Westcliff let go of Jules’s arm, bowed slightly to Liam with a disgustingly charming smile, and nodded coldly to Uncle Wayne, before turning back to Jules. Leaning in, he said, very quietly, just for Jules’s ears, “You don’t scare me, brat. Get used to the idea that you’ll be living in my house soon. When I’m your brother’s alpha, I’ll be yours, too. You’ll have to listen to me. You’ll have to obey me.” His lips curled, his eyes intent. “I’m very much looking forward to it.”“Never,” Jules said, his fists clenching.Westcliff picked up one of Jules’s fists and stroked his knuckles until his fingers unclenched.His face hot and his pulse thundering in his ears, Jules watched Westcliff lift his hand toward his lips. Surely he wouldn’t…He did.Warm lips brushed against Jules’s knuckles.It was nothing out of the ordinary. An old-fashioned gesture of respect toward noble omegas, nothing more.It shouldn’t have made his skin cover in goosebumps. Or made his fingers tremble.Jules yanked h
“What are you suggesting, Austin?” the king cut in tersely.Cormack sighed. “What I suggested to His Grace weeks ago—to choose a suitable omega and bond to them as soon as possible. If he’s happily bonded to someone else, his first bondmate would not be able to prove that it was His Grace who forced a mating mark on them. Everyone knows Xeus alphas bond for life. We are fortunate that the genetic modification procedure His Grace underwent on Calluvia dissolved his first bond without any lasting harm to him. He can bond again.” He looked at Devlin with a hint of approval on his face. “I see that you followed my advice and already started courting Liam Blake. A very good choice, Your Grace.”Devlin gave him a flat look. He didn’t like the way the beta always danced around the issue. “I’m hearing a but somewhere.”“Unfortunately, the courtship alone isn’t enough to distract people and raise morale. A royal wedding is another matter entirely. You need to marry as soon as possible—and prod
And yet the thought of this omega having kids—and an alpha—was… strange.His brows furrowed, Devlin said, “In my defense, your naive views about marriage did make you seem like a child. Your brother’s pragmatic approach is what I would expect from an omega of your age and upbringing.”Julian chuckled. “You’re the naive one if you think Liam is pragmatic. He’s anything but. He’s just fooled by your face.”A slow smile stretched Devlin’s lips. “My face? What about my face?”“You know what I mean.” Julian glowered at him, his cheeks becoming pink again.Devlin’s fingers twitched, itching to pinch them. “No, I don’t. Do enlighten me, Julian.”“You know exactly what I mean, you arrogant ass!”Devlin grinned. “Are you saying you think I’m handsome?”“Everyone thinks that! But I don’t. It’s not my fault people have no taste.”Devlin wondered if it was too weird that he kind of wanted to rub his face against the brat’s flushed cheek. Probably.“Your Grace?”Devlin tore his gaze away from Juli
“Liam is just being polite,” Julian said. “He’ll say that even if he secretly agrees with me.”“I will not,” Liam said before taking in a sharp breath. He took his hand off Devlin’s arm and all but ran forward. “Oh my! This is amazing!”Devlin’s gaze followed Liam.It was a giant sea exhibit, filled with various water predators from all over the Union. Sharks—and big creatures that looked a lot like sharks—were battling it out, with smaller fish trying to hide among the picturesque caves. A huge white shark tore into the blue one right before their eyes, coloring the water with blood.“This is sick,” Julian grumbled. “Figures that Liam would like that.”Amused, Devlin smiled, but when he glanced at Julian, he looked genuinely nauseated, his face pale.Frowning, Devlin hesitated. A glance at Liam confirmed that he wasn’t going to leave the sea exhibit anytime soon: the golden-haired omega was gesticulating animatedly as he talked to their guide.“Let’s go,” he said, steering Julian awa
