Chapter 33
Grayson
“Congratulations, it’s a female Alpha.” Grayson really did try to sound enthusiastic, but from the look Rorith shot him, he was failing.
His mind kept flashing between Keld’s mother’s claws and his own mother’s stinging palm.
The attack was dredging up memories Grayson didn’t know he still possessed—of his father’s fists, black eyes, and the snap of a leather belt on skin.
He didn’t understand—he was the victim, yet Keld was the one sulking. His phone vibrated in his pocket. Another phone call from the same unknown number. Grayson congratulated the new parents again and backed out of the room.
“Hello?” he said, sliding the door shut behind him.
“Gray?”
His heart stopped. “Jameson?”
“Thank fuck.” The low voice on the other end blew out a breath. “Do you have any idea how hard it was to find your new number?”
“Did you ever consider that it might be for a good reason?” Grayson managed. How the hell had his brother even gotten his new number?
“Whatever, that’s not the point.” Jameson paused, as if searching for the right words. “Pa tried to kill Dawson.”
Grayson’s back hit the wall and he slid down onto his heels. “What?”
“It was real bad, Gray. I came home and found Pa whalin’ on him with one hand and chokin’ him out with the other. I pulled him off, but it took Daws a while to wake up again.”
“Is he okay?” Grayson whispered.
“He’s beat up,” Jameson muttered. “Doc says cheekbone fracture.”
“Oh my god…” Grayson felt sick. He’d run off to save his own skin, without wanting to consider the repercussions for his brothers.
He always assumed he’d gotten the brunt of their parents’ abuse, for the crime of being an Omega, and that his brothers would be able to take care of themselves. “Where are you now?”
“Some shit motel in Gainesville.”
Grayson’s head jerked back in shock. “Gainesville? Why—?”
“Daws found you. Don’t ask me how, you know how kids are with technology and stuff. We got no one else to ask.”
Grayson pressed his head into his palm. “You need money? A place to stay?”
“Both, ideally.” Jameson hesitated. “We thought… maybe you could get us to Miami.”
Grayson’s jaw dropped. “You want to come to the Mermades?”
“I know, I know, just listen. Ma and PA were pissed when you left. They said you went off to get knocked up or something—”
“Yeah, I get it,” Grayson interrupted. “I don’t need the details.”
“So… you’re really an Omega?”
Grayson sighed. “Yeah. I am.”
“Damn…” Jameson was quiet for a moment. “Are you… pregnant?”
Grayson let out a humorless laugh. “No.”
“Oh. Well… We did some pokin’ around, me and Daws. Tried to learn a little more about the Mer and Omegas and stuff. I can’t lie and say I understand it all, but Daws and I never had anything against the Mer. We just said all that shit to keep Ma’n’Pa off our backs.”
Grayson found himself unable to formulate a response.
“Everyone says they hate the Mer because they’re ruinin’ humanity and masculinity but… I dunno, you can’t help it can you? And they ain’t forcing nobody. They’re doin’ some good for the environment and… Well, we didn’t mean those things we used to say.”
“Jesus, James,” Grayson said, grasping for levity. “I’m impressed. I didn’t know you could read.”
“Shut up. You gonna help us or not?”
Grayson chewed his lip, mind racing. “I’ll need to do some research.
Most of the humans who come here are Omegas.
I don’t know how a normal human goes about getting over here.
But what about Dawson? You’re an adult, but Ma and Pa have custody of Dawson for another three years. You can’t just take him.”
“Yeah, well. I thought of that too. We got a CPS case open now, and I’m goin’ for custody of him. They said I should have a steady job and a ‘support network,’ whatever that means.”
Grayson nodded slowly. “That might work, especially if Dawson’s as busted up as you said. Okay. I’ll send some money for now and I’ll try and find a way to get both of you over here.”
“Thanks, Gray. And, uh… We missed you, man.”
Heat prickled Grayson’s eyes. He’d hardly given his brothers a second thought when he left.
He figured they’d grow up just like his parents; that they were exactly where they were meant to be.
He thought they’d hate him, be disgusted by what he was.
He’d convinced himself that all those things would keep them safe from their parents’ vitriol.
“I miss you guys too,” he said softly. “I’ll talk to you as soon as I have an update.”
“Sounds like a plan. Bye, Gray.”
“Bye, James.”
Grayson lowered his phone with a shaking hand and stood. Guilt chewed at his insides as he imagined his youngest brother under their father’s fists.
I’m a selfish piece of shit.
“Whoa, Gray, you good?” Jenna stopped dead at the look on his face. “What happened?”
“A lot. Do you know any way for standard humans to come to Paeil?”
∞∞∞
“Shit, Grayson.” Aureli shook his head and took a swig of his beer. “No offense but your family sucks.”
“None taken.” Grayson gave a weak chuckle. “But apparently my brothers don’t suck as much as I thought they did.”
“Two standard humans…” Tara mused. “And one’s a minor… That’s tricky.”
Behind the bar, a man Grayson had never seen poured a shot of gin into a crystal tumbler. Shockingly, Vitor was still on paternity leave after his twins were born last month. To no one’s surprise, his water had, in fact, broken behind the counter.
Jenna accepted the tumbler with a smile. “There must be places that hire non-Omegas.”
