Chapter Thirteen
Valentin
Valentin stalked to the staff parking area with his hands in his pockets. It had been nearly a month since Zeller’s heat and over three weeks since their last furtive conversation.
Two days after Zeller spoke with his parents, he’d snuck outside and told Valentin that Keyes and Deveron were taking a wait-and-see approach, that they didn’t want to get ahead of themselves until they knew if the pregnancy had taken.
For now, he was going to abide by his fathers’ directive and keep his distance, to prevent antagonizing them.
Antoni had successfully convinced the staff that there had been a maintenance issue at the house, so no one else was aware that Valentin had spent those three days with Zeller.
The Parkensons took away Zeller’s phone under the guise of helping him avoid temptation, to ensure no suspicions were raised.
Valentin had accepted this reasoning, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew Keyes and Deveron were trying to drive a wedge between him and their son.
With the excuse of maintaining Zeller’s status as a desirable omega partner, they had declared that he shouldn’t be alone with any alphas other than his father and his brother Jem, lest there be any accusations of impropriety.
The extent to which the Parkensons adhered to old societal structures disturbed Valentin and reinforced his fear that they would never view him as an appropriate husband for their son.
Although Antoni had been their ally, the rest of the staff were afraid of Keyes’s authority and would not risk upsetting him. There was no chance Valentin and Zeller could be alone together with everyone on the estate reporting it.
It had been a frustrating month of viewing Zeller from afar. Valentin wanted to take his omega in his arms and kiss him, caress his belly and whisper how much he loved him and their baby—he just knew Zeller was pregnant!—but he settled for waves and longing glances.
In the nine months since Valentin had come to the estate, he’d had few interactions with the Parkensons.
Antoni gave him his directions. But now, he felt their eyes on him.
Working in the garage last week, he looked up to see Deveron staring at him from the doorway.
Their gazes had locked briefly and then the omega shuffled away, although not before Valentin caught the sadness in his features.
Kicking the dirt, he reached for his car door handle, anticipating another lonely night watching TV with Decoy.
“Valentin!”
He recognized that brusque, haughty tone. He turned to find Keyes trailing him, Antoni in his wake.
“Mr. Parkenson,” he said with as much deference as he could muster.
They faced each other.
The older man towered above Valentin, who was muscular but on the small side for an alpha. Keyes wore an immaculate dark suit with a crisp button-down underneath. Valentin was aware of his own dirty jeans and stained white T-shirt, muddied after a day spent repairing gutters.
Keyes cleared his throat. Based on his expression, he wanted to discuss something more serious than the estate’s maintenance. “Yes, ahem…well…”
This was awkward. But long overdue. Valentin had complied with Zeller’s wishes by not seeking out the Parkensons, but it had been a month with no resolution. This powerful alpha knew Valentin had serviced his son’s heat, possibly impregnated him. It was past time they discussed it.
Valentin addressed the matter directly. “Mr. Parkenson,” he said steadily, “Zeller told me you and your husband wanted time to think about…everything that happened. I hope you don’t take my not coming to you immediately as a sign that I’m not committed to your son.”
Keyes raised a hand. “No need to explain, Valentin. Deveron and I are aware of how thorny this situation is, and we appreciate your patience in not insisting on seeing Zeller. You are correct that we had a lot to process.”
His words were neutral enough, but there was something in his manner that put Valentin on edge. He tried to make eye contact with Antoni, but the butler cast his eyes downward.
Unnerved, Valentin cut to the point again. “Did you want to talk about Zeller? About us getting married?”
Keyes pinched the bridge of his nose. “Married? My son is eighteen and you’re nineteen. You really think you’re ready for that?”
“Yes,” Valentin stated confidently. “I love him. I understand we’re young, but he’s it for me. We’re meant to be together.”
“Mm…he said much the same. But everyone feels that way at your age.”
Valentin bit his lip. “You know it’s not only that, right? I don’t want to marry him just because I love him, but also because we might be…expecting?”
