by Leta Blake
Jason accepted the serving plate of duck, put several thick pieces on his plate, and sent it on to Yosef.
“If you lend me the recipe, I’ll make it for you, Vale,” he said, stomach tightening. He hoped Vale would accept his offer—as a courting gesture, and as a promise of what he could expect if a contract between them was made.
“Would you?” Vale’s smile crushed every beautiful thing in the world into a glorious, aching ball in Jason’s chest. He was going to break from joy if he wasn’t careful.
“Of course.”
“I’d have made it for you if I’d known,” Rosen said, a disgruntled note in his voice, and his dark brows lowered.
Vale waved his suggestion away, not taking his eyes from Jason, making that beautiful ball in Jason’s chest glow and grow. “You’re a wonderful cook, Rosen. Too good for casseroles.”
“Are you calling your alpha’s skills and tastes plebian?” Urho asked with a laugh in his tone.
“It looks that way,” Vale said, grinning and twinkling at Jason.
Jason smiled back, and as his cheeks and neck grew hot, the ball in his chest exploded in shimmery, screaming joy. He tore his eyes from Vale’s before he did something stupid like shove back his chair, stride over, and kiss his smiling mouth.
Distracting himself, he took a bite of duck and stuffing. The flavors melded perfectly. “This is delicious,” he said to Rosen. “Would you teach me how?”
“Of course. I’d be happy to,” Rosen said warmly.
Yosef sipped his wine and said, “Why don’t you come over to our place one night next week and Rosen can show you a few things? Vale could come over, too. And Urho,” he said, extending the invitation to Urho last, as though he didn’t want to offend him by leaving him out.
Urho shook his head. “Why would Jason want to spend time with us when he could be with alphas his own age? Obviously, Vale’s another matter. But it’s like we discussed the other night: we aren’t of interest to him. It isn’t as though we will be his friends.”
Yosef frowned at Urho, and Vale leaned forward with anger bright in his eyes, but Jason interjected, “It’s okay. I’m sure I can learn by following the recipes if Rosen wouldn’t mind sharing them.”
There was a conversation with eyes between Rosen and Yosef, which Jason refused to acknowledge, returning to his plate. The food didn’t taste quite as good now that he realized none of these men truly anticipated becoming friends with him. But what did he expect? Vale’s friends didn’t want to hang out with a teenager. They didn’t owe him anything.
“I think we should let Jason determine who he’s interested in spending time with,” Vale said icily. “If he wants to know Rosen and Yosef better, I don’t see them refusing his company. They’re the ones who extended the invitation after all. A very kind invitation at that.”
“You can come train with my cook, if you want.” Urho wiped his mouth and ignored Vale’s scolding. “That would be a better use of your time.”
Jason bristled. How had Vale been intimate with an alpha who’d discount his opinion so easily?
Oblivious to Jason’s irritation, Urho lifted his wine and took a large gulp before adding, “He’s worked in my family for years. He was the chef when my pater and father were alive.”
Jason said nothing. Had his invitation to Rosen and Yosef’s house been rescinded? He wasn’t sure and didn’t feel capable of accepting it with so much uncertainty in the air. He desperately wanted more time with Vale and, despite what Urho had said, he did want to make friends with them. Well, with the betas anyway. Urho himself was another issue.
“Ah, yes, your chef is quite good,” Rosen said, nodding with a thoughtful expression. “What’s his name again?”
“Mako,” Urho answered with a self-satisfied smile. He took another sip of wine.
He’d taken up drinking again shortly after Vale had scolded him earlier, and Jason had counted that this was his sixth glass. Despite a loosened tongue, he didn’t seem especially inebriated. In fact, he seemed as sanguine and calm as ever.
“He makes a delicious linguine with clam sauce. I believe he’s going to make it next Friday, Jason, if you want to come over after your classes. He’ll be happy to teach you. Vale enjoys it.”
Vale sighed, irritation bristling him from head to toe, and he narrowed his eyes at Urho as he took another sip of his wine and then slowly chewed a bite of duck.
Urho didn’t seem to notice, though. “Oh, and my housekeeper, Warren, will be happy to show you how to vacuum, dust, and do laundry.” Urho chuckled, his handsome face breaking open with a wide smile at his own joke. “Because I promise Vale has no idea how to do any of it.”