Sighing, Devlin followed Julian into the jungle. He consoled himself that it was a good thing that his alpha side already felt protective of his future mate’s family—it should help him bond with Liam.As soon as he entered the force field separating the habitat from the rest of the park, it was like he was in a different world. The noise of the crowd outside was cut off, leaving only the natural sounds of the jungle. Devlin found himself relaxing, the beast in him settling more comfortably under his skin.There were fewer visitors in this part of the park. It was a relief, because otherwise finding Julian here would have been more difficult. Devlin followed the shoe prints, his nostrils flaring in a futile attempt to catch a whiff of the omega’s scent. He still didn’t know why Julian suppressed his scent so much.He found him sitting by a small waterfall, watching a pair of doe-like creatures. Julian had his legs drawn up to his body, his arms wrapped around them, and he had his chin
Julian shook his head. “I feel weird,” he mumbled into Devlin’s neck, his fingers gripping his shirt.“Bad weird?”“No,” Julian answered after a moment.Devlin hummed, unsurprised. “When your mate dies, it’s always painful. There have even been cases when the broken bond killed the surviving bondmate. Thankfully, it happens rarely, only if the bond is abnormally strong and you’ve been mated for years. The tradition to marry your dead mate’s sibling existed because the broken bond heals only around an alpha the omega trusts, whether it’s a sibling, a parent, or a new alpha partner. A broken bond never heals without alpha pheromones, you idiot.”“Don’t call me an idiot,” Julian mumbled half-heartedly. “And if you’re implying I trust you—”“You do,” Devlin said, propping his chin on top of Julian’s head. “Or you wouldn’t feel ‘weird’ now. Your suppressants might be suppressing your sense of smell and hormones, but your body is still somewhat receptive to alpha pheromones. You feel better
But while many articles online really recommended increasing the dose of suppressants after losing one’s bondmate, they also advised caution and didn’t recommend that course of action for long. The articles said that an omega needed either to be around an alpha they trusted or to employ the services of alpha doctors who specialized in that kind of therapy.Frowning, Jules considered the latter option, but he knew it wasn’t viable for him: Uncle Wayne couldn’t find out that he had been bonded—it would be too easy for him to put two and two together and realize that Jules must have been bonded to the Xeus. The mere thought made him cringe. No, he couldn’t employ the services of a professional.That left only Westcliff.But should he really accept help from Westcliff, of all people?“Why not?” Liam said when Jules told him everything over breakfast.“I don’t like him,” Jules said, poking at the sausage on his plate moodily.“I don’t think you’re being fair to him. If he’s offering help,
Jules ôm lại anh trai mình, nhưng cảm giác lo lắng, bất an dưới da anh không thể biến mất. Ngược lại với ý muốn của mình, anh thấy mình đang nghĩ đến cảm giác an toàn như thế nào trong vòng tay của Westcliff ngày hôm qua, như thể không gì có thể chạm vào anh hay làm anh bị thương. Có lẽ có Westcliff làm alpha của họ sẽ không phải là một điều tồi tệ. Có lẽ anh nên cho anh ta một cơ hội. *** Quyết tâm của Jules để cho Westcliff một cơ hội kéo dài chính xác cho đến khi Westcliff gọi điện cho họ - trên Liam - vào buổi chiều. Anh không biết điều gì ở người đàn ông này đã khiến anh nổi gai ốc, tự ý thức và chỉ trích thái quá. Đó là một sự kết hợp kỳ lạ giữa các cảm xúc, nhưng anh không thể không nhìn Westcliff bằng ánh mắt dò xét, hoài nghi khi công tước đang nói chuyện nhỏ với Liam và chú Wayne. Thằng khốn thậm chí còn chưa liếc nhìn anh một lần kể từ khi bước vào phòng. Jules khoanh tay trước ngực, sau đó không bắt chéo chúng. Nhặt chiếc máy tính bảng trên chiếc bàn trong góc, anh n
“Không, nhưng tôi nghĩ tối nay anh ấy sẽ cầu hôn,” Liam nói. “Nó chỉ hợp lý thôi. Hôm qua, tôi tình cờ nghe được cuộc trò chuyện qua điện thoại của anh ấy với ai đó - tôi nghĩ là một nhân viên PR nào đó. Westcliff nói rằng nhà vua sẽ đưa ra thông báo sau vài ngày nữa - ý tôi là về Hoàng tử Haydn. Westcliff cũng muốn thông báo về việc đính hôn của chúng tôi vào khoảng thời gian đó. Nó có ý nghĩa. ”Jules đã nghiên cứu kỹ lưỡng về anh trai mình.Khuôn mặt đáng yêu của Liam rất khó đọc, nhưng đôi mắt của anh ấy không hẳn là ánh lên hạnh phúc.“You don’t have to say yes,” Jules said, feeling painfully uncomfortable. He was so damn torn about the subject he didn’t know what advice to give. He didn’t want Liam to marry an alpha he didn’t love for the sake of their family, but… He was scared that if he told Liam not to marry Westcliff, it would be selfish advice.To make things more confusing, there was a small, horrible part of him that did want Westcliff as the alpha of their family. That
