Page 63 of Undone
“I don’t know,” he said, his face warm as he imagined Anthony on his knees in front of him, blue eyes fixed on him hungrily as hebeggedMichael for the privilege of having him.
“You’ll see,” his mother said confidently.
Chapter 26
When Anthony woke that morning, his phone was full of text notifications and missed calls.
He opened the message from Michael.
I’ve decided to come out as an omega.
That was all. A short, impersonal message that told Anthony exactly nothing about how Michael felt or what he thought about Anthony’s proposal.
Frowning, he scrolled through the rest of his messages. Most were from family and friends. All of them were a variation of the message sent by Jules:What the fuck, Ant? Did you know about it? Michael apparently got infected by some alien virus that turned him into an omega!
Jules had included a link to the article—an interview Michael had given to the biggest website on the planet.
Michael’s gorgeous face stared at him from the picture. He looked as confident as ever as he shook the journalist’s hand.
Tearing his gaze away from his face, Anthony skimmed the article. Jules had gotten the gist right: Michael had claimed that he had been bitten by an alien animal, and its venom had unknown properties that triggered a powerful chemical reaction in his body, destabilizing his designation markers and turning him into an omega. There was no mention of Anthony at all.
So that was the story Michael was going with.
Anthony forced himself to unclench his jaw. It was a valid strategy, probably suggested to Michael by his publicist. It was the least humiliating way to announce a designation change. Mentioning another alpha would have just made people speculate if Anthony had anything to do with it. Alpha bitching might not be talked about in polite company, but the concept was certainly known.
This way Michael would not be a subject of ridicule to the extent he would have been if people suspected that he’d been bitched by another alpha.
It was a good thing. It made things easier for Anthony too, absolving him of any blame, even if he had been incoherent during the deed.
It didn’t mean he liked it.
Anthony tried to make sense of why he felt this way, but his emotions were too tangled, too complex to unravel.
There was one emotion impossible not to recognize: possessiveness. A dark, ugly possessiveness. Part of him wanted everyone to know what Michael had done forhim, to savehislife. He didn’t want other alphas getting ideas that Michael was available.
Because he wasn’t.
Or was he?
There wasn’t any mention of Michael being taken in the article. In fact, the interview ended with the cheeky statement from the journalist, “While I’m sure the news will upset everyomega in the country, the same can’t be said for alphas.” And Michael had justsmiledin response.
Anthony ran a hand over his face. He was getting worked up over nothing. It was just a PR strategy, nothing else. Michael was his. No one would dare touch him.
Exhaling, Anthony called Michael, but he didn’t answer. He was probably just busy. It wasn’t every day one lost one’s title, after all. The legal procedures alone were probably a nightmare. Michael was probably spammed with messages and calls from everyone; of course he wasn’t picking up his phone.
But I’m not everyone.
Anthony sighed, frustrated by his own thoughts. He’d always sneered at alphas who acted clingy and controlling when it came to their omegas. This wasn’t him.
He was always in control of himself.
Always.
***
Later that evening, as Anthony watched Michael from across the ballroom, he wondered grimly if he had overestimated his self-control.
He twitched every time another alpha stepped into Michael’s personal space. If one happened to brush his arm against Michael’s, he found himself grinding his teeth, his hand gripping his drink like a lifeline.Don’t make a scene, don’t make a scene, don’t make a scene.
