Page 35 of Free Me

“Well, we did our little schnapps experiment right before Peyton and Layne got over themselves and became close friends again. You thought them growing apart was stupid, because alphas and omegas could stay friends without it being weird, like you and me were always friends.”

“I definitely remember feeling that way and I still do. Look at what happened! They ended up secretly dating, fell in love, and had a kid. Being non-friends for most of secondary school was so stupid and a waste of time.”

“A waste of what little time Peyton had left, is what you actually said that night. And then you took another drink and went on a bit of a ramble about your parents treating Peyton like glass the week prior because he had the sniffles, but if you were to come home hungover, reeking of vomit, and about to pass out, they’d barely blink at you.”

Miko had been incredibly vivid in his language that night, pulling out a lot more angry cuss words than Linus was used to hearing from him. Linus had been able to relate a little bit to Miko’s frustration and resentment. At the time, he’d hadthree incredibly successful beta brothers to hold up as the gold standard of achievement; Layne was always in the top of his class in secondary; and the only thing Linus had been good at was playing soccer.

Bitterness swamped him and left a sour sensation in his mouth. Fortunately, Gaven proved himself a master of timing, because he walked in with a foam cup and straw, winked at Linus, and left the gifts on his rolling table.

After a minute or so of silence, Miko grunted. “So you’ve known all this time?”

“I knew how you felt back then. I guess, since you never brought it up again when you were sober, maybe you stopped feeling that way, especially after Peyton was cured.”

“I think the feelings got worse when he got better.”

Linus missed the cup’s lid and stabbed his upper thigh with the straw. “Really?”

“I’m notmadPeyton got better or anything, the exact opposite, honest. I love him to pieces, and I’m so thankful Dr. D found a cure for Donal Syndrome. For Peyton and everyone else who has it. It’s just…he wasn’t the sick brother anymore. Now he’s the miracle brother. A miracle brother with a mate, a kid, a job, and who’s talking about another kid. And again, not knocking my nephew or any future nephews I’ll get, but…”

“It’s hard to feel like you measure up?”

“Exactly. Especially when I still don’t know what I want to do with my life. Sometimes university feels like a waste of time when my options for a major are limited anyway, because I’m an omega. I’ll probably end up working at Perks for the rest of my life.”

Linus really wanted to be in the same room as Miko, not only to see his omega’s face, but so he could hug him. Make them both feel better about being the youngest child who didn’t measure up to the elder siblings. Linus often wondered if Dadwas disappointed that he, as the only alpha son, had chosen not to pursue a career with the Constabulary. Both his parents had always told him to find a career that would make him happy, not one that would make his parents happy, but it was hard not to doubt. Papa had never worked, but Dad had been so proud of making it all the way to Chief Constable before he retired.

Even if Linus had been willing to make the decision to quit university and take the Constabulary entrance exam, he’d never manage the physical requirements with a prosthetic leg. He couldn’t be a Constable if he wanted to be, and their family didn’t have any other legacy for him to aspire to.

What can I aspire to be now?

“Linus?”

He fumbled the phone. “Sorry, I got lost in thought.” But the slight derailment gave him a new perspective on their conversation. “Have you ever talked to your parents about Perks? I bet they’ll want to retire at some point. Would you want to run it like they do?”

“I…don’t know? I mean, I love Perks. I basically grew up there, and it’s hard to imagine anyone but my parents running it.”

“Not even you or Peyton?”

“Not really. Peyton definitely has the skills to run the business if he chooses to, what with all the retail management work he’s done these last few years. But our parents have always said they don’t expect us to run the family business and that we should do what makes us happy.”

“It sounds like our folks all read the same parenting handbook.”

“Huh?”

“Never mind.” Linus sipped his melting milkshake. The vanilla taste was there but extremely faint and the texture waschalky, so he shoved the cup away. “But what about you running Perks? Balancing the books and managing the staff?”

“I don’t know how to do any of that, and the university doesn’t offer business courses to omegas.”

“Your omegin didn’t know how to do any of it when he inherited the place. He learned on the job, and probably with some help from library books.”

Perks had been founded and previously owned by a widowed alpha named Mateo Farnsworth, and it had been a favorite meeting spot for their omegins before and after Linus was born. Mateo became very fond of their small group, Brogan and Peyton in particular, and when he passed away, he left Perks to Brogan and Mikel. The pair had been stunned by the gift, but had quickly put their heads together to figure out how to run a small coffee shop/bakery. And now Linus couldn’t imagine anyone else owning it.

“Miko?” Linus said when his friend didn’t respond.

“I’m just thinking. I guess I never really thought hard about taking over Perks, because I can’t imagine my parents not being around. I don’t want to imagine them having to retire or sell the place because they can’t manage it anymore.”

“I know it’s hard to consider the future, but this isn’t just about your parents. It’s about what you want to do going forward. Would you want to run Perks?”Would you want a leg-less alpha mate to help you run it one day?

After a long moment of raspy breathing, Miko said, “Can I get back to you on that? I’m not saying no, but like I said, I haven’t given it a lot of thought. And it’s already been a long, stressful day.”

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