An Intangible Pattern - Fate Bound.

An introduction goes wrong

After dinner a series of toasts were given but she could not absorb the kind words and jokes made at the married couples expense. She was tired and felt increasingly exposed at the top table under everyone's attention. Logically, she knew that all eyes were on the happy couple and it was unlikely that anyone was paying her any attention but it still unsettled her. She longed to be back in the quiet hotel room or, better still, back at the sanatorium where she felt safe surrounded by open fields and tiny copses; where she wasn't treated as a curiosity and no one whispered about her or treated her like she was sick. She was aware she had become somewhat institutionalized and that it was not healthy, but it was just... easier.
Sometimes she dreaded visits to her family home. Cat and Arthur were fine, although they still tiptoed around her and had not quite reached the point where they treated monthly estrous as no big deal, the way Jess did. But her mother, while well-meaning, had absorbed the notions about alpha/omega relationships popularized in fiction. She would try to find her daughter a suitable mate and make comments like "nature knows best" and "someday you'll meet your fated pair." It set her teeth on edge.
The sanitorium did run a matchmaking programme to help omegas meet alphas through video link before they met in person. This helped them to establish if they had any chemistry, beyond pheromones, before they agreed to meet at a nearby hotel. It helped prevent the omegas from being raped, as too many of them had been before they came to the sanitorium.
She had given the service her best effort but it wasn't for her. Her natural tendency toward shyness meant the alphas often attempted to dominate her. To her, their confidence read as arrogance, their forthrightness as rudeness and seduction - sleaziness.
She could feel no connection to someone like that and, resolved to spending the rest of her life alone, she took to avoiding crowds for fear of crossing paths with any alpha ever again.
Though she took suppressants, to ease her estrous, she still felt anxious. What if it failed? The memory of the club haunted her, if it had not been for Jess's quick thinking, she knew that she would have been torn apart by a pack of strangers. Worse, she would have shaken her hips and begged for it! Would her loved ones still care about her if they witnessed her fuck every man in the crowd? Would they think she was as filthy as everyone said?
It was not that she regarded sex particularly negatively, nor did she harbor any prejudice against others who engaged in casual sex, it was simply that she was an immensely private person who did not trust easily. The idea of sex without real connection felt alien and lonely to her. Estrous robbed her of her ability to choose her partner, and she wanted to choose someone she loved...

