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"Sure, don't get your boxers in a twist over it. You're lucky Ian's nice enough to be making lunch or he'd be fighting you for the chance."
"Who am I fighting?"
The three of them turned to find Ian striding out of the main lobby of their building. He held a small cooler in one hand and a paper bag in the other. As soon as he stepped into the sun, his auburn hair shined, turning a burning red and drawing the eye. Elias loved to stare at it. Hell, he loved touching it. It was so soft and silky…
"Hello, you in there?" Ian asked, stopping in front of him and tilting his head.
He nearly jumped at the reminder to come back down to Earth. It was a good thing no one could read his mind. Elias laughed once, trying to cover up his absentminded blunder.
"Nothing, Dane claimed the lap spot, that's all."
Ian grinned, lopsided and charming. "Damn. Next time. Now, let's get going. We have a seven-hour drive ahead of us."
With that, the four of them climbed into the SUV and Elias immediately wrapped himself in blankets. He wore sweatpants, thick socks, and a comfortable oversized sweater. It was the perfect outfit for lounging around. Dane settled to his left near the window and patted his thigh.
He didn't hesitate to accept the invitation, dropping to the seat as the engine roared to life and Levi merged into traffic. Dane's thigh was thick enough to provide a proper cushion, which Elias appreciated immensely.
The dizziness from the day before had worn off, but he was so tired today and his muscles felt achy. Yet another sign of an encroaching heat. He brought extra suppressants just in case, but Elias really hoped he wouldn't have to use them.
The fact that he couldn't get rid of or flee from his new pack might be the most favorable circumstance in this situation. That way, Elias had no choice but to make a decision he would otherwise avoid at all costs. It wasn't the best strategy, but he had to work with what he had.
Taking a deep breath, he let his body relax into the buttery leather seat and snaked his arm around Dane's thigh, gripping it tightly. The alpha grunted, but didn't stop him from holding it close. His hand was close to Dane's dick, but this was platonic, alright? There was no reason to be turned on right now.
Elias had locked away his pheromones with the help of his morning pills, effectively subduing their alpha scents. There was nothing to worry about. Plus, if things got spicy, where was the harm in that? They were officially together now, right?
Quickly, he pushed the mental image of sucking Dane off in the backseat far, far away and brought the soft blankets up to his chin. There was plenty of time for internal freak outs later. He had to catch some shut-eye as the sun peaked out over the horizon and it was still decently dark outside.
"Good night," he mumbled, patting Dane's inner thigh.
"Night, Kitten."
"Are you serious?" Dane asked in a furious whisper.
Why was he angry? Elias didn't like that, so he tried to snuggle closer, but all that came out was a tired groan. Dane stilled for a second before running his fingers through Elias' hair, soothing him.
"Be quiet back there," Ian admonished. "I don't want him to wake up. And would I really accuse him of it without it being true?"
"Whew," Levi said, blowing out a breath. "I'm not sure what to think about that. Illegal suppressants? How long has he been taking them?"
Elias' blood went cold at the words, and it was a good thing he was still half asleep, otherwise his whole body would've tensed up. Despite his best efforts to conceal them, proactive Ian discovered his suppressants. He transferred the new meds into an old bottle of the pills he used to take, making sure to re-up the prescription every ninety days to keep it current.
"I'm not sure," Ian admitted. "I noticed them when I was packing his bag this morning. It was a total accident, but I recognized the shape of the samples from Deaton Medical. While they recently approved the drug for sale, it doesn't go out to hospitals or care centers for another few months."
Dane huffed from above him. "Okay, well, it's not the most ethical thing to do, but he's an omega. I understand that he'd want the best drugs possible."
Elias was stuck in limbo. On the one hand, he didn't want to alert them to his wakefulness if only to stave off questions for a little while longer. On the other, what else could he say besides the truth? He'd been taking these new drugs because they were stronger and more effective.
There was no other motive. The only drawback was the increasing amount he had to take to remain sane throughout the day with his alphas around. His challenge was that Ian probably remembered that about him. Elias' medical history, known in detail by his best friend, was a series of horror stories featuring countless suppressant failures.
"That's not my issue here," Ian replied. "I don't care which drug he takes or why, I care about how much he's taking. It's always been a problem for him with his condition. He's more susceptible to side effects if he's popping over two or three pills a day."
It was like Ian had a direct pipeline to his thoughts sometimes. Elias was fully awake now and could feel the indent of the seat belt buckle digging into his hip. It was uncomfortable enough that he wanted to shift or move away from it somehow, but he didn't dare. He wasn't taking over five pills in a single day. That had been his personal limit over the last few months. However, he started with one. Then it went to two, three, and so on…
"He was dizzy yesterday," Levi said, putting two and two together.
"He's been apathetic and achy, too."
Elias refused to listen any longer, especially because it was all true. He's been battling alone for ages. Experiencing other people passing judgment without hearing his side of the story was akin to a personal attack. He clenched his fists beneath the blankets to relieve some of the stress and moved off the belt buckle. It was making his hipbone scream in agony, giving him a good excuse to 'wince' himself awake.
