Chapter 13
Another small package awaited Ehlian one afternoon.
His face lit up as he grabbed it, sitting next to Hayce on the bed. Like the last one, it had been torn open, the small cake inside cut in half.
He pulled out the letter, carefully brushing away the icing stuck to it, and unfolded the simple piece of paper. The curving letters of Willian read:
This is to celebrate that you survived half a year in prison.
Below it, there was a printed image of a sandy beach with another short message: Soon.
Ehlian couldn’t believe half a year had already passed.
“Is he taking you there?” Hayce’s voice yanked him from his thoughts.
Hayce’s eyes lingered on the picture of the beach for a moment too long.
“Yes, once I’m finally out,” Ehlian said with a small smile. “He’s already booked the trip.”
Hayce measured him with an unreadable expression. A strange, almost cold disapproval skimmed through the pack bond.
Blinking, Ehlian stared at him in muted confusion. “You disapprove?”
The feeling receded at once.
“It took you months to come to me,” Hayce said evenly, “but two cheap cakes and a trip, and you’re already back to him.” His expression became even more unreadable. “That’s not like you. That’s all I’m saying.”
“These aren’t from Geald.” Ehlian said as his mind slowly caught up. “Willian sent them.”
Hayce’s gaze dropped back to his book as he asked, almost casually, “Who’s Willian?”
“A friend,” Ehlian replied, surprised Hayce didn’t already know.
Hayce had known nearly everything about him before Ehlian was transferred to prison.
“I asked him not to visit. And those are my favourite cakes, don’t call them cheap.
Willian’s just trying to make my time here a little more bearable, I guess. ”
Cakes from Geald? As if. Geald had probably already moved on to his next omega.
When Hayce returned to reading his book, deeming the conversation over, silence settled around them once more.
Ehlian curled up on the bed, staring at the picture of the ocean. He could scarcely remember what it was like to live a normal life, what his days had once looked and felt like. Prison blurred those memories.
He let his mind wander, imagining the salty breeze against his face.
The sudden homesickness washing over him was cruelly intense.
He missed everything back home. He was sick of eating the same bland food, of the stifling stench of criminals in the lounge, of the odd tug of artificial gravity.
He longed for summer, for the scent of rain, for the sunshine on his face.
He missed the fresh, crisp chill of winter air, the way it stung his lungs and made him feel alive.
Or the incredibly tall Orgon trees and the sweet scent when their huge, pink petals were in bloom.
But there was another feeling too, a tight knot of anxiety twisting in his chest. Nothing would be the same once he was released.
He was a criminal now. The stigma would stick, no matter where he went.
People would look at him differently—quiet judgment in their eyes, subtle grimaces, the unease of being near him.
He didn’t realise how quick his breathing had become or how tightly he was clutching Willian’s letter until gentle fingers combed through his hair, a sudden, soft calmness soothing his fraying nerves through the pack bond.
Ehlian let out a soft breath, setting down Willian’s letter. “I don’t know what I’ll do once I’m out.”
“You could start by getting your inheritance back from your uncle,” Hayce said, his tone a touch softer than usual.
“I can’t,” Ehlian murmured, his breathing gradually evening out. “I signed it all away.”
“Why would you even sign a contract like that?”
Ehlian cleared his throat. “I never read it.”
Hayce’s hand stilled in his hair. “Ehlian—”
“I know.” Ehlian gave a short, frustrated grunt.
“I know I fucked up, all right? It wasn’t long after my parents died, and my uncle caught me at my most vulnerable.
I had no reason to doubt him. I thought he cared.
I thought he wanted to help. He’d just started a new business, promised me all the money in the world and a bright future…
and well, here I am.” Ehlian gave a dry scoff. “Some bright future, huh?”
Despite fighting hard for it, the court had never allowed him to prove he’d been deceived using his uncle’s own memories. And, of course, that spineless bastard would never have handed them over willingly.
Hayce’s hand moved lower, his fingertips brushing against the soft skin of Ehlian’s neck. “For now, you should focus on your friend’s words instead.”
Ehlian picked out the word ‘survived’ from Willian’s letter.
“Not everyone leaves this place alive.” Hayce added, his hand moving lower, blunt nails grazing across Ehlian’s bond point.
Ehlian trembled. “You are doing that on purpose.”
The faintest smirk tugged at Hayce’s lips. “Maybe.”
Ehlian didn’t even understand why he let Hayce touch his bond point so often. Most omegas guarded it fiercely, treating it like a sacred, priceless treasure. They didn’t just allow any alpha to lay a hand near it.
