Chapter XXVIII
“Shh, it’s okay,” I mutter to my daughter as she shrieks incessantly in my ear.
Arius is upstairs, finally painting the wall. We haven’t had a chance to leave the house in days as the first few baby scares hit us hard. Luna sounded like she was having trouble breathing. Raul rushed over, only to tell us she was a little congested which is normal.
We installed a few humidifiers around the house and that seemed to help her sleep better.
After that, we noticed a rash on her leg.
I thought the absolute worse, and Ari stressed himself into nesting which I couldn’t even join him for.
It was agonizing for both of us. While Ari stayed home to handle himself, careful of his healing body, I rushed over to Raul with the baby.
He said the rash was common and recommended gentle laundry detergent. After giving Luna some soothing ointment, the rash cleared up within days, and everything was fine for what felt like minutes.
Then, she was crying more than usual, and we thought something was wrong. That maybe she was in pain. Again, Raul was here in a flash, giving her a check-up and reminding us that sometimes babies cry for the hell of it.
Cradling her in my arms looking worse for wear with my tattered pajamas and messy hair, I try every toy and pacifier before giving up and bringing her upstairs. As she wails, I poke my head into the nursery, getting a whiff of paint as Ari rolls the purple liquid up and down the wall.
“Babe, I think she’s hungry.”
His shoulders slump and he turns to me with an exhausted sigh. Milk stains the front of his shirt, seeping through from his agitated nipples.
“Please, no, I’m so fucking sore. Is she ready for formula yet?”
I shake my head, “Couple more weeks.”
“It wouldn’t kill us to try it now,” he grumbles, setting down the roller.
“Yeah, but…it’s healthier if it comes from you for as long as possible.”
“That’s a myth, Knox.”
“Okay, but it sounds healthier.”
Looking unconvinced, he scoops our wailing infant into his arms.
“What time is it?” he yawns through the sentence, walking her to our room.
“It’s got to be like eleven? Maybe twelve?” I scratch the stubble on my chin as he places her in the bassinet beside our bed, resting her next to the stuffed bear my mom bought her.
Peeling our eyes off the baby for one second, we both glance at the alarm clock on the nightstand.
“Damn,” I mutter as the red letters display four in the morning. “Is that correct?”
“I don’t even know what day it is, babe,” Ari mumbles, stretching his neck. “Oh! Here!” he picks up a bottle of milk we must’ve forgotten about beside the alarm clock.
“It’s only half full,” I point out over Luna’s hungry whines.
With an irritable whine, Ari sits on the bed with his back against the headboard. He reaches for his breast pump, pouting through the demanding task as he peels off his shirt, handing it to me so I can fetch him a clean one.
Would it be weird to say that I like the smell of it? Nobody warned me that lactating is oddly hot, but I’ve kept the thought to myself since I know Arius finds it absolutely taxing on his healing body.
His tired eyes fall closed as he attaches the mechanisms to his nipples, letting the pump milk him repetitively. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I quietly watch the white liquid seep into the tubes and slowly fill the bottle while I massage his legs.
I could just lean forward and lap up the warm drops from his puffy nipples, but I know it wouldn’t taste as good as it looks. At least, not for a grown ass Alpha. I’ll keep fantasizing about it, though.
He wakes up once it’s done, moving to get up and warm the fresh drink for our picky daughter, but I lightly push him back down and help him detach the pump.
“Let me go warm it up. You get some rest,” I hand him a fresh shirt, accepting the bottle from him and a kiss.
He nods with a wide yawn and crawls under the covers while Luna sputters and whines. If he saw my erection, he doesn’t call me out on it. Not like we can do anything about it anyway.
By the time I return from the kitchen, my mate is sleeping heavily.
Very quietly, I pick up Luna and let her drink, deeply relieved when it calms her down.
Even more blessed when she doesn’t spit it up for once.
The sun is already crawling up behind the clouds as I lay her to bed in the bassinet and tuck her in.
Growing tired after her meal, she drifts off, wiggling in a cozy pile of baby blankets.
Sleep would be paradise beside my mate, but I also haven’t showered in two days.
Taking the opportunity, I step into the bathroom and clean myself up.
I take my time shaving, scrubbing, and then situating my hair.
Hands braced on the vanity, water drips from my face as I lift my head to look myself in the eye.
I keep having weird visions. I keep seeing strange things. Things I shouldn’t see, but they’re not by coincidence.
