The Omegas Second Chance

Chapter 1

Shayna

"This is so sigma, mom!" Miles said as he wiggled the box he held in his arms. The keys to our new house jingled in my hands, but I just stared at the building that would be our new home.

I looked at the peeling paint on the front steps. The loose wooden boards that I made a mental note to try to fix in the upcoming days while we got settled in.

Part of my soul ached at the train wreck I knew I was providing for my son, but I wasn’t willing to go back and beg for help. I wasn’t willing to put ourselves in that toxic situation again. I knew Miles meant well. I knew he understood very well what was happening and was simply trying to help ease the tension and the burden the situation that we all knew was pressing down on me.

"Come on mom! Let’s get this stuff inside. You promised we could get pizza after this!" He urged and part of me smiled at how he could still laugh and think of the positives after everything we’ve been through.

The bruise on my wrist ached and the red marks on my neck were still angry and very visible despite the copious amounts of makeup I caked on them.

I hated myself for being so weak and allowing myself to be put into that position. I had tried for so long and so f*****g hard to make that alliance work between our families that I lost sight of myself and my own well-being.

I still remember the way Miles pulled Derek off of me. The way it seemed violence had overtaken my sweet fifteen year old boy. I knew within the next year Miles would be coming upon his designation.

When a werewolf turns 16, they reach what has essentially been labeled as their designation. It's where they find out if they are an alpha, a beta, or an omega. Alphas have more aggression, confidence, dominance, and strength than a beta or an omega. They can mate with any designation but generally try to find an omega to complete and compliment their personalities. A beta is strong, yes, but nothing compared to an alpha. They are generally more reasonable and easygoing compared to the assertive and self-assured characteristics of alphas. Betas in today's world are the supportive members of today's world. They are no less loyal and dependable than an alpha and generally prefer harmony and peace over conflict and aggression. Omegas are the exact opposite of an alpha. We are submissive, gentle, sensitive, and generally very empathetic. We can be 'spicy', as Miles likes to call it. Where an alpha is strong, and built like a tank and looks like they could and would rip you apart with their bare hands, an omega is built for softness. We are generally smaller, faster, and are very social.

I raised my sunglasses to the top of my head and heaved a sigh before jogging up the steps to unlock the doors to our new house for the foreseeable future.

The door creaked open and I cringed at the loud shriek the hinges made.

"I think there’s some WD-40 in the car! I can fix that."

I smiled and put my hands on my son's shoulder. Ever so helpful. His eyes flickered to my neck and I saw his jaw tick and his body wince.

I hated the fact that he had to save me that night, that I put him in that situation but my grandmother told me to keep looking forward and not focus on the things I cannot change. That was why I was here in the first place. She convinced me that I deserve better, that we deserve more than the hurt and shitty hand we’ve been dealt.

We carried the few loads of boxes that we could fit into our SUV into the house. There was a sofa that had a few rips and tears in the fabric, a table with two chairs and a wood burning furnace. There were a few other pieces of furniture all in varying conditions, but it was workable, fixable.

I looked around further and inspected our home for the foreseeable future. I noted the cracks in the paint and the dust along the walls and trim. All things I could fix, all things I would fix. I would make this place a home.

I sat on the sofa and pulled out my notepad from my purse and crossed off a few items from my list before I got to ordering the food my growing son needed.

Leave

Get moved into the new house

Let my wolf out for a much needed run

Three things. There were only three things on my to do list. Granted I had a lot more to do than that but this was my overall goals.

I made a mental note to get groceries and get miles enrolled into the local high school. I wondered if it was still the same as when I attended it so many years ago.

I had so many plans for my life. Graduate high school, go to college, find love. As it turns out, good things generally don’t happen to me.

Yes, I have Mile,s but the torment that I went through from the moment my mating was arranged until yesterday was traumatic.

I always thought I could grow to love Derek. I never wanted to marry him in the first place, but I always did what I was told. I was never able to say no. Constantly the people pleaser and the soft-hearted girl who so desperately wanted her parent's approval. When Derek's parents approached my family for an agreement, they immediately jumped to selling me off.

