Sweet Omega

Prologue

Tarymn

Six years ago.

T he two omegas stood silently across the room, looking like they didn’t know whether to run or cry. Luci and Ludiin.

His stepbrothers .

And soon to be…to his disbelief…his wards . Just one thumbprint away from being legally responsible for them.

Tarymn clenched his jaw so hard it ached.

The old alpha had found a way to screw him over from the grave.

He didn’t even like saying “dad” anymore.

He still remembered the day the bastard walked out.

Their mother’s body hadn’t even gone cold before their dad was sniffing around some soft-spoken omega, building a second family like the first one hadn’t just shattered.

The memory left a sour taste in his mouth.

And now, Tarymn was forced to clean up his mess.

“What are you going to do?” Hym asked, lazily leaning against the wall like he didn’t have a stake in any of this.

He stood just inside the door, only a few paces from the bed where their dad’s body lay, still and cold. Like even death had come too easily for him. Like he couldn’t be bothered to hold on just long enough to see his second set of sons bonded and safe before bowing out.

Tarymn’s chest tightened.

What the fuck was he supposed to do with them?

“You? Not we?” he shot at Hym, bitterly.

Hym just shrugged, offering nothing.

Tarymn turned back to the two omegas. God, how old were they?

The younger one, Ludiin, looked like a frightened wisp of a thing, curled into Luci’s side, eyes fixed on the floor like he was trying to disappear.

Tarymn caught fleeting glimpses of him beneath a thick curtain of black hair, porcelain skin that looked like it was never touched by the sun, lips tinted a soft rose like they’d been painted on.

A delicate jawline. And long lashed eyelids.

Luci, on the other hand, radiated heat and fury. His scowl twisted his otherwise handsome face, jaw clenched tight, and golden hair falling messily into his storm-dark eyes. He looked seconds from exploding, rage simmering just beneath the surface.

“Everything’s been finalized,” the legal advisor said, as if that made any of this better. “All you have to do is place your thumb here.” He gestured to the screen of the e-reader with professional detachment.

That’s it? No questions? No discussion?

Tarymn’s throat felt tight.

“I travel for work,” he said, voice rough with the strain of restraint. “I can’t take in anyone. I don’t have the time.”

The noose of his dad’s last wish wrapped tighter around his neck.

He tugged at his collar like it was choking him.

“They’re not cubs,” the legal advisor offered.

“They can manage on their own, mostly. Luci’s nineteen, once he finishes school, he’ll be ready to work.

And Ludiin’s only a year behind. A genius this one.

He’s already got job offers lined up, but your dad insisted he finish school first. So, they’ll be out of your hair soon enough. ”

Tarymn heard the words, every one of them landing like a distant echo. But his mind snagged on one detail, refusing to let go.

“He’s not eighteen,” he said.

“Only a month away,” the beta replied with a shrug, as if it didn’t matter.

It fucking mattered.

“He hasn’t gone through his first heat yet,” Tarymn snapped, more harshly than he meant to.

Ludiin visibly flinched, curling further into Luci’s side as if Tarymn's words had scorched him.

The omega still hadn’t looked at him. Not once. While Luci’s glare could have lit him on fire.

The fuck was he supposed to do with them? He didn’t know how to be a brother to these two. Let alone a guardian .

And worst of all? No one was giving him a choice.

The legal advisor stared at him. Waiting. Tense. As if Tarymn hadn’t spoken.

“No other living relatives?” Tarymn tried again. “Not a single omega who might actually understand what Ludiin is about to go through?” He knew it was a long shot. One last desperate grasp for an out.

“No,” the beta said smoothly. “Besides, your dad made his wishes clear. He wanted you and your brother to take care of them. They’re family.”

Family.

The word grated like a serrated knife against Tarymn’s nerves. He rubbed the back of his neck, jaw clenched tight, fighting the urge to scream. To denounce his dad, his blood, his entire damn lineage. But he couldn’t.

He should’ve cut ties the moment their dad walked out and never looked back. But he hadn’t. And now… this was what it had come to.

Silence stretched, thick and suffocating, as he scrambled for a solution, anything that might pull him out of this nightmare.

Nothing came to mind. He should just walk away, leave them where they were.

They weren’t his responsibility. But a sharp twist of guilt curled in his gut, reminding him that he’d regret not doing right by them.

“Damn, okay,” he muttered, slamming his thumb down on the device. The beta grunted in satisfaction, sealing his fate.

Family. Funny how that word only seemed to matter now.

