The Ugly Omega

5.

At Erin’s indications, Jake pulled into a street adjacent to the one on which the club the young Salazar wanted to enter was located. That in itself seemed quite suspicious, but since he couldn’t exactly dictate an alpha what to do, no matter how young, he did as told.

The people were different here. They wore expensive clothes, watches, and other accessories, seemingly all in a race to outpace the competition regarding the gaudiness of their attires and the vulgar display of wealth they were capable of.

Although they were in the same city, this place was eons away from Jake’s steel mill. He had never seen people dressed like this. They were beautiful at first glance, but once they were closer, Jake could tell that their physical appearance must’ve benefitted of a wide range of enhancements, surgical or otherwise. All in all, it looked like a fake world to him, one made of plastic.

Erin, dressed in a crop top that let his midriff show and tight jeans, moved through this crowd without paying the onlookers any attention. They did, however, stare at him, and it took Jake a moment to realize that they recognized him for being an alpha.

Their interest was evident. A few – men and women alike – tried to draw his attention, but Jake, taking his role seriously, firmly pushed them away, making sure not to be too rough about it. That earned him a fair share of nasty looks, but he didn’t mind them; after all, it was his job to make sure that no one disturbed Erin.

They stopped in front of a club with an entire façade studded with gleaming gems. No, they weren’t gems, Jake understood, once they changed their color. It was a giant screen with multiple LED lights that went through a rotation. The effect was dizzying.

Sure of himself, Erin opened the door and gestured for Jake to follow. How the kid knew how to do that was beyond him. Most likely, he’d been here before. Jake knew better than to ask too many questions.

The street noises died down once they were inside. A long corridor, lit in crimson red, stretched before them. Jake felt his hackles rising. He wasn’t trained to sniff danger, but he didn’t like cramped places that didn’t allow a quick escape.

Like this one. He followed Erin up to another door. This time, the imp knocked.

A small visor opened and two inquisitive eyes appeared in the slit.

“I’m looking to buy some sweets,” Erin said. He turned and winked at Jake, who observed the exchange with growing unease.

The person behind the door said nothing. Erin pulled out a black credit card and handed it to the porter. The credit card disappeared, and the visor shut. Just when Jake was about to ask if the young Salazar’s credit card might have gone forever, the visor opened again.

“Half hour.” And the black credit card was returned to its rightful owner. The porter had a low, androgynous voice. “What about him?”

Though Erin blocked the line of sight, somehow the porter knew someone else was there. Jake looked around. Of course, cameras.

“He can hang out at the bar while I’m enjoying myself,” Erin said. “On my tab.”

Jake was in no mood to drink. It was early in the day, and he still needed to drive Erin back to the Salazar estate. While he didn’t get drunk easily, he didn’t want to assume unnecessary risks. But he needed to be inside, as close to Erin as possible.

The porter seemed to debate whether or not he could agree with Jake’s presence inside the club. But eventually, the door opened, allowing them access.

The large room before them was empty of clients, at least at that hour. But Erin seemed to know what he was doing.

Jake had an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach that didn’t want to go away. The empty tables, with their neatly arranged chairs, made him think, unexplainably so, of a stage waiting for its actors.

The bar with its large mirrors and array of expensive drinks was located along the left wall. Erin sauntered past it. Just as he was about to disappear behind the bar to another part of the club that would likely remain inaccessible to Jake, he turned on his heel.

“I’ll be back, don’t worry.”

“Half an hour,” the porter said, and Jake threw a look at him.

It was a man. He wore a black corset and over-the-knee boots. Shocked, Jake thought that the man was naked otherwise, but no, he just wore skin-colored leggings. While his face was beautiful, his makeup was on the heavy side. Jake saw no reason for it, unless it was used as a disguise.

The porter had long blond hair that poured down his back to his waist. His eyes, deep and dark, examined Jake.

“What will you have?” he asked, his high heels going click-clack on the polished floor, as he went behind the bar.

He placed his hands on the counter, pushing his chest forward. The corset went only up to his ribs, so his nipples were in full display.

Jake tore his eyes away.

A chuckle followed. “Am I not your cup of tea, sweetheart?”

