by Nora Phoenix
“He offered a big sum of money. He needs an heir to secure an inheritance from his grandfather who’s filthy rich. His omega died in childbirth and he’s looking for someone who will get pregnant fast. We have less than a week before the court will approve their petition.”
It all made sense now. Money would often override decency, even parental love. Though from the little snippets both Palani and Vieno had shared about Vieno’s parents, one could argue they had little parental love to begin with.
“Does he know Vieno has the gene? Do his parents?”
“We never told them. I paid for Vieno’s testing after I read about the gene months later, and we never informed his parents. They’d kicked him out two weeks before we got the results, which take a little while.”
Enar was glad Palani was able to push down his strong emotions again to use his brain. His emotions were understandable, but they weren’t helpful right now. “So his ex wasn't aware?”
“No. But like me, he may have come across info later and recognized Vieno in the description. I’d never heard of the gene till months after Vieno’s first heat, but I’ve come across it much more now.”
Enar thought of the omega whose beta husband Lidon had arrested. It would take another four weeks at least till the results of his testing were in, but Enar had little doubt the kid had the gene. “Yeah, I’m seeing it more, too. If he researched the gene, he’ll have discovered Vieno is not only more fertile than other omegas, but also more likely to survive childbirth. That would make him a prime candidate for someone who wants an heir fast.”
“Vieno is counting on me to fix this, but how? What do I do?”
The despair dripped from Palani’s voice, and Enar couldn’t blame him. Forcing Vieno to marry his rapist was not only inhuman, but also something the little omega might not survive mentally. “Palani, you know what the solution is. Vieno has to marry another alpha before the court approves the petition.”
“And where do I find a decent alpha, willing to take on a mate on such short notice, hmm? Got any suggestions? Are you volunteering?”
Enar loved Palani’s sassy attitude. Not that he was planning on telling the beta that. It wasn’t like his attraction was going anywhere, so why embarrass himself?
“I don’t provide enough hormones to satisfy Vieno,” he said.
“That’s not a no,” Palani said. “You could marry him and have Lidon fuck him during heat?”
“It’s not that simple. Even my subdued alpha will not tolerate another alpha taking my mate during heat, especially not one as virile as Lidon. I’d attack him if he even tried, and I’d like to avoid that since he would kick my ass.”
He had the thought before Palani asked the question.
“Would Lidon be willing?” the beta asked, insecurity lacing his voice. What a horrible spot he was in, trying to marry off the man he loved. Whatever compassion Enar had felt for Palani during Vieno’s heat, this was ten times worse. This wasn’t about sex. This was about losing his lover. Forever. No alpha would tolerate him being this close and intimate with their omega.
“I’ll ask him,” Enar said.
“But you don’t think he’ll do it.”
Enar figured Vieno had more chance of a positive answer than he realized. Lidon had connected with the little omega, and knowing he was in this predicament might trigger Lidon’s protective instincts. The man did have a tiny bit of a superhero complex. Not that he was sharing this with Palani. Better not to give them false hope.
“I'm not speaking for him. He'll have to decide himself. But Palani, you do realize that if he says yes, it means you and Vieno are over, right?”
“We’d be over no matter who he marries, since it will never be me.”
The finality in his voice stabbed Enar in his heart all over again. “I’ll call Lidon right now. But I want to ask him in person, so give me an hour or two before you expect an answer, okay? Plus, he will need to think about it.”
“Yeah. I didn’t think he would jump at the opportunity. Okay. I’ll keep my phone close. And Enar…thank you. For listening. And for asking Lidon. I appreciate it more than I can express.”
“No thanks necessary. I’ll get back to you.”
Enar called Lidon as soon as he’d hung up with Palani. He got lucky since the cop had just come off duty and was happy to meet over a beer at an Irish pub. He was already nursing a pint at a corner booth when Enar walked in, freshly showered since he’d been working all day. Enar signaled the bartender he wanted what Lidon had, then lowered himself across from his friend.
“How’s life?” he asked Lidon.
“Ugh, paperwork day. I hate those.”
