Chapter Two
Lochlan
One step. Then the next. Steady legs, firm foundation. Lochlan repeated the phrases in his mind, forcing himself to remain calm and serene. He'd known taking this job would be a risk. For a split second, he'd feared that the heartless CEO had remembered him. Then he had realized that they had had their interaction five years ago and there was no reason Grayson Davenwood would remember a scrawny, pregnant omega he'd tried to call the services on.
He thanked Dr. Lowe for the informative orientation and told him that he might catch up with him later. Going out for drinks with a bunch of alphas and betas sounded as appealing as getting his butt waxed, but Lochlan needed to not only keep this job but do well enough that he was asked to be the Omega Relations Officer for the next round as well. He shouldered his bag and went through the elegant double doors of Davenwood Research and Design. Skipping down the steps, he took a right and walked the few minutes it was to the subway. The polished marble steps of the building he was just in only served to highlight how dismal the urine-scented, dingy concrete of the subway platform really was. Lochlan arrived at the platform just in time to catch the subway. He jumped in the car as the doors whooshed to a shut behind him. As he rode the subway out of the world of windows without bars in them and doors manned by men in uniform he thought over what had happened that day and allowed himself a small moment of happiness. They'd achieved something that their group had been trying to do for months.
No, to hell with that. Lochlan had achieved it, and he would let himself be happy, if only for a moment.
The doors opened, and Lochlan exited. A man was sitting on the ground directly in front of the exit against the wall, playing the harmonica. Lochlan dropped some money in his cup, and the man looked up at him, giving him a toothless smile.
"Thanks, Lochlan, you should be saving that for your kid though."
"Don't you tell me how to spend my money, Bobby," Lochlan replied with mock anger.
"You look fancy today," Bobby said, slipping the money out of the cup and into his pocket.
"I got a job, old man. Need to keep up with my Bobby habit."
"You're too nice to work, Lochlan."
"Plenty of nice people have jobs."
"Not nice like you. You need to find a rich alpha who will—"
"Lock me away and force me to do his bidding?" Lochlan replied, smiling, though his words were truthful. He'd had that once before, didn't need it again. "Maybe I don't need an alpha? How about a sweet beta who will pamper me instead?"
Bobby's wrinkled cheeks blushed brightly. "Oh you," he mumbled. He smiled, but it only lasted for a moment before it turned sad. "Maybe if I wasn't a beta from such a bad match. History of cancer on my dad's side, bone disease on my mom's, I never stood a chance."
Lochlan returned his smile even though he didn't feel like smiling. Bad matches were what they called an alpha and omega who gave birth to a sickly beta. The child could neither give nor conceive life and had the added complication of being born with a disability or disease. During the peak of the bad match epidemic, children were abandoned on the streets in huge numbers. Alphas grew paranoid that their family line would die.
To prevent that from happening, alphas began the practice of choosing omega partners like they would a racehorse. Ignoring the idea of true mates, they had looked for stamina and health instead of compatibility.
Lochlan wished he could do something to help all the betas who were born with deformities or disabilities and left to rot in institutions. Or, like Bobby, left to rot on the street. He added Bobby to his list of people to find help for. "You're a good man though, Bobby. Something not a lot of the most successful alphas can claim." With a wave, Lochlan bid farewell to his friend. He didn't have much time now before he had to turn back around and take the subway back to where he'd come from so he could keep up with his image as an ambitious omega looking for his match in the workplace. That sort of omega wouldn't miss a chance for happy hour, so Lochlan couldn't either. Even if it did mean another hour to get back later that evening.
The long commute wouldn't kill him. Being in a loveless marriage with a sadistic man who demanded complete obedience could kill him though, so he'd ride the subway for as long as needed to fight for his rights.
By the time he ascended the last step in his fourth-floor walkup, Lochlan was breathing hard. The climb was still hard on his body, this many years later. He fit his key in the door and unlocked the bottom lock before attending to the deadbolt and then knocking three times quickly then once, then three times again. He heard Lucy move the chain on the door the moment before she swung it wide open.
"You forgot to ask for the password," Lochlan scolded her, hating that his words had to wipe the bright smile off her face. When he had first met Lucy, he wasn't sure she would smile ever again. She had relaxed slowly, and her smiles came more often.
But this was important. These security procedures they went through could save all of their lives.
