Page 16 of The Sad Omega
Irian sighed. Then he seemed to come to a decision. “Isca hasn’t exactly come out and said it, but I think in his pack, omegas are, um, only considered useful for sex. It’s worse when there’s no alpha there.”
Fuck! No wonder Isca was always sneaking away when he could. And it went a long way to explaining his perpetually downtrodden demeanour and the sadness which lurked behind his eyes. I’d thought he might have been suffering from depression – not that uncommon for young people stuck out here in the country – but well, who wouldn’t be depressed living under those conditions?
“That’s sick and archaeic. I didn’t think there were any packs run like that anymore. Make sure he knows he’s welcome here as often as he wants,” I told Irian. “And tell him I said so, so he’s not shy about it.” I shook my head in disgust.
A few years ago, that attitude wouldn’t have been particularly uncommon and omegas hadn’t had a lot of autonomy, but that had all changed. Well, it was supposed to have changed. Apparently some packs hadn’t gotten the message yet.
After that conversation, I found myself paying more attention to the young omega, watching for signs that things weren’t going well. He was a good-looking young man with his slender frame - which was more muscular since he’d been spending time working and eating with us on the farm – his fine features and shy bashful smile, and a few soft curls atop his short-cropped hair. All that and a sexy ass as well (yes, I had noticed)... and a bunch of single betas left to their own devices… Yeah, not a good situation at all. I could easily see how he’d catch their attention. And if Zarbius was spending more and more time away from his pack, that was a situation that would get out of hand sooner or later.
From that time on, I posted a sentry on our omegas’ cottage at night. I didn't trust any of that fucking pack.
???
The three of us were sitting on the couch, finishing off our morning tea. I was glad to get out of the office and away from the wretched paperwork for a while, so we had settled in the lounge for our morning break.
Zarbius was away again and Isca was staying with us for a few days. Irian and Isca had spent the morning baking together and there’d been so much giggling that I’d started to wonder if I’d be having my morning coffee with no treat to offset the bitterness of the drink. Surprisingly, the two omegas still managed to produce some amazing cupcakes and we’d eaten them with enthusiasm.
Irian was tucked up against me on the couch, and Isca was sitting beside him, when the harsh jangle of the phone interrupted our quiet.
I answered it, and then passed it to Irian.
“It’s for you.”
Irian took the call, and wandered away from us so he didn’t disturb us with his call, or maybe it was the other way around. When he was finished, he rejoined us, the couch bouncing as he plonked himself down on it with a sigh.
“That was Alexi,” he told me. Then, because Isca wouldn’t know who this was, he added, “He’s my cousin. He’s married and recently had pups, and he’s getting all boring and stuff, sorting out his will. He wants me to be his Executor and we have a meeting with the lawyer first thing tomorrow in the city.”
He pouted.
“When do you need to leave?” I asked him.
“I’ll drive down after lunch and spend tonight at his house so we can get there on time in the morning.”
Isca got up from the couch.
“Oh. Should I leave?” he asked. “So you can get ready?”
Irian shook his head. “There’s no need. Stay here with Talius – he’ll probably be glad of the company.”
Both young men looked to me.
“Sure,” I replied. I wasn’t going to say no to more of Isca’s company. “You can help me with the fences this afternoon, and you can still stay over, if you like.”
Isca looked relieved. There was a reason he stayed with us when his mate was away, after all. “I’d like that, if that's really okay with you.”
“Of course, it is. Like Irian says, I'll be glad of the company.” I turned to my mate. “When do you think you'll be back?”
“At latest, tomorrow afternoon. The meeting’s at 9am in the CBD.”
“Act-u-a-l-l-y,” I drew the word out as I thought. “There are some supplies we need from that specialist electronics shop, the one that stocks the parts for the garage doors. Could you drop in there and bring them back with you?”
“Yep, no worries. I’ll get them on the way down, that way I can be back early tomorrow. I'll be back as soon as I can.”
Later that day, when Irian drove away down the dusty driveway, my heart was a little sad because I knew I’d miss him, even though he was only going to be gone overnight. But when I saw the young omega waving goodbye beside me, I felt a surge of warmth and happiness. An afternoon with Isca was no hardship at all.
Isca followed me around all afternoon, sticking close to my side as I explained how the electric fences worked and showed him how to add a new section to the existing layout. He was a quiet soft-spoken young man, and a quick learner. We passed a very companionable afternoon and his smile grew brighter and more frequent as the day wore on.
We didn’t finish working until sunset, and I was impressed that he never complained the whole time. In fact, we laughed and joked and the time passed very quickly.