Chapter 11
ALARIC
“We need to go see our dads,” Tatum says with a sigh, his hands dragging over his face tiredly.
It’s the morning after the party and we were all out late. I’m exhausted as well, but I make myself a cup of coffee in a thermal mug for the road.
“I want to know what they know about Ralph. They have files on all the mafia families,” I agree.
Our dads are almost feral about keeping shit locked down. We haven’t had a war in years, and they want to keep it that way. It’s why I’m so intent about making sure that we toe the line and follow the rules.
Loose lips and hotheads lead to fucked up situations. I don’t want to be the reason we break our dads’ streak of peace, but I’ll do it for Beckham.
“About that, I need to tell you about what happened with our omega. It appears that things are more complicated than we thought,” Jamie says, stealing my coffee to take a deep sip. “Fuck, that’s nice.”
I’ll never tell him, but I made my coffee knowing that one of them would steal it. I added more creamer and sugar than I normally would, because we didn’t get much sleep. I can survive just fine, but my grumpy pack mates are a different story.
“Tell us in the car,” I state, ruffling his hair affectionately as he scowls. Fucking adorable.
Getting my grumpy pack mates out of the house while they share the coffee I made is like herding cats, but we manage. Jamie and Tatum even look a little more alive a couple of minutes into the drive.
“Okay,” Jamie mumbles. “I’ll start by saying that there’s something really fucked up about how our omega talks about Ralph. There’s this fear in his eyes every time his name is mentioned.”
“I got the same vibe,” I admit, turning onto the freeway. “The question is why?”
“It has something to do with being over controlling, and it’s influencing how he sees all alphas,” Jamie explains. “He seems to think he’ll be stripped of his free will if he has alphas. We’re going to need to tread very carefully with him.”
“We’d never force him to do anything he didn’t want,” Tatum says, his fingers raking through his dark curls.
His cheeks are even more covered with a shadow of hair than usual, giving him an air of danger. It’s a good look for him in his joggers and sweatshirt, but on the outside, I can see how someone wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of his anger.
We aren’t dangerous to our omega, just to his enemies.
“Never,” I add. “We’ve been pushing ourselves into his space because he hid. There was no other way to get him to pay attention to us, and I won’t apologize for that.”
“Nor should we,” Tatum agrees. “So what do we do?”
“Submit.” Jamie smirks, his cheeks turning pink. “The only thing I could think of was to drop to my knees for my omega, and it was the hottest fucking thing.”
His scent of bergamot and sandalwood thickens in the vehicle, and I inhale deeply.
“Please, go on,” I encourage with a purr, adjusting my thickening cock.
“I told him that the three of us don’t have to be dominant at all times. Sometimes, it’s nice to not have to think,” he admits.
As someone who carries the weight of our pack and business, I have to say that he’s correct. I tend to call the shots because there’s no one else more dominant in our pack to take the reins. But with Beckham, that could change.
I think I’d like that.
“What did you do while on your knees, dirty boy?” Tatum asks, smirking. He steals the coffee back from Jamie, to which Jamie flicks him off.
“It was…incredible. Beckham fisted my hair and snapped free of the tight grip of control he keeps himself under. He fucked my throat, made a mess of me, and I fucking loved every second of it.” Jamie moans, his breaths becoming heavier as he recounts it. “I drooled all over myself.”
“Greedy little cum whore,” I praise him, chuckling under my breath. I fucking love how much Jamie enjoys sucking cock.
“He has a big cock, huh?” Tatum asks, groaning. “God, I’ve felt it through his pants. He has to.”
Based on the photo Jamie showed us last night, he’s packing. I don’t think it did him justice. I was wondering how Jamie managed to get that picture of Beckham. Guess our professor is a lot dirtier than he led us to believe. Good. I fucking want him filthy.
“He does,” Jamie agrees, grinning. “Beckham comes by his big dick energy honestly. It was so hot being his dirty hole to fuck, but he’s scared guys. He also had an ultimatum.”
“What is it?” I sigh, worried it’ll be something impossible. We’ll still do what we can to make him more comfortable, but it’s hard to constantly prove ourselves if Beckham isn’t interested in finding out who we are as people.
We may be alphas, but we aren’t bad people. Thinking all alphas are bad puts us at a disadvantage.
“He wants us to earn our places as his alphas. It’s almost as if he thinks that the universe dictating who he should be with is overrated. What if you’re scent matched to assholes?”
“We aren’t assholes.” I snort. “At least, not when it comes to Beckham.”