The older alpha huffed. A look of resignation, tinged with disgust, took over his face. “That is actually the reason I sought you out.”
Valentin’s heart leapt.
“The pregnancy is confirmed?”
Keyes dipped his chin.
A surge of happiness swelled within Valentin. He and Zeller were going to be fathers! It was terrifying. But in the best way.
He turned toward the house. “I need to see him.”
“No.”
Keyes’s forceful tone stopped him in his tracks.
“No?” Valentin studied the other alpha, a sense of dread puncturing his elation.
“We’ve been keeping you apart for a reason.”
“Zeller said you wanted to wait and see if the pregnancy took, and that once we knew, we would regroup to decide what came next.”
Valentin realized he had just admitted to speaking with Zeller after his heat, in violation of the Parkensons’ wishes. But at that moment, he couldn’t be bothered to care. It was only one conversation anyway, weeks ago.
If Keyes caught the admission, he didn’t dwell on it.
“As I stated, you and my son are quite young. And to your point, my husband and I have had a month to digest this. We trust that you both will accept the wisdom of our years and experience.”
“Meaning…?”
“Deveron and I do not think it is a good idea for Zeller to marry you.”
Valentin fisted his hands at his sides. “You would deny your grandson his alpha father?”
“We believe the best course of action would be for Zeller to not have this baby at all.” Valentin recoiled as the implication of those words sank in.
“Don’t worry,” Keyes added hurriedly before folding his arms over his chest. “We realize our son would never willingly terminate his pregnancy. Especially since he fancies himself in love with you.” He raked his gaze over Valentin, no longer bothering to hide his revulsion.
Valentin gulped, grateful for the decree passed twenty years ago that made it illegal for alphas to compel omegas in their care to end their pregnancies.
“What are you saying?” he asked.
“I’m saying that Deveron and I have eight months to figure out the least offensive outcome to this problem. And whatever that may be, it will not involve you married to our son.”
Valentin sucked in a breath. Antoni peeked up, pity clear in his face. And something else…fear.
“In fact—” Keyes uncrossed his arms “—I came to tell you that it would be better for everyone if you left the premises. Deveron and I truly appreciate your discretion in this matter. It will make things easier in the long run. We are prepared to be very generous with a severance package if you leave the estate quietly.”
“You want to give me money? … to leave?”
“We are offering a substantial sum.”
Stepping back, Valentin dragged a hand through his hair before flinging his arm in front of him. “You think I would just walk away from Zeller? From my child?! No!”
“I will not allow you and my son to marry.”
“That is unfortunate, but it has no bearing on how much I love Zeller. And my son. Obviously, I would prefer for us to marry. With your approval. But married or not, I won’t leave him. You might as well ask me to cut off a limb.”
Keyes narrowed his eyes. “Don’t tempt me.”
Valentin willed himself to remain calm. “I could never abandon my son. Or the man I love.”
“I promise the child will have a fantastic life. We will find Zeller a husband who accepts your offspring as his own. And if you agree to terms, we will give you enough money to set yourself up somewhere and have a dignified life, not dominated by manual labor… You could attend college or start a business.”
The man was such a snobby prick. “For the record, there is dignity in manual labor. Or any type of work. But more importantly, I can’t—”
“I had my people research you. I know how you grew up, how much your family struggled. We are handing you the opportunity to not have to worry about money again.”
Valentin shook his head vehemently. “You’re not hearing me, Mr. Parkenson.
There is no amount you could offer me that would make me leave Zeller.
There is no life I want that doesn’t include him.
No business or school. Nothing. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?
How much I love him? Don’t you want that for your son? ”
“Love is cheap. He can get that from any alpha. But the other things I want for him, status, connections, respect, a partner worthy of the Parkenson name—those things don’t come easily.”
