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PROLOGUE
Nearly Four Years Ago…
Music, stale cigarette smoke, and the scent of liquor swirled around Avery as he opened the nightclub’s entrance. Pausing there, he stared at the spinning lights and hazy fog churning within, his second thoughts having second thoughts. A heavy bass pumped like an artificial heart, the sound pounding against him as if an invisible hand held him. It almost seemed like a threat, a warning to leave.
Avery wasn’t a usual patron of establishments of that variety. He’d been warned off of them most of his life. Just being seen there could have repercussions he didn’t want to think about. An arriving beta brushed up against Avery, making him jump. The leering man offered a glib smile. “You dancing tonight, sweet cheeks?”
Avery shook his head violently, no words coming to his too-dry lips.
The beta ogled Avery a moment. “Too bad.” He paused a few seconds, giving Avery the once over before moving past and entering the building. After a moment to collect himself—and his courage—Avery walked inside, too. Once there, he saw an older omega twirling around on the pole, showing his nearly naked body. Avery’s stare washed over the crowd once his sight had acclimated to the dark. A handful of betas sat around the near empty club. A fewrenosstuck out of a G-string that barely covered the omega’s soft cock.
Avery took a few steps closer, shock and awe making his feet move almost of their own accord. There was a lifelessness in the omega’s eyes, as if the man wasn’t truly there. Numb. Avery could relate. He sensed a bit of that himself, simply witnessing the inside of a strip club. Unmated omegas had few options in their world. Jobs were scarce in the Omega Quadrant.
No, strike that.Goodjobs were scarce.
If an omega wanted to dance naked, sell his body, or be a surrogate, he’d do just fine. He tried not to judge. Some omegas weren’t as lucky as he and his brothers and uncle. If they had no family or means, omegas had to eat and put a roof over their heads as well as possible.
Even though his parents were gone, they’d left a small nest egg, enough to give Avery some time to find another option and save himself and his brothers.
He had big plans. That night was just the first step in it.
When the dancer onstage lifted his stare toward Avery, there seemed to be a connection for a brief second—though Avery wasn’t sure how the male could see him or much else in the low light. Improbably, was more like it, yet he sensed it all the same.
The dancer quickly averted his stare and closed his eyes. Avery acknowledged pity for the male. But then, he shouldn’t.
I might be up there myself if I don’t play my cards right. Up there… or worse…
He wet his parched lips, imagining himself on that stage. Avery’s gaze drifted across the small crowd to a beta near the back of the room, obviously stroking his cock as he watched the omega dance. A swirl of disgust filled Avery’s stomach. To be treated like a piece of meat whose sole purpose was to give sexual satisfaction?
As if any omega’s life isn’t far from the same.
“Take it all off!” another beta cried across the bar. “Show us your slick, baby!”
The omega seemed to ignore the catcall, yet soon bent over and showed his nearly bare ass to the men. He spread his cheeks, letting them see even more. The thin strip of cloth didn’t hold back much.
Dry flesh. Zero slick. The omega obviously didn’t enjoy what he was doing, not that Avery needed confirmation of that. It was written all over his face.
A beta—possibly the one who’d yelled—rushed toward the stage and licked the omega’s ass cheek. A bouncer yanked him away, but couldn’t stop the roll of filth coming from the beta’s mouth.
“I can get you hot. I wanna taste your slick, baby,” the beta cried over the loud music. He wagged his tongue, eyes wide, before being tossed out the front door by the huge bouncer who was almost as big as an alpha.
Avery focused back on the stage, where the dancer waited as the bouncer threw the man out. The stripper wrapped his arms around himself, looking a bit lost for a moment—until another beta tapped his calf. He blinked a few times, as if trying to remember what he’d been doing. The dancer swayed to the music again, slightly off-beat. Not that it likely mattered much. The dancing wasn’t the main reason the betas sat in the dark, watching.
Lusting…
Avery cringed at the thought of being exposed, and vulnerable, like that.
Naturally, betas weren’t as aggressive as alphas, but he’d heard of those who fetishized omegas. Men like those came to the clubs, imagining themselves having an omega under them. Imagining knotting them and breeding them, even though it was impossible for a beta to knot.
Hopefully, that future wasn’t in the cards for Avery.
Forcing his feet over to the bar, he waited impatiently until the barkeep noticed him and sidled down his way. The beta tossed a bar towel onto his shoulder and gave Avery a cursory glance. “What’ll ya have?”
“I’m here… to see…Tulla.” He dropped his voice lower for the final word, fearful of anyone overhearing.
The barkeep frowned. “Who?”
Avery sighed. “Tulla,” he repeated a little louder.
