17. Sleepover at Matts’s House

"Why do I have to do this, again?" Alice groaned as she picked up her bag from the back seat of the car. "I feel like a kid being handed off between divorced parents."

"Would that make me the mom or the dad?" Gabriel asked. "Wait, don't answer that!"

Alice giggled and turned to scrutinize Matts's house. It looked modern and sleek, with dark wood and metal walls, and it contrasted against the pine forest surrounding it. She walked up to it and touched a wall, surprised to see that the wood was actually polished and stained concrete.

"He had to build it in a hurry, otherwise it wouldn't be ready in time for my trip."

"You sound like you didn't want him to finish on time," Alice commented.

"I didn't," Gabriel admitted. "But he was surprisingly fast in building this."

Alice gave a small laugh. "Why did you give him a permit to have his own house, then?"

"A favor for a favor." Gabriel grunted, shrugging his shoulders.

Gabriel walked around the car to join her. He took the bag from her hands and placed it on the ground, then put both his hands on her shoulders.

"I delayed this as much as I could." His low, husky voice had an unusual darker tone today. He wasn't happy about going to France, and Alice could feel his stress.

She put her hands on his cheeks and tried to soothe him. "It will be all right. I'm just a call away if you need me."

He smiled at her and leaned down, but instead of giving her a kiss on the head like he usually did, he kissed her on the lips. It was just a quick peck, a blink-and-you-miss-it brush of his lips on hers, but it was enough to set her cheeks aflame.

"Gabriel—"

"Listen to Matts. He'll make sure you're safe," he interrupted before she could get upset.

"And will you be safe?"

"I'll have Henryk with me, and I'll be surrounded by hundreds of alphas. No one would be stupid enough to try anything."

"It's the hundreds of alphas that worry me," she mumbled.

He just smiled as a reply.

"Will you say hello to Sophie for me?" She'd given him a small gift to give to the other omega, but it wasn't likely that he could give it in person.

"It would be unwise of her alpha to bring her to the conference."

Alice nodded and tried not to show her disappointment.

The sky cleared and sunlight beamed down among the tree branches. It was getting late.

Gabriel trapped her in his arms and held her with an intensity that mirrored his emotions. After a few moments, he took a deep breath, kissed the top of her head, and let her go. The cold March air hit her when the warmth of his embrace disappeared.

"Be good while I'm away," he demanded as he walked to the car.

"Don't have too much fun in France."

He got in the car and signaled for her to go into the house.

She picked up her bag, sighed, and rang the doorbell.

It only took Matts one second to open the door. Had he been waiting on the other side?

"Bem vinda, Alice," he said in Portuguese.

She was unable to hide her surprise, and he chuckled.

"I found it was easier to talk with the construction workers if I spoke Portuguese. And I had other reasons for wanting to learn too." He beamed at her, giving her space to come into the house.

The sound of the car wheels scraping the road made her turn around, and she saw Gabriel driving off.

Matts closed the front door with a snap, and she suddenly felt like prey, locked into a predator's lair.

The front door led directly to an open space with a living room, dining table, and kitchen all in one area. There was almost no furniture, but what little there was looked modern and new. Neutral tones complemented the dark tones of the walls, and a small gas fireplace burned happily away in a glass container, like an aquarium for fire, bringing warmth to the room. The sofa was small, there was a lounge chair near the window, and a fluffy beige rug was spread over the wooden floors. It was cozy, and not at all like the man who lived here. She'd half-expected a cave.

"I'll take your things to your room." He took the bag from her hands, and walked down a small corridor and into the first door on the left. She followed him, curious as to where she would be sleeping.

It was a small room with minimal furniture. There was a closet, and a single nightstand next to the bed. The window shades were halfway down, and the sunlight that streamed through the opening fell gently on the carpet.

Alice looked out the window, but all she could see were pine trees.

She turned around to find Matts watching her carefully, and a sense of uneasiness enveloped her. Alice was in his territory now, and his satisfaction permeated the room. She could bet she would be able to feel it even without being an omega.

"I know it's simple, but I didn't have time for more. Please feel free to make it more to your taste if you'd like," he said.

"No need. It's only for a few days."

A corner of his mouth pushed up. "I'll do my best to make sure your stay here is comfortable," he teased.

"Sure." She glanced around. "Where is the bathroom?"

He motioned for her to accompany him, still wearing the same satisfied look on his face. The room next to hers was the bathroom, and the one next to that was his bedroom.

"We are sharing the bathroom?"

"Yes. It's a small house, no room for more."

"We could have stayed at the apartment, you know." She sighed, feeling frustrated. "I don't see the need for us to be here."

"I don't feel comfortable staying in another alpha's home." He leaned against a wall with his arm. "And this house is far more secure than any other. With Gabriel away, there may be an attempt to get to you."

She rolled her eyes. "Very unlikely," she told him bluntly.

"When the cat's away, the mice will play," Matts said, one corner of his mouth rising again. "Please make yourself at home while I make dinner."

"You are making dinner?" she asked him in disbelief.

"You're not the only one who knows how to cook." He smirked.

He headed for the living room. Alice watched him go and couldn't help thinking that he looked better walking away, for more reasons than one. She went to her room, and put her clothes in the closet. A jazzy tune floated in from the living room, accompanied by the metallic clang of pots. She picked up her phone and a book, and decided to make herself as invisible as possible by sitting on the bed and reading.

Curiosity started to get the better of her, however. She had never seen an alpha cook before. Gabriel couldn't so much as fry an egg, and Bruno had only known where the kitchen was because it had beer.

She went to the kitchen. It was small, but it seemed to be well equipped.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked Matts. "I don't want to distract you while you cook."

He turned around to her with a knowing, smug smile.

"Please, I would enjoy your company." He gestured at the stools on the other side of the kitchen island.

Alice sat down and opened the book on the counter, but she was more interested in watching Matts than reading. His movements in the kitchen were graceful, almost feline. He was very secure in what he was doing and wasn't afraid to show it. When he twirled a frying pan in his hand before setting it on the stove, she had to fight a giggle. He was putting on a show. It reminded her of a male bird, trying to charm a female by doing a convoluted dance and filling his nest with shiny shells.

"What are you reading?" he asked her.

It took her a moment to remember the name of the book she was pretending to read.

"The Alchemist. It's one of Gabriel's books."

"Is it good?"

"Can't say yet. I'm only just starting." And she was going