8. Chapter 8
Tarymn
“ Y ou look happy,” Pitra remarked the moment he stepped into the office.
“What?” Tarymn blinked, caught off guard.
It took him a moment to realize the corners of his mouth were still curved upward.
He scrubbed a hand over his face, as if he could erase the evidence, and crossed to his desk.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said smoothly as he dragged the e-reader closer— the one he’d shoved away an hour ago because he couldn’t fucking concentrate.
“I’ll leave you to your work then,” Pitra said, though his eyes lingered on him a second too long before he turned for the door.
“Do you have something to say?” Tarymn asked.
“Uhh…no. Its nice to see you so relaxed, that's all," Pitra said, then slipped out without another word.
Tarymn stared at the closed door Pitra's words running through his mind.
Relaxed. What the hell was he talking about?
His whole body was wound tight because of what was happening in the damn council. And he still hadn’t found the evidence they needed. With a sharp shake of his head, he shoved the thought aside, forcing his focus back to the e-reader glowing in front of him.
The documents stared back at him, offering nothing new. Frustration clawed at him. He wished there were more files to sift through, but this was all Deltta had managed to download.
“This will have to do,” he muttered under his breath, settling in to comb through every word again, hunting for the evidence he knew had to be there.
He got into a rhythm, so much so that when he looked up again, it was already midday. And he was starving.
He pushed away from the desk and made his way to the cooking station, where the smell of delicious food instantly lifted his spirits.
The place was buzzing, everyone was there.
Hym gave him a nod as he walked in. Ludiin was whispering something to Luci, head ducked, a small grin playing on his lips.
Tarymn strode to the counter, loading his plate with food before circling back to the table. He dropped into the seat beside Hym, directly across from Ludiin.
Tarymn’s eyes briefly wandered to the omega. His hair was now tied up in a messy bun, and the little curls at the nape of his neck had sprung free, sticking out like tiny springs. It was oddly endearing. Distracting.
Tarymn found himself glancing at them more than once during lunch — even though he tried hard not to— while still half-listening to the chatter around the table.
Luci was campaigning hard for an outing, his voice animated. Hym chimed in, backing the idea with a grin.
Ludiin, however, shook his head. “I want to stay in,” he said quietly.
Hearing him say that sent an unexpected flicker of satisfaction through Tarymn, catching him off guard. He stared down at his plate, confused.
“I promise it’ll be fun,” Luci insisted, undeterred.
“No,” Ludiin said, rising from his chair. “I have a project to finish. I want to graduate.”
“Ludiin,” Luci called, trailing after him.
Tarymn turned his head, only to find Hym staring at him.
“What?” Tarymn asked, a ripple of self-consciousness crawling across his skin.
“You’re really doing this,” Hym said, studying him like he couldn’t quite believe it. “Honestly, I thought you’d be gone by now.”
Tarymn raised a brow, not telling Hym he couldn’t leave even if he wanted to. Deltta was in trouble. He couldn’t go anywhere until he found a way to put those bastards away.
Not that he would have left anyway. His chest tightened as his gaze flicked upstairs, to where Ludiin and Luci had run off to. “I told you I was going to take care of them,” he said. "I take my duty seriously."
“I know you did.” Hym grinned, giving his arm a firm clap. “It’s going to be fun having more than just the two of us rattling around here. The place finally feels like a home.” Hym’s voice turned soft with excitement. “I can’t wait to find my own mate. We can all live here together.”
Tarymn blinked. “You’re not planning to move out? Get your own place?”
“Nope,” Hym said with a faraway look, eyes slightly glazed as if picturing a perfect domestic setting. “I think I would’ve liked living in a pack. Big, noisy, a little chaotic. You know… family.”
Tarymn shook his head with a quiet laugh. “And who’s supposed to be the alpha in this imaginary pack of yours?”
“Me, obviously,” Hym said, straightening up with a playful puff of his chest. “I’d give the orders, you’d all pay your respects, and I’d finally get to boss you around for once.”
“I doubt that,” Tarymn said dryly.
“What?” Hym shot back, standing up with a dramatic huff. “I would’ve been the alpha, no question. You’re just jealous.” He stretched his arms over his head, then grinned. “Come on, we’re hitting the gym. I guess you forgot who kicks your ass every time.”
“You want to spar?” Tarymn asked, raising an eyebrow. “Now?”
“Afraid?” Hym teased, already heading for the hallway. “You know you’re going to lose.”
Tarymn shook his head but followed, trailing behind his brother through the wide hallways to the other wing of the house.
