by Nora Phoenix
“I know.”
The calm answer surprised Palani.
Enar sighed. “Why do you think I try to help omegas as much as I can? I’m well aware they have few options.”
“Try none,” Palani said but without venom.
“I’m familiar with the injustice, Palani, trust me, maybe even more than you. I’ve seen heartbreaking shit over the years.”
“It’s so unfair, you know? Some of it may be biology, and that sucks, but the rest is rules and norms and laws, and they suck even worse.”
“Wanna tell me what happened to Vieno three years ago?”
Palani swallowed. He’d known Enar would ask at some point, but it was still the hardest thing for him to talk about. “His parents had arranged an alpha match for Vieno, the middle son of a befriended family. He was the only alpha in his family, and they pressured on him to start a family, since he was the heir apparent for his wealthy grandfather. He was a major asshole, but that didn't matter to Vieno’s parents. Neither did the fact that Vieno didn’t want this match. Then his first heat started, weeks before the wedding. They didn’t want to move it up, but neither did Aloysius, his alpha, want to risk Vieno getting pregnant already. So he agreed to fuck with a condom.”
He clenched his fists as memories assaulted him. Vieno had been a wreck, physically and emotionally. It had taken a year before he’d somewhat resembled his old self again, but he’d never gotten the gleam in his eye back, that happy twinkle he used to have.
“And then the gene manifested itself…” Enar guessed.
“Yeah. Vieno told me what he could remember, and his alpha was quite…detailed when he broke off their engagement. He called Vieno a slut and a whore…” He swallowed, struggling to keep his composure. “Said there was no way he’d been a virgin, not with how wanton he’d been, how vocal and desperate. He’d brought in two of his friends, since he’d concluded Vieno had fucked around anyway. They took turns. Vieno was…”
He wiped away an angry tear that had escaped.
“Raped,” Enar said, anger simmering in his voice. “They raped Vieno.”
“Not according to Aloysius or his friends. They claimed Vieno had begged them to fuck him.” Palani couldn’t keep the bitterness out of his voice.
“Sure, in the throes of his heat, made worse by the Melloni gene, at a point when he wasn’t able to give consent anymore.”
Palani pushed out a slow breath, relieved and comforted by Enar’s passionate words. The fact that an alpha defended Vieno meant more than Palani had expected.
“Aloysius broke off the engagement and blamed Vieno to anyone who would listen. They shattered Vieno’s reputation. No one wanted him anymore. Plus, he refused to even come out of his room, too traumatized. After a few months of that, his parents disowned him, and he moved in with me.”
Enar’s eyebrows raised. “His parents approved that?”
“They disowned him, literally. Filed a court petition and everything. They pretend he doesn’t even exist anymore. His sister sneaks over every now and then to see him, but he hasn’t seen his parents since he moved in with me.”
“And you’ve helped him with his heats ever since.”
“Yeah. As best I could.”
Enar stayed silent for a little bit. “That can’t be easy for you.”
“What do you mean?”
Enar leaned forward, his blue eyes focused on Palani. “His behavior during heat hasn’t changed from that first time, I assume, which means he’s still quite desperate. As a beta, you have no means of quenching his thirst, which is an impossible situation for you both, but especially for you.”
Palani broke off eye contact to stare at the floor. “Biology sucks,” he mumbled.
“It does,” Enar confirmed. “But it’s an honorable thing you do, taking care of him when everyone’s deserted him.”
“I love him,” Palani said, then clamped his mouth shut. Why was he telling all this to a virtual stranger? He’d never said those words out loud, not even to Vieno himself. Not in the way he meant it and felt it, as way more than mere friends. There was no sense, since they could never be together. Vieno deserved an alpha who could meet his needs, truly fulfill him.
“Are you alpha compelling me?” he asked, suspicious.
“No, I promise. I rarely use it, only when I have to calm patients down.”
“Why? It seems like a mighty handy thing to have.”
“I hate it. How can you ever trust anything anyone says when you know you have the ability to make them say it? How would you know you didn’t accidentally compel them, even just a little?”
