Page 2 of The Omega’s Nest

I make my way over to where Addie’s stripping out of his wetsuit next to the picnic table with our bikes. The black neoprene rubber is loose on his hips, his skinny bare chest still slightly tanned from the summer.

I swallow hard and whisper to myself, “Be normal, Leonard. Be fucking normal.”

But geez, he’s not making it easy. He glances up as I place the haul on the table, his toothy grin wide in his face, big eyes delighted by the food.

“I’m starving,” he says and grabs a chip. “Want me to make the sandwiches?” he asks around his chewing.

“Yes,” I croak. And that’s just perfect—as if my alpha instincts weren’t embarrassing enough, now my voice has started to break.

I focus on getting out of my wetsuit, so I don’t just stand there staring at Addie shivering in his red jocks and appreciating the golden hair on his legs and arms. The jocks are new. Before he presented, he’d go naked under his wetsuit. We all do. Now that underwear keeps me up at night—does he not want me to see him naked because he knows I want him? Am I making him uncomfortable?

I turn back once I’ve got my sweats, shirt, and hoodie on, my skin buzzing from being cold and now warm under the dry clothes. Addie is sitting down, focused on stuffing chips between slices of bread and squishing them to make the butter melt, his cheeks and neck red.

His scent is warm and fond … familiar. So, I don’t get why he’s blushing. I glance around, suddenly on alert for some older, hotter alpha who might be making him feel uncomfortable—I’ll rip their fucking throat out—but there’s no one.

When I look back, Addie is looking up at me, eyes wide.

Right, I’ve got to get that under control, he can smell those spikes of anger.

“Uh, just thinking about my dad,” I lie quickly.

Addie nods in understanding, his scent dimming. And damn it, why’d I bring him up? It’s no secret my father and I have a tense relationship, a tension that’s only escalated since I presented as an alpha. And his dislike of Addie, even before he presented as an omega, was not something he tried to hide. In a lot of ways, Addie has always been the source of that tension—even when I was little, I pushed back on my dad putting him down. Just because Addie lived on the wrong side of Hollow Point and didn’t have money because his alpha father drank too much and his omega father took off … who cares? Addie was the best friend anyone could have. Who cares about all that shit when the guy’s loyal and funny and kind?

“Sorry,” Addie says now.

I frown. I hate it when he apologises for this. It’s not his fault.

“Nothing to be sorry for,” I say as firmly as I can and sit across from him. I nudge the hot chocolate over and he takes a sip. His scent shifts back to pleased-warm-happy.

I preen. Addie smiles and stuffs a large bite of his chip sandwich into his mouth. He’s got his notebook out, probably getting ready to jot down whatever idea came to him for his surfboard design while we were out. Addie’s got big plans—build surfboards, teach surfing. He sucks at school because he’s always ditching if there’s a swell, but he doesn’t need good grades when he’s got all this talent. And he really won’t need it if he gets an alpha who’ll make sure his dreams come true. I’m planning to join the Air Force—good money in that, enough to make my omega happy anyway.

His cheeks bulge around the obscene mouthful he’s taken, and there’s laughter in his eyes as the rising sun catches in the sun-bleached strands of his hair, and I think, I’m going to mate the fuck out of you one day.

Chapter 1

Seven years later … Adrian

Raucous noise swells from downstairs. I know what that means even before Tristan pokes his head around the red curtain over my open door.

“Buck’s night,” Tristan says, his gap-toothed smile wide with delight.

I snort. I wish I shared his enthusiasm. Sure, a party or large group—buck’s night, military guys on leave, an alpha’s last night before his bonding ceremony—means more money, but I’d gladly take my usual one or two clients for the night and forgo the sore ass taking up to five in a night leaves me with. Omega slick or not, that’s a lot of dick outside of my heat.

Tristan disappears, the curtain fluttering behind him, and I get up from the stuffy couch that decorates one side of my room to try and make myself more presentable. Since I never solicit clients at the bar downstairs, just get Tristan to send someone my way, I’m not dressed in the tight black shorts and cropped top that is the uniform of The Omega’s Nest.

Blasphemy, right? A brothel with a name like that spits in the face of an omega’s most sacred space. But in the years I’ve been working here, I still think I made the right decision. When my alpha sire died, leaving me unmated and with no family, it was either this or the clergy. And frankly, if I’m going to get fucked by alphas I don’t want, I’d rather get paid for it. So I chose the brothel. When the choice is between hell or hell, then that’s no real choice at all.

Tristan’s head pops back through the curtain.

“Military,” he says breathlessly. I laugh this time. Military means we’re going to be working all night, yes, but it also means the alphas will be young and in good shape. Tristan froths over any division coming through, except—

“Hope it’s not Navy,” he says. “Want me to pick someone?”

I straighten my bedspread, roll my bare toes on the red carpet, and run my hands down my tight singlet and baggy jeans. The question’s a formality.

“Yep,” I say and give him my most reassuring smile.

“Adrian,” he says, tone turning serious. “Just try and have fun, okay? I’ll pick someone good, promise.”