âBut?â Jules prompted.âI heard them talk.âJules made an encouraging noise.âTheyâre looking for some kind of cure,â the Xeus said.Jules frowned. His uncle was looking for some medical cure? He was literally using the Xeus as a lab rat?âI need to go,â he said when the file transfer was complete. He turned off the computer and said, without looking at the alpha, âIâm going to look through these files and then maybe Iâll find out whatâs going on here. Please donât tell anyone that I was here or I wouldnât be able to help youâââCome here.âJules wet his lips. âWhy?ââCome here,â the Xeus repeated, his voice so low it was nearly a growl.Was it Julesâs imagination or had the alphaâs scent become stronger? Jules could still smell him all the way from there, and it really wasnât helping the situation in his pants.He was pretty sure the Xeus wasnât using an alphaâs VoiceâXeus alphas didnât possess that abilityâand yet Jules still found himself doing as he was told.He put the flash driv
Jules needed to get him out of there. He didnât have a choice. His conscience wouldnât let him ignore the problem, no matter how ashamed and unsettled he was by his reaction to the Xeus. Sometimes one had to suck it up and put aside oneâs personal feelings, and this was one of those times.Jules considered his options.It seemed the Xeusâs rational thinking had been restored enoughâin his current state, he was unlikely to be a danger to others if Jules set him free. But how was he supposed to do that?He needed the key to the manacles.Later that evening, Jules sneaked down to his uncleâs office. The house was quiet. The hour was late enough for everyone to be in bed. Or so he had thought.He could hear faint voices coming from his uncleâs office.Jules froze, looking at the door. Then he took off his shoes and padded over before pressing his ear against the door.ââitâs been over a month!ââThatâs not enough, Mr. Blake,â an unfamiliar male voice said. âWeâre doing all we can, and the
Jules paced his room, his anxiety rising.What if he tried to contact the Kadarian government? If the Xeus was a Kadarian, if he was someone important enough to warrant NDA-tech, it was likely that the Kadarian government would help him. Except Pelugia-Kadar relations were strained again. There was no way anyone at the Opal House would be willing to listen to some kid from another country. Jules was unlikely to get past a low-level secretary. It just didnât seem realistic. Not to mention Jules didnât want his family mired in a scandal. Liam would absolutely hate him if he ruined his upcoming debut in society. Well, strictly speaking, it was their debut, but Jules wasnât the one who was going to get all the suitors. Liam had been dreaming about his social season for agesâit had been postponed twice already because of their grandmotherâs and motherâs deaths. His debut was important to him. Jules might mock his brotherâs vanity, but he still loved him. He couldnât ruin Liamâs dreams.So
The image of the naked Xeus in their basement flashed in Julesâs mind. His cheeks warm, Jules averted his gaze.âAre there⊠Are there any Xeus alphas among your eligible candidates?â Jules said after a moment. He actually had no idea if Liam shared their uncleâs prejudice.Liamâs face did something strange.âWhat?â Jules said, his curiosity spiking.âYou know Uncle Wayne would be against any of us marrying a Xeus,â Liam said carefully, studying his fingernails. âBut technically, he isnât the alpha of our family until Anthony is declared dead. Also, if a rich, titled Xeus offers me a marriage, I donât think Uncle would care all that muchââJules grinned. âWho are they? Who did you choose?ââI didnât,â Liam said, his fingers fiddling with the bed covers. âBut the Duke of Westcliff is the most handsome alpha on the planet. It would be ridiculous to dismiss him just because heâs a Xeus. Heâs rich, gorgeous, titled andâââHeâs the kingâs nephew, Li,â Jules said when he managed to pick up h
