Omega (Alpha & Omega #1)

{Chapter Nine}

I sat in uncomfortable silence, staring at my plate of untouched food. The brothers refused to eat until they saw me eat something, but I was too nervous about the upcoming conversation and the threat of one of them touching me and making my eyes glow. If they did, it would alert every single person that passed through that room of what I was to them and vice versa.

I looked up. "Can we talk first?"

"No." Cayson motioned to my food. "You need to eat something. You've lost weight since you've been here. Eat the omelet and then we'll talk."

I didn't want to eat the stupid omelet. I wanted them to explain how they knew I was their mate and why it was they didn't seem bothered by it. But I did, because I needed those answers. I didn't taste it - I rarely tasted food. I kept my eyes on my plate until the ham, sausage, and cheese omelet was gone and all that was left was hashbrowns.

I looked back up after I finished and raised an eyebrow.

"What would you like to know," Cayson asked, smiling gently.

"How did you know it was me?" I glanced back and forth between them.

"Alphas have a honing sense," Cayson said. "They know when their mate is close. Since fated bonds are so rarely completed, most alphas find solace in mating with whoever. Finding a fated bond is rare, since there are so many people on the earth."

"But we found ours," Keon murmured.

Cayson smiled in a way that had my eyes widening. It was so genuine and so happy that I was taken aback.

"You walked by our hospital about a month ago," Keon continued. "We were on the roof taking a break and we felt a pull. So we followed it. We got out front just in time to see you walk by with an omega by your side."

"You may have had that perfume on but we knew what you were." Cayson leaned forward in his chair. "As most fated pairs know what their pair is. We were planning on tracking you down, but you showed up at the function."

I didn't feel any sort of pull. At least, none that I could remember. But maybe that was just an alpha thing.

"Why did you act on it," I asked. "You could have anyone. Why settle on an omega? Even if that omega is your fated mate?"

"We have no problems with omegas, Phoenix." Keon crossed his arms and tilted his head to regard me. "Like we've said before...not every alpha is like your father. There are plenty of us who see omegas as equals."

I choked on my spit. "Equals? You see omegas as equals? What kind of fucked up planet do you live on?"

"Earth," Cayson murmured. "We live on Earth, Phoenix. I know it'll take some time for you to understand, but we aren't in this to make a fool out of you."

"No," I shook my head, "maybe not, but you'll be making a fool out of yourself if you mate an omega."

"We aren't worried." They both looked at me.

That look held so many emotions and so many words unspoken. It was as if they were asking why I was worried if they weren't. I had nothing to lose by mating with two alphas, but they had everything to lose. They could lose their jobs and their retirement funds could be stripped from them. So much could go wrong for them, so why did they seem so at ease?

"So much could happen if you do," I hedged.

"You're the only one worrying," Keon murmured. "We have everything arranged if things go 'bad', which I doubt it will. It's all on you now whether you want to attempt it or not."

"Attempt?" That didn't make sense. You couldn't attempt being mated. It was either you were or you weren't.

"Act like we're mated," Cayson clarified. "See how you feel. We won't mark you if you don't want to be marked."

Keon glanced at his brother from the corner of his eye and scowled. He didn't like the idea of me not being marked, it seemed. Odd. I didn't realize it was that important to him.

I hummed. I wasn't sure what they meant by "acting" like we were mated. If I acted like my mother and father did, they'd ignore me and only fuck when they wanted to. I'd be treated like dirt and they'd get pussy whenever they wanted.

I knew that wasn't love. I didn't know what love was or if I was capable of feeling it. But that was what I grew up knowing. That's what I was taught love was.

"I don't know how," I whispered.
It was embarrassing, admitting to not knowing how to act around a mate, fated or not.

A warm hand touched mine and I could physically feel my eyes flare up. I looked at Cayson, which stopped a passing omega in her tracks.

She drew in a breath and stared at me like I was a spectacle. It'd be throughout the entire house in minutes once she told someone else. The little omega girl was the brothers' mate.

"You don't need to know how," Cayson smiled. "Just be yourself and let us in. I know it'll be hard at first, but just try. That's all we ask."

I chewed on my lip and slowly pulled my hand out from his. Be myself but let them in? I couldn't do both. Being myself meant shutting everyone out and being on my own. Letting them in would require a hell of a lot more work on my part because I hated sharing anything about myself. Physical or mental.

I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Let them in. I had to try and let them in. If they didn't like it, or I couldn't handle it, I could leave in a little less than three weeks.

"Fine," I agreed. "I'll try."