Kell Etting knew walking to the corner shop for a sweet was a dangerous thing to do, but he didn’t care anymore. Today was his fourteenth birthday, and he’d already listened to a hurtful rant from his drunk alpha father about the uselessness of two omega sons. He didn’t want to hear anymore ravings, and he deserved a small treat. It was his birthday, after all. The one day a year that ought to belong to him.

Except it didn’t, because after their omegin died last year, no one celebrated birthdays anymore.

The nearest shop was only six blocks from their home, and while not the safest neighborhood around, it was home to mostly betas, who generally ignored omegas like Kell and his little brother Braun. Braun was safe at home, tucked away in his room with his homework and the bedroom door locked from the inside. Kell planned to bring a sweet home for Braun, too, but it was too dangerous to bring him along to the shop. He was only eleven, far too young to be wandering the streets without their father as an escort.

Kell being out without an escort was courting trouble, but his father was in no mood to walk six blocks for actual groceries, much less a birthday treat. Besides, Kell had hit a minor growth spurt last month, and his skinny frame was beginning to show signs of muscle and form. A lot of it was from playing soccer at school. Not on the official team, because omegas weren’t allowed to join, but for fun. He loved the sport, but for an omega, there was no sense in dreaming of a career as an athlete. It wasn’t permitted. His only future was as an omegin to his own children.

He strode purposely down the sidewalk, passing familiar rows of small brick homes, mostly identical, with patchwork yards and the occasional tree. These neighborhoods had been built in a rush centuries ago, in order to satisfy the needs of the growing province, and they’d held up well, considering their age.

School had just begun again, so the weather was beginning to cool. The first signs of autumn came in the new shades of orange and red in the leaves of the few trees he spotted. Kell loved school. He adored reading and learning, and he wouldn’t mind being a teacher one day, if he mated to an alpha who’d allow him to have a career. Not all did, because an omega’s job, first and foremost, was to bear and raise children.

Despite alphas holding the highest offices and positions in the city, not all alphas were born into wealth, making outside childcare unaffordable. Kell came from a poor family, so it was unlikely, once he entered his first heat, he’d marry up, so to speak. So he didn’t dream too much about teaching, or having a career at all.

Three blocks from his home, halfway to the shop, he spotted one of the very few alpha teens who lived on their street. And the only alpha in his age bracket who’d ever treated Kell with respect. Ronin Cross was bent over, head and arms inside the engine of a beat-up car, his ass tipped up into the air.

A very fine, toned ass, probably honed from playing forward on the secondary school’s soccer team. He was incredibly good-looking, even for an alpha, with black hair and golden skin. They spoke on occasion, when passing in the street, and Ronin always initiated the conversation. Kell would never speak first to an alpha; his father had beaten that bit of respect into him at a young age. He hadn’t even looked his own father in the eye since he was six, much less an alpha not related to him.

But Ronin had seen him, spoken to him, and been kind to him. Kell wouldn’t necessarily say they were friends, but Kell wasn’t afraid of him, and that meant something to Kell.

He kept walking.

Ronin straightened, and he turned, as if sensing Kell’s passing on the opposite sidewalk. He grinned and waved a greasy hand. “Hey, man, what’s up?”

Uncertain if he was being invited to cross the street and converse, Kell simply stopped walking. “Hello, Ronin,” he replied, keeping his gaze on Ronin’s chin. “You look busy.”

“Trying to fix my father’s car. It keeps stalling at stoplights, and we can’t afford a mechanic.”

“I didn’t know you could fix cars.”

“I didn’t either, but I’ve been reading some manuals. It’s cheaper to try and do it yourself.”

“That makes sense.”

Ronin waved him over, so Kell crossed the street to stand on the edge of Ronin’s short driveway. Ronin approached, a friendly smile on his face, stopping when they were a hand’s reach apart. His alpha scent flooded Kell’s senses. Ronin would turn eighteen soon and be the age of majority, when his sexual prowess reached its peak. Kell couldn’t imagine how strong his scent would be then.

“What are you doing walking around alone?” Ronin asked.

“Today’s my birthday, so I wanted to treat myself to a sweet from the corner shop.”