Every night, Arius dreams of draining my wallet and starting his own Omega engineering business.
A rivalry to Comet XI. It would be tiny but mighty and I’d be expected to help him achieve it by any means as payback for ruining his current career.
He hasn’t told me about it yet, but when we fall asleep together, my brain drops me off in his dream and that’s what I find.
Sucking my teeth in thought, I wipe a hand across my face before standing tall in the mirror. Lifting my fingers, I gently touch the sensitive mating mark on my skin, reflecting on everything it stands for.
We’re a partnership, Arius and I, but the limitations for Omegas are what keep us so far apart. They shouldn’t need their own spaces when we could share ours with them. There shouldn’t be Omega sections. There should only be one world for all of us, Betas, Alphas, and Omegas alike.
Instead of joining my mate in bed, I push through my fatigue and get dressed in a suit.
Each of my arms weigh a ton as I struggle through the mechanics of my necktie, but my exhaustion now is nothing compared to what Arius experiences as an Omega trying to navigate through an Alpha’s world.
He’s always fighting on the frontlines for himself.
It’s time for me to step up and be the one advocating for him.
I call Gomez on the ride to Comet XI, letting him know that I need a meeting scheduled ASAP. My colleagues should be available for a minute just before their shifts officially start, and as executives, I know they’re already at their desks early per usual.
Parking in my reserved space, I march into the building, up to the same meeting room in which I made the worst mistake of my career.
Within the hour, I’ve gathered Mr. Muendo, who I would consider to be my boss. Dan and Kelly are here with stern faces, looking anxious about what I’ve called them here for since I didn’t specify. And a few others who were part of signing their plan into action have joined as well.
Once everyone is seated and waiting for an explanation, I stand at the head of the table.
“As you all know, I should be on leave right now.”
“Mr. Beckett,” Muendo speaks up. “If this is about the deal, I already told you it cannot be undone. We’re in contract with Dan and Kelly.”
Everyone nods in agreeance and I clear my throat.
“I’m not asking you to break the contract. But I am going to tell you to make it more inclusive. We just hired a group of Omega operators for the affected department. Instead of hiring new Alphas, train the Omegas on the new system.”
“But the degree required– “ Kelly speaks up.
“I don’t care. Make it happen.”
“Mr. Beckett,” Dan tries to level with me, sitting straighter in his chair. “We need operators who learn quickly and efficiently. There’s a reason this program is only for certified Alphas within this field, and labor costs are through the roof this year as it is.”
“Exactly. The Omegas we already have get paid significantly less, leaving room in our budget. We’ll take a bad publicity hit if we fire them all right after shaking the world from opening their unique department.”
Remaining tentatively quiet, Mr. Muendo watches us closely.
“But the work itself, Mr. Beckett,” Dan argues. “It’s best done by an Alpha.”
“Wrong. You don’t know that. Nobody knows that. Because Omegas have never been given a damn chance to try.”
A gravitational tension weighs the room down until the only thing in motion is the hand on the clock, ticking quietly with every second. The world needs to accept that not every Omega wants to be pampered and spoiled by Alphas. Some of them want to live with a little more purpose.
My mate is an exceptional parent as much as he is an extraordinary astronomer.
“What exactly are you proposing, Alpha?” another colleague breaks the tension with an impatient yawn.
It’s a challenge not to snap at them and lose my temper. I’m tired, cranky, and stressed. But I will not continue to work here without Arius. Never again. For the sake of his career, I need to tread carefully while remaining clear on where I stand, otherwise... Goodbye, Comet XI.
“I’m not proposing anything. We are going to train the current Omegas on the same criteria as the Alphas, and if they fail, if they’re unable to perform tasks on the new system, then by all means you can fire them and hire your precious Alphas for the job.
But if they succeed…then maybe you’ll reconsider doubting their capabilities going forward. ”
“Confident, are you?” Dan challenges, looking up at me with smugness.
“I don’t need to be. The Omegas we have are confident in themselves. Give them a chance.”
Staring him down, I make sure he understands that this isn’t up for negotiation until Mr. Muendo cuts through our standoff.
“We’ll start with one,” he says calmly and I glance at his commanding expression.
“Pick an Omega. Train them quickly on an accelerated course of what the Alphas take. If you train one successfully, they can teach the rest.” He stands from his seat with finality, “Choose wisely, Mr. Beckett, or we will revert to the original plan.”
With that, he clasps me on the shoulder and nods to Dan and Kelly before strolling out of the room.