Dante flopped down onto his bed with a groan. It had been a tiring day, on the heels of an utterly exhausting week, following a month of... well, it had been a long time since he could remember feeling truly well-rested. He hadn’t been exaggerating when he told Rafael earlier that day that they were woefully understaffed. Keeping the Center afloat was challenging even in the best of times, but since the Director had gone on maternity leave the previous month, Dante had been running around like a chicken with its head cut off as he struggled to keep operations running smoothly. It didn’t help that there was nothing left in the budget for new hires, even temporary ones. 

He had initially balked when Thomas suggested that they try recruiting volunteers instead. The thought of all the vetting and training he would have to do was overwhelming enough; but on top of all that, how would he even find someone in the first place? 

The call from the court clerk had honestly come out of the blue. She said they had someone looking to fill his court-mandated probation hours. He was an Alpha, still in school, with no prior convictions on his record. There was, however, a rather peculiar set of instructions that came along with his file. According to the note, Rafael should under no circumstances be assigned to any posting that required him to “perform significant manual labor tasks in a public forum or other heavily-trafficked areas”. 

Which was... extremely specific, to say the least. It also ruled out a lot of the more traditional community service venues, such as trash cleanup or highway roadside maintenance. Dante had gathered from the stress in her voice that the clerk was struggling to find a suitable posting. Was there any possible chance, she had asked Dante with a hopefulness that bordered on manic, that St. Margaret’s might be in need of a volunteer to help out on a part-time basis? 

Although the strangeness of the request had instantly set off alarm bells, Dante couldn’t help being intrigued by it. Why would a probation order come with such odd conditions attached? Certainly, if Rafael had an injury or some other medical condition, that might explain the ban on heavy labor; but whoever had written the instructions honestly sounded less concerned with the work itself, and more concerned that said work take place out of the public eye. Was Rafael someone famous? Dante had personally never heard of him, but maybe he was some sort of up-and-coming celebrity. Would an Alpha like that really be a good fit for the Center?

Still, in spite of his wariness, the promise of free labor had been almost too good for Dante to pass up. Almost. He promised himself that no matter how desperate he was, he would walk away if it seemed like Rafael was too prissy to get his hands dirty, or if he proved himself to be an anti-Omega bigot.

Neither seemed to be the case upon meeting him, though, so Dante resigned himself to letting the Alpha stay. Even if he was a bit of a dick.

Dante’s musings were abruptly interrupted when his cell phone started to ring. He raised his head to check the caller ID, then rolled over and accepted the call from his boss. “Hi, Thomas. How’s the baby?”

“She is a precious angel who currently will not stop screaming and if I don’t get out of the house for five minutes I might kill myself. Sorry. She’s adorable. How are you?”

Dante chuckled. Although he had no children of his own, he’d counseled enough new parents to know that filters were usually the first thing to go, particularly when heavy sleep deprivation was involved.

“Glad to hear it, and don’t kill yourself, please. I really don’t know how much longer I’m going to last on my own over here.”

“You met with the new community service volunteer today, right?” Thomas, as ever, cut straight to the point. “What did you think of him?”

Dante ran a hand through his hair. “He’s going to be a handful. Are you sure we don’t have the money to just hire someone?”

“Positive. Did he do something to offend you?”

Dante snorted. “Not exactly. He’s actually better than I expected in some respects. It turns out the assault charge was the result of him protecting an Omega from another Alpha.”

“Really? Was the Omega someone close to him?”

“I had the same thought, but no, it sounds like he acted out of principle, not personal interest. Which is a major plus given what we’d be asking him to do at the Center. Other positives: He’s imposing-looking enough to make some of the Alphas lurking nearby think twice, but quiet enough that I don’t think he’ll scare our clients too badly. He also doesn’t seem to mind the idea of rolling up his sleeves to do grunt work. All good things.”

“But…?” Thomas queried.

Dante made a face. He’d hoped to end his assessment there, but his boss clearly knew him too well to let him off the hook.

