Chapter Eighteen
Zeller
Zeller padded down the hallway, plotting every footstep to ensure he would not emit a sound. He hitched a breath at the crack of light coming from beneath Antoni’s closed door, but after a fraught five minutes, he reached the back of the house undetected.
He crept out the patio doors and tiptoed along the far side of the formal gardens without tripping the alarm. At the edge of the stone pavers, under cover of darkness, he sat on a half-wall, breathing fitfully.
Stopping for even a moment was not ideal, but as Zeller cradled his very-distended belly, he could not ignore his fatigue. He needed to move faster, but it was just so difficult—unsurprising, since he was due to give birth in less than two weeks.
He forced himself to rise.
Zeller felt blind as well as tired. At least in the theoretical sense. He didn’t have much of a plan other than to run away and escape the estate.
It hadn’t been easy. His parents had kept him under lock and key for months. They’d never given him his phone back. Once they had accepted that he had no intention of being cordial to any of the alphas they introduced him to, his room became more of a cage than ever.
He had tried appealing to Antoni, but the butler shook his head at Zeller’s entreaties to help him leave.
“I don’t think you realize the lengths your parents are willing to go to in order to have their way.”
“You know this is wrong! Valentin may have left, but I should be the one raising this baby.”
Antoni made a noise that sounded close to agreement before grimacing. “I love you like my own, kiddo, but I don’t have the power to go against your fathers. I’ll do what I can, but Keyes and Deveron aren’t budging on this.”
Asher was also no help, sticking to his belief that Zeller’s best course of action was to marry an alpha their parents approved of. Somehow, he viewed Zeller being linked to a distasteful alpha for the rest of his life as meeting them in the middle.
Zeller shuddered at the thought, even as he acknowledged that their fathers’ lone alternative to marriage was an even worse possibility.
In recent months, instead of introducing Zeller to prospective husbands, they had been behind closed doors discussing adoption plans for his baby, refusing to give him any details.
Yesterday, he overheard them in the office and the stark reality of his situation had come crashing down.
They'd spoken in muted tones.
Could the man be trusted to be discreet? Had they made sure there was no connection to the Parkensons? Had the payoffs gone through? Was the paperwork in order? How would they ensure Zeller never mentioned it? Or Asher?
Their callous dismissal of his child as a problem to be solved chilled him to the bone. Deep down, he hadn’t really thought they’d give his son away.
This afternoon, he again implored Asher to help him, explaining what he’d overheard. And again, his brother refused. Like Antoni, he offered platitudes about doing what he could to help.
Time had run out.
Zeller had no choice but to take his chances on his own.
The reality that he had no money and could barely move wasn’t working in his favor. But he figured if he made it to town, he could find someone to appeal to. Maybe another omega, or a sympathetic beta? His parents were powerful, but there had to be someone.
Pressing a fist to his aching lower back, he lumbered toward the path that would take him to the main highway.
At the garden, he gazed at the zinnias. They were in full bloom despite the chilly weather. It reminded him of that day with Valentin, just before his heat.
You have so many sides—sweet, mischievous, inquisitive, thoughtful, opinionated, kind—but at the heart of everything is your vibrancy.
His memories of Valentin’s admiration spurred him onward. They’d had so little time together, and yet its significance was infinite. Meals in the kitchen. Conversations in the library. Stolen kisses in the garden. The heat when they had made their son.
Valentin had loved him deeply. Zeller had not imagined it.
He loved Valentin, too. And also hated him. Mostly, he hated how much time he’d wasted thinking Valentin would return.
Would he ever find out why Valentin went away?
If Zeller had listened when his fathers first told him that Valentin took their bribe, maybe he wouldn’t be in this situation. If he’d started planning his escape immediately, instead of waiting for a man who was never coming back.
Valentin had been tentative and guarded the entire time they were together. Zeller would never regret what they’d shared, and he certainly did not regret their child, but he had learned his lesson. The only person he could trust was himself.
I’m being drawn to something perfect and unique. I’m not distracted by all the other flowers in the garden.
Maybe Valentin hadn’t been distracted by other flowers, but something had distracted him. Money. Responsibility. His fears. Zeller would never know.
But he’d believed Valentin that day. And he still believed that part of it. For a few precious months, he had been loved. Truly and for himself.
