Page 32 of The Sterling Acquisition
Leo will believe it because he wants to believe Dante is helping him. Because he’s too incompetent to imagine someone might be playing a deeper game.
As he walked back in the apartment, his mind systematically evaluated his position. This encounter changed the power dynamics between all three of them in ways he could exploit. Leo’s desperation to believe in Dante’s help. Dante’s obvious obsession that might be leveraged into protection. Both Alphas wanted something from him and that gave him a currency of sorts.
Information was power, even for someone in his position. If he could manipulate the situation correctly, play the Alphas against each other while maintaining his own agenda…
But those calculations felt hollow against the memory of how his body surrendered to Dante’s touch.
The space felt different now—smaller, shabbier, somehow less real than Dante’s sterile corporate apartment. Where Dante’s apartment smelled of him and control and expensive minimalism, Leo’s reeked of stale takeout containers, cheap wine, and the lingering scent of an Alpha who couldn’t maintain basic standards. But it was familiar, and familiarity was what he needed right now.
His cage door was still standing open, an invitation back to safety that felt almost mocking. The narrow mattress with its thin, institution-grade sheets. The single shelf with his few possessions was meticulously arranged. The small scratches along the wall where he marked days, then stopped when the counting became too depressing. These were the boundaries of his existence, limited but known.
Orion stepped inside anyway, settling onto the mattress that had been his world for the past year, the springs creaking in their familiar pattern beneath his weight. It wasn’t until he took in another deep breath that he realized he was still clutching the Gensyn blanket. The blanket that smelled like Dante.
This is pathetic. You’re choosing a cage over freedom because you can’t handle being attracted to someone, and now you’re trying to nest with stolen bed linens.
But it wasn’t just attraction. It was the way Dante looked at him afterward—satisfied, possessive, like he’d just confirmed something important about who Orion was and what he needed. It was the casual confidence with which he discussed ownership, as if Orion’s autonomy was simply another variable to be managed.
He wants to keep you as you are while controlling every aspect of your existence. And some sick part of you finds that appealing.
That was the real problem. Not that Dante wanted to own him—plenty of Alphas wanted that. But he wanted to own himintelligently. That he seemed to understand the difference betweenbreaking someone and overwhelming them, between destroying their spirit and redirecting it.
He’d be good at it. That’s what scares you. He’d be so good at owning you that you’d forget you ever wanted anything else.
The sound of the apartment door opening made Orion freeze. Leo was back, probably exhausted and frustrated from whatever crisis kept him at the facility all evening. The timing was perfect—Orion back in his cage, everything looking as it should.
Except for the fact that you smell like another Alpha. Except for the fact that your scent still carries traces of slick and cum.
Panic spiked through him as he heard Leo’s footsteps approaching. The suppressants would have dampened most of his scent, but Leo had been around him long enough to notice subtle changes. And if he realized Orion had been with Dante, if he suspected what happened...
He’ll assume the worst. He’ll think you were willing. He’ll think you chose Dante over him.
“Orion?” Leo’s voice was tired, slightly slurred. Drunk, or close to it. “You awake?”
“Yeah,” Orion called back, trying to keep his voice level as he scrambled to shove the blanket beneath his pillow. “How did work go?”
“Fucking disaster. Took forever to get the centrifuge running again.” Leo appeared in the doorway, looking every bit as exhausted and frustrated as he sounded. “But at least it’s handled now.”
He stepped closer, and Orion held his breath, waiting to see if Leo would notice anything different. But the Alpha just slumped against the doorframe.
“Dante said he checked on you earlier. Made sure you were handling the pre-heat symptoms okay.” Leo’s voice carried a note of something that might have been gratitude. “Good guy. Professional.”
Professional. Right.
“He gave me some advice on dealing with my symptoms,” Orion said, which was technically true. “They helped.”
“Good. That’s good.” Leo rubbed his face with both hands. “Look, I know things have been difficult. But I think we’re going to figure this out.”
Like I’m a problem to be solved instead of a person to be considered.
“Dante thinks there might be some techniques Gensyn uses that could help. More sophisticated approaches to asset management.” Leo’s tone was hopeful, desperate.
The irony was almost perfect. Leo discussing Dante’s “techniques” while having no idea that those techniques had already been demonstrated on his supposedly secure asset. That Orion was sitting in his cage with the memory of another Alpha’s hands still burning on his skin.
Dante played this perfectly. He got what he wanted and left Leo none the wiser.
“That sounds promising,” Orion said, because Leo seemed to expect some kind of response.
“Yeah. Yeah, it is.” Leo straightened up, some of his earlier energy returning. “We’re going to figure this out, Orion. We’re going to find a way to make this work.”
