by D. J. Heart
Evan’s Alphas
By D.J. Heart
2015 Copyright © by D.J. Heart
Sign up to be notified of new releases from D.J. Heart!
D.J. Heart - New Releases Mailing List
Chad leans against the wall, arms crossed, watching as Evan gets more and more frustrated. The omega is struggling with the zipper on his coat, a look of intense concentration on his face.
“You need a hand with that?”
Evan makes a little grimace, and Chad laughs. They’re actually in a hurry, but Chad is having way too much fun watching Evan be adorable to rush him.
“Nope,” Evan says, not looking up. He finally slides the zipper into place, pulling it all the way up to his throat with a look of triumph on his face.
“Great.” Chad grins, pushing off the wall and pulling on his gloves. “Are you ready to leave?”
Evan nods, moving ahead of Chad and exiting the apartment. They walk to the elevator, Chad’s hand on Evan’s neck, Evan leaning back into the touch with a subtle tilt of his head. Chad massages Evan’s neck, making him groan in pleasure. Chad’s cock gives a little twitch, which he ignores. They don’t have time for fun right now.
Peter left for work just minutes earlier, and the smell of his cologne still lingers in the elevator. Chad takes a deep breath, savoring the scent. It does nothing to help the state of his cock.
“Are there going to be omegas there?” Evan asks, sounding a little nervous. Chad squeezes his neck to reassure him, pulling the boy into his body and laying a kiss on the top of his head. Evan relaxes, molding to Chad’s front, feeling safe in his arms.
That Evan still feels this way, even after everything that happened, means the world to Chad. If Evan never trusted Chad to keep him safe again, Chad wouldn’t blame him.
“There might be some,” Chad answers, the elevator coming to a stop in the basement level. “Do you want to stay home after all? You could work on your assignment, have some peace and quiet for a change. It might be nice to get a break from me and Peter.”
Evan hasn’t been alone since he was rescued from the omega house. He’s either at school with his bodyguard, at work with Peter, or following Chad around as Chad works on rehabilitating the omegas he and Peter inherited from Richard Cruz. It’s a little worrying, but Chad would be lying if he said there wasn’t a part of him that liked the clinginess.
“No, I want to come. I hope they have something that can help Trick and the others. Do you think Dawn is right? That the Omega Research Center can help us?”
Chad grimaces. It’s not that the Omega Research Center can’t help them, it’s that they might not want to. The ORC is a very conservative organization, and there’s no guarantee that they’ll be interested in helping to rehabilitate omegas. That they’ve even agreed to see Chad is, frankly, something of a surprise.
“I’m hoping they’ll want to,” Chad says, opening the passenger side door of his new car for Evan, waiting until he’s seated before going around and getting behind the wheel.
“Me too,” Evan says, eyes distant.
Chad pulls out of the garage, not saying anything. Evan is quiet, staring out the window, and Chad knows from experience not to try to make him talk. Evan needs time to process his thoughts, and he’ll let Chad know when he feels like saying something.
They reach the Omega Research Center in less than fifteen minutes, parking in the small visitor’s parking lot. Chad takes Evan’s hand in his, and marvels for the millionth time at how small Evan is compared to him and Peter. How vulnerable. If Chad wanted to, he could crush Evan’s hand without even trying.
Rather than make him feel powerful, all Chad feels is the weight of responsibility. It’s his job to make sure Evan is safe, and he won’t fail him again.
“This is a nice building,” Evan says when they reach the entrance. The Omega Research Center is in a modern building, all glass and steel, and as they step through the large glass doors their feet hit polished marble.
“Yeah. They have a big budget,” Chad says, not quite able to hide his distaste. The ORC studies omegas with the goal of making them more profitable and last longer without an alpha, to make them more obedient… Chad hates them.
They walk up to reception, with Evan pressing himself into Chad’s side. The woman sitting behind the desk, an older beta with gray hair pulled back from her face, smiles warmly at Chad. “Welcome to the Omega Research Center, how can I help you?”
“Hi, I’m Chad Brand. I have an appointment with Nigel James.” Chad pulls Evan a little closer, regretting his decision to let him come. He knows that they won’t see anything disturbing—the actual experimentation going on in the labs—but Chad doesn’t like exposing Evan to these people.
“One moment, please,” the woman says, picking up a phone and making a quick call confirming Chad’s appointment.
“Mr. James is waiting for you on the second floor, Mr. Brand. The stairs and elevator are right through there.” The beta points towards the staircase.
“Thank you,” Chad says, pulling Evan along with him.
“Stairs?” he asks, grinning down at Evan. Evan grins back, nodding. For the past week they’ve been racing each other up the stairs in their building, all the way up to the penthouse, and though one floor can’t compare to that, it will still be fun.
“Ready, set, go!” Chad says, letting Evan take the lead before running up after him. Not only is chasing Evan fun for both of them, letting Evan take the lead gives Chad a great view of his omega’s pert little ass.