“Happy birthday, man. But how come you’re treating yourself?”

Kell shrugged. “My father can’t be arsed to do it, and Braun is too young. So I’ll treat myself.”

“That’s not right. How about I walk to the shop with you and treat you?”

“You don’t have to do that. I was going to buy something for Braun, too.”

“Cool. I’ll treat you both.” Ronin’s hand lifted, as if to reach out, and then dropped back to his side. “Please?”

Confusion and joy collided all at once. Ronin was being so sweet, but why? What did he expect in return? Kell was far too young for Ronin to be interested in him as a future mate, so why the effort to be kind?

“Hey, don’t look so skeptical,” Ronin said. He crossed muscular arms over his chest, then let them fall loose again, probably realizing how defensive that looked. “No one should have to celebrate their birthday alone.”

“I have my brother.”

“I mean with a friend.”

Kell’s skin prickled with happiness. “You’re my friend?”

“Sure. We don’t really hang out, because you’re still a kid, but we can be friends. So let your friend buy you a treat for your birthday.”

He wanted to tell Ronin he was fourteen now, and no longer a kid, but he’d never contradict an alpha. Instead, he merely said, “Okay.”

Ronin’s brilliant smile was worth the anxiety of being indebted to Ronin, even if only for a small treat. “Cool. Let me go wash my hands, and then I’ll walk with you.”

Kell waited on the sidewalk while Ronin dashed inside. Hair on the back of his neck prickled; Kell turned to scan the street. On the opposite sidewalk, two teens about Ronin’s age were walking slowly past, scenting the air and staring right at him. They were too far away for Kell’s underdeveloped nose to know for sure, but they walked with the swagger of alphas who thought the world should bow to them.

The pair stopped walking and stared at him with danger in their eyes, and Kell swallowed hard. It was illegal to have penetrative sex with an omega under the age of majority, but that didn’t stop the more entitled alphas from forcing omegas to do other things. He’d heard terrible stories from older omega classmates.

The taller of the two took a purposeful step toward Kell. Kell went rigid, his body poised to run in the opposite direction.

A squeal of hinges sent that alpha backward a full step, and Kell didn’t have to look to know Ronin was back. Ronin appeared by his side and gave the two alpha strangers a dirty look that sent them on their way. Same direction that Kell was headed, but whatever. He had Ronin with him, and Ronin had made those boys back off in a hurry.

“Ready to go?” Ronin asked.

“Yes.”

They didn’t chat much as they walked, and Kell was fine with that. He didn’t particularly find himself all that interesting, and it was rude to address an alpha first. That didn’t stop him from stealing glances at the older, handsome alpha, only to occasionally find Ronin looking at him.

“So you and your brother are both omegas, right?” Ronin asked when they were a block from the shop.

“Yes.” Much to their father’s eternal disappointment.

“Two’s a pretty small family. I have five other siblings.”

“Our omegin had trouble getting pregnant. Braun and I were both difficult births, and our parents were advised against trying for a third. But almost two years ago, Omegin became pregnant again. He and the child both died during birth.”

“I heard about that. I’m sorry.”

Kell shrugged. He missed his omegin dearly sometimes, and his loss had only made Father angrier. Unless he found a widowed omegin who would mate with him again, he’d lost his chance for an alpha heir. The Etting name died with Father.

“You must miss your omegin,” Ronin said.

“I miss him every day. It’s harder on Braun, I think, because he’s so much younger.”

“You and your brother are close?”

“Oh yes.” Braun was one of his favorite subjects. “He’s so smart for being only eleven, always getting high marks on his schoolwork. And he loves to learn new things, especially about nature and science. If he wasn’t omega, he’d probably grow up to be a doctor, or some other great thing.”

“Yeah. It sucks that omegas don’t get to do more than just have kids.”

Kell nearly fell over. He’d never met an alpha who’d openly stuck up for omegas and their rights. It was dangerous to do in some company, even though omega rights groups were beginning to form all over the territory, or so it was rumored.

“Would you allow your omega to have a career?” Kell asked cautiously.

