“Honey, I am here.” Ryder waltzed into the private restaurant room. He planted a wet kiss on a startled Axel. The poor guy pushed his friend away and wiped his forehead. Ryder pouted and clasped his chest. “Awe, baby, you’re breaking my heart. Didn’t you miss me?”
Axel ignored him. Ryder never lost his beam until he looked at me. He leaned into Axel. “What’s wrong with him?”
“Tyrith visited the office today,” Axel answered, not bothering to whisper.
Ryder’s lips took on an oval shape. The waitress entered the room. Ryder peered up at her with a smile. “Sally, my boyfriend had a terrible day at the office. I want him to feel better. Can you get us the best dessert on the menu?”
Red spread throughout the blonde’s cheek. “Yes, sir.” The female retreated without acknowledging the rest of us. Beta or not, they all groveled at Ryder’s feet. His carefree personality made things worse. People wanted to feel good about themselves and Ryder was the guy to make that happen. I was sure the blonde never realized he said ‘boyfriend’. They heard what they wanted to. Not what was actually said.
Axel rolled his eyes and freed his face of his mask. Ryder rested his head on Axel’s shoulder. Axel never rebutted but got comfortable. I smiled at the two men. Ever since Ryder found out Axel could tolerate his pheromone, he never hesitated to mess with him. Axel fought back on most of those cases. Their bond got thicker with time.
I would be lying if I said Ryder’s fresh ocean breeze scent didn’t affect me as well. Unlike most dominant Alphas, his scent was tranquilizing. It never came as a shock when Axel confessed that he liked Ryder’s scent. Now whenever the two were in the same room, Ryder would release his pheromones. It helped to keep Axel calm and terminate my pheromones.
Born to betas, Axel’s first physical examination stated he was also beta. It was not until his second exam that he manifested into an alpha. A rare case. Like the rest of his family. Never in history has two betas produced three alpha sons. Axel’s two younger brothers were dominants. Despite the historical phenomenon, Axel grew a flaw. He could not tolerate any pheromones at all. Hence, the burden of the mask.
The waitress returned with dessert and exited the room. No one touched their Tiramisu.
Axel was the first to speak. “Lucian pulled out of bidding for the hospital. I am not sure who tipped off the media about the sale of the hospital or why it is being sold in the first place. But Tyrith came to Lucian for help.”
Lucian admired his Tiramisu. “You don’t say. I guess even the best of us can swallow our pride to get what we want.”
“Right. Lucian made a deal with him.”
“Really?”
“Yep. Once Tyrith signs the contract tomorrow, he is bound to Lucian for six months.”
Ryder’s eyes widened. Mischief twinkled his candy red irises. “Oh.”
“It’s nothing sexual,” I defended myself. “I said that to get him off my back, but then he agreed.”
“Right,” Ryder drawled. “So, you’re going to go through it.
I had to. I didn’t want that omega around me, but there was no way I was going back on my word. If anyone should back down, it would be him. Besides, purchasing this hospital would make him in debt to me. I knew my actions were petty, but the sight of that omega pissed me off. Walking with his head in the fucking clouds like he was better than everyone else. I wanted to ruin him. Needed it.
“What Lucian never told Tyrith was he planned to buy the hospital even if he did not ask.” Axel went on as if I wasn’t sitting adjacent to him. “He pulled out his offer to research how the hospital got on the market in the first place. He has been anonymously donating to that hospital for years. There is no way the hospital could be in a budgetary crisis.”
Ryder dug into his dessert. “Is that so?” His pheromones shifted from soothing to agitating.
Axel narrowed his eyes at him. Before I could ask what was going on, the waitress returned with a bottle of champagne and our dinners. The room grew silent until she left.
Ryder’s scent returned to normal. “So, what next? What does this plan entail?”
I had no idea. “We will see.”
Who cared about detailed plan? I had Tyrith in my palms. He would pay for making me feel this way. That smile he often wore should transform into sadness. I wanted to see him broken. It was the only way to get the sensation of devouring him out of my system.
Ryder hummed, paying more attention to his food. “Does this mean we can have celebratory drinks?”
Drinks?
“What about your girlfriend?” Axel sipped his champagne. “She wouldn’t want you to neglect her.”
“We broke up,” he said without taking his eyes from his plate.
“What? Didn’t you just start dating?”
Ryder scoffed. “You sound like my dad.”
I poured more champagne in my glass. I didn’t know why Axel was this shocked. Ryder fell in love easily. He believed in happy-ever-afters, soul mates, and any other crap centered around romance. Despite his beliefs, his relationships never lasted long. He had a knack for falling in love with the wrong people. They liked his spontaneous and jovial spirit. Enjoyed the money he wasted on them. Pretended to care when he showered them with complements. Loved the spotlight he gave them with his position and beauty. At the end of the day, they never cared for the person Ryder was. In the end, they left him heartbroken. Time and time again.