Tarymn turned his gaze to the still form on the bed. Their dad. Lifeless. Cold.

Family, huh?

The alpha hadn’t even looked back.

“Make arrangements for my dad to be put to rest,” Tarymn said tightly. “I’m sure he’d want to be near their father.”

The legal advisor gave a small, nervous smile and nodded. “Yes. It’s already been arranged.”

Tarymn caught the flicker of guilt in the beta’s eyes. He knew this was a mess. Knew it wasn’t fair. But he also knew there was no way around it. He was just another pawn in the late alpha’s final wish.

Tarymn needed to breathe. To think. But his chest was tight. His throat burned.

He could feel it. That dangerous stir under his skin. The sharp edge of aggression simmering just beneath the surface.

He didn’t do explosions. That was Hym’s specialty. Tarymn prided himself on his control.

He was the quiet type. So contained that most people didn’t even realize he was an aggressive alpha. His scent didn’t announce him like others. He kept himself in check. Always.

But this? It was unraveling something deep in him.

“Good,” he said stiffly. “Let me know if you need anything.”

The legal advisor nodded, clearly recognizing dismissal when he heard it. He threw a quick, hopeful smile toward the omegas, then made a hasty retreat, the door whispering shut behind him.

Tarymn was left standing there. Alone.

Well, not alone.

Hym was still there, lounging against the wall like this was just another passing inconvenience. But his twin had checked out years ago, the day their dad walked out and never came back. Whatever piece of him had cared about family had gone with him.

And then there were the omegas. Still there. Still watching.

Luci was tense, arms crossed, jaw tight. Ludiin looked like he was trying to disappear into the floor, barely meeting anyone’s gaze.

Now what? He should have a plan. Some kind of action, some next step.

But his mind wouldn’t cooperate. It was stuck. Tangled up in grief, resentment, and questions that would never be answered.

Why didn’t his dad come back? Why die like a stranger when he had sons who would’ve still cared enough to show up?

“We should get going,” Hym said suddenly, pushing off the wall with a lazy grace that somehow still managed to piss Tarymn off.

His brother turned to Luci and Ludiin with a smile that was too sincere. It made Tarymn’s skin itch.

What the hell did that even mean? Was this his way of accepting them? Just like that?

Tarymn clenched his jaw. How could Hym smile when all Tarymn felt was betrayal?

“You both look tired.”

“We…” Luci started to object, but Hym didn’t give him the chance.

“Let’s go,” he said, reaching out and grabbing Luci’s hand, calmly tugging him toward the door. Since Luci had a protective grip on Ludiin’s arm, both omegas were dragged along in one fluid motion.

Tarymn blinked.

Now he wants to be involved? Now he wants to play big brother?

He stared after them in disbelief, jaw clenching, before forcing himself into motion and following them out of the depressing room.

As they walked, he caught Ludiin glancing over his shoulder.

Quick flicks of his eyes. Shy and uncertain.

It was the first time the omega had looked at him at all since he arrived at the health center.

He probably looked intimidating to the omega.

Tarymn wasn’t exactly small. Broad shoulders, tall frame, the usual imposing build that came with being an aggressive alpha.

But unlike Hym, who thrived on being an aggressive alpha with his unruly hair and preference for all black everything, Tarymn kept himself meticulously groomed.

His black hair was always neatly trimmed, his clothing crisp and refined.

Controlled. Measured.

Still, if the omega had grown up around their dad, he’d been exposed to an aggressive alpha before. So then…Why the stares? What was he seeing in Tarymn that made him keep glancing at him like that?

He was handsome. That much he knew. The kind of handsome that made omegas stumble over their own feet.

But that couldn’t be it.

They were stepbrothers.

Family.

Tarymn didn’t know what to do with that, didn’t know what to do with any of this.

“You could at least try to be nice to them,” Hym said, his voice low as they waited outside the PulseQuarters. The late afternoon sun reflected off the polished glass exterior, casting long shadows across the pavement. Behind those walls, Luci and Ludiin were gathering their things.

Tarymn glanced at the building, anger simmering just beneath his skin. His jaw clenched, every second stretching his patience thinner. “What the fuck is taking so long?” he growled. “They’re wasting my time, like I don’t have a million things to do than sit here.”

“They’ll come out soon. They probably have a lot to pack.”

“And I have things to do.”

“Chill, brother. They didn’t ask for any of this,” Hym said, unfazed. “They’re just like you and me. Pieces of a life Dad left behind.”

Tarymn’s eyes narrowed. “They’re nothing like us.”