"Try again," Lochlan said despite only wanting to sink down into his lumpy couch and rest a moment. He stepped back and waited for Lucy to shut and lock the door before beginning the sequence of knocks that let her know it was him. They each had their own pattern. The password was a double security feature but would also let her know more information. If he wasn't alone, that was a cue for Lucy to make sure there wasn't any AOE business laying around and if there was, it gave her a chance to clean it up before wandering eyes saw it.
"What's the password?" Lucy asked through the door.
"Independence," Lochlan replied, giving her the password that meant he was alone. If he had said, 'community' that would have told her that he wasn't alone but was with a friend and 'fire' would have meant to turn and run. She wouldn't have a lot of time, but when running for your life, any extra time was welcomed.
The door swung open, and Lochlan was glad to see Lucy smiling again. Her blond hair was pulled back in two curly pigtails. Her ringlets slapped against her cheek as she stepped away, excitedly telling Lochlan about her day. With her pink cheeks, bright eyes and fondness for pink clothing, Lucy never looked much older than thirteen. Until you noticed the fact that she was extremely pregnant. Something Lochlan worried about each day. What if she went into labor when he wasn't there to help her?
"Smells great in here," Lochlan said as he heard tiny feet run down the hallway toward him. His son skipped toward him.
"You're early!" Paxton said, leaping into his arms.
These days, Lochlan had to get closer to the ground, that way, when he fell under Pax's weight, the impact wasn't so hard on his body. For a fraction of a second, Lochlan berated himself, telling himself that Pax needed a strong alpha to meet these rambunctious needs. But he also needed someone who wouldn't teach him that it is okay for alphas to treat the rest of the world like shit.
"I'm not here for long. I have one last work thing before I can call it a day."
Pax groaned, and Lochlan ruffled his hair, causing his wild brown locks to fall into his eyes.
"You need a haircut," Lochlan observed.
"No way, you'll use a bowl again. I don't want to look like a dweeb!"
Lochlan laughed. "Maybe Lucy can help?"
Lucy had been in the middle of setting the table when Lochlan mentioned her name. She froze, her eyes going wide like a deer in headlights. "Me?" she squeaked. "I don't know."
"You've cut your own hair," Lochlan reminded her gently. He saw so much of himself in her frightened face. It hadn't been so long ago that he was the scared little mouse, waiting for the big bad eagle to come soaring out of the sky and swoop him up. That was why they were as cautious as they were. It wasn't just because of his status in the AOE, something that wasn't illegal yet, but quickly looking like it might be. There were also people looking for Lucy just like people were looking for Lochlan. But, Lochlan wouldn't let that stop him from living. "Do you remember Hazel? She has agreed to come over this weekend, maybe we can ask her to help you cut Pax's hair."
Lucy trembled slightly. "I remember her. Hazel is…aggressive."
Lochlan smiled, to someone as docile as Lucy, no doubt his outgoing, independent omega friend would seem aggressive. And, to be honest, Hazel pretty much was. But she was also a great example to both Pax and Lucy of what an omega could be if they wanted. "You are safe around her, Lucy. But if it feels like too much, always speak up. Your words are important."
Lucy mumbled something in reply as she nodded. Shadows crossed her face as she likely remembered her old life, a time when her words had meant nothing. "Will you be very late tonight?"
"I'll do everything within my power not to be." He knew how important schedules and routine were to Lucy. Her good-for-nothing alpha husband was still looking for her, though thanks to some false leads generated by a number of anonymous callers—himself and some other AOE members—her husband was looking in the wrong side of the country. But, they didn't take any chances. She never went outside except during the early morning hours and their days all looked the same. Others might have balked against such a lifestyle, especially after seven months of the same thing. Lucy loved it. "Let's have a late lunch now, and then you two eat dinner without me tonight."
Lochlan took a seat at the round dining table. He'd gotten that shape for a reason. Other than the table's most important feature, the fact that it was free, the shape didn't lend itself to a patriarchy. No one was at the head, no one to lord over them and tell them what they could and couldn't do, who they could talk to, what they could wear. In his tiny two-bedroom apartment, they were all equals.
Outside this apartment, Lochlan was the president of the Alliance for Omega Equality. But he tried not to let that work come home with him any more than it had to. It already dictated every other part of his life.
After they ate, Lochlan helped clean up before changing into something a little more suitable for a place like Earl's. He couldn't fit into most omega clothing since his chest and arms had become too muscular. Luckily, he was good with a needle.
