Page 8 of Collateral Omega

Master I-don’t-like-people-in-my-house. Holi shook his head, staring at the alpha. Rich people were weird. Holi wondered how the alpha was doing after his dad died. He was probably fine since the company was growing. But he must have been hurt to lose his dad.

Not that anyone could tell by looking at him. Holi stared at Xaine.

In one of the images Xaine had stared straight at the person who’d taken the image, his strange eyes blazing as they caught the light.

Holi touched his throat feeling like the alpha was staring at him. His presence overwhelming even through the image. The alpha was a strange one, no wonder the omegas had been afraid to bond with him. Holi found him a little scary too.

He quickly closed the article and searched the site for articles about master Tarymn. When he found one, he swooned over master Tarymn, touching the screen lovingly as he walked to his bed. He lay down and stared at the alpha until his eyes drooped from sleep.

I wish I could meet you, Holi thought as he drifted away.

Chapter 2

Holi

“Holi. Are you ready?” his father asked as he walked into his room. Holi turned away from the mirror to face him. His father’s eyes widened in awe. “Oh wow. The new clothes look amazing on you.”

“I never imagined we could afford clothes like this,” Holi said, touching the soft fabric. The gold trimming sparkled in the light.

“Your dad left some savings for us. It might not be much, but we can afford to splurge a little. You look breathtaking,” he said, coming closer. “You’re going to do well tonight. I just know it.”

“I hope so.”

“Don’t forget what Hamin taught you,” his father said, walking Holi out of the house to the waiting pod. “And don’t bite your nails. I won’t be there to stop you. It’s a bad habit, don’t do it.”

“Good evening, master Holi,” Sah the pod operator said, bowing before he opened the door for him.

“Thank you,” Holi said loftily, playing his game. They laughed and got into the pod. Holi prayed that tonight went well. Sah brought the pod to life, and they drifted away.

An hour later, they arrived at Master Aeryl’s house.

“Have fun tonight, master Holi,” Sah said as Holi got out of the hover pod.

“I will. Thank you, Sah,” he said with a smile. Holi liked Sah. Out of the pod operators his father had hired, Sah was nice, and he treated him well. Holi walked to the door and was ushered inside. The house wasn’t as big or ostentatious as the other houses he’d been to, but it had a warm and lived-in atmosphere about it that calmed Holi a little. Holi took a deep breath as the doors to the party hall were opened for him.

“Smile. Alphas love omegas who are confident.” Hamin’s words echoed in his mind, and Holi tried his best to embody them.

“You are the most beautiful omega in this room,” Holi told himself as he made his way to a serving bot.

All eyes were on him, making him feel like he was walking on air. He caught a few alphas staring at him, but they quickly looked away as if they didn’t want to show their interest. The omegas that stood with them gave him lethal looks that Holi tried his best to ignore. Though he wished the omegas could be nice to him. He didn’t have any friends, except for Saki.

Be confident, Holi told himself as he took a glass of spirit from a serving bot and approached the nearest group of alphas and omegas.

“Hi,” he said.

“Hey,” they mumbled and then proceeded to cut him out of their conversation. Maybe that was for the best, Holi thought as he walked away. He didn’t even know half of the things they talked about. L.A’s reading site, Pelican.

What were those?

Holi had never heard of them before. The next group was the same. It was as if they spoke a different language. He felt out of place even though they didn’t reject him outright.

He didn’t fit in. It was as if there was a wall between him and them, a world he couldn’t reach. Holi hung around them for a while, but he eventually drifted away to sit in a corner on the other side of the party hall where there weren’t a lot of people.

He ate and drank alone, watching the others enjoy the party. He felt so lonely sitting there, watching life happen right before him.

He lifted his hand to his lips, needing a little comfort. He balled his hand into a fist, stopping himself from biting into his nail.

He urged himself to go back in and try to be part of the party, but he wasn’t brave enough. Instead of walking to the omegas standing a few paces away from him, Holi made his way to the washroom.

---