by D. J. Heart
Peter nods, looking towards the bedroom with a soft smile on his face. Chad knows how he feels. Evan is delightful, bringing out the instinct to protect and provide. It’s a heady feeling to have someone depend on them to such an extent. The responsibility to do right by him weighs heavy on them both.
Chad doesn’t understand how anyone who gets to know an omega—who takes one into their home—could ever be so callous as to give them away. He can only surmise that there’s something deeply wrong with those alphas. That an essential part of their alpha instincts is missing or corrupted.
“He’ll enjoy that,” Peter says, putting his empty mug on the counter and pulling on his jacket. “I’ll just say goodbye to him before I leave.”
Chad nods, getting up to make himself his own cup of coffee while Peter disappears to the bedroom. When Peter comes back, Chad follows him into the outer hallway and watches as he gets dressed in his warm woolen coat and leather gloves. He loves how distinguished and handsome Peter looks. How competent.
“What are we doing for Christmas?” he asks suddenly, realizing with a start that the holiday is less than two weeks away. Peter gives him a blank stare, freezing in the middle of smoothing his left glove down over his fingers. They've never made a big deal out of the holidays, visiting each other’s parents on alternating years, never bothering with presents or making an effort of their own. With Evan having joined their family, should they change that?
“Do you want to stay home this year?” Peter asks.
Chad hasn’t thought about it. They’re supposed to be visiting Peter’s family, but Chad doesn’t want to throw Evan to those particular wolves just yet. He’d like to visit his family, but that might make trouble for Peter.
“Let’s think about it and see what Evan wants,” he says. Peter nods and pulls him in for a brief kiss, grabbing him by the ear and holding him close. Chad shudders at the casual domination, Peter looking smug and proud when he pulls away.
“I’ll see you at lunch. We’ll discuss what to do for Christmas then,” Peter says, walking out of the apartment with a final wave.
Chad turns back to the kitchen, finding Evan sitting at the island with a big glass of juice and the phone in his hand.
“I ordered more food,” he says, Chad stepping up behind him and wrapping him up in a hug, kissing the top of his head.
“Good. I’m hungry.”
***
The campus is just as spectacular as Evan remembers. He jumps out of the car, Chad getting out after him with a bemused expression on his face.
“Here, don’t forget your gloves,” Chad says, handing him his mittens. Evan pulls them on, Chad zipping up his jacket like a mother hen. Chad himself looks good enough to eat, his tight jeans and leather jacket molding to his muscular body, showing off his wide shoulders and bulging biceps.
“Thanks,” Evan says, reaching out and taking Chad’s hand once he’s finished pulling on his gloves. Dragging the alpha along with him he starts walking down the main path, excited and wondering what his advisor will have to say about his schedule.
He’s worked on it for hours and hours, pouring over the course catalog, the sheer number of choices making the task of picking just four classes almost impossible.
“So this is where you’ll be going to school,” Chad says, looking around as they walk. There are fewer students milling about than the last time Evan was here, but that’s probably due to the overcast weather. He bets that they’re all inside where it’s nice and warm.
“Yes,” Evan says, grinning. Chad laughs, hooking his arm around Evans’s neck and pulling him in for a one-armed hug. Evan feels a flutter of warmth as his cheek is pressed into the smooth, cold leather of Chad’s jacket, the alpha’s knuckles giving his head a rub.
“Good for you. So this advisor lady, you like her?”
“Her name is Emily Davies. She’s great, though Aiden was such a dick to her,” Evan says, once again feeling relieved that Aiden won’t be working as his bodyguard.
“Aiden is a dick to everyone,” Chad grumbles, and Evan regrets bringing him up. He knows that Chad went to confront Aiden, and from what he’s understood it did not go very well.
“I kicked him,” Evan confesses, pretty sure that Chad won’t be mad like Peter was. He’s right. Where Peter had looked horrified that Evan had dared, Chad laughs. It’s startled and loud, and incredibly happy.
“You did what?” He stops walking, looking down at Evan like he’s wondering if he’s kidding.
“He was rude to Ms. Davies, so I kicked his leg and told her to ignore him.”
Chad laughs, eyes crinkling at the corners. “Good for you,” he says, reaching up to cup the side of Evan’s face. His hand is huge, covering the entire right side of Evan’s face. His glove is cool and soft, and Evan leans into the touch out of instinct.
“Peter was so mad,” he says, still remembering how much it had hurt when Peter had blistered his ass.
“Yeah, he does not like it when we do stuff that he thinks reflects poorly on him,” Chad says, dropping his hand from Evan’s face and taking his hand, “This one time, when I was still working for the mercenary part of his company, I told my team leader to go fuck himself on a rusty spike. He was an idiot, but Peter didn’t care. He was furious.”
“What did he do?” Evan asks, wondering if Peter would spank Chad like he did Evan.
“Oh, he called me into his office and paddled my ass. That’s when we found out how much I like corporal punishment, so as far as discipline goes, it wasn’t very successful.”
“You liked it?” Evan asks, incredulous. He had certainly not enjoyed being spanked. Chad smiles and nods.