Except even that fantasy wasn’t enough. Thinking about the Xeus just made his broken bond ache. Ache and hurt like an old wound that was starting to bleed again. The pain somehow amplified the desire, and soon Jules was half-sobbing into his pillow, his hips pushing greedily onto the dildo. Need him, need him, can’t need him, need him. Gone, need him, gone. I need—I need—I need. It was fucking horrible. Jules had never felt worse in his life, his muscles trembling, his cock sore, his body oversensitive and needy, and his bond aching.So he tried not to think about his Xeus. He made himself think of other alphas, trying to tell himself that any alpha would do. Any alpha with a thick, hard cock would do. He was desperate enough to almost believe it.He imagined going to a ball, his cock stiff and his slick dribbling down his leg. He imagined alphas turning toward him, their nostrils flaring and their cocks straining their pants. He would be attractive to alphas for once. They would want
Julian flushed. “It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing, after…”After sex.Devlin gave a clipped nod, clasping his hands behind his back. His fingers and his jawline itched, as they did when he was on the verge of transforming. Through sheer willpower, he managed to keep his claws in.It was a normal enough reaction, to feel protective of a young omega he cared about.It was.“But the bond took?” he said, his voice very neutral.Julian nodded, not looking at him. “We were naturally compatible.”Devlin’s claws dug into his palm. He turned away and walked to the window.He took a deep breath, staring at Dainiri’s nearly full disk, and then another, until he had his claws under control.“I see,” he heard himself say. “The risk still exists, then. Medical intervention might be needed.”“What do you mean?” Julian said. “More suppressants?”“Increasing the dose again might do more harm than good,” Devlin said stiffly. “I’m hardly a doctor, but even I know that you can’t keep changing yo
Ignoring the question, Devlin studied him carefully. “Do you feel better?”“What?” Julian said, his brows knitting together.Devlin looked at him sharply. “Your brother said you didn’t feel well.”Julian averted his gaze. “Right! Of course. I feel better now. Much better—”“You didn’t want to go with us.”The omega winced, but he didn’t even try to deny it. So it was true.It shouldn’t have bothered him. It really was none of his business.“Why?” Devlin said.Julian shrugged. “It’s not exactly fun being a third wheel.” He still wouldn’t meet Devlin’s eyes.“You’re not telling the truth,” Devlin said, becoming more certain of it the longer Julian avoided looking at him. Stepping into the room, he closed the door behind him.It shut with a click.“What are you doing?” Julian said. “And I’m not lying. You think it’s fun—”“Julian,” Devlin said quietly. “Look at me.”After a moment, the omega finally did as he was told. There was a half-scowl on his face but some other emotion in his eyes
“All ri—” Liam started saying, but Devlin cut him off.“Your brother can’t leave the ball with me,” he said, looking at Julian. “You don’t want any nasty rumors to start flying around, do you?”He could actually hear Julian grind his teeth.“Fine,” he said, still sounding a mix of annoyed and bewildered.The helicopter ride to the Blake house was a strange one. Liam was the only one talking, chattering non-stop about the perfection that was Viscount Nasr while Julian determinedly didn’t look at Devlin.Devlin bored his eyes into him, his fingertips tingling, his claws itching to come out. He curled his hands into fists and breathed shallowly, trying to ignore the way Julian smelled. It was impossible. Julian fucking reeked. He reeked of another alpha. Devlin wanted to fix it, run his hands all over the brat, until he smelled right.It was probably a good thing that Julian was the first to jump out of the helicopter when they arrived, because Devlin didn’t trust himself.Tearing his ga
