JAN
Once it was just the two of us, I felt momentarily breathless and glanced shyly at Day. He looked back at me, but I still couldn’t read his expression well. As before, he seemed rather distrustful and somewhat annoyed—maybe that was just his default state?
We stood there awkwardly, surrounded by passersby.
Day lightly bit his lip and gave me a strange look. "I’m curious about the last guy Nolan has under his care. His name is Star. He’s an ex-sex worker, young and really beautiful. When I came here, he was in the office with me. I’d love to check if his contract was bought."
"When the camera view was switching on the screen, I saw one more guy there. A blond one?"
"You did?" A hint of disappointment flickered in his eyes. "So his contract wasn’t bought."
"We can check and make sure, if you want."
Day’s expression was a bit uncertain. "I don’t know if staring at him would do anything except add unnecessary stress…" he muttered, darting a glance toward the hall entrance.
"We can take a look from afar—from a spot where he won’t notice us," I offered, giving him a reassuring smile.
Day made an indistinct sound, perhaps his attempt to express approval, as he said, "That's a good plan.
We made our way through the hall, with Day taking the lead since he knew the layout better than I did.
From behind, his silhouette turned out to be surprisingly shapely—his slim back tapering into a narrow waist, and his butt, quite an enticing curve, small but perfectly rounded. My gaze lingered longer than it should have, tracing the lines of his form. Yeah, I probably shouldn’t be ogling him like this.
Finally, he stopped at the intersection of two aisles.
"You were right. Star is still here," he said grimly.
There wasn’t much of a crowd around the small booth. People passed by slowly, glancing at the information board and… quickly moving on. The details about Star’s former job must have been an effective deterrent.
From this distance, I couldn’t get a good look at him, but it was obvious he’d put a lot of effort into his appearance. He was dressed entirely in black—tight leather pants that showed off his long, slender legs, and a black mesh shirt, though not overly revealing; it had a sporty vibe. His long, platinum-white hair hung straight and fell nearly to his waist.
Even from afar, one thing stood out: he was completely still, like a statue—or a cold wax figure.
Day swallowed and suddenly muttered, "Let’s get out of here. It’s hard to look at this."
For the second time, I saw something other than negativity in his expression. There was a glint of genuine sympathy and understanding in his large gray eyes.
"May merciful Fate find someone for him," I said softly, and I truly meant it. It was awful to see this person—so young and beautiful—being ignored by everyone. A small wave of anger at Nolan washed over me for being part of Star’s humiliation.
Day nodded. "Yeah. He has this icy facade, but he’s very unhappy underneath."
I studied him closely. Day must have seen himself in Star’s place—ignored by alphas, left aside—and it was hard for him to stomach.
"Let’s go," I said gently. "Maybe we can call Nolan later and ask about Star’s fate. What do you think?"
Day looked at me cautiously. "Yeah, that’s another good idea."
His lips curled into something resembling a shy smile—an unexpected sight. I almost opened my mouth in amazement, but the moment didn’t last. Day’s expression quickly darkened again, and he bowed his head, reverting to his previous cranky demeanor.
We left the hall and stopped in the lobby, where people were milling about, entering and exiting the main sections.
Then I asked, "Did you come here in your own car, or do you want me to give you a ride home?"
Day turned his gaze away. "Um… I came here by taxi, so yeah, I’ll take you up on that offer."
"When do you want to arrange the move?" I followed up.
He seemed distracted, his eyes wandering to the people around us. "Maybe tomorrow? I’ll pack up today and say goodbye to my parents, then we can sort out the truck tomorrow…" He hesitated. "Although I don’t have that much stuff to take."
"I’ve got a large transport van," I offered. "I use it to haul seedlings to plant fairs and markets. It should do the job."
He kept staring at the crowd, looking absentminded. "I think so. I don’t have any big items, just clothes, books, and shoes."
Day still avoided my gaze as we walked toward the parking lot, where I’d parked.
When he saw my car, he nodded approvingly. "Yeah, this should definitely do the trick," he muttered, eyeing the advertisement for my fruit tree nursery on the side of the van.
I held the door open for him, and he accepted with a peculiar expression, climbing in. I followed suit. A moment later, we pulled out of the parking lot. Thankfully, the exit wasn’t too tricky, but there was a long line of cars waiting to get in.
As we merged into traffic, I asked, "Where do you live?"
Day gave me an address that was about forty minutes away.
The car ride was quiet at first. I focused on the road while he stared out the window. I frantically searched my mind for neutral topics to bring up—something that wouldn’t create tension or awkwardness.
