Chapter 2 Gods, I'm so fucking nervous. Ignoring my racing heart, I check my hair one last time in my bathroom mirror. Since I just had the color refreshed a week ago, the blue is so bright I'm reminded slightly of a preening peacock. It wouldn't be the worst thing I've been compared to as a male omega. Most of it has been online, spouted by angry alphas when I didn't immediately offer to roll over and present at the first swipe of the Alpha-Helper app. Gods forbid I try to get to know someone before offering to spend my heat with them. Tears sting my eyes as I take a deep breath. My heat. Fuck. Sighing, I run my fingers through my bright blue strands one more time, making them look even more intentionally messy. I've never had a heat. Went on suppressants as soon as I could, but recently I started having some weird symptoms. My doctor says I can only take them for about another year before we start doing permanent damage to my kidneys. So, I tried getting in front of it, thinking if I found some alphas to help me through my heat now...maybe it would give my kidneys enough of a break that I could just...hop right back on them after. The need to feel in control of at least one aspect of my life rides me so hard I'd rather risk organ damage than submit myself to the unknown. Is the reasoning desperate and flawed? So much so that I'm thinking I might just get 'desperate and flawed' tattooed on me somewhere. Not my right arm, since that has all my favorite tattoos, but somewhere subtle...like my forehead. Last week, I had finally reached the point where I went to the Omega Matching Service. They warned me that I likely wouldn't be able to detect a true scent match, but then that signature reached out, wrapped its tendrils around me, and has held me in a chokehold ever since. Raspberry and hibiscus. The moment the floral combination filled my senses, I knew I had to meet the pack the card belonged to. The signature is unusual for an alpha though, a male one anyway. What if...my heart pounds in excitement...what if they have a female alpha? I've never met one before. Maybe their scents are more fruity? I'm not an expert on fruits or anything, but the thought of raspberry and hibiscus mixing with my dark chocolate and blueberry scent makes my mouth water. Gods, this could be good. I guess I'll find out in an hour. The guys are acting weird tonight. They're going out to dinner, saying it's to meet with a client...but normally they take me to their business dinners. And, it's usually only one or two of them that go. Not the whole pack. They bring me along because it always looks good when a pack of lawyer alphas have an omega hanging on their arm. It shows that they're trustworthy. Especially if their client is an omega. Tonight though, they acted cagey, telling me that I would need to stay home. Sure, there have been times where they don't take me with them, but something about tonight sets my teeth on edge. So, I fix myself up. I curl my hair, I dress in my favorite little black dress, and open the tracking app the guys put on my phone for my safety. What they don't realize is the app works both ways when you open it on their phones and turn on their location sharing. Which I did two years ago. I haven't had a reason to use it until now, but I frown when I pull up Chris' location and see that he's at The Alpha Lounge. That's...that's the nicest restaurant in town, and usually the wait list is over a month long. I mean, it's not when you have money, which my pack definitely does, but they're pretty frugal when it comes to having dinner with a client. Just a regular steakhouse is all they usually splurge for. My stomach drops. Something about this...maybe it's all in my head. I should just stay home. Let them tell me about it when they get back. But my lack of bond marks scream at me, an aching hole that's been in my heart the last three years. They say they don't want to bond yet because they don't want to subject me to the stress they feel at the office daily, and not for the first time...I'm questioning it. I frown as I notice Marty's leaves looking a little dry. I grab my mister and spray the maidenhair fern in the pot on my window sill, trying to ease my anxiety. Normally, I'd pull out their scent card I took from the OMS database after we matched. I keep it with me, the mixture of our scents calming me when I start to feel anxious. It's not really the scents themselves that do it, but the olfactory reminder that we work together on at least some level. I seem to have misplaced it though. I'm not sure when it could have happened, seeing as I haven't needed it in over a week, but I can't bring myself to think too hard about it. The fact is, I need it now, and I don't have it. Which is why thirty minutes later, I find myself handing my keys to the valet, warning him I might not be long. 