Julian glared at him, his cheekbones a little pink. “That was a dick move,” he said, glancing back at Nasr, who was left standing in the middle of the dance floor.“He’s much too old for you,” Devlin said, stroking his thumb against Julian’s wrist.“Stop scent-marking me,” Julian gritted out, his color heightening. “And he isn’t too old. He’s half Korf’s age.”“That shouldn’t be your measuring stick,” Devlin said. “I told you I wouldn’t allow your uncle to give you to Korf. You deserve better.”Julian chuckled. “Better? Who?”Devlin’s lips thinned. “Someone better than Nasr.”“There’s nothing wrong with Viscount Nasr. He’s perfectly nice and pleasant, and he actually sees me for being me. I’ve known him forever—he has a neighboring estate. He was always nice to me when I was a child.”“That hardly says good things about him, does it? What a creep.”Julian stomped on his right foot. “You’re being an ass,” he said, his voice a mix of annoyed and bewildered. He blinked a few times. “I do
Their date that day was unexpectedly tedious.Devlin found it difficult to keep his attention on his date, his mood sour and distracted. He was aware that he was acting like a dick, his attitude probably too cold and unapproachable. Liam seemed to have given up on trying to strike up a conversation with him after a few hesitant attempts and focused his attention entirely on the aircar race. When Liam spoke, he spoke only to the beta chaperone who had accompanied them to the race.By the time the race was over, Devlin had a headache once again, his body brimming with tension and anxiety, the source of which he couldn’t pinpoint. He barely had the patience to smile for the paparazzi as they left the track, and his smile was probably very strained. Hopefully he didn’t actually look like he wanted to punch someone.He dropped Liam off, and then he hesitated, looking at the Blake house. It would be only polite to inquire how Julian was feeling.Devlin pulled his phone out of his pocket and
Several weeks passed like that. Westcliff called on Liam and took him out on dates, putting on that disgustingly charming mask he wore in public. More often than not, Jules accompanied them, serving as a chaperone, for appearances’ sake—officially. Unofficially, he kind of… he went because he wanted to be around the duke. It freaked him out that he felt addicted to the way Westcliff made him feel, but he couldn’t help himself. It felt so good, especially when Westcliff allowed him to rub his face against his scent gland—the euphoria was beyond his ability to express properly. Afterward, Jules felt so embarrassed, but thankfully, Westcliff didn’t make fun of him and always acted as if there was nothing weird about his behavior. “Better?” he would say in a quiet murmur, and Jules would flush and nod and look anywhere but at him. Every time he told himself it was the last time, but his resolve melted into a mass of goo the next time he saw the duke. It was horrible. Horribly addictive.
Jules ôm lại anh trai mình, nhưng cảm giác lo lắng, bất an dưới da anh không thể biến mất. Ngược lại với ý muốn của mình, anh thấy mình đang nghĩ đến cảm giác an toàn như thế nào trong vòng tay của Westcliff ngày hôm qua, như thể không gì có thể chạm vào anh hay làm anh bị thương. Có lẽ có Westcliff làm alpha của họ sẽ không phải là một điều tồi tệ. Có lẽ anh nên cho anh ta một cơ hội. *** Quyết tâm của Jules để cho Westcliff một cơ hội kéo dài chính xác cho đến khi Westcliff gọi điện cho họ - trên Liam - vào buổi chiều. Anh không biết điều gì ở người đàn ông này đã khiến anh nổi gai ốc, tự ý thức và chỉ trích thái quá. Đó là một sự kết hợp kỳ lạ giữa các cảm xúc, nhưng anh không thể không nhìn Westcliff bằng ánh mắt dò xét, hoài nghi khi công tước đang nói chuyện nhỏ với Liam và chú Wayne. Thằng khốn thậm chí còn chưa liếc nhìn anh một lần kể từ khi bước vào phòng. Jules khoanh tay trước ngực, sau đó không bắt chéo chúng. Nhặt chiếc máy tính bảng trên chiếc bàn trong góc, anh n