8. Orin
EIGHT
Orin
I had my first suspicions a few weeks ago after I was forced to suspend Drax from work, and tonight only confirmed them. I should have intervened sooner, but I wanted to give him space, figuring he might open up if given time.
When I saw him hitting the beer, I kept my eye on him. Damn, why didn’t I listen to my gut and go check on him before the situation went south? I feel partially responsible for the disaster that my team are now working to fix.
“How…?” Drax blinks at me in disbelief. “H-how did you…?”
“Here.” I don’t answer the question, passing him a pack of wet wipes from my top drawer. “To clean up the blood.”
He winces, looking down at his red-streaked, trembling hands. “I l-lost control. I shouldn’t have—”
“Are you taking medication?”
Being a late-presenting alpha is unusual and often comes with complications. Primarily, it brings a sudden influx of heightened aggression, which can make them act unpredictably. It’s similar to going through puberty only twenty times stronger.
“Yeah,” Drax admits meekly. He fumbles around in his pocket then pulls a strip of pills from his wallet. “But they don’t seem to help. Well, not for long anyway.”
I study them and frown. “These are far too weak of a dosage for an alpha of your size.” Drax is a giant and would need at least quadruple the potency.
I don’t know what doctor prescribed him this junk, but they might as well have given him candy.
He’s clearly had terrible guidance up until this point.
“I’m surprised you didn’t kill the alpha downstairs, based on this and your strength. ”
Late-presenting alphas should use medication to temper their pheromones, gradually decreasing the dosage over time as their bodies get used to the adjustment, before they can be phased off them completely. It helps make the transition easier.
“How do you know so much about this?” Drax asks while furiously scrubbing his hands with the wipes.
“I’ve seen a few late-presenting alphas during my time in the military,” I reply. “Sometimes, the training kickstarts the transition. I assume you have alphas in your family?”
He nods glumly. “Yeah, all the men in my family have been alphas. Except me.”
“Have you spoken to any of them about this?” I study him. “You’re close with your dad, right?”
“Uh…” He picks up and drains the rest of the ginger shot, unable to look at me. “Can I have some more?”
I pour him another glass. “You haven’t told your father?”
“I…” He takes another long sip then sighs. “I haven’t told anyone. Well, apart from the guy I got the pills from. He’s not exactly a doctor.”
“Drax.” I slam my hands down on the table, fury ripping through me at his sheer stupidity.
Not telling his father I can understand, but risking his health by picking up medication from someone who’s unregulated?
It’s utter recklessness. “This isn’t something you can keep a secret, hoping it goes away.
And you know better than anyone the risks of taking unchecked drugs after all your security training! ”
“I know, I know.” He hangs his head. “I just didn’t want my dad—or anyone—to know. Not until I was sure it was really happening. Dad was so disappointed when I didn’t present as an alpha, and I didn’t want to get his—or anyone else’s—hopes up.”
I arch an eyebrow. “Anyone else’s?”
“There’s a girl,” he mutters.
“An omega, I take it?”
He nods sheepishly. “That’s why I was so angry tonight. The guy was talking shit about her, and she…” He drains the rest of the shot. “It doesn’t matter.”
“You can’t let an omega cloud your judgment, Drax.” Exasperated, I pinch the bridge of my nose. “What you’ve done is dangerous. You have to think of yourself and your health.”
His eyes grow wide with panic. “You’re not going to tell anyone, are you?”
“It’s not my secret to tell.” His shoulders sag in relief. “But you can’t carry on like this, especially after tonight. You could have really hurt someone, or worse.”
He groans, collapsing forward, head in hands. “I fucked up. I know that. I…” He sits up again, quickly wiping his eyes while I look away. “It’s just, when this anger takes over, I can’t control it.”
“Your feelings for this girl must have triggered your protective alpha instincts, which make us even more powerful than usual,” I explain. “You’ll get used to handling those emotions over time.”
“But how?” His eyes are pleading. “I’ve tried the medication, been keeping my distance from people who might trigger me, but none of it is helping. It only seems to be getting worse.” He shakes his head. “I always thought I wanted to be an alpha, but I never imagined it’d be like this.”
He reminds me of many of the soldiers I supported over the years. Men who joined the army to prove a point or to make their family proud but didn’t realize the true sacrifice it would involve or the struggle they’d have to go through.
“Navigating this change is hard, especially alone,” I tell him. “But I guarantee it won’t be like this forever. You need help and need to speak to a real fucking doctor to get you on the right medication.”
“Right. A doctor.” He sniffs. “Thanks, Orin.”
I recline in my chair, assessing the situation.
Obviously, I should fire him and report him to the dean for what happened, but these are extenuating circumstances.
I’ve known Drax for years. He’s stood out among my other hires—the most dedicated, noble, honorable.
And he’s usually a strict rule-follower.
I’m not prepared to fuck up his future over one mistake when his biology decided to hijack his life.
“You need to be around a pack right now,” I add. Being around other alphas should help him. “You’re a danger to betas. You shouldn’t be staying in the same dorm as them while you’re unstable. Late presentation is intense. Your impulses will be far stronger than an ordinary alpha’s.”
“But a transfer to the Alpha Quad would mean telling the college what I am.” He is obviously terrified, his body trembling. “I’m sure my father would find out somehow. I… I’m not ready to tell him.”
“I wasn’t talking about a transfer to the Alpha Quad.
” I roll up my sleeves. I probably should speak to the others before doing this, but I’m the pack leader, so they’ll have no choice but to go along with it.
“I want you to come live with my pack until you have control of your urges. This isn’t an offer of a permanent home, but it will be good for you to be around your own kind while you navigate this. ”
“You…” He swallows hard, his voice choked. “You’d do that for me after tonight?”
“What you did tonight wasn’t the real you, Drax,” I remind him, leaning forward.
“I think I can help you, but I’m going to need you to listen to me.
And I can’t guarantee that my pack will be happy about having another alpha around the house.
However, when they learn about your situation, I’m sure they’ll come around. ”
I’m almost certain that Luca will be happy to help Drax. His caring nature will be a real balancing force against Drax’s volatile urges. Adler, on the other hand, can be more of a loose cannon and territorial.
“Thank you,” Drax murmurs, his brown eyes shining. “I think I’d like that.”
“That’s settled, then.” I nod curtly. “You can stay here with me, where I can keep an eye on you, until I finish this shift. And we’ll drop by the clinic as soon as it opens for an emergency prescription.”
His lips curl into a tight-lipped, strained smile. “I do have one question.”
“Shoot.”
“What you did back there, when I was in the club…” He chews his lip. “The way you were able to get me to stop what I was doing and follow you. When Rook spoke, it didn’t work on me. I thought he had some kind of special bark. Is that what you…?”
“My alpha bark only works on my pack. I suspect that your consciousness came through and realized it was your boss talking.” I shrug. “That’s all.”
It’s a lie, but he’s already struggling enough with his late presentation without adding an extra complication to the mix.
The truth is, I did use my bark on him. When I saw that he’d lost control, the command just came out in a moment of fear.
I didn’t expect it to work. It shouldn’t have worked.
But it did, which is partly why I’m ignoring my usual policy and inviting him into our home.
For now, I’ll keep my suspicions to myself, waiting until I see how things progress, and most importantly, to see whether he will fit in with our pack… A pack I believe he’s destined to be part of.