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Time had flown by, but the memory of that unforgettable lesson in dominance and obedience still haunted him. Elias was sick enough to miss it—longing for the men and women who hurt him. Ian didn't know those gritty details, though, didn't know Elias was so low in his life back then he thought pain equated to love.
He wouldn't risk it again. Not with anyone. Because sweet men can turn lethal the moment heat pheromones are involved, and Elias never knew until it came around once every three months that the person he was with couldn't handle them.
With surprising strength, Elias shoved Ian away and stumbled out of the shower, snatching a towel and bending to wipe down his legs. There would be no cleaning him or speeches of love. Not when he could barely breathe or understand what in the hell he was feeling.
"Wait, Eli, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. Please, just talk to me and we can—"
Without saying a thing or looking at the dripping alpha he'd left staring after him in the shower, Elias fled to his bedroom to change like the coward he'd become.
Chapter Four
Elias made his way down the empty street toward his work building, the afternoon sun hot against his back. The downstairs garage of Deaton Medical was full by the time he changed and escaped the oppressive air of his apartment, forcing him to park in their visitor lot two doors down.
The streets of Hamton were quiet during the workday. Here, in the uppermost province of Kingsburgh, lived society's finest. While beauty played a part, the level of innovation and progress one made here was what mattered. Speeches were to be given only after an accomplishment, and parties were for celebration of a breakthrough which could change the world as they knew it. Fun was a concept left for Oakford, their much more carefree and colorful neighbor to the south.
All that stood along this street were towering skyscrapers full of suits and proposals flitting from desk to desk. Click-clacking keyboards and high-pitched omega voices telling someone to please hold while alphas worked on advancement research. Elias pictured August a few doors down, staring through the microscope with such focused intensity no one around him could turn their attention elsewhere.
Their province was brimming with the most progressive and intelligent people you'd ever meet, but it was also the most cutthroat. Unforgiving to those who couldn't keep up, and emotionless to the struggle of one's gender.
Alphas lived here, omegas breed here.
There's a difference.
It was a veritable miracle he was unclaimed at the budding age of twenty-nine-going-on-thirty. The closest he'd come had been…
Elias shivered, the darkness at the recesses of his mind curling and just waiting for him to finish that train of thought. He wouldn't, at least not today. Not after leaving a worried, fuming Ian in the living room while he fled. Neither of them did anything wrong, so why the hell did he feel so bad about it?
Stop thinking.
He'd taken more blockers before he left, but Ian was a ticking time bomb. They needed each other on a level that surpassed friendship—that he would admit—and right into relationship territory, which was dangerous for the both of them.
Elias moved his messenger bag around while heading towards the entrance of Deaton Medical, and then he took out his clearance badge. The security guard gave him a nod, that enormous head of his swiveling atop a thick, beefy neck. Every day he wore black tech gear, a communication device in one ear, and reflective sunglasses concealing his hazel eyes. Not a soul would consider stepping out of line. Ed was a giant, like over six foot five, but he was really kind and approachable, just like Ian.
"Hey, man," Ed rumbled. "How'd the expo go? You're later than usual."
"Hey." Elias stopped in front of him, trying not to grimace. "Pretty good. Nothing to write home about."
The scene looked just like the last ten thousand times Elias showed up for work, and the stainless steel sign above them seemed to wink mischievously, throwing blinding light onto the sidewalk.
"I'm glad to hear it. August's been a terror in there, wondering where you are and how it could've gone."
This time, Elias flinched. August might be the owner and founder of Deaton Medical, but he wouldn't have gotten to this point without a freighter full of help, which included Elias, his right hand, and CFO.
"Alright, I'll go in and do some damage control."
Elias slipped inside, sighing at the cool air conditioning washing over him. With each step forward, his dress shoes effortlessly glided on the freshly polished floor, accompanied by the faint hum of a distant sputtering machinery.
Everything here was the definition of clinical, from the whitewashed speckled floors to the boring walls hung with black and white photos of the city. Hell, even the chairs in the nearby waiting space were stylish light leather, but horrible on your ass and spine—just like at a hospital.
Elias would often leave for four hours on Fridays to conduct reconnaissance and sometimes give presentations. It was normal for him to be gone.
Nevertheless, every individual he crossed paths with sent him a glance of relief and a friendly wave, their eyes darting toward the upper floors, as if they could physically observe their frazzled superior. Elias paused in the center of the expansive lobby and glanced up as well, taking in the large blue whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling.
It was a symbol of hope, longevity, and perseverance. The very lifeblood of their organization. It reminded Elias of everything he worked for, every step he took to get to where he was today without an alpha. No matter how bad he felt right now, no matter how small and guilty, he had this.
The suppressants kicked in about five minutes ago, leaving Elias' body to float through the abyss. Weightlessness tingled down to the tips of his fingers. There was nothing in the world to worry about when the medication he was on dulled every emotion. So what if he couldn't sleep tonight without night terrors and food tasted bland? So what if his palms sweat all the time, and he stewed in an unavoidable lake of depression? Side effects were the lesser of two evils.
Occasionally, the experience of being an omega seemed akin to a persistent ailment that went unrecognized by everyone else in the world. They saw his doctor's note, knew he took medication for it, but sneered when he requested a day off. That's why he stood here now rather than curling into a ball in the middle of his nest.
