Forbidden: Part One (Luna & Sol Omegaverse, #1)

by Emilia Emerson

Kill me now. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could tolerate these condescending asshole alphas. Hale, Duke, Pierce, and Henderson Madden. What fucking annoying names.

We were only a few minutes into the interview, and my fight or flight warred within me. I didn’t know if I wanted to punch them all in the face or flee from the room.

What. The. Fuck. I had reached my limit. Everything in me was on edge, having to sit here with these alphas who talked to me like I was stupid, treated me like garbage, and who not only hated my body but felt comfortable enough critiquing it our first time meeting.

We had more time left in the interview, but I needed to end this now. There was no way I could choose this pack. The alphas Amirah had selected could be aliens or monsters or shifters that turned into houseplants, and at this point, I would not care. I would rather die than go home with Pack Madden.

My inner omega instinctually wanted to obey alphas, but even she wasn’t impressed by this asshole.

Dave gently ushered me out of the room and down a hallway. He was muttering under his breath. I couldn’t catch everything he said, but I thought I heard “little pieces of shit alphas” and “should be castrated.”

He sighed, staying crouched down. “Sweet omega, you are a gift. Those alphas don’t deserve you. You deserve a pack that will worship the ground you walk on and gives you whatever you want and need. Do you understand?”

Three alphas stood in the center of the room, their eyes snapping to mine as I walked in. Fuck, they were hot.

They all smelled so fucking good, and I had no idea why—no alphas ever smelled like this to me. I knew I should be intimidated being alone with them, but I felt strangely safe.

Part of me longed to move even closer, which scared me—I didn’t know these alphas and couldn’t let my guard down around them, no matter what my biology said.

A wave of sadness washed over me. I wished there was someone who wanted to hold me without expectations. I had never been hugged or comforted as a child, at least that I remembered. Sometimes I had flashes of a man with bright green eyes just like mine, twirling me and laughing. As a child, I believed these were memories of my dad, but now I thought they were probably just wishful fantasies.

Omegas, more than any designation, needed touch. If deprived of physical affection, our health slowly deteriorated. Growing up, Sam and I cuddled together in secret. That ended when I went to the DA.

That was the third time he had called me sweetheart. I should hate it, but the traitorous omega part of my brain loved it and wanted to hear what other pet names he would call me.

Ben’s voice broke through my spiraling thoughts. “Josie, I hope you know how special we think you are, and we hope you choose us.” “We know you don’t really know us yet,” Theo added, “But we would love to get to know you more and would be honored if you chose us as your pack.” “We promise to protect and care for you,” Cam added.

infractions. A tiny part of me had hoped the past few years had softened my parents—or at least my mother—that maybe she would decide to love me. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? But my parents’ hatred for me seemed to only grow.

I stared at my mother, her voice cold as she argued with Amirah, trying to find any hint of love or affection in her features. Her head snapped to meet my gaze and I shuddered at the blankness, the complete lack of… anything I found there.

At that moment, it was as if a hand reached down and snipped the final fragile strings that tied me to her, hitting my heart sharply with the recoil. The finality of it all, the realization that she would never be able to l...

Just think, now you’ll be able to have their scents on you all the time. Maybe you can even steal some of their clothes.

I felt… comfortable around them. And aroused. Two things I didn’t think possible.

In my life, there were few alphas whose scents I found tolerable or, even more rare, likable. Sam’s floral scent was playful and comforting, the smell of the best days of my childhood spent with him. Luc’s earthy leather scent had come to mean safety.

But no scent had ever called to me like these alphas. No scent calmed me this easily.

Cam’s cinnamon roll scent, Theo’s warm coffee, and Ben’s spiced apple wafted around me, surrounding me like a hug. Fuck, that was like omega Xanax.

Josie. The perfect omega. My mate.

The second she walked into the room surrounded by a cloud of sweet cupcake scent, I knew she was our fated mate. It was as if the universe aligned, reorienting with her at the center.

Alphas and omegas could bond with anyone, but a mate was a perfect match, one who called to our designation and biology.

Even though I knew finding my mate was possible, I gave up on the idea years ago—had given up the idea of bonding with an omega altogether.