“I don’t know. I’d like to think yes, but my family is pretty poor, so I don’t know that it would be affordable.”

“That makes sense.”

“But if I somehow ended up in a good career of my own, where we can afford childcare help, I like to think that yes, I’d let my omega have a career. Do something he loves outside the house, you know?”

Kell grinned. “Awesome.”

They reached the corner store, and Ronin held the door open for him. These stores had sprang up every half-dozen blocks or so in the older neighborhoods. The unpredictable bus schedule made it difficult for many residents to get to actual grocery stores, so they relied on the smaller markets for basic supplies and treats.

The interior smelled like disinfectant and beer, but the aisles were clean and the shelves neatly stacked with goods. An older beta man named Reya owned and ran the place, with the help of a handful of employees. Reya and Ronin exchanged greetings, but Reya ignored Kell. He was used to that.

Kell bypassed the refrigerated cases of beer and other soda drinks in favor of the small sweets section.

“Which one is your favorite?” Ronin asked.

“I don’t really have a favorite.” Kell picked up a small package that advertised a lemon curd filling. “I like to try different things, but I don’t like chocolate cake most of the time. Braun does, though. He adores chocolate cake.”

Ronin selected a fudge-iced brownie. “Then how about this one for Braun?”

“Okay.” Kell took his time browsing the selection of goodies, because Ronin didn’t seem impatient at all. He was watching Kell with open curiosity and something that…kind of seemed like fondness? But that was impossible. They barely knew each other.

“It’s too bad you can’t just buy a sample of each,” Ronin said.

Kell laughed. “Yes, it is. Oh well.” He grabbed a pack that had two orange-flavored cupcakes in it. While Kell had never tasted a real orange—who had, anyway, since the majority of their food was engineered in factories?—but he enjoyed orange-flavored food. “I’ll try these.”

“Sounds good.” Ronin selected the lemon curd pie. “Might as well treat myself, too. You want something to drink?”

“Oh no, I can’t impose that on you. It’s too much.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. I’ve got a part-time job, so I have a little extra spending credit.” He got two bottles of water from the case. “Unless you want soda? I don’t usually with sweets, because my throat gets too sticky.”

“Water is fine.” Kell would never second-guess the generous gesture.

But what if the kindness is an act, and he expects something from you later?

Anxiety rippled down Kell’s spine, and he nearly dropped his cupcakes on the short walk to the checkout. Ronin didn’t notice, and he slid his card to Reya to pay for the treats. Kell resisted the urge to shove his own card at the man, just to keep Ronin from expecting a favor.

Everyone, even omegas, were issued provincial credit cards when they turned twelve, with the expectation that all citizens learn to handle their funds from a young age. They received a small monthly stipend from the government until they reached eighteen, and then were expected to either work, or attend university.

Omegas received the stipend until they had officially mated, even if they still lived under the protection of their alpha father. His own father’s cruelty made Kell wish for a fast mating to a good alpha, who’d provide for and love their family.

Everyone needed a dream.

Kell’s fingers trembled when he reached for his cupcakes and water. This time, Ronin noticed, but he didn’t say anything until they were outside, walking toward home.

“Did something happen inside?” Ronin asked. “You got a little weird there at the end.”

“Nothing happened.” He tried to twist the cap off his water, needing something to quench his suddenly dry mouth, but couldn’t seem to manage.

Ronin took the cap off his water, then swapped with Kell. “Here. Are you sure?”

“Yes.” He sipped the cold liquid, but he hated lying to Ronin. The young alpha had been nothing but kind to Kell. “No.”

“Okay.” Ronin stopped walking. “Tell me.” Urgency to fix the problem came from his alpha side, but somehow it also seemed…personal. Like he didn’t simply have to fix the problem; he needed to fix the problem for Kell.

Kell hated being put on the spot, so he kept his gaze on Ronin’s broad chest. “I started worrying you’d expect something in return for buying these treats. Some sort of favor.”

“Favor? For being kind to you on your birthday?”

“It’s silly, I know, but in my experience, alphas aren’t kind simply to be kind. It’s a lead up to more.”

