“Sweetheart,” Hades repeated, squeezing Aaren’s arm. “Did you hurt anything?”
Aaren blinked and looked down at himself. “Um. I don’t think so.”
“Good. Did you get everything?” Hades scanned the pillowcase in Aaren’s hand, stuffed half-full with things.
“What the hell is going on?” Ballus growled, getting out of bed wearing just his boxers. “What the fuck areyoudoing in my house?”
That last bit was aimed at Hades. Hades straightened, pulling Aaren to his feet. “I’m helping my omega get his things.”
Ballus spluttered. “He’s not your omega.”
Hades grinned savagely. “Isn’t he? Tell me, Aaren, where have you been spending the past few nights?”
“In your bed.” Aaren snuggled into Hades’ side, rubbing his face against Hades’ chest. “It’s such a good bed.”
Ballus’ eyes almost fell out of his head. He stalked closer; Hades tried to tuck Aaren behind himself, but Aaren straightened his shoulders and stepped in front of Hades.
“I’m not yours anymore, Ballus,” Aaren said, loud and clear. “I’m breaking up with you. You’re a sorry excuse of an alpha and yousuck.Not even in the good way.”
Pride swelled in Hades’ chest. “Good omega.”
Aaren preened.
Ballus’ face twisted. “That’s bullshit. You’re mine.”
“Ugh.” Aaren wrinkled his nose. “No. I’m done being yours. You keep telling me I’m fat, and all you do is make me cook for you and sleep with you!”
“That’s all you’re good for,” Ballus said, fists clenched. He was starting to get pissed.
In response, violence began to sing in Hades’ veins.
Aaren laughed. “You don’t know me at all, Ballus. I’ve had so much sausage lately, you know? Big, meaty sausage.” He turned and groped Hades through his pants, sliding his hand from base to tip. “Mmm!”
Ballus froze, struck speechless. “You—”
Hades smirked. “Yeah. Aaren spent his heat on my cock. Such a lovely omega, taking my knot. He screamed so loudly for me. But you don’t know what that sounds like, do you, Ballus? You’ve never heard him scream, because he’s been faking it with you this whole time. I was in here when you fucked Aaren that last time. Such a poor performance. After you fell asleep, I had to satisfy Aaren with my cock, get him all loose with pleasure. You dropped out of the running when he met me.”
Ballus’ face turned purple. “What the fuck, Aaren. You fucking cheated on me.”
“If you treated me better, I wouldn’t have,” Aaren retorted.
Hades placed his hand over Aaren’s, grinding into Aaren’s palm. Aaren purred; his cheeks turned pink.
“So beautiful,” Hades murmured.
Ballus scoffed, but he was stalking closer. “Beautiful? Him? You need your eyes checked. He’s just an omega, fat and ugly. Just a hole and someone to cook my dinner. He was lucky I even claimed him as mine. But it looks like I need to teach him a lesson.”
“Wow,” Hades said, disgust crawling through his veins. He lifted Aaren’s hand off his bulge, brushing a kiss across his palm. “Get back.”
Aaren backed away. “Um. Are you going to kill him?”
“Of course I am,” Ballus snarled.
“We’ll see, won’t we?” Hades murmured.
Ballus lunged. For all the posturing he did, his moves were sloppy, so obvious that Hades saw them coming from a mile away. Even without all the sparring Hades had done with his Brothers lately, this was just embarrassing.
“Seriously?” Hades said, side-stepping a punch and redirecting Ballus’ momentum to the side. Ballus stumbled. “You mean to take me down with this?”
