"What?" I asked. Theo had asked me a question, but I was too busy thinking about our past to listen to him. I frowned for the slightest second, but quickly regained my composure without the other boy noticing.

"Did you take your..." Theo mumbled the incomplete sentence and I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, dad." I joked. "No one's attacking me tonight." Or any night for that matter.

While scents were usually a mutual agreement of attraction, things were different for Omegas. Our scents were like ambrosia to the Greeks. Many wolves, Alpha and Beta alike, are transfixed by our smell, but Omegas do not share the same attraction. Except for once a month when everything goes to hell and we want to mate with anything that moves. But we have precautions in place to avoid unwanted partners. This includes, a collar all omega's are legally forced to wear to avoid permanent mating and the option of scent suppressants. Unfortunately, sometimes these methods don't always work.

"Good." Theo said with a firm head nod. Theo had known me before puberty so he was always used to my scent. However, at some point in my junior year of high school, he became more touchy and protective of me, but I'm not sure he's ever realized it.

There were seven of them. Three boys, Matthew, Jared and Andy and four girls Beth, April, Kathy and Eve. They were all Beta's except for Eve, who was an Omega like me. Just by scent alone both Theo and I could tell that most of the group were coupled up with each other. I looked over at Theo and his face dropped, but he perked back up almost instantaneously. He introduced himself first before me to the group.

They looked to Andy, the tallest of the boys, and he eyed the both of us. He stared at me just a little longer than Theo, just enough for me to notice. After a beat he smiled and tossed a couple of beers in our direction.

"Hi, I'm Andy," He said and the rest of the group calmed down, before starting to introduce themselves as well.

It occurred to me then that Andy was Alpha subbing. When there isn't an Alpha present in a group, people seem to get uncomfortable and awkward. Usually, someone steps in to take control. Like our ancestors before us, we as a species like to be taken care of, to know that we are safe, and we have someone who will look out for us.

We shook hands with Andy first, firm but not too assertive as to seem threatening. I nearly had a panic attack when Eve introduced herself. It wasn't because she was gorgeous with tan skin, long black hair, full lips and almond eyes,(although, it might have contributed a little,) but because she wore her collar so openly around her neck. In fact, it was even painted on with little white flowers. I gawked in her direction unintentionally.

"Don't look so surprised!" She laughed. I liked her laugh. "Come sit next to me." She patted the sand beside her and I followed. Theo sat on the otherside of me. He immediately started talking to the rest of the group, like he had been friends with them for years.

"I'm sorry," I stammered. "I didn't mean to..." I fumbled over my words and she smiled. "It's just, my parents when they found out I was an Omega they started to look at me differently. They've never said it out loud, but I know deep down they are slightly disappointed."

I wasn't one to be so open about my family, but Eve was different, like me. It didn't matter if I had just met her or not. I knew she would understand. Omegas are not very common so when we meet one another it is like finding a long lost sibling.

"Please you're telling me!" She laughed. "My father was pissed. So, just to spite him and everyone else who shits on us, I wear my collar around like it's made of pearls." Eve rubbed her collar with a grin on her lips.

"Yeah, but aren't you worried you might catch some unwanted attention." I said watching her lips curl even further, but the expression didn't quite reach her eyes. The only Omegas I knew who showed off their collars did it because they wanted to catch the attention of an Alpha or Beta.

"If anyone comes too close to are Eve, I'll kick their ass." Andy grinned and the rest of the group laughed. I let an uncomfortable smile play on my face. I wasn't really expecting the rest of the group to be paying attention to our conversation.

"Shut up Andy," Kathy said jokingly. "The worst you can do in you can do in your wolf form is a love bite."

The rest of the crowd "oohed."

"That's not true," Andy stammered. "Mom said I'm almost as strong as an Alpha!"

"Yeah when you were like four." She joked back.

"You want me to prove it?" Andy stood up and half shifted. His body still held the form of a man, but his nails and teeth grew sharper. Hair started to sprout on his face and he now had wolf ears and a tail.

"Bring it!" Kathy started to half shift, but the fight was stopped before it even began.

April, Andy's Fated Pair, grabbed her boyfriend's hand. He looked over his shoulder to see April looking at him before looking at us. Without saying a word to each other, Andy shifted back. I looked over at Theo, a little confused at the situation. His face face still carried a smile, as if he was enjoying the scene like the rest of the group, but I noticed his teeth and nails looked just the slightest bit sharper.

"Well, the girlfriend says no," Andy said shifting back into a human.

Theo and I shared a look. April hadn't said anything. And at the same time we both came to the same thought, "must be a Fated Pair thing."

"Oh come on, April!" Kathy pouted, but already started shifting back.

