Page 10 of Last Resort (Betas in Waiting #29)

T he air was heavy with the scent of tea, and Estrya was with them, keeping her mouth shut as they walked up the fragrant hillside and to a large assembly of buildings at the top.

Breen had a hand at her back, and he pushed Poppy gently up the stairs.

Thera s guys had the camera today, and as Estrya got into position, she said, Well, Team Alpha, today is for some unusual challenges. You will have to choose who does which challenge among yourselves, and you will have six hours to complete it.

Poppy said, What are the challenges?

Estrya grinned. There are two of them. The first is troubleshooting and debugging a game sequence, and the second challenge is the tea harvesting.

Poppy looked at the guys. We need to confer for a minute.

Breen smiled, and Myro shook his head. We felt your excitement when she said debugging. You do what you are best at, and we will do the delicate labour of tea harvesting.

She clapped her hands. Yes!

Estrya smirked. All right. Way to go, Poppy. Violet will show you to the computer, and Monsieur Tenec will show Breen and Myro to the harvesting building and give them a rundown on what they are going to be doing today.

Violet came out of the shadows. Come along, Poppy. Wish your guys good luck because their harvests are going to be judged by the Tenec family for quality. Your work is going to be judged at the finals at the end of the competition.

She waved at the guys as she was led away. She smiled at them and turned to Violet. Lead the way.

Violet grinned. Enjoying a bit of distance?

Getting used to the closeness. It s a lot.

Violet chuckled. Yeah, I understand. I really understand.

Is it recent for you?

Recent enough. I went from being gloriously by myself to having a scowling storm walking behind me, and the serene light tried to keep him under control. It was a rough start. He thought I was a gold digger. She snorted. Our third knew me on sight and gave him a helluva lecture. Then it was backpedalling for a while. We finally got together properly, or improperly, and now we are calming down.

That s good.

They walked inside a dim space, and Poppy felt the hum of an air conditioner somewhere close.

I have provided you with the game code and will show you the desired result and the current situation. I need you to get the two to come together, closer to the desired result. You have six hours to get it as close as you can.

Not much time.

And we are taking it up while chatting. So, this shed is clean, has been covered with monitors, and you have a rig that is stellar if I do say so myself. Let s get you seated, and let s get you started.

Poppy got seated, got the monitors up, and watched the gameplay comparisons. Right. I can do this.

She lined her fingers up on the keyboard, arranged her mouse, took a deep breath, and got to work.

Her hands were aching, and she was blinking to moisten her eyes when a hand touched her shoulder. That s enough, Poppy. Let s see what you have.

Poppy got up numbly, nodded, and stepped aside.

She watched Violet start the sequences and whistle softly. Oh, very nice.

Poppy slumped in exhaustion. Can I go eat something now?

Oh, yes. There is a buffet out the door and to the right. Go, go. Violet was looking at the corrections with a small smile.

Okay. She walked out of the shed and into the bright light. She shielded her eyes and felt Myro wrap his arm around her.

Oh, shit. Monitor face. Myro chuckled and shaded her from the sun.

You smell sweaty, like salted matcha.

He chuckled. Fair assessment. Are you hungry?

Yeah. Thirsty, too.

When was your last break?

Breakfast. She swayed, and her eyes slowly adapted to light with people in it.

He picked her up and set her on Breen in some sort of chair. She leaned against Breen. Sorry to disturb.

There was a chuckle nearby. Terro s dad.

No problem, Poppy. For a formal introduction, this is Andreaux Tenec. Terro s dad. Andreaux, this is Poppy. She has monitor face.

He laughed. I know it well. Jane makes me take breaks, though, or Terro pops into my arms.

Myro came back with a glass of water and another of juice. She didn t take a break.

She drank the water and handed the empty glass back. That was an option?

He put the juice in Breen s hand. They made us take a break every ninety minutes.

Well, you two absorb light, so... you get warm. She smiled and sipped at the juice. She kept her eyes closed as she got the juice sip by sip.

Myro got her some fruit, got her to eat it, and then coaxed her into a fried meat pie. When he had gotten it into her, he picked her up and held her on his lap, nuzzling her ear.

