Allison's POV
The very next day, I'm on a bus taking me back to the outskirts of the pack. That miserable place where we Omegas have been forced to live. When I escaped from that place some years ago, I had promised myself that I wouldn't go back.
I had worked harder than I thought possible, building my reputation as the best software developer in the most prestigious tech company in the city. I had clawed to the top with all my strength, only to take one hell of a fall and end up right back at the beginning.
I sigh, looking away from the window and back at the screen of my phone. I had typed out a message to Elsa— I've been fired. I'm on my way back to the outskirts— and have spent hours trying to decide whether or not to send it. What if she's still mad at me? What if she reads the message and doesn't care? That would crush me completely. But this is Elsa, and if nothing else, I have faith in her kindness. So I tap the send icon and lean tiredly back into my seat. I miss my car already.
I had to sell it this morning just to raise some more money.
At least there's someone waiting for me over there. My childhood friend, Ian. He has always been my biggest cheerleader, and I can trust him to have my back no matter what. He is an Omega like me, but unlike many of those that resented me for leaving the outskirts, he had been happy for me. When I called him to say that I had been fired, robbed and forced to leave the city, he had promised his help without hesitation.
I am still deep in thought when the bus stops. I join the other passengers in getting down. I've only taken a few steps when I hear my name.
"Allison!"
That's Ian's voice. I turn around quickly, and there he is, waving at me. Feeling a lot lighter, I hurry over to join him.
"Ian!" I say, feeling tears of joy bloom in my eyes.
We hug for a while, and for the first time, it feels like coming home.
……
It's been a month since I arrived at the Omega outskirts. I've been living at my father's old house, which I have had to repair a number of times. Thankfully, I have Ian by my side. He keeps me company, making sure that I don't sink into my misery, and helps with a lot of my financial problems. I can't believe I forgot how it feels to live in the Omega outskirts.
Having to do menial jobs just to get by each day, lacking access to a lot of amenities, and being forced to endure the filthy streets. But I'm not going to give up.
I've survived here before, and I am going to do it again.
Elsa has been calling, too. I was surprised the first time I got her video call, especially when she got all teary eyed, lamenting about what a horrible friend she is. We're more than cool now, and she has been planning to visit as soon as she gets a day off. Which is why I'm not surprised to see her on my doorstep now, her usual bright smile on her face.
"Allison!" she calls excitedly, like a child on Christmas morning, arms outstretched.
She throws them around me in a tight hug as soon as I step out, holding me as if I'm going to disappear if she lets go.
"Elsa, ow! You're going to kill me!" I squeal.
But I'm so happy to see her that my eyes go misty. We hold hands as we walk into the house, chattering like little girls. With a different high class werewolf, I would have felt self-conscious about my unglamorous home. But not Elsa. She takes everything in stride, as if there is no difference between this place and the luxurious buildings in the city.
"Ian," I call out. "Look who's here."
He and I have been making lemonade in my little kitchen. He walks out, wiping his wet hands on a towel, and I see Elsa's eyes go wide.
"Who is that?" she whispers to me.
"My childhood friend, Ian," I reply. "Ian, this is my best friend, Elsa."
"It's nice to meet you," Ian said, smiling as he offers Elsa a handshake.
Elsa shakes his hand, then goes on holding it as she stares up at him with a starstruck expression.
"The pleasure is all mine," she breathes.
My eyebrows go up. Is this… love at first sight? Now, that's unexpected. Elsa, the only woman I know who doesn't swoon over Xander Black, has fallen for Ian? Not that women don't throw themselves at him here in the Omega outskirts. He's very attractive, and I receive threatening glares on a daily basis because many of them assume that I'm his lover.
I look at Ian's face. His pleasant expression hasn't changed. It's clear that he doesn't notice what's going on.
Poor Elsa, to let this dense childhood friend of mine steal her heart.
"Allison has told me a lot about you," he continues, when Elsa finally lets go of his hand.
"She has?"
