Page 2 of Feeling the Heat: Part One
“What the fuck?”
I stare down at my panties. There’s no crimson like I expected. Instead, the crotch is sodden with a thin, clear substance. When I touch it, it feels slippery, like I spilled a bottle of lube in there. As I blink down at my wet underwear in confusion, my stomach cramps again and I almost lose my balance, wobbling in my uncomfortable heels.
“What thefuck?” I mutter again, clutching my lower stomach.
The door to the bathroom clatters open and someone enters, their footsteps a little stilted, like they’re struggling with their heels even more than I am. I hear them enter the stall next to me and start to pee, as I continue to stare dumbfounded at my panties.
Another cramp hits me, and this time I have to brace myself against the stall wall.
“Whoa, everything alright in there?” a soft, sing-song voice calls out.
“Uh…” I don’t know how to reply. I don’t know what the hell is happening.
The toilet flushes and I think whoever is in here with me is going to leave me in peace, but then I hear the voice again, this time in front of where I’m leaning against the stall door. “I don’t want to pry, but I can’t leave an O in here if they’re in trouble.”
“I’m not in trouble,” I reply, my voice sounding dazed. My brain isn’t functioning properly right now, and it’s not from the weak cocktail. It’s because there’s no fucking way whatever is in my underwear is what it looks like. There’sno way.
Mortification slams into me when I hear them inhale deeply. “Oh! Damn, it’s hitting you hard. Isn’t that always the way? You’re out having fun, trying to relax, and then your heat starts.”
My pulse spikes. “Uh, what?” I ask feebly.
“Honey, you don’t have to pretend,” they say with a soft chuckle. “I know how it goes when the cramps hit after you’ve had some drinks, and the next thing you know, you’re ready to hop on any knot as long as the alpha attached to it smells decent.”
They must be really drunk. They don’t know what they’re talking about. “I…no, that’s not…”
The omega on the other side of the door laughs again. “Listen, this is a judgment-free zone, but you’re probably better off heading to a heat clinic than going with the selection here tonight. There’s only two alphas out there and one was a total creep. I couldn’t get a read on the other, but I can….”
A dull buzzing sound rings in my ears, drowning out whatever they’re saying. Did someone put something in my drink and I’m high? Am I sick and this is all a fever dream? I press my hand to my forehead, only to find my skin is burning up. “I’m not going into heat,” I groan, both to myself and the omega babbling at me.
“What do you mean? Not to be rude, but I can smell your perfume. You’repotent. Good thing more alphas aren’t out tonight or you’d have to beat them off with a stick.”
I suck in a deep inhale, ready to laugh off their drunken mistake, but gasp when I smell what they’re talking about. It’s like my usual faint coffee scent has turned into a whole damn cafe, rich espresso filling the air.
Holy fuck.
I drop my panties like they’re a live grenade and unlock the stall door, slamming it open.
The pretty young omega I saw earlier greets me on the other side, a quizzical smile spreading her glossy pink lips. Her eyes drop to the panties on the floor, then back up to my face. A hint of surprise flickers behind her eyes. No doubt she’s wondering why someone my age doesn’t know how to handle an unexpected heat. Or why I’d be out at a bar instead of at home with my pack.
“I’m a beta,” I say evenly, trying to ground myself as my brain attempts to catch up with what’s happening to my body.
The perky omega scoffs. “Hah! Yeah, and I’m a fairy princess.”
Her dismissive response snaps me out of the numbness of my shock. “No!” I protest. “It’s not a joke. I’m a beta!”
As if to mock that declaration, another cramp hits and my thighs grow slick as more wetness gushes out of me.
She looks down at my shaking hands and grasps one to steady me. “Whoa.” Her soft brown eyes widen. “But you’re…You’re…” I can tell she’s trying not to say I’m old. I’d laugh if I wasn’t so freaked out. She clears her throat and softens her expression. “You’ve never had a heat before?”
I look at this sweet young woman as if she can somehow save me from the madness that’s happening. “No! I’m forty goddamn years old! I’m a beta! This is…” I swallow heavily as I push down the sudden urge to cry. “This is impossible,” I murmur.
“I’d heard of late revealing omegas, but…wow.” She sees the grimace on my face and shakes her head emphatically, squeezing my hand tighter. “That’s so exciting! Oh my god, it’s like something from a romance novel. The lonely beta going through life never finding what she needed because she was really an omega the whole time.”
I tug my hands away and scowl at her. I know she’s trying to be kind, but I’m on the edge of having a mental breakdown. “This isn’t a romance novel. It’s my fucking life! I can’t be an omega. I’m not one of those betas that always wished to be something else. I’m happy how I am. I don’t want to be like that.”
Her perky facade slips away as a knowing, slightly sad expression crosses her face. She gives me a rueful smile. “You’re still you. Being an omega doesn’t change that. And it’s notthatbad.”
The rudeness of my words hits me, and I wince. “Shit, I’msorry. I didn’t mean it like being an omega is a bad thing. I’m sure it’s…” I scramble to try to come up with any pros of being an omega, but the rushing of my pulse in my ears makes it hard to think of anything. “I’m sure it’s great.”