His throat a little tight, Jules hugged Liam, pressing their cheeks together. âSorry,â he murmured, inhaling his brotherâs familiar scent. Liam was a Vos omega, so unlike Jules, his scent wasnât suppressed. He smelled nice, even to Julesâs suppressed senses. âI didnât know you were worried about it.âLiam sighed and pulled back. âOf course I worry. Someone has to.â He rubbed his forehead with the tips of his fingers. âNow you understand why our family canât afford a scandal right now, right? I have to get married first.âJules considered it. âWhat if⊠What if we free the Xeus and take him far away from here so he canât lead the authorities to our house? I donât think he knows Uncle Wayneâs name. He isnât exactly rational right now. I doubt things like names even register to him.ââThat could work, maybe.â Liam sounded skeptical. âBut how will you take him far away if he doesnât want to go? Xeus alphas are much stronger than normal alphas, much less omegas.âJules wrinkled his forehead
Jules moistened his lips with his tongue, his heart thudding against his ribs. âRude,â he said with a shaky smile. He felt hot. And shivery. In his defense, heâd never had a naked alpha on top of him. âIâm trying to help you, big guy. Donât you remember me? And we really, really have no time for this. Let me go.âThe Xeus inhaled deeply, his nostrils flaring. Gauging Julesâs sincerity? Was his sense of smell that good, even despite Julesâs suppressants?Jules forced his body to relax, emanating safe-nonthreatening-omega. It seemed to be working, because the predatory glint was fading from those glowing eyes, some rationality slipping back into them. Some being the key word. There was still something distinctly primitive about the way the Xeus was looking at him. A different sort of primitive.Jules swallowed, becoming increasingly aware of the heavy, naked body on top of him. Of the hard hip between his thighs. Of a strong scent that was pure alphaâa scent that was starting to do terr
A giggle left Julesâs mouth, and then another, before turning into laughter. Heâd somehow managed to lose his virginity to a Xeus alphaâand had a knot in himâand he still hadnât even been kissed. It was kind of hilarious, in a way.The alpha on top of him made a questioning sound, his face still buried against Julesâs neck as he scent-marked him lazily. His teeth were stillâJulesâs smile froze on his lips.Fuck. The alpha had bitten him. And knotted him. Did that mean⊠Did that mean they were bonded now?He focused and listened to his senses, but it was difficult. His body still felt too mellow and satisfied, the knot in him making him feel almost high on the feeling. He couldnât tell if the mark had taken. But the fact that he still had no desire to shove the alpha away despite feeling sated was probably worrying. In fact, the mere thought of being apart from this alpha caused a panicky feeling in his chest, and Jules found his arms tightening around the alphaâs back.Fuck.They wer
For a moment, he thought the Xeus didnât understand him, but then Jules heard the rustle of clothes and exhaled in relief.Then he went back to worrying. What were they going to do now?Jules was snapped out of his thoughts when a hand gripped his arm and none-too-gently pulled him toward the door.âWhat are you doing?â Jules said, looking at the alpha. He was dressed, thank fuck, but the strange, disturbing effect he had on Julesâs body was still there. Fuck, he smelled amazing. Like everything good in the world. Jules could barely stop himself from shoving his face into the Xeusâs neck and breathing.No. He needed to get a grip. He needed to get his brain to focus on their course of action, not to keep fixating on his base, primitive wants.The glowing green eyes flicked to him for a moment, the alphaâs nostrils flaring.Jules blushed and cleared his throat. âThere are guards outside,â he whispered urgently. âWe canât just go out andââThe Xeus leaned down and sucked hard on his nec
âKhĂŽng, nhưng tĂŽi nghÄ© tá»i nay anh áș„y sáșœ cáș§u hĂŽn,â Liam nĂłi. âNĂł chá» hợp lĂœ thĂŽi. HĂŽm qua, tĂŽi tĂŹnh cá» nghe ÄÆ°á»Łc cuá»c trĂČ chuyá»n qua Äiá»n thoáșĄi cá»§a anh áș„y vá»i ai ÄĂł - tĂŽi nghÄ© lĂ má»t nhĂąn viĂȘn PR nĂ o ÄĂł. Westcliff nĂłi ráș±ng nhĂ vua sáșœ ÄÆ°a ra thĂŽng bĂĄo sau vĂ i ngĂ y nữa - Ăœ tĂŽi lĂ vá» HoĂ ng tá» Haydn. Westcliff cĆ©ng muá»n thĂŽng bĂĄo vá» viá»c ÄĂnh hĂŽn cá»§a chĂșng tĂŽi vĂ o khoáșŁng thá»i gian ÄĂł. NĂł cĂł Ăœ nghÄ©a. âJules ÄĂŁ nghiĂȘn cứu ká»č lÆ°á»Ąng vá» anh trai mĂŹnh.KhuĂŽn máș·t ÄĂĄng yĂȘu cá»§a Liam ráș„t khĂł Äá»c, nhưng ÄĂŽi máșŻt cá»§a anh áș„y khĂŽng háșłn lĂ ĂĄnh lĂȘn háșĄnh phĂșc.âYou donât have to say yes,â Jules said, feeling painfully uncomfortable. He was so damn torn about the subject he didnât know what advice to give. He didnât want Liam to marry an alpha he didnât love for the sake of their family, but⊠He was scared that if he told Liam not to marry Westcliff, it would be selfish advice.To make things more confusing, there was a small, horrible part of him that did want Westcliff as the alpha of their family. That