She sighed, and her vision returned to normal, and with a deep kiss, her expression and face moved normally as well. When her toes were curling, Myro lifted his head. There s my Poppy.

She chuckled. I have never considered that particular move to be therapeutic before.

Violet came out and nodded. Her work was recorded, sorry, Andreaux. And the end product is good. Very good.

Myro mumbled, You can t have her.

Violet chuckled. We don t have omega restrictions here in the islands. She can still own property and have a public-facing job if she wants one.

Poppy sighed. I might have to. Tyr doesn t like other omegas near his alphas and beta. I can t go to Aenocyan because Andrea is rabid when it comes to her beta and her alphas.

Myro murmured, You could come to Tiberia.

I don t know enough about them.

Myro smiled. I can tell you what you want to know.

Violet smiled. The nice thing is that what you do, you can do anywhere.

Yeah, but I am looking for roots. Steady work.

Oh, I meant steady work. I meant a locked-in employee, but you can work anywhere with full benefits.

Poppy leaned toward Violet with a leer. Talk dirty to me.

Myro grabbed her and pulled her back, holding her tight. You are not going to be seduced by other tech companies.

The hell I m not. She squeaked. She looked at Violet. Send me a proposal.

Violet laughed and nodded then walked away.

Myro muttered, Tiberia needs you.

I don t know any of their games because I don t go to the conferences and stay focused on my work. Usually. When my work isn t deadly boring.

How bad was the challenge?

There were four hundred and eighty bugs carefully placed in that file. I caught four hundred and seventy-six.

Myro blinked. Going in cold?

Yeah. Now I get to see what kind of a job the other teams do. She rubbed her forehead and rolled her shoulders. Personally, I am glad that this part of things is done.

He chuckled. Me, too. Now, we can court you improperly.

Breen smiled. I am thinking of a private beach that is clothing optional.

Andreaux chuckled. There is one of those on the third Breakridge Island. Terro was in his arms, his arms and legs pumping to be put down.

Andreaux set him down, and his son came straight for Poppy. Breen caught him and set him in her lap.

Poppy was climbed and covered with huge toddler kisses. Hey, gentle, gentle, little guy.

Terro giggled and wrapped his arms around her neck, sighing happily. Poppop.

Hey, Terro.

He nuzzled her neck and lay against her. Stay?

Oh, no, buddy. I can t stay. But it is so nice to see you again.

Terro looked at her. Not like me?

I like you, but you can t get all of your babysitters to live here just so you can get endless cuddles. She stroked his hair and cheeks.

He pouted.

You have your dad and your mom and grandparents. You have plenty of visitors and people who love you. Me and the others need to be free to find people who love us.

He blinked and pointed at Myro. Them?

Breen waved, And me.

Terro huffed and turned to launch himself at Breen. Breen caught the little body and held the child. Terro slapped Breen s cheeks and giggled.

Myro chuckled and then went silent when Terro leaned in and cuddled against Breen.

Poppy murmured, So, you want one of those, huh?

Yes, please. In good time.

She chuckled. Not until we are back and I am comfortable.

I have a cute house in the country. Solid internet, tons of backup power, Myro murmured against her ear.

Wait, are you trying to seduce me with an internet connection?

Yes. Is it working?

Hmm. Know anyone who can build me a computer?

Myro kissed her neck. Easy.

Breen said with amusement, How do I get him off?

Poppy said, Hold up upside down by his ankles, and you can slowly lower him to the ground.

Breen did as directed. Terro shrieked, and then he was on the ground, got up, and ran for his daddy, babbling all the way with a big grin. He loved being upside down.

Poppy looked at the thoughtful expression on Breen s features. You want one of those, too?

I can wait. He smiled.

Good. I want to make my nest before I start a family. They deserve all the security I can manage.

Your family won t want to participate?

No. They sold me to the Stronghold and disowned me when I got loose. I was emancipated and got myself educated. It will be nice not to be on my own in the world, but I am not going to bring a baby here until I feel safe.

Myro hugged her. You will. My home has a nest, and we can make sure it is right for you.

Make sure that it has a table or computer terminal that I can use if I get bored or twitchy, and I will take a look.