He would drink, get drunk, sleep with the nearest person, and start another hunt for romance. It was sickening. He never learned. Over and over again he fell in love, got his heartbroken, and got back up for another torture. I swore if I could ban him from dating, I would.
“Well, the Attorney General is right,” Axel retorted. “You can’t keep this up. I don’t know how this hasn’t made you bitter. If you keep letting people destroy your heart, then one day, you aren’t going to have any. It will be in pieces when you do meet your soulmate, as you call it.”
Ryder relaxed in the seat. “I can’t give up. Even if I fall, I can’t let because of the pain, I stay down. I have to get back up. After I have my mate, then I will look back and say it was all worth it.”
Axel looked to me for help. I gulped down my drink. It was no use. Ryder made up his mind years ago. Nothing I say could change him. His parents already broke him. There was no fixing something that was unrepairable. Glasses shattered. Board broke. No matter how much we tried to fix them, the cracks remained. Scars lingered. There was nothing we could do but live with it.
I settled my glass down. “I can call someone who might be available to help you get rid of the pain from the breakup.”
Axel’s eyes bulged.
Ryder nodded. “I guess, I’ll be skipping drinks, then.”
Axel back from his chair. The legs cried as he raked them against the floor. “I’m going to the restroom.”
“Someone is pissed.” Ryder watched his friend disappear out of the room. “You are going to pay for it later.”
I could handle Axel. His rage never lasted long. It was not like he could ever win against me. He didn’t even have pheromones. An alpha who has never experienced rut. He was typically still a beta who can smell pheromones. He knew better than to try something he could not handle.
“Axel is right, you know.” I pushed my plate to the side of the table. “You can’t keep this up. I will be on your side now, but things can change next time. Don’t be so careless. It’s annoying.”
“I know. It’s even more frustrating for me. I can’t give up. If I do, it would be like spitting in my mother’s face. I can’t…”
I blew out a long breath. “I know. Still, she wouldn’t want to see you like this. Remember that the next time you think you are in love.”
She thought she was in love with his dad and looked where it got her. Six feet under with no one by her side. No one loved her but her son. I was not going to let Ryder follow in her footsteps. Not over my living body.
Axel returned with Jaxon on his heels. Ryder brightened. The brothers nestled at the table.
Ryder jumped into teasing the young alpha. “So, Jaxon, you still single?”
My heartbeat pounded in my temples. I peeked at Odessa to check if she heard it. Her silence forced me to return my attention to the elevator doors. A ding sounded and the doors opened. I blew out a long breath. The bodyguard from the previous day greeted us with a scrutinizing look. I swore these alphas needed some manners.I brushed past him and down the hall. Voices traveled to us.Jaxon’s grunt floated in the air. “Stop treating him like a child. He’s an adult. If you spoil him anymore, he’ll get out of control.”“Jaxon is just jealous,” a masculine voice teased.Axel’s voice came alive. “You two, stop that. I’m at work.” The tenderness in his tone reminded me of a parent.“Then, tell him to get lost,” Jaxon whined. I chuckled at the sound. Jaxon often came across as a stringent child. To hear him whine came as a shock. “First, he stays at your place, eats your shit, uses your stuff, and now he shows up at your work unannounced. I’m going to call dad.”The small group of men came
Sex.Could you be any more of an idiot, Tyrith? Of all the things, you had to say sex. And in front of Lucian. He was going to think I liked him. God, I wanted to die. How could such a word leave my mouth? Sure, it had been a while since I indulged in such acts. I spent my heat cycle locked in my apartment. My life was fine without sex. At least, I thought so, but to say such a thing. Such abomination. Lucian remained silent, evoking more nervousness. I licked my dry lips. Lucian abandoned his chair. I glanced at the door, calculating the time it would take for me to get to it. Lucian got involved in sports back in college. Judging by his muscular build, he worked out. Me, well, the only exercise I did was run up a few steps a day or rush a patient to the operating room. Nothing too serious.Even if I ran, my escape was not guaranteed. My body went under the previous stress of enduring two dominant alpha’s pheromones. If Lucian released his, I would collapse. If I was not a supreme,
Ryder eased past me to pour himself a glass of whiskey. He gave me the glass and plopped down in my chair. “Should I tell Axel to cancel the rest of your meetings?” He propped up his foot on my desk. “You don’t look like you are in any mood to continue working.”I downed the whiskey with one gulp. “Shut up.”A mischievous smirk slanted his lips. I told Axel not to spy on me in my office. His excuse was to ensure I was always okay. I should have made more fuss about him gaining access to the camera in my office. No doubt he and Ryder were watching.Ryder of all people should not have seen that. I didn’t want to give him any ideas. Things Axel ignored Ryder picked up on. He would often set me up on one date or the other. It was hard to tell what went on in that unstable head of his.I slammed the empty glass on the table and dropped on the couch next to the liquor shelf. This was my fault. I should have reacted differently. It was foolish of me to react to such tedious things. Who cared
