Omega (Alpha & Omega #1)

{Chapter Two}

The omegas were excused from the dining hall not long after my "performance". We were supposed to go eat in another room, but I wasn't hungry. All I wanted was to escape the eyes and hushed questions.

I stood out on the balcony, watching the sun set behind the trees in the distance. The sky was a beautiful picture of pinks and oranges, all mixed together to create something unearthly. I remained there long after the sun disappeared and night fell.

Crickets below chirped at each other, and bats screeched above. It was calm. Beautiful.

Though I noticed them long before they probably thought I did.

I turned and looked back at two men - so identical in their build and facial structure that I knew they had to be brothers, though maybe only half. Their bright green eyes glowed in the night, watching me like a predator watches its prey. Those eyes and their build were where the similarities stopped though.

One had white hair - not bleached, just utterly colorless. His skin was visibly tanned, even in the darkness. He wore an all-black suit that suited those otherworldly looks perfectly.

The other had hair as black as the night surrounding us, lighter skin than his brother's, and wore an all-white suit.

They were like the human versions of Yin and Yang.

I turned away from them.

"You realize your parents brought you here to sell you off," a deep, vibrating voice murmured, "don't you?"

"And?" I acted like the thought didn't bother me. Of course, I figured that was what this whole function was about, especially when my father told me not to wear my perfume. But hearing it out loud almost hurt.

"Abel wants you." Another voice, almost as deep as the first.

I turned back to them again. They were closer, but only a fraction. Their eyes still burned deep into my soul, like they could read me just by looking into my eyes.

If Abel did happen to purchase me, I'd run. I'd run as fast and far as I could go, never once looking back. I'd run to the slums, where unwanted omegas were thrown once their alphas were done with them.

"And what does that have to do with you," I asked.

The black-haired man smirked. "Ah, as feisty as they say."

His brother turned his head to look at him. "Alpha in an omega's body."

I narrowed my eyes.

"Forgive me for asking," the black-haired man moved ever so slightly closer to me, "but how is it, really, that you can relieve omegas?"

"It's a side effect," I answered. "I've been taking pills since I was thirteen to keep me from having my heat."

They both stilled.

I raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't happen like this with everyone who takes suppressants. Actually, it's rather rare. I'm only the second case since the pills have been active."

"You haven't had your heat," the white haired man asked cautiously. "And how old are you now?"

I checked my watch, signaling that they'd overstayed their welcome. I had to take my second pill of the day relatively soon anyway. Nine thirty was the time I took it - morning and night. The pills tasted bitter, and I had to let it dissolve completely on my tongue before I swallowed it without water.

My mother made an appearance out on the balcony, sad eyes meeting mine. She walked past the brothers. When she reached me, she hugged me tight, without true affection.