“I’ll be fine. I shall see you all tomorrow, bright and early as always.”
This is about me.
I’ve fucked up.
I’m not good at my job. I’m new to it compared to the others, and I’m juggling spending sixteen hours mopping floors and the rest trying to stay awake and spend as much time as I can with my baby daughter.
I may be an actual zombie by this point. I feel sleep deprived enough to have become one.
Ellington disciplines the HOs himself, but Maya doesn’t seem to care who is disciplined as long as someone on the staff is.
As Alpha, Icarus steps up and protects as many of his Beta staff as he can.
He always protects me.
Icarus is studiedly not looking at me.
I feel sick, thinking of the heavy Discipline Strap that hangs on the wall in Maya’s office.
Thinking of the favors that he owes her.
I try to grab for Icarus’ sleeve, but he shakes me off.
“Dismissed,” Icarus says, firmly. “Go and be with Zoe. The rest of you sleep while you can because this week will be nonstop. Let me protect my pack.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Omega Dorms, Omega Hotel
Yawning, I flop onto my back in the middle of my nest in the tiny bedroom that Zoe and I share with my brother.
Zoe kept both Bird and me up most of the night with her teething. Possibly, she just sensed how anxious I was about Icarus.
Icarus still hasn’t returned from his discipline. My guess would be that he has been locked overnight in the freezing wine cellar.
Omegas are good at picking up on each other’s distress. Bird and I did our best to purr and sing lullabies to Zoe, but she is as feisty as I am.
She was having none of it.
Now, I’m so exhausted that I’m not sure if I am awake or asleep.
The bedroom is nothing but a concrete box without windows like the rest of the dorms. The floors are cold without carpets orrugs. Plain pine blanket boxes stand at the bottom of each bed, which hold our neatly folded uniforms.
We don’t possess anything else.
Well, I do. But that’s a secret from everyone but my family.
I glance at the clock that stands on the rickety nightstand:4:47.
Only about ten minutes until it’ll be time to line up to be led for breakfast before work.
The only other thing on the nightstand is a laminated booklet:Rules for Hotel Omegas.
It’s Rule Number One that the booklet must be kept on display at all times to reinforce the content’s importance.
Zoe’s crib is fitted tightly between Bird’s bed and mine with cute dinosaur sleep sack. A matching changing mat and baby changing bag is propped next to it.
Icarus used up his savings to cover the cost.