“You always let me win,” Evan complains when Chad catches up with him on the top of the stairs.
“You’re getting faster, though. And I like chasing you,” Chad says, pulling Evan in for a quick kiss, startling Evan into a gasp. The sound has Chad’s knot fattening up, a low growl rumbling in his chest.
Evan leans into Chad’s body, angling his face up for another kiss, and Chad is about to give it to him when Evan freezes.
“What?” Chad asks.
“There’s an alpha watching us,” Evan says, sounding a little nervous.
Chad turns around, and sure enough, an older alpha is watching him from the other side of the glass door leading out of the stairway. Chad feels a jolt of unease that he hadn’t noticed the alpha’s presence, but then he decides to not fret about it. At least not until he’s lying in bed that night, cursing himself for his inattentiveness and for being a shitty alpha.
“Come on. That must be Nigel James,” he says, taking Evan’s hand and leading him through the glass doors.
“Mr. Brand?” the alpha asks, sounding perfectly polite. He’s about an inch shorter than Chad, and not nearly as muscled. Chad could take him, easily.
“That’s me. Nigel James?”
“Very pleased to meet you,” Nigel says, holding out his hand. Chad shakes it, not surprised when Nigel ignores Evan as though he doesn’t exist. “If you would like to come into my office?”
“Thank you,” Chad says, following Nigel down an airy hallway. The walls are decorated with modern art, all red lines and splotches, reminding Chad of fresh blood. It’s disturbing.
“Here we are,” Nigel says, opening the door to his office and holding it open for Chad and Evan. Chad moves in, Evan right behind him, stopping the minute he sees what sits in the corner of Nigel’s office.
It’s a cage, big enough for a medium-sized dog, and crammed inside is an omega. The omega looks old, maybe pushing forty, and he’s curled up in a tight ball with his head tucked into his arms. Evan hasn’t seen him yet, and Chad has no intention of letting him.
“One minute,” he says, pushing Evan back into the hallway. Nigel looks confused.
“Is there something wrong?” Nigel asks, peeking into the office and findi
ng nothing amiss.
“Could we do this in a conference room?” Chad asks, glancing at Evan. The omega looks just as confused as Nigel.
“Er, I’m sorry. No. I can see if one of the labs is available?” Nigel asks, still polite as ever.
“No, thank you. I think I'll just…” Chad isn’t sure what he wants to do. There’s no way he’s letting Evan see the caged omega, but he can’t very well leave Evan by himself. Can he? “I just need to make a quick trip back to my car. I’ll be back in five minutes.”
Chad doesn’t wait for an answer, pulling Evan after him down the stairs and through the lobby, the beta receptionist tracking their progress as they cross the lobby with a curious tilt of her head.
“What are we doing?” Evan asks when they get outside. Chad doesn’t answer right away, opening the door to the back seat of his car and pushing Evan gently inside.
“Are we leaving?” Evan asks, sounding dismayed.
“I need you to just wait in the car, okay? You can listen to the radio—”
“What?” Evan interrupts, pushing out of his seat and trying to get out. Chad stops him, blocking the door with his body, splaying his hand wide over Evan’s chest and pushing him back.
“I’m sorry. I’ll be fast,” Chad says, closing the door and locking it. The Mercedes, a Christmas present from Peter, comes with all the latest bells and whistles, including top-notch security and childproof locks. Evan will be perfectly safe.
“I’ll be right back,” he says, speaking loudly so that Evan will be able to hear him through the closed window. Evan bangs on the glass, looking furious.
He’ll get over it.
“Right back,” Chad mouths, moving backwards before turning around and jogging back into the building. He makes it up the stairs, meeting Nigel by the alpha’s office.
“Sorry about that,” he says, offering no explanation for his behavior. Nigel doesn’t comment on the lack of an omega by Chad’s side.
“No problem. If you’d like to come inside?”
Chad does, following Nigel into the office, the other alpha directing him toward a pair of chairs by the window. Chad sits down, ignoring the caged omega behind him. There’s nothing he can do for him, and since the scent of heat is nowhere to be found, the omega is probably better off than most who come into this building.
“Thank you for seeing me,” Chad says, leaning back into the chair and crossing his legs. Nigel mirrors his posture, smiling ruefully.
“Well, your mate was very… firm when he requested that I take your call. Not a man I’m keen on antagonizing.”
Chad smiles and nods, thrown. He had no idea Peter had—what? threatened?—the ORC into seeing him. Chad has a feeling that Peter never intended him to find out.
It’s good. Peter hasn’t complained about Chad’s new mission in life—working for the omega rights movement—even though it could cost him both clients and prestige, but neither has he lent any support to the cause beyond assigning Dawn to assist him. That Peter is willing to go to bat for Chad, even behind the scenes, means a lot to him.
“Peter is used to getting what he wants,” Chad says, wondering if he should find a way to mention Peter’s past as a ruthless mercenary while he’s at it.