“More.” Ronin’s voice took on a hard edge. “Kell, has another alpha forced you to do something you didn’t want to, in exchange for helping you?”

“No, not me personally. Not yet.”

Ronin growled. “If anyone ever tries that with you, I want you to come to me, and I’ll set them straight. Alphas shouldn’t use our strength to force omegas to do anything, especially not sexual favors.” He lightly tipped Kell’s head up, until Kell was forced to look into his golden eyes. “Do you understand?”

The alpha authority in those three words made Kell want to submit, and that was an odd feeling. He was only fourteen, many years away from his first heat. But he liked Ronin, and he was instinctively reacting to a given order. “I understand,” Kell replied, a bit breathless.

“Good.” Ronin’s gaze flittered down, toward Kell’s lips. He blinked once, and then let Kell’s chin go. “Good. You deserve to be treated better than that, Kell. All omegas do.”

“Thank you.” Kell dropped his gaze again out of instinct, no longer sensing that Ronin would be offended if he looked into his eyes a second time.

Don’t. He’s too old for you, anyway. No prime alpha will wait four years to mate with an omega, so don’t dream of it.

They kept walking in silence, Kell occasionally sipping his water. He’d save his cupcakes to eat when Braun ate his brownie. They’d celebrate together. A small part of Kell wanted to invite Ronin to join them, but that was completely inappropriate. Ronin would probably laugh in his face, anyhow. This was neighborly friendship, not an actual let’s-hang-out friendship.

At Ronin’s house, they paused on the sidewalk. “Do you want me to walk you home?” Ronin asked.

His voice was even, no real inflection, so Kell couldn’t determine if he was asking out of alpha duty, or because he wanted to spend more time with Kell. “You don’t have to,” Kell replied. “It’s only a few blocks down. Thank you for the offer. And thank you for the treats. It was very generous.”

Ronin flashed a bright smile that did funny things to Kell’s insides. “You’re welcome. Happy birthday, Kell.”

“Thanks again.”

Kell reluctantly crossed the street to the opposite sidewalk, sad to be leaving Ronin behind. After about twenty feet, he glanced back, and was saddened more to see an empty yard. Ronin was gone, probably back inside the house to eat his own treat.

It’s better this way. Don’t get hung up on him because he bought you cupcakes.

And water. And a brownie for his brother.

Please, goddess, let me find an alpha mate like him one day.

One block from home, the hair on the back of his neck prickled again. Kell looked behind him. The two alphas from earlier were following him, less than a dozen feet between them. And they were gaining speed. Panic squeezed his heart. Kell dashed forward, his flight instinct kicking it, but it only urged the alphas on, and they easily overtook him. Kell tried to reverse, but the taller of the pair got behind him, caging him in.

“Please, let me go,” Kell said, casting about for neighbors who might intervene. No one was in eyesight.

“Why would we let go of what we just caught?” Short Alpha asked. “Don’t you know it’s dangerous for unmated omegas to wander the streets?”

“I’m not wandering. I’m a block from my home, so if you’ll excuse me.”

“Mouthy little fucker,” Tall said. “Maybe we should take him somewhere and shut him up.”

Fear splashed ice-cold into his gut. “I’m expected promptly home. If my father has to come search for me—”

“If your father gave a shit, he wouldn’t have let you out without an escort,” Short snarled. He grabbed Kell’s chin in a bruising grip. “He does have a nice looking mouth. Look even better with my dick in it.”

Tall reached around and groped at Kell’s groin. Terrified and furious now, Kell inhaled a deep breath, preparing to scream. Short punched him in the stomach, and Kell hit his knees, lungs spasming for air.

“I like him down there,” Tall said.

“Not on a public street you idiot,” Short replied.

Kell’s eyes watered. He couldn’t breathe. He was going to suffocate. Someone grabbed him by the back of his shirt. Someone else hollered, and then Kell was free. Feet scuffled nearby; men were grunting. Kell crawled away, toward some patch of grass, grateful that his lungs had started working again. He coughed and retched, trying to understand what was happening.

Ronin towered over him, his back to Kell, both hands clenched into tight fists. Tall and Short stood a few feet away, both panting. Tall had a bloody nose, and Short was holding a blood-streaked pocketknife.

