She rolls her eyes. “And who is going to hire an Omega?”
“Lot’s of places. Laws are changing and giving Omegas more options.”
“It’s a waste of time. You should be going on dates and joining those websites that I told you about. What skills do you have for a job anyway?” I wonder how many digs she will take at my expense for the rest of this conversation.
What I want to say is that my skill set includes showing my tits and perfuming in a cage for Alphas to scent, but I don’t. I just shake my head. “It’s a candle shop, not much skill needed,” I lie.
“What will people think if my Omega daughter is so hard off that she needs to get a job making minimum wage. This is unacceptable.” She slaps Stewart’s shoulder. “Tell her, Stew.” I grimace at his nickname, but my stepfather just shrugs.
“She’s an adult, Margo. If she wants a job, let her get one.”
“People will think we’re poor if she gets a job.”
I roll my eyes; it’s always about appearance with my mother. She picks mine apart constantly. She gives me a once over and scoffs. “Please, Luna. Just let me set you up on one date.”
Wanting her to drop the questions about my new job, I agree. “Fine.”
She smiles and fixes my hair. “We can go to the store and get you a new dress. Jenny can do your makeup and hair. We can go over your etiquette again, so you can knock it out of the park.”
I think deep down my mom wishes she was an Omega. Lord knows she loves being the center of attention. “Okay, Mom.”
“This is for the best,” she says as I walk away and head to my room.
“Yeah, so you can finally get rid of me,” I say under my breath. I shut my door and look around my room. Mostly everything I have, Ian has gotten me. He bought my furniture, gave me money for clothes, he even bought my car.
I sit on the edge of my bed with a hand on my face. I think back to the first day I met Stewart and Ian. Ian was eighteen, and I was thirteen. I already thought he was the most handsome man I’d ever seen. He ignored me. He had already moved out of the house, and had the inheritance from his mother who had passed. But even though he didn’t need to, he would still come visit at least once a month.
I think he noticed at some point what an awful person my mother is and took pity on me. He showed me he cared by buying me things and doing little checks on me from time to time. Then I presented at seventeen, and that’s when I knew I was in love with my stepbrother. He started keeping his distance then, always bringing his pack with him when he came over for dinner.
He didn’t stop buying me stuff, but he hardly speaks to me. If anything, he’s kind of an asshole when he comes over. But I know Ian cares. He might not feel the same way I do, but for the longest time, it’s felt like Ian is the only person who cares about me. The only person I know I can count on if I’m in trouble. My mom is ready to hand me off to be someone else’s problem.
Even though I annoy Ian, I know he doesn’t want me in that way, and it’s something that I need to accept. If that’s all I’m able to get from him, then it just has to be enough.
I was stealthy as I left for Lavender Moon, making sure to not run into my mom or Stewart. Though I’ve made up where I work, I worry that if they ask me too many questions, I’ll break and tell them where I’m really working. I wore my normal clothes since Gina said stage clothes would be provided.
Nerves are coursing through me, but I feel excited too. Like it’s the start of something big for me. I want this place to be the thing that gives me the confidence to break out of who I’ve been. To leave the house more, to not listen to my mom’s negative words, but most importantly, I’m hoping this is what I need to get over Ian. If I’m being honest with myself, getting over his whole pack. While Ian might be the biggest draw, the more I get to know Ezra the more I wish I could have what I can’t have. I barely know their Omega, James, but I can’t deny that he’s gorgeous and his quiet demeanor is a draw to me.
I sigh as I push through the front doors of Lavender Moon. The bouncer gives me a kind nod as I walk to the back room. There are multiple women in states of undress getting ready for tonight and one man. He’s smiling widely as he adds just a touch of highlighter to his already pronounced cheekbones.
There’s an open station next to him, and I sit down. He looks over at me and smiles. His dirty blond hair falls into his face a little, but he pushes it from his forehead. His eyes are a beautiful shade of light brown as he puts down the highlighter brush and gives me once over.
“You must be the new girl,” he says.
I nod. “Hi, I’m Luna.”
“Riley, but I go by Atlas on stage.”
I hum and tilt my head. “Right, I’m going by Selene on stage.”
“Seems like we’ve got a whole Greek mythology thing going on at the club right now. There’s Persephone, Aprodite, Atlas for me, and now Selene for you.”
“Seems like it,” I reply. My nerves are getting the best of me, and I’m wondering if I’m out of my depth. Riley seems so sweet and confident. Sure, I did a good job at my audition, but that wasn’t in front of a large audience. I’m an idiot for thinking that I could do this.
Riley’s hand touches my forearm and squeezes lightly. “Hey, the first time is scary, just give it a try. If you don’t like it, that’s okay.”
“I’m sorry. I just don’t know if I have what it takes.”
Riley shakes his head. “The Alphas that come here aren’t bad people. There are a lot of protections in place. You can stay on the stage or in one of the cages. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”