I remember my parents' pleasant attitudes at my designation. What I took for pride was only them plotting how to use it for their benefit. Wealthy families like the ones I came from are archaic. They view women, omegas especially, as property to be sold and bought off. Bartered and traded for their own personal gain.

I was obedient and followed the rules so naturally I was the ‘right’ choice for them. Our parents were extremely close and Derek had been searching for a wife. Little did I know he had no intention on honoring the vows he was apparently searching for. But I swallowed my pride and I married him to win my parents' grace.

For the longest time, I hated what I was. I was tormented day in and day out from the moment my omega surfaced. I was made to believe that I was defective. That I was worthless and trash just because of who I was. At least that is the very, very shortened cliff notes version. Look at me, traumatized by my past and traumatized by my present. Will there ever be a time when I can just exist and be normal? I really should look into therapy, if not for my sake, then for Miles.

"Mom?"

Miles's voice had pulled me from my memories, and I jolted at the sudden intrusion. The sadness in my son's face at my learned behavior broke my heart a little more than it already was.

I wondered how much more of it there was to break. I didn’t mean to flinch when I heard his voice. I knew my son would never hurt me. My son saved me, but it was a learned behavior and one I was finding very hard to break.

"You okay? You were just staring off into space. Can we have pizza tonight?"

I looked down at the phone in my hand and the take out menu I had pulled up on the browser. I mentally crunched numbers.

I didn’t have access to any money, only what I was able to grab before fleeing from our home. Derek never let me have any access to funds. When it was time for grocery shopping he gave me exact change for what was needed. When things needed to be purchased, it was with his explicit permission.

Twenty dollars for a large pizza.

I swallowed roughly. That would be enough to feed Miles alone.

The rumble in my belly made itself known. I would be okay. For now. I would start my new job soon and things would get better. They had to.

"As if I could forget your favorite pizza." I said, and his blue eyes crinkled in the corners as he smiled. I called the closest pizza shop and made our order before tossing my phone onto the table in front of me. Miles started tossing a ball up in the air and catching it, trying to occupy himself.

I made a mental note to go visit grandma soon. She was never in agreement with the arranged mating with Derek and had decided to stay in our hometown. My parents practically shunned her for it, but she was persistent about staying in our lives, well, my life.

After I finished showering, 15 minutes had already passed. I sighed as I made my way back to the living room and noticed Miles had the door open and was switching off the cash for the pizza I had ordered.

"Keep the change," Miles told the driver, and started to back away when the blood drained from my face.

"Shayna?" A voice from my past had me gulping, not in fear but in the memories of the torment it brought.

"Hi, Patrick." I whispered.

He looked the same as he did in high school but older. He had red hair and bright green eyes that sparkled like gems. He had a hint of stubble on his jawline and a few tattoos on his arms. They were large and looked like they could crush me if he squeezed me enough. The memories of the threats he and his friends made brought a shiver up my spine. He could crush me.

He was an alpha.

"I didn't know you were back in town," he said while he rubbed the back of his neck. He swayed from foot to foot as he continued to look at me. He looked regretful, but that couldn't be right. He was one of my largest tormentors in high school.

I couldn't force myself to meet his gaze, not only because he was an alpha, and I was an omega, but he truthfully still scared me. Maybe even more so now, since he was larger and very clearly stronger than he was as a teenager.

"It's..."

"Do you know him, mom?" Miles asked as he looked from Patrick to me and back.

I glanced at Patrick out of the corner of my eye while still keeping my head tilted down. I noticed him staring at me, taking me in from head to toe. His eyes lingered on the bruises on my neck and the ones littering my arms. His jaw ticked, and his anger poured off of him in waves.

I shivered, remembering very well what damage an alpha's anger and wrath could do.

I clenched my own jaw and took a couple of deep breaths before raising my own eyes and keeping them on my son.

"We went to high school together. Thank you for the pizza, Is that enough cash?" I whispered to Patrick.

"It's plenty. More than enough. Y'all have a good night." He muttered as he backed away from us and I slowly shut the door and effectively cutting off the memories before I spiraled into another panic attack.

I wasn't going to start that here I refused to allow that to harm me. I have been through more painful things than a round of high school bullying. This was my new life. I was going to be stronger now.