“I did. The way it hurts when he swings the paddle—that impact?—It feels amazing,” Chad says, reaching down to give his cock a discrete adjustment. It’s noticeably hard, making his jeans bulge obscenely. Evan feels a fluttering in his stomach, his balls pulling up tight as his hole clenches down in need.
“Peter spanked me. I did not like it though it was nice when he rubbed that stuff on my ass after,” Evan says. He tries to ignore his arousal.
“Yeah, that part is nice,” Chad agrees. They keep walking, silent and enjoying each other’s company until they reach the Art building.
***
Chad watches Evan, chest filed to bursting with pride that his omega is this happy. This is what being an alpha is about. The satisfaction of knowing that you are taking care of your mate. That they have what they need to be happy. That you make them happy.
“This looks very good, Evan. You’ve obviously given this a lot of thought,” Ms. Davies, Evan’s advisor, says. She’s a prim woman, attractive, though making no overt effort to show it. Chad likes her. She’d been visibly relieved when Chad told her that Aiden had been fired.
“So I don’t need to change anything?” Evan asks, a pleased smile gracing his face.
“No. This will have you right on track. Would you like me to register you for them now?”
“Can you?”
“Sure. Let me just pull up the system.”
Chad leans back, letting Evan do all the talking. The omega seems to know what he’s doing, and Chad sees no reason to intervene just for the sake of it. Ms. Davies had looked to him a few times at the start of her discussion with Evan, but now she doesn’t spare Chad so much as a glance.
“Okay, you’re all set. Do you have your university username and password? You’ll need them access your calendar and messages from your teachers.”
“I’ve got them. I set it up last week. So that’s it? I’m ready to start?”
Ms. Davies smiles, looking genuinely pleased for him, and nods. “Yup, you’re all set. Was there anything else you wanted to discuss?”
Evan turns to Chad, who shakes his head He can’t think of anything. Evan looks back to Ms. Davies and shakes his head. “No, I think that was it. Thank you for all your help.”
Chad stands, zipping up his coat and pulling on his gloves, handing Eva
n his mittens. He shakes Ms. Davies hand, thanking her for her assistance. She blushes, flustered by the attention. Evan doesn’t notice.
Back outside, Chad drapes an arm over Evan’s shoulder. The omega fits perfectly under his arm, sliding his hand down Chad’s back pocket. It’s a daring move, Evan squeezing his ass as they walk, and Chad feels his balls pull up with desire.
Chad’s cock is hard, the bulge in his jeans visible to anyone who might happen to glance down at his crotch. Evan looks up at him and smiles innocently, still gripping Chad’s muscular ass tight.
When they get home, Evan will be in for the pounding of a lifetime.
Though he’s horny, Chad takes Evan on the scenic route back to the car. Evan is fascinated by the campus and students and doesn’t seem to notice the looks he gets from people passing them by. Some of the looks are curious—it’s rare to see an omega out and about without some kind of weird get up or leash- but some of them are downright filthy. Alphas eyeing him like a piece of meat, Chad baring his teeth subtly when the looks linger a little too long.
While Chad might not be a match for an alpha like Peter or Aiden, he’s more than capable of forcing these pups to back down. It feels good, reminding him that no matter how much more dominant Peter is, Chad is still a formidable alpha in his own right.
Constantly comparing himself to uber-alphas has done Chad’s self-esteem no favors. He needs to remember that alphas like that are exceptions, not the rule.
Evan, either oblivious or trusting Chad to handle it, seems to be having a great time. Chad almost regrets having to hurry them along so that they won’t be late for lunch with Peter. They get back to the car; Evan buckling up and leaning back in his seat while Chad turns the key in the ignition
Cock pressing against the seam of his jeans, Chad wonders if there’s time to pull over somewhere secluded for a quick blow-job, but an incoming text from Peter announcing he’s on his way to the restaurant nixes that idea. Trying to think unsexy thoughts, Evan sitting there like the tempting morsel he is, Chad resigns himself to at least a few more hours of frustration.
***
Peter isn’t surprised that Aiden turned down the job working as an omega wrangler, but he doesn’t have time to dwell on Richard Cruz’s message. He offered Aiden a job heading up one of his teams and tried to find him an alternative when Aiden refused the offer. There’s only so much he can do. Aiden will land on his feet.
The restaurant where he’s meeting Chad and Evan for lunch is quiet, the hostess leading him to a table in the corner. It’s a much nicer place than Peter would have chosen for a non-client meeting, but it’s not like he can’t afford it. Chad and Evan haven’t arrived yet, so Peter orders a bottle of sparkling water and sits down to wait.
Checking his watch, Peter thinks about what they should do for the Christmas. It’s not something he’s ever cared about. Going to his parents is out of the question. They would expect Evan to spend the holiday locked in Peter’s old room, the very idea of Evan joining them as any kind of an equal met with disdain and incredulity. While Evan will have to meet his family eventually, Peter will delay it until he’s sure Evan won’t be hurt by their attitude.
