Omegas' Destined Alpha [Full Collection]

Chapter 2

Chapter Two

WES

The guy I saw this morning as we were opening the store, Nathan, is still sitting in the same place as he did when he came in.

Normally, Alphas coming in on their own don’t stay for very long, but he’s been sitting there with his laptop, writing or doing whatever, for hours now.

I can feel his eyes on me, his interest. And then there was that surprised look in his eyes when he found out that Mia was my daughter… I don’t think I should tell him that she’s my youngest, my youngest out of four…

I know that a lot of Alphas have their own ideas about working Omegas, especially when they have children.

This cafe has been created for working parents, Omegas mostly, but even from other Omegas I can sometimes see the judgemental looks. It’s hard to ignore…

My brother, Clay, the owner of this chain of cafes, has been a lifesaver in the last year. Not only did he take me and my kids in, but with the new school year starting, he’s also helping me out with college and allowing me to work here part-time.

This is a life I’ve never known before, a life I only saw from others, a life I sometimes dreamed I could have had. And now I get to live it.

I got married and had my first kid right out of high school. I was living the supposed dream, marrying my high school sweetheart, having lots of kids, all of that. But the reality was different. The dream quickly turned dark, especially after I had more kids.

Last year, the day Mia was born, Clay and his mate Aiden saved me from my ex-husband, got me out of the abusive relationship. And I’ve been living with them ever since. But even with all their help, it took a long time before the lawsuit against my ex and the divorce after that went through and I’ve only really been free to do my own thing the last few months.

This freedom, it’s scary.

It’s scary and exciting at the same time.

I’ve made so many new friends and my kids are doing really well. But it didn’t start out like that.

After the initial shock of getting away from my ex and then settling in here, I felt very lost, I didn’t know what to do with my life anymore. Not that I should have worried, really. With four kids, all under the age of six at the time, I was constantly busy.

But thinking of the future was scary. I was lucky that my brother, his Omega and their friends were there for me because I don’t know if I would have survived all of this otherwise. At least not with my sanity intact, somewhat. Because there were some really dark times.

And now, working, going to college and taking care of my kids, I feel like my life has finally started. I feel like I’m finally able to do the things I’ve always wanted to do. This life, this path I’m on now, I can see myself being happy ten, twenty or even sixty years down the road.

It helped that Zeke was there for me since the start. He was there when I was so exhausted and scared that first day at Aiden’s place. He came up to me and actually made me feel good, made me feel like I was doing the right thing.

And after that, he stayed at my side, always supporting me, always being there for me, always knowing what I need. He is the type of Omega I always wished I could be, kind, caring, with a degree and a job that he loves.

A couple of months ago, instead of keeping the lease on his own place going, he moved in with all of us. It didn’t make much sense for him to keep his place, since he was always over at ours anyway. And it didn’t make much of a difference for us.

I live with my brother Clay, his mate and their three kids, plus, of course, my four little ones. Adding Zeke to all of that wasn’t too big of a change.

My relationship with Zeke is a little… unconventional. I love him. I fell for him, hard, even though I was in no position to actually do anything about it when we first met.

But we couldn’t fight our attraction, no matter how hard we tried or how much we tried to hide it from others. We were close in ways that two Omegas usually aren’t, no matter how you look at it.

Clay took the news of us dating pretty well, even if it confused him a little at first. Zeke’s been Clay’s best friend for years, and is his most trusted employee. So I don’t think Clay really cared about my partner being Zeke, just that we’re both Omegas and that negative reactions from other people might be hard on us.

Now our closest friends and family know about Zeke and me, it makes everything so much easier. But I don’t think the rest of the world is ready for a relationship like ours yet, and I’m not ready to face angry looks and words from strangers.

So, we’re keeping it hidden when we’re outside the house, even if that’s hard. We have our stolen moments, but other than that, we have to act like we’re just really good friends.

It’s complicated, an understatement.

I finish my cup of tea as Mia and Evan are playing with their food. It’s moments like these that I love the most, spending a little quiet time with my kids, even though I’m technically at work.

I know that not many people have this opportunity, having their kids with them at work, so I feel extra lucky that I can spend my time with them.

“Wes?” Zeke comes into the small room where I’m taking my break.

“Hmm?” I look up, never able to hide the smile I get when he’s near.

“Clay sent a message saying that he and Aiden will be back late tonight. They’re having dinner at Wilder’s. So he said to just make something for us and the kids.” He comes over and he gives me a quick kiss.

My cheeks heat up, but we’re in a closed room, nobody can see us here.

“Okay.” My voice is a little low, I clear my throat. “We’ll figure something out later. I need to get to class in about an hour and I’ll be picking up Josie and Oliver from school on my way back. I’ll buy us some dinner then.” I stand up, collecting the plates and cups.

“Sounds good.” Zeke smiles, then he steps aside. “Back on your feet, we have customers to serve.” He grins and I shake my head, smiling. Yeah, yeah.

I bring the dishes to the kitchen in the back and then, as I return, Zeke is already taking Mia and Evan back to the main part of the cafe.