Elsa's gaze darts to me and back at him, her entire posture wondering what I've said and hoping it isn't anything that will turn Ian off.
"Yes," I reply, beaming. "I've told Ian very good things about you."
I actually like what's going on. If the two people I love most in the world end up getting together, it would make me very happy. Though, of course, whether or not this will happen depends on Ian. Still, who said I can't help things along?
"Ian makes very good lemonade," I say to Elsa. "Would you like to join us?"
She perks up at a chance to spend time with her crush. "Of course I would."
"Great," Ian said. "I'll fetch an extra glass, then."
Shortly after, we're sitting around the old dining table, sipping the tasty drink from tall glasses. My life hasn't felt this complete in a long time.
"So, how have you been, Elsa? Rachel isn't giving you much trouble, I hope?" I ask.
"Ugh," Elsa groans dramatically, leaning forward. "She's been looking around for someone else to punish when she's in a bad mood, since you're not around anymore. Just last week, she appeared over my shoulder like some ghost, to criticize my work and tell me to start over. Three different times! Then when there was nothing else to complain about, she told me that the font looked "lazy". Who the hell does that?"
"A bitch like Rachel, obviously," I chuckle.
I should have known that Rachel would pull that sort of nonsense, trying to transfer her aggression towards me to Elsa. She has always disliked her for being friends with the lowly Omega. Before I can say anything else, my phone suddenly rings.
I look at the screen and see an unknown number.
Raising my eyebrows, I look at Elsa. She mirrors the look, then shrugs. It's her way of telling me that it could be anybody, so I might as well pick the call.
I pick the cal
l and lift the phone to my ear.
"Hello?"
"Allison Carter? It's Rachel Fisher."
Allison's POVFor a very long moment, I'm certain it's a prank. I pull the phone away from my ear to stare at it with wide eyes. Elsa and Ian's gazes snap to me, immediately concerned."What—" Elsa starts to say."Rachel," I mouth immediately.Elsa closes her mouth right away. We don't know what Rachel wants. It won't be a good idea for her to find out that Elsa is here with me, in case she's in another bitchy mood."Allison Omega Carter," Rachel says in a cold voice, "you're not ignoring me, are you?"Yikes."No, I'm not, Miss Fisher," I say quickly. "How may I help you?"Even through the phone, I can tell that she's rolling her eyes at my usual polite tone."There is, in fact, a way you can help the company," she continues. "However, this is something I would rather say in person. Anybody could be monitoring this phone call.""Alright…" I respond, still trying to process the information."Meet me at the Goldbrew cafe tomorrow morning, by ten," Rachel says, still ordering me about li
Allison's POVRachel shoots out of her chair so quickly that I flinch back. I can feel my knees starting to tremble. She doesn't just look like she's going to slap all the teeth out my mouth. She looks like she's going to transform and tear me to shreds.Oh no, I think. Did I go too far?Rachel glares at me for a moment that feels too long, chainsaws in her eyes. Then, all of a sudden, the anger gives way for apathy. It's like she's trying to say, "I'm bigger than that. And you're not worth beating up anyway.""Fine," she says, already turning her back to me. "I'll discuss your demands with the CEO, and I'll get back to you tomorrow."With that, she walks away. She leaves me staring after her, my fingers digging into my forearms where I had gripped them to steady myself. I'm still shaken with fear from our encounter. However, I'm also more than a little excited.If all goes well, I think giddily, I could have my old life back.……"Oh my gosh!" Elsa screams. "You did what, again? Let m
Allison's POVI enter Ian's house squealing and jumping excitedly."Ian!" I squeal. "I made it! I'm leaving the outskirts. I have an apartment ready and everything!"And I'm even more better off than I was before, I think giddily.Ian looks shocked for a moment, and then he's giving me a beaming smile."I'm so happy for you, Allison," he says."You've earned this."That makes me grin."I'm moving back to the city tomorrow," I say. "Would you like to come with me?"Now Ian looks like I've zapped him with lightening. He opens and closes his mouth a few times."You… want me to come with you?" he manages to say when he finds his voice."Of course. You're welcome to come along if you want. You're my friend, Ian. Did you really think that I would leave you behind now that I've made it big enough to take you with me?" I reply, amused.Apparently, he did. Ian can be funny like that. We spend the rest of the day packing, and by dawn the next day, we're ready to go. This time, I don't have to f