He chuckled and kissed her, holding her snugly on his lap. So, tomorrow, nude beach?

I would settle for a day on the ocean with a picnic and no drones following me.

Myro nuzzled her neck. That can be done easily.

She snorted. Easily?

Easily. He chuckled. You know that friend of yours with the wilding markings?

Yes.

She s here. She did an opening sequence to introduce the Elite omegas, and as she has very few hangups about her body, she isn t wearing much in some of the shots, but the markings are distinct.

How do you know that?

Estrya told us while you were in debugging.

Right. So, she s here.

Yes. The man I mentioned yesterday is very irritated by it. He chuckled. I believe he is interested in locating her to... talk.

Oh. Yeah. She s more of a woman of action. If she s here, she is going to be heading home the moment she finishes. Well, unless she s between jobs. Then she could stay out here for weeks or months. She looked at her hands. I don t think we can tan like this, but it is nice to be warm. She chuckled. Not that she would relax in this form. She d go back to beta.

But her markings would give her away, Breen said.

Not all suits have cleavage. She smiled.

Jane came over with Terro on her hip. Did you want to join us for dinner?

Myro chuckled. I would like to say yes, but I believe we should be heading home and giving Poppy a shoulder rub. We are here for another week at least, so if you offer the invitation later, we will gladly accept.

Jane nodded. Excellent. We will arrange a nice dinner under the stars right before Terro goes to bed.

Terro pushed back. Nononononono.

Jane laughed. Not now. Go get Daddy to get you some coconuts to play with.

Terro was set down, and he raced back through the adult legs until he smacked into his dad.

Poppy got up and stretched. Yeah, I just want some cool lemonade and to stretch out in a hammock. My second time in the islands and just as frazzled as the first.

Jane smiled. Give it time. It works its way into your blood.

Poppy chuckled. Sounds like an infection.

Myro sighed and said, I believe our vessel is waiting. We need to get back to Wonder.

Breen nodded and stood next to her. Poppy knows where the best snacks are. We need her to navigate.

Jane nodded. Of course. Well, I wish you luck when the final voting happens. I think it would be immensely fun to finally have an actual omega in it who didn t end up pregnant before the final show.

Well, I have been keeping pretty busy. Poppy snorted.

Understatement. Well, I will walk you to the dock. Estrya is already away and off with her mates.

Poppy grinned. Right. Well, we will have to make do with whoever shows up.

They snuck away and crept down the stairway to the dock. There was a zodiac coming toward them, and its origin was a tall vessel waiting in deeper water. The word Seeker identified the yacht.

Poppy smiled at the cheerful figure in the zodiac. Nina!

Nina waved, and the man next to her nodded. You are Poppy?

Yeah. This is Myro and Breen.

Nina grinned. This is Kimo. Hop in. We are your ride for the day.

They got into the zodiac and headed for the vessel. A man who looked similar to Nina caught the line and tied them to the yacht. Any friend of Nerina s is a friend of mine.

He helped her onto the floating dock, and she grinned as she stood and was taller than he was. You would be Drake, right?

He nodded slowly. Yeah. How do you know my name?

I am a friend of your sister s. We met when I was shorter.

Nina laughed. No shit. Like nearly a foot shorter. She was smaller than me.

I got taller. She smiled. Nina hugged her, and there was a distinct bump. Oh, congratulations.

Thank you. We re looking forward to it actually being where we can hug it. Nina grinned.

The alphas were greeting each other, and Poppy smiled. I am still not aware of if they summon lightning or sniff tails. Those guys are a mystery.

Kimo finished tying off the zodiac and whistled sharply. Drake ran to the front, and the guys came on board. The engine hummed, and the anchor finished lifting.

Kimo walked into the wheelhouse and came out with an armload of water bottles. He handed them around and had a seat. Nina settled against him. He opened her bottle and kissed the top of Nina s head.

So, Poppy, how did you meet Nina?

We were in the same group-therapy group.

Nina smiled. She was my mentor in an assault-recovery group. Poppy really helped me feel like myself again.

Poppy smiled. I am glad. It s always weird to come back from an attack, but it is definitely possible.

Kimo looked at Nina. This was your therapist?

