Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
~Harlow~
"Omega," he groans lewdly, when I find myself abruptly tossed onto the floor. My backside hits hard. It takes everything not to cry out. He just shoved me, as if he thinks I’m diseased and contagious.
My Omega instincts take over, wanting to please the Alphas and beg for forgiveness, but I squash it down quickly.
The sting of rejection is like a slap in the face.
Stupid Omega instincts and Alpha pheromones are messing with my head.
I touch my fingers to my neck when I feel the trickle of warm blood run down it. Hybrid? I think to myself. I glance at the men to find them glaring at me, and two of them growl, making me flinch. What did I do?
I swallow when the largest of them stands.
If looks could kill, I would be dust. His murderous growl is thunderous and I come face to face with the man I spilled coffee on earlier.
I’m glad for the mask obscuring half my face, so he can’t recognize me, yet he doesn’t even give me a backward glance as he storms out, making tears brim in confusion.
I hate that instinct makes me helpless against Alphas.
I should have taken extra suppressants, but I needed maximum tips tonight, and nothing drives Alphas crazier than natural Omega pheromones.
Now all I want to do is crawl back into my little Den, in my shitty apartment, and curl into a ball. It’s stupid that strangers, people I do not know, can reject and toss me away so easily, and it has this effect on me all because I was born with genes I despise.
I gather myself, wiping the tears of humiliation and rejection off my face, when Brianna walks in. She notices me and is quick to rush over to me. She grips my arms.
"I'm okay, just stupid instincts," I tell her, and she nods sadly.
She is Beta blood, and she uses it to her advantage.
She doesn't crumble and fall at the feet of Alphas.
Brianna isn't the lowest on the food chain.
I wish I had the confidence she has, how she can easily slip into the stereotypical Omega stuff, despite her not being one.
Yet here I am, an Omega, and I fail miserably at it.
Yet I hate being Omega, hate that Alphas hold such control over us just because we are made for Alphas.
Omegas are the only ones who can take their knots.
I must be an oddity. I despise what I am.
Brianna would kill to be an Omega, while I'd kill to be Beta.
At least then, I wouldn't have to reform or put up with baser instincts I hate.
"Come on, let's get you cleaned up."
I shake my head. I want to go home, and I am about to tell her as much when Tal races into the room.
He sighs. "You didn't take your suppressants, did you?" he says, and I shake my head.
"I didn't take my nighttime ones," I admit. He curses under his breath.
"That explains… the allure you held for them, without knowing." He sniffs me, and I fight the urge to cringe.
"They called on you?" he murmurs, and I shake my head.
"Your scent is ridiculously strong. I could barely notice it before, but now," he pauses, "you smell …
" He groans. "Fuck, you smell good." His words come out in a snarl as his eyes flicker.
He shakes himself, and Brianna puts herself between us.
He blinks a couple of times before snapping himself out of it.
"Yeah, your scent is a little too strong, but a promise is a promise," he says, handing over some cash.
"Who are they?" I ask him, taking the cash.
"You know we don't speak of our clients, just like you girls. We don't give them your real names, and you keep your masks on. It's for everyone's safety."
Brianna quickly takes the cash from me, counting it.
"Brianna gives them her name," I tell him.
"Yes, but she does the behind curtain entertainment," Tal says, and Brianna glares at him.
"You should have told them no, Tal," Brianna growls at him, and Tal sighs.
Since I barely did anything, I would have given most of it back if I didn't owe Martha so much, but I am kind of desperate for the cash right now. Hopefully, it will be enough until I start this new job tomorrow and hopefully start bringing in a paycheck each month.
"Well, with your scent as intoxicating as it is right now, Zara, I suggest you head home before you scent all over this place, since you aren't into the extra services," Tal says, and he is right.
I need to get home before my scent becomes dangerously strong.
An unmated Omega does not want to be caught on the streets late at night while smelling like a drug to damn Alphas.
I quickly get changed and grab my handbag, pulling my hoodie over my head. Just as I’m about to leave, Tal calls out from behind the bar. "Good luck tomorrow, Z," he says, nodding to me, and I smile, slipping out of the club.
Getting home, I am exhausted as I trudge up the steps, only to stop when I see Mike changing the locks to my doors. Martha leans on the wall next to him but pushes off it when she notices me.
"You got my money?" she demands, and I dig through my pockets, staring at Mike's back. I hand it to her and she counts it.
"There is only $1,000 here, Zara! Where is the rest of it?"
"I just need more time," I plead, looking at my apartment door.
"No, you have had enough. You were warned, Zara. I'm sorry. I am not running a charity," Martha says, and I almost choke on fear.
"I will get you more. I start a new job tomorrow," I tell her, rummaging through my bag to show her my employee card. Martha shakes her head.
"Martha, please, it is the middle of winter."
"Lock it up, Mike," Martha says, glancing over her shoulder.
"Martha!" I beg. Martha looks at me sadly but shakes her head. I look at the door desperately.
"Please, just tonight," I beg, but once again, she shakes her head.
"Well… I… can I at least get my suppressants and some clothes? It's freezing out there, and I can't go to work like this."
"The answer is no, Zara. I won't be taken advantage of."
"Taken advantage of is what I will be if I don't get my suppressants. Please, Martha," I tell her, throwing myself at her. She wrinkles her nose and pushes me back.
"Fuck, Zara. You almost smell like you're in damn heat," she snarls, but that just proves she isn't human, something I had suspected in the past.
"Please, I will leave. Just let me grab a few things and shower first. I can't go out there like this," I beg her, and she looks at Mike. Martha sighs and nods to Mike to unlock the door.
"You have an hour, or I am sending Mike up to drag you out. Don't be here when he returns," Martha warns, and I swallow but nod.
I race inside my apartment, closing the door before falling apart. Now, what will I do? I can't stay with Brianna. She lives with Tal, and, well, Tal would expect me to earn my keep in ways that involved my body, something I am not giving up, especially to no damn Alpha.