Coffee scented air, laughter and conversation filling the air... it was among the best parts of owning a little cafe in downtown Boston.

Mason had never been normal; he wasn't a standard Omega and he refused to let an Alpha walk all over him due to his biological status. He never went to sex-ed classes or the Omega 101 classes that explained how an appropriate Omega was meant to behave.

So, when he was seventeen he dropped out of school and took the money that his rich parents had put into his college savings and took off from New York to Boston and bought a coffee shop with a loft above it to live in.

Mason had always loved cooking and coffee, so he invested all of his energy into making his cafe a cute space for college students in the area to come study and enjoy the delicious treats he made in the back.

Now, at twenty three, Mason was still mateless and running his cafe, and he loved his life. He didn't want a mate and he didn't want to belong to a pack like other people seemed to need to.

He thought others that still lived in big pack houses in the woods were archaic and he couldn't stand dealing with them, especially since they walked in with their Alphas in the front and the Omegas following shyly, never speaking unless spoken to.

It was almost humorous when the Alphas asked to speak to whoever was in charge when Mason gave them attitude and he got to give them a smug smirk and break the news that he was the one responsible for the shop.

That usually shut them up, and if it didn't, Mason just called one his baker and best friend, Henry, who was a giant Alpha and wouldn't stand for people being rude to his boss. He was a gentle giant and Mason had never ceased to express his gratitude for Henry; without the Alpha, Mason was sure he'd have to deal with more Alphas irritating him on a regular basis.

Mason paused after he served an iced mocha to one of his regular customers and smiled as he looked over his shop. Seeing what he'd created make him feel better about the fact that his parents had stopped speaking to him after he drained his account and took off and it helped him feel more positive when he saw other people with their mates.

He'd always said he didn't want a mate, but part of Mason (probably the sad wolf part) always whined and cried about not having a mate. Their mate was out there somewhere, but Mason wasn't going to leave behind everything he made for some wolf who would most likely be an Alpha living in some stupid house in the woods with his archaic pack.

A bell on the door to the cafe snapped Mason out of his daze, Mason cleaned up his station and walked over to the register as his next customer approached him.

"Welcome in, what can I get for you today?" Mason asked with a bright grin as Henry brushed behind him and refilled their front of the house stocks with fresh baked scones.

The Beta at the register leaned in, eyes on Henry. "Can I start by getting his number?" she asked, and Mason had to fight back a growl.

For being an Alpha, Henry struggled to say no when girls approached him since he didn't want to hurt their feelings, but Mason had no issues telling them off.

"Sorry, but he's waiting for his mate, and if he hasn't picked up on the mating bond scent from you yet, he's not interested," Mason said bitterly, making Henry glance up in confusion before vanishing to the back. "Can I interest you in a coffee or are you just here to make my baker uncomfortable?"

"Your baker?" the Beta asked, her lips pressed together in a thin line over how she was being treated.

Mason glared. "Yes, my baker. We're in progressive times where Omegas can own cafes. Now, if you're not going to order, there's a line of people behind you that I'm sure would love to get their coffee."

The Beta scowled and flipped her hair over her shoulder, stomping toward the door.

Scoffing, Mason began to help his other customers- the ones who didn't try to hit on himself or Henry.

That was, until his least favorite customer walked in, grinning brightly. He hadn't done anything wrong, so Mason had no reason to kick him out, but the guy always sat at the bar in front of his station and checked him out before trying to make a move at the end of the day.

If Mason didn't live above the cafe, he'd be terrified to walk home in fear that the weirdo would follow him everywhere.

"Are you getting your usual?" Mason asked with a fake smile, trying to keep conversation short.

The guy- Mason was pretty sure his name was Paul -just hummed and tapped his fingers on the counter.

"Is there anything new here?" he asked, leaning in toward Mason and making him extremely uncomfortable.

Mason shook his head. "You come in every day, you'd know if there was something new here," he said plainly, pulling out a medium sized cup and writing Paul's normal order on it. "That'll be $3.50, unless you're ordering something else?"

Paul pulled out a five dollar bill. "If only you were on the menu, huh, Omega?"

Scowling, Mason took the five dollar bill with stiff hands and dropped Paul's change on the counter, not bothering with putting if in his hand.

"Don't call me that again or I'll have to ask you to leave," Mason said, pointing at the 'we have the right to refuse service to anyone' sign on the counter. "Have a nice day."

Paul narrowed his eyes slightly. "Why not? It's what you are, isn't it?" he asked, as Mason called the next person up and tried to ignore him. "Are you ashamed of what you are?"

