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A part of him wanted to flee for good, but disappearing into the lower province of Kingburgh meant losing everything he'd worked so hard to prove.
He wasn't just an omega.
He was smart.
He was quick-witted.
He was punctual and detail-oriented.
Elias might have hoped he was worthy because of those things.
Worthy of what, though?
… Love?
Ha! His inner demon crooned. What a joke. Observe the absolute mess that you have made as a result of following your instincts.
His free hand flew up to tangle into the curls on the top of his head, tugging. "How are the three of you okay with sitting in a room together?"
Ian, the first person Elias had the bravery to glance at, smirked. "I knew about everyone."
"Lucky you," Levi snorted, making Elias grimace. "That wasn't a dig. I just don't enjoy his smug confidence. Your love life is your personal matter. You weren't exclusive with anyone here, right?"
He shook his head, reaching out for him. Levi grasped his hand so quickly it would've been funny in any other situation. At the end of the bed, Dane grasped onto Elias' knees, squeezing them to gain his attention. It worked, sort of, as he looked the alpha up and down.
He stood there with his shoulders hunched, as if trying to understand the rollercoaster of events that led him here. Elias wanted to scream that he'd like to know as well, and would someone please bring in a whiteboard so they could write it all down?
"I, much like the others, would like you to be happy," Dane began, voice a low rumble that stole Elias' full attention. "You have a complicated understanding of what alphas provide, but we have no intentions of hurting you. All we want to do is cherish you while making you feel wanted and loved."
Consumed by a sense of foolishness, Elias couldn't control himself and looked at the other two for confirmation. Ian smiled and squeezed his hand again while Levi nodded seriously and ran two soothing fingers down Elias' arm.
"Okay, uh, this is super new to me," Elias replied, biting his lip. "And I'm not sure whether I can believe you. People in my past made a lot of promises and broke them all. It wasn't their fault, it was biology forcing them to—"
Levi cut him off. "Are you seriously saying your abusers had no fault in the matter? Am I hearing that right?"
The barely controlled anger from earlier in the coffee shop was back, near boiling over this time. Elias yanked his hand away out of reflex, eyes widening.
"I don't blame myself, if that's what you're thinking."
"Yes you do," Ian countered, standing to loom over the bed as Levi did the same. It's like the alphas all had some sort of complex for looking big and intimidating when they spoke to him.
Lucky for him, Elias wasn't easily fazed.
"Okay, I blame my pheromones, but that's not the same thing."
Dane crossed his arms over his chest when he saw Elias growing uncomfortable, taking his warm, calloused fingers away. It wasn't a sexual touch, but the slow circles the alpha had been tracing were still sending tingles up his legs even now. They stared each other down until Dane spoke, clear and slow.
"They are. You and your omega are not separate entities. The instincts you experience are yours, as are your reactions, and considering them in any other way is a disservice to your psyche. Aren't you tired of denying nature?"
Elias looked away first, cheeks hot with embarrassment and anger. They didn't get it. None of them, not even Ian. Alphas were supposed to be confident, outspoken, and impressive. Elias possessed those exact qualities, yet received less admiration for it, adding salt to an already-festering wound.
He sat up, ripping the half finished IV from his arm and snatching a towel from the nearby counter to stop the bleeding as he swung his legs off the bed. No one moved to touch or stop him despite the small noise of distress that leaked from Ian's throat at the violent handling of it.
"Why does everyone say it like that? Like I'm failing in life because I'm not mated or banging alphas left and right? Even when I succeed, I fail because of what I am. It's irritating, frustrating, and more than a little disheartening every time it happens. You're telling me to be like everybody else, but I don't want that."
With the fluids, he felt well enough to stand, walk down to his apartment, and curl up into a ball on the couch alone. However, he knew these guys wouldn't give up without a proper fight, so before he fled, Elias pointed at Levi.
"You send me your address. I'll come over this weekend to, uh, get to know you better," he demanded, cheeks reddening. Elias refused to let it stall his confidence as he turned his finger to Dane. "And you. I think I saw a meeting I have booked with this hospital's admin team about drug trial funding. Can I suspect that to be your doing?"