“It’s not that,” Jake said, taking a seat at the bar so he didn’t contribute to the awkwardness of the situation even more than he’d done so far. “I am on duty.”

“Guarding the squirt?”

To Jake, it was quite shocking to hear someone talking like that about a Salazar. The porter, barman, whatever this man was, had to know who Erin was. Everyone this side of the city had to know.

“It is my job,” Jake said bluntly.

“Right. What’s your pleasure?”

“Soda,” Jake said. “Do you happen to have non-alcoholic beer?”

The man burst into laughter. “Aren’t you cute?”

“Tap water, then,” Jake said.

“Sorry, can’t help you. I’m Tin, by the way.”

Tin. It had to be a nickname.

Tin leaned over the bar counter, engulfing Jake in his sweet perfume. “A leftover, if you care to know.”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Jake pulled back. Tin was shamelessly sniffing him.

“Beta boys. The good ones can never tell when an omega is trying to catch their eye.”

“Are you--” Jake didn’t know what to think.

“Yes. Yes, I am. Only that I’m old and useless now.”

Somehow, the self-pity speech didn’t fit Tin. Jake felt alert, in an unpleasant way. “I doubt it.”

Tin laughed, showing rows of white teeth. It made Jake think of a hyena. How could someone so beautiful appear so unattractive?

“What exactly?”

“You’re not old,” Jake pointed out. “And you run this place. So I don’t see how you can be useless.”

“I run this place for my master,” Tin said. “Tin isn’t my real name.”

Just as Jake had thought.

“My master gave it to me. I’m his little tin soldier.”

It seemed like an odd nickname to give someone.

“Are you happy here?” Jake asked.

Tin laughed. “That is a pretty intimate thing to ask, don’t you think?”

It wasn’t his business, of course. But Jake couldn’t see how an omega would stoop as low as to be in charge of such a place. It was obvious to him that Erin simply paid to have someone as a sex partner. But if omegas served here, that didn’t make them what Erin said they were; they weren’t hunting for alphas if they were prostitutes for hire. Alphas preferred virgin omegas.

The term ‘leftover’ issued by Tin now rang true to his ears. But how could that happen here, in the city? Omegas were rare, or rare enough to warrant special treatment in their society. The omega wranglers were doing the work of distant settlements, towns without pity, where life was hard and nothing was similar to the big city.

“Where is your alpha?” Jake asked.

Tin narrowed his eyes. “My alpha? I don’t have one.”

“You mentioned your master. Who is he?”

“Are you new here?” Tin followed his every move, while his hands were under the counter now, fiddling with some glasses.

Jake frowned. “I’ve never been here.”

“Not what I asked.” Tin’s nostrils flared. “You know, you’re hiding it quite well. Which begs the question. How come you’re working for the Salazars?”

“What do you mean?” Jake asked, his throat drier than the desert.

Tin continued his noisy work. “My master picked me from a thousand. I’m not exaggerating. I just happen to have that kind of nose, you know?”

Jake didn’t dare to ask another question. He was only waiting, overcome by dread, for the whole thing to come undone.

“He put me on a leash on the spot. I bring in good business,” Tin said. He raised his eyes to stare at Jake. “I can spot an omega even when the guy is under the best suppressants or still months away from manifesting. That’s how I get the best workers for my master.”

Jake stared at Tin, fascination laced with horror.

“So, what’s your big ass omega doing here, following Erin Salazar like a puppy?” Tin stared him right in the eye.

“What are you saying?” Jake asked. He knew he was a bad liar. “Who are you calling an omega? Are your eyes bad or something?” It was even harder for him to be impolite to a stranger, even someone like Tin, who didn’t appear to be good people at all.

“My nose doesn’t lie. Sure, I’ve never seen an omega like you. But it doesn’t matter. Who knows what freaks might like to shove… things in you?”

Jake jumped back just in time and ducked. Tin shouted like a banshee while a heavy weapon, which Jake had never seen anything like it before, sprung from his hand. It came with a net attached, which flew through the air and landed behind Jake. The noise the thing made was deafening, and the only glance Jake threw at the thing confirmed that the net came with multiple ball bearings attached.