Mason scowled. "I'm not ashamed of being an Omega. I don't like when other people refer to me as such, especially since I'm wearing a name tag that I'm sure you can see since you seem obsessed with staring at me," he said, taking change from the next customer and apologizing for the Alpha standing in her way. "Please go stand at the end and wait for your drink and once you get it, please leave."

"Aren't we free to sit down and enjoy our beverages?" he asked as Mason moved to make the two drinks. "It is a cafe."

Mason opened his mouth to say something else when he felt a presence behind him, and he felt immediately relieved when Henry's angry scent filled his senses.

"Sir, you're making my boss uncomfortable," Henry said firmly. He grabbed the receipt from Paul's hand and looked at the price, before going to the register and taking out $3.50 and handing it to the man in question. "Get out and don't come back or you'll be dealing with the police for harassing an Omega."

Paul growled at him. "You're not in charge are you? He is and he hasn't asked me to leave."

"Well I'm asking you now," Mason said, stepping back so Henry was somewhat in front of him.

He always fought his instincts and didn't often show unease or fear in front of Alphas while at work, but with Henry supporting him, he allowed himself to fall back on his friend's support.

Paul growled loudly, making Mason tense and drew the attention of the customers inside of his cafe. Some of the ones sitting alone looked tense while the Alphas in the couples were soothing their mates and shooting dirty looks at the cause of the problem.

"Out," Henry growled, making Paul throw the money on the ground and stomp out of the cafe, glaring daggers at Henry before looking at Mason with a strange look in his eye. "You okay, boss?"

Mason nodded stiffly. "At least he won't come back," he mumbled, before turning to the lady at the register who was still waiting for her drink and handing her a coupon. "I'm so sorry for that, this coupon is good for a free drink the next time you come in."

The lady assured Mason that it wasn't his fault, but Mason wouldn't let her hand the coupon back.

Sure, there were downfalls to being an unmated Omega running a cafe, especially since cocky Alphas took that as an invitation to flirt and harass him, but Mason loved his job. He loved being the owner of a successful cafe with poetry nights on Wednesdays that got attention from kind people who always came back.

When Henry closed up the cafe at five, he wiped off the tables while Mason worked on the dishes. The two of them ran the cafe, and Mason loved it. He loved his protective best friend who he also protected in return, and many people often questioned if they were mates who just hadn't marked or scented each other.

"Are you able to run the cafe on your own for a few days next week?" Mason called as he cleaned up the bar.

Henry looked up from where he was sweeping. "Heat?" he asked kindly, and Mason knew there was no judgement behind it.

That was one of the best parts of Henry. He wasn't judgmental and was the gentlest Alpha that Mason had ever met. Not to mention he had amazing control over his instincts and always brought Mason food and water during his heats and made sure to cover the back room in front of the stairs that lead to Mason's room with scent blockers so no one could smell or bother him.

"We should look to hire someone else," Henry said once he finished sweeping. "It'd be nice to have some extra help up front, even better if it's an Alpha so they can chase off the people who bother you."

Mason scoffed. "I can handle myself," he said stiffly, crossing his arms. "We don't need anyone else!"

"I know you like to be Mr Independent, but you know how difficult it is to run the place on your own when I'm out of here during rut, and it's not easy for me either. You should hire a third person, even if it means paying me less," Henry argued.

"I'm not paying you less!" Mason said exasperatedly, going through their daily tips and handing Henry half. "But I'll send something out if you want someone else here so bad."

Henry smiled and thanked him, looking at his watch briefly. "See you tomorrow, bright and early," he said, walking to the back and grabbing his bag. "Send me a list of stuff to pick up for your heat and lock all the doors before you go to bed."

"I can pick up my own stuff-"

"Just send me a damn list," Henry said with authority in his voice. "I walk past the grocery store and you're always working on bills and stuff. Speaking of which, after your heat, we're going out to the bar or something."

Mason shook his head. "No thanks. Don't want to. We have to be up early for work."

"We both know we can take one night. We're not even open on Mondays!" Henry said, leaning on the wall by the door. "When are you gonna start looking for your mate? Look to settle down?"

"You know I'm not interested in that shit," Mason said, glaring at his friend. "I'm a strong, independent Omega who don't need no man."

Henry laughed at him, pushing the door open. "We're going out on the Sunday after your heat. See you tomorrow morning."

Mason waved and locked the door before running up to the loft over the cafe. It always smelled like coffee from the shop, and he loved the scent of it. It was better than any mate he'd ever have, especially since he didn't need one.

Mates meant control and being taken away from the life he loved, and Mason didn't need that. All he needed was his best friend and his coffee shop.