Mentor. The only training I had was personal experience. Poppy sipped at her bottle. She paused. This is water from Wonder.

Kimo grinned. Nice catch. It helps with Nerina s morning sickness, so I have a lot of it on hand.

Myro asked, You live out here on Breakridge?

Yes.

Nerina snorted. He owns them. All the way up.

Kimo shrugged. I had funds. They were available, and here we are.

Nerina laughed. Yeah, here we are. He rented space to an aquatic research station, and my brother was assigned there. Once I was back on my feet, he was the family I wanted to visit.

Kimo looked at Poppy again. She sighed, put a hand to the front of her shirt, and shrank down to her beta shape. Does this make more sense to you?

He immediately brightened. She has pictures of you.

Probably. She is the queen of the selfie in the right circumstances. She shrugged and resumed her elf form. She made sure that everything was where it was supposed to be in her sportswear. Shifting forms meant that clothing moved.

Nina asked, Is that form more comfortable for you?

Yeah, it is like everything tight inside has room to move, and other things have unfurled like chrysanthemums in a teapot.

Nina nodded. Right. Are you staying in the islands?

Uh, I go home in ten days.

Damn. I would love it if you could stay.

Kimo looked alarmed. Nerina?

Well, I just feel so much better when she is here.

Poppy smiled. You can just ask me to visit and give me a place to transport to, where I won t run into anyone. I can come over for a day and go home. I still have a day job until they fire me.

Myro asked, Why will they fire you?

I told you; Tyr doesn t like other omegas anywhere near Roane. He s a spiteful little shit. The only reason that I was given the job was on Roane s recommendation.

Nerina said, Let s talk.

Poppy sighed and got up. They walked to the bow and then stood and talked the whole way back to Wonder. They discussed Poppy and her work prospects and how much she missed digitally creating things that made people gasp. Once she had been in the job, she didn t know how to get out without hurting Roane s feelings.

Nerina hugged her. It will sort out.

I hope so. At least I get to sleep in tomorrow and just get to lay around and not do anything or jump and climb and swim. She smiled. You look happy, though.

I am. I get to spend time with my brother, I have Kimo, and he knows how to cook. Oh, and we have chickens. She grinned.

Fun.

What about your guys?

We just met like four days ago. Nothing has locked in if you know what I mean. I want to be the one omega to make it through the competition without being pregnant.

Nerina grinned. Interesting challenge.

Very.

You are going to be okay?

I think so. Just flailing for a bit. The pointy ears don t come with secret funds to keep me afloat. Right now, I am here and feeding off my savings.

I thought this kind of thing was paid, though.

It was, but I checked my accounts yesterday, and payroll didn t land. That means that I am technically not a member of Sityr while I am out here. I am going to verify that I am the only one tonight, but then I am going to contact Tyr and ask when he fired me. From there, I guess I will head home. If I am not on a team, I am pretty sure that I don t get all the freebies.

Nerina frowned. That isn t right.

No, but as we both know, the world isn t right. Nor is it fair.

Do your mates know?

I didn t want to bother them with it.

Trust me. Bother them.

But I don t know if it was just a payroll glitch.

Has it ever glitched before?

No. She sighed and rubbed her forehead.

Let them know. Talk to the other employees and then talk to the coordinators. You did everything they asked of you. They can t take it back now.

Apparently, they can.

Nerina turned her around and patted her on the butt. Go. We are almost to the Wonder harbour.

She walked back to where the guys were chatting with Kimo, got Myro s attention, and whispered her situation in his ear. He jolted. You are kidding.

No. I want to talk to the other Sityr members before I mention it to the coordinators.

Myro hugged her and kissed the top of her head. Myro spoke in Elite to Breen, and her other mate looked like he wanted to punch a hole through the ship.

They made it to the caf near the hotel and were there when the teams stumbled into the space. Poppy found Mickey, and through her, the team, she spoke with them for a few minutes and swallowed. Right. She was the only one who missed payroll.

She walked back to Myro and Breen. I think we need to talk to Kekoa and Estrya and maybe Violet.

They walked together up the hill past beaming folks who paused in puzzlement as they made a very serious path up to the royal house.

Fuck.