Their presence filled me with the desire to start a family. I’ve been fixated on that idea ever since. But two heats and a pile of negative pregnancy tests have left me drained.
They’re doing their best to be supportive, but Candor and Lucius just don’t understand. They can’t.
Three heats and no pregnancy? Even if the first heat wasn’t a “real” one because of the suppressants, I just don’t see how this is possible. Most omegas are so fertile they can get pregnant just by thinking about sex when they’re in heat.
Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration, but still. I’m starting to get worried.
My internet searches haven’t done much to soothe my concerns either.
Thankfully, I don’t have a lot of time to dwell right now. The first of the potential tenants has arrived for their tour. A young omega with bright blue eyes and curly hair greets me with a flash of pearly whites as he shakes my hand.
“I’m Wren.” He’s cheerful, almost infectiously so.
I can’t help but smile as I lead him on a tour of the complex. “We’ve just finished updating the laundry room. There’s a keypad on the door, and the code is changed every month so residents can wash their clothes in peace.” I wave inside the laundry room and show off the freshly painted interior. It was the last of the renovations waiting to be done. Now that it’s finished, the apartment complex is as finished as it’s going to be.
“The landscaping was all done this year, so it still looks a bit sparse.” I gesture to the flowerbeds bordering the courtyard. “They should start filling in now that the plants are fairly well established.”
We finish the tour at the office. Wren folds his arms and looks around a little uncomfortably. For a moment, I’m worried there might be some trace left over from the day of the storm. But when he clears his throat and looks me in the eye, I can tell there’s more to it than that.
“The thing is, I wasn’t entirely honest before,” Wren says, furrowing his brow. “You’ve been great, and this place is amazing, but...I lied on my application.”
“I see.” I purse my lips, a little disappointed but not totally surprised. We’ve gotten a lot of those recently. “What exactly was the lie?”
“I’m not a secretary at a law firm,” he says, biting his lip. “I work as an escort sometimes, and I’m an exotic dancer sometimes. Whatever it takes to make ends meet, you know? My income isn’t crazy consistent, but I always pay my bills on time.”
I drop my eyes and look down at the toes of my shoes. My thoughts are turning slowly as he speaks.
“This is the only place I could find in my price range, that didn’t specifically say they wouldn’t rent to single omegas,” he continues. “I’m sure I don’t have to tell you what it’s like.”
He’s right. Single omegas are typically seen as risky renters to a lot of landlords. It’s mostly just BS discrimination of course. After I started working at Omega for Hire, Farron secured my apartment and my roommate for me. He’d negotiated some sort of agreement with the landlord of that complex so his omegas were never at risk of living on the streets.
It’s easy to forget sometimes that not every omega has the luxury of being able to work at OFH under the watchful guardianship of a caring employer.
Now that I’m looking a little more closely, it’s more obvious that Wren’s polish and shine is fairly superficial. He’s a little bit too thin, his fingernails are a little too dirty. The circles under his eyes have been carefully hidden with a layer of concealer, but they’re still there if you’re looking for them. His clothes are clean and carefully pressed, but just a little too big for him, as if they’ve been borrowed.
His background check hadn’t thrown anything particularly worrisome. He had a clean record and his credit is good. But one lie makes me suspicious that there might be more. I sigh and look him in the eye.
“Look, I only lied because I didn’t know you were an omega too,” he continues, trying to appeal to my compassion. “If you were an alpha, I figured I could flirt my way into an apartment. But now...I just feel guilty.”
“Who do you work for?” I ask as I absently circle my desk.
He shakes his head. “I’m not sharing that. You shouldn’t ask me that.”
I sigh again and drop