Huh, he’d never looked at it that way, but that made sense. His first thought had been that Enar was using his alpha powers to make Palani share his feelings about Vieno. It had triggered his suspicions, and he wouldn’t be the only one. The constant mistrust from betas and omegas had to be hard for alphas to deal with.
“Other alphas can’t compel you, right?” he asked. That’s what they had learned in school in biology, but he might as well check. He’d been taught more that turned out to be absolute bullshit.
Enar hesitated for a second. “Usually not.”
“That’s an interesting answer. That means you're aware of cases or circumstances where it’s possible.”
Another slight delay before Enar responded. “In certain situations, it’s possible for one alpha to influence another. It’s rare, but it can happen.”
A loud cry from the bedroom startled Palani. Vieno, shouting out Lidon’s name with abandonment. Palani cursed his walls, which were so fucking thin he could even detect the passion and lust in his friend’s voice.
“I’m sorry.”
Palani looked up at Enar. “For what?”
“For having to listen in while another man fucks your omega.”
“He’s not mine,” Palani said automatically, as he had done million times before when people remarked on his friendship with Vieno.
“Yes, he is. Not in the traditional way, but he is yours. And I’m sorry for all this. You can leave, and I’ll stay here to keep an eye on them.”
Palani’s jaw set. “I’m not leaving him. Not ever again.”
Enar sent him a smile. “I didn’t think you would, but I wanted to offer just in case.”
“You can nap for a bit,” Palani suggested. “I’ll stay awake.”
Enar shook his head. “I couldn’t sleep right now if I tried. Not even with all the suppressants in my system. I’m too jacked up.”
Yeah, Palani recognized that feeling. His cock had been hard for hours, relentless in its urges to fuck. Or be fucked. God, he hadn’t been fucked in ages, what with Vieno being a bottom-only. He craved a good pounding, anything to get these hormones out of his system. Maybe he could ask Enar?
He stilled at the unexpected thought. Where had that come from? Ever since Vieno had moved in, Palani had been faithful to him, even if they didn’t have sex in between heats. He made do with a variety of toys, which wasn’t ideal, but he refused to betray Vieno. Their relationship was complicated as fuck, but they were still together. Vieno might need an alpha right now, but that didn’t mean Palani could abuse that need for his own pleasure and have Enar fuck him, no matter how much he wanted him to.
“Palani, I hate to say this, but you need to excuse yourself and jack off because the pheromones you’re throwing off are getting too much for me in combination with what Vieno is still emitting. Even with the suppressants, I’m at the end of my self-control,” Enar said quietly. His voice was steady and calm, and yet Palani detected the shimmer underneath, the tiny slivers that betrayed the man’s state.
“Sorry. I wasn’t aware,” he said, his cheeks growing warm. He got up from the couch.
“I know. But…please, go.”
He didn’t spare Enar another look as he hurried into his bedroom. His cock was in his hands even before the door closed, and his first orgasm didn’t take more than ten seconds.
He leaned against t
he door, panting, when sounds from the living room drifted in. It seemed Enar had taken matters into his own hands as well. Literally.
Palani sighed, then kicked off his pants and underwear and went to work on round two.
6
In general, Enar couldn’t appreciate being an alpha, but today was exceptionally sucky in that aspect. How could he enjoy his alpha status when he was once again presented with the evidence of what brutality some fellow alphas treated omegas with—and get away with? He couldn’t, not when he once again was witness to the devastating consequences of said brutality. And not when he had to fight harder than ever before to overrule his biological urges.
God, the compulsion to march into that bedroom and join Lidon for the chance to own Vieno had been so fucking strong. Even with all the meds in his system and his relatively lame-ass alpha urges, it had taken every ounce of willpower. The only thing that had stopped him was the conviction that Lidon was better for Vieno, that the little omega needed the alpha power Lidon brought. Maybe, sometime in the future, he could offer his services to Vieno as well? Nah, that was crazy thinking. He’d never want him, and even if he did, nothing would happen as long as he was Enar’s patient.
