I love my brother. I do. And I love his family. But it’s getting harder and harder to spend time with Freddy and Ethan when I’m just so damn lonely. To make matters worse, with the summer break coming up, I’m about to move out of the dorm and back into Ethan’s place to save money. He said he’s willing to put me up in an apartment if I really want my independence, but that’s a heavy burden on his family. He’s already sacrificed too much for me. Besides, it will be fun to spend more time with baby Kaitlyn and little Colby. Those two are the sweetest, most adorable babies you’ve ever seen. I love cuddling and playing with them. The only downside to all that baby time is that they’ve got my clock ticking. I’ve heard it happens to some omegas sooner than others, but this is ridiculous. I’m not even twenty yet, and I’m already itching to be knocked up and mated. It’s stupid and annoying…and all I can think about when I watch Ethan and Freddie with their perfect little family.

The problem with my whole wanting to have a baby plan is that you can’t start thinking about babies when you haven’t even had sex yet. Yup, as pathetic as it is, I’m one of the few eligible omegas in the entire university who isn’t taking advantage of the abundance of hot alphas, experimental betas, and omegas in heat.

I thought that once I got to college, opportunities would open up for me that I didn’t have before. And to some degree, they have. I’ve gone out on a few dates, and could have totally hooked up with any one of those guys. But every time it’s come to the moment of saying yes or no, I chicken out, wanting to wait. It doesn’t make any sense, really. There’s no reason for me to wait.

I’ve never been religious, and none of my friends or family would expect me to. Hell, Freddie had been pregnant several times before he met my brother and that didn’t bother Ethan at all. So, I don’t know why I’m being sentimental about my first time.

And scared. I’m also scared shitless.

I’m not exactly sure what I’m scared of, but the racing of my heart and sweating of my palms every time I’m with a guy and I feel like he’s expecting sex is not just from excitement. It’s definitely a nervous energy. The kind of energy that makes me come up with a lame excuse to call it an early night and get the hell away from him.

But that ends now.

I’m ready to do it. The sooner I get it over with, the sooner the stress I feel will go away. And then I can have fun when I’m on a date. I’ll feel confident when I’m with a guy that I like and whether or not we end up in bed or in a dark corner of a club won’t matter so much.

At least, that’s my plan for tonight. I probably should have asked Ryker or Jimmy to come with me, but this is something I need to do on my own. I need the freedom to choose who I want and just go for it without the fear of rejection if my friends are watching.

So, here goes nothing. I’m wearing a pair of dark jeans with a few small holes in strategic locations and the perfect fit around my ass to make everyone aware that it’s available. And a green T-shirt that matches the flecks in my hazel eyes. Hopefully it’ll make my eyes stand out in a good way, not wash out my pale features in the dim lighting.

I’ve never been to O-Ring before, but I’ve heard the line can get crazy. So, I arrive right at eight o’clock, hoping to avoid the masses that come later in the evening. The line is already twenty-five deep in front of the building, but it goes fast. They’re just checking IDs and collecting a $10 cover.

It’s lame that most clubs charge omegas a cover to get in the door when alphas usually have a lot more money and they are always free. But that’s just how the world works. Life is easier for alphas. They have the kind of advantages that omegas never will.

But tonight, that could work out in my favor. Even though there will be hundreds of omegas in here that I’ll be competing for attention with, there won’t be as many as if it were free to get in. It only takes about ten minutes of waiting for me to get inside the club, and as soon as I do, I regret not going about this a different way.

Jimmy forced me to set up an online dating profile, but that felt too…impersonal. For some reason, even though I’m not going to know the last name, or maybe even the first name, of whoever I sleep with tonight, at least we’ll get together because of a mutual attraction and maybe some real conversation.

The online thing just seems so fake to me. Because people can say anything or be anyone behind the anonymity of a screen, it seems like it’d be harder to really get to know someone that way. Maybe I’ll use online dating when I actually start dating, but tonight, I’m going to find myself an alpha and take his knot. I need to just rip the Band-Aid off at once and get it over with.

Knowing it’s going to take quite a bit of liquid courage to get me through this night, I head straight to the bar. A couple alphas give me a quick once over, and I can feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. But I keep reminding myself that this is what I came here for.

Instead of getting anxious or fearful of their attention, I need to relax and embrace it. Then use it to my advantage to get what I want tonight.

It takes a few minutes for the bartender to make his way over to me, but I’m grateful for the delay because it gives me time to decide what I want to drink. I need something that will go straight to my veins and give me a cheap buzz… Quick. “What can I get you, doll?”

“A shot of Jaeger with a vodka cranberry chaser, please.”

“You got it, sweetie.” The omega behind the bar winks as he fills up my shot glass then slides it to me before going to make my cocktail.

I take a deep breath then down the shot in one gulp, shaking my head just a little bit at the burn before slamming the glass back down on the counter.

The bartender takes the empty glass away and replaces it with my second drink. “That will be $22.” He licks his lips as he smiles at me, but his eyes quickly move to my left.

“I’ve got this,” a guy says over my shoulder, sliding a couple bills across the counter in front of me.

Startled by his proximity, I shrink back a step as I turn to see who just bought my drink. A tall alpha with blond hair and hazel eyes that are very similar to my own is smiling down at me. “You look like you could use some company tonight.”

God, am I that obvious? “Thanks for the drinks.”

“Of course.” He points to a group of guys sitting at a large booth across the room. “Would you like to join me and my friends?”

There are four other guys at his table, so it’s probably the perfect chance for me to choose an alpha for the night. “Yeah, sure. I can join you for a while.”

The guy’s wide palm spreads across my back as he gently guides me to the table. One of the four guys who’s sitting down slides out so that I can slide in with my new friend beside me. As soon as I realize I’m trapped between three alphas on one side and two on my other, my heart starts to race. This probably wasn’t such a good idea.

When all five sets of eyes shift down to look at my chest, I know they can sense I’m afraid. What’s worse, they seem to like it. The man next to me slips his hand around the back of my neck and rests it there. “So, what’s your name, beautiful?”

I look up at him and clear my throat so it doesn’t squeak. “I’m…Drew.” No one has ever called me Drew, but giving him my real name doesn’t feel right either.

“Well, Drew, I’m Brett and this is…” He turns to his buddy on his left then gives the guy a gentle shove on his shoulder. “Actually, you don’t need to know their names. They’re inconsequential.” Everyone laughs like this is some kind of inside joke, and since I don’t really care about names, I don’t press the issue. They can tell me or not. Doesn’t make any difference to me.

I sip my drink, listening to these guys joke about people I don’t know and video games I’m not in to. Occasionally, Brett looks at me or asks a question, and I mostly smile and nod as my nerves finally start to settle. The guy to my right pulls out some pictures of his dog wearing a life vest, and while I’m cooing over the adorable photo, a round of shots appears at the table. Brett shoves a small glass into my hand and then chats something that I don’t quite catch as everybody takes the shot. Feeling more comfortable than I have all night, I take the shot too, happy to not be stuck buying my own drinks for the time being.