It was tempting to ask about his emotional reaction to Salt being grabbed by the hair earlier, but I quickly dismissed the idea—it could be a potentially sensitive topic. So I came up empty-handed.
Suddenly, Day broke the silence. "Do you think Nolan really has some special talent? Like, can he actually sense good matches?"
I sighed. "I can’t rule it out. I mean, he did find his own True Mate."
"The redhead is his True Mate?!" Day’s eyes widened in surprise.
"Yeah. So if he pulled that off, who knows what else he can do?" I paused, thinking. "It might sound weird, but I’ve heard people with a higher percentage of alien DNA can have some pretty strange abilities."
"What makes you think he’s got extra alien DNA?"
It was hard to explain, but I gave it a shot. "Did you notice his height? His eyes? And those weird gloves he wears? I think he’s a purple alpha."
"Yes, I noticed the gloves too! They cover the upper part of his hands, like he’s hiding something—maybe those strange pink lines they have?"
"Exactly. Purple alphas supposedly have a lot of alien DNA mixed in, which gives them some edge over the rest of us. The same goes for their counterparts, rose omegas."
Day rubbed his chin. "That’s an interesting theory." He looked thoughtful. "But we can’t know for sure if he’s one of them."
"Of course not." I shrugged with a smile. "Still, it’s fascinating to think about. If he has some unusual abilities, it might explain why he’s so good at matching people."
Day didn’t comment, and we lapsed back into silence. I didn’t want to sound like some weirdo rambling about alien DNA and mystical superpowers, so I let the topic drop.
But then Day surprised me.
"If Fate’s Choice hired someone with a talent like that, they hit the jackpot," he murmured.
Relieved he was at least open to the idea, I chuckled. "True!"
"They could definitely use better service. I signed a contract with them six months ago, and the only pairings they suggested were two old grandpas—both close to eighty!"
"Eighty? That’s crazy." I raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. One of them was in a wheelchair. It was obvious he was looking for a nurse."
"But at least he could afford the more expensive contract, right?"
"I guess. He was a former CEO and still a board member at one of the big companies downtown. I know many omegas go for those kinds of arrangements, but it’s not for me. I want kids—" He paused with a faint blush on his pale face.
Crap. I let out a breath. We hadn’t talked about that rather important topic yet, so he didn’t know what I wanted either. It could be considered a significant fuckup on our part. For sure, choosing a husband at a fair, after a sped-up interview, not even knowing if we were compatible, was quite reckless. We could also be on completely different sides of this issue, and that would be a total disaster.
But I also realized that with Eternal already signed, our rules were quite firmly set in place, and it was solely his initiative if he wanted to have children with me. I hesitated, not wanting to say the wrong thing or make him feel pressured. Maybe it was better to let him steer the conversation?
"So, how do you see all this?" I asked carefully. "The eternal contract is quite a… business arrangement, so it’s all kinda your call," I trailed off, hoping he’d take over.
Day gave me a quick glance. "Yeah, I should probably have asked about it before." He bit his lip, looking dismayed. "So… Do you want kids someday?"
"Yeah, I really do," I admitted. "But when I came to the fair, I was prepared to accept the situation if my partner didn’t want them."
Day was quiet for a moment before saying, "You know, I only prepared Eternal as a backup. It gives me a big inheritance, as you may recall, and seemed perfect for the grandpas’ situation. Didn’t even think it through. The possibility of finding somebody at the fair seemed too absurd. But… with younger alphas, of course, things would be different. That’s just… obvious."
He cleared his throat, but it wasn’t that obvious to me. Grandpas or not, we actually signed it! I needed it explicitly stated; assuming anything would be risky. My gaze wandered toward him, and I could see he was having a hard time talking about it.
"But first, I need to clear up this whole silly household chores thing. Honestly, I don’t think I could stand being idle in one place, so I’ll just do everything like I normally would," he muttered, gesturing with his hand as if it were a given.
But I still felt I needed to delve a bit deeper into it.
"You know, I accepted this contract because I’ve always taken care of everything myself anyway—cleaning, cooking, all that stuff. I even like this aspect of Eternal because the classic deal, where people are obligated to fulfill duties from A to B whether they want to or not, feels too… scripted, too forced. I’d rather things happen organically. Whatever you want to do willingly, you’ll do it—no pressure."
I paused to clear my throat and glanced at him. Our eyes met.
"I—I meant what I said in the booth. I live alone, and I really want someone to talk to every day, someone to share problems with…" I trailed off, feeling like I was repeating myself.
But Day was listening carefully. He nodded and said, "For Nolan, that might’ve sounded a little strange, but not to me. Honestly, this type of deal feels more natural. I agree with your view on it."
