“Well, it looks like there’s no turning back now. So, are you going to actually try?”
“Yes, I’ll try,” he says, leaning down and placing a gentle kiss against my lips.
My phone buzzes. It’s the ship’s Heat Haven app.
“Beta mixer is in twenty minutes. Are you going to survive on your own?” I ask.
“Yes.”
“Don’t scare anyone away,” I say, patting his chest twice before heading off.
Forrest is the kind of person who comes to terms with things in his own time. I know he recognizes this is what we need. His Alpha driven need for an Omega will hopefully push him to putting himself out there, but I’ll give him time to settle in.
I leave him on his own, hoping that he doesn’t just go and hide in the room, but if that’s what he needs, that’s what he needs. I, on the other hand, know that we’re going to be on this ship for a good bit of time and the more people I meet, the better our chances of building a pack will be.
Plus, I’m going to need Beta friends to stay sane on this ship.
With so many Alphas and Omegas on this boat, there’s no doubt going to be drama on board. Why not get a front seat to the shit show?
The Beta mixer is small, unlike the real world, where we’re the most common designation. We are far outnumbered on the ship. I introduce myself to a few different people, quickly gathering that most of the Betas are here with an Omega or an Alpha looking to build a bigger pack. Only two Betas on the entire cruise have come here solo, and I can appreciate the level of self-confidence that takes.
A few Betas proudly show off their bonding marks, and it sends a sense of longing through me. Forrest and I haven’t bonded, not because we don’t want to, but because I’ve been holding out.
He can be stubborn as shit and well, I didn’t know how an Omega would feel about being bonded second. I want to start this pack off on the right foot, even if that means waiting for something I desperately want.
“God, my Alpha was so cheap, saying we wouldn’t be spending any time in the room, anyway. He booked the lowesttier interior cabin. I don’t know if we’re going to survive,” a Beta with russet hair and freckles says.
Another Beta grimaces and I take a sip of my drink in an effort to not make a face.
“Mine already ditched me to sniff around the ship,” a sad woman in her early twenties says.
“What the fuck?” I blurt out.
Her cheeks heat, and she clears her throat.
“I mean, of course, that’s what he wants to do. We came on this boat to find an Omega,” she says meekly, and I shake my head.
“What about you? Do you want an Omega in your pack?” I ask her and she shrugs.
“I mean, it’s what he needs.”
At this point, there are now a group of six of us together. Another Beta looks at the woman like she’s making complete sense while the rest of us are absolutely mortified by her statement.
“You know this is the rest of your life right? If you don’t want this, you can leave. We’re stopping in Florida to pick up more passengers. You can get off this boat and live the life you want,” I say to her.
She blinks at me like she never even considered the possibility.
“I’ll think about it.”
She walks away, leaving the mixer.
“Was that too harsh?” I ask the guy next to me; he seems relatively normal and is equally uncomfortable with the way her Alpha is treating her.
“No, I don’t think anyone’s given her that reality check before. I’m Moses,” he says, holding out his hand and shaking mine.
I grin at his name. “Well now I already feel safer with you on the ship. I’m Wells. Who are you here with?”
“My Alphas, who are probably hiding at the bar waiting for me to get back,” he says with a laugh.