Page 5 of Nanny Omega

Jun left his settee and settled beside Ersa. “I told him, but he insisted. He said bonding with you was the best thing that ever happened to him, and these past two years have been amazing. He just wants to show you how much he appreciates you.”

“He could have done that with just the three of us.”

“Well, this is how he wants to do it, so let him. You should count yourself lucky. Some alphas don’t even try.”

“Jun, is everything okay with your alpha?”

Blinking rapidly, Jun shoved to his feet, a smile pulling at his lips. “I think I’ve stalled enough. It’s time to go home, birthday boy.”

“Jun?”

“I’m going to change.”

Ersa stole glances at Jun as they drifted home, chewing his thumb in thought. Jun hadn’t said much, but Ersa sensed trouble between him and his alpha. He wanted to fix it—to pull Jun into his arms and ease his pain.

“Whatever is going on in your head, forget it. Today is not the day to worry about other people. It’s your birthday. Let us take care of you, alright?”

“Okay… okay. I don’t know why you and Mason are making such a fuss,” Ersa huffed, staring out the window. The thought of having people gawk at him had Ersa’s heart pounding hard against his rib cage, his breath coming fast and shallow. His hands grew clammy as the hover pod made a right turn onto the residential airway.

“Do you know anyone from the authority office?”

“What?” Ersa looked out the window as the hover pod came to a stop. The lights atop the authorities’ hover pod pulsed frantically, the yellow and green spiraling into a dizzying whirl that seemed to scream for attention. “No. Why would they come here?”

“I don’t know. Should we go inside?”

The hum of voices vibrated through the air, mingling with pained cries that struck Ersa’s gut with a jolt of fear as soon as he walked into the house. His knees buckled as his mother’s choked words reached his ears.

“What are we going to tell Ersa? They can’t be gone. Please tell me it’s not true!” His mother clung to the officer, tears streaming down her face as sobs racked her body. Ersa’s dad and brother, Erle, stood motionless, their shoulders slumped.

“Mason, Mika… I’m home.” The words slipped from Ersa’s mouth unchecked as his eyes swept over the room filled with pale faces. A cold sensation coiled through him, numbing his insides when he realized he couldn’t find them. “Mason? Where are you?”

“I’m sorry, baby,” his mother said.

The officer turned to face Ersa. “Is he Master Mason Loudi’s bond mate?”

“Yes, but I don’t think my brother can handle…” Erle stepped forward just as the officer spoke the words that cut through Ersa’s soul.

“I’m sorry to inform you that your bond mate and cub were involved in a hover pod accident on Airway C-39. A faulty pod…”

Ersa collapsed to the floor, all strength draining from his body. The officer’s voice faded into the background, swallowed by the deafening ring echoing in his mind. Clutching his head, Ersa let out a raw, anguished scream that went on and on.

“Ersa… Ersa… please… Oh, what do I do,” Jun wailed, his arms coming around Ersa. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“Erle, bring the doctor. We need to sedate him.” His mother’s voice was the last thing Ersa heard before the ringing in his ears swelled to a deafening shrill, and the world dissolved into darkness.

***

Six months later.

They were talking about him again. They thought their whispers were low, but Ersa heard every word. He really hated the damn thin walls.

His gaze drifted to the garden below—the place that once brought him quiet joy. Now, the vibrant flowers hung limp and lifeless, their colors faded to grey in his eyes. The whole world felt fucking grey. Food tasted like dirt, and the house was as lifeless as a tomb. Everywhere Ersa turned, memories of Mason and Mika clawed at him.

“There has to be something we can do,” his mother whispered harshly. “They can’t force him to go to a commune house.”

“They can, and they will. If he was older, maybe they would reconsider. He was only bonded to Mason for two years, and he went into his first heat the year before that.”

“So? He’s not fresh from his first heat. He had an alpha and a cub. That should mean something.”

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