I held my breath. Now that we had that out of the way, it was time to get back to the important thing.
"So, I’ll ask you directly," I whispered slowly, trying to choose my words carefully. "Within this contract—are you open to something more than just friendship between us in the future?"
Day’s cheeks flush.
He turned to look out the window and was silent for a moment, like he wanted to carefully think about his response.
"Well. I do want children, and that would mean we’d inevitably have to be closer than just friends." He snorted lightly. "That said, I appreciate the space this contract gives me right now. It lets me set the pace for how I’d like our relationship to develop."
"I got it." I nodded firmly. "There’s no rush. It’ll be a lot more comfortable if we just let things unfold organically."
I felt almost relieved. The idea of quickly transitioning from this formal arrangement with a total stranger to something more intimate was overwhelming. For now, I couldn’t even picture it.
Silence filled the car as we drove on, both of us staring at the road ahead. At this point, I think we’d exhausted all the ‘necessary’ topics we needed to cover given our situation. I thought about telling him a little about my house or my family, but those could wait. Besides, we were already nearing his place.
The house where I parked turned out to be pretty elegant, though the yard looked a little neglected. Maybe it was just my professional bias as someone who also worked in garden design, but it definitely needed some love. From what I understood, even though Day had bought the house, his parents couldn’t really afford to maintain it. At least, that’s what I’d gathered.
"Are your parents still working?"
"Only my omega dad. He’s still an elementary school teacher. My alpha father is on disability after a factory accident."
"Keeping up this house must cost a lot, especially with that big yard."
Day let out a loud huff. "Yeah, you can tell. I cover all the costs, but my savings are running out. I don’t want to use the money I got from you on this, so I’m gearing up for a serious conversation with my parents—to convince them to sell the house and downsize to something easier to manage."
"That’s a good idea," I murmured, unsure what to do next.
We were still sitting in the car in their driveway.
Talking about yard maintenance costs felt kinda forced, so I didn’t say anything more. Also, it wasn’t the best idea to criticize his parents, but from what I understood, they’d been leaning on him for years—while he’d been a surrogate. By my assessment, they’d taken advantage of his kindness, piling on costs and expenses, that’s how it looked.
Day bit his lip before speaking quietly. "In a normal situation, I’d invite you inside to introduce you, but my parents don’t know I participated in the fair. My alpha father’s always been against stuff like that. I’d rather not expose you to his temper… plus, he might not be sober."
"No problem, I understand," I said quickly, still not exactly mentally prepared to present myself as somebody’s ‘husband’. "I didn’t expect this turn of events either. I’ll get a room ready for you tonight."
Day sighed in relief. "Thanks for understanding. I’ll explain everything to them and pack up tonight. When you come tomorrow, we’ll see if I can introduce you. If not… I hope you don’t mind if I just pack everything into the car, and we leave."
"Sure, sure."
Silence again. Day glanced at my hand like he wanted to take it, his heartbeat picking up slightly, but then seemed to change his mind. Straightening up, he opened the door and hopped out of the car, tossing a quick parting remark over his shoulder.
"So, see you tomorrow around 10:00, okay?"
"Yep. Take care, and good luck, Day."
"You too, Jan."
With that, he turned and walked away. For a few seconds, I just sat there in the driveway, a bit stunned by everything that had happened.
This whole day…OMG.
It felt like a whirlwind. In what seemed like no time, I’d somehow ended up with a new husband—someone who might be in my life for good.
The idea felt ridiculous the more I thought about it, but maybe that’s exactly what I needed: a drastic change, something to force me out of my comfort zone. Was it my rising desperation that pushed me into this? Or my uncle’s relentless nagging?
Either way, I was a married man now.
◆◆◆
On the way home, I stopped by a department store, since I didn’t have anything an omega might specifically need. Growing up with two alpha brothers didn’t exactly prepare me for this, but I remembered a few things from watching my omega dad build his nests.
He’d spend hours weaving together bits of old shirts, pillows, blankets—whatever he had. It wasn’t just a chore; it was something he loved doing, almost like an art form. My alpha father made it clear we weren’t allowed to bother him while he worked on it. "Give Dad some space," he’d say. "It’s important for him—a part of being an omega."
He explained that omegas built different nests when they felt safe and happy—and different nests when they were upset. When Dad was down, the nests got more solid. What if an omega didn’t nest at all? This was a serious situation that could signal mental health issues.
So, biting my lip, I made my way to the nesting section of the shop. Every respectable department store had one—usually in the corner, in a less crowded area, with a cutesy sign like this one: "Nesting Supplies!" surrounded by hearts and swirls.
