In Doubt, page 11
“The temple at Rulox has a grand entrance on its eastern wall that would line up almost perfectly with an entrance on the west wall of this temple. I think it would’ve been an entrance reserved specifically for omegas.”
The older man sniffs. “Highly unlikely omegas would have been permitted entrance to such a temple,” he says.
Jake bristles beside me. I ignore them both.
“I’d have to disagree with you there. New theories suggest it was a much more egalitarian society – at least between the various designations – than what came after. Alphas respected omegas back then,” I say with a hard stare at the professor.
He’s one of those betas who fancies himself an alpha. He probably believes he should have been born one. I meet his stare. It’s easier with a beta. Going eyeball to eyeball with an alpha when you’re an omega is almost impossible. A skill that requires practice and determination. Luckily, I have an older brother who I’ve spent plenty of time glaring at over the years.
Eventually, the man snorts a little. “I’m not sure I agree with that new theory. Omegas have always been at the bottom rung of the social ladder, throughout history and across cultures.”
Beside me, Jake’s scent spikes, but I ignore him, about to tell this stuck up academic exactly what I think of that opinion. This time Jake beats me to it.
“Depends on whose perspective you are viewing things from. To alphas, omegas have always been prized above all else. They aren’t even on the ladder, they’re too far high above it!”
“Where on Earth did you read that idea?”
“I didn’t read it. I’m an alpha. I live with a pack of alphas. I feel it in my very soul.”
I gape at Jake in amazement. Did I really hear those words right? I know he said something similar last night. But now I’m beginning to suspect he really believes it.
His jaw is tight and the older man is experiencing what it’s like to meet one of those fearsome alpha’s stares. He’s obviously not as well practised as I am because I see the man gulp, a bead of sweat pearling on his bald scalp.
“Yes, well,” he turns to me with a pat smile. “I think we can spare you a digger to break the ground on the trench.”
“Thank you,” I say, keen to keep him on side.
“You two will be responsible for working it though. And if you find anything–”
“We’ll come straight to you,” I say with what I hope is a winning smile. I motion with my head towards Jake, thinking we’d do best to leave asap, before the chief archeologist can change his mind, and before Jake takes a swipe at him.
Although, why do I care? If the guy lost his temper for real, then that would be the end of his career and a clear path to that coveted research spot.
“Jake?” I nudge, when he doesn’t move. I don’t want him to lose his temper on my account, though, and the funny feeling is I think he is angry on my behalf. Maybe that is a silly idea. He is probably upset on behalf of alphas and omegas generally. The prejudice we endure can be irritating to say the least. Either way, I can’t seem to let him blow this, even if it would help me out.
Sia is right. I’m too nice for my own good sometimes. Well, there are worse things to be.
I rest my palm gently on Jake’s elbow and his gaze flicks to mine, the anger seeming to drain away. “Let’s go get started,” I say with a grin.
His gaze falls to my mouth and that memory of last night floods my mind, with it a warm buzz through my body. I drop my hand away and hurry to the door.
Why is everything so complicated when it comes to this alpha?
12
Aiden
The four of us – me, Jake, Dylan and Giorgie – huddle in a speck of shade watching as the teeth of a digger rake through the pale earth.
“You really think you’ll find something here?” Dylan asks. We’re some distance from the top of the temple searing through the sand dunes, or the other archeologists at this site beavering away in their trenches. It turns out, despite Giorgie’s obvious annoyance when she first realised that we were tagging along today, we’ve proven quite useful, helping Jake and Giorgie to measure out exactly where they think the digger should work. They haven’t been assigned anyone else to help them and it definitely required more than two pairs of hands. Especially when those two pairs of hands belong to an alpha and omega who can barely make eye contact today.
It’s almost fucking comical. You’d think by the way they are acting they’d done something incredibly sordid with each other last night, not simply nearly kissed each other.
That’s if Jake’s being completely upfront with us. But I think he is. It’s usually pretty obvious when an alpha and omega have been up to that kind of shit, they absolutely reek of one another.
The omega just reeks of herself. That sweet juicy scent that reminds me of watermelons.
Shit, I love watermelon. I can devour the things, my fingers all sticky and my face all wet. Reminds me of eating pussy. And eating pussy is one of my favourite pastimes.
My eyes roam over to the omega. She sits cross legged, leaning slightly forward to secure a better look at the digger’s work.
The woman is fucking cruel. I swear her scent is even stronger today. Jake is right. It wouldn’t hurt to use some goddamn blockers.
I peer at Jake and surprise, surprise, his eyes have also wandered to her.
All that talk about concentrating on the job at hand and I’m not sure he can. But I know how much he wants that place on the professor’s team. Our plan for the next few years is dependent on it. Levi has a trial with the Studworth Rugby team in a month and as long as he’s fit, they’ll snap him up. Jake will secure his place on the research team. I will find a job in the city, and Dylan will set up his business. Our pack will be secure and settled in Studworth for the next few years.
Just as long as Jake doesn’t blow it now. In that, he’s going to need our help.
I meet Dylan’s eye and raise an eyebrow, jerking my head slightly in Jake’s direction.