“Pampered Urho with all of his servants,” Yosef teased.
“I manage just fine,” Vale snapped.
“Oh, yes, we all see that.” Rosen gestured toward the door leading from the kitchen out to the rest of the house.
“I cleaned!” Vale’s voice was tight and one dark eyebrow rose archly.
“Indeed, we can tell.”
“Leave him alone,” Jason said, a tone of authority swelling in his voice. “He doesn’t think it’s funny.”
Vale flushed above his beard. “Normally, I don’t mind, but…” His eyes didn’t leave Jason’s face. “My ankle hurts. My patience is low.”
“And Urho has insulted your alpha and your friends, and we’ve razzed you about your housekeeping,” Rosen added. “Let’s all agree to behave better before Jason gets the wrong impression of us.”
Too late, Jason thought. Or at least it was too late for Urho. Rosen and Yosef were nice and seemed open enough, but Urho, for whatever reason, was not. That hurt Vale and pissed off Jason. But he’d have to deal with it all another night. The first time a new person entered any group, it always threw things off. Urho probably resented Jason as much as Jason resented him.
“Speaking of housekeeping, didn’t you have to let someone go recently, Urho?” Rosen asked. “Who was that? The gardener?”
“Oh?” Vale’s eyes flickered, like he was trying to decide if he wanted to forgive Urho yet or not. “I thought you liked him?”
Urho rolled his eyes. “I didn’t fire him. He took leave. It’s a shame because Zim was amazing with Riki’s roses. Kept them as healthy as the day Riki passed away.”
“How did you run him off?” Vale asked carefully. There was a hesitation to his tone that Jason tried to understand. Maybe it had something to do with the man who’d passed away, this Riki. “Did you tease him until he hated you?”
“Believe it or not, it wasn’t me.” Urho sighed. “His younger brother is an omega and a nymphomaniac. Unable to be satisfied for more than a few hours at a time and during heat he’s utterly insatiable. His alpha sued to break their contract. They weren’t bonded, of course, just contracted. A terrible mistake. Contracts often are.”
“Urho,” Yosef said warningly, but it didn’t seem Urho had heard him.
“Zim’s brother kept slipping the ropes, so to speak, and heading out to the Bowery looking for alphas. Such a shame. Ruined the family name.”
The table went still, everyone staring at Urho. Vale wiped his mouth on his napkin and took a deep breath.
“Wolf-god,” Rosen whispered.
Urho nodded. “Terrible. But yes, my best gardener, my old pal Zim, took leave to help the family during his brother’s upcoming heats. They can’t find a surrogate, of course. Not now. And it’s going to be painful. They’ll need all hands on deck to keep the boy locked away.” He clucked his tongue. “That’s what happens when omegas get sullied, though. No alpha wants to help them.” He shook his head like he was sorry about it, like there was nothing he could do.
“That’s ridiculous,” Jason burst out, his fists clenching next to his plate. “It was his alpha’s job to satisfy him, and if he couldn’t handle it he should have hired a surrogate. How can you blame an omega for seeking what he needs during heat? Or any other time?”
Rosen and Yosef’s
brows went up, darting glances between Jason and Urho, but Vale’s eyes didn’t leave Urho; they were needle sharp.
Jason went on. “He did what his instincts drove him to do. No more. No less. It’s the alpha’s job to make sure the omega is satisfied no matter what. Interminable heat or no interminable heat.” He pounded the table with his fist as he repeated that fundamental truth his parents had drilled into him from the moment he had first presented as an alpha. “Did the alpha he contracted with bring in help? Or was his pride too wounded to make the right choice for his omega?”
Vale shifted his gaze slowly to Jason.
Urho frowned. “I’m not sure. Perhaps he couldn’t afford a surrogate. Decent alpha surrogates can be expensive. But the contract has been dissolved, or shortly will be, and there’s nothing anyone can do about that.”
“What about his upcoming heat? The one Zim took off for?” Jason asked. “There’s no one to help him with it? No one at all?”
“Apparently not.”
“That’s a lie. There are alphas everywhere, and plenty are widowed or otherwise not contracted.” He stared at Urho. “There’s one at this table.”
