“We actually attended the same secondary school,” Lucien said quietly.
“Oh,” Eric said, pursing his lips. Sulking. Pouting. Whatever that expression was, it shouldn’t have been so endearing.
“It was twenty years ago,” Hugh said, brushing his thumb against Eric’s scent gland on his wrist. The casual scent-marking was meant as reassurance, but Eric swayed toward him, his gaze becoming unfocused.
“Eric,” Lucien whispered furiously, sounding a mix of shocked and appalled, sweeping a worried glance around them.
Damn it. It seemed he had overestimated Eric’s composure. Either the imprint was too strong, or the kid was too touch-starved. Perhaps both.
Trying not to frown, Hugh let his vocal cords tighten, which caused the gland alphas had in their throats to release specific pheromones as he spoke, “Focus, Eric.”
The omega responded immediately to his Voice, the haze in his gaze clearing. It both pleased and disturbed Hugh. On one hand, it was good to see that he could easily pull the kid out of a pheromone high if needed. On the other hand, it spoke of very strong natural compatibility. Finding a more compatible alpha close to Eric’s age was going to be a challenge.
“Fuck, did I zone out again?” Eric said, pulling a face. He looked absolutely miserable.
“You’ve been without a pack for too long,” Hugh said stiffly, balling his fingers in the pockets of his pants. The urge to touch and comfort was becoming irresistible.
“He’s been living with us.”
Hugh was startled, having forgotten about Lucien being there too. He glanced at the older omega. “Living with a friendly pack is different from being part of one. Omegas—and young omegas in distress in particular—need regular scenting and scent-marking by their alpha. That’s why Eric is reacting too strongly to some casual scent-marking. He’s scent- and touch-starved.” He shifted his gaze back to Eric, who still looked utterly miserable. “It’s not your fault, sweetheart.”
The endearment worked. It was like watching the sun appear out of the clouds: Eric’s expression brightened, the look in his eyes softening as he gazed at Hugh trustingly.
That look caused the familiar base emotion to twist his stomach, making him want to grab Eric, wrap him up in his jacket, and hide him from the rest of the world.
A cough made Hugh flinch and drag his eyes away from Eric.
He found himself meeting Lucien’s wary, suspicious gaze.
Hugh felt a twinge of discomfort, even though he wasn’t even sure why. He had nothing to feel guilty for. Or did he? Was there something off about his behavior with Eric? Hugh was self-aware enough to admit that he couldn’t be very impartial and rational where the kid was concerned.
Fuck, he needed to get the kid safely mated as soon as possible.
Hugh looked at Eric. “I want to introduce you to a few alphas. Do you think you’re ready for it?”
Wincing, Eric said, “Do I have to?”
“No,” Hugh said, his voice harsher than he’d intended. The mere idea of pushing Eric toward mating some strange (untrustworthy) alpha didn’t sit well with him, but unfortunately, given Eric’s hormonal imbalance, there was little choice. Hugh’s experimental treatment was no longer an option because of the imprint. It was either mating an alpha or taking the drugs that would cripple Eric’s health at such a young age. “Your mental health comes first. If you’re stressed, we won’t do it. But…”
“But it’s the smart thing to do,” Eric said quietly.
Hugh gave a grim nod. “The closer to your next heat you get, the more compromised by your hormones you’ll be, so it’s better to do this sooner than later. Your hormones are close to normal right now, so it’s the best time to meet new alphas and try to find a compatible one you’ll like under normal circumstances, without your biology forcing your hand.”
Eric gave a nod, but he didn’t exactly look enthusiastic. “None of them will talk to me, though.”
“They will when I introduce you.”
Eric shot him a skeptical look. “My reputation is in tatters. Surely you don’t have that much influence?”
Before Hugh could figure out how to reply to that without sounding like an arrogant dick, Lucien said quietly, “He does, actually. The Randalls are some of the richest and most respected families in Kadar. The Randall pack was the pack that united all Kadarian packs into a republic thousands of years ago.”
Eric blinked. “Wait, you’re one of those Randalls? I thought it was just namesake. Why do you even work?”
Because I have nothing in my life besides my job.
Hugh didn’t say that. It wasn’t something he would admit in such a public setting.
“Out of boredom,” Hugh said with a wry smile before turning serious. “I do like my job, but frankly, I don’t have to work. I went into this field for personal reasons.” With Lucien standing so close, he couldn’t tell Eric what those personal reasons were, but judging from the way Eric’s eyes lit up, he had a fairly good idea what he meant. He was smart.