Page 50 of Broken Omega

I give her a sad, little smile. “You’ll do whatever Geraldine wants. She owns your ass, until she decides which Alpha gets to brand it.”

She yanks her hand out of my loose grasp and drops the panties back into the drawer.

“There. Was that really so hard?” I ask.

She glowers at me before she drops the towel and tosses the dress over her head.

I blink and miss the opportunity to check her body for hidden marks made by her lover. I don’t see any visible mating marks once the skirt swishes around her thighs. She’s probably smart enough not to go that far. They at least tried to keep their romance hidden, I guess.

I open my makeup case and start looking for what I need.

“What exactly happens at these socials?” she asks.

“Oh, you know. The usual kind of party stuff. Dancing, drinking. Alphas being sex-obsessed dickheads, and Omegas giving them what they want so they canmaybehook a rich guy who’ll take them out of this godforsaken school once and for all.” I glance up and beckon her closer. “Take off the geek-makers.”

I mix foundations on the back of my hand, aiming to get the right shade for her pale skin tone. She takes off her glasses, and I assess her skin. Looks a little dry. Ugh. I doubt she has a routine. Probably doesn’t use the right products even if she does.

“Put on moisturizer and tie your hair back,” I instruct, pausing my blending to pass her the right formula of cream for her skin-type.

She takes the tube from me and turns away to grab a scrunchie from the top of her dresser.

Once her hair is pinned back, she applies the moisturizer liberally before she hands me the tube back. Her skin’s glowing now. If she didn’t have dark circles from a lack of sleep, she wouldn’t even really need base. I get started applying a thin layer that matches her coloring.

“You know, you’re actually really pretty,” I tell her. “These lips …”

Sighing, I realize keeping the conversation light is impossible.

I shake my head. “I’m sorry they took your boyfriend away. They’re assholes about ‘fraternization,’ as if we should be perfect, little virgins until they want us to turn into sluts to keep their Alphas happy.”

She doesn’t speak, keeping her pretty face still while I finish covering up minor imperfections.

“There’s so much contradictory bullshit in this fucking place,” I murmur as I check my work.

I spray my brush cleaner on a cotton pad and swirl the foundation-coated bristles around until they come away clean. After setting the brush on top of the others once it’s cleaned, I start looking for my go-to eyeshadow palette.

“How long have you been here?” she asks.

Sooner or later, everyone asks.

“This will be my sixth year,” I find myself telling her, unable to keep my eyes from rolling. “It doesn’t get any easier as time marches on. But Daddy’s so damn sure I’ll snag the perfect Alpha if I stay patient. Of course, he’s been pressuring Geraldine because it’s not happening, and she’s been shoving me in front of every new Alpha who comes along, crossing her damned fingers as if she believes in true mates or whatever.”

Sugar-coating the truth isn’t my first preference, but I can’t stand it when people look at me with pity in their eyes. Poor, little rich girl has a psychopathic father, big deal. What Geraldine’s done to this girl is worse than what my father’s plan is for me. She has my sympathy, but I don’t want hers.

I start applying her eye makeup, deciding to go with smoky rather than natural. It’s a more dramatic look, for sure, but she has the features to pull it off.

“The truth is, I’m not going to meet an Alpha I click with. Dick doesn’t do it for me. Never has, never will. So, I guess I’m stuck here forever.” I finish off my half-truth with a sigh, thinking of Lana.

She’s the fantasy I’ll retreat to from now on. The girl who got away.

I’ve started to tar all Alphas with the same brush, I know, but I can’t see myself finding a guy here who’ll make me feel anything other than disappointed. I know all men aren’t the same, but the longer I stay here, the more it’s starting to feel like it’s the unvarnished truth.

I finish up the smoky eye makeup and move on to painting Secret’s full lips.

They’re too perfect not to go with red, and it only takes a second to figure out which shade.

I brush on the Red Rose color, smiling at the contrast between her pale skin and the rich crimson hue. If her hair was just a little darker, she’d make a picture-perfect Snow White.

I apply a touch of blush to highlight her cheekbones before I step back to admire my work.

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