head since we last saw each other, eyes puzzled. "Just tell me who it's for. Promise I won't look."

I chuckle, grabbing a couple of the day old scones, and leading my siblings to the corner booth. "It's…" I exhale in a gust, sinking into the chair and setting down the scones. I hold a blueberry one in my hand, turning the biscuit like wedge over and over as I debate how to respond. "Don't... Don't get excited, alright?" I ask, looking at the two wolves opposite me, desperation in my eyes. "It's for my mate."

Cora's eyebrows draw together in concern, her hand covering mine and stopping the anxious fidgeting. "What's wrong?" She asks, her thumb brushing over my skin. I mutely shake my head, unable to explain. I doubt either would understand fully, and it would only raise more questions. "Alright, Ad, you don't have to talk. Just know that we support you. We're here, when you want to tell us."

"Thanks," I get out, as I return to twisting the scone in my hand. "How's John?" I ask. Our second brother worried us as he had been the most harmed, when Dad started to push us all away. John, who resembles Mother the most, and was Dad's favorite son. They'd spent nearly every weekend fishing, being true Alphas in temperament, and having such similar personalities. So when Dad stopped coming over for Sunday dinners, and refused to answer calls, it hurt John the most.

"He's found his Omega finally." Cora murmurs, fussing with her sleeves. "She's his true mate." Cora glances up into my eyes, softly smiling. "You're next, brother."

"I know." That was all I could say in response. I couldn't bring myself to open up the can of worms that was my true mate. I can barely admit that I have a true mate, without my heart throbbing. "Did Connor send you the pictures of the new litter? Gods, they look so much like him and James." I smile, as I remember how sure Connor and I were that we would *both* be Omegas when we were thirteen. We lusted after the same Alphas in the magazines, with their muscles and dreamy eyes. I'd nearly broken when I felt my first rut, and felt my knot swell as I tried vainly to relieve the pain of my arousal. I had been so *sure* that I was an Omega.

"Did you catch the tiny little hats?" Cora asked, "They look like they have their names on them." Cora chuckles, patting my arm. "You know everything will work out in the end, right Aiden?"

I can't bring myself to look into her earnest eyes. I don't want to see her blind faith that *somehow* my Omega's heart will fall into my hands. That maybe he simply didn't catch my scent, that somehow he is too afraid to simply leave Jason. That there is always hope.

Because, then, I'd be hoping for a miracle again. And I would never get one.