“We found him first,” Short snarled.

“He’s not property,” Ronin retorted, an edge to his voice sharper than any blade. “He’s my friend and off limits to both of you. Now get the fuck out of here before I steal that knife and fillet you both.”

Short hesitated. Tall grabbed his friend by the shoulder and tugged him away, in the opposite direction of Kell’s house. Ronin didn’t move from his defensive position until they were long gone and out of sight. Kell didn’t realize he was trembling until Ronin dropped to his knees in the grass and pulled him into a hug.

“Are you okay?” he whispered.

“I don’t know,” Kell replied. “It all happened so fast.”

“You’re shaking.”

“Adrenaline, I think.” Kell pulled back, embarrassed by his body’s reaction, until he saw the blood on Ronin’s face. It dribbled from a cut on his left cheek and had trickled down his neck. “What happened?”

“Asshole got me with the switchblade.”

“It looks deep. Please, let me call you an ambulance.”

Ronin shook his head, then winced. “It’s not that bad. I’ve got bandages at home. Are you okay, though? Did they hurt you?”

“Not really.” He still felt the phantom touch of Tall’s hand on his groin, and his chin might yet bruise, both he wasn’t injured. Not like Ronin. “No, I’m fine. Mostly startled. That’s never happened to me before.”

“As you get older, your scent gets stronger to an alpha, same as an alpha’s scent does to an omega. It’s why a lot of omegas stop school at sixteen. Too dangerous.”

“Fantastic.” Kell hated the idea of having to quit school for his own protection, rather than teaching alphas to keep their hands off. Alpha suppressors existed, but they were mostly for adult alphas in certain fields, like law enforcement, or the judiciary. Doctors all argued that using them before eighteen could be detrimental to a developing alpha’s reproductive abilities later.

Because nothing was more important in this world that alphas siring offspring—not even the health and safety of young omegas.

“Like I said earlier,” Ronin said, “if anyone messes with you, come to me. Promise?”

“I promise.” He couldn’t stop staring at the blood that Ronin seemed oblivious to. “Thank you for being kind to me.”

“It’s no hardship. I don’t have a lot of my own friends, either, Kell. I’m not fond of how alphas my age posture and act like they own the world, and betas are too intimidated by my developing pheromones to bother.”

Kell smiled at the idea that he was helping Ronin in return. “That sucks.”

“Yeah, but you still have the worse deal. Maybe I could teach you some self-defense moves sometime.”

“Really? I’d love that.”

“Excellent. We’ll figure something out.”

“Okay.”

Ronin helped him stand, and Kell collected his food. The brownie had been stepped on, but the plastic wasn’t broken, so it was still safe for Braun to eat. This time, Ronin walked him to his front door, and Kell didn’t mind the company. He would never forget today’s lesson. Now that he was fourteen and becoming attractive to unmated alphas, no more wandering the street alone. Not even a six-block walk to the corner store.

“Thank you again for today,” Kell said from his doorstep.

“You’re welcome.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to come inside so I can patch up your face?”

Ronin waved a dismissing hand. “I hardly feel it.”

Liar.

“Okay. Then I’ll see you again?”

“Definitely,” Ronin replied with a grin. “We’ve got those self-defense lessons to work on. Take it easy, Kell.”

“You too.”

Kell watched from his stoop as Ronin walked away, an easy gait to his steps, hands loose by his sides. You’d never guess the older teen had just been involved in a knife fight, or that he’d been wounded. Kell admired that strength, as he admired the taut ass slowly disappearing from view.

Ronin would have been an amazing alpha mate, Kell was sure of it. Too bad their age difference made it an impossible future.

* * *

Life got in the way over the next couple of weeks, and Kell only caught passing glimpses of Ronin. Ronin always acknowledged him, which made Kell’s chest burn with delight. And hope.

Hope that was dashed three months later, when he saw the For Sale sign on the lawn of Ronin’s family home. A brief glance through the bare windows and into the empty house confirmed Kell’s heartbroken understanding.

Ronin was gone.