8. Orsino

Chapter 8

Orsino

When I got down to the in-house gym located in the basement, Andro and Louie were already in there. Felik often worked out in the evenings, but sometimes, he joined us when he woke up early.

He and Jeremiah lived in the pool house out back, so they weren’t inside the main house quite as often as my other brothers, but I had a feeling my baby brother would be hanging around more often with the most recent development in my love life.

I knew bringing home an omega would shock everyone, but I guess I didn’t anticipate how disruptive it would be. Apparently, they all thought I was going to die a bachelor.

I guess I did too.

Andro grunted out a set on the bench and then racked the bar. “So, how was he?”

I held back the growl that wanted to erupt from my throat, then I sighed and threw a towel over the treadmill before stepping onto the belt. “I told you I’m giving him some space. He doesn’t need to be trapped here just because his old man’s a douche. Not that it’s any of your business.” Which wasn’t quite true. We were all in each other’s business all the time. I tried to keep to myself, but that was mostly because my life wasn’t very exciting. Andro and Louie were the ones bringing home all the drama. Until now.

Louie laughed. “Some would say the same thing about us.”

Andro grinned again, probably agreeing but also scolding our brother for saying something disrespectful about our father out loud. Our dad didn’t always make the best decisions when he was in charge, but he did the best he could and he’d started softening up in his old age. Once that man had grandkids, he was like a completely different person.

“So you really didn’t do anything? The omega should have been on his knees thanking you for saving him. I doubt wherever he came from is as nice as this place. Plus he stayed in your room, not with the rest of the harem.” Louie talked as he pumped out twenty reps with the dumbbells.

I rolled my eyes, unexpectedly uncomfortable with the conversation. I’d told my brothers most of the details of my sex life since I was a teenager. It was normal for us alphas to compare notes. But now, it suddenly felt wrong to be so flippant about it all. Ethan was not like other omegas. “Well, not nothing. But he’s a fucking virgin. I can’t just go balls to the wall and then dump him. I want to make sure he really wants this before…”

“You knock him up?” Andro finished my thought as he laid back and grabbed the bar again.

“Basically.” The idea of a child didn’t terrify me like it should. I’d always assumed that there would come a day when I would want children. I just hadn’t given a lot of thought about who the omega parent would be and what a relationship with them would look like.

My brothers were all happily mated with their men, but was that a future I wanted? Did I even have a choice now?

“So what’s the deal with the dad? Roland said they took him to the hospital, but he was basically okay. Roughed up pretty good but nothing serious.”

“No idea. Doesn’t sound like Ethan’s very close to him, but I’m sure they’ll need to talk. I just don’t know how someone allows their omega son to sell himself to cover a fucking gambling debt.” I pounded the speed button on the treadmill as I pushed myself faster. “If he had gone to auction, can you imagine where he might’ve ended up?” And how many times had Ethan covered a debt for his father? I ground my teeth until my jaw hurt.

My brothers didn’t respond because there was nothing to say to that. An omega who ended up at auction didn’t fare well. In fact, most just disappeared and were never heard from again.

Ending up in one of our auctions would likely land him in the hands of Van Russo, and that man was not kind to the omegas he owned.

We, on the other hand, took care of the omegas in our harem. They were around for our guards and associates to enjoy, but they were paid well and taken care of. It was a job for them. But we didn’t control the way the auctions were run or how omegas were treated once they left there. All we could do was hope to minimize the worst of it.

I was starting to feel the strain in my thighs, so I reduced the speed to something a bit more sustainable. “Anyway, I gave him the numbers of your boys. Figured he can talk to them and get some perspective. Joining this family can’t be easy.” Not to mention that his whole life had been turned upside down. Ethan had a lot to adjust to. Joey experienced something similar when he met Andro, so he would be a good friend for Ethan to talk to. But Joey had been involved with a crime family before joining us, so it wasn’t quite as much of a shock to him. I had a sneaking suspicion that Ethan only knew a fraction of what we were involved in. Though, he didn’t know too much since he barely recognized our last name.

Andro barked out a laugh. “No shit. I certainly wouldn’t want to join us.”

Louie tossed his sweaty towel onto Andro’s face, almost making him drop the bar he’d loaded with 180 pounds of iron. “What the fuck, man!”

“Hey, we’re not so bad. Our boys wouldn’t wanna be anywhere else. They love it here. They love our family. Sometimes, I think they’re more loyal to the Ferrini name than we are.” Louie always surprised me when he got contemplative like this. He was usually the jokester until he got all sentimental.

Andro just grunted as Louie got up from the bench he was on and folded his arms across the front of the treadmill. “Ethan will love it here too. Just give him some time to settle in, and then you can get your dick wet. But considering what you paid, you gotta believe it’ll be worth the wait. Then again, if you truly wanted a virgin ass, you could have easily had boys lined up around the block.”

“Yeah, whatever.” I nodded and then spent the next hour working out with my brothers before heading back up to my room to shower.

Ethan wasn’t there, so I sent him a text to make sure he was okay. Did you get breakfast?

Yeah, I am with Joey and Connor in the playroom. Hope that’s okay. These babies are so cute.

I smiled because he was not wrong. My brothers could be idiots sometimes, but they made cute babies. Just thinking that made me wonder what a baby between Ethan and me might look like. Cute as fuck, for sure. I’ve got to get a few things done but should be available to take you to your apartment after lunch. Good?

Yes, thank you. Also, am I allowed to call my dad?

Of course. You don’t have to ask permission to call anybody. I frowned at the thought that Ethan felt restricted when it came to his family. Just because I didn’t like the fucker, didn’t mean Ethan had to stop caring about him. We can swing by to visit him too, if you’d like. I’ll block off the whole afternoon.

Thank you, Orsino. I mean it.

My heart rate kicked up a notch at his words.

Fuck. I was in over my head with this omega.