They usually just sit in the kids’ corner and play there. There are toys, books, other things, all there for the little ones that come here. It’s positioned so that we can easily see them from behind the counter, but there are also a couple of tables and benches around it for parents to sit at.

When I get behind the counter and take my apron, my eyes go back to the work table. Nathan is still sitting there, he smiles as he catches my eyes.

I go over to him. “Do you want anything, a refill?” I look at his cup of coffee, but he shakes his head.

“Can I have a tuna sandwich and a glass of orange juice? I need to have lunch, gotta get to my real job after this.” He smiles.

“Your real job?” I jot his order down.

“Yeah, I’m a literature professor at the local college. You may have gone there yourself?”

A literature professor. Wow. I nod, quiet for a moment. “I go to college part-time since the start of the month.”

He nods, encouragingly. “Are you a first-years?”

“Yeah. Did a couple of other things first. But realised that a degree would probably be useful.” I smile a little, euphemisms are not my strong suit.

Nathan looks like he somewhat understands what I mean with ‘other things’. Though, it’s not really a secret when I just told him that at least one of the kids walking around here is mine…

“What are you studying?” Nathan leans in a little closer, his attention really on me.

“I’m taking some classes in child psychology right now. I’m hoping to work at a nursery or primary school or something like that.”

“You want to work with young kids?”

I nod, getting a little shy under Nathan’s gaze and attention. “I love kids and I think I’d love having a job working with them. Though, I’m only going to classes part-time right now. I’m hoping to finish by the time Evan and Mia are in school so that I can start working at a school too, and we’ll likely have a similar working schedule, so that’s good.”

I’m rambling now, not even sure why I’m telling him all of this, apart from maybe liking the way he’s listening to me. And I don’t get to talk to a lot of new people like this very often, at least, not with someone who seems genuinely interested.

Especially not someone as handsome as him… Well, yes… I admit it, he’s handsome. It’s obvious. You can’t really deny it, that’s no use.

“Ambitious. I like that.” Nathan grins. “Good luck. I hope it works out for you.” He seems so sincere when he says it.

“I’ll get you your order and let you get back to your work. I can’t distract you too much when you’ve got to split your time between two jobs.” I smile back at him, and then quickly make my way to the counter. Getting away from him before he can see how my cheeks have heated up.

I put the order into the system, my fingers moving nervously.

A moment later, Zeke is at my side. “He’s nice, right?”

“Who?” Though, I’m sure it’s no use playing clueless.

“Nathan.” Zeke lets out a little sigh. “I’m pretty sure he’s flirting with you.” I’m not sure what to make of his words, but when I look up, Zeke is smiling, a happy smile. That confuses me.

“I’m pretty sure he was flirting with you before, when I went on my break.” I saw the way they talked to each other as I took Evan and Mia to the back.

Plus, who would want a guy like me for the rest of their life? The best thing I can hope for right now is finding a job soon and being able to support my kids on my own.

I don’t hold any hopes that I’ll find an Alpha who will even look in my direction again, not after the disaster of a marriage before.

It’s nice to have Zeke at my side now, and I love him, so much, more than I ever thought I could love someone. But I also know that once he finds his Alpha, he’ll be gone. That’s reality. And Nathan seems really nice, even kind, for an Alpha. They’ll make a good match.

“But yes, he’s nice. He’ll probably make someone a good husband when he chooses someone.” I pour the glass of orange juice, and see the notification that the sandwich Nathan ordered is ready in the kitchen. “Excuse me, got to get the order to him.”

When I look up at Zeke this time, his eyes are a little different, saddened, and I don’t know what to think of it. “Zeke?” I touch his arm and he blinks, shaking his head.

“Nothing.” He smiles, but the dark look doesn’t go out of his eyes. “Go get his order. I need to go to another customer.” He walks off, leaving me stunned for a moment, then I get the sandwich from the kitchen.

I’m not sure what’s going on, but something’s definitely going on.

That look in Zeke’s eyes… It means something is puzzling him, it means he doesn’t really know how he feels about something yet, and it’s not looking good.

I know that look. I’ve seen it often enough before. But I don’t know how to connect that look to the things that he just said or my reply…

And I don’t know what to think of the feeling in my stomach when I talk to Nathan.

I guess I’m just getting a little fluttery because I’m not used to handsome Alphas talking to me and showing an actual interest in what I’m saying. Or really, any Alpha, apart from my family, showing any interest in my thoughts…

I’m not used to it. And with the way everything has gone in my life up until now, I’d never expected it to happen to me, at all. I learned early on that that’s just not something Alphas do, having an honest interest in an Omega’s thoughts.

I’ve experienced it often enough, the feeling of disappointment when you realise that you saying something of substance only angers an Alpha… You learn to shut your mouth pretty quickly after that.

That must be it.

I’m just reading the situation wrong.

He’s just being polite and better at hiding his annoyance when I talk.

I nod to myself and return with Nathan’s sandwich. I should just bring him his order and get back to business. Not bother him any longer.

That’s always the best idea, the safest option.

The option with the least pain.