Omegas only had the advantage when it came to their ability to have more children. Clans that put importance on having a heavy presence valued them above Alphas. In the old days, it had been about numbers. More children meant bigger armies, more might and muscle. Now, it was a matter of work force. Most clans valued being able to staff their businesses with their own kind, so the more shifters that grew up and joined the extended clan family business, the better.
This is why Yakov had chosen her. It was unspoken, but he knew that the Alphas would sense that she was an Omega. Currently, with the leader in a state of demise, Yakov was already running the large construction company that employed the majority of his clan. It would sell well among the people for him to marry an Omega. Selina might not view her as a threat on a personal level, but Kevin would certainly see how her presence affected him.
With her eyes now focused on Yakov again, there was a different sort of appraisal that seemed to be taking place, an appreciation. Selina might be the blushing bride, about to tie the knot with another, but it was clear that she wasn’t the sort of woman who had dismissed other options. Yakov didn’t seem to be completely off her list of possibilities. Aileen felt a pang of jealousy as she sat here watching her practically undress him with her eyes.
What would a real girlfriend do in a case like this? Aileen went for broke, linking her arm through Yakov’s and leaning into him as she spoke to the other woman with a wry smile.
“It was so nice to meet you, Sarina. If you’ll excuse us now,” she said, already pulling Yakov away.
“It’s Selina.”
“Oh, right. I’m so sorry,” Aileen replied, having deliberately got her name wrong. “Enjoy the party.”
With that, Aileen guided a smiling Yakov toward another guest she had met earlier and struck up a conversation with them, and then quickly having him take over the conversation. She could almost feel Selina staring at her back for a moment before she finally wandered off to find her fiancé or someone else to ogle.
Feeling pleased with herself, Aileen joined in happily with the conversation between Yakov and a few of his neighbors regarding some issues they were having with the local housing association. They could have been from any small, tight knit community in America with one exception. Their concerns weren’t regarding the size of shrubs or length of grass, but with whether they should be allowed to fly before a certain time of day or at pre-determined levels.
“Who are they to tell us that we can’t fly before our evening meal?” one of the women scowled.
“Best time of day, if you ask me,” her husband chimed in.
“Well, I get what they are saying about flying too low. I’ve had my antenna clipped by low flying dragons twice, just this month.”
“Those dragons were your sons. Perhaps you should talk with them instead of forcing us all into the same rules,” the first woman retorted.
“Paul and William didn’t do this,” the second woman protested.
Aileen was still struggling to remember their names. In the end, she supposed it didn’t really matter. All that mattered was that they liked her and Yakov, at least enough to deem him fit as their leader.
“Well, they can pass all the rules they want and I’ll still do as I please,” the one woman’s husband added.
“Careful now, you might be in the presence of our new Alpha leader and you’ll have no recourse to say you didn’t know when he hauls you in to defend yourself,” his wife chastised.
“Ah, I don’t know about all that, but if I do end up as the new leader, I believe we have more important issues to be addressed,” Yakov laughed
The group nodded and changed the subject. After a few more minutes of being polite, Yakov excused them and pulled Aileen away. People were beginning to thin out. The party was winding down to a close.CHAPTER TEN“You did beautifully,” he told her after the last guest had left with warm wishes by the both of them.
“I hope so,” she replied.
“I especially like the way you put Selina in her place. I thought her head was going to explode when you called her by the wrong name. I know it was just a mistake, but I almost laughed aloud.”
“It wasn’t a mistake. She was insufferable.”
The admission caused him to guffaw, a booming laugh that caused the heads of the remaining staff members to glance in his direction as they finished clearing away the mess. He smiled and nodded.
“Come on. Let’s have a couple of drinks in my study. I’m not ready to sleep,” he said.
She was surprised by the invitation. Aileen was used to spending the majority of her time in the home alone - which included the staff – and he did his own thing. Their interactions were limited to when they were in the presence of those for which they needed to put on a show of affection. Perhaps he felt that it would lend more credence to their relationship if they were at least on friendlier terms. Whatever the reason, there was no harm and she could stand a drink or two. She had mostly abstained during the party, not wanting to lose any of her faculties. Technically, she was on the job.