Urho stared at him. “Are you suggesting..?”
“Yes, I’m suggesting.”
From the corner of his eye, Jason saw Vale lean forward, bearded chin on one elegant hand, and a smug smile gracing his lips.
Urho sputtered. “Our society has expectations. There are protocols that provide clear instructions for situations like—”
“Oh, sure, the protocol for when an alpha is too cheap or selfish to help an omega in heat is to just let the omega suffer. I’d say that the uncontracted alphas of the seedier parts of town are better men than those who follow such a cruel protocol. They heed an omega’s need, at least.”
“For their own benefit!” Urho exclaimed. “You can’t claim that those filthy alphas who brawl to breed desperate omegas are actually heroes. They’re in it for their own pleasure. They’re in it to screw and come and knot.”
“And what’s the omega in it for?” Jason challenged. “What are their choices? Sweat it out and suffer? Or pay dearly for a surrogate?” He cocked his head, venom sliding into his veins. The space where the alpha quell kept him separated from his emotions provided room for a little victory dance as he pressed the point home. “Did Zim’s salary from you allow him to hire a surrogate for his brother? As you said, the good ones are pricey. What about the financial circumstances of the rest of his family? It sounds to me like they love this brother very much. I’m sure they’d take any decent surrogate who offered.”
“Now you’re saying I should fund a surrogate for this boy? That his ruined reputation and pain are my fault? Absurd. Vale, are you listening to this?”
Vale just smiled wider, though, and his eyes burned brightly.
“If you’re going to have servants then you should know what’s happening in their lives, and if you can help them in any reasonable way, you should.” Jason nodded firmly.
“Spoken like a boy without servants,” Urho muttered.
“I think you mean, spoken like a boy with a conscience,” Yosef corrected.
“And plenty of money to back it up,” Rosen added.
Zephyr leapt suddenly into Jason’s lap, purring and circling, her claws prickling his nice pants. Then she curled up and began cleaning between her toes on his lap. Jason stared down at her in shock.
“Oh.” He patted her back and she stopped licking, shot him an annoyed look until he removed his hand, and then went back to licking again.
“You’re all wrong. It was spoken like a boy with an admirer,” Vale said. “Or two.” A mischievous smile danced on his lips. “I was impressed anyway.”
Urho snorted. “You would be with all your liberal ideals.”
“Some of us want to build a better world, my friend,” Vale said, but the endearment held a bite to it. “Alas, you’re too old-fashioned and uptight to understand.”
“Old-fashioned,” Urho repeated, stabbing his fork into his bird. Jason wasn’t sure why that was the bigger insult of the two. Personally, he’d rather be old-fashioned than uptight.
Zephyr purred and settled more deeply into Jason’s lap, giving up her cleaning. Jason ran a hand over her back, and this time she allowed it. His heart plucked a happy chord.
Urho’s gaze fell to Zephyr with a frown. After a long moment, he nodded. “Fine. I’ll show you old-fashioned.” He sat up straighter. “I’ll deal with the boy’s heat then.”
Jason blinked in shock and Vale’s smile nearly blinded him. Rosen winked at Jason and nodded. Yosef applauded as though he was at a dinner theater show.
“Bravo. Delightful joust. I’ve rarely seen Urho concede so quickly.”
Vale’s cheeks flushed as he smiled at Jason. “Me, either.”
“Sometimes even old-fashioned assholes can see when they’ve been bested.” Urho shrugged. “And as much as I hate to admit it, maybe the boy is right. It would be easy enough for me to deal with Zim’s brother’s heat, pleasurable even. Assuming they take me up on the offer and the boy isn’t utterly repulsive in some way. And then I’ll have my gardener back working with Riki’s roses where I need him.”
Jason stroked Zephyr’s head and down her back. She purred, a warm, furry weight in his lap. He’d barely touched his dinner during his argument with Urho, and so he started in again, surprised it was still warm.
Zephyr tried to swipe the duck off his fork, and he laughed. “Hungry?”
“She’s had plenty of food,” Vale disagreed, waving at the cat. “Shoo, off! Unhand him, Zephyr. He’s mine.”