An omega employee was busy restacking a pile of pillows when I approached.
"Uh… Excuse me? I’m looking for, um, nesting stuff. Something nice, that an omega would really like. Any recommendations?"
The guy looked up and smiled warmly. He was probably in his forties, a little on the chubby side, with a cheerful vibe that put me at ease.
"Starting a new relationship? Trying to impress your partner?" he teased lightly.
I could’ve brushed him off, maybe said it wasn’t his business, but instead, I found myself nodding. "Yeah. My partner’s moving in tomorrow, and I want to make a good impression. I figured this might be a nice surprise."
He lit up. "Oh, that’s wonderful! We’ve got just the thing for a special occasion like this." He led me to another shelf and pointed out a big package labeled "Welcome Home Nesting Set." It was full of soft fabrics, colorful ribbons, small pillows, and strings—everything you’d need to build a nest from scratch.
The set was massive, and I hesitated for a second. Was it overkill?
"We’ve got a promotion on this one," the employee added with a smug grin. "Fifty percent off, since it’s the end of the line."
That sealed the deal. A few minutes later, he helped me wheel the giant box to the checkout, and soon I was on my way home with a cartload of nest supplies.
When I got back, I carried everything to the room I’d picked for Day. As I unpacked it all, I noticed the materials were really nice—soft, cozy, and in warm, calming colors. I piled them on a chair—it looked like a real mountain of fabric.
For a moment, I just stood there, observing it.
My life was changing. An omega was about to live in my empty house.
A wave of excitement washed over me as I realized I was absolutely ready for my life to take a new course.
◆◆◆
That evening, I cleaned the guest room I’d chosen for Day, which was right next to mine. It had its own small bathroom, so I hoped it’d give him some privacy while he settled in.
The toughest part of the evening was calling Uncle Frank to tell him what happened. I already knew how the conversation would go, so I didn’t waste time. As soon as he picked up, I blurted out, "Don’t freak out, but… it looks like I’ve got myself a husband."
His squeal nearly made me drop the phone. The next thing I knew, he was bombarding me with "I told you so!" and a million questions. I kept my answers short, leaving out anything too complicated or unpleasant. I painted the whole situation in the best light possible.
Frank was thrilled when he found out Day had done surrogacy in the past. "That’s perfect!" he said. "If he’s carried before, there’s still a chance for kids!"
I didn’t mention that our contract didn’t technically obligate Day to have kids with me. Instead, I stuck to harmless details: how Day looked, what his job was, how Nolan acted, and how talented in matchmaking he supposedly was. It worked. Frank got so distracted that he forgot to press me on anything deeper.
By the end of the call, he’d invited himself over to meet Day, though I pushed it off until the weekend, wanting to give Day a few days to feel more at home.
After the conversation, it was already late, and I felt drained. I lay down in bed, but despite being so tired, I just couldn’t fall asleep. I tossed and turned, my thoughts racing.
For the first time, I really let myself think about what would happen if Day decided to change the nature of our relationship—if it wouldn’t be governed by a rigid contract and became something real, something intimate.
Closing my eyes, I thought about him—his presence, the impression of his energy, the way his body had felt close to mine.
Day was a fertile omega, and, as much as I tried to ignore it, there was no way my alpha instincts could completely overlook that. Sure, he was painfully skinny, and his smoker complexion didn’t exactly look healthy. It might not be what most people would call attractive, but for me… there was something enticing about his whole form.
There was also this underlying potential I felt between us, this sense that we could be so much more if we just gave it time.
Already half-asleep, I pictured Day’s thin frame, musing over the idea of spending my time with him. In my mind’s eye, I saw him lying on the bed next to me, his hair down, looking at me. Maybe if he felt safe here, if he had the chance to relax and thrive, he would be happy, he would smile… If he got into outdoor activities with me, perhaps his skin would clear up, and he’d fill out a bit, gain some weight.
Objectively speaking, Day wasn’t unattractive. Sure, his features were sharp, and his cheeks were sunken, but his lips weren’t as thin as I’d first thought. When he didn’t purse them, they were small but had a pleasant, soft shape.
And his eyes… they were incredible. Those steel-gray irises, framed by long lashes, had this intensity to them. The image of him looking up at me with those striking eyes popped into my head, and I couldn’t help but grin to myself.
Tossing and turning, I decided to believe that this thing between us had a real shot, despite how guarded he’d been at the start. I was already beginning to understand what Nolan meant when he said Day kept his walls up. There was definitely truth to that, but beneath all the scratchy edges and defenses, there was something more, something softer—something worth uncovering.
