Page 21 of Bad Omega

We come here every couple of weeks to trade our spears for other stuff we need, but lately it’s been getting difficult for me to make the long journey from our tower. My mates are more than happy to carry me, of course—especially Bjor—but I’m a bit heavier than I was a few months ago. I know this is probably the last time we’ll be coming here for a while, so I make sure to drink it all in.

Like the tower where I live with my three alphas, this place was built a long time ago, before the Great Cataclysm. It has changed a lot in that time. The asphalt roads are cracked and overgrown with weeds, and the tall buildings are cloaked in massive vines. A cool breeze sighs between the buildings, fluttering my long gown.

Near the middle of the Ruins lies the market, which is the whole reason we made this journey.

Alphas and omegas hawk their wares in stands lining the central square, some selling pottery; others, woven rugs; and yet others offering jewelry made of copper wire scavenged from the old buildings.

“All right,” Knar says. “Let’s split up to save time.”

He is carrying three of our famous spears over his shoulder. He gives one to Bjor, another to Renn, and he keeps the third for himself.

“I’ll purchase the tools,” he says. “Bjor, you get the lumber. Renn, you and Eri can be in charge of finding some appropriate furs. Sound good?”

There is no need to establish a meeting point, as we might have done a year ago. We’ll have no trouble finding each other today. To put it more precisely, my mates will have no trouble finding me. I am their marked omega, after all. The bond between us is strong now, and it keeps growing stronger every day.

We all nod in agreement and set off in different directions. After a few steps, Knar turns.

“Oh, and Eri…?”

I stop and look at him. His expression is stern.

“Behave yourself.”

“Yes, Daddy,” I answer sweetly.

He stares me down a moment longer, then turns on his heel and heads off in search of tools.

“Come on,” Renn says with a chuckle.

As we make our way across the market, we pass the entrance to the temple that abuts the square. It’s been several months since my alphas took me there for our binding ceremony, when Bjor and Renn both added their marks alongside Knar’s.

On that day, I wore a traditional white gown, but today my outfit is far more boring: a loose linen tunic that drapes over my body and hangs halfway down my legs. Don’t get me wrong, it’s comfortable enough, especially with the extra weight I’m carrying around my middle, but…

It really isn’t my style.

Knar’s the one who picked it out. He prefers me to dress modestly whenever we visit the Ruins. It really shouldn’t matter at this point. Once an omega has been marked as I have, her scent changes, letting other alphas know she’s been claimed. Besides, I’m not interested in other alphas. My three daddies are all I’ll ever need, and they know it.

But Knar still tends to be a little protective of me.

Some might even call it overprotective.

I call it just right.

Besides, if Knar didn’t impose his rules on me, I wouldn’t be able to break them. I wait until we have reached the fur-seller’s district, then I fan myself dramatically to get Renn’s attention.

“Goodness,” I say. “It’s awfully hot today, isn’t it?”

“Eri.”

He doesn’t try to stop me, though. He just stands there with his hands on his hips and watches as I pull my tunic off over my head.

The outfit I’m wearing underneath is little more than a few scraps of hide: a narrow halter that barely contains my breasts and a skimpy little breechcloth riding low on my hips. The ragged-edged animal skins cover only what they absolutely have to, leaving the rest of me bare: shoulders, back, thighs—and of course the full round swell of my pregnant belly.

Renn just stares at me, shaking his head.

“What?” I say, handing him my discarded tunic. “Don’t you want everyone to see what a fertile little mate you have?”

That earns me a smirk.