Clearing his throat quietly, Ehlian turned onto his back and rested his head on Hayce’s thigh. It seemed instinctive how Hayce placed his hand on Ehlian’s chest, just above his heart. It was a welcoming, gentle weight.
Ehlian’s eyes drifted to the corner of the bookmark lolling above the page—the photo Hayce only allowed himself to see.
“Is there anyone missing you back on Arox?” Ehlian asked.
A flicker of hesitation crossed Hayce’s face, vanishing just as quickly. “No.”
That was almost unbelievable. Ehlian could understand why his family wanted nothing to do with him, but surely there had to be someone. A loyal friend, an omega… anyone at all. “Not even an omega?”
“No,” Hayce said curtly, the soft waves of his power hardening, shutting Ehlian out. But this time, Ehlian had no will left to restrain himself. It probably wasn’t a good idea to push, yet he did it anyway.
He caught the corner of the photo and pulled it free. Hayce’s fingers twitched, as though he wanted to snatch it back, but it was already too late.
Ehlian traced the rough, torn edge of the photo with his thumb. “You hate your brother?”
Hayce’s jaw clenched. “Do you remember what I told you?”
“Your family is off-limits.”
“Keep it that way.”
Sure. I’ll keep it that way, Ehlian thought sulkily. It bothered him that Hayce kept things from him. And it shouldn’t. They weren’t a couple. They were barely even lovers. Yes, they fucked. Yes, Hayce had spent his heat with him, but only because he’d had no other choice.
Ehlian pressed his lips together, unwilling to respond. Or to speak at all for the rest of the day.
Hayce’s thumb started caressing his chest softly, just above his heart. It weakened Ehlian’s frustration, but not enough to break him, and he let the silence stretch.
Hayce’s thumb stilled. “One question.”
Ehlian blinked up at him innocently. “Two.”
“One, Ehlian.”
“Fine.” Ehlian shrugged. “Three, or no sex for a month.”
Hayce gave him a flat look.
“What?” Ehlian said. “You know I can follow through.”
“You forget that I can too.”
Ehlian said nothing, letting the silence stretch between them again.
“One,” Hayce said, leaving no room for argument. “Take it or leave it.”
Ehlian tsked, giving in, even if he didn’t understand why a few questions were such a big deal. It wasn’t like he’d run to the press. Maybe some of Hayce’s previous omegas had for quick money.
What could he do with one question? He had too many, so he would have to be clever about it. “Who visited you a few weeks ago?”
“That has nothing to do with my family,” Hayce said. When Ehlian opened his mouth, he added evenly, “And don’t push it. I won’t answer.”
Ehlian clicked his tongue, his voice casual. “What’s the big deal about your batshit-crazy omega who’s still all over you?”
Hayce stared at him. “My… what?”
“Well,” Ehlian shrugged lightly, though the way Hayce was looking at him suddenly made him feel a bit stupid. “Your omega from Arox visited, right? You had to have someone. Don’t tell me you didn’t.”
“Not when I was locked up,” Hayce said after a pause. “And barely anyone before that, but I always kept a few lovers.”
Ehlian gave him a flat look. “A few, huh?”
“Not at the same time,” Hayce said drily, his hand sliding down Ehlian’s chest and slipping beneath his shirt, skimming over ticklish skin.
“Stop it,” Ehlian beat back a laugh, batting his hand away. “You won’t get sex for a month, remember? And I haven’t asked my question.”
Hayce slipped back under his shirt, just resting his hand there lazily. “You just wasted it.”
“Don’t be unfair,” Ehlian said. “You never responded. You know that doesn’t count.”
Ehlian glanced back at the torn photo. Strangely, he couldn’t quite recall Sandar’s face, even though as the firstborn he should have received more attention than Hayce.
He had so many questions, but the photo already told a million words, so he focused on the one that mattered most. “You think your brother had something to do with your father’s death? ”
Hayce studied him quietly. “You’re that sure it wasn’t me?”
Maybe Ehlian was deluding himself. Maybe he was being fooled.
Telepaths could hide behind a flawless facade, but the pulse of their power always betrayed them in the end.
Yes, Hayce was an arrogant ass, but he had never once felt malicious or cruel.
Ehlian sensed nothing vicious about him.
If anything, he would have expected an unhinged killer to behave more like Grasson, someone who couldn’t keep his anger on a leash.
“I… might be.”
Hayce’s thumb resumed its slow caress at Ehlian’s hip, just beneath the ticklish skin. Then, his gaze drifted to the torn photo, lingering on the ragged edge where his brother had been cut out. “I can’t prove it.”