1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

INIKA

" W hat are your plans for your heat?" Maia asked with discomfiting familiarity, lounging in the chair in front of my desk and taking notes at rapid-fire pace on her phone. "It's coming up, no?"

"It is. It's really not considered good form to ask about it, though."

She shrugged, unapologetic. Maia's no-nonsense approach to everything was why I'd hired her as my assistant in the first place, but it had its drawbacks. Then again, perhaps all betas would be as blasé about such a topic? The concept of heats was as foreign to them as the concept of casual dating was to me.

"I mean, I need to know how accessible you're going to be," she retorted, tossing her inky black hair over her shoulder and raising a pierced eyebrow at me. "I know you've put in notice to go on leave, but the office might still reach out. I need to know what to tell them."

"How much experience do you have with omegas in heat?" I asked, amused. "I will be entirely inaccessible. Negative accessible. If you attempt to speak to me, I may claw your eyeballs out of your face, and I wouldn't even realise I'd done it until after I'd emerged from my nest."

Maia's other eyebrow shot up. "That feral, huh? Sounds like a pain."

"Something like that," I agreed. "You'll need to block off five days on the calendar from when my heat hits—at the very minimum. I've already given the team an approximate date, and it's an annual event so they know what to expect from me, but if you could confirm with them that I'm no longer available when I retreat to my nest, that would be great. You'll also need to contact Prendre and ask them to send the alpha over if I don't manage to contact them before I lose my senses."

Maia glanced up from her furious note-taking, her eyebrows shooting up. "The what ?"

I'd never had to explain any of this to Tess, my previous assistant. But I supposed I couldn't hold it against her that she wanted to go off and see the world rather than being cooped up in my house most of the day, stuck doing my bidding. The compensation was generous, but it probably wasn't the glamorous role she'd envisioned as an heiress's personal assistant.

Maia disliked people and rarely left the staff accommodation at the back of the property when she wasn't working. We were a much better fit. She also only answered to me—unlike Tess, who'd been hired by my parents.

"The alpha," I repeated with a wry smile. "Not my alpha. Prendre is an agency that connects alphas who… make themselves available, with single omegas for their heats."

"Like a gigolo or something?"

"It's not quite as involved as all that," I laughed. Well, there probably were alphas who operated more as kept lovers, but I had no interest in one of those. "There's an interview process beforehand which I'll need to set in motion shortly. I select who I want, they appear for the heat, then they disappear again afterwards. There are nests-for-hire available on their premises, but I use the spare bedroom as a temporary nest. Obviously, I wouldn't bring them back to my real one."

"Obviously," Maia repeated faintly. "Couldn't they just bite you, though? When you're not poisonous?"

It was a distasteful topic of conversation, but I didn't shut it down. Not everyone was as non-judgemental about my use of alphas-for-hire as Maia appeared to be.

Actually, it was quite nice to be asked. Mostly, people decided they already knew everything about how omegas worked. Half the time, they were alpha-splaining it to me.

"The toxin in my blood is neutralised during my heat, so they could bite me without suffering any harm. Which is why there are… muzzles involved." I did blush at that, imagining the visual that Maia would come up with. It was just as sordid as it sounded. "Mated alphas stand guard outside around the clock. The working alpha takes food and water breaks when the omega sleeps; the guards are mostly there to see to their needs."

There was nothing more resilient than an omega in heat. I didn't need food. I survived on electrolyte drinks sucked through a straw. What I needed was orgasms.

Maia blinked. "Wow. That all sounds… elaborate."

"It is. It's not a realistic option for most omegas." We both knew I wasn't most omegas when it came to finances.

"I have a lot more questions."

I tried and failed to suppress a smile. "You can ask one. I probably need to start getting ready for tonight."

By which I meant I would take off my make-up, put on a sheet mask, and lie in my nest to disassociate for as long as physically possible before actually getting ready.

Maia mulled it over, drumming the back of her phone case with her pointed nails. "I was going to ask if it wouldn't just be easier to get a mate, but I guess I know the answer to that. That's a very permanent decision that you have to live with outside the nest, too."

"It is." A very permanent decision for a very indecisive omega to make.

