Page 42 of The Other Omega

“No, Mother. We’ll be discussing this until dark!” She turned to me and took a deep breath. “Elowen, during a rut, Alphas feel an overwhelming need to mate repeatedly. They become intensely protective and possessive, unwilling to let anyone approach their mate. Heats are the Omega equivalent and can last for days. Without an Alpha to mate with, they can become very painful. You’re at your most fertile, and all you’ll want to do is mate, eat, sleep and mate again. The knot is a swelling at the base of a male Alpha’s penis that develops after ejaculation. It keeps the Alpha and Omega physically joined until the swelling subsides. This is called knotting, and it increases the chance of pregnancy. Omegas are the only designation that can safely accommodate a knot, which is unfortunate because there aren’t enough Omegas for every Alpha Pack. Most Alphas must therefore make do with Betas who can never satisfy them, and we’re not permitted to say so in polite company because it’s discriminatory towards Betas, even though it’s true⁠—”

She took a deep breath, her face bright red. “There. That should explain it!” She looked at Eleanor. “Now we can discuss something else, Mother.”

The room fell silent. Eleanor studied Ivy, then reached over to pat her knee. “That was a rather good explanation, darling.” She turned to me, missing Ivy’s strained smile. “Do you have any questions?”

“None!” I shook my head. “No questions.”

“Are you certain, sweetling? It may be better to discuss it together, so you don’t feel⁠—”

“This book explains everything,” Nora offered, holding one out without looking at me.

I took it without thinking. “Yes. Yay.” I opened it at random in my lap, stared at a very detailed illustration of a knot, and closed it again. “Later. I’ll read it later. Really take my time with it.”

Eleanor looked unconvinced but gave me a small nod. “Perhaps we might discuss the mating bond instead.”

“That would be better,” Nora muttered, and Ivy settled back against the cushions.

“All right, then.” Relief flooded through me. I put the anatomy book aside and started a fresh page of notes.

MATING BOND

Finally. Something normal. I began a list underneath.

Talking.

Dates?

Cooking together?

Surely developing a good bond with your husbands couldn’t be that complicated. I was adding TRUST when Eleanor began.

“At the end of the mating, when you and your mate reach climax, your Alpha will bite you, and you will bite him.”

My pen stopped. “Cannibalism?”

Nora choked on absolutely nothing, and Eleanor looked briefly lost for words. “No, sweetling. Neither of you consumes the other’s flesh. The bite simply breaks the skin.”

“Why?” My voice broke, and another possibility occurred to me. “Is it to drink the blood?”

Ivy buried her face in a cushion, but a muffled sound escaped anyway.

“Ivy.”

“I’m trying, Mother,” she wheezed into the cushion. “I really am.”

“No one drinks anyone’s blood,” Eleanor said. “The bite allows the mating bond to form. That is all, sweetling. Think of it as a conduit.”

What on Earth is she talking about? What are these men going to do to me? Five men—no, five Alphas I didn’t know—were going to mate me, knot me and bite me hard enough to break the skin. And I’d agreed to it all. Like an idiot!

The bitterness of my own scent caught in my throat, and my vision blurred. Can I just have a break? I squeezed my eyes shut, but the tears came anyway.

“Oh, Elowen.” Ivy moved closer. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t laughing at you.”

I shook my head and lifted one hand. “It’s okay. I just need a minute. Just…”

“Ivy, allow her a little space,” Eleanor said gently. “Sweetling, I understand why the mating bite frightens you, but your Alphas are older and, more importantly, they’re men of discipline. They know how to mark you safely. No harm will come to you.”

“Besides, mating marks heal remarkably quickly,” Nora added, her voice full of sympathy. “The wound usually closes within a day, and the pain fades much sooner.”