Dylan nods slowly, in the way he does when he’s thinking. He scrapes his hand over his mop of curly dark hair, then jumps to his feet.
“This is going to take a while, right?” he asks Jake, who drags his gaze from the omega.
“Err … yeah, an hour probably.”
“How about a tour then?” He gives Jake a hard look which tells him this suggestion is not for fun, but for his own good.
Jake glances anxiously at Giorgie. I know what he’s thinking. He doesn’t want to leave her out here on her own. I feel exactly the same way. It’s isolated in this part of the site and when the omega’s scent is this vivid, it activates all those ridiculous alpha instincts.
“I think I’ll stay here,” I say pointedly. “It’s too hot for a tour.
Giorgie’s gaze flutters between the three of us. “Is it me or is it even hotter today?” she fans her hand in front of her face.
“Alright,” Jake says to Dylan. “I’ll show you around.” He seems almost a little relieved as if an excuse to remove himself from the omega’s presence is exactly what he needs.
I’m beginning to understand why he’s been bitching about this situation for so long. The plane ride was tortuous. I can’t imagine having to sit in class day in, day out with an omega who smells this good. Damn.
My two packmates trudge off towards the main temple site, leaving me with her and the digger.
She fidgets on the hard ground beside me, rolling her shoulders, fanning her face and scratching at her neck.
“Did the mosquitos get you last night?” I ask her, although to be honest I haven’t seen any since we arrived.
“I guess,” she mutters, fiddling with her glasses.
I stretch my legs out in front of me, leaning back on my elbows. The woman continues to fidget.
“You keen to get started?”
“Huh?” she says.
“On this dig, or whatever the correct phrase is?”
“Uh huh,” she says.
I regard her. She doesn’t seem pissed off today, more … distracted. I wonder if it’s to do with the work going on or whatever the hell is going on with her and Jake.
I decide to do some digging of my own. It may piss Jake off but someone’s got to take a grip of this messed up situation. To understand what the omega is actually thinking. Jake’s always been convinced she’s toying with him, trying to throw him off his game. It’s the way some of the opposing teams play things. Taunting and bad-mouthing us. Trying their best to get a rise out of us, hoping we’ll lose our concentration and fuck up.
I don’t think Giorgie’s like that. I think there’s something more going on.
“So you and Jake are friends now or something?”
She turns her head to look at me, swiping at her damp brow. Her eyes are wide with surprise. “We’re partners … I mean, Professor Weaver paired us up … for this dig. We’re not … We’re…”
Clear as day.
She gulps. The little wispy pieces of hair around her forehead look even damper.
“I think he’d like to be friends,” I say, keeping my eyes locked on the digger as the driver swings the arm around and dumps more earth on an already growing pile. “This rivalry thing you two have going on is sort of ridiculous.”
Her tone is a little tighter when she speaks again, “Is it ridiculous that we both want a spot on Professor Weaver’s research team? She’s renowned in her field. There isn’t anyone else I’d want to work for. Plus she’s at Crestmore which means I get to stay in Studworth where all my friends and family are.”
It’s hard to argue with all that. It’s what Jake wants too.
“You can compete without getting right up each other’s noses.”
“He said that?” she asks, sounding perhaps, maybe, just a little … hurt?
Shit!
“No.” She frowns at me. “Not in so many words. Are you saying he doesn’t irritate you?”
Her face flushes a pink and she snaps her eyes away from me. “No, he irritates me.”
“Why?” I ask, wondering if I’m finally going to get to the bottom of all this, and also intrigued by that colour sweeping across her skin.
“I told you,” she picks up her water bottle and throws back her head to take a long gulp, the action elongating her slim neck. “He’s my academic rival. Tell me.” She snaps the lip back on the bottle and drops it to the ground. “Are you all pally with players from other rugby teams? I mean, your opposition?”
“Hell, no.” I laugh. “Coach would probably string me up by my balls if he caught me being friendly.”
“Exactly,” she says, then pauses. “Why would your coach be that outraged?”
I sigh, smiling at her. “I’m not very good at keeping quiet about things.” She tilts her head to examine me more. “I have a big mouth. He’d be concerned I’d spill all our secrets, tell them all our tactics.”
She meets my smile with her own. And yeah, well, it’s clear as day why this one has been driving Jake crazy. “I like that. I like straight talkers. Sometimes I get all tangled up with what I want to say and it comes out sounding all wrong.”
“It doesn’t always work out in my favour.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I got friendly with some dude around Christmas time. He seemed solid, you know. We went out for beers a few times and we swapped stories. The way guys do. Then those stories ended up in the student paper. Turns out he was a gossip columnist, looking for stories about the rugby team.”
“Wow, that’s really–”
“Shitty,” I finish for her. “More than shitty. It pissed off both my packmates and team mates and nearly had me booted off the team.”
“It hurts when you trust someone, when you think they care about you, and then it turns out they were only using you.” There’s something about the tone of her voice that makes me think she understands.
“It’s happened to you too?”
She pauses for a moment, then nods sharply. We’re quiet for a moment, although she continues to scratch at her neck.
