3. Brooks
3
brOOKS
“ T his house is even more stunning than the photos,” my brother says as he slides the patio door open, and we walk outside.
“How the hell did you score this place?”
Rearranging my sunglasses back over my glowing green eyes, I smile as I glance around at the backyard.
The sparkling pool shimmers under the sunlight, the ocean breeze is a light caress against my skin, and the cawing of seagulls can be heard in the distance.
In about forty-eight hours, there will be a handful of omegas here in my new home looking for a new husband.
And in about one week, I will marry one of them.
“I have no idea. The realtor didn’t seem to have many options available at first.” I flash him a grin.
“Well, until I dropped my name.”
“Ah, yeah. Say no more.” Asa smirks, knowing how powerful our family name is all over the world.
While there are some who don’t know what we look like, almost everyone knows who the DeLano Alpha brothers are.
And Brooks DeLano holds some weight in this town.
I don’t usually enjoy throwing my name around just to get my way, but from my understanding, some of these omegas don’t really have any time.
My inner dragon whines at the thought, reminding me I don’t really have any time, either.
When my realtor, Maria, realized who I was, her eyes widened with shock.
She bent over backward, trying to find me a house by the ocean.
We spend a few minutes walking the perimeter and checking the privacy wards that were placed here yesterday.
The mage did a good job.
As a dragon, it’s important to not only protect ourselves, but to our hoard as well.
“At least it’s fully furnished,” he says as we make our way back inside.
“Right? I would be scrambling around like a madman trying to get everything ready for the event tomorrow.”
“Yeah, talk about lucky. I wouldn’t be shocked if someone was run out of their home just to give you a place to stay.”
I frown.
“That isn’t funny, Asa.” I hold up my finger and pull out my phone before shooting off a text to have my assistant check in with the previous residents before lunch today.
“I really hope that isn’t true.”
Asa peers over my shoulder and reads my text.
“Hmm. Always such a good alpha, taking care of everyone around him.”
I roll my eyes.
My brother has made it very clear he thinks I have a hero complex.
“It’s called human decency.”
“Is that what you call this whole ‘ save the planet’s omegas’ program you started with Archer?”
I shove him playfully as I brush past him and walk into my kitchen.
“Gods, you really are a pain in the ass, aren’t you? I’m not saving the whole damn planet. I’m just helping one omega.”
I rummage around in the fridge and pull out a bottle of water before popping the cap and chugging it in one go.
I prop my hip against the counter and watch my brother as he pours himself a cup of coffee.
“Do you have something against me getting married?”
“Not really, man. It’s just wild to me. You’ve always been the one in our family talking about true love and fated mates. I always assumed you’d marry for love, you know?”
“Yeah, well, I’ve been searching for my mate for over forty years. I’m not getting any younger. I want to have a family.” This might be my only shot.
I don’t bother telling Asa that I might have already missed my chance.
“You know I don’t believe in all that ‘ fated mates ’ bullshit. But my point is, you do . And now you’re just going to marry some random omega and hope for the best? With our luck, he’ll probably be a gold digger.”
I toss the empty water bottle in the recycle bin and let out a deep sigh.
“James handpicked each omega. I trust he’s done his research and investigated each person. I don’t have time to find someone who wouldn’t be after me just because of my money. This way, both parties know exactly what we are getting into. The prenuptial contract will protect us, and I’ll be assisting someone who could really use a helping hand.”
Asa stills at my words.
“What do you mean, you don’t have time?”
Fuck.
So much for keeping any secrets.
I walk over to my home office and lead Asa inside.
Opening the drawer, I find what I’m looking for and hand him the folded piece of paper.
Neither of us misses the way my fingers tremble.
I’ve come to terms with the results, but there’s something too exposing about sharing this information with someone else, even if that someone is my brother.
“What is this?” Asa asks, not even bothering to read it.
“The test results from my last physical.” A stupid piece of paper that says I have a shifter condition similar to oligospermia, and I’m running out of sperm.
And in my case, the chances of having a baby are low.
Asa scans the document quickly before he shakes his head.
“This doesn’t make any sense. We’re dragons. Our reproductive genes are strong and last over a century.”
I shrug.
“I guess my body didn’t get the memo. Not only am I running out of swimmers, but they’re also weak.”
We chat for a while longer while Asa tries cheering me up by reminding me there are other options like adoption, surrogacy, and foster care, other things to consider—stuff I already know and understand.
But if I’m honest, the idea that appeals to me the most is adoption.
There’s something about the idea of giving another child a home.
It’s just a matter of finding an omega who would be willing to adopt.
After my brother leaves, I go about my day, overworking myself until it’s late.
My mental energy is depleted, and my dragon is sleepy.
The quicker we fall asleep, the sooner we’ll wake up to our potential future.
My eyes scan the empty room, drifting to the large bed.
What would it be like to have a mate to come home to after a long day at work?
Or to curl up in bed with as we talk about each other’s days?
To call mine as we build a life together?
While arranged marriages aren’t typical, I’m actually looking forward to it.
It’s unlike a blind date.
The selected omegas for this trial run will have the chance to socialize with my friends and me.
Although we offer assistance, the final decision rests with the omega.
For some reason, my mind wanders momentarily to Kestrel, the omega who owns my favorite bookstore.
It’s been a couple of months since I’ve seen him.
Embarrassment floods over me.
For weeks, I went to that shop hoping to see that gorgeous man.
My crush on the little omega had started getting out of control, only to get squashed when I heard someone mention Kestrel’s husband.
Leave it to me to harbor feelings for someone who’s married.
Realizing Kestrel was taken, I avoided further visits to the bookstore.
It’s probably for the best.
I just truly hope my future husband is as sweet and kind as Kestrel.
I purse my lips.
A deep sigh escapes my nostrils, causing them to flare.
I’m lucky I’m not puffing fire with all my frustration.
Why the hell am I daydreaming about my future?
My soon-to-be husband is probably just trying to survive here in Arkadia.
This isn’t a love match.
I’m just a means to an end.
I signed up to be some unknown omega’s knight in shining armor.
Damn, maybe Asa was right.
Maybe I do have a hero complex.
But if that’s the case, why does it feel like this faceless omega is the one who might be doing the saving?