“And to get our hands on scrawny omega cocksleeves like this one,” Finch said, sucking his teeth.
Ezer willed himself not to look up, to ignore them, but of course his body didn’t obey. He glared at his three classmates ranged around outside the fence. Braden leaned near the gate, swinging it open and banging it closed. His golden hair glinted in the sunshine, and his muscled arms flexed beneath his tight jean jacket. He wasn’t as tall as Ezer, but he was much stronger, and Ezer had endured blows from his hammy fists often enough.
Next to him, Ned stood a full head taller and as burly as a full-grown alpha. His dark blond hair was a shade darker than Braden’s, and his brutishly handsome face featured a strong jawline, heavy eyebrows, and stupidly pretty hazel eyes framed by stiff, fan-shaped lashes. As Ezer watched, Ned began to chew on the inside of his lower lip, an insecure, nervous signal that meant danger was ahead. Ezer was far too familiar with all of them from the long days of torment they subjected him to when school was in session. He’d at least hoped to escape their harassment over Spring Break.
“So what’s it like living in a slum, Cocksleeve?” Braden asked, licking his thick lips. “Do the rats nibble your tiny dick at night while you’re trying to sleep?”
“He’s an omega. He doesn’t need a dick anyway.” Finch Maddox sneered, wiping his ever-dripping nose with the back of his shirtsleeve. “Don’t know why they even have one.”
Short, scrawny, and angry as hell, Finch was as ugly outside as he was inside. If he wasn’t so rich, Braden and Ned wouldn’t hang out with him at all. But his father owned the left side of the river, and no one wanted to be on Mr. Maddox’s bad side. He was known to take out his son’s grudges in the negotiation room, making life hard for entire families just because Finch was a nasty piece of work.
“He doesn’t live here,” Ned said.
“That’s right,” Finch said, making it sound filthy somehow. “Ezer justvisits. Hisomega parentlives here.”
“Ah, is that so?” Braden climbed onto the gate, using it like a swing, riding it. Ezer balled his hands into fists and waited.
Finch spoke up again, stepping closer to the fence. “This is all his father allowed his omega after dumping his ass. What do you think ofthat?” His tone made his opinion clear.
“Must be trash,” Braden said, nudging Ned hard. “Right, Ned?”
“Sure,” Ned agreed, looking pale. It always pissed Ezer off the way Ned went along with everything, never man enough to stand up to Braden and Finch. It was almost worse to know Ned had some kind of conscience but managed to override it enough to participate in his friends’ harassment.
“Only ruined omegas get treated like garbage,” Finch taunted.
Braden took it further, like always. “Are you trash, too, Cocksleeve? Did your father decide your ugly ass wasn’t worth it? Did he send you here to stay with your da instead? Huh? Are you also nothing but a foul, rotten, used-up hole?”
“Shut up,” Ezer said before he could stop himself. He didn’t care what they said about him, but Da hadn’t done anything wrong. It was his father’s damned selfish pride and his lust for Pete that had put Da in this position.
“He speaks!” Braden said, swinging off the gate and then moving inside. Ned and Finch followed close behind. He tilted his head, considering Ezer. “What do you think, guys? Does he do more with his mouth? Does he, I don’t know, suck?”
Ned flinched at that, and Finch snorted in laughter. “He’s just an omega,” Ned said. “You can’t…” He motioned with his hands helplessly. “Do anything to him.”
“Oh, there’s a difference between shouldn’t and can’t, Ned. You know that by now.” Braden licked his lips, eyes bright. “So, maybe I shouldn’t. But yes, I can.”
Ned gripped Braden’s arm. “His father is George Fersee.Yourfather won’t thank you for making an enemy there.”
“Don’t wuss out on us now,” Finch said, reaching up to slap the back of Ned’s head.
Braden agreed. “If George Fersee gave a rat’s ass about this scrawny bit of omega flesh, hisso-calledson, our pal Cocksleeve wouldn’t be sitting here outside this rat-infested apartment building, would he? He’d be back at his father’s place in Cliffside, hanging by the pool with his brothers, drinking mimosas and waiting for the pleasure of his first heat as an ‘untouched’ omega. Instead, here he is, begging for our attention.” He nudged Finch. “Right?”
“Like a slut,” Finch added, raising a cruel brow. “Right, Cocksleeve? You’re a slut.”
The reminder of the fact that Ezer couldn’t be sure what his father had planned for his first heat was an unwelcome one. He’d taken his first heat risk assessment test the month before, and the results were disquieting: he was small to carry a child, but hormonally on target for his age. Which meant until he was at the age of majority, it was his father’s call whether to trigger his first heat, and his father’s choice who he’d spend it with. Ezer had the right to refuse, but few omegas defied their fathers when it came to heats and matches.
His older brothers hadn’t been triggered yet. Their father was waiting on the right matches for them, so there was every reason to think Ezer would be allowed to wait until he was much older as well. But there was always a risk of a surprise heat once hormones reached a certain level. Heat suppressants might fail, and an omega might “blossom” early. Ezer doubted his father would want to sell his heat in advance, but he might. His test had shown that while a pregnancy might be dangerous at his current size, he could otherwise support a heat whenever the family was ready. Ezer wasnotready.
“He didn’t deny it,” Braden said.
“Looks like Cocksleeve wants dick.” Finch grinned.
“Yeah. Just sitting out here hoping to catch this thick alpha cock,” Braden murmured, grabbing his crotch to illustrate before stalking toward Ezer.
Ezer’s hands balled up even tighter. He held onto the pencil, thinking it might work for a weapon.
“Braden,” Ned interceded again, chewing on his inner lower lip, and crossing his arms over his chest. “Let’s go. He’s not doing anything wrong.”
Braden rolled his eyes. “Stop playing a fucking hero. You don’t need to court and woo an omega like him. Don’t you get it? He’s nothing.”
