Page 198 of Filthy Royal

Luc remained silent.

“Also, just a heads-up, I see it in your eyes too.”

“Hells.” Luc looked away.

“You’re scared.”

“I am not scared.” Luc bristled, his chest expanding as the tendons in his neck bulged. “I’m a trained Consortium cage fighter. I wipe the mat with Alphas twice my size. The Consortium’s controlled my life ever since rotation one. I’ve bled and broken for them. I lost the ability to feel fear for myself long ago.”

Damien got it. “But you can still feel fear for others.”

Luc’s shoulders slumped. “Yeah.”

“Does he know you love him?”

Luc stiffened, opening his mouth as if to deny Damien’s question, then closing it just as fast as his gaze shifted away. “He gives up a lot if we officially become an ‘us.’ Me? Not so much. I was born Consortium property. Even now, I don’t have much that’s mine. Kadon, on the other hand, was born with everything. A Brotherhood legacy, the right kind of blood, money, connections. He could have taken the easy way and just ridden the family coattails. Instead, he took a path where, as you well know, connections only get you so far.”

Damien wondered if Luc had any idea just how far gone he sounded over Stormhart.

“In the ring, nothing matters but focus, spirit, and determination”—Luc was still on a roll— “and how hard you’re willing to work. Kadon excelled in every way and became one of the top cage fighters in the galaxy. He truly is the dome’s Golden Boy.”

“Plus”—Damien didn’t bother to sugarcoat it— “he’s Brotherhood. First son in a family that has power and prestige and expects him to take a prime omega and sire several Alphas to keep the bloodline going.”

Luc swallowed hard. “Yes.”

“And he’ll lose it all if he’s with you.”

“Yup.”

Which was why Luc hadn’t told Kadon how he felt. Stupid, but honorable.

“But he’ll gain a lot too.”

Luc’s jaw clenched. “Gain? Being with a Consortium trainer who doesn’t even own himself? Not really. I don’t have much to offer besides hot-as-hells fucking—and lust only goes so far.”

Damien’s chin jutted toward the screen. “Seems like a lot more than lust.”

“You’ve now overheard two Alphas go at it. Double the rut haze. It’s intense.”

Fuck, Luc was possibly even more stubborn than his sister.

“Kadon had four planetary rotations of playing the golden boy alongside my female,” Damien pointed out. “Didn’t seem to make him happy. How about you stop holding him at bay and let him choose what he wants?”

There was a long pause.

“Maybe,” Luc said at last, and Damien had no clue from the other male’s tone if he’d gotten through or not.

“No maybes. Pull your head out of your ass and stop pretending what’s between you is just Alpha lust and bad decisions on his part. You already know what it’s like trying to live without each other. Kadon doesn’t seem too happy with that path, and since he’s the one with so much on the line here, surely his vote counts for something. From the way he looks at you, I get the sense you’re worth it for him. So wake up before it’s too late. You and I have already wasted enough time being apart from the ones we love.”

Luc said nothing, but Damien hoped he’d gotten through.

If not, that was that. He’d stuck his nose in far enough.

Refocusing, he tapped the screen and replayed the vid.

“Looking for some tips?” Luc didn’t sound happy, but he did sound slightly less tormented.

“I do just fine in that department.”

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