“But...I don’t know, something about him rubs me the wrong way. He’s kind of an arrogant shit, for one thing.”

“He’s only 21, right? Aren’t they all at that age?” Thomas sounded amused.

“I wasn’t.”

“My boy, if you weren’t back then, you certainly are now. I’ve known you for over five years, and one thing I've learned is that you can give back as good as you get. Something tells me the two of you might have more in common than you think.”

Dante sat up, offended. “I am nothing like that entitled Alpha!”

“Easy, easy,” Thomas laughed. “I didn’t mean to insult you. I just meant that there’s more to everyone than what’s on the surface. If he got under your skin this much, maybe it's because you recognized something in him that reminds you of yourself.”

Dante huffed. “And I thought I was the therapist.”

“I am a mother now. I have the wisdom of my years and experience,” Thomas replied loftily.

“You’re an asshole.”

“And you know I’m right.”

“Anyway…” Dante fell back on the bed, eager to change the subject. “I told him he could tentatively start Monday, but that I’d have to clear it with you first. Any concerns or objections before I email him to confirm?”

“None whatsoever. I trust your instincts. You’re a good judge of character, Dante. If you actually thought we shouldn’t hire him, you would have said so outright. Unless there’s something else bothering you that you’d like to share?”

“...No.” Dante flung an arm over his face. “I honestly think he’ll be a good fit for the job. He’s got all the right qualifications, and he doesn’t seem to harbor any prejudices against Omegas. Also, he’ll be working for free, and where the hell else are we going to find someone like that on short notice? I’ll just have to figure out a way to deal with that charming personality of his.”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine.” Dante swore he could hear Thomas grinning through the phone. “In any event, I’ll be back in another few weeks, so if he does give you any trouble, just let me know and I’ll be sure to set him straight when I return.”

“No rush, Thomas. You just enjoy the time with your family. I can hold down the fort until you get back.” Somehow.

“Sounds good. Oh, and Dante--” Thomas was suddenly interrupted by a fresh bout of wailing in the background. “God dammit, I thought she had finally gone to sleep. I’ve got to go take care of this. Give me a call if you need anything, yeah?”

“Sure, I--” 

The line clicked off. 

Dante set his phone down on the nightstand and stared up at the ceiling. Although Thomas had been making an effort to keep his voice upbeat, Dante could tell he was utterly worn out. Angelica was still in round-the-clock feeding mode, and since his mate frequently had to work long shifts, Thomas was handling much of the baby care on his own.

Even so, Dante knew how happy his boss was to finally be a parent. After all, he’d wanted it for so long. He had confided in Dante back when he and his mate had first started trying, and it had taken them over two years to conceive. After numerous setbacks and a lot of heartache, the safe arrival of little Angelica had felt like a miracle. Dante was overjoyed that his friend was finally able to have the baby that he had so longed for.

And yet… it was hard not to feel a slight pang of envy, too.

Like Thomas, Dante was an Omega, and Omegas were prized and sought after for their ability to bear children. Unfortunately, this attitude also made it harder for them to be successful in other careers. Most employers assumed Omegas would only stay on until they married and left to start a family, which made promotions difficult to obtain. Dante himself had been able to advance in his career as a therapist largely because he’d been very blunt about the fact that raising a family just wasn’t in the cards for him. It had made it easier for him to obtain his degree and get his license, but that didn’t mean he didn’t occasionally grieve the loss of what could have been.

If circumstances had been different... If he had been different...

He shook his head violently to clear the thought before he could finish it. There’s no use longing for what you can’t have, Dante. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and focus on what you can do, not what you can’t. Remember, there are people who need you, and you need to do everything you can to help them. 

Dante took a deep breath, counted to three, and willed himself to get out of bed and retrieve his laptop. There were people who needed him, and there was so much to do. He had no more time to waste on self-pity tonight.

He opened the laptop and sat down at his desk, then began to tap out a message to Rafael.