Except even that fantasy wasnât enough. Thinking about the Xeus just made his broken bond ache. Ache and hurt like an old wound that was starting to bleed again. The pain somehow amplified the desire, and soon Jules was half-sobbing into his pillow, his hips pushing greedily onto the dildo. Need him, need him, canât need him, need him. Gone, need him, gone. I needâI needâI need. It was fucking horrible. Jules had never felt worse in his life, his muscles trembling, his cock sore, his body oversensitive and needy, and his bond aching.So he tried not to think about his Xeus. He made himself think of other alphas, trying to tell himself that any alpha would do. Any alpha with a thick, hard cock would do. He was desperate enough to almost believe it.He imagined going to a ball, his cock stiff and his slick dribbling down his leg. He imagined alphas turning toward him, their nostrils flaring and their cocks straining their pants. He would be attractive to alphas for once. They would want
Julian flushed. âIt was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing, afterâŠâAfter sex.Devlin gave a clipped nod, clasping his hands behind his back. His fingers and his jawline itched, as they did when he was on the verge of transforming. Through sheer willpower, he managed to keep his claws in.It was a normal enough reaction, to feel protective of a young omega he cared about.It was.âBut the bond took?â he said, his voice very neutral.Julian nodded, not looking at him. âWe were naturally compatible.âDevlinâs claws dug into his palm. He turned away and walked to the window.He took a deep breath, staring at Dainiriâs nearly full disk, and then another, until he had his claws under control.âI see,â he heard himself say. âThe risk still exists, then. Medical intervention might be needed.ââWhat do you mean?â Julian said. âMore suppressants?ââIncreasing the dose again might do more harm than good,â Devlin said stiffly. âIâm hardly a doctor, but even I know that you canât keep changing yo
Ignoring the question, Devlin studied him carefully. âDo you feel better?ââWhat?â Julian said, his brows knitting together.Devlin looked at him sharply. âYour brother said you didnât feel well.âJulian averted his gaze. âRight! Of course. I feel better now. Much betterâââYou didnât want to go with us.âThe omega winced, but he didnât even try to deny it. So it was true.It shouldnât have bothered him. It really was none of his business.âWhy?â Devlin said.Julian shrugged. âItâs not exactly fun being a third wheel.â He still wouldnât meet Devlinâs eyes.âYouâre not telling the truth,â Devlin said, becoming more certain of it the longer Julian avoided looking at him. Stepping into the room, he closed the door behind him.It shut with a click.âWhat are you doing?â Julian said. âAnd Iâm not lying. You think itâs funâââJulian,â Devlin said quietly. âLook at me.âAfter a moment, the omega finally did as he was told. There was a half-scowl on his face but some other emotion in his eyes
âAll riââ Liam started saying, but Devlin cut him off.âYour brother canât leave the ball with me,â he said, looking at Julian. âYou donât want any nasty rumors to start flying around, do you?âHe could actually hear Julian grind his teeth.âFine,â he said, still sounding a mix of annoyed and bewildered.The helicopter ride to the Blake house was a strange one. Liam was the only one talking, chattering non-stop about the perfection that was Viscount Nasr while Julian determinedly didnât look at Devlin.Devlin bored his eyes into him, his fingertips tingling, his claws itching to come out. He curled his hands into fists and breathed shallowly, trying to ignore the way Julian smelled. It was impossible. Julian fucking reeked. He reeked of another alpha. Devlin wanted to fix it, run his hands all over the brat, until he smelled right.It was probably a good thing that Julian was the first to jump out of the helicopter when they arrived, because Devlin didnât trust himself.Tearing his ga