Damn, he was aroused, though. The pheromones Palani had been throwing off hadn’t helped either. The man had been horny as all get out, judging by his scent. He was nowhere near as strong or seductive as Vieno, but he still smelled pretty damn good. Fucking biology, all over again.
It was a little better now that Palani had retreated into his bedroom and Enar had jacked off three times in a row. His erection had subsided, and he felt marginally more like himself. Insofar as he ever truly felt like himself anyway.
If he’d known what he was getting into with visiting Vieno, he would’ve made sure to fuck somebody before he came over. He had a few beta fuck buddies he trusted—a solution that worked out well for him for the most part. If it left a part of him unfulfilled, well, that was life for you. No one ever got all they wanted, so this was his cross to bear. He couldn’t complain, not with what he witnessed in true suffering every day. In comparison, his lack of…fulfillment seemed a small price to pay.
He cleaned himself up, wiping off the cum on his hands and stomach with a tissue, then tucked his cock back in and put his shirt back on. As he was in the kitchen, washing his hands, Lidon called out to him from the bedroom. Enar and Palani arrived at the door at the same time, the latter hastening from his own bedroom, his cheeks flushed. Enar didn’t need to guess what the beta had been up to. Damn, the smell of his cum was all over him. He let Palani open the door.
He staggered back as the aroma of sex hit him. Hot damn, it was thick in the air. Lidon was positioned on his back on the bed, Vieno on top of him, with a sheet draped over both of them. Much to Enar’s surprise, Vieno seemed asleep, his cheek resting on Lidon’s broad chest, his face relaxed with his mouth open in a pouty but cute O.
“Are you okay?” Enar asked softly.
“Is Vieno okay?” Palani asked almost at the same time.
Lidon smiled, such a rare occasion Enar almost shook his head in disbelief. “He’s fine. He fell asleep.”
Enar’s face softened. “He’s exhausted.”
“Well, so am I,” Lidon said. He yawned as if on cue.
“Does he have enough hormones and proteins in his system now, you think?” Palani asked Enar.
“That’s more for Lidon to answer, sorry.”
Lidon shook his head. “He’s nowhere near done yet.”
“Can’t you go home, get some sleep, and come back tomorrow so Vieno can sleep a little as well?” Palani asked.
“I would, but I can’t leave. I’m still knotting him.”
“How long?” Enar asked. He’d expected a long knot, considering how depleted Vieno had been.
“Close to an hour now. He fell asleep about ten minutes ago, but it still won’t come down.”
“Don’t force it. It’ll help him. And you too,” Enar advised.
“You can stay here,” Palani said. He tried hard to be casual about it, Enar noted, but his jerky movements betrayed his feelings.
“That means I’m staying too,” Enar said.
Palani nodded. “That’s more than okay. The sofa in the living room is a sleep sofa, so I’ll make you a bed. Do you need anything else?” he asked Lidon, and Enar admired his willingness to set aside his feelings to help his lover. It spoke volumes about his character.
“Food. I need some serious calories when I wake up—and so does Vieno. Something with a lot of carbs and protein.”
“Okay. I’m not the world’s best cook—that would be Vieno—but I can make something when you wake up. Just give me a shout.”
Lidon simply nodded.
Palani bit his lip. “Was he okay? I’m not asking for details, but was it…good for him?”
After hearing about Vieno’s first heat, Enar understood what Palani was really asking, but would Lidon?
“Yeah.” The cop looked down at Vieno, his usually stern face softening. “It was good for us both.”
Palani exhaled audibly. “Thank you,” he said quietly.
“Don’t thank me. Not for something like this. Okay?”
Lidon closed his eyes, halfway asleep before they left the room.
“Is that normal?” Palani asked when they were back in the living room.
“The long knotting, you mean? Not normal, but it happens. Usually when mated partners have been apart for a while, or when the omega is physically struggling. In this case, I think it’s the combination of Vieno’s weakness, his delayed heat symptoms, and the high testosterone levels in Lidon. Their bodies are working it out, taking from each other what they need.”
“Biology.”