"Okay. Okay, here's my question. Is it a taboo thing? I don't mean that as an insult or anything, but if I hired someone to bang me for several days— with a muzzle on, no less— I think I'd, you know, get some looks. At the very least."

"I've never considered that," I laughed. Most of my staff and my colleagues were betas. It wasn't like I didn't spend time around them. But sometimes I forgot their needs were so different from mine. So easily managed and unobtrusive. "The agencies aren't considered taboo, per se. They're not only used for heats, and it's a luxury experience, so there's a sense of… exclusivity about it, I suppose."

I hesitated, choosing my words carefully. "That they service omegas in heat is probably seen as taboo by some people. It's not a particularly well-known practice outside of, well, those who can afford it, I suppose."

Maia nodded thoughtfully. "My mam would probably have a heart attack if I told her about it. Which I won't, obviously. She'd definitely say it was rich people nonsense, though."

"It's absolutely rich people nonsense," I agreed. I suspected even more of my life was rich people nonsense than I realised.

"Do you need anything else from me before I head out?" Maia asked. "Need me to call that agency or whatever for you?"

My lips twitched. "No, I can manage that on my own. Thank you."

I recognised that I was out of touch by most people's standards, but it would be a truly grim day when I outsourced the coordination of my sex appointments.

"Very good." Maia stood, grabbing the textured leather tote bag I'd bought her for her birthday from the empty chair next to her and tucking her phone into the inside pocket. "Oh, I meant to tell you that I finally heard back from that plasterer this morning. Blake what's-his-face." She wrinkled her nose. "He's a rude prick, if I'm being completely honest. He had a last-minute cancellation so I guess he can fit you in. He wants to come around tomorrow and see the space. What do you want me to tell him? You're free until midday, though I'm guessing tonight is going to be a late night."

I hummed in agreement, immediately feeling flat at the reminder of tonight's event. "It'll be fine. I don't intend on staying out late. Tell him he can come first thing and I'll show him the space. Let's see if this guy lives up to the hype."

"Inika! There you are," Mama said, grabbing my hands with her slightly shaky ones and giving them a light squeeze as she kissed the air next to my cheek. "You're late, my darling."

"Fashionably so," I replied airily, rather than telling her that I'd had to unwillingly drag myself out from the depths of my nest and force myself into this skintight silk dress at the last possible minute.

"The awards haven't started yet, at least." Mama's smile was tight, the scent of omega distress permeating the air. Not for long, though. She'd excuse herself to slather on one of the many tubes of Om-Guard she had in her clutch. I suspected there were a few medically prescribed goodies in there designed to keep her calm too, but she'd never admit to it.

"Papa would have been upset if you'd missed his moment. It's your moment too, you know. Our moment, as a family." She squeezed my fingers once more before releasing me. "You're his legacy."

"I wouldn't have dreamed of missing it," I murmured, dropping my voice to the low, soothing tenor that Mama often required. "You know that."

I plucked a glass of champagne from a passing tray as she vanished into the crowd to go de-scent herself. I'd applied a thin layer of Om-Guard before I'd left the house, but I entirely expected my parents to hint that I should add another coat during the course of the evening. It was the family business, after all.

Legacy.

That word was heavy. I didn't want to be a legacy, I wanted to be an individual. I wanted to make choices for myself.

But I'd also lived a life of unimaginable privilege—one which that legacy had afforded me. It was suffocating, and yet, as far as problems went, life could have certainly dealt me a worse hand.

"Inika." Samira, an elderly member of the board who'd been serving as long as I'd lived, leaned in to give me an air kiss. "So wonderful to see you. That colour is stunning on you. Did you come alone tonight?"

I should have known the compliment wasn't free.

"I did." I smiled sweetly, deflecting the disapproval radiating from her pursed lips and the tight lines around her narrowed eyes.

"My grandson, Emmett, recently took a mate, did you hear?"

"I hadn't heard, no. That's wonderful. Please pass on my congratulations."

She hummed lightly, dissatisfied with my answer. Samira wasn't the only board member who'd hoped I'd pick a mate from their multitude of relatives. A suitable, well-connected alpha to take over the running of Om-Guard once my father stood down, leaving me safely tucked up in some country estate somewhere with as many children as my robust omega uterus could carry.

