Exclusive Excerpt from Protecting His Omega

by Giovanna Reaves

Phoenix hoped he was changing society’s views when it came to omegas. That was one of the things he loved about Maxwell. Maxwell never saw him as just an omega but as a person. He’d cursed his parents for their close-mindedness when it came to him. He had been on the streets for only a few weeks when he had a bit of luck, in his opinion. He sniggered thinking how silly he was trying to steal someone’s wallet. A pretty wealthy guy’s wallet as a matter of fact.

There was a knock at his office door, pulling him from his thoughts. “Come in,” he answered, turning his chair around.

Joyce entered and walked over to him with a coffee cup in her hand. “You looked like you could use a pick-me-up.”

“Bless you,” he said with a smile, taking the cup from her and swallowing a large sip. “Please tell me I don’t have a packed day.”

She gave him the “are you kidding” look. “When have your days been anything but packed?”

“Just tell me I get to leave in time to pick up Jasmine.”

“Don’t I always take care of you, sir?” Joyce asked. “I’ve been taking care of you since I worked for Max.”

“You know I hate when you call me sir,” he told her. Joyce had started working with Phoenix English a year or two before him. She was Maxwell’s executive assistant before she became his.

“I’m well aware, but it is office etiquette,” she told him with her glasses sitting down by the tip of her nose. “Why must we go through this every day?”

“Because you refuse to call me Phoenix.” She stared at him and made it clear she wasn’t going to change her mind. “Fine, let me hear how my day will go, at least tell me I have time for a lunch break.”

She scanned down her list and then looked back up at him. “I scheduled a lunch break for two minutes around one.”

“Oh wow, a whole two minutes, thank you, Your Majesty,” he said with a smile, and he got her to chuckle. “Okay, lay it on me.”

“At noon, you have a lunch meeting with Brook Shafter from. . . ”

Phoenix leaned back in his chair and sipped his coffee. While he listened to Joyce, his mind started to wander off again. Thinking back, he couldn’t believe how tempted he was to return home and beg his parents to forgive him for being an omega. At least at home he would have been safe from any alpha that caught a whiff of his pheromones. And have had a decent meal, since he’d resorted to begging for change just to get something to eat. Phoenix lived on the streets for two months. It might not have been a long time, but it was enough for him to realize how sheltered his life was when he saw how many omegas were living on the streets. The only thing that kept Phoenix sane were his suppressant pills. Omegas were required to take their suppressant pills weekly to help mask their pheromones to alphas and prevent pregnancies.

He knew what some of the omegas did when they were going through their mating cycles was demoralizing. But he couldn’t fault them. They did what they had to do for survival. They disappeared for days, hiding in abandoned buildings, hoping their heat would pass before they gave in to any alphas that approached them. Some sold their bodies to earn the money they needed to buy their suppressants and to survive. Phoenix couldn’t believe that a society that prided itself on caring for its people would turn a blind eye to omegas suffering in pain.

Phoenix knew sooner or later that if he had stayed out on the streets he would have resorted to the same tricks. Which was why he worked tirelessly to have the laws changed. Until about three years ago, it was illegal for omegas under the age of eighteen to receive their suppressants without parental permission. With his wealth and influence, Phoenix was able to get that, and a few other laws, changed. Thank the gods he didn’t have to sleep with anyone to get what he wanted. No matter what people thought about him, he was not a slut. All he had to do was kiss a few asses and pretend he cared about other minor issues to get his foot in the door. Coughing to suppress a snort over some of the other influences he had employed, Phoenix turned his attention back to Joyce.

“I’m sorry, sir, did you say something?” Joyce asked him.

“Um . . . no,” he said, clearing his throat and sitting up in his chair while pretending that he heard everything she said. “Joyce, can you get me another cup of coffee?”

“Sure,” she said, getting up and taking his empty cup from him. She stopped and looked at him.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, why?”

“You seem to be far away today,” she told him.

“It’s the holidays, it always makes me think about Max,” he told her.

“Ah . . .” she said in understanding. “I’ll get you another cup.” Then Joyce turned and walked out of the room, leaving him to his thoughts.

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