Julian glared at him, his cheekbones a little pink. âThat was a dick move,â he said, glancing back at Nasr, who was left standing in the middle of the dance floor.âHeâs much too old for you,â Devlin said, stroking his thumb against Julianâs wrist.âStop scent-marking me,â Julian gritted out, his color heightening. âAnd he isnât too old. Heâs half Korfâs age.ââThat shouldnât be your measuring stick,â Devlin said. âI told you I wouldnât allow your uncle to give you to Korf. You deserve better.âJulian chuckled. âBetter? Who?âDevlinâs lips thinned. âSomeone better than Nasr.ââThereâs nothing wrong with Viscount Nasr. Heâs perfectly nice and pleasant, and he actually sees me for being me. Iâve known him foreverâhe has a neighboring estate. He was always nice to me when I was a child.ââThat hardly says good things about him, does it? What a creep.âJulian stomped on his right foot. âYouâre being an ass,â he said, his voice a mix of annoyed and bewildered. He blinked a few times. âI do
Their date that day was unexpectedly tedious.Devlin found it difficult to keep his attention on his date, his mood sour and distracted. He was aware that he was acting like a dick, his attitude probably too cold and unapproachable. Liam seemed to have given up on trying to strike up a conversation with him after a few hesitant attempts and focused his attention entirely on the aircar race. When Liam spoke, he spoke only to the beta chaperone who had accompanied them to the race.By the time the race was over, Devlin had a headache once again, his body brimming with tension and anxiety, the source of which he couldnât pinpoint. He barely had the patience to smile for the paparazzi as they left the track, and his smile was probably very strained. Hopefully he didnât actually look like he wanted to punch someone.He dropped Liam off, and then he hesitated, looking at the Blake house. It would be only polite to inquire how Julian was feeling.Devlin pulled his phone out of his pocket and
Several weeks passed like that. Westcliff called on Liam and took him out on dates, putting on that disgustingly charming mask he wore in public. More often than not, Jules accompanied them, serving as a chaperone, for appearancesâ sakeâofficially. Unofficially, he kind of⊠he went because he wanted to be around the duke. It freaked him out that he felt addicted to the way Westcliff made him feel, but he couldnât help himself. It felt so good, especially when Westcliff allowed him to rub his face against his scent glandâthe euphoria was beyond his ability to express properly. Afterward, Jules felt so embarrassed, but thankfully, Westcliff didnât make fun of him and always acted as if there was nothing weird about his behavior. âBetter?â he would say in a quiet murmur, and Jules would flush and nod and look anywhere but at him. Every time he told himself it was the last time, but his resolve melted into a mass of goo the next time he saw the duke. It was horrible. Horribly addictive.
Jules ĂŽm láșĄi anh trai mĂŹnh, nhưng cáșŁm giĂĄc lo láșŻng, báș„t an dưá»i da anh khĂŽng thá» biáșżn máș„t. NgÆ°á»Łc láșĄi vá»i Ăœ muá»n cá»§a mĂŹnh, anh tháș„y mĂŹnh Äang nghÄ© Äáșżn cáșŁm giĂĄc an toĂ n như tháșż nĂ o trong vĂČng tay cá»§a Westcliff ngĂ y hĂŽm qua, như thá» khĂŽng gĂŹ cĂł thá» cháșĄm vĂ o anh hay lĂ m anh bá» thÆ°ÆĄng. CĂł láșœ cĂł Westcliff lĂ m alpha cá»§a há» sáșœ khĂŽng pháșŁi lĂ má»t Äiá»u tá»i tá». CĂł láșœ anh nĂȘn cho anh ta má»t cÆĄ há»i. *** Quyáșżt tĂąm cá»§a Jules Äá» cho Westcliff má»t cÆĄ há»i kĂ©o dĂ i chĂnh xĂĄc cho Äáșżn khi Westcliff gá»i Äiá»n cho há» - trĂȘn Liam - vĂ o buá»i chiá»u. Anh khĂŽng biáșżt Äiá»u gĂŹ á» ngưá»i ÄĂ n ĂŽng nĂ y ÄĂŁ khiáșżn anh ná»i gai á»c, tá»± Ăœ thức vĂ chá» trĂch thĂĄi quĂĄ. ÄĂł lĂ má»t sá»± káșżt hợp kỳ láșĄ giữa cĂĄc cáșŁm xĂșc, nhưng anh khĂŽng thá» khĂŽng nhĂŹn Westcliff báș±ng ĂĄnh máșŻt dĂČ xĂ©t, hoĂ i nghi khi cĂŽng tưá»c Äang nĂłi chuyá»n nhá» vá»i Liam vĂ chĂș Wayne. Tháș±ng khá»n tháșm chĂ cĂČn chưa liáșżc nhĂŹn anh má»t láș§n ká» từ khi bưá»c vĂ o phĂČng. Jules khoanh tay trưá»c ngá»±c, sau ÄĂł khĂŽng báșŻt chĂ©o chĂșng. Nháș·t chiáșżc mĂĄy tĂnh báșŁng trĂȘn chiáșżc bĂ n trong gĂłc, anh n