“You’d have thought I’d’ve learned my lesson,” I say, finally. “I got permanently kicked out of one of my classes as an undergraduate because me and the lecturer didn’t see eye to eye.”
“In what way?”
“He was talking a load of crap and I told him so.”
“Oh,” she says, her eyes gleaming in amusement. “I wish I had the guts to do that more often.” She fiddles with the sleeve of her top. “You should’ve heard the bullshit the head archaeologist just spouted at me about alphas and omegas.”
My spine stiffens. There’s nothing I hate more than all the shit we get told about ourselves, about our natures. It’s why those stupid articles were so infuriating. He’d targeted me because I was an alpha and part of a pack. People love reading juicy stories about both those things.
Perhaps we had been a little wild when we’d first found each other and formed our pack, enjoyed partying together. But most of the things written about us were figments of that man’s twisted imagination.
“You didn’t put him to rights?” I ask.
“I was about to, but Jake beat me to it.” Her gaze flicks momentarily to meet mine as if she’s wondering what I’ll make of that.
“Good,” I say simply. Then pause. I probably shouldn’t say what I’m about to say next but then when has that ever stopped me. “I hear you don’t exactly have the most enlightened opinions about alphas yourself.”
“That isn’t true,” her shoulders tighten. “But I haven’t exactly had the most enlightened experiences with them.”
“Yeah, most of them are giant knobheads,” I agree. Her head snaps my way and her mouth hangs open in surprise. I shrug. “I grew up in foster care. So I came across a lot of dicks back then. My big mouth got me into trouble with a lot of them. I used to be a bit too honest with my feedback. Got moved on more times than you can imagine.”
“I’m … I’m sorry,” she says.
I shrug.
“It was lonely. It’s why the idea of a pack always appealed to me. I wanted to find a pack, a family of my own.”
“And you think a pack will give you that?”
“Your brother’s in a pack, right? Doesn’t he have it?”
“Yes. The bond between them is so strong.”
“Exactly, the bond. That’s the thing that’s hard to find. A real, genuine connection with other people. It’s hard to find because like I said most alphas are giant arses.”
She laughs. “You know I don’t think I’ve ever heard another alpha admit that.”
“Probably because they haven’t tried to form a relationship with one. I’ve dated my share of knobs.”
“Can I ask you something personal? You won’t be offended?”
“Depends what it is.”
“Are you gay?”
“Bi,” I say, holding her gaze.
“Doesn’t that get kind of complicated when there are four of you?”
“I guess it could. I guess it did with some of the other guys I hooked up with for a while. But so far it works well with Jake and the others. We have this connection I’ve never felt before. I finally feel like I belong.”
She smiles at me warmly, hugging her arms around her legs, resting her cheek against her knees. “But how can you be so sure? It’s so new?”
“It’s a feeling deep down in my gut.”
“But feelings can be wrong. The other guy, the journalist, you trusted him.”
“I did. You’re right.”
“So how do you know this time it will be OK?”
“I don’t. And I’ve been stung many times. My own parents …” I shake my head. “But I can’t live my life never trusting anyone again. At some point you have to let that fear go.”
She chews her lip and adjusts her glasses. Beyond her, the digger scrapes its teeth through the ground, dust spiralling up into the air.
“Are you …” she hesitates.
“Am I what?”
“Sleeping with Jake?” She can’t quite look at me when she asks that question.
“No,” I tell her simply. “Jake is only interested in girls.”
I swear she lets out a little sigh of relief. Interesting.
“How does it work in your brother’s pack?” I’m curious to know. We all want a pack omega. In the future. When we’re settled and established. The idea excites me, has me glancing towards this omega. Her skin soft, her eyes bright, her chest rising and falling as she breathes. I wonder. I wonder what it would be like. To have an omega for our pack. An omega like Giorgie Martinelli.
“Oh God,” she says, screwing up her nose and making her glasses wobble, “It’s my brother. I don’t ask and he doesn’t tell.”
“They have an omega?”
“Yeah and she’s expecting a baby.” She grins proudly.
“You’re going to be an aunty?”
“Already am – the best aunty.” She swipes at her brow. “It’s funny. I didn’t really think they would ever find an omega. They seemed pretty happy as they were. They’re incredibly close. But now they have Connie, I see that there was something missing. They are all walking around in this sort of blissful bubble.”
Something missing.
I glance at her, thinking about the way she’s stoked Jake up. He’s usually so calm, so considered. The man had the wind knocked out of his sails by his stupid parents. It left him all feelinged out. But Giorgie, she stirs all sorts of emotions inside him.
“Probably the sex,” I say and her cheeks redden.
“Hmmm,” she answers noncommittal. There’s obviously a lot of sex involved. Lucky bastards. But there’s time for that. We’re in our early twenties. There is plenty of time to settle down with an omega later. Our pack is still fairly new and the dynamics of bringing in an omega could unsettle what we’re working hard to build.
“Have you ever looked for a pack of your own?” I ask her. She must have considered it, seeing as it’s the way her brother has chosen to live.
