"What?" I asked. Theo had asked me a question, but I was too busy watching the ocean to listen to him. I slowly turned to face him, his brown eyes softening. I met Theo the following school year after I nearly drowned, but he always gave me that same worrisome look whenever I stared out into the water too long. I never told him what happened to me, but my near drowning was all over the local papers.

"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 I was on my blockers.

For most Wolf Folk, scents were usually a mutual agreement of attraction, but things were different for Omegas. Our scents were like placing the sweetest, fattest, pollen-filled flower in front of a hive of bees living in a desert, irresistible. Many Folk, 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 that all omegas are legally required to wear to avoid permanent mating, as well as the option of scent suppressants. 

Unfortunately, sometimes these methods don't always work. A crazed Alpha in rut is hard to contain, or an Omega chooses to risk their life by refusing to take the proper precautions. It usually doesn't end well for the Omega, and the perpetrator gets a slap to the wrist, being fined and told to be better.

"Good," Theo said with a firm head nod. Since Jr. High, when my omega scents bloomed, and I had to start taking blockers, he'd been very attentive about making sure I took them. I wouldn't be surprised if my parents set him up to make sure I did. They were always asking things like that of Theo.

*~~~

There were seven of them. Three boys, Matthew, Jared, and Andy, and four girls, Beth, April, Kathy, and Eve. They were all Betas 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 at the realization he might not be getting laid tonight, but he perked back up almost instantaneously. He introduced himself to the group before me.

They looked to Andy, the tallest of the boys, and he eyed 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, yeah, of course you guys can hang with us," 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, the strongest Beta in the group steps in to take control. Our Kind likes to be cared for, to know that we are safe, and to have someone who will look out for us. Alpha subbing is one way we maintain that balance, and the order doesn't usually change if a stronger Beta appears. Out of respect, the Beta with the greater ties to the group will continue to sub.

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 beautiful, bright 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 that... my parents, when they found out I was an Omega, 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?" My words barely came out as more than just a whisper. I watched 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 our 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 as strong as an Alpha!"

"Yeah, when Ryan Murphy was like six, and you were nine. That's the only reason you beat him in a fight," 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 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 of minutes older, and it put everything in perspective. The only reason they started acting up again was that they were trying to outdrink 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 local brands, and Omegas were prone to low alcohol tolerance. By one in the morning, almost everyone was drunk, including Theo. Eve, April, and Mathew said goodnight and helped their friends back to the house where they were staying.

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

"I'd like that," I said, smiling as Theo clung to 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, I took Theo upstairs to his room. There were four bedrooms in the entire house. Two on the second floor. Each had 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 from one of the bathrooms also had the same double bed setup as the other two rooms, and the master bedroom on the other side of the second bathroom had one large bed and a flat-screen TV. I decided I'd take that room since it had the most bed space, and I could take my collar off without worry since there was an entire floor separating Theo and me. I knew Theo would never do anything to me, but he always got a little too clingy when he was drunk, and I always needed space the first night to adjust whenever coming back to the beach house.

~****~

I woke up early. The sky was blue, but the sun had not quite risen 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. 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 playful eyes echoed in my mind.

I put on a pair of shorts and a hoodie before walking out the front door. My initial plan was to just sit on the steps leading down to the beach and watch the sunrise. But that plan quickly changed when I was greeted by an orange fur and bright green eyes. He meowed on the stone wall and walked along it until he had to jump off. I don't know why I followed him down toward the beach. Maybe I had something to prove to him. That I was older now, and I wasn't the same naive little boy anymore. 

He stayed close to the rippling ocean tide, but I made sure to keep my distance. Even as 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 fireball of fur. It had become imperative now to know where he was going. Where was he trying to go all those years ago before I rudely yanked on his tail? 

Every now and then, he would turn his head to check if I was still following. I was. As the tide rose, I began to fear he would get too close to the water. And I'd... I would have to.

The cat stopped.

When I finally took a moment to look up, I realized there was a wall made of different-sized 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 pressed my lips into a thin line as I looked around the beach. I wasn't sure how far I had 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, adjusted the collar around my neck, and darted around before taking off my hoodie. There was no one nearby, and even if there had been, it would have made more sense to assume I was trying to get to an obnoxious orange cat, not to attract a mate.

With a huff, I started to climb the boulders, making sure to only step on the sturdy-looking rocks, and soon enough, I had made it to the top. A sly grin formed on my lips as I reached for the cat. I had won this odd game of chase, but as I reached for the cat, I was distracted by the last bits of the sunrise. 

Reds, oranges, and blues streaked across the sky, like someone had painted with their eyes closed and still managed to make something beautiful. All I could do was sit there. The cat, in turn, sat beside me, his tail twitching against my knee every now and then. And for a moment, I wasn't an Omega, but just a regular Wolf enjoying the sunrise like everybody else. 

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 by the suppressants we took. So I was more upset at trying to rescue a cat that jumped so easily from boulder to boulder onto the private property on the otherside of the wall that I was completely unaware of the danger that was a few feet away from me.

I gave up the chase at that moment. I still really wasn't sure why I was so determined to make friends with this damn cat, but our rivalry would have to wait until I at least had some breakfast. I shook my head at the orange cheese puff now rolling on some neatly trimmed grass, and just as I stood to leave, the back door of the Stranger's house opened. An Alpha in only a towel wrapped around his waist and a toothbrush in his mouth stepped outside and greeted the bright orange flame of fur and claws.

It was at that exact moment that the world stood still a second time. Only the sound of seagulls waking up and a gentle summer breeze seemed to break through the stillness. And when he stood to his full height once again, that same breeze carried my scent to him.

His piercing blue eyes locked onto mine with the intensity of every wave crashing onto the shore at the exact same time.

And I knew I had to run for my life.