Page 4 of Collateral Omega

Xaine stepped into the office. A myriad of scents bombarded his senses. A lot of people were in his dad’s office tonight. Xaine scrunched his nose as he walked to the window. He slid it open and stood there, taking in deep calming breaths. His dad needed to disinfect his office. It reeked in here.

Xaine glanced at the alpha with his assistant at the desk.

“Here,” his dad handed a package to Jailen. “Put it in the storage room. You can go home once you’re done. I won’t be needing you tonight.”

“Thank you, master,” Jailen said, bowing slightly before he walked out of the office. His dad turned to him and gave him a disapproving look.

“You’re late,” he said.

“I know,” Xaine said. “I said I’d come. But I didn’t say I’d attend your stupid party.”

“My stupid party?” His dad laughed darkly. His scent filled the space, but Xaine didn’t react to it. He was stronger than his dad. Though the old alpha tried to push him. Xaine wasn’t in the mood for it tonight.

“What do you want?” Xaine bit out. He caught himself before he growled at his dad. “I have somewhere I need to be.”

His dad stared at him, anger swirling in his eyes.

“Somewhere you need to be. Don’t make me laugh. You’re going to fucking hide in the mountains with your tail tucked between your legs. Dammit, Xaine. You are a Covus alpha. Act like one.”

Xaine clenched his jaw, forcing himself not to react. His wolf urged him to show his dad who was the alpha now. Xaine closed his eyes, shoving the beast down.

He fucking hated it. He turned to the window and breathed in the fresh air.

“I’m sure a hundred years ago that meant something. But right now, it’s an inconvenience I can barely live with. I feel deranged half the time,” he said. He cringed when he heard what he’d just said. It made him sound like a wimp.

“You bet it meant something. Covus alphas ruled the damn planet. They didn’t hide. Or shut everyone out of their lives until there was no one by their side.”

Yeah, all his childhood friends, Quin, Makar, Tarymn and Milten were gone. They were out there doing amazing things with their lives.

“You don’t know how disappointed I was when you gave up on everything. You could have become the alpha king.”

That wasn’t Xaine’s dream. Even if he had dreams, he was overly sensitive to tolerate being around people. He was grateful there was a good side to being an aggressive alpha.

The heightened senses and above-average intelligence that allowed him to master anything he put his mind to.

“With our family’s shady activities, you think I could have held the highest position on the planet,” Xaine laughed humourlessly.

“Your wolf is very strong. The whole planet would have had no choice but to bow down to you.” His father got up and walked to him. The older alpha’s scent thinned as he got closer to him.

His dad’s wolf probably recognized the stronger wolf within him even though Xaine wasn’t exerting his dominance on him. Sometimes Xaine didn’t even have to try. “You need to embrace your nature. Fighting it will only make it worse. Those urges that you have…you need to channel them into something, or they’ll suffocate you.”

“I’m already suffocating,” Xaine bit out. “Your damn office reeks.”

His dad laughed. “And I love it. That’s the smell of fear and leverage. How do you think I’ve achieved everything I have?”

Xaine already knew.

His dad’s shady deals were legendary. “I know. Why do you think I want nothing to do with your company or the Covus name?”

His dad placed his hand on his shoulder, surprising him. The alpha didn’t do physical affection.

Xaine couldn’t remember the last time anyone embraced him. No wonder he was broken and loathed physical touch. He stepped away from his father.

“You can’t run away from who you are or hate yourself for something you can’t change. You were born a Covus alpha. It might not mean much to you now because you’re struggling with it. But one day and I hope I’m there to see it, you’ll know what it feels like to truly embrace your nature and have the entire world at your fingertips. It is the sweetest drug.”

Xaine internally cringed at the disturbing tone in his dad’s voice.

“I’ll never be you,” he said.

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