“And with good reason.” Orion stared at the screen, in a new room now, where my brother was washed down by two people in nursing scrubs. They were quick, efficient, ensuring the epithet scrawled across his skin and the splashes of bodily fluids were all scrubbed away. “A breath of this in Richard Greyson’s ear…”
His jaw tightened, then he looked back at me.
“Apothecary is aware of your concerns—it’s why we’ve brought this to your attention. The easiest thing in the world would have been to let the Hoorah Henrys get their hands on your brother and show him just how far a bunch of overprivileged alphas are prepared to go with someone who doesn’t bother to impose limits. We didn’t and we won’t. A new baseline contract will need to be established for your brother if he wishes to play here again, and I think you might need to be part of that process.”
I snorted, then shook my head. Orion was overreaching. An omega having a say over her alpha brother’s sex life? Ridiculous.
“And if he won’t impose limits, we will. We have no desire to draw the ire of the Greyson family down on our heads, not when they have generously supported our endeavours. But, Kit…”
Orion’s eyes softened, the green there a competitor for Tristan’s emerald depths.
“If we won’t give him what he wants, what then?”
“I appreciate your discretion, and I assure you, Greyson Enterprises will continue to support Apothecary, especially with the returns we’ve been getting on our investments.”
Dad thought they were some offshore shell companies, and in some ways, they were. It was just they were Marcus’ offshore shell companies.
“I’ll try to talk to Theo about this, but can’t promise anything. I understand your concerns, but…”
Everyone was all very sympathetic, but it was Cyn’s gaze that caught mine. There was something exquisitely sensitive there that only came from having experienced similar moments of utter powerlessness. I watched her long slender fingers twitch, her weight shift forward onto her toes, as if readying herself to approach.
And do what?
I knew my family was fucked-up, and the glimpse I had of the alphas was nothing new. I avoided it whenever I could, running with Tristan, with Theo, because otherwise, I had to face it. When I looked up and into Tristan’s eyes, his expression was exquisite as well, but with pain. They were our future, a couple of those men. One would tear Tristan away and one would tear me away, and all we would have to look forward to would be stilted small talk over white wine at society events.
I watched my brother get towelled off, then handed some clothes, one of the orderlies stopping by his side, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder and then a pat. Fuck, even Theo wasn’t exempt from this shit. My hand clasped Tristan’s tighter, my thumb moving restively over the top of it, needing to memorise its feel, because soon, I wouldn’t know it.
“Your brother is…different,” Dad had said to me one evening, having asked me to come into his office after dinner. “I think you’re aware of that.”
How could I not be? Dad had given us a running critique on how alpha, beta, or omega each one of us was since we were very young. Initially, it was a jocular thing, his exploration of how we might develop, sweet if a trifle overinvested.
“I know how close you are to Tristan.” My fingers had dug into the chair’s arms, embedding the crimson points of my nails into the hundred-year-old velvet. “So I think you’re best positioned to understand why he would be the perfect mate…”
Dear god, for a moment then, I’d thought he’d meant me. What an idiot.
“…for Theo. They have…complementary energies that I think will ensure a happy match.”
And there it was, his fait accompli, delivered in that measured, confident, reasonable tone. Which then led to the question—why the hell was he discussing with me my brother’s impending nuptials?
“So I need you to support this mating, Kit. Your and Tristan’s relationship… For a while there, I feared I would need to step in and stop things, but biology sorted that out.” He smiled, as if Mother Nature was on his payroll. “Convince him to join the family, to become a Greyson, and the family will support and protect him.”
Close ranks, circle the wagons, I thought dimly as my head began to spin.
“Well, when Theo is settled, then we’ll need to turn o
ur hands to finding you the right mate, won’t we? An alpha all of your own, Kit. Won’t that be grand?”
Wouldn’t it just?
Theo, Tristan, and I had talked long and hard about this, about what was at stake if we couldn’t hold to what we had all agreed to. As Rhys moved in, Theo dressed now and resituating his heirloom cufflinks, a sharp knife of fear sliced into me. I hated myself for being so selfish, for worrying about my relationship and my happiness, when I questioned my brother’s own, but…
“Don’t delete the file,” Tristan said in a carefully neutral tone. “Lock the video up in the encrypted vault with the others.”
“Tris…” I gasped.
“Endgame, Kit,” he said, staring back at me, his gaze unwavering. “I won’t toss a card aside, none, not if they could potentially help us stack the deck.”
I shook my head, tears beading in my eyes, weak omega that I was, but I didn’t countermand his order, did I?