"Uh oh! Should someone rescue Jake?" Commented Robert looking over at a table where a young woman was giggling and falling about, hanging onto an exasperated looking man. Several empty glasses surrounded them on the table
"Don't you dare! Emily has waited years to get him on his own," hissed Jess, referring to the fact that Jake was finally single after a long term relationship.
"She's wasted though!"
"Liquid courage is better than no courage!" She remarked.
"She's making a fool of herself."
"Nonsense, she's a funny drunk. Besides, he's the one who won't run from a woman who can barely stand. Who's the bigger fool?"
Alex listened idly to their commentary as she sipped from her glass. She could see the band taking position on the stage and knew it was almost time for the first dance.
As the first notes were struck, the master of ceremonies beckoned Arthur and Cat to the dance floor. They glided over, hand in hand and began to spin.
"I can't help falling in love with you..." sang the musicians. Gradually the guests began to join the newlyweds. The first song passed and something more lively began to play. Rob turned his head to her and said. "Would the lady care to dance?"
She shook her head and replied "I'm a little tired, I'll watch."
He shrugged and stood up, reaching out to his sister. "Come on sis, let's boogie," Jess laughed and downed her drink. ,"Back soon," she giggled as she spun and sashayed after her brother.
Alex looked on in amusement as the siblings danced with exaggerated motions. Soon a clearing had formed around them as other guests avoided being hit by errant limbs. Almost everyone was dancing but she let her eyes roam around the sparse pockets of people still seated. The lecherous old man sat alone watching the dancers, his walking stick on the table and his hand rested around a whiskey glass.
Arthur's aunt was talking animatedly with two middle aged men in smart suits. Alex had the distinct impression the topic of discussion was business.
Emily and Jake sat with their heads close together. It looked as though the conversation had turned serious and there was an intensity between them that felt intrusive to look at. She glanced away, down her own table at the only two other people sitting there. Her eyes met the alpha's. He looked away hastily and turned his head to say something to his companion.
Her stomach lurched in panic and her face flushed. She stood up and hurried to the bathroom. In the stillness of the ladies she stood, taking deep breaths to steady herself. She washed her hands under cold water and looked into the mirror at her own large, dark eyes that bore such a resemblance to a startled rabbit. She wore little makeup and no jewelry. Her sunny brown hair was pulled back into a tight bun. Pretty, but nothing remarkable enough to draw attention.
On reflection, there had not been anything threatening in the alpha's gaze, but she regretted not accepting Rob's offer to dance. She would have felt safer with him.
Noise washed over her as the door burst open in a tornado of tulle and silk.
"Alex!" Cried Cat, in relief. "Thank God! Do you think you could help me with this thing?"
Alex bundled into a stall with her sister and helped lift her skirt above her head while she relieved herself.
"This was a mistake," laughed Cat from under the cloud of petticoats.
"You wanted to look like a princess," replied Alex dryly.
"I didn't know being a princess meant spending so much time with your legs crossed. Oh my god, I've never needed to pee so badly in my life!"
They both laughed at the absurdity of the situation.
Once refreshed, Alex helped Cat out of the stall and brushed her dress back into place as she washed her hands.
"There. Beautiful again. How does it feel being Mrs Stone then?" asked Alex gently.
Cat laughed and said, "Exhausting! Arthur will be so disappointed tonight."
"I don't think he'll mind. You both look so happy."
Cat beamed "We are! You must meet the rest of his family while they're all in one place. They're all lovely... well except for great uncle Jack, we'll maybe avoid him, but the rest are great."
"The old man?" Alex questioned.
"Yes, he's ok in small doses, but he was a bit of a womanizer in his hayday and can be kind of inappropriate. Thankfully, he's gotten a bit too old to "chase dames" these days. He's been warned to be on his best behavior and the bar staff have been watering down his whiskey."
Alex nodded and asked," what about the two men who came late? Who are they?"
"Ahhh, that's Arthur's cousin Noah and his colleague Graeme, I think? Yes. He's Aunt Gillian's brother's son."she replied as waved her finger in the air, trying to remember the connection. "They've been close since they were children,"
"Really? How come he's never mentioned him?"
"Noah... keeps to himself. He works with Arthur but he's a silent partner in the business. He's a geneticist... or something clever. A lot of the blockbuster drugs were based on his research, but he doesn't take much to do with running the company."
Alex arched her brow at her sister and said in amusement "Noah the geneticist?"
Cat laughed and replied, "At least it's not zoology. Come on!" She took Alex's hand and led her back into the hall. As they entered the celebration hall Arthur waved the sisters down. He was standing at the head table among a knot of people and she recognised Robert and Jess's backs. As she approached she heard Roberts voice say, " ....alpha and omega genetics. So are alphas really some kind of next level superhuman?"
"No, actually I think alphas and omegas are genetic throwbacks to a time when humans lived in lower densities and in harsher environments. I think Beta's may be the evolved ones. As we began farming and building cities, humans became ecosystem engineers. We needed to be able to cooperate, not compete.."
"Ah! There you are!" Interrupted their mother as they approached. " Alex, let me introduce you to someone. This is Dr Noah Courentin. Noah, this is my daughter Alexandra."
He extended a hand and politely said, "Nice to meet you."
For a moment, she hesitated.
I'm being silly. Rob has been talking to him and everything has been ok. He doesn't seem dangerous.
She reached out and took his hand.
Immediately electricity seemed to crackle from his hand into hers, crashing through her spine and lifting the hair on her arms and neck. The familiar waves of hot and cold overwhelmed her and she swooned.
"I.. I'm sorry, I suddenly don't feel well. Please excuse me..." she said as she covered her mouth. Before anyone could say anything she turned on her heel and ran out of the hall.
She was dimly aware of her sister calling her name and glancing back she saw the Alpha was also leaving through the door on the opposite side of the hall.
I can't let them see me like this. I need to find somewhere to hide.
She couldn't hide in the bathroom then: they would come to check on her. She needed somewhere quiet until she could compose herself.
At the end of the hall she saw a staircase. Ignoring the sign that said "Staff Only" she slipped past the chain barring the entrance and ran up the stairs. The staircase leaned left and suddenly she found herself at a door labeled "Storage." She tried the handle and found it was unlocked. Once inside, she could make out a narrow attic in the dim light streaming from the gable end window. The room was filled with stacks of chairs and folded tables; shelves lined the walls filled with decorations and spare linens. She stood beside a folded platform and a box filled with cables and lighting equipment. She must be above the celebration hall.
A noise from the other end of the room startled her. Her stomach dropped as she saw the alpha burst in from another door. He looked around the room in confusion, his face flushed and eyes wild. As he caught sight of her his expression twisted unpleasantly. But it was not the leering, hungry expression she had come to associate with an alpha in rut. The look on his face was one of white hot fury.
Fuck!