Page 37 of The Feisty Omega

“Thanks, Dad,” I told him. I looked at Irian. “There’s nothing much we can do about this year. Ready to go?”

Irian nodded. He turned his soft brown eyes towards my dad. “Thank you for holding them off, Alpha.”

“You’re very welcome, Irian. I’m not sure what went on this year, but it’s fairly clear some people have their own agendas around here. Just be careful, boys.” And with that, he was gone, pulling the door closed behind him.

We got to our feet.

“Ready?”

Irian shrugged. “As I’ll ever be. There’ll probably be a fuss in the car going home, but whatever.”

I hesitated. “One more year.”

He nodded, and as he went out to meet his parents, I’m not sure if he understood what I was trying to say, or if he just thought I meant another year until we get to hang out…

In a few months, he would reach shifter claiming age.

Chapter 16

TALIUS

Irian was turning 19 soon. In the shifter world, this meant anyone could then lay claim to him. They couldn’t mate him in a binding union, until the mating age of 22, of course, but if a claim was made in the absence of other offers, the claim could be processed and formally accepted by the Council. It was then a binding agreement, along the lines of a legal contract.

After the debacle that was Christmas, I was convinced Alpha definitely had plans for a union between Marius and Irian, and although we hadn’t managed to confirm whether anunofficialarrangement had already been entered into between the two families, I knew that Irian’s parents supported the concept of arranged unions. They were political animals, after all.

Irian could refuse any arrangement made on his behalf, despite being an omega, since the rules onthatchanged some time ago. But there would likely be a lot of pressure applied by his parents. They might even disown him. He was a very stubborn, independent-minded guy for an omega, but I wasn’t sure if even he could stand up to his parents. I remembered the compulsion incident the first year we met. In a moment of horrified clarity, I realized it could happen again.

And while I hadn’t spoken to Irian about this yet because by tradition I was supposed to speak to his Alpha dad or mum first, with the connection we had, surely he knew this is where we were heading.

I didn’t want to wait any longer. I couldn’t wait for Christmas to come, because it could all be settled by then. Irian might get mad at me for not speaking to him first, but I decided I’d rather risk that, than risk losing him altogether.

I waited impatiently for a day when it was crazy busy around the pack compound and I slipped unobtrusively out the side gate. I had my key in the ignition of my battered old car and the engine humming before anyone could accidentally stumble upon me in the carpark and I left a trail of dust behind as I took off down the driveway.

No-one could find an excuse to stop me now.

Over time, I had obtained enough information from Irian to locate the Mensen’s excessively large home. It dominated the local surrounds from where it sat atop a hill, surrounded by an unreasonable amount of land for this close to the city, and a formidable-looking security wall. The houses outside the wallseemed to cower in its shadow, clearly not up to standard.

Fuck.

After some argument, I convinced the security guard to allow me to pass. My old vehicle felt conspicuous and out of place as it made its way along the embarrassingly long driveway. The driveway seemed designed to give visitors enough time to rethink their decision to come here and turn around before bothering anyone.

I pulled to a stop – eventually – on a large gravel turnaround in front of the house. The house – mansion, really - was imposing. Two stories high, white-washed walls, floor to ceiling windows, balconies off all the upper levels, and oh my Goddess, fucking marble steps. I sighed, took a deep breath, and after undoing the seatbelt, got out of the car. The gravel crunched loudly under my feet, the house looming cold and indifferent, as I make my way to the ridiculous steps and up to the front door.

Even the doors were imposing, made of beautiful cedar and glistening in the sunlight, the varnish perfect.

Zzzzt, Zzzzt. The electronic bell sounded oddly cheap, a sharp contrast with the rest of the house. I snickered to myself, then slowly and steadily inhaled a lungful of air deep into my chest, reminding myself I was an alpha and had every right to come here to claim my omega.

Unsurprisingly, given the opulence of the premises, Alpha Mensen did not answer the door himself. An older wizened beta dressed in formal attire, opened the door, and I was immediately extremely grateful I’d decided to wear my only suit despite the heat.

“Good morning, I’ve come to visit Alpha Mensen. Is he at home?” According to Irian, he spent every morning in his office and was out on official business in the afternoons and evenings, so he should be there.

“Alpha is in residence,” the beta said tonelessly. “Do you have an appointment?”

“No, I don’t.”

The corner of the man’s lips twitched, a slight furrow appearing across his brow.

“I see. Well, come in,” he ushered me through, closing the door behind me. “I’ll see if Alpha will see youwithout an appointment. Who shall I say would like to see him?”

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