Allison's POVThis has to be some sort of sick joke, I think, my hands trembling. How can he show up in front of me after everything he's done? How dare he?I clench my hands into fists to hide the tremor, suddenly realizing something. I'm not trembling out of fear. I'm trembling out of anger. I take a deep breath to keep from exploding, and turn around to look at him.I expect my heart to ache at the sight of him, as it had done when I found him in my bed with that woman. Instead I feel nothing but a mild irritation. He has gone from being the greatest source of my pain to being a minor inconvenience. Like a tiny tear on the hem of a trouser.I'm a little surprised, though, to see him looking exactly the same as when I last saw him. Our time apart has changed me, and I guess I imagined that it had changed him too. But it's still the Peterson I remember: same pale hair I used to love running my hands through, the same muscular arms in which I had felt safe once upon a time. I can see
Allison's POV"You can't know that for sure," is Elsa response.I had hurried to her house as soon as I realized that I was most likely pregnant, taking care not to wake Ian as I left my apartment. Now she's cradling my head on her lap, running her fingers through my hair."You can't know for sure that you're pregnant, Allison," she repeats."But—" I start to say."You had a one-night stand with a stranger you met at the bar, which… when did you become the daring type, Allison? And why did you keep something that huge a secret from me? But we'll get back to it. Anyway, having a one-night stand isn't always enough to result in a pregnancy."Of course, I had told her that I slept with a stranger from the bar. No way in hell am I telling her that it was Xander Black. I promised, after all."But I haven't had my periods…" I say."That could just be stress," Elsa replies. "And the pregnancy symptoms you've seen could simply be the symptoms of some illness. The fact is, you need to take a p
Allison's POVI freeze, my whole body locking up.This can't be happening, I think desperately.I'm so still and silent that the sound of her leaning on the door seems to echo."You know," she goes on, the mockery in her voice grating on my nerves, "Even though you're totally giving off the same vibes my elder sister did when she was pregnant, I thought such a thing happening had to be impossible. I mean, look at you. Who could possibly want you? But… did you really get knocked up, Allison?"Her tone, that of a person clearly fishing for gossip, makes me clench my jaw. Emily is a lover of gossip. It's how she made her friends, how she is able to be one of the popular ones in our department. She always has some juicy story to share, and now she's digging for one from me.No can do, Emily. Go away."You did, didn't you?" she titters. "To think there was actually someone blind enough to sleep with you. Oh my gosh. I can't believe this…"She's going on and on about how shocked she is, sou
Allison's POVI stand in front of my full-length mirror, staring at my reflection. Or rather, staring at the mermaid style lavender dress Elsa has convinced me to wear. I can hear her going through the cabinet behind me, muttering something about jewelry.I can't help a sigh. For some reason, I'm having a really bad feeling about attending the luncheon today, but Elsa won't let me sit this one out."You don't mingle nearly enough, Allison," she had declared when I suggested that I was better off staying at home. "Besides, I know you're going to receive that Best Software Developer award once more, and I need all eyes to see you looking stunning when you mount the stage."She refused to be convinced otherwise, so here I am, preparing to leave. I press a palm to my stomach, thankful that it's not swelling yet. Elsa appears beside me with more jewelry than I've ever worn at once, but I know better than to protest when she begins to put them on me.By the time she's done with prettying me
Allison's POVI'm lying in bed at eleven in the morning, one arm over my eyes. On a different day, I would have been at work hours ago.But not today. I don't think I can go to work today. I don't think I can go to work ever again, after the way I disgraced myself at the luncheon yesterday. I should have stayed at home. I should have avoided the alcohol. I should have remained at the balcony. I should have avoided the lunch table. I should never have left Elsa and Ian's side in the first place.Each minute that passes shoves one more regret into my mind, one more reason why I'm entirely at fault for what happened.I don't realize that I'm crying until I feel the tears rolling down my cheeks.Why do I keep doing this? Why don't I have the good sense not to keep ruining everything for myself?I hear a knock on my door, but I don't bother answering. I know it's Ian. He has been knocking since seven, trying to get me to unlock the door, but I can't face him right now. I can't even face my