It was a simple word, but the way Palani said it held a lot of emotional weight. Enar wanted to respond, but Palani held up his hand. “Don’t. It’s…just don’t, okay?”
With brisk, efficient moves, he folded out the sofa, and five minutes later, a comfortable bed was waiting for Enar.
“You’ll hear them when they call out?” Palani checked.
Enar nodded. “Yes. Even I can’t ignore an alpha’s call.”
Satisfied with that answer, Palani retreated into his own bedroom. Enar stripped down to his boxers and crawled under the covers, his body shaking with exhaustion. He was asleep in seconds.
Enar woke up from soft clinging sounds in the kitchen, then a delicious smell tickling his nose. He rubbed his eyes, then checked his watch. It was almost noon. He jolted into a sitting position. Noon? How the fuck had he slept for so long?
“Sorry, did I wake you?” Palani said from the kitchen.
“It’s okay. What…are Vieno and Lidon okay?”
Palani nodded. “I checked on them twice. The knot went down during sleep. I brought them some yogurt with fresh fruit and granola to tide them over, since I didn’t wanna wake you. They had another round and woke up from a second nap a few minutes ago. Lidon threatened to cook himself if I didn’t make him something substantial, so I’m fixing him eggs and bacon. Even I can’t fuck that up too badly.”
“I’m sorry,” Enar said, getting up from the sofa. “I must’ve been more tired than I thought.”
Palani shrugged as he cracked one egg after another and dropped them into a huge frying pan. “It’s okay. I set my alarm for every two hours to check on them.”
Enar stretched his hands above his head, the vertebrae in his back popping at certain points.
Palani turned his eyes back to the stove. “Would you like coffee?” he asked.
“Fuck, yes. Lidon, too, would be my guess.”
“Oh, trust me, I know. He made his wishes crystal clear.”
Enar was glad to detect humor in Palani’s voice. Lidon was bossy and dominant, even for an alpha, and not everyone appreciated it or handled it well. Then again, he supposed Palani ran into more types like that in his job.
Enar got dressed as Palani created two plates with eggs,
bacon, and toast and put them on a tray, with a cup of coffee for Lidon and an orange juice for Vieno. “Can you hold the door for me?” Palani asked.
“Sure.”
Enar opened it for him, and they walked in before they realized they should have knocked. Lidon was once again on his back on the bed, Vieno on top of him, riding his cock with abandonment. With his head thrown back, his eyes closed, and his face showing pure bliss, it was clear how much he was enjoying this.
Lidon let out a low moan and jerked, holding on to Vieno’s hips with both hands. Vieno collapsed on top of him, and Lidon’s hands came around him with more tenderness than Enar had ever seen in him. “Thank you, sweetheart,” he said. Then he turned his head and noticed Enar and Palani. “Ah, food. Thank fuck. I’m starving.”
Vieno rolled his head sideways and opened his eyes. His pale cheeks from before appeared rosy now, and his eyes were bright and sharp instead of glassed over. He was already doing better.
“Yes, I brought food,” Palani said with a slight quiver in his voice that betrayed his emotions. He set down the tray on the nightstand.
“Palani…” Vieno said, his voice filled with sadness.
Before Enar realized it, Palani reached out for Vieno, probably to caress his head. Lidon growled low and deep, and Palani jerked back. Enar put his hand on Palani’s arm. “You can’t touch Vieno, not while Lidon is still inside him. His alpha won’t allow it. Vieno is his, for now. I’m sorry.”
Palani’s eyes widened, and then his face tightened. He straightened his shoulders, avoiding Enar’s eyes. “I understand. I’ll…I’ll go take a shower.”
Enar’s heart broke a little for him as he watched him leave the room.
Vieno woke up on top of the alpha again, two massive arms holding him, but not too tight. Never too tight. They’d been together for almost forty hours now, and not once had Lidon hurt him despite their staggering difference in size. It was almost funny, the contrast between this mountain of a man with arms as thick as Vieno’s legs and a chest the size of a tree trunk and Vieno’s slender omega body. The only thing round on Vieno was his ass—or so Palani always told him.