Page 74 of Slow Heat
“Believe it or not, it wasn’t me.” Urho sighed. “His younger brother is an omega and a nymphomaniac. Unable to be satisfied for more than a few hours at a time and during heat he’s utterly insatiable. His alpha sued to break their contract. They weren’t bonded, of course, just contracted. A terrible mistake. Contracts often are.”
“Urho,” Yosef said warningly, but it didn’t seem Urho had heard him.
“Zim’s brother kept slipping the ropes, so to speak, and heading out to the Bowery looking for alphas. Such a shame. Ruined the family name.”
The table went still, everyone staring at Urho. Vale wiped his mouth on his napkin and took a deep breath.
“Wolf-god,” Rosen whispered.
Urho nodded. “Terrible. But yes, my best gardener, my old pal Zim, took leave to help the family during his brother’s upcoming heats. They can’t find a surrogate, of course. Not now. And it’s going to be painful. They’ll need all hands on deck to keep the boy locked away.” He clucked his tongue. “That’s what happens when omegas get sullied, though. No alpha wants to help them.” He shook his head like he was sorry about it, like there was nothing he could do.
“That’s ridiculous,” Jason burst out, his fists clenching next to his plate. “It was his alpha’s job to satisfy him, and if he couldn’t handle it he should have hired a surrogate. How can you blame an omega for seeking what he needs during heat? Or any other time?”
Rosen and Yosef’s brows went up, darting glances between Jason and Urho, but Vale’s eyes didn’t leave Urho; they were needle sharp.
Jason went on. “He did what his instincts drove him to do. No more. No less. It’s the alpha’s job to make sure the omega is satisfied no matter what. Interminable heat or no interminable heat.” He pounded the table with his fist as he repeated that fundamental truth his parents had drilled into him from the moment he had first presented as an alpha. “Did the alpha he contracted with bring in help? Or was his pride too wounded to make the right choice for his omega?”
Vale shifted his gaze slowly to Jason.
Urho frowned. “I’m not sure. Perhaps he couldn’t afford a surrogate. Decent alpha surrogates can be expensive. But the contract has been dissolved, or shortly will be, and there’s nothing anyone can do about that.”
“What about his upcoming heat? The one Zim took off for?” Jason asked. “There’s no one to help him with it? No one at all?”
“Apparently not.”
“That’s a lie. Therearealphas everywhere, and plenty are widowed or otherwise not contracted.” He stared at Urho. “There’s one at this table.”
Urho stared at him. “Are you suggesting..?”
“Yes, I’msuggesting.”
From the corner of his eye, Jason saw Vale lean forward, bearded chin on one elegant hand, and a smug smile gracing his lips.
Urho sputtered. “Our society has expectations. There are protocols that provide clear instructions for situations like—”
“Oh, sure, the protocol for when an alpha is too cheap or selfish to help an omega in heat is to just let the omega suffer. I’d say that the uncontracted alphas of the seedier parts of town are better men than those who follow such a cruel protocol. They heed an omega’s need, at least.”
“For their own benefit!” Urho exclaimed. “You can’t claim that those filthy alphas who brawl to breed desperate omegas are actually heroes. They’re in it for their own pleasure. They’re in it to screw and come and knot.”
“And what’s the omega in it for?” Jason challenged. “What are their choices? Sweat it out and suffer? Or pay dearly for a surrogate?” He cocked his head, venom sliding into his veins. The space where the alpha quell kept him separated from his emotions provided room for a little victory dance as he pressed the point home. “Did Zim’s salary from you allow him to hire a surrogate for his brother? As you said, the good ones are pricey. What about the financial circumstances of the rest of his family? It sounds to me like they love this brother very much. I’m sure they’d take any decent surrogate who offered.”
“Now you’re saying I should fund a surrogate for this boy? That his ruined reputation and pain are my fault? Absurd. Vale, are you listening to this?”
Vale just smiled wider, though, and his eyes burned brightly.
“If you’re going to have servants then you should know what’s happening in their lives, and if you can help them in any reasonable way, you should.” Jason nodded firmly.
“Spoken like a boy without servants,” Urho muttered.
“I think you mean, spoken like a boy with a conscience,” Yosef corrected.
“And plenty of money to back it up,” Rosen added.
Zephyr leapt suddenly into Jason’s lap, purring and circling, her claws prickling his nice pants. Then she curled up and began cleaning between her toes on his lap. Jason stared down at her in shock.
“Oh.” He patted her back and she stopped licking, shot him an annoyed look until he removed his hand, and then went back to licking again.
“You’re all wrong. It was spoken like a boy with an admirer,” Vale said. “Or two.” A mischievous smile danced on his lips. “Iwas impressed anyway.”
