The courtroom was full of people, all of them glaring at him. Gabe cowered behind the thin barrier of the witness stand, wishing he had more to protect him. Nobody stood beside him, not even his family. From the jury box, his parents looked on, disappointment clear on both their faces. His sister shook her head.

Brian, his husband, paced the front of the courtroom like a prowling lion, his blond hair shimmering under the spotlights. The Alpha glared at Gabe, making him cringe.

“Your Honor, this man deceived me,” Brian said, his voice booming with conviction as he pointed at Gabe. “Our marriage was a sham. I ask that you punish him to the fullest extent of the law.”

The judge suddenly grew, looming over Gabe like a giant. “Guilty!”

The gavel banged down, and Gabe’s eyes flew open.

The Omega gasped, sitting bolt-upright. The room was bright, and the bed was soft. He didn’t know where he was for half a second. Then the sound of the sea brought him back to himself. There was no courtroom, no judge, no jury condemning him. It was just a dream. Another stupid nightmare. The Omega took a few deep breaths, trying to calm his still-pounding heart.

He had hoped that finalizing the divorce would stop the nightmares, but even six months later, they still hadn’t gotten the memo. It was doubly ironic that he would have nightmares about the courtroom, since the judge had ruled in his favor. Brian, his ex, had been angry, but there was nothing he could do. Gabe was far away now, and free.

The Omega got out of bed and padded over to the window. Bright Beach was well named: the rising sun sparkled on the ocean, and the sugar-white sand seemed to glow. At this hour, the sea was calm, with tiny waves lapping on the shore. He glanced at the fitness tracker strapped to his wrist. Two hours until his gym was scheduled to open. Gabe had plenty of time for a run, and after that dream, he needed one.

* * *

The town of Bright Beach was long and narrow. A two-lane highway ran parallel to the coastline, and buildings had sprung up on either side, forming the little tourist town. The beachfront side held the more expensive homes and businesses, built right on the sand on elevated pilings to keep them above the flood waters of hurricanes. Across the highway were more houses, the grocery store, the tiny town hall, and other businesses.  Gabe parked in one of the small public parking lots on the beach side and crossed the wooden walkway over the dunes.

The beach was nearly deserted at this hour, and he was glad for the quiet. He made his way down to the shoreline where the wet sand was more tightly packed and easier to run on. The water shimmered in the morning sun, and the cool breeze felt refreshing as it ruffled his hair. Seashells crunched under his running shoes as he jogged, and a few seagulls took to the sky, cawing in annoyance at his approach. 

Running had always been his escape, as if he could literally leave his problems behind. He had been just a kid when he discovered its magical healing powers. Now that he was on his own, he wanted to share that feeling with others, especially Omegas who might not have space to just be themselves. He lost himself in the steady rhythm of his shoes hitting the sand, letting the morning's stress drift away. 

He realized he was approaching the little shopping center that held his gym, and he smiled. The building was new, the result of an ambitious new developer who was tearing down some of the older neglected houses and putting up chic retail space in their place. Gabe’s gym shared a parking lot with a high-end nail salon, a fancy organic pet food store, and an artisan taco place.

Omega Total Wellness was on the far left corner of the building, giving him a nice view of the sea on two sides. He'd picked the name because he wanted it to be more than just fitness and more than just empty goals about "looking hot." Gabe's health philosophy was about embracing yourself as you were and making small changes, something he wished he'd had as a kid. So far, the response had been slow but steady: Omegas were even coming in from nearby towns for classes. 

As he jogged closer to the building, he got a sense that something was different. Something was wrong. Gabe squinted in the sun, and he realized that the windows were splotched with something red - was that paint? It was hard to tell with the reflection of the sun off the ocean. 

His heart sank when he left the beach and jogged up the walkway that brought him to the front of the building. The walls and windows of his little gym were covered with bright red graffiti, so fresh that the paint still dripped like blood from a wound. Some of it was just random slashes of paint, but there were a few visible slogans too: “GO HOME OMEGA,” “NOT IN OUR TOWN,” and “FUCK OFF PUSSY” wrapped around the exterior. Ironically, there was also a lovingly rendered penis taking up most of the front door. 

He sighed, taking a step back and taking it all in. His neighbors had been spared the same treatment, which was good because then they wouldn't blame him, but bad because it meant he was definitely being targeted. 

He put his hands on his hips, still gazing at the ugly words. Maybe he'd been fooling himself when he thought living here was a good idea. He had big dreams of changing the world, but what if the world didn't want to be changed?

Well, he knew that he should report this. He didn't have high hopes of catching any culprit, but at least there would be a police record in case of future incidents. Gabe looked up the Bright Beach Police Department’s non-emergency line and waited patiently as the crackly classical hold music played.  

Luckily, it was still early, and the parking lot was empty. He still had a little time before opening, and if he worked fast maybe he could get this cleaned up before any of his clients saw it.

Gabe paced slowly around the building, gritting his teeth as the hold music launched into a tinny version of “Ode to Joy.” Even the hold music was mocking him. But Gabe knew one thing for sure: it would take more than some ugly paint and scratchy Beethoven to get rid of him. The Omega was tired of running.

The crunch of tires in the parking lot made him glance back over his shoulder.