“Don’t I know it.”
Lidon lifted a brow. “Dude, I’d be shocked if you filed the official paperwork for even half of what you do.”
Enar grinned, shrugging. “As little as I can get away with, anyway. Which reminds me, did anything come of that Excellon question you asked me three months ago?”
He made sure to keep his voice low, but Lidon leaned in even farther over the table when he asked, “Why are you asking?”
“Word on the street is that doctors are discouraged from prescribing it,” he said softly, knowing Lidon would be able to pick up his words with his excellent hearing.
“Word on the street…fucking hell, man, you sound like a mobster.”
“There are days when I feel like one. You have no idea. But this, sadly, is no joke.”
Lidon sighed. “Yeah, I didn’t think so. Someone is looking into it but it has to stay under the radar.”
“Why? I would expect cops to be all over this.”
Lidon didn’t say anything, but his mouth pulled tight, a surefire sign he was pissed off about something. What could it be about this case that made him angry? The answer came fast to Enar. “You suspect you have a dirty cop,” he said slowly.
Lidon acknowledged his words with the barest of nods.
“Fuck, wait till Palani hears.”
Lidon’s mouth tightened again.
Enar said, “Oh…your guess is he knows already. Did Vieno say anything to you about this?”
“He did have more names and cases, but his paper wouldn’t let him publish. Also, Vieno mentioned they’d gotten harassment, vandalism, shit like that.”
Enar’s eyes grew big. “You’re shitting me…from whom?”
Lidon’s silence spoke volumes.
“I hope you did some checking to see which of your esteemed coworkers is behind this?” Enar couldn’t keep the sarcasm from his voice.
“It’s not quite that easy,” Lidon said, his voice tight.
“Don’t tell me you’re covering for them,” Enar said, then held up his hands before Lidon could explode on him. “Sorry, I know better. Gut reaction.”
“I’m not, but others are. It’s been tense at the precinct lately, not to mention the mood at headquarters.”
“Is there pressure to close ranks?”
Lidon cast his eyes down. “There always is. It’s hard to navigate.”
“You’ll do the right thing,” Enar said.
“You have more confidence in me than I do myself. It’s hard to distinguish between right and wrong sometimes.”
“No, it’s not,” Enar gently pushed back.
Lidon leaned back in the booth. “No, it’s not,” he said after a few seconds. “But it’s still easier said than done.”
“That, I believe.”
They sat nursing their beers for a bit. Enar wondered how he could bring up Palani again, but Lidon solved that problem when he asked, “Have you heard from Palani or Vieno?”
Enar simply nodded, knowing Lidon would ask the follow-up question.
His friend put his beer down and leaned forward. “How are they?”
They? Interesting. Enar had expected him to ask after Vieno alone. And what was up with the tone of Lidon’s voice when he spoke Vieno’s name? It felt…intimate. Loaded with meaning, somehow. “Actually, that’s why
I wanted to talk to you tonight.”
Lidon’s face lit up. The man had it bad for the little omega, huh? What had happened that they had clicked on such a deep level? He’d never seen anything like this from Lidon, but not from other alphas either. The only slightly comparable reaction was that from an alpha toward his alpha-claimed partner. Enar frowned, trying to work out in his head what was happening.
“Did they ask if I could…”
“No.” He sighed. “Vieno’s in trouble.”
In a few sentences, he explained what Palani had told him. Lidon’s eyes narrowed and his jaw ticked, but he waited till Enar was finished before responding. “Damn,” he said. “His parents sound like real pieces of work.”
The silence hung comfortably between. “It’s another example of how lucky we were to be born alphas,” Enar said.
Lidon nodded, his eyes blazing. “Shit like this, it shouldn’t happen. He’s twenty-three, for fuck’s sake. Old enough to make his own decisions. His parents should not be able to marry him off like this without his permission, least of all to the man who violated him.”
Enar leaned back in his bar stool, his fingers playing with the condensation on his beer glass. “As we said before, they are third-rate citizens. We don’t merely treat them that way; according to the law, they are. Alphas come first, betas come second, and omegas get the crumbs.”
