Page 139 of Feeling the Heat: Part One
At least they won’t have to wait to reveal to preparethemselves. Genetic tests have such a high success rate once puberty begins, they’ll likely know what to expect.
Thank god designation science wasn’t advanced enough to do that back when I was a preteen. As much as I hate being a medical anomaly, enduring knowing I’m genetically an omega but not revealing would’ve been far worse.
“I gotta tell you, so far, I liked being a ‘boring’ beta a lot more than being an omega,” I say with a sigh. “And some of the coolest people I know are betas.”
Bea narrows her eyes at me. “You’re just saying that because Mom is a beta. We all know being an omega is the best.”
“Trust me, I’m not just saying that. Permission to speak freely?” I ask, turning to Astrid. I need to check that she’s cool with me telling her kids the truth, even if it might be a little upsetting.
“Yeah, go for it. Maybe you can get them to stop this nonsense,” Astrid grumbles.
“Great. Alright girls, you want to know how great being an omega is?”
They both nod, though they should know by now that I’m about to ruin their fantasies if I ask their mom for permission to say something.
“Well, to start, you mentioned my scent. When you’re an omega, everyone’s scent is amplified. Everything is more intense. Yes, for a select few, their scent will be amazing, but the rest are either neutral, or a lot of times, unpleasant. Sometimes I feel sick being in the same room as someone with an incompatible scent.”
Frannie’s pale brows scrunch. “Do we smell bad to you?” she asks, scooting back from me a bit.
I shake my head, smiling to reassure her. The twins both smell a bit like cookies, but their scents aren’t strong at all attheir age and may not change if they’re betas. “You both smell totally fine.”
“Whew, okay,” she moves back so her small thigh is pressing against mine, staring at me to continue.
I take a moment to decide exactly how harsh I want to be. I don’t want to scare them to the point that they’ll dread the thought of being an omega.
“I didn’t think about it a ton as a beta, but omegas are also discriminated against frequently. Things have changed since I was young, and omega rights have expanded, but there are still a lot of people out there that see omegas as lesser than other designations. They think they’re needier and more fragile, so people won’t hire omegas for a lot of jobs.”
Bea scowls. “But that’s illegal! They can’t do that.”
I sigh, appreciating her indignance and hating that I have to be the one to burst that bubble for her.
Thankfully, Astrid steps in for me.
“Even if laws prohibit something, there are people who will find a way to circumvent that. It’s not fair at all and you have every right to be upset about it. I don’t want you to blindly accept that. But Aunt Camille is right to be honest with you about the downsides.”
“Oh.” Frannie gives me a sad look. “I’m sorry you’re an omega. That sucks.”
I resist the urge to laugh, because she’s voicing how I’ve felt since I went into heat. “It’s not all bad. I just want you to know that every designation has its pros and cons and whatever you girls turn out to be, no designation is better than the others.”
“What about omegas getting to be in packs? What about heats? Mom said you went into heat and got to do it with hot strangers.” Bea’s eyes sparkle with interest.
“Oh boy, uh, well…” My eyes dart over to Astrid, not sure how to handle the topic with her preteens.
She snorts, clearly used to the twins asking her about this sort of thing. “Aunt Camille isn’t going to talk about that. Heats are private.”
“Aww, damn,” Frannie says.
“Language,” her mom reminds her with a frown.
“You’ll learn more about heats when you get a little older, but as far as packs go, anyone can join a pack.”
“Even betas?” Bea asks, sounding doubtful.
I nod, smiling. “Absolutely. There’s a beta in the pack that I’m—” My eyes go wide as I cut myself off, and Astrid gapes at me. I clear my throat. “Uh, yeah. betas can be part of packs.”
“You know what, I think question time is over.”
The twins groan, but Astrid shakes her head. “I have something important I need to talk to Aunt Camille about, and she needs to go back to work soon. I promise next time she comes for dinner, I’ll let you stay up later.”
