Page 55 of Claim Me
Which is kind of insane.
All it took was a few kind words from him.
Am I really that pathetic, latching onto another strong omega the second he shows me basic kindness?
Or is this… something else?
???
The next few hours pass much like yesterday. A long stretch of meetings for Blue, while I sit with my headphones on, logged into my college classes. It’s super boring. Everything is quiet until around 10 pm, when Blue suddenly glances at his phone, his brows furrowing, and says he has to head down to the lobby to check something out.
We step into the elevator and ride down, Blue still staring at his phone while I stare at him because… well, I have no idea why. But I do. I find it strangely pleasant to study his face, every line of it, the soft curve of his lips, the elegant shape of his nose.
Why do I care enough to keep observing him so closely? Don’t ask me. It just gives me these small bursts of joy, like tiny surges of endorphins.
I really want to start some kind of conversation with him, so I desperately search my brain for possible topics, but the only things that come to mind are work-related.
"Mr. Lowen, do I have any reason to be worried about your safety down in the lobby?"
"I don’t think so. Nobody knows I’ll be there, so it would be difficult for anyone to prepare something in advance. I’m meeting briefly with someone who prefers not to go through my assistants or security officially."
"I see, so you’re not expecting any danger."
"I always expect danger, but this time we may avoid it. Though with these things, you never really know," he says, and there’s a bitter little smile at the corner of his mouth.
The elevator dings, the doors slide open, and I step out first, scanning the area carefully.
The lobby is fairly crowded. People constantly move past the information desk where a line has already started curling around the corner. Other elevators keep opening and closing while people stream in and out, voices blending into a constant buzz of noise.
Blue steps out behind me, and his attention immediately locks onto someone standing alone near the far side of the lobby beside a massive glass wall and several palm trees planted in oversized concrete pots.
It’s pretty much the only quiet spot in the entire lobby. Through the thick glass I can see the parking lot and the street outside, but the man standing there isn’t looking out the window.
He’s staring directly at Blue.
He’s a middle-aged beta dressed in such an ordinary way that he almost disappears into the background.
I scan five seconds ahead with my ability, but nothing looks suspicious. As we approach, Blue says to me,
"Please keep enough distance so you can’t overhear the conversation."
I get the feeling he’s only saying it because the beta looks super nervous.
I raise an eyebrow, but fine. I move back far enough that, to most people, especially betas, it would look like I’m giving them complete privacy, while in reality I’m still standing right at the edge of hearing range.
"Mr. Gomez, is this level of secrecy really necessary? I doubt Sidorov would cause you any trouble. He isn’t your direct superior."
The beta answers in a fretful whisper.
"Considering the situation, I’d rather not risk being connected to the leak of this information because the whole issue itself revolves around anonymous disclosure. Early thismorning a certain video leaked from inside the facility, and if nobody acts quickly, the Beta Activation program is going to take a massive reputational hit…"
I see Gomez showing something on his phone’s screen while Blue watches silently for a moment.
"That large man in the footage is Fenn Drax, a purple alpha illegally employed by Sidorov. Sidorov basically uses him as… well, a breeding stud, except with a vasectomy."
"I’m sorry, what?"
"Yes, I know how insane it sounds, but recently the facility has started reporting significantly improved fertility awakening rates among betas, and Drax is the direct reason why. His pheromones are so abnormally strong that he can trigger fertility in betas who don’t even possess omega characteristics. He’s a mutant, a freak. More importantly, the way he’s being used there is deeply unethical, especially because Sidorov pressures betas into having sex with him. If they want to remain in the program, they have to agree, so it’s essentially coercion. Some of them came through the Second Chance program and already have criminal records, which means many of them don’t really have another option. They’re being cornered into it."