“While I know that, he doesn’t,” Jamie says. “He wants us to prove that he won’t lose who he is if we’re his alphas.”
“He wants control,” Tatum realizes.
“Yeah. I don’t mind that, but I don’t like the panic in his voice that crept in the more I reminded him that trust comes with getting to know someone.
The way he was texting me last night, I’m honestly surprised by it.
Fucking loved it. But I don’t know if that's going to be a regular thing or if he was just wrapped up in everything that happened,” he says.
“Our omega is skittish, and it feels as if someone hurt him.”
“That person won’t remain alive for long then.” I growl. “Even our dads will be in agreement there. Scent matches don’t march into your life every day.”
Parking in front of my dad’s house, I turn off the car.
Our dads tend to hang out together, and are thick as thieves.
I’d bet anything they’re having breakfast and shooting the shit, but I don’t have to.
Jamie’s dad’s fancy car is in the driveway, alongside Dad’s motorcycle, and Tatum’s dad’s truck.
“Did you know they were hanging out together today?” Tatum asks.
“Nope. But when are they not?” I ask, chuckling as I push open the door.
“Touché,” Tatum replies, climbing out.
“Ugh, I haven’t seen Dad in a hot minute,” Jamie says.
“Well then this is karma doing the equivalent of telling you to go see him.” I grin, heading up to the door.
Jamie and his dad’s relationship is good, but he’s the typical college kid who forgets to call home with how busy he is.
“Ugh, you’re mean. I’m glad he’s here. It’ll mean that I won’t need to apologize profusely on the phone for not calling,” he says.
“He knows you’re busy,” Tatum says, shrugging. “You’re good.”
Knocking on the door, I wait on the front stoop for the old men to get their shit together.
My dad opens the door a minute later, grinning as he sees us.
“Our spawns have come to visit!” he calls out, making me roll my eyes.
“As if I don’t talk to you almost every day,” I mutter, pushing my way into the house to hug him. “Hey, old man.”
“Old nuthin’,” he grins, pounding me hard enough on the shoulder to make me grunt in pain. His hair may be turning to salt and pepper, but he’s strong as a damn ox.
Yeah, he’s making his point loud and clear. Dad says hello to the guys as he shuts and locks the door before we walk back to the kitchen.
“Hungry?” he asks.
“Starving,” Jamie says immediately. My dad is well known for his pancakes.
“We weren’t only coming over to be fed,” I grumble. “However, now that you mention it, these assholes stole my coffee.”
“You mean, you let them steal it because they’re brats.” Dad chuckles.
“Where is my brat?” Jamie’s dad asks, smirking as he sees us. “It’s nice to see that you’re alive.”
“Sorry I haven’t called,” he mumbles, hugging his dad before he sits at the table.
“Eh, you’re busy. What brings you over?” Jamie’s dad asks.
“Our omega,” I say. His dad doesn’t seem surprised, which means that he’s been filled in about how we’ve met our scent match.
“Did you see him yesterday?” Dad asks.
Aeron, Tate’s dad, gets up to pour more coffee for everyone, while we settle in to talk to them.
“Yeah, and I frankly have more questions than answers,” I grumble.
“Hit me with them,” Dad says, pulling plates and filling them up with pancakes. At my raised brow, he shrugs. “I had a feeling we might be getting some company.”
“Your dad’s gut is never wrong,” Aeron says, setting cream and sugar out once our mugs are full.
Ugh, the three of them are smug as pigs rolling in shit. They know us too well.
“Alright,” I say with a sigh, taking my plate and pouring syrup over them. Waiting until I take a bite, humming as I chew. They’re fluffy, buttery, and fucking perfect as usual. “Why can’t I get my pancakes like this?”
“You don’t use enough butter and the stove is always turned up too high,” Jamie mumbles, chewing.
Little shit. He’s right, I’m too impatient.
“As you were saying,” Dad says, nudging me to continue.
Damn, we really are squirrels.
“We saw Beckham, and were able to talk to him a bit, but there are concerns about his behavior,” I say carefully. “Moving on this could cause issues with the peace we’ve held, Dad.”
“If someone is hurting your omega, we’ll make sure you can deal with it,” Jamie’s dad, Connor, says confidently.
“Good,” Jamie says, huffing out a breath. “I think he’s having some real issues with a guy named Ralph.”
“He’s Eddy’s—”
“He’s his right hand man,” Aeron mutters, his brow furrowing in concern. “Fuck, there’s something off about him, and I’ve never liked him.”
