Page 27 of Nanny Omega

“You’re not going to fight, right? You’re a good little alpha, aren’t you. Oh yes, you are.” Much to Xander’s surprise, Benjn opened his mouth, his arm flailing impatiently as he tried to grasp the bottle. “Oh, there’s a good boy,” Ersa cooed softly. Moments later, the gentle, melodic humming floated back into the air. Xander watched the pair for a few minutes before he turned away and continued to the washroom.

He moved through his morning routine with practiced ease: a quick bath in the bathing bot to wash away sweat and the smell of sex from his skin, followed by dressing in a crisp white shirt and black pants and a few seconds in the front of the mirror, where he ran a comb through his long hair before he twisted his it into a messy bun atop his head. As always, breakfast was a scrumptious affair of sausages, steamed vegetables, and freshly baked bread.

“Thank you, Vina,” Xander said as he pushed away from the counter.

“You’re welcome, Master.” She inclined her head and then moved forward to clear the dishes away. Leaving her to her work, Xander made his way to his office.

The familiar creak of the chair greeted him as he pulled it out and sat down, his gaze immediately drawn to the faint, flickering light on the workstation. Xander’s fingers glided over the smooth surface of the screen, clicking on the message icon. As Fury’s face appeared on the screen, Xander swiveled his chair to face the workbench and activated the simulation model bot as he listened to his brother’s growly voice.

“Hey, Xander. I thought you would be awake by now. I guess you’re finally getting some sleep. Anyway. I saw the bot. We’ll go to production as soon as you finalize the designs. It’s going to be a hit, brother.” The excitement in Fury’s voice made Xander smile. But his smile slipped when Fury’s voice went low as he said, “Our mother told me to tell you that you should visit. If you don’t visit in the next three weeks, she’s threatening to come to your house and never leave. Take my advice, bro—you don’t want her to come to your house. She’s not fun.”

“I heard that!” their mother screamed in the background.

“Damn, she still hears everything. You’d swear she wasn’t a grandmother now.” Fury giggled affectionately. “Come visit and put me out of my misery, please.” Their mother shouted something else again, but the message came to an end before Xander could make out what she’d said. A heavy silence fell in the room, its weight weighing down on Xander.

“Fuck,” he murmured as he buried his face in his hands, his fingers pressing hard against his temples. Maybe he’d been too selfish. After Nath had broken their bond, Xander withdrew from everyone, convinced that he was unworthy. He’d prowled the house, trying to figure out where he went wrong, drowning in a suffocating tide of failure, worthlessness, and crushing loneliness. Though his family had made repeated attempts to reach out to him, their efforts were met with silence. Over time, their persistence waned, and on their last visit, his dad had taken him aside and pressed a piece of paper into his hand.

“If you continue like this, you’ll go crazy. Go and see him. They say he’s good,” he’d said as he patted his back. The jagged edges of the crumbled paper digging into his palm had felt like a lifeline. And two months later, Xander was grateful that his dad had brought Shiva Maynard into his life, or he wouldn’t have survived otherwise.

Sighing, Xander leaned close to the screen as he pressed the record button. “Tell Mother I’ll visit soon. I still need to finalize the designs and make sure the bot is ready to go to production. I…” Xander paused, his chest tightening from raw emotion. “I love you guys,” he said, dropping back in his chair.

A sudden burst of laughter spilled through the open window, light and carefree. Xander smiled as Benjn’s screams followed. Xander turned back to the simulator model and started work to the sound of Benjn’s and Ersa’s lively laughter and gleeful screams echoing from below.

When a knock sounded on the door, Xander lifted his head and checked the time on the screen. When he noticed that it was lunchtime already, Xander shoved away from his desk and stretched his arms over his head as he said, “Come in.”

The door slid open seconds later, and Vina walked in with a serving bot.

“Damn, I should have told you that I was going to come down for lunch.”

“I thought you might, but Ersa has guests. I know how new scents unsettle you, so I thought it’d be better to bring the food to you instead.”

Xander nodded, though a wave of disappointment swelled in his chest, catching him off guard. He frowned, eyes fixed on his desk as the feeling curled around him.

“Where is Benjn?” Xander asked, trying to shake off the feeling.

“Taking a nap. Ersa put him down before his guests arrived,” Vina said, guiding the serving bot closer to the desk to take out the food. Xander stopped her with a lift of his hand.

“You don’t have to do that, Vina. I’ll eat later. Thank you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, thank you,” Xander said. Vina bowed slightly and silently made her way out of the room. Xander turned back to his workstation, his fingers brushing over his tools as he tried to refocus, but his thoughts kept drifting back to Ersa, to the strange ache of disappointment he’d felt earlier. The feeling unsettled him.

Was he getting fixated on the omega? Xander asked himself, confused. When a cacophony of voices spilled through the window, Xander shoved to his feet, drawn to Ersa’s melodious voice.

“What the fuck?” he growled at the sight that met him below. His hands rolled into fists, the possessive beast inside him rising unbidden as he watched Ersa and a strange alpha rolling on the grass, with the alpha trying his best to pin Ersa down.

“Let go, Erle!” Ersa snapped as he wiggled and tried to dislodge the alpha off him in vain. The alpha laughed at Ersa’s efforts. The sound of his laughter echoed around the backyard and swirled up to slip through the window like an uninvited guest.

When Ersa screamed and swatted at the alpha, Xander saw red. He rushed out of his office, took the stairs two at a time, and crossed the yard to where Ersa and the alpha were. He wrapped his hand around Ersa’s arm to yank him away from the alpha before he had a chance to think it through.

“Master Quin,” Ersa said, quickly brushing leaves and twigs from his clothes, his expression a mixture of surprise and sheepish apology. “Were we too loud?” he asked, wincing slightly. “I’m sorry. We didn’t mean to disturb you. They were just leaving.”

“What do you mean we’re leaving? We just got here,” came a strained voice.

Xander looked over the alpha’s shoulder and saw an omega standing just inside the house. His arms were folded on his chest, a hurt look in his grey eyes. Xander was surprised he hadn’t noticed him there. So caught up in Ersa and the alpha, he hadn’t sensed another presence. His instincts had taken over. All he could think about was getting to Ersa and tearing him away from the alpha.

Damn it, Xander silently groaned, looking around him. Tension hung in the air, the silence deafening.

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