He said bye to his son and Lucy and began the walk back down his stairs to the subway.
One transfer later, he was heading toward Earl's as if he didn't have a care in the world. Except, when he stopped at the entrance, he looked around, unable to shake the feeling that he was being watched. He wasn't alone on the sidewalk. That would have been strange at rush hour in the middle of the city, but no one seemed to be looking his way or paying him any extra attention. Someone bumped into him from behind, trying to get into the bar and Lochlan muttered an apology and jumped aside, his face down. Some habits died hard.
Angry at himself for falling so quickly back to bad habits, he lifted his face and stepped confidently forward.
Inside, Dr. Lowe was already there with Dr. Park and a few others that he didn't recognize. Lochlan knew Lowe to be an alpha and Park a beta. He didn't see Henry, which was a disappointment. He had heard all about the kind alpha from Henry's sister, Hazel and would have liked to have seen a friendly face. Lochlan smiled broadly and approached the table with an appropriate amount of caution.
"Lochlan, you came!" Dr. Lowe exclaimed, scooting over. "Take a seat."
Lochlan did as was requested but was sure to angle his chair and body away from Dr. Lowe. Lochlan wasn't yet sure of Lowe's true nature. It was possible he was simply a friendly alpha. Or he could have been putting on a show to get what he wanted from the omega. Lochlan certainly didn't want to do anything to lead him on, which meant turning his body away.
Living as isolated as he had been up until this point, he hadn't missed these social interactions. It felt like a dance at times, and one wrong step could result in much worse than a twisted ankle. "Thank you for inviting me out," Lochlan said when Lowe had purchased the next round of drinks for the table.
"Of course. We like to do things differently at Davenwood Research. We're a team, no matter your gender. The boss wouldn't have it any other way."
Lochlan had to stop himself from making a face when he thought about Grayson Davenwood. He wondered how much he recognized Lochlan. There'd been a flicker, a spark, but to what extent? Five years ago, Mr. Davenwood had seen Lochlan at his lowest point and had tipped him even lower. It was after that meeting that Lochlan had found the strength to not just run, but stand.
"Don't you start getting mooney eyes," Lowe said with a laugh. "Our CEO has never dated. I don't even recall him taking a companion to a single event. He's a lone wolf, driven. Good for us. Bad for anyone getting ideas."
"I wasn't getting…" Lochlan began but then let his words dissolve into mumbles. It was better for Lowe to think he had plans for their boss than realize what he was really there for. "I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize my position, Dr. Lowe. I am very excited to start working with the omegas taking part in the trial. What was the drug for again?"
"Maxocine. Meant to help reduce certain common low-level heat symptoms in omegas like bloating or increased hunger. Shouldn't be too difficult for you as the omegas won't be too uncomfortable."
"I'll do my very best. I'd love to be asked back."
His entire plan depended on it.
"Of course! Finding a competent omega is difficult as it is. Do your job well, and you'll have a place for a long time in Davenwood Research."
Lochlan had to work to keep his smile. Even nice alphas like Lowe didn't seem to realize when they were saying asshole things. Competent omegas…It wouldn't be that hard to find one if they hadn't been systematically forced into tiny boxes of what was acceptable.
"Of course," Dr. Lowe continued. "Not all of the trials will be as simple. Sometimes, what the omegas go through, it's hard to watch."
"And that is when I will appreciate my job the most," Lochlan replied. "You said it before. I can be there for them in a way no one else can."
Lowe grabbed his drink and lifted it to the center of the table. "To our newest team member," he said as the other occupants lifted their own drinks.
"Cheers!" they all said. Lochlan finished his beer.
"Get you another?" Lowe asked, but Lochlan waved him off.
"I'm afraid one is my limit. Thank you for inviting me. I am really excited to begin my time at Davenwood Research." And to begin the process of sabotaging companies that aim to do omegas harm. He waved goodbye and headed back out onto the street, glad to be going back home. He'd already stayed longer than he'd meant to. It had seemed like Dr. Lowe was going to talk about the next trial. Except, he'd only mentioned it.
No matter, Lochlan would have a lot of chances to learn about the drug that was meant to make omegas into docile sex slaves without a will of their own. Outside, he tightened the collar of his jacket and started forward, only to run directly into a dark wall of a man.