Jason’s heart clenched and released, blood rushing through him in a dizzy whoosh. But Zephyr ignored him. He fed her a piece of duck, and she ate it like she was starving before settling back down into his lap. Her paws, kneading and grabbing at his thigh, were ruining the wool of his pants, but he didn’t care at all.
“Zephyr likes Jason,” Yosef said with a laugh of surprise. “And with her deciding vote being cast, I think we should move away from this topic and onto something less exciting. Like the weather. Or winter holiday plans.” Vale caught Jason’s eye and held his gaze as Yosef went on, “Rosen and I are considering the seaside. Has anyone been at winter holiday before? Any advice for what to pack?”
“Jason, stay behind a moment, if you please.”
Urho paused in slipping on his coat and gave Vale a sharp look. “Is that wise?”
Rosen and Yosef had left fifteen minutes earlier in a taxi, burdened with the serving dishes, cutlery, and cookware Rosen had used. Either Vale didn’t own any of his own or what he had didn’t meet Rosen’s requirements. Regardless, once they’d loaded in the bags of kitchen items, there hadn’t been room in the taxi for Urho, too.
Jason leaned back against the wall, rolling his shoulder blades flat so that he didn’t slouch, but still trying to give a loose, casual impression. Calculated, sure, but he wanted Vale to feel safe and if he stiffened up, he’d be sent out into the cold with Urho for sure. The alpha quell was waning, and he felt the tug of the imprint stronger than he had in days.
Vale glanced his way and smiled with that secret warmth Jason had seen in his eyes ever since he’d bested Urho at dinner. “Your taxi is waiting, Urho.”
One of Urho’s dark brows lifted and his strong jaw clenched. “I’ve been charged with delivering him to his parents safely.”
“His parents never asked you to provide that chivalry.”
“No, you did.”
“And I’ve changed my mind. Just call me an indecisive omega.”
Urho’s eyes widened. Jason almost felt sorry for him. But then he remembered that Urho’d had his cock up Vale’s delicious ass, and he hated him all over again. But he refused to let that show. Vale needed him to be an adult, someone who got along with his friends, and that’s the person he was determined to become. Jealousy was instinctual in an alpha, sure, but his intellect was too strong to allow his most base nature t
o rule him.
“Don’t forget your hat,” Vale said, plopping the black, pompous-looking beret on Urho’s head with a smirk. Urho hadn’t been forgiven for his remarks over dinner yet. Vale was going to make him work for it, and Jason was okay with that.
“I think you should reconsider, Vale. This isn’t a joke and it—”
“It isn’t your concern unless I make it your concern.” He tilted his head, pale neck gleaming in the low light of the hallway lamps. Jason wanted to lick it. “I’ll see you soon, Urho. Thank you for coming to dinner.”
“Thank you for having me,” Urho murmured, voice tight, and his expression tangled.
Jason worked to keep his own face neutral. He fought the urge to sneer, all smarmy and mocking. Yes, no matter what Urho wanted, it wasn’t his call. Jason would stay here and speak alone with Vale. It was his right as Vale’s alpha. His right to be with him and to touch him—
No.
He wasn’t going to let himself go down that mental path. He was strong and intelligent and his instinct wasn’t half as important as Vale’s smile. Which now turned to him as the door shut on Urho’s reluctantly retreating back.
“It’s snowing,” Vale said softly.
“Yeah?”
“Big fat flakes.” Vale’s lashes touched his cheekbones and then lifted slowly, the tiniest hint of seduction in his gaze.
Jason clamped down on his urge to straighten up from the wall, grab Vale, and kiss his gorgeous, lush mouth.
“Is it sticking?” Jason asked huskily.
Vale tugged aside the long, skinny curtain blocking the view out the narrow window beside the door. “It’s gathering on the grass now. The streets are probably too warm for it to stick on the pavement. Maybe if it keeps snowing on into the night.” He turned back to Jason, lips parted slightly. “Do you like to go sledding?”
“Sure. If there’s enough snow, my friend Xan and I usually head out to the hill behind the post office. It has the best slope.”
“I know the place,” Vale said, inching closer hesitantly, almost like he was second-guessing his movements. “If it sticks and if there’s enough accumulation, would you take me sledding?”