'Excuse me, miss, can I help you?' The maitre d asks when I stroll up, my head held high and my steps purposeful. I flash him a confident smile. 'No, thank you, I'm just going to the bar.' He nods and goes back to whatever he was doing before I disrupted his evening. As soon as I make it past the stand, my steps slow, and I duck behind a little wall that separates the bar from the restaurant, earning a confused look from a group of well-dressed women at the high-top table next to me. 'Are you okay?' One of them asks, looking at me with concern in her eyes. 'I...' I shake my head, 'It's dumb but...I'm checking on my alphas.' 'Shit,' a blond one hisses, then moves to the empty seat next to her, leaving the one closest to the wall open. 'Come sit with us. You can peek over from here.' I swallow, my throat dry, and nod in thanks. Talk about women supporting women. Once I settle in the seat, I peer over the top of the wall as inconspicuously as I can. My eyes scan the dining room, brushing over a plethora of romantic, candle-lit dinners, cozy couples in corners, and packs on dates. My alphas are handsome, but in a generic kind of way. They're not easy to pick out of the crowd, but then I see them. And another person at the table with them. My chest fills with relief. It's a man. But then I look closer, my gaze snagging on the head of blue hair, and all thoughts of my pack fly out of my mind. Black, rectangle framed glasses hang from the collar of his button up shirt, and his sleeves are rolled up to the elbows, revealing one arm with a colorful tattoo sleeve. My stomach flips at the sight of his sharp, square jaw, straight nose, blue eyes that match the hue of his hair, and this...ethereal beauty he has...is he...is he an omega? His eyes flick over like he could feel me eye-fucking him from across the room, and for a split second, time stands still. Quickly, I lower my head, staring down at the table. My heart pounds in my chest. What the hell was that? He's an omega, but...maybe he's a client? 'Oh my gods, are you okay?' The blonde one, an omega, I now realize, puts her hand on my arm. I'm shaking. 'I...I might be?' I manage to get out, my head swimming. My mind is still spinning from the brief eye contact with the blue-haired omega, but my stomach is twisting at the fact he's at a table with my alphas. 'He could be a client,' I try to reason, but the words sound weak, even to me. The girls at the table give me pitying looks. 'Oh, honey...' the one across from me trails off, and I shake my head. 'He could be a client,' I say with more confidence, peeking over the wall again to prove my point. And fuck me. I catch sight of Grayson, leaning forward as he tries to brush a strand of hair behind the omega's ear. The omega only looks annoyed, and a little exasperated as he dodges Grayson's advance, standing from the table quickly. Grayson tried to kiss him. None of my alphas tried to stop him. They're...they're trying to court another omega? Air grows heavy in my lungs, my breathing becoming labored as I try to get enough oxygen. 'I have to go, thank you for letting me sit here.' Tears sting my eyes as I rush from the table, ignoring the girls who call out after me. I can't fucking breathe. I have to leave. Not just the restaurant, but my pack. It doesn't look like this omega worked out for them, but they...they were trying to get another omega. How can I ever forgive them for that? I can't. This was a mistake. Why did I refuse the OMS standard bodyguard? Like it was some threat to my masculinity? I shouldn't have come here, and especially not without backup. These alphas don't seem dangerous but...I'm just one guy. There's a faint waft of raspberry and hibiscus surrounding them, but I can tell it's not any of their signatures. Not a female alpha in sight, either. I was probably so desperate I got turned on by shampoo or something. They aren't bad smelling, per say, but their slightly woodsy scents are doing exactly zero things for my libido. Plus their personalities are...abrasive. 'So, Miles, what do you do in your spare time?' Grayson asks me, his whole body turned in my direction. Best to just get through this dinner and then I can safely tell the OMS it didn't work out. 'To be honest, I don't have much free time.' I let out a nervous laugh. 