MARLOW #3
"Drax only remembers that his two brothers were taken away. He has no idea where they ended up, except that they were eventually adopted by families in the United States. He was supposed to be adopted too, but when he arrived, the adoptive parents changed their minds."
Gabriel jumps in again. "Wow, talk about bad luck. That had to hurt. Kind of like being rejected without being given a chance. Was it because of how he looked?"
"Maybe. But his brothers looked unusual too, and they were still adopted.
In the end, Drax was sent to a group home for orphaned alphas, where he lived until he turned eighteen.
He trained as a carpenter there and was apparently very talented.
Afterward he found work in a nearby town, but rejection followed him there too.
Because of his pheromones, people couldn't be around him without experiencing some…
unexpected effects. As you probably know, they create a very strong sexual response.
And I don't necessarily mean people wanting sex with him, although that's part of it.
It's more that he creates this atmosphere where everyone suddenly starts wanting sex in general. "
Blue winces slightly.
"I wonder if the people working at the facility wear the nose clips around him," Gabriel says.
"Yeah," I say. "The nurse I saw was wearing one."
I don't mention that I never noticed any unusual scent myself. This isn't the time to interrupt Blue.
"Eventually Drax had to leave that town and abandon his job. He knew he was basically unemployable. Not long afterward, though, he met a man named Sidorov. He was the warden of one of the facilities I oversaw, part of the Beta Activation program on Calsing Island, and he was also obsessed with improving his success rates. Pregnancy among betas at his facility was very low, so he decided to take a gamble with Drax’s unusual abilities, hoping they might affect fertility.
He selected a beta participant and instructed Drax to have sex with him. "
I bite the inside of my lip. Of course I’ve read a lot about the Calsing Island incident before, but Blue may add some new details, and I’m here for it.
"To make sure any resulting child wouldn't biologically belong to Drax, they required him to undergo a vasectomy. The beta was still paired with his own alpha, just like participants are in the programs you’re in."
Blue pauses and lets out a small huff.
"The surprise came a month later when the beta became pregnant. Sidorov could hardly believe his luck. He sent another beta to Drax. Then another. Then seven more after that. Within a few months, the facility's statistics had skyrocketed."
"Creative," Gabriel says. "But kind of hard to replicate once you remove Drax from the equation."
"Exactly. That's why everyone wants to understand what's different about him.
Obviously you can't send him to sleep with every beta or alpha who wants to alter their hormonal profile.
The next part is where the scandal begins.
A video leaked from the facility on Calsing Island.
It showed Drax with one of the betas, and rumors started spreading that the betas were being forced into it and had no choice.
Several people were arrested, but public opinion turned against Drax almost immediately.
People started calling him the Monster of Calsing, the Calsing Rapist, a mutant, and every other name you can imagine. "
"Was… any of it actually proven?" I ask quietly.
"No. The investigation found that Drax had no idea the betas were being pressured into participating. He had even secretly recorded a conversation with Sidorov where he directly asked whether everything they were doing was legal, because he felt something wasn’t right.
Unfortunately, that didn't change much. Most people still viewed him as a cruel beast who had victimized those betas.
He might have walked away free, but…" Blue lets out a quiet sigh.
"Drax made a mistake. He returned to the island to get revenge on the people who started the false accusations against him.
But he was unsuccessful… and quickly caught.
The judge wanted to sentence him to many years in prison for attempted murder, but that's when I approached him with my offer.
I wanted to conduct ethical research involving him.
He initially agreed; unfortunately, I didn't offer enough money.
As you already know, a few months later Welrun came in and offered more.
They reached an agreement with the judge that once the experimental period was over, Drax would walk away a free man, which appealed to him as well.
" Blue shrugs. "That's everything I know. "
I sit quietly for a moment, staring at my hands.
"That's a rough situation. You could say he jumped from one nightmare straight into another. If you'd seen his body… I swear it looked like they were doing all kinds of things to him."
"Well…" Gabriel says, "Not everyone gets an easy path. Especially when you're different. It limits opportunities. Unfortunately, we don't really have any control over what happens to him. He turned down Blue’s proposal." My brother gives a small shrug.