“I understand from our phone call that you are interested in our heat suppressant,” Nigel says, looking uncomfortable as he changes the topic away from Peter.
“Yes,” Chad says, nodding and leaning forward. “From what I’ve read in your reports, the y66 version you tested last year is exactly what I’m looking for. I understand you still have a substantial amount of the drug in storage. I was hoping you would let me buy it.”
Nigel blinks, eyes a little wide as he lifts his fingers to the bridge of his nose, squeezing down. “My reports? How did you get those? And how do you know that we have the drug in storage?”
Chad is caught off-guard again. He’d assumed the info Dawn had given him was freely available, but from Nigel’s reaction, Chad is not supposed to have it.
“I have a very good research team,” Chad says, keeping it vague. Nigel’s frown doesn’t let up.
“Well. I’m not sure how much help I can be. If you’ve really read over my reports, you should know that the clinical trial was a failure.”
Chad makes a face, shaking his head. “They were a failure in terms of your objectives. For what I’m trying to do, they should work just fine.”
Nigel squirms. “I’m not sure the ORC wants to be affiliated with what you’re trying to do. We have a number of donors who would see it as a personal affront should we—”
“I would worry more about Peter, if I were you,” Chad interrupts. “He’ll take it personally if you deny him what he wants.”
Nigel pales, and Chad hopes Peter won’t mind that he’s using his name like this.
“There is precedent,” Nigel says after a few seconds, “of manufacturing pharmaceutical products for an unknown party, paid for by an intermediary. I might be able to help you, as long as the ORC is able to maintain that it does not know about or condone what you do with the product you purchase.”
Chad grins. He’ll take it. He doesn’t need the ORC to stand publicly at his side, as long as they privately give him what he needs.
“That would work,” Chad says. “I’ll have my colleague get in touch with you regarding the details.”
After that, it’s clear that Nigel wants Chad out of his office as soon as possible, and Chad doesn’t mind obliging him. Shaking Nigel’s hand, Chad takes his leave. He doesn’t look at the cage or the omega inside of it on the way out.
***
Evan is furious. He’s been left in the car like a fucking dog. After checking the door to make sure it really is locked, he pulls his knees up to his chest and wraps his arms around his legs, just waiting for Chad to come back.
The car is quiet, and the longer Evan sits there, the less he likes it. He keeps his eyes away from the windows, looking down, half convinced that if he looks up there will be a strange alpha just standing there, wanting to take him away.
Evan knows that it’s crazy, but he can’t help the sneaking fear. It weighs him down whenever he’s alone, eating at him. It’s fine when he’s with Peter or Chad, or even with his new bodyguard, Mark, but as soon as he’s by himself, he feels unsafe.
Evan hates it. Hates how weak he feels. How incapable he is of protecting himself.
When the car door opens, Evan startles so bad he almost falls off the seat.
“Are you okay?” Chad asks, eyebrows lifted in surprise. Evan nods, turning his head away from Chad.
“Okay,” Chad says, reaching in and giving Evan’s arm a squeeze. “Are you ready to go home?”
Evan nods again, letting his angry silence do the talking for him. Chad sighs.
“I’m sorry you couldn’t sit in on the meeting, but there was no helping it. Please don’t sulk.”
If Chad thinks that asking Evan not to sulk is going to improve his mood, the alpha has another thing coming.
“Are you going to come sit up front with me?” Chad asks, apparently waiting for Evan to get out of the back seat. Evan shakes his head and fastens his seatbelt, shooting a rebellious glare in Chad’s direction.
“Fine. We’ll talk about it when we get home,” Chad says, closing the door and getting behind the wheel.
“The ORC is going to sell us the heat suppressants, by the way,” Chad says when they’re on the road. Evan blinks, suddenly ashamed for not even having asked how the meeting went.
“They are?” he asks, still furious with Chad, but wanting to know how soon they can start helping Trick and the other omegas.
“Yes. Apparently Peter is putting pressure on them to work with us. I don’t know what he said to them, but Nigel James seemed pretty intimidated.”
Evan grins, a warm and fuzzy feeling in his stomach. “Peter can be scary,” he says, a little shudder running down his spine at the thought of Peter in full-on alpha mode, brimming with dominan
t energy, demanding submission from everyone around him.
“Terrifying,” Chad agrees, grinning at Evan through the rearview mirror.
“Why did I have to wait in the car?” Evan asks, wanting to give Chad a chance to explain himself. He doesn’t like being mad at his alpha.
“He had something in his office I didn’t want you to see,” Chad says, the grin dropping from his face.
“What was it?” Evan asks, curious.
“Don’t worry about it,okay?” Chad says, not really asking.
“Was it something—”
“I told you not to worry about it,” Chad interrupts, voice hard. Evan’s jaw clamps shut. He feels humiliated. Blushing hot, Evan clenches his fists and looks down at his lap.