“Here.” Hym tossed a bundle of loose clothes at him.
Tarymn caught them and sighed as Hym began changing into his gear, already bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet. He clearly needed this.
“Come on,” Hym called from the middle of the mat.
“Patience,” Tarymn muttered, tugging his shirt over his head and changing quickly. He stepped onto the mat just as Hym came at him, fast and hard.
“Easy!” Tarymn grunted, stumbling slightly as he blocked the hit.
They grappled, neither one taking the lead, their bodies moving with muscle memory and the familiar rhythm of old sparring matches. They crashed, twisted, countered, and fell. Again and again. Until sweat dripped from their temples, and their lungs burned from the effort.
“Time out,” Hym panted, flopping onto the mat and wiping his forehead with his wrist. “I’m dying.” Tarymn dropped beside him, equally breathless. “Where did that come from?”
“What?”
“Usually, I’d have you pinned by now,” Hym said between gulps of air.
Tarymn shrugged, smirking. “I usually let you win.”
“Liar,” Hym said, nudging him with his elbow.
“I do,” Tarymn replied, his smile fading slightly. “I prefer my wolf contained. Controlled. You thrive in yours’s wild, dominant and aggressive nature. I don’t. I don’t like letting go like that.”
Hym sat up, his expression softening. “Is it because of Dad? Because he… lost it a bit after Mom died?”
Tarymn stood without answering, collecting his clothes from the floor.
“Not everything is about him, Hym.”
“Okay,” Hym said quietly, still seated on the mat. “But don’t bottle it all up. You’re an aggressive alpha. If you never let off steam, it’ll find its own way out. And it won’t ask for permission.”
It already has , Tarymn thought.
“I’m fine,” Tarymn said instead, already walking toward the door.
“I’m going on a mission tomorrow,” Hym called out suddenly.
Tarymn paused mid-step.
So, this was why he'd pushed for the sparring match. To soften the blow.
“I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
Tarymn’s chest tightened.
“Do you know where you’re going?” he asked, already knowing the answer.
“You know I can’t tell you that,” Hym said with a small smile as he got to his feet.
Alpha Force operated outside the law, beyond even the council of alphas. They handled the unspeakable shit that happened on their planet.
Tarymn crossed the room and pulled his twin into a hug, locking his jaw against the surge of protectiveness.
“Come back intact.”
“Always,” Hym said, pulling away. “Take care of our brothers.”
“I will,” Tarymn said. “Do they know you’re leaving.”
“Yeah, they only know I’m going away for work. They don’t know the details. I didn’t want them to worry.”
“Yeah, that’s for the best. Take care of yourself,” Tarymn said, clapping Hym’s shoulder before turning and heading upstairs to his room. As he walked, he tried not to think about the dangers Hym might face out there, wherever “there” was this time.
He bathed, dressed, and returned to his office, but his mind refused to settle again. This time not from frustration but the fact that his brother was going somewhere he couldn’t protect him. He leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling, willing his mind to focus.
It didn’t.
Then he…
Tarymn didn’t know why, couldn’t explain it, but he closed his eyes and reached out with his senses. Listening, breathing deep and… there he was. Ludiin.
Without thinking, Tarymn got to his feet, walked out of his office, down the quiet hallway, and climbed the narrow staircase to the third floor.
He found Ludiin bent over one of the workbenches, utterly absorbed in whatever he was sketching. The soft scratch of stylus on glass was the only sound in the room. The omega hadn’t even noticed him enter.
Something pulled Tarymn forward, something irresistible, something he couldn't deny. He stepped closer— too close. Close enough to feel the gentle warmth radiating from Ludiin’s body, to see the curly hairs at the back of his neck stirred by his breath.
He leaned over Ludiin's shoulder, curious to see what he was busy with.
Ludiin flinched violently, startled.
Tarymn’s arms came up without thinking and wrapped around Ludiin. “It’s just me,” he said gently. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I…” Ludiin inhaled sharply, trying to calm himself. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“You were deep in thought,” Tarymn murmured, still holding him, eyes dropping to the e-reader in front of them. The image on the screen made his brows lift. It was an anatomical figure, detailed… nude .
“And I can see why.”
“It’s not what you think,” Ludiin said quickly, shutting off the screen with a flick of his finger. He slipped out of Tarymn’s arms and moved to the other workbench, face flushed. “It’s for reference.”
“Reference?” Tarymn echoed. “I didn’t know your machines involved nude sketches.”