I want to respond, but before I can, an older omega walks into the room carrying snacks and drinks.
"Would you like something to eat?" he asks. "James makes an amazing quail paté."
I glance at the tray.
I've never been able to say no to paté.
About ninety-nine percent of my diet is meat anyway, so the smell immediately catches my attention, making me reach for the plate at lightning speed.
The conversation quickly drifts away from Fenn and toward James's cooking skills. James looks pleased with himself, practically glowing from the compliments, and I don't have the nerve to push Blue for more details about Fenn.
Before long, I explain that I only have a short break in my schedule and need to head back for the inhalation therapy.
That said, there's no way I'm turning down a second helping of paté.
◆◆◆
By the time I get back to the facility, I'm cutting it close. According to the program rules, being late for the start of inhalation therapy comes with a financial penalty, and that's probably what keeps most participants in line.
The substances are released very subtly throughout the residential section of the facility. You can't actually smell them in the air, and they're supposed to slightly boost libido, but I can’t say I feel the effect.
As far as I understand, though, the increase in sexual drive is not what the program's creators are really interested in.
The part of Drax's biology that stimulates fertility in betas and alphas is not his famous potent pheromones.
They use a hormone present in his blood and semen that helps trigger the preheat phase.
I enter the room at the last minute; a dozen seconds later, a beep on the panel signals that the hormone mixture airflow is starting. I look around the room, and my mood worsens even further because I remember what awaits me.
Tonight is karaoke night.
Rupert is weirdly excited about it, though I'm not entirely sure why.
All the while I’m changing, he’s fixing his hair in the mirror and checking whether anything is stuck between his teeth.
We head over about ten minutes before it starts because he's determined to get the best seats in the room.
The lights are dim, small colored lasers are flashing, and the smell of snacks hangs in the air.
Once the event begins, I spend most of the time fighting back yawns while participants take turns singing. To be honest, it sounds more like howling than actual music. Everyone's really just waiting for Juan and Timmy, since they're the only ones who can genuinely carry a tune.
Eventually their turn comes.
Juan goes first, performing several songs. I have to admit, he sings some of them better than the original artists. He earns every bit of the applause he gets.
Rupert claps especially enthusiastically, like he's trying to establish himself as Juan's number one fan.
Mixed in with the couples are a few staff members who move between the tables carrying drinks while listening to the performances; Caspian is among them, often stopping to applaud enthusiastically.
Then it's Timmy's turn.
He doesn't have Juan's deep baritone, but he's surprisingly good. His voice has a slight rasp to it that gives the songs a different feel. Somehow he manages to make even boring tracks sound interesting, and for a few minutes he actually holds my attention.
At one point, Rupert leans closer.
"I wonder where Juan disappeared to."
I glance around too. It would make sense for Juan to be here cheering for his partner, but he's nowhere in sight.
"Caspian's gone too," Rupert says with an odd little smile.
That's an interesting coincidence.
I look around the room. The space doubles as both a karaoke venue and a small nightclub. There are side rooms connected to it, including storage areas, equipment rooms, and a small bar kitchen.
Suddenly, Rupert gets up and heads toward one of the side doors.
What is he doing? It's none of our business.
Then again, the evening has been mostly boring, and I decide I might as well follow; curiosity gets the better of me.
Rupert moves quietly along the wall and slips through a black door labeled STAFF ONLY near the corner of the room.
I trail after him.
Beyond it is a narrow, dimly lit hallway with several doors branching off. The last door appears slightly ajar, and that's where Rupert is headed.
He notices me and gives me a strange grin before leaning toward the gap.
I step closer too, and immediately know what's going on. The sounds coming from inside leave very little room for doubt.
It's a narrow storage area, probably used for cleaning supplies and miscellaneous equipment. Something is definitely happening in the far corner.
Under normal circumstances, Juan probably would've heard us. An alpha's hearing is better than a beta's.
Right now, though, he's busy fucking Caspian.