Chapter 350

Elliot

"Ahhhhh!!!"

I shove the chair. It topples over, legs splaying. I kick it. The wood cracks.

Damien left five minutes ago.

He was pacing, muttering, not really looking at me. Just using me as a place to dump his anger before he had to go back to the hospital and be the dutiful son.

I kept cool while he was here. Nodded in the right places. Let him rant.

Now I can react.

I can’t believe it.

All that’s special about Vivienne is that she was born into a good family. The right family. The kind of family that opens doors and smooths paths and makes Alphas like Damien propose before they even know your middle name.

And now she’s pregnant?

And she married Daphne?

I see red.

I storm into the kitchen. Plates. Cups. A glass vase I’ve always hated. They shatter against the wall, against the floor, against the cabinets. The sound is satisfying—sharp and final and destructive.

"Ellie?" Gary’s voice cuts through the chaos. "What the hell? Stop!"

I can’t stop. I grab another plate, hurl it at the refrigerator. It explodes.

*

I needed to cool off.

I was kicked out of the apartment. Gary said I was being "unbearable" and "needed fresh air" before I broke something else. He’s not wrong. But it’s only 5pm, and the park near my apartment is full of couples. Walking together. Holding hands. Smiling at each other like the world isn’t falling apart.

All it does is piss me off even more.

Vivienne. That bitch. That—

"Mr. Wallace."

I turn. Elijah’s driver is standing a few feet away, hands clasped in front of him, expression neutral.

"I’m busy." I keep walking.

"Please. It’s important." He rushes after me, matching my pace.

"I said I’m busy."

"I’ve been instructed not to leave without you."

I stop. Glare at him. He doesn’t flinch. Just stands there, patient, implacable, doing his job.

We enter a staring contest. I last about ten seconds.

"Fine."

I follow him to the car.

The drive is silent. I watch the city blur past the window, the familiar streets, the buildings I’ve known for years. Everything looks different now. Colder. Like the color has drained out of the world.

The driver pulls up to Elijah’s building. I know the way,I’ve been here dozens of times. The security nods at me, familiar. The private elevator takes me straight to the top.

The doors open directly into the apartment.

I walk in.

I’m not in the mood. I hope Elijah didn’t call me here for some bullshit.

"Elijah?" I call out.

Silence.

Don’t tell me he’s not here. That asshole.

Then I hear it. Sounds from his bedroom. Sex sounds. Low moans. The creak of the bed.

Did he call me here to show off his sex life? To rub it in my face that he’s moved on? I don’t care. I really don’t.

I walk toward the door. Push it open.

I expect to see some Omega. Some pretty, faceless person Elijah picked up to pass the time.

What I did not expect—

Is Charles.

Charles Grey. Beneath him. Pinned to the bed. Naked. Flushed. Looking up at Elijah with an expression I’ve never seen on his face before.

"What the fuck?"

They jump apart. Elijah scrambles off the bed, grabbing for a sheet. Charles rolls away, his back to me, shoulders tense.

"Elliot, you’re here." Elijah scrambles for clothes, yanking a shirt over his head, grabbing for pants.

It’s nothing I haven’t seen before—his body, his bedroom, his everything.

"Well, no shit." I snap, my voice sharp in a way I don’t usually let it be with him. The docile Omega role—the one Elijah likes,crumbles not in the mood play good little omega today.

"You called me."

Charles rushes to dress too, his back to me, his shoulders rigid.

What the fuck is happening today?

I turn and walk into the kitchen. I need a moment. I need air. I need something.

I pour myself a glass of water. My hands are shaking. I don’t know if it’s rage or something else.

They follow me out.

"We need to talk," Elijah says.

"Okay." I don’t look at him. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"Come to the study."

It’s a command.I want to refuse. I want to walk out and never come back.

But I’m curious. So I follow.

The study is dark, the curtains drawn, the lamps casting long shadows. I sit in one of the chairs. They sit opposite me on the sofa. Close together. Shoulders almost touching.

I hate it.

"I’m sorry you had to find out this way." Elijah’s voice is careful. Controlled. "We’re together."

I look at Charles. He’s been silent this whole time—staring at the floor, at his hands, at anywhere but me. He has the body, the build, the pheromones of an Alpha. But right now, he looks emasculated.

"Two Alphas can’t be together. It’s not possible." I say.

"Well." Elijah shifts uncomfortably. "We’re making it possible."

"Seriously. You can’t." I count on my fingers. "Your pheromones fight for dominance. Alpha bodies can’t handle knots. Can’t produce slick. And most importantly..." I let the words hang. "Alphas can’t get pregnant."

Charles flinches.

"Stop!" Elijah growls.

"I’m telling the truth." I don’t back down.

"If two Alphas are together, one is going to be more Alpha than the other. What do they call it?" I tilt my head. "Oh, right. Bitching."

"Elliot!" Elijah’s shout makes me flinch. He looks like he might hit me. His fists are clenched. His jaw is tight.

Stupid mouth. I should stop. I’m already on edge. I’m already breaking. And they tell me this bullshit?

"Elijah." Charles finally speaks up. His voice is quiet. Controlled. "That’s not what we called him here for."

Elijah grumbles but falls silent. I scoff who would that thought.

Guess they’re serious about whatever is happening between them.

"Look, Elliot." Charles leans forward, elbows on his knees. "I’m sure you know about my family."

I do. Old money. Stuck up. The kind of family that cares more about bloodlines than people.

"The pressure to marry and have a child has grown." He pauses. "I was thinking you would—"

I cut him off. "I hope this isn’t going where I think it’s going. Surely you’re not asking me to have your child?"

"Yes." He doesn’t blink. "It’s not for free, of course. We’ll give you the best care and treatment. Provide you with money. You’ll never have to work a day in your life."

I stare at him.

Then I laugh.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is for male Omegas to conceive?" My voice rises.

"We can have, at most, two children in our lifetimes. Two. And you want me to give one of those chances to you?"

I can’t believe what I’m hearing.

Daphne would never do this. She would never treat me like a vessel, a transaction, a thing.

I stand.

"Getting fucked has fried your fucking mind, Charles."

"No. Elliot, we trust you, and—"

"No." I walk toward the door. "If I’m ever going to have children, it’ll be for someone who actually wants me. Not for your perverted fantasy."

I reach for the door. His hand closes around my wrist.

"Let me go." My voice is cold.

"You’re not even an Alpha anymore." The words slip out before I can stop them. "You’re letting yourself get bitched. I won’t give birth for you. Find someone else."

He slaps me.

The sound cracks through the room.

I touch my cheek. Stare at him.

He looks almost as shocked as I feel.

"I’m leaving."

I walk out. Press the elevator button. Wait.

The doors open. I step inside.

"Elliot." Elijah’s voice stops me. He’s at the door, his face pale. "Don’t tell anyone about us."

The elevator doors start to close.

"Fuck you."

They shut.

I lean my back against the steel wall, staring at my blurry reflection. My cheek is red. My eyes are hollow. My whole body is trembling.

What a shitty day.