Page 10 of Rejected Beta

"Yes!"

I laugh silently. "Let's go then. And remember to whisper."

She winces, slapping her hands over her mouth. "Right. Sorry."

I chuckle. "Come on, sweetheart. Let's find some new adventures for you to go on."

We head to the children's section decorated in bright colors and posters and start searching through the shelves. I pull out ones I think will interest her and she soon has a stack almost as tall as she is.

I bite my lip as I eye the stack, knowing there's no way we're getting that home without a dolly. "It might be time for us to narrow this down. You're a pretty fast reader, but even you can't finish this many in a week. And carrying them home will not be very fun."

Lexie pouts. "But I don't know how to choose. I want them all."

"You don't need to. I'll take photos of the ones you don't bring home today so you can grab them next time." I pull out my phone and wave it at her.

"Choosing is overrated."

We both startle at the sight of a pretty omega standing next to us, her arms filled with books.

She shoots us an impish smile. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you. I'm mated to the head librarian here and I'm helping out with story time today. I'm Aurora."

I smile back at her. "Nice to meet you. I'm Moira. And this is Lexie. We're new in town."

"I didn't think I recognized you. Welcome to Neverwhere."

"I'm opening an art studio over on Main." I gesture behind me, in the direction I think my studio is in, like she could see it from here.

Her expression brightens. "Oh, I heard about you. I've seen the flyers around town. We're planning to be there."

"You and your librarian?" I ask.

She nods. "And the rest of our pack."

I'm pleased to hear it, happy so many people seem interested in my new business venture. My savings is getting low, so I'm going to need that interest soon.

Lexie looks up from where she's kneeling and going through her books. "It's going to be great. My mom has so many different things you can do in her studio. You can make all kinds of messes and she doesn't even care."

Aurora chuckles. "That does sound like a lot of fun. I miss making messes."

"What's this about messes?”

Aurora blushes as another omega slips through the aisle, sliding his arm around her waist. The way they look into each other's eyes is almost sickening, their scents thickening with lust and love.

I don't know how two omegas make things work in a pack, but they're clearly in love. It's certainly a rarity, but good to see. Omegas in this life are so monitored and controlled, I'm glad they've found some happiness.

Sometimes, I fight with my bitterness over being a beta, but I'll take that any day over being an omega. I had a friend growing up, an omega boy who helped me battle the loneliness. But as soon as he reached a certain age, he disappeared, forced onto the Omega Cultural Program, the bullshit they make omegas join to find packs and alphas, otherwise known as the Fureign Exchange Program.

I never did hear from him again.

Something I'm sure his parents had everything to do with, not wanting him to stay tangled with just a beta. They were the type who'd ship him off to omega finishing school.

"This is Oliver, one of my mates. He's the head librarian."

Another omega in a leadership role here in town. How are they managing that without the council getting involved? Yet another reason I'm glad I found this town and chose it to start our new lives. So many others we lived in were still trapped in the dark ages, casting a heavy weight across the entire town.

Oliver turns his attention to us, his smile bright and welcoming. "Hey there."

"You'll be seeing a lot of us," I warn him, reaching out to ruffle Lexie’s hair.

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