Chapter 8 Breaking Control #2
Nothing about Ethan's tone suggested judgment.
Only quiet understanding.
Damien closed his eyes briefly.
"I've spent years making certain this would never happen."
"I know."
"I don't understand why it is."
Ethan stepped one pace closer but remained well outside Damien's personal space.
"I think we're finally asking the right questions."
Damien managed a tired smile.
"You still sound like a researcher."
"I am."
"Good."
The smile faded.
"Because I can't think clearly enough to be one."
Ethan slowly removed his coat and placed it over the back of a nearby chair.
"I'm making coffee."
"You don't need to."
"I'm aware."
Without waiting for permission, he disappeared into the kitchen.
Damien listened to cupboards opening and closing, the sound of running water, and finally the familiar hum of the coffee machine.
The ordinary household noises somehow made the apartment feel less empty.
A few minutes later, Ethan returned carrying two mugs.
He handed one to Damien.
"Careful."
"It's hot."
Damien accepted it.
Their fingers almost touched.
For a brief instant, another wave of warmth swept through him before gradually easing.
He wrapped both hands around the mug, grateful for something else to focus on.
"You came prepared."
Ethan smiled faintly.
"I stopped at the pharmacy downstairs."
He reached into a small paper bag.
"I asked the pharmacist what usually helps Alphas experiencing severe physical stress."
He removed electrolyte drinks, headache medication approved for Alpha physiology, and several bottles of water.
"No miracle cures."
"But dehydration makes everything worse."
Damien stared at the collection.
"You actually asked a pharmacist."
"I didn't know what else to do."
The honesty made Damien laugh quietly.
A genuine laugh.
Brief but unmistakable.
"I must look terrible."
"You look exhausted."
"I probably look both."
"You do."
Another silence settled between them.
Comfortable this time.
Neither man felt pressured to fill it.
Eventually Ethan spoke again.
"I've been reading your military records."
Damien looked up.
"The parts that still exist."
"You found something."
"I found pieces."
He chose his words carefully.
"I think someone removed important parts of your medical history."
Damien's expression darkened.
"I've started wondering the same thing."
Ethan frowned.
"You have?"
Damien nodded slowly.
"I found discharge papers."
"There were pages I don't remember signing."
"Sections had been blacked out."
He stared into the coffee.
"I can't remember those weeks."
"Not properly."
Ethan remained quiet.
He had learned that Damien often continued speaking if given enough time.
"I thought trauma explained it."
Damien's voice had become almost distant.
"Now I'm not so sure."
"It may not."
The words hung in the room.
Neither of them wanted to say the next possibility aloud.
Someone may have done this.
Damien leaned back carefully, trying to ease the tension running through his shoulders.
"The strange thing is..."
He hesitated.
"I'm angry."
"I expected fear."
"I expected frustration."
"But mostly..."
He shook his head.
"I'm angry that I accepted it."
Ethan looked at him with quiet sympathy.
"You trusted the people responsible for your care."
"I should have questioned them."
"You were recovering from war."
"You weren't in a position to investigate classified medical programs."
Damien looked away.
"I still feel foolish."
"You shouldn't."
The certainty in Ethan's voice drew his attention back immediately.
"You survived."
"You built an entire company."
"You spent years helping other people rebuild their lives."
He smiled gently.
"If anyone should feel ashamed, it's the people who kept the truth from you."
For a long moment, Damien simply watched him.
No one had ever framed it that way.
Everyone else focused on what Damien had lost.
Ethan focused on everything he had accomplished despite it.
The distinction mattered more than Damien expected.
The warmth beneath his skin remained, but the overwhelming urgency that had consumed him earlier had eased into something manageable.
He finally understood why.
It wasn't because the suppressants had started working again.
It was because he no longer felt alone.
Hours passed unnoticed.
They spoke about the military.
About the veterans' center.
About Ethan's family.
About anything except the biological instincts both of them knew lingered beneath the surface.
Not once did Ethan behave as though Damien owed him anything.
He never hinted that fate had chosen them.
Never suggested the rut created obligations.
Never encouraged Damien to surrender to instincts he barely understood.
He simply stayed.
Listened.
Made sure Damien drank enough water.
Occasionally reminded him to breathe when the tension became obvious.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
As midnight approached, the apartment had grown noticeably quieter.
The worst of the physical discomfort seemed to be passing.
Damien rested against the back of the sofa, looking considerably less strained than before.
"You know..."
His voice carried its usual calm again.
"I've met a great many omegas."
"I'm sure you have."
"Most wanted something."
Ethan laughed softly.
"That comes with being a billionaire."
"Not the money."
Damien shook his head.
"They wanted to be the one."
"The omega who changed the Unclaimable Alpha."
"I understand."
"No."
Damien looked directly at him.
"I don't think you do."
Ethan waited.
"You never tried."
"Tried what?"
"To claim me."
The room fell silent.
"You asked questions."
"You argued with my conclusions."
"You challenged my assumptions."
A faint smile appeared.
"You even criticized my work schedule."
"It deserved criticism."
"It probably did."
Damien's smile widened almost imperceptibly.
"You saw me."
"Not the headlines."
"Not the reputation."
"Just..."
He searched for the right words.
"...me."
Emotion tightened unexpectedly in his chest.
"I don't know how to explain what that means."
"You don't have to."
"I think I do."
Damien drew a slow breath.
"For years I believed every omega who approached me wanted the legend."
He met Ethan's eyes without looking away.
"You're the first one who wanted the man."
The words settled gently between them.
There was no dramatic declaration.
No overwhelming instinct demanding immediate answers.
Only honesty.
Simple.
Unguarded.
Damien lowered his gaze briefly before speaking once more.
"You're unlike every omega I've ever met."
Ethan smiled, warmth filling his expression.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"It was."
For the first time in years, Damien realized the walls around his heart hadn't begun breaking because of instinct alone.
They had begun breaking because someone had been patient enough to knock instead of trying to force the door open.
· ? ·