Valentin felt nauseous. He thought of how Deveron always faded into the background, useful in his way, but largely unnoticed. How did Valentin explain to a man like Keyes that Zeller was the other half of him? That his omega would be an equal partner in his life?
“I won’t take your money,” Valentin asserted. “If you refuse to consent to Zeller marrying me, I’ll wait until he’s of age. You can’t stop us once he turns twenty-five.”
“We will find him someone else before then.”
“He won’t do it. He’ll wait for me. Have my baby and wait for me.”
“We’ll see about that.” Keyes folded his arms again. “This offer stands for twenty-four hours. Five million to leave and never come back. Get in touch with Antoni to accept. Either way, consider yourself fired and no longer welcome on this property.”
Valentin’s blood boiled. “What will you tell Zeller?”
“That’s not your concern.”
Keyes turned and walked away.
Valentin was unsure what to do next. Fuck! What if they really kept him from Zeller for the next seven years? Perhaps this was a test, and once the Parkensons saw he was serious about not accepting the money, they’d reconsider.
He exhaled and leaned against the car.
At the sound of a throat clearing, Valentin realized Antoni was still standing there. The beta regarded him with a mixture of sympathy and awe.
“He’s not used to people standing up to him,” Antoni said. “Not anyone who works for him, anyway. I don’t think he expected that.”
“He really thought I would take the money?”
Antoni lifted his shoulders. “It’s how he sees things. Not only you and Zeller. Everything.”
Valentin understood that now. He just didn’t know how to fight it.
“You see it, don’t you?” he asked Antoni. “The truth?”
“That you love Zeller? That it’s been real between you two for months? Of course.”
Valentin sighed. “I hope the Parkensons will see it too. With time. I meant what I said. I’ll wait seven years, but man, that sounds horrible.”
Antoni’s expression was grave. “Valentin, you need to listen to me. I like you. And you’ve been good for Zeller, who is as close as I’ll ever come to having a child of my own. But you should understand that Keyes isn’t kidding. He doesn’t care how much you love his son.”
“What else can I do but keep trying to make him see?”
Antoni placed a hand on Valentin’s shoulder. “He doesn’t back down. And he doesn’t lose.”
“And him winning is Zeller having a baby on his own?”
“Him winning is him controlling the game. I think you know that.” Antoni dropped his arm.
“If he refuses to come around, I’ll wait.”
“You need to be sensible. The Parkensons own this part of the province. I doubt it will be safe for you anywhere near here. They have always had big plans for Zeller’s husband—to make an alliance. If you stay, they’ll fix it so you can’t work. Can’t go to school.”
“Antoni, I can’t leave Zeller. Or my son. I won’t do that.” Valentin blew out a breath.
Antoni nodded. “I had a feeling that’s what you’d say, but it’s very important that you don’t underestimate Keyes. He’s dangerous.”
As Valentin drove home, wondering how he would pay his rent next month, he thought about how formidable an opponent Keyes was. But Valentin was smart and had skills as a handyman. Surely someone would hire him. And his college classes started soon. He’d be working every day to improve himself.
He waited in his apartment for three days. Decoy provided a welcome distraction and reminded him of what he was fighting for. He wished he could call Zeller or communicate with him in some way.
On the fourth day, he figured the Parkensons understood that he wasn’t taking their offer—their fucking bribe—to leave town permanently. If it had been a test, they should have seen by now that he’d passed.
But it wasn’t a test.
At least not the way he imagined.
As Valentin opened the door of his rusty old sedan, intending to spend the day job hunting in nearby towns, he found out that he had indeed underestimated Keyes.
He scarcely registered the blow that sent him sprawling onto the street corner, scraping his chin against the sidewalk.
He couldn’t make out the faces of the assailants who kicked his ribs so hard that vomit burned up his esophagus.
He didn’t see it coming when they slipped a hood over his bloodied face and stuffed him into the trunk of a car.
And he barely made out the words when one of them muttered, “Poor chump. Shoulda taken the money.”