'I'm a high school physics teacher, so whenever I'm not working or grading papers, I'm...' my skin lights up with awareness of eyes on me, and it's not from any of the alphas sitting at the table. My eyes dart behind the pack surrounding me, and catch on the most brilliant pale blue eyes I've ever seen, peeking at me from over the half-wall separating the bar from the rest of the restaurant. Time stops as I take in her widened eyes, flushed cheeks and plush, slightly parted lips. Soft waves of black hair frame her delicate face, her pert nose and high cheekbones, and pale eyes immediately remind me of an illustration of a water nymph I came across in one of my D&D manuals. I only have a split second to memorize her features before her eyes meet mine, her mouth snapping shut. She drops from view immediately, and I can't even take a second to think about the reaction I just had to a woman who is obviously another omega. The guys are looking at me expectantly, and I realize I've just trailed off in the middle of my sentence. 'Um,' I clear my throat as Preston glances curiously behind him, 'I used to play a lot of D&D when I was in high school, and have been meaning to find a group of people to play with since I moved out here for college.' I don't miss the slight wrinkle in their noses as they take in my words. 'D&D?' Tucker asks, his brows furrowed. 'Is that like one of those phone games Bethany is always playing?' Chris elbows him sharply in the ribs. 'Who's Bethany?' I ask, wondering why the name sends a tendril of warmth through me. 'His sister,' Grayson says quickly, shooting them all a look. 'You know, times sure have changed. How old are you? We used to give the nerds a hard time for playing those games.' Nerds. Like it's a derogatory term or something. It makes sense though. They are a pack of lawyers. 'Twenty-seven,' I tell him, 'we weren't the most popular but the stigma surrounding being a 'nerd' has all but gone extinct. I started a club at my school, and I'm the e-sports coach. We have other students show up to cheer them on for games and everything.' Chris snorts, and I don't try to hide my scowl at his derisive tone. 'E-sports. That's-' 'Admirable that you're taking time out of your busy schedule to help mold the young minds of our future,' Grayson cuts him off. 'Listen,' he inches closer to me so our knees are touching, and he reaches to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. 'Fuck, you smell good. Like dark chocolate covered blueberries....listen. I think it's safe to say that we all think you're great. What do you say we get out of here? We'll have to make a call, but...' Before I realize what's happening, he's leaning in, his eyes intent on my mouth, his hand gripping my knee. Fuck, no. I shoot up from my seat, nearly making the chair topple over. 'I don't think that's a good idea.' Out of the corner of my eye, I see a small figure rushing from the bar, heading for the front doors. 'Miles, people are staring-' Grayson stands as he tries to stop me from leaving, but I shrug off his arm. 'Don't fucking touch me,' I snarl, turning my back and sprinting out of the restaurant, ignoring the way they call after me. Fuck the people staring. Fuck this pack for thinking I would just roll over and go along with whatever they said. Fuck me for thinking I could make this work. I hand my ticket to the valet, just in time to see a head of black hair disappear into a car and peel out of the parking lot. Fuck. Taking a shuddering breath, I shake my head. I have to stop thinking of her. How would another omega even help me through my heat? I'll need knots or locks, neither of which she'll have. Maybe I can get them to sedate me. At least that way I won't have to fuck anyone I don't want to. Title: A Mother's Rewind Tomorrow In "A Mother's Rewind Tomorrow" by CrushReel, Flora Hayes's life takes a tragic turn after a fatal car accident. However, her final moments reveal a chilling glimpse of a future fraught with peril for her children two decades ahead. Exploring themes of resilience and sacrifice, this CEO drama intricately weaves elements of modernity and time travel into a compelling narrative set within the grandeur of a mansion and the intensity of an office environment. As Flora grapples with the aftermath of her premonition, the story delves deep into familial bonds and the weight of destiny. What sets "A Mother's Rewind Tomorrow" apart is its masterful blend of suspense and emotional depth, captivating readers with its intricate plot twists and nuanced character development. Discover the gripping saga at CrushReel, where this ongoing tale awaits those eager to embark on a journey through time and motherly love.