Xander's POVI'm in a meeting with the heads of one of our partner companies when I start receiving the calls from Allison's friend. I didn't pick them at first, because I'm in a meeting, and also because it's an unfamiliar number. But she keeps calling relentlessly, so I pick up out of curiosity. She sounds worried and frightened, which should have warned me, but I'm still not prepared for the news when I hear it."Allison is in the hospital," she chokes out through sobs. "She was caught up in a car crash on her way to the competition…" she hiccups. "I d-don't know why she was going there alone…"I don't wait to hear anything else. I'm up and heading for the exit before I remember that I was in a meeting. I pause at the door long enough to say "this meeting is adjourned".Without waiting for a response, I hurry out of the building."Which hospital?" I say into the phone."Hands of Light," she replies."Are you with her right now?""As close as I can be," she replies, sounding miserab
Allison's POVI stand before the mirror, running a hand down the long sleeve of my white shirt, trying not to think about Xander.But not thinking about him is proving to be pretty difficult, since I'm currently wearing clothes he bought. That's right, it's the day of the Tech Wizard competition, yet all I can think about is Xander Black.I can't stop seeing his eyes, dark with desire as he fixed them on mine. Can't stop hearing his voice, thick with longing for me. I had been so sure that he was going to kiss me, right there beside the fountain, in full view of everyone. Which is why I had to step away, even though I wanted it so badly I could have screamed.I want him so badly I could scream.I understand if he hadn't been thinking about it at the time, but all I had seen as my whole body longed to lean closer to him was everything that was at stake.His reputation and mine. My safety, both from upper class werewolves that would feel insulted that an Omega dared to get together with
Xander's POVAllison is sitting with her hands on her lap, fiddling with her fingers. Is she nervous because I saw her in one of the dresses I bought, or because of something else?"I was right about the dress," I say. "It suits you."I'm partly saying this to reassure her and stop her from feeling nervous, but I truly mean it, even more than I realized.The dress hugs her curves in all the right places, and the deep blue color brings out the lovely flecks of gold in her warm brown eyes.A red hue spreads on Allison's cheeks in response to my words, crawling up her ears. She looks up from the hands resting on her lap and turns her gaze on me."You think so?" she asks.Really, the sort of questions she asks, as if the answers aren't obvious."Of course I do," I reply. "You should dress like this more often, if it doesn't make you uncomfortable."She ducks her head shyly, biting her lower lip. Golden blonde hair falls in a shiny long curtain over her face, hiding it from view.I want to
Allison's POVElsa and I are alone in my apartment, three different computer systems open in front of us, all in use at the same time. I'm determined to finish my presentation today, and while Elsa isn't a software developer like me, she does know her way around computer systems. Things are definitely faster with her here, and we're almost done at this point.Elsa leans back from the keys she was typing on, cracking her neck and her fingers. Then she stretches until her back pops, before leaning forward to rest her head on the table."Allison!" she whines. "I'm exhausted."I sigh, rubbing my eyes."Yeah, me too," I say.We've been working nonstop for hours, and I'm honestly surprised either of us lasted this long."Let's do something else," she says."Something like what?" I ask.She turns her head to face me, a big smile blooming on her face."Let's talk about your outfit for the Tech Wizard competition, of course," she says. "Have you tried on the clothes Xander Black bought you yet