“We can’t change the law,” Lidon said, ever the pragmatist. “Not just like that, anyway.”
Enar raised his eyes to meet those of his best friend. “No. But we can stand up and do the right thing when we see injustice.”
Lidon frowned. “What do you… Oh. You mean…?”
Enar’s eyes drilled into Lidon’s. “You have the opportunity to save him from this fate. You can rescue him from his parents and this…this brutal alpha who raped him once already and then gave his friends a go at him.”
Words were burning on Enar’s tongue, in his head. Words of reason, of passion, of pleading, but he held back. Lidon couldn’t be pushed. When you put too much pressure on him, he counteracted and dug his heels in. He was a man who needed to make his own decisions.
Lidon held his look for a long time, then broke eye contact to study the drink in front of him. “You’re serious about this,” he said softly.
“Yes.”
“Why him? You must encounter stories like this weekly. Why did you choose him to be saved by me?”
It was a legitimate question. Enar sighed. “Because I like him. And Palani. He’s fighting valiantly for him and he has for years. It breaks my heart that these two belong together and yet they can’t be.”
“Me marrying Vieno won’t fix that,” Lidon said, the voice of reason as usual.
“True,” he said. “But Palani would be content to see Vieno safe and sound with you at the cost of his own happiness.”
Lidon hmm'd noncommittally. “That’s the only reason, that you like them?”
“You like him, too,” Enar dared to point out. He was treading on dangerous ground here. “You guys connected.”
Lidon’s nostrils flared. “I fucked him. That’s something else.”
“We both know that’s not true. You don’t do casual sex. You never have, not since…” He took a deep breath, then dared say his name. “Not since Rodrick.”
The name hung between them, thickening the air and making it tense and breakable. Had he gone too far?
“Lidon, it’s been three years. Isn’t it time to move on?”
Lidon’s head snapped up. “Says who? You? What if I’m not ready?” The anger disappeared from his eyes as fast as it had flashed up. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready to trust again. I can’t forget what he did to me, even if you can.”
11
I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready.
That’s what Lidon had told Enar. Famous last words, Lidon thought, as he got out of his car in the parking lot adjacent to Palani’s apartment.
He stopped in his tracks as it hit him. It wasn’t only Palani’s apartment. It was Vieno’s, too. He’d been living there for years, so why did Lidon refer to it only as Palani’s apartment?
His stomach rolled, creating an uneasy sensation. He’d always considered himself liberal when it came to omega rights and equality, but maybe he wasn’t as progressive as he'd given himself credit for. It was a sobering realization.
Palani opened the door almost instantly when Lidon rang the bell. Enar’s voice drifted in from the living room, so he’d already arrived. “Thanks for meeting with us,” Palani said.
Lidon studied him for a second. The genuine gratitude on the beta’s face hit him hard. It spoke volumes about Palani’s character that he was willing to sacrifice his own happiness for Vieno’s. Still, he had to manage expectations.
“I haven’t decided yet,” he warned him.
“We’re grateful you’d even consider it.”
Palani closed the door behind him. Lidon waited till he had turned around to speak. “You do realize that if, and it’s still a big if, if I do this, there will be no more ‘we’, right? You and Vieno, that would be over.”
Palani blushed but held his gaze. “Forgive me, alpha,” he said, and Lidon could only guess how much those words cost the proud beta. “I’m so used to taking care of him that it’s hard to let that go. But I understand.”
Lidon put his hand on the man’s shoulder. “Don’t call me alpha. You don’t need to cater to me. All I want is crystal clear expectations…from all of us. Things could get messy fast if we don’t communicate without holding back.”
Palani nodded. “I’ll let go of him, I promise.”
Satisfied, Lidon stepped into the living room, where Enar sat on the couch, talking to Vieno. The difference in his appearance was staggering. Whereas before he’d been pale with sunken cheeks and dark circles around his eyes, he was now glowing in comparison. He was super cute with his dirty blond spikes, his blue eyes that reminded Lidon of the ocean, and his lean body with that amazing plump ass.