“I just texted Malukti,” Aureli said, scanning a message on his phone. “But she says her workplace is all Mer.”
Tara tapped her phone, resting on the bar beside her. “Oh!” She scooped it up, eyes darting back and forth. “Zasia says the desalination plant has a lot of non-Omega humans working there. Apparently Loriun Kolhn, the CEO, loves a good diversity hire.”
“Perfect!” Jenna punched Grayson’s shoulder. “Isn’t Keld close with Loriun? You have an in.”
Grayson’s heart sank. “Oh. Yeah, I’ll have to ask him.”
“Eksal said the same thing,” Jaeyong murmured. “He says his team is hiring and he’s already got two non-Omegas on the payroll. He says they sometimes take people without experience if they’re willing to put in the work.”
Grayson knew he should be relieved. By some insane stroke of luck, he had the connections his brothers needed, and yet…
“Gray?” Jenna narrowed her eyes at him. “Is something going on with Keld?”
He jolted. “What? No! How did you—”
“You have the world’s most readable face,” she said, setting her glass down. “Talk.”
Grayson dropped his gaze to the rum and coke in his hands. “I don’t really know. He’s been distant lately. He’s sticking around, but he doesn’t want to touch me and looks miserable.”
“Does it have something to do with the mystery cut on your face?” Jenna said shrewdly. “Because ‘I tripped’ is probably the most half-assed lie I’ve ever heard. Quarter-assed, some might say.”
Grayson touched the bandage on his cheek. “Seems like it.” He’d asked Tara not to talk about the incident, but he was impressed she’d managed to keep it from Jenna.
“So you gonna tell us what really happened?” Aureli’s mouth twisted in a frown. “Did Keld hurt you?”
Grayson shook his head emphatically. “No, nothing like that. It’s just… It’s sort of hard to explain without sharing some personal information about Keld.”
The others stared, waiting. Tara gave him a little jerk of her head, as if saying, “Can’t get out of it now.”
Grayson sighed. “Basically, his mom is insane. Remember how Tara made me go on a run with her? Well, we ended up in front of Keld’s mom’s house and I guess she could, like, smell him on me. So she just went for me with her claws.”
“Jesus!” Jenna’s eyes listed over the yellowing bruise. “Are you okay? You must have been terrified.”
“It happened so fast, I didn’t have time to be scared,” Grayson lied. “Anyway, he was there. He came out of the house right as his mom lunged. He got her off me and yelled at her in Loaish. I don’t know exactly what he said, but I’ve never seen him like that. His mom looked afraid.”
“That’s awful,” Jenna said, resting a hand on his. “But why would that make Keld stop talking to you?”
Grayson shrugged. “That’s the part I can’t figure out.”
“He’s upset he couldn’t protect you,” Aureli said, dropping a maraschino cherry into his mouth.
Everyone turned to gape at him.
He glanced around. “What?”
“How could you possibly know that?” Tara asked. “Or are you making a very confident guess?”
Baffled, Aureli said, “It’s obvious. Grayson got hurt when he was with him and it was his mom that did it. He probably feels awful. Then there’s the whole extra layer of him being an Alpha, thinking it’s his job to keep his Omega safe, and all that nonsense.”
Grayson blinked at Aureli. “I… didn’t think about it that way.”
Aureli jerked a shoulder. “I used to be like that. Emotionally repressed machismo culture.”
Jenna and Tara exchanged looks.
“Men…” Tara muttered, shaking her head.
“Asking for help with your brothers will make him feel useful again,” Aureli suggested. “Might help him get over the whole mom incident.”
Grayson pressed his lips together. “But what if you’re wrong and he actually just doesn’t want to be with me after all?”
Even Jaeyong laughed at that. “He’s been pining after you for months, Gray. Come on.”
Grayson grimaced but got to his feet all the same. “Fine. I’ll ask him, but if you guys are wrong, you’ll be picking up the pieces for months.”
He pushed away from the bar and headed for the door. Cool night air greeted him as the door swung open. He stared down at Keld’s contact, thumb hovering over the call button.
Fuck it.
He tapped it and jammed the phone to his ear. It rang and rang until Grayson let out a frustrated breath and hung up. His thumbs moved across the screen, writing out an irate message as his legs carried him toward the bus stop.
Grayson Miller: I’m coming over and you better open up when I get there.
He compulsively checked his phone every few seconds as the bus traveled the oceanside road toward Sandpiper Park, but not a single message from Keld rolled in. Hurt and confusion were rapidly giving way to anger as time ticked on.
At his stop, Grayson stomped out of the bus and across the complex parking lot. Keld’s stupid Range Rover was there, parked in its usual spot. As he passed, Grayson pulled the windshield wipers into the air.
He rode the elevator up to the fifth floor and stalked down the hallway until he reached apartment 504. His hand smarted as he bashed the knuckles against the door.
“Keld!” he shouted. “Open up!”
When the Mer didn’t immediately come to the door, Grayson raised his fist to pound again.
“Keld! I know you’re home.”
The handle clicked and one of Keld’s orange eyes peeked out from the darkness. “Is everything okay, Grayson?”
Grayson closed his eyes, willing himself to find a scrap of tranquility. “I need your help.”