“Don’t we have a file on him?” Connor asks, sipping his coffee slowly.
Our dads are the mafia versions of apocalypse preppers, only it’s more geared toward information being power. They have files on everyone they work with or around, waiting for the day someone may need to be blackmailed or put down like a damn dog.
I think Ralph may be the latter.
“I see the files are alive and well,” Jamie drawls.
“They’ve grown since you last saw them.” Dad snorts. “You never know when you need to add kerosene to a potentially explosive situation. It’s important to know when to hold your peace and when to fight for what’s right.”
“Beckham doesn’t want to be with us because he thinks all alphas want is control,” Jamie says, his mood plummeting.
Fuck. I hate this for him. I’m torn between wanting to tell him that we’ll fix it all and saying fuck an omega who doesn’t want us. I obviously won’t do the second option, but I’ve been with my pack for a long damn time.
I don’t enjoy being shit on because of other people’s mistakes. Ralph is going to die simply for putting the sad look in Jamie’s eyes.
“Control isn’t what makes an alpha,” Dad says, grunting.
“It’s about being willing to care for those who need it, leading, and being a good fucking person.
Anyone can swing their dick around, use their alpha bark, and destroy someone’s innocence.
Protecting people and teaching them how to be safe is what sets us apart. ”
“It’s why your fathers and I are protecting the peace,” Aeron says.
“However, it accomplishes nothing if it hurts you three. We want you to finish college, not fight a war you’re not ready for.
We may be able to handle it and still keep things going though, if your omega is willing to tell you what’s going on.
His father loves him, even though they’ve had a rough few years. ”
Connor comes back with a thick file, and I realize that I didn’t even see him leave. I was too wrapped up in what Aeron was saying.
“Define rough,” Jamie insists, his eyes on the file.
“Nothing crazy. From what I understand, Beckham hasn’t wanted to take over the reins of the business,” Dad explains, shrugging. “I don’t blame him when he has another love.”
Jamie bobs his head in understanding. His love of football and wanting a normal college experience is why we’re all in school with him. It’s important to bend for the person you love.
Connor opens the file, going through it until he finds what he is looking for.
“Now, some of this may be innocent and useless information,” he begins. “Your dads and I have kept every photo and written down every slightly odd encounter in case it may be needed later on. While there’s nothing wrong with our memories, it’s important to have correct documentation.”
“Dad,” Jamie says impatiently. “What do you have on Ralph?”
I feel the same way, but I focus on finishing the last bite of my breakfast to give me something to do. In my experience, it doesn’t help to rush these men. I have to sit tight and let them have their moment.
It’s not difficult to admit that their files are impressive.
“We’ve never been a big fan of Ralph overall,” Connor says, ignoring his son as my lips twitch.
“The man is a slimeball,” Aeron mutters. “I can’t prove it, but I would give my knot if he wasn’t fucking Eddy over in some way. Ralph acts as if he owns the mafia family when he’s simply the hired help.”
“Which leads me to this,” Connor says, flipping a photo over and pushing it carefully in our direction to avoid getting ruined.
My jaw grinds together as I stare at a younger, very scared Beckham as a hand wraps around his throat. Ralph appears to be yelling at him, his face red and angry. Our omega is cringing away from him, trying to make himself smaller and it pisses me off.
“When was that taken?” Tatum rasps, his voice full of horror and worry.
“About thirteen years ago,” Dad says. “We were there for a meeting with Eddy, and I happened to need to hit the bathroom before we left. As I was coming out, I found Ralph screaming at him. I couldn’t stay long enough to figure out what the problem was, but I documented it just in case we’d need it. ”
“Holy fuck,” Jamie mutters. “No one should have been yelling at a mafia don’s son like that. I don’t fucking care who they are.”
“I would have killed anyone who did that to any of you, which is why I have to believe Eddy doesn’t know about this,” Dad says. “I’ve been waiting for the right moment to say something.”
“I think that time may be very soon,” I growl. “Thanks for this Dad.”
“We see you all as our own, and we are very invested in your happiness,” he says. “We’ll make sure your omega gets the retribution he deserves. If Ralph has been abusing your omega, I don’t think he should continue to sleep at Eddy’s home.”
“Beckham is a stubborn omega,” Tatum sighs. “The odds of suggesting anything are moot.”
“Play by his rules, but it all ends the second it looks like things are getting out of hand.” Aeron grits out.
The three of us nod, but the worry that we may already be there claws at me.