His life hadn’t exactly been a smooth ride. Even what could’ve been considered his successes, like earning a good amount of money, had come with a ton of stress and baggage. His family seemed to lean on him way too much, and then there was his first relationship—the one that fell apart so close to the altar. That had to have been brutal. And the surrogacy situation? There was something off about it. I could feel it in the way he acted when he brought it up, like it stirred something deeply painful.
In a way, I could relate to his emotions. Despite being eight years younger, I could already feel myself starting down that same path of bitterness and disappointment.
But maybe… just maybe, together, we could find a way out of that?
◆◆◆
The next morning, I dressed up and left early, not wanting to be late. I got there fifteen minutes ahead of time… and a surprise awaited me.
Right there in the driveway, a pile of suitcases and bags towered, with Day sitting on one of them, waiting. The sun was shining, highlighting the deep russet-brown tones in his hair.
I jumped out of the car immediately, and as I approached, he stood up and came toward me, his heart racing. I hesitated for a moment, not sure whether to shake his hand or hug him. Awkwardly, I stayed in place while he stopped just a step away, cleared his throat, and said, "Well, it’s not great. My parents caused a huge scene—they’re not happy about me signing the eternal contract. They think it’s stupid. Honestly, I’d rather skip the whole ‘getting-to-know-you’ family thing today… it’s not gonna end well."
"Of course, Day. No pressure," I said gently. "Let’s give them some time. Maybe they’ll come around. A lot of people use matchmaking agencies and go to fairs like this—it’s pretty normal now, so they might soften up eventually."
Day made a face.
"Hopefully. But my parents are from the older generation, the kind that remembers when auction-and-fair houses were semi-legal, and contracts like these were often just a cover for hidden slavery. They’re still afraid that’s what’s happening here, and it’s impossible to convince them otherwise. They think they’re right—you know how it is…"
I shrugged. "Well, I’ve heard it can be like that. But my parents died when I was a teenager, so I never got to find out how they’d react to my marriage plans. Luckily, my uncle was the one pushing me to go to the fair, and he’s thrilled I met you. He actually wants to visit us on Saturday."
Day looked a little uneasy but managed a nod. "I'm sorry to hear about your parents. And I’d be happy to meet your uncle."
After a short pause, I sighed. "So, what do you say? Shall we start packing?"
"Yeah, of course."
We got to work and managed to load all his things into the van pretty quickly. There was still plenty of room left, so Day went back into the garage and brought out two large yoga mats to add to the pile.
Once everything was in, we hopped in the car and set off. As I backed out of the driveway, I caught sight of a tall man with gray hair standing in the yard. He was watching me with a grim expression. I gave him a slight nod, but he didn’t acknowledge it, so I just drove away.
Day seemed quiet, and I figured the argument with his parents from last night—and probably this morning too—had gotten to him. I asked if he wanted to stop for breakfast, but he said he’d already eaten and suggested we wait until we reached my place for the next meal.
I told him it would take about an hour and a half to get to my fruit tree nursery, but he just nodded and kept staring out the window, lightly rubbing his left temple.
"Do you have a headache?" I asked.
"No, just craving a cig."
Ah, that was a topic I knew better than to push. His obvious addiction wasn’t something I liked, but it would be rude and obnoxious to start lecturing him right away. I hoped, though, that maybe someday he’d quit on his own. I had this feeling it was stress-related.
About halfway there, Day suggested we take a break, so I pulled into a gas station, went inside to grab a drink, and when I came back out, he was leaning against the hood of the car, cigarette in hand, staring at the sky as he exhaled thin streams of smoke.
He looked relaxed on the surface, but I could feel the tension radiating from him. It wasn’t something obvious; it felt deeper, like he was carrying an old, invisible thorn that had already festered—but if you paid attention to it, you’d see its effect: a constant, dull ache seeping into everything about Day.
Luckily, the rest of the drive went a bit better. He asked about my studies, and I told him a little about my major. Then we talked about his college days. Turned out, he once dreamed of becoming a writer. He even published a book through his own publishing house, but it was very niche, and he felt it had too many structural flaws to ever gain mainstream success. Finally, he ended up as an editor and a book marketer—something he was good at and actually enjoyed.
He told me about the authors he worked with, how he did beta reading for them, promoted their books on social media, created videos, helped set up their Instagram accounts and blogs, and even responded to readers on their behalf. It wasn’t a high-paying job, but it was fulfilling enough, and he didn’t plan to change careers anytime soon.
Finally, we arrived. I noticed Day’s eyes widen as he took in the house. When we stepped out of the car, he stood there quietly, looking around for a moment, seemingly soaking it all in.
I smiled under my breath, happy that he approved of my home.