“I’m bored.” I shift my weight in the chair to try to get comfortable even though it’s a losing battle.

“Okay.” Naheed raises an eyebrow, probably wondering what he’s supposed to do about my problem. “Is there something I can do to help with that?”

“I was hoping I could help you.” I take a look around his office, hoping to find some messes I can clean up. Unfortunately for me, it’s spotless. “Is there anything I can do around here? Maybe some filing or answering phones?”

“Yeah, of course.” He leans forward with his hands crossed on his desk. “You’re welcome to sit at the front desk anytime you want.”

“Awesome.” I plant both palms on the armrests and heave my body up to stand. Standing is becoming almost as uncomfortable as sitting, and I still have almost a month left of this pregnancy. “Well, I guess I’ll get started.”

“Great. Sean is out there now, but he likes to work in the game room when he can, so he’ll be happy for the break.”

“Thanks, Naheed.” I begin my waddle toward the door, waving goodbye over my shoulder. “My sanity appreciates it.”

“Oh, Freddie.” I stop at the doorway and look back at the man who runs Omega House. “Don’t overdo it. As soon as you start to get tired or uncomfortable, let us know. Even if you’re only there for a little while at a time, it will still be helpful to us. Don’t feel like you have to work a full shift or anything.”

“Sure thing, boss.” I head straight for the front desk, grateful for the opportunity to actually do something useful. I’ve only been at the omega shelter for a couple weeks, but time passes so slowly when you have nothing to do but grow a human in your body. It’s a beautiful and wondrous thing and all, but the limited mobility and general lack of energy is getting old. Fast.

This isn’t my first rodeo, but this pregnancy is completely different than my first two. When I was at the breeding farm, I wasn’t carrying my own babies. I was merely a womb to grow alphas in. And thankfully, I grew alphas. At least I know they were adopted into families that would value them and take care of them. If I’d had omega or beta babies, they would have been killed or groomed for a life of servitude that I’d been sold into by my parents when I was just fifteen years old.

But this time it’s different. Being rescued from that horrible place while still pregnant was both a blessing and a curse. Well, mostly a blessing, but I’m still coming to terms with what my future might look like now that I have one. Instead of handing over my baby immediately after birth and never seeing it again after it’s adopted, I get to keep this one. He or she will be mine forever.

Poor kid.

I have zero skills beyond being a fuck toy for stud alphas and have no idea how I’ll support us. But that’s why I need to be smart about my time here at Omega House. If I don’t take advantage of the short time I have here to learn something that could eventually lead to a real job, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. It’s scary as hell to imagine my life as a single dad with an infant, but I need to get used to the idea fast. Of course, I’ll be able to stay here for as long as I need to. But living in a shelter isn’t a long-term strategy. It’s a survival tactic. At the moment, it’s my best and only survival tactic.

So, front desk receptionist training, here I come.

As predicted, Sean is more than happy to train me on the front desk phone system and the database Omega House uses to track who’s coming and going. It’s not an exact system, but they have a pretty good handle on who’s in the building and who isn’t with about a 95% accuracy.

The rest of the morning passes uneventfully. Other than having to pee every ten minutes, I get into a routine of checking in and out residents and guests and answering the flood of phone calls. The number of frantic parents and pissed off alphas who call looking for runaway omegas is heartbreaking. I guess I didn’t realize how bad the situation could be for omegas who were raised with their families.

It’s hard for me to imagine what my life might’ve been like had I stayed with my family through adulthood. But judging by the number of omegas who feel the need to run away from home, I have to assume it probably wouldn’t have been rosy.

Just as I come back from my hundredth pee break of the day, I notice a young guy hanging out at the bus stop across the street. He’s been sitting there for my last three pee breaks and I know the buses come every twenty minutes at this time of day. Instead of going straight to the desk, I call Sean up to the front and decide to get some fresh air.

The kitchen always has a supply of bagged meals ready for residents and guests to grab if they don’t want to sit down with everyone else. They aren’t fancy, but they hit the spot when you just need something quick.

I take a peek in the paper bag as I head outside to feel some sunlight on my skin for the first time today. There is a Mandarin orange, a granola bar, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and a pack of fruit snacks.

