2. Chapter Two #2
“Seriously, it’s good that Daddy started the conversation.
Especially since you didn’t have the chance to go to high school and be around other kids who were experimenting.
And you’re welcome to ask me anything, although I’m not sure I’ll be much help.
I’ve only ever been with betas, and it’s so different for alphas and omegas.
With your scenting. And all that weird instinct, inner beast stuff.
” He smiled and tossed the ball to Zeller, who caught it one-handed.
“Well, don’t worry about doing research because I don’t have any desire for…
that. Not yet.” Zeller paused before adding, “Daddy said he was a late bloomer. He didn’t have his first heat until twenty-one.
So that’ll probably be me too. No pheromones or scents kicking in for a while, no matter how many alphas they force me to talk to. ”
It was good he hadn’t fully matured yet, Zeller thought. Because his sexual awakening wouldn’t be liberating like Asher’s. It would be another aspect of his life for his parents to control.
Asher examined the canvases. “I’m going to take this one, if that’s okay,” he said, gesturing to an abstract of orange, blue, and green shapes.
“Sure.”
“I’ll put it in the entryway of my apartment so I can brag to everyone about my brother, the talented artist.”
Zeller was grateful that there was at least one person in the world who appreciated his art. He only wished Asher were more bothered by the fact that no one else did.
“Yes, tell them about your omega brother,” he said. “The man who lives in a gilded cage.”
***
Zeller woke up the following morning feeling a little hot because he’d gone to sleep with Asher’s stories on his mind.
Although his brother was indeed a gentleman, speaking respectfully of his partner and only in generalities, he’d said enough to pique Zeller’s curiosity.
Zeller thought about the books Daddy gave him.
They were boring and clinical, mostly about hormonal changes that happened as alphas and omegas matured.
The back pages were more interesting, with detailed drawings depicting the mechanics of sexual acts, but they did little to answer the question about relationships that confounded Zeller the most—what was so great about them?
When Zeller imagined his perfect life, he pictured being out from under his parents’ thumb.
In his dreams, he traveled, made art, and met lots of interesting people.
Sometimes he thought he’d like to meet a nice alpha and have a family, but it was hard to fathom his body developing a powerful need for it.
He supposed once he bloomed, he might feel different.
Also, he would likely require an alpha to help manage his heats.
Very few omegas could get through them without one, or at minimum, alpha semen.
And Zeller did want to be a father. Eventually.
He only hoped he could find someone who shared his hopes for a more bohemian lifestyle. A partner who wanted color in his life.
But the idea remained vague. The closest he’d come to tender feelings was enjoying romantic novels where characters got their happy endings. Those stories gave him hope that there was a man out there who would truly understand him.
He thought of how awful it would be to go through life with someone like Heprah. Bullied into submission. Unfortunately, Zeller had little faith his parents would help him find the right man.
After they had the talk last week, Daddy finished their discussion with, “Father and I are aware that your first heat will happen in the next few years. If we haven’t found a suitable husband for you by then, you don’t need to worry. We’ll come up with a plan to get you through it.”
Zeller’s fathers couldn’t actually force him to marry. They could, however, veto any choice he might make for himself until he turned twenty-five.
As he showered and got dressed for the day, he wondered if he could convince his parents to let him be on his own for a while.
His entire life, he’d been unobtrusive and obedient, never allowing his frustrations to rise to the surface.
Perhaps they’d be amenable. He just needed to buy himself some time.
Since he wasn’t hungry, he did not go downstairs for breakfast. Instead, he snagged his current read off the nightstand, a nonfiction book about the history of Bellwether Province, a place he’d never visited. He sat down in his window box to read.
Zeller was a few chapters deep when he noticed motion on the back patio.
Looking down from his third-story perch, he saw someone unfamiliar walking across the pavers.
He must be the new handyman.
The man was young. Not just young, but an alpha.
That was a surprise. Even though Uli was an alpha, Father and Daddy had only hired betas for ages.
But employing an alpha for a position comprised of manual labor and yard work played into stereotypes that jobs requiring physical strength suited them best. Lower and middle-class alphas, anyway.
The man came to a stop directly below Zeller’s window. He reached for a water bottle on the stone garden wall and tipped his face up.
Stars.
Zeller’s book slipped through his fingers, fluttering to his lap.
The alpha was the most stunning man he’d ever seen.
Swallowing roughly, Zeller watched as he removed his ballcap and swiped an elbow across his forehead. Bringing the bottle to his lips, he squeezed a long stream of water directly into his mouth, then squirted more over his chestnut-brown curls.
It was warm for November. The man practically glowed with perspiration. Zeller clocked sweat stains along the hollow of his spine. Dirt smudges marred the front of his white T-shirt and the knees of his jeans. He probably smelled like the earth.
Zeller should have found it unpleasant.
But he didn’t.
Drops of water traveled down the alpha’s jaw and neck, landing on the hard planes of his chest. He dragged his fingers through his hair, squinting at the sun before placing the cap back on his head.
Zeller’s pulse sped up. Everything about biology and heats and choosing a husband suddenly became far less theoretical. His heart beat wildly, thrumming until his whole body vibrated with it.
And for the first time in his life, his ass grew slick.