And for that, he could almost forgive Valentin’s absence.
Almost.
He plodded onto the path and made his way to the road bordering the estate. There weren’t any streetlights, but the full moon shone on the ground. Zeller stuck to the shadows.
Prepared for an arduous journey, he’d kept the contents of his backpack light—a change of clothes, his sketchbook and pencils, a water bottle, and some granola bars.
He stopped after half an hour to take a sip of water. It was slow going, but he had made progress. The highway would be visible soon.
Zeller was five minutes from the intersection when he spotted headlights in front of him. This road was exclusive to the property. Who was driving to the house at this time of night?
He needed to hide. Unfortunately, there were no trees or bushes nearby, so he crouched down and yanked his dark coat over his head.
Holding his breath, Zeller stayed perfectly still as the vehicle drove past. He experienced a second of relief.
But then came the squeal of brakes. The driver pulled over, stopping twenty feet away.
Zeller held his position as the door opened.
“Zeller! I know you’re out there.”
Asher. Dang it!
“Come on, little brother! I’ve got a flashlight in my car, and I’ll chase you if I have to. Please just show yourself. Don’t make me put us both in danger.”
Zeller almost wept with frustration. He’d left his room forty-five minutes ago. He had been free for less than an hour.
With as much dignity as he could summon, Zeller stood. “How did you find me?”
“I saw your backpack on the floor earlier today. Out of place. I had a hunch, so I put a tracker in it.”
“You did what!?”
Asher rushed over and put an arm around him.
“It’s a good thing I did, too. How did you think you were going to make this work, exactly?
Our parents would never let you go. Not when it might make them look bad.
” He guided Zeller toward the passenger door.
“C’mon. I’ll get you back to the house and hopefully they don’t find out about this. ”
Zeller debated making a run for it, but he’d never get past his brother. He eyed him with disdain. “I won’t forgive you for this.”
“That may be true,” Asher said. “But at least this way I know you’re safe.”
“Safe in my prison.”
Asher opened his mouth to reply when two sets of headlights appeared, coming from the direction of the house.
“What the fuck?” Zeller shrugged out of his brother’s hold. “Did you call them?”
Asher looked genuinely confused. “No. Of course not.”
“Then why are they here?”
“No clue.”
The cars approached quickly. One parked next to Asher’s sedan. Zeller made out the boxy shape of Antoni’s older-model SUV. The other vehicle passed by, then spun around to shine its headlights on them all.
Zeller lifted his hand to his forehead, blinking at the emergency room brightness of the LED high beams. He did not recognize the car, but his parents got out of the front seats.
Two men, tall betas dressed head-to-toe in black, exited the back.
Antoni ran to Zeller as his fathers approached. “I’ll help however I can,” he mumbled hurriedly. “I didn’t realize what was happening until I heard Deveron crying in the library—”
“What? What’s happening?” Fear gripped Zeller’s chest as he saw the determined look on his alpha father’s face. Placing a protective hand over his belly, he whispered to Antoni, “Please do everything you can.”
“I will. You have my word.”
“What do you mean?” Asher leaned into Zeller. “What does Antoni need to do? What’s going on?”
“I’m out of time,” Zeller mumbled to his brother. “I believe you that you didn’t call them, but somehow they found out…”
Father halted ten feet away, as though he could not stomach being closer to his recalcitrant omega child. The headlights outlined him in a sinister glow. Daddy cowered behind, next to the black-clad betas.
“Asher? What are you doing here?” Father snarled. “Must I deal with two defiant sons tonight?”
Zeller stood tall, his belly protruding almost comically. “Asher came to find me,” he declared with bravado. “That’s why he was putting me in his car. To escort me to the house.”
“And he was listening.” Asher stepped forward. “So there’s no need to get upset. Zeller was on his way back.”
Father raised his eyebrows. “You should go home to your apartment. Me and Daddy will handle it from here.” His features remained impassive, but he vibrated with tension.
“I’m okay,” Asher said shakily. “I can go back to the house with you all.”
“Go home.”
Asher’s sharp inhale cut through the cool air.
Zeller murmured to his brother, low enough that only he and Antoni could hear. “Go. You can’t save me now. Just do whatever you can to help my baby.”
“Help your baby, how? What do you mean save you?”