Page 42 of Forbidden Taste
I’m not sure why I ever thought I wouldn’t find someone with the ragtag band of misfits I grew up with.
“Just watch the performance before I gag,” I say, all of them laughing as I point to the stage. Elias’ scent hardens and then evens out, a quick glance at my brother worrying me. The smile is still there but there’s something lurking in his eyes that doesn’t match his expression. I lean over to ask but then the lights start to dim, a hush falling over the crowd. I guess I’ll ask him later.
The performance is absolutely perfect, just as beautiful as yesterday, my heart soaring as I watched Hawk glide across the stage, Riley pouring his emotions into every key he touched. And when he moved to pick up the violin, adding more to their performance, I was enraptured. Those aremymates, my men, my future.
I’m so caught up in the moment as the lights return to their former glory that I don’t notice Riley making a beeline for me. I catch him, my arms wrapping tight around his waist, lifting him off the ground, gasps and then flashes, pictures snapping around us, but I don’t care as I hold him closer, my grin splitting my face. His lips crash to mine, pure need running through the bond as he thenpeppers them across my cheeks, jaw, and nose, his scent coating my skin.
Hawk’s there not a second too late, pressing against my side standing in the row ahead of us. Riley leans out of the way for Hawk to draw me into a kiss of our own, his hand sliding around the back of my neck, my mates bracketing me, a perfect chaos of love.
And that’s when I remember we’re not exactly alone. My brother clears his throat, his brow raised as I pull away, my face heating. I slowly place Riley on his feet next to Hawk, knowing that this conversation is going to be more than just awkward. “Hey, this is my brother and those are my parents.”
Riley and Hawk freeze, wide-eyed, their mouths opening and closing, blubbering through a mess of hellos—“Uh, hi,” “Hello, sir,” “Ma’am, shit, why did I just—” my family laughing at their unease and embarrassment.
Kieran pulls himself together first, reaching across the seats to pull Riley into a soft hug and shake Hawk’s hand. “We’re happy to add you to the family.”
“Thank fuck someone’s parents are normal,” Riley groans, and Kieran raises an eyebrow, his gaze flicking to me, questioning.
“Long story. But yeah, this is Riley and that’s Hawk.”
Elias leans over my shoulder, obviously intrigued. Granted, we haven’t spent much time together ever since I started school and it’s even harder to get him on the phone. “You’re both welcome to dinner if you don’t have other plans. I’d love to pick your brains on my brother.”
Riley scrunches up his nose as if about to refuse and then grins. “Only if we get stories about when he was little. I bet he was adorable.”
Elias readily agrees, the ease of adding my mates to our family so much smoother than I thought it would be. Hawk and Riley mention they’ve got a few things to clean up and I say I’ll wait for them. My fathers start telling me that I did good, that they couldn’t be happier, and that whatever I need to tell them doesn’t need to happen all at once. However, the moment they file out of the row, that leaves me with Elias.
And the silence is deafening.
When I turn to face him, the happiness has been slighted, my brother looking toward the stage with a longing I’ve felt for too damn long. “Why do I feel like there’s a reason you keep disappearing and that it has nothing to do with adventure?”
He lets out a heavy sigh, still focused forward. “Because we’re both finding ourselves, Leo. We grew up in a loving family, parents who gave us the world. Even our aunt’s pack was selfless and amazing in ways that just… the world isn’t that pretty of a place.”
“Elias, I’m well aware.”
He twists toward me and shakes his head. “No, you don’t know. My little vlog channel, have you ever read through the comments? No? Well I have and they’re everything you’d ever want to hear.If you were an Alpha.But I’m not one. I know what would happen the moment they found out I’m an Omega and it hurts that they love this fake version of me and not who I really am.”
He leans forward, arching his neck to show off his scent.
“That? I wear a blocker, something to give it an edge because of the looks I used to get otherwise. I know our dads found love in the most unexpected way, but people can be so damn cruel right to your face.” His expression dims, tears gathering in his eyes. I’ve never seen this version of him, and I don’t know whether to tug him against my chest or share my own troubles. I decide to do neither. “Beingmyself gets me in trouble, laughed at, Alphas trying to dominate me, rough me up, tell me that I’m some grotesque monster. Leo, when Kieran told me about your medical results, I thought that maybe that’s what I was too. It made sense.”
My eyes widen at the thought that we truly are the same in every way. “And?”
“I’m not. I’mjustan Omega. They did all the fancy tests but everything came up the same way. Omega. But I don’t feel like one most days, and those confusing feelings are getting worse. Running away from them isn’t helping.”
“So you came back home.”
“Yeah, I’m trying something different. I’ve been searching so fucking long for the answer, I never thought to just accept myself as I am. It was Kieran’s idea, although Isaias and I have had a few long conversations. I just… I’m just a bit lost and seeing you with them, it makes me want, Leo. It makes me want so fucking bad.”
His words make me remember how close we used to be, of how we’d stay up all night talking about our futures in high school, about the people we fell for, about the desires we had, everything. This time, I don’t hesitate, drawing him against me and holding him tight.
“I won’t say I’ve got everything figured out but I will say that I’m here for you. I miss talking to you.”
“Not that you’ll have any time. They looked like they were going to jump you if I didn’t step in.”
I laugh, pulling away. “Elias, I might have jumped them instead. Fuck, don’t start. I gotta go make sure they have everything. See you at the diner?”
“Yeah. And for the record, I’m ecstatic for you. You deserve every bit of this and I can’t wait to see what kind of things you build after you get your fancy little degree.”
“You’ll get yours too, brother. When you least expect it, when you’re not looking.”
