OK BYE
Aaren sniffed at the fresh trail of cherrywood on his clothes, smiling as he resumed cooking.
He keeps calling me sweetheart.
It felt good to smile. Aaren hadn’t realized that he had stopped smiling for months, until he was doing it again.
7
HADES
Hades tapped his steering wheel,torn between waiting patiently in his car, and going in to collect Aaren from the Wine Shack.
He couldn’t wait to see Aaren again. Couldn’t wait to gather him close and breathe him in. The past few hours had been torture; Aaren’s taste lingered on his lips, dragging him into memories of their hot little tryst.
Back when he had been following the breadcrumb trail left by one Aaren Miller, all Hades had hoped for was one good meal.
Instead, he had found so much more—an omega trapped in the shadow of an abusive alpha, an omega who respondedbeautifullyto everything Hades said and did.
Aaren had him hooked; he kept being surprised whenever Hades showed up, and he kept blushing, all self-conscious but pleased. And the things he said—scraps of unguarded honesty mixed with horny thoughts, except Aaren didn’t seem to have any control over his own mouth. He kept catching himself when it was toolate, when the words had tumbled out like sparkling gems. Then he would squeak and squirm, trying to hide.
It was adorable.
Hewas adorable.
If Hades had his way, Aaren would have already dumped his boyfriend. Hades would’ve hired a lawyer to go over Aaren’s contract, to see if there were loopholes to let him out of the arrangement.
But this was all happening fast. Aaren needed time to trust Hades, and he needed to understand what Hades could provide for him.
So even though Hadeshatedthe idea of sending Aaren back to his asshole boyfriend, he forced himself to be patient.
He wanted Aaren to have a choice. He wanted Aaren to becomfortablemaking his choice.
In the meantime, he would steal Aaren away, claim him little by little so Ballus wouldn’t realize what was going on under his very nose.
Aaren would wear Hades’ scent; he would be filled with Hades’ come. Hades would fuck Aaren in Ballus’ bed, make Aaren beg for his knot. And Aaren would completely forget that Ballus existed, because he was too busy screaming Hades’ name.
That was the price Ballus would pay for treating his omega like shit.
“Too bad, fucker,” Hades murmured. “He’s mine now.”
He palmed his bulge and got out of the car, making a decision.
At the Wine Shack’s back door, Hades knocked politely.
Rex opened it with a scowl. But the moment he recognized Hades, he broke into a grin. “Friend!”
“Yup. That’s me.” Hades pulled him into a quick one-armed hug. “Good night for you guys?”
Rex nodded, letting him in. “Busy night. A few fights. I sent them away. Derek helped.”
“You were protecting Olson?”
“Yup.” Rex puffed out his chest.
“Great job. I’m sure he’s very pleased with you. Where’s Aaren? I’m here to pick him up.”
“Kitchen.” Rex gestured. He sniffed at Hades. “You mate with Aaren?”