I was a great disappointment to all of them. Unfortunately for them, I was at least partially fuelled by spite, so that fact brought me great joy.

"You're very brave attending these things on your own." Samira sniffed, all alpha superiority. I had to give her credit, she was determined to keep pushing me for a reaction even though I was very intentionally not giving her one. "Not many unmated omegas would walk into a room like this without any sign of distress. It's an unnatural situation for you to be in."

"Is it?" I took a sip of my champagne. "I've never known any different."

I'd been attending these soirées since I was fresh out of the womb. Likely while I was still in the womb, though I wouldn't be shocked to hear that Mama had put herself under total house arrest the moment she started showing.

"No, I suppose not," Samira agreed, looking away to survey the room with barely contained disdain. "You're not a regular omega."

I was, though. At my core, I was a regular omega who wanted regular omega things. The things that made me irregular were pushed on me by the circumstances of my birth. By society. By my family. By everyone and everything, except myself.

Why was I so maudlin today? It must be because my heat was looming on the horizon again. It forced me to evaluate my life choices on an annual basis, and I wasn't always pleased with what I found.

"We should probably take our seats," I suggested, spotting Samira's mate across the room and exhaling slightly. We definitely weren't going to be sitting at the same table, at least.

Mama was already at the table when I arrived and took my seat between her and my uncle. Our group was mostly comprised of family, which meant I didn't need to answer any awkward questions, at least. By the time I'd finished university—still unmated, still failing to fulfil the only real duty that was expected of me—they'd stopped asking out of sheer embarrassment.

Papa was the last to appear, laughing and patting everyone on the back as he made his way through the room, his bald head shining in the chandelier light. He was always the most jovial person in the room, always ready with a funny quip and a charming compliment.

Papa had just enough memories of his life prior to immense wealth that he seemed able to relate to anyone. It was a skill that I actively worked to cultivate, and I'd always envied how it came to him so easily.

"Family!" he said cheerfully, standing behind his chair and opening his arms, surveying us grandly. "You're all here! I'm so glad you made it. Inika, my sweet girl, you look beautiful."

Papa was already on to his next compliment, singing my uncle's praises as he took his seat without giving me a chance to respond. Perhaps that was why Papa seemed to get along with everyone. He wasn't actually conversing with them, just interacting with them.

"You still working at Om-Guard?" Uncle Devyan asked gruffly, eyeing me warily. He had three big, boisterous alpha sons, and never seemed entirely sure how he was supposed to talk to me.

"Yes, Uncle. For the past twelve years."

He grunted, pouring himself a top-up from the bottles of wine on the table.

Great chat.

Fortunately, the lights dimmed, and the presenters came on stage to begin the awards portion of the evening not long after. Papa knew everyone and happily supplied the table with factoids and anecdotes about all of them as the night progressed.

"This is us," Papa whispered loudly, leaning forwards and giving us all a cheerful, conspiratorial grin before sitting up at attention and focusing on the stage. I couldn't help but smile at his antics. Papa's energy was so jubilant at all times, it was difficult to not to feel a little of that joy seeping in. Often, I'd wondered if it was why Mama had been drawn to him in the first place. She had a nervous temperament and hated the social events that being mating to a Dara necessitated. But she wasn't nearly as stressed about any of that when Papa was around.

I tuned back in right as the presenter announced that the award for best employer would go to Om-Guard, pasting on my most brilliant smile right before the videographer panned over to me.

Papa and the Om-Guard management team made their way on stage as the hundreds of people in the room clapped and cheered. I stood up with the rest of the family, applauding right along with them, my cheeks hurting from smiling.

For all the pressure my position in life put on me, I couldn't deny how proud I was of my father and everything he'd accomplished. And I knew I'd never live up to it. There was no world in which I'd be standing on that stage, accepting an award for my entrepreneurial accomplishments.

Mama looked over at me, eyes shining with happy tears. She'd always been a crier.

"Oh, Inika. Isn't this wonderful?" She grabbed my hand, squeezing it tightly. "What an incredible life we have."

"Incredible," I agreed, my smile fixed in place.

Perhaps, someday, it would feel like that life belonged to me.