Picking up a random alpha at a club was one of my specialties. Once they saw my face or smelt my scent, they were hooked. It was easy for me to seduce this guy. Tall. Sweet. Jovial. Carefree. The opposite of Lucian. He never hesitated when I mentioned my hotel room. Within five minutes we were at the hotel.We made it to the elevator before it closed. The doors reopened and the last person I expected to see perched in the corner with a redhead. I froze for a second too long. A part of me wanted to let the elevator go without us. We could ride the next one. However, my one-night partner boarded the damn thing.I cursed at him and joined him on the ride. Lucian stood behind us. The fact sent my heart pumping against my ribcage. I wished his face were visible. The girl next to him could not have been his girlfriend. I doubt he knew the word relationship. That girl had to be some sort of fling. No scent came from her. Beta. Of course. He wouldn’t dare to touch an omega.The thought irrita
I should have seen this coming. I was the one who signed that contract. He had all rights to prevent me from sleeping around. There was nothing I could do about him. Like an idiot, I allowed him to toy with my head. Like a typical Omega. I bet he was laughing behind my back.I hissed and stomped back up the stairs. Lucian might have won this round, but he would never again.***“Morning, sir,” Odessa presented a cup of coffee. “It’s cappuccino.”I clasped the warm cup and sipped. Cappuccino was my rewarding coffee after a victory. Odessa must have thought I would be in the mood to celebrate. Why wouldn’t she? She booked me a hotel room and expected me to use it to the fullest capacity. It was a pity things went bad.After Lucian left, I never got a wink of sleep. The bed became too large and the suite too quiet. I spent the night finishing paperwork. A sad night for an omega like me. A damn pity indeed. “You look well, sir,” Odessa lied. “Did you have a good night?”“No,” I grumbled.
With Franklin’s help, I was able to get through my surgeries with my brain in tack. On days when my schedule was filled with surgeries, it would leave my body worn out. Not with Franklin present. He helped in every way he could. The students and patients loved him. I could not blame them. Franklin was an alpha with kind qualities and an adorable face. Plus, he was a doctor. Every omega craved for a dependable alpha that would take care of them. Franklin was just that. Back in medical school, he was the life of the school. Everyone looked up to him. Some, if not all alphas, wanted to be him. The alpha to get all praises and omegas attention. Of course, Franklin never cared about such trivial things. He kept his head in books up until graduation. A book nerd was not the right word to describe him. He knew how to have fun and he was always the life of the party. However, he knew how to prioritize his time. His studies came first, and partying lingered in second. He was the one who taugh
“Afternoon,” I greeted Jaxon, holding out my box of muffins. “It’s blueberry muffins.”He accepted the treat and passed me the folders in his hand. Without wasting much time, he bit into one of the delights. His eyes widened as a bit of the creamy filling smudged the side of his mouth. I grabbed a napkin and wiped the spot. He shifted, squinting. A reaction he never got rid of as an adult.“Where’s boss man?” He stuffed the rest of the muffin in his mouth.“At a meeting. His schedule today doesn’t warrant him being in the office.” I tossed the tissue in the bin and went back to the folders. “Did you eat lunch?” Jaxon’s silence provided the answer. He did not. I sighed and pulled out my extra lunch from the drawer.Jaxon had a habit of skipping lunch. He often got immersed in work and neglected himself. Something he inherited from our father. This was why I didn’t mind when he asked to work for me. The Security Company we shared did well because of him. As Lucian’s assistant, I never h
Axel’s call was the last thing I expected. A date with Lucian. I didn’t know what to expect. One thing was for sure. This was a date. Axel made that fact clear. This gave me a chance to show Lucian how amazing omegas were. Axel did say I could do whatever I wanted on this date. Lucian made plans for reservations at seven. Half an hour of eating left us with a lot of spare time. I made sure to pack those free hours with real date stuff.I glanced at my jewelry collection, contemplating if my lace-up denim ribbon choker was too much. It did match my denim shirt. The elbow-length sleeves would shelter me from excess cold. My black jeans stretched no matter where I turned. Perfect for the date I had planned. Yet, my heart raced at the thought of Lucian disapproving of my outfit. It was not like I could look less feminine. It was in my blood. I was a supreme dominant omega. From my voice down to my physique portrayed femineity.Once back in high school, I tried to act masculine. It never w