Chad’s family is another matter. While Chad might have thought omegas disposable in his youth, his family has always been firmly for omega rights. They’d no doubt welcome Evan with open arms.
But Peter doesn’t want to spend Christmas with Chad’s family. The whole point of alternating who they visit for the holidays isn’t so that Peter will get to spend it with his family, it’s so that he’ll only have to spend every other year with Chad’s. Though they never say anything, Peter is well aware of how much Chad’s family disapproves of him. They think he’s controlling and domineering, and while they’re right, Peter doesn’t think he’s caused Chad any harm or unhappiness.
They’ll need to start a new tradition, he decides. Christmas with just the three of them. Peter hopes Chad will be okay with the idea. His young mate is very attached to his family, much more so than Peter, and Peter doesn’t want to damage that.
Before he has time to ruminate further on his family and all their faults, Chad and Evan enter the restaurant and start making their way to the table. Chad is dressed to impress in his nicest leather jacket and a pair of tight jeans, strutting through the restaurant like he knows just how good he looks.
“Sorry we’re late,” Chad says, Peter rising to give him a brief kiss on the lips. Turning to Evan, Peter cups the back of the boy’s neck and pulls him in for a kiss of his own. Evan blushes, looking adorable.
“Hi,” Evan says, ducking his head and looking at the floor. The hostess rushes over and takes both Chad and Evan’s coats, looking flustered at having missed their entry.
“Thanks,” Chad says, not looking at her as he sits down. He’s right across from Peter, Evan seated between them.
The waiter comes by for their drink order, Chad ordering a beer for himself before looking to Evan.
“Water, please,” Evan says, the waiter looking to Peter to confirm. He nods.
“So how was your meeting?” he asks Evan, grinning at how excited the omega is to answer.
“It went really well. Ms. Davies said that my schedule was perfect,” Evan says, clearly very proud of himself.
“Well, you worked hard on it, so I’m not surprised,” Peter says, reaching out and giving Evan’s neck a rewarding squeeze. Evan closes his eyes and holds his breath, letting it out with a shudder as Peter rubs his thumb in tight little circles under his ear.
“We wanted to talk to you about something,” Chad says, a meaningful look in Peter’s direction. Evan’s eyes shoot open though he still looks blissed out and submissive from Peter’s hand. Peter loves being able to make his mates react like this. The satisfaction goes straight to his cock.
“About what?” Evan asks, Peter lifting his hand. They need Evan thinking clearly, which he doesn’t when Peter puts him under like that.
“Christmas,” Peter says.
Evan doesn’t react, looking blankly between his alphas. Then he looks worried. Peter wonders what he’s thinking.
“What did you do for Christmas at the Center?” Chad asks. Before Evan has a chance to answer, the waiter shows up with their drinks.
“Are you ready to order?” she asks, looking between Peter and Chad.
“We’ll all have the filet mignon, rare,” Peter says, ordering for all of them. Chad looks a little put out, but he doesn’t object. Evan looks happy with the order.
“Thank you, gentlemen,” the waiter says, taking their menus.
Once she’s gone, Chad complains, “I wanted the burger. Why do you always do that?”
“Because every time you order food, you regret it and ask to have some of mine. This way we skip that,” Peter says, smiling at Evan.
“I do not,” Chad grumbles, Peter ignoring him. Who complains about filet mignon?
“Evan. Tell us about what you did for Christmas at the center. Were there any traditions you’d like us to continue?”
Evan still looks confused. “We had a tree?” he says as if he’s wondering what Peter wants to know. “And we had Turkey for dinner? You mean like that?”
“Sure. Chad and I are trying to decide what to do this year. Usually, we’d visit either my family or Chad’s family, but we thought we could spend Christmas at home this year. Just the three of us.”
Evan doesn’t seem particularly happy, nor is he sad. It’s like he doesn’t care.
“You don’t want to visit your families?” he asks, taking a sip of his water. Chad grimaces, Peter kicking him under the table.
“I think it would be nice to have some time just for us. I’ve only had time off while you were in heat,” Peter says.
“What would we do?” Evan asks.
“We could decorate the apartment, buy each other gifts and open them on Christmas morning, have sex every day. You know, fun stuff,” Chad says, looking to Peter for approval. Peter smiles. Chad has
it just right.
“That sounds like fun,” Evan says, cautious. Chad claps him on the back, grinning wide.
“Good. It’s decided,” Peter says.
“Can we do Easter at my parents then?” Chad asks. Peter nods. He may want to put it off, but that wouldn’t be fair to Chad. The man likes his family, and though he may be a controlling bastard, Peter has no intention of trying to keep Chad away from them.
The rest of lunch is spent discussing Evan’s classes for the spring semester. The omega’s ability to talk at length about things he’s excited about makes both Peter and Chad grin fondly. They also discuss Chad’s job hunt, much to Chad’s annoyance. Chad, from what Peter can see, has not been taking it at all seriously. But Peter isn’t going to nag. Chad has to figure this out for himself, even if it looks like he’ll be ending up back working for Peter.