Allison's POV"Oh my gosh!" I exclaim, staring at my phone.Elsa chokes on her lemonade out of surprise and drops the glass quickly, coughing."What the hell, Allison?" she asks.I pat her back, smiling sheepishly. I look around the company cafeteria to see if anyone saw what happened. Sure enough, there are a lot of people staring at me like I've gone crazy. I quickly return my gaze to Elsa, rubbing her back gently till she stops coughing."I'm so sorry, Elsa," I say."It's okay," she replies, straightening up and picking up her glass from the table. "But seriously, what was that for?"I stare back down at the screen of my phone."It's five days to next month," I say."Okay…" she says, raising her eyebrow. "And?""You're hopeless," I say with a sigh. "It's less than two weeks to the Tech Wizard competition, remember?""Oh!" she exclaims, "I totally forgot. How are your preparations coming along? Are you ready yet?"I have to sigh again."I actually haven't made as much progress as I
Elsa's POVI've never thought of myself as capable of murder, but perhaps I should have. I'm this close to grabbing a pen from this table in front of me and slashes the throat of this idiot that just won't stop saying nonsense.But that would be messy, and I would have too many questions to answer, and I would be punished at the end of all that drama.Besides, I'm supposed to accompany Ian on an errand today, and I got my nails done just this morning. It would be a waste to ruin them with the blood of fools.So I'm forced to continue sitting still and listening to this waste of space and oxygen as he goes on and on about how finding Peterson is not of great importance."I know you're acting as her representative," he's saying, "and to be honest, Miss, I really don't think you should be doing that. I don't see why you would choose such a role. But anyway, a job given to us by an Omega goes to the bottom of the list. If she wants our help in finding this man, she will have to exercise s
Xander's POVI should stop finding Allison adorable. Our relationship is purely out of necessity, and thoughts like that are what's going to make things needlessly difficult for the both of us. But it's not easy to hold onto this decision when she just keeps being so cute.Especially that blush of hers. I think I'm starting to get obsessed with that flustered look of hers, with the way blood steals up her cheeks and the sides of her neck.I used to think that her choice of clothes hid her beauty, but now I wonder if I was just being blind. She's dazzling. I can't take my eyes off her, messy hair, baggy clothes and all. I can't take my eyes off her now, as she turns in a near circle, glancing around the five-star restaurant I've brought us to with a look of pure wonder on her face.I can't help the warm feelings that go through me at this sight. I'm starting to learn just how much I love impressing Allison Carter.Dangerous thoughts, Xander, I think, scolding myself.I'm not naive. I k
Allison's POVI don't know what I expected Xander's request to be, but it wasn't this. He had told me to meet him at a different noodle shop from the one we went to last time.I figured it would be a date of some sort, even though he was being very mysterious about his intentions.The last thing I expected was for him to drive us to, of all places, the biggest mall in the city.I stare at the large building through the car window, then turn to stare at him with my mouth open."What are we doing here?" I ask."What does it look like?" he replies, already about to get out of the car.I grab his hand before he can open the door, staring at him in shock."We can't go in there," I say desperately."Why not?" he asks, giving me an odd look."People would see us together," I reply.Why is he acting like he doesn't realize that? I think."They won't," he says."Why, does being Alpha grant you the power to blind people?" I ask, too scared to bother about how the question sounds."No," Xander s
Rachel's POVIt seems I have begun to hallucinate, because there's no way Xander just said that to me. Allison Carter obtained permission from him? When? How?Since when does one bypass the CEO's personal assistant and obtain permission directly from the CEO?That's against company protocol. And wait, if Allison Carter really got permission to leave from Xander, was she just watching me make a fool of myself this whole time?Did she plan all of this, even provoking me so that I would call Xander, all to make me humiliate myself?I glare at her, but she just stares defiantly at me. She's not gloating or anything. Was it not an act, then? Or is this just another ploy to embarrass me once again?Damn it, I hate not knowing, I think."I beg your pardon?" I say to Xander. "I'm afraid I didn't quite hear you."If he notices my sinking state of mind, he doesn't show it. He just goes on talking calmly, as if all of this is normal."I gave Miss Carter permission to leave that day," he says. "I