He was also sitting way, way too close to Enar, and Lidon’s alpha let out a possessive little growl. It made Vieno look up, and his cheeks stained with an adorable blush as he rose to greet Lidon.
“Hi,” Vieno said with an awkward little wave.
Lidon bit back a smile. The kid had zero flirting game, that much was obvious. Then again, neither had Lidon.
“Hi,” Lidon said back, then extended his hand, just because he wanted to touch him.
Vieno stepped closer to take his hand, and his scent wafted into Lidon’s nose. He frowned. It smelled all wrong. He reeked of sex, but not his own pheromones. No, he smelled like… Lidon grabbed Vieno’s hand and pulled him closer to take a good sniff. His alpha growled again, displeased to detect another man’s presence.
“Did you fuck him before we came?” he asked Palani, his voice rough. His hand was still holding on to Vieno, whose eyes widened.
“This morning. It was our last time, our goodbye,” Palani said, his voice trembling. Lidon never looked at him, but it was easy to spot the deep emotions behind that statement.
Enar sighed. “God, you two really don’t know shit, do you? Lidon’s alpha will never accept Vieno if he smells like another man, not even if it’s a beta.”
“We didn’t know!” Palani’s voice rose, both in volume and in pitch. “Please, don’t let my mistake ruin it for Vieno. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…encroach on your territory.”
Again, the lengths to which this stubborn beta was willing to go for his lover astounded Lidon. Still, it didn’t solve the problem. Even though he felt the attraction to Vieno, the connection they’d experienced before, his alpha wanted nothing to do with him while he smelled like Palani. If he wanted to consider this whole marriage thing, he’d have to first erase that scent.
“I need a few minutes alone with Vieno,” he said. To his surprise, he discovered he was still holding his hand. Even more surprising, Vieno had made no move to pull it back. “In the b
edroom,” he added.
Vieno bit his lip, then nodded. “Okay.”
Lidon wasn’t sure where the self-control was coming from Palani was displaying when he didn’t say a word, but it was impressive. Lidon led Vieno into his bedroom, closing the door behind them. Inside him, his instincts battled. One half of him was angered by the other man’s smell on Vieno, but the other half still wanted him.
“You can fuck me, if you want,” Vieno said, his voice soft but steady.
“Because you think it will make me want to marry you or because you truly want me to?”
Vieno cocked his head. “Both.” His cheeks grew red again. “I really liked it when we…last time, I mean.”
He couldn’t have known, not with his limited experience, but it was exactly the right thing to say to appease Lidon’s alpha. And the fact that he didn’t know that, that it was pure honesty and not some convoluted attempt at influencing him, meant more than Lidon could express.
“I can’t right now. We have things to talk about, and once I’d start I wouldn’t be able to stop for a while. But I do need to erase Palani’s scent off you.”
Vieno nodded.
“Strip,” Lidon told him, as he started working on his own clothes at the same time. “Did he fuck you here? Or in his room?”
“His room. And I already washed the sheets.”
“Good. I need you to smell like me, at least while I consider your…proposal.”
Vieno had stripped naked, standing somewhat shyly before Lidon. The sight of that tight body, that gorgeous smooth skin…and oh heavens, that ass. That plump, bouncy ass that jiggled so perfectly when he buried his cock deep inside him. Lidon’s cock stood hard at the mere thought, eager to erase all smells of another man.
Still, words needed to be said. Important words. “This doesn’t mean I say yes,” he warned Vieno.
“I know. I’m sorry for sleeping with Palani. It won’t ever happen again. I would never cheat on you.”
He said it with such earnest conviction, Lidon had no doubt about the veracity of his statement. His alpha approved, too. Then again, he’d never thought Rodrick would betray him either, and look how that had turned out. He shouldn’t compare them, though. Vieno wasn’t like his ex in any way. Hell, he’d bet all his money Vieno couldn’t even lie if he had to. You could read the truth off his face like a book.