Somehow, all I’d achieved in my short life seemed to come a dim second to that. Ma looked so damn proud of me, and for some reason, my heart swelled as a result. I wanted that, for someone to pat me on the head and tell me I was a good girl, even as I knew how asinine that was, but my usual spiky shell was gone and couldn’t protect me against her, against anything. Instead, I smiled up at the woman and pulled the plate over, nibbling on the delights piled there.

“Who’s an omega?”

My eyes flicked up, taking in the newcomers, a small group of young women, but they couldn’t really compete with bacon and eggs. I felt their eyes on me as my stomach clenched hard, letting me know how much I needed food right now, especially with all the extra demands I’d put on my body. So as the girls sat down at the table, looking at me, Jace, and the others, I didn’t really give it much attention.

“Sloane is,” Jace replied, getting to his feet but depositing a kiss on my head. “One we need to protect. Fellas, you’re with me.” A collective groan went up at that. “Blame Dane for this. He made some good points, ones we need to be ready for. Snake and his crew? They’d do a lot to get their hands on an unmarked omega.” He bent down to look at me before he went to go. “I’ll be in the next room, taking a meeting with the guys, but I’ll be back shortly. Have your breakfast. Ma’ll look after you.”

She might, but the other women around the table might not. I felt their collective gaze on me as Ma kept chattering on, piling more and more food on my plate.

“An omega…” one woman said in a hushed tone. “Jace hasn’t taken one since…”

“Since ever,” another said much more sharply as her green eyes, complete with beautifully executed winged eyeliner, looked me over. “He’s never voiced an interest in taking one.”

“And he’s not now.”

The last woman sat at the head of the table, fastidiously picking through the mounds of food to create a smaller approved selection on her plate. She wore her bright blonde hair up in a ponytail, had the kind of fresh-faced, dewy complexion one would typically expect from an omega, and coupled with the light blue baby doll dress, she looked exactly what I thought she was—alpha bait. Em used to follow the Insta accounts of high-end influencers who liked to descend on the zone, going trawling for alphas like a matador would bulls. She glanced up at me coolly, her crystal blue eyes narrowing as she inspected me closely now.

Only she wasn’t an omega wannabe, she was an omega, like the other women…like me.

“I’m Baby Doll. Jace is a good guy who’s gone out on a limb for every single one of us omegas.” She picked up a piece of super crunchy bacon and took a bite, the pause going on and on. “That’s what he does—he rides to the rescue, saving omegas left and right to try and assuage the guilt he feels about her.”

“You don’t know that,” Ma blustered. “Every alpha needs an omega. You know that. Everyone knows that.”

“But not Jace,” Baby Doll replied, smiling before taking the time to lick her fingers. “And before you come at me, I’ll say one word.” Her smile was perfectly and utterly radiant. “Ella.”

Who the hell was Ella? Why did the mention of her make me feel a little queasy? I glanced up and down the table, trying to read people’s expressions and not liking what I saw. Empathy, discomfort, awkwardness, even dislike. I’d experienced brush-offs and mean girl bullshit every damn day in the beta world, so why did it hit me so hard right now? Being an omega wasn’t like being thin-skinned, it was like being no skinned. Every response and reaction hit me physically, until all my muscles were tensed, ready to bolt.

You’re not safe here, my heart beat. Small, weak, prey. My eyes darted around the table, around the room, finding mocking expressions and escape routes, then a large clatter in the adjoining kitchen sealed my fate.

“What the hell have those silly boys done now?” Ma said, patting my hand and getting to her feet. “Have something to eat, and I’ll be back in a tick. And, you ladies…” She held out a finger, surveying each of the women that had arrived. “Leave the poor girl alone. Jace did help you out, and it’s time to repay that favour by being kind to his lady.”

Some girls blanched, obviously feeling ashamed of their earlier response, while others were mulish, arms crossed, backs jammed up against the seats.

“Sorry,” one said when Ma disappeared. “It’s just…Jace has always avoided omegas. He keeps us safe, and the alphas in this place give us a mark.” She held out her wrist, where I saw a small white scar. “It’s not a mating mark. They don’t do it at the height of passion or anything. It just indicates we belong…here, until we find our alpha.” The lot of them shuffled at that, eyes flicking sideways, like a restive herd. “It stops the other alphas from thinking they can just grab us and claim us, but…”

“Jace is a good guy,” Baby Doll said. “One of the best, but we’ve all been where you are right now. You come floating downstairs like you’re walking on air, feeling like no one or nothing can change that.” Then her face fell, and her expression was mirrored by the other women. “And then you’re treated to the sight of someone else doing the exact same thing the next morning, and the next and the next.”

Blondie’s eyes softened somewhat as she took in my clothes, my hair, and my jewellery.

“He won’t knot you, claim you, fill you with everything you need, and then sink his fangs deep into your skin, leaving his mark for everyone to see. He doesn’t, and they don’t.” I stared at her doll-like perfection and finally started to see the cracks. “They keep you at arm’s length, right when you need them the most. They ‘take care’ of you, finger you until you’re gasping, and then…”

She shoved her wrist out, just like the other omega had.

“Nice, neat, surgical bites. Ones that say fuck off to other alphas, even the ones you might find happiness with. Claimed but not claimed, and left in a godawful limbo.” She shook her head, her eyes shining now suspiciously. “You look like you come from money or something. Subtle pieces but expensive, will last you a lifetime.” She shook her head, as if dismissing that. “Hustle on back to whatever world you came from, that’s all I can say, because down in the zone?” Her eyes went wide and unseeing, because it wasn’t me she watched anymore. “It can be dog eat dog, omega, and you’re the perfect damn bone, but the guy you want sees you as a convenient snack and not the main meal.”

Of course this wasn’t real, that was what their words told me. Everything I’d felt, the fucking surge of heat, passion, but most of all, satisfaction was a lie. Last night, this morning, I’d finally, finally had enough. No more packing away my misery, my pain, my fear, my needs. He was there, he would see to them, all of them, and finally, I could…

This wasn’t real—none of it.

I was up and out of my seat, the other women making sounds in response, but I didn’t wait around to hear them out. I was striding across the room, up to the door, opening it and finding myself back in the bar that was empty now, but for a beta barman. Brown curly hair, medium blue eyes, the kind of face that could easily get lost in the crowd, he glanced up, then stared when he saw who it was

“I need to get out of here,” I said, slamming my hands down on the bar. “Out of the zone.”

“Out of… The gate is closed—”

“Now,” I said, then grabbed the bag I hadn’t even remembered dragging downstairs and rifled through it, looking for my card, only to see my phone was nestled in there and ringing. “Hello?”

“Hey, babes!” Em replied with a deafening enthusiasm. “So by the neatly made-up bed in your room, I’m guessing someone was a dirty stop out last night! Jude, Jewel, and I are doing a sneaky Macca’s run to soak up all the bloody alcohol we drank and then we’re coming to get you!”