"Sorry Kathy, but I'm on vacation and I didn't bring enough band aids." April shrugged.

"Next time, babe." Jared said rubbing the shoulders of his potential bond.

"We could always just go to the general store." Kathy mumbled, but everyone pretended they couldn't hear her.

The night continued with only one other close fight call from Andy and Kathy. We discovered that they were twins, Kathy only a couple minutes older, and it put everything in perspective. The only reason why they started acting up again was because they were trying to out drink each other. Almost everyone in the group had at least four or five beers, but Eve and I stuck to one. The alcohol content was a lot stronger in these brands and Omegas were prone to low alcohol tolerance. By one a.m. almost everyone was drunk, including Theo. Eve, April, and Mathew said goodnight and helped their friends back to the house they were staying at.

"I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?" Eve said holding up a drunk Beth.

"I'd like that," I smiled as Theo clung onto me like I was a coat rack and he was a flimsy jacket.

"Let's go to bed," Theo said nuzzling into my neck. "You always smell so nice, do you know that?"

"Yes," I said sighing as we walked back to the house.

Once we made it inside the house, I took Theo upstairs to his room. There were four bedrooms in the entire house. Two on the second floor. Each with two twin size beds, a couple of wardrobes and a desk or a bookshelf stored away in a corner of the room. The rooms were separated by a sliding door that led to a second floor patio. You could see the ocean if you wanted to.

There was no bathroom on the second floor, but there had been two on the first. The room directly across one, also had the same set up as the other two. The master bedroom on the other side of the second bathroom had one large bed and a flat screen T.V. I decided I'd take up that room since it had the most bed space and I could take my collar off without worry. I knew Theo would never do anything to me, but it was a thought that all Omegas had about their friends.

~****~

I woke up early. The sky was blue, but the sun wasn't quite awake yet. My nightmare last night had made me hot and sweaty and I thought the cool morning air would give me some much needed relief. I looked over at the nightstand by my bed. A packet of suppressants and my collar rested on the table. I thought about taking the pills, but decided to give myself a break from the poisonous chemicals. Besides, the beach was still closed to the public for another few hours and I wasn't going to leave the house without my collar. Putting my collar around my neck made me think of Eve. Her eyes echoed in my mind.

I put on a pair of shorts and hoodie before walking out the front door. My initial thought was to just sit on the steps that led down to the beach, but just like yesterday, my thoughts were disturbed by an orange fire ball. He meowed on the stone wall and walked along it until he had to jump off. I followed him down toward the beach. He stayed close to the rippling ocean tide, but I made sure to keep my distance.

I kept following the orange burst of light even when the houses started to diminish and the signs in the sand told me to turn around. I ignored everything around me and kept my eyes on the walking flame. Every now and then he would turn his head to check if I was still following. I was. I was afraid that he would get too close to the water. And I'd... I would have to.

The cat stopped.

I finally took a moment to look up and I realized there was a wall made of different size boulders that blocked off the rest of the beach. It was built up high, but I could just barely see the top of a roof over it. For a moment I thought of turning back, but then the cat started climbing the rocks.

I looked around. I wasn't sure how far I walked. If I didn't get back soon Theo could wake up and wonder where I was. I wouldn't be able to tell him either because I didn't bring my phone. I looked back at the rock wall and the cat was almost at the top. He meowed when he reached it. I sighed and looked around before taking off my hoodie. There was no one around and even if there was, it was clearly obvious I was just trying to save a cat and not trying to attract a mate.

I started to climb the boulders. I made sure to only step on the sturdy looking rocks and soon enough I had made it to the top. I went to reach for the cat, but was distracted by the last bits of the sun rise. I was so distracted by the cat, I didn't even notice it had started going up while I was walking.

The sky was beautiful. Reds, oranges, and blues streaked across the sky, like someone had painted with their eyes closed and still managed to make a one of a kind piece of art. All I could do was sit there. The cat in turn, rubbed his face on my knee and sat beside me.

I was mesmerized for about fifteen minutes. Then, my world came shattering down on me.

That cat moved before I could even smell the change of scent in the air. That was another problem with Omegas, our senses were always slightly dulled. If I had taken my poison pills this morning I might have had a chance to notice the change, but I didn't and I was blissfully unaware of what was too unfold.

The caught had jumped off the boulder wall just as easily as he climbed it. I watched as he invaded yet another private property. I should have given up then. I should have sighed and went back to my house, but my eyes betrayed my thoughts. I watched as the back door of a strangers house opened and man in only a towel wrapped around his waist and a toothbrush in his mouth was greeted by a bright orange flame of fur and claws.

My eyes locked on with his, and I knew right then and there.

I had to run for my G-d damn life.