I refused to coerce an omega, and my pack and I had never found someone compatible with our specific desires. None of that mattered anymore. Everything changed when that sweet little omega with bright green eyes and the most luscious curves I had ever seen walked into the room.

I ached to claim her, protect her, do anything I could to make her happy. Even though I didn’t know her yet, I wo...

I hated how stressed she was. Nothing should ever make my mate feel that way. She should be fucking happy all the time.

“Do you think she knows she’s our mate? Can omegas sense it the same way we can?” I asked. “She should be able to,” Theo responded. Then he hesitated. “Unless… I remember reading some pre-Designation Government research that suggested omegas on suppressants can’t fully sense the mate connection.”

“One of her pack fathers is Jericho Porter,” Theo said. Ben and I both growled. “That monster is her pack father?” Ben exclaimed. “No wonder she’s twenty-three and without a pack. I wouldn’t want a pack either if I had grown up with that fucking asshole.”

Jericho Porter was a fucking snake. We suspected he had even more influence over the Designation Government agenda than Glen Jacoby. I couldn’t believe our omega had grown up with him.

“We’ll need to be careful and take things slow if she’s scared of alphas,” Theo said, a deep sadness permeating his voice. I would find out who had hurt her and end them. My alpha was feeling bloodthirsty and wanted revenge for our mate.

The three of us sighed with relief. Now we had the opportunity to get to know her, court her, and prove to her we were worthy mates. Although I wasn’t sure I could ever be fully worthy of her. She was pure fucking sweetness.

“Do you know what she likes? How can we best prepare her room and make her feel at home?” Ben asked. “Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve barely gotten to talk with her. She seems smart, brave, and pretty skittish. She has a lot of anxiety, and no wonder with the way her parents treat her.”

“She’s probably going to need to take things slow and to feel like she is in control as much as possible. She needs to have a nest available immediately, and you must remember that you cannot enter the nest without her explicit invitation.”

Theo eyed the phone with hesitation before asking, “Can you tell us if Josie has been on suppressants?” Amirah was silent for several long moments. “I don’t typically share confidential information, but it might help you prepare better. Yes, she’s been on suppressants. I don’t know the details of her usage, but prolonged suppressant use can cause irregular heats once the omega goes off them. Her heats in the future might be closer together or vary in length.”

I was worried about how the suppressant use would affect Josie’s health long-term, but I glowed with pride that she had managed to be on them for this long without getting cau...

Everything in me screamed to pull my mate into the house and lock the door behind her, leaving her parents on the front porch. And then it could start pouring down rain. With lightning. A little electrocution of your enemies never hurt anyone.

This meeting was a disaster.

I had to hand it to them—Richard and Jericho were in rare form this morning. They’d already managed to insult, belittle, and threaten me on the short drive over. My well-honed dissociation skills blocked out the worst of it, but I was trembling by the time we arrived at Pack Ashwood’s house.

Growing up, I had dreamed she would fight back against them, dreamed of seeing even the tiniest glimpse of the omega who had defied expectations to follow her heart. But she never did, content to be weak and subservient, content to do nothing while her bonded alphas abused her daughter.

Modern Cottages of the English Countryside. A Baker’s Encyclopedia of Yeast. A Passionate Knitter’s Pattern Guide. Huh, I wonder who the knitter is.

My cheeks heated. When was the last time someone cared about me like this?

God, being pressed against the three of them made me want to purr.

I clenched down on the urge before I let a purr slip out. Growing up, I was taught it was something an omega should only do for a bonded partner.

I had tried it once when I was younger, and my mother’s eyes had flashed with rage before she slapped me hard across the face. I never heard her purr for Richard or Jericho, but then again, ...

My survival instinct was screaming at me—don’t make a big deal of it, downplay your needs, placate the alphas.

“You’re our mate,” he said, his voice deep and rough. “We’ll do anything for you and want you here more than anything. I’m so fucking grateful we were asked to do the interview because I would murder any other pack that got close to you.”

I had always dreamed of finding my fated mates, always hoped that someday someone would want me, love me. This was too good to be true. Life had taught me that good things would always be ripped from me.