Damn, I wasn’t hungry until I looked inside the bag, but now it all sounds pretty good.

The kid is still sitting on the bench as I cross the street and head straight toward him. “Hi, do you mind if I sit down for minute?” I pat my belly as if that’s the reason I need to take a seat. Though I am a little out of breath after rushing across the street.

“Sure.” He scoots closer to the edge but doesn’t get up and leave like I was afraid he might.

“I’m Freddie,” I say, offering him my hand.

“Hi, I’m Andy.” He shakes my hand with a firm grip but doesn’t let it linger. His eyes keep darting to the front of Omega House. Maybe he’s expecting me to have reinforcements on their way.

“Are you waiting for a bus, Andy?”

He takes a deep breath and looks right into my eyes before glancing back at Omega House. When he exhales, he finally shakes his head and looks down into his lap as if defeated.

I pat his knee then hand him the bag of food. “Here are some snacks if you haven’t had lunch yet.”

“No, I’m fine.” He looks at my belly as if he doesn’t want to take food away from my growing baby.

I lean back on the bench and stare ahead at Omega House, hoping I can talk him into accepting the help that is so close instead of just watching it from across the street. “You know, it’s pretty cool over there. Everyone is really nice, and you can come and go as you please. They’ll do whatever they can to help, with no questions asked.” I push the bag against his chest until he wraps his hand around it. “And the food is actually pretty good.”

“Thanks,” he says quietly, resting the bag in his lap.

“Do you want to come back with me? I can show you around. I’ve only been here a few weeks, but I have a pretty good lay of the land now.”

“I’m not looking for a place to live or anything,” he says as if explaining his situation to me. “I just, you know, wanted to check it out.”

“Well, let’s go check it out. You don’t have to stay.” I have to scoot to the edge of the bucket bench so I can propel off it without too much groaning. “Besides, I need help getting back across the street.”

When I’m upright again, I hold out my hand to Andy, hoping he accepts it. It takes a moment before he reaches for my hand and stands up, allowing me to drag him back to Omega House. When I open the front door, Naheed and Sean are both at the front desk. It’s obvious they were watching us, and I can feel Andy begin to back away as soon as the large alpha sets his eyes on him.

“It’s okay, Andy. This is Naheed. He’s the alpha who runs Omega House. He’s really cool—and mated—so you don’t have to worry about him being weird around you.”

Naheed chuckles quietly as he approaches us. “Hi, Andy. It’s nice to meet you.”

Andy tentatively shakes his hand but pulls away quickly, leaving some distance between himself and the alpha.

“And this is Sean.” I wave to the receptionist and wink. “He’s been here for, like, six months, so he can answer any questions you have.”

“Hi, Andy.” Sean stands up and waves. “You’re welcome to check out the facility if you want. No commitment. You can come and go as you please, but we do ask you to fill out a little bit of paperwork just so we know how to reach you if we need to.

Andy starts to back away toward the door. “Oh, uh, this probably isn’t—”

Naheed cuts him off and holds up a hand. “Don’t worry about the paperwork for now. The only question I have is how old are you?”

“Eighteen, sir,” Andy says in a way that sounds like he’s sad to make the admission, as if that’s a bad thing.

“Perfect.” Naheed claps his hands together. “That makes life a lot easier for all of us.”

Andy perks up, obviously surprised by that response. “It does?”

“Yeah, you’re an adult, so I don’t have to report anything to anyone.” His grin is soothing, and I notice Andy taking a small step forward. “We do need a little bit of information just because I can’t have complete strangers walking around with all the kids that live here, but I can promise that anything you tell us will not leave this building. Your health and well-being are always my number one priority. So, no one will know that you’re here, and no one will be able to make you leave without your permission. Sound good?”

The tension releasing from Andy’s shoulders is apparent as he finally relaxes. “Yeah, okay. That sounds fine.”

“Okay, then. Sean can get your information, and Freddie can give you the grand tour.” Naheed points to his office before giving me a nod of approval for bringing Andy inside. “My office is right over there, if you need anything at all.”

I turn to Andy and give him a nudge in Sean’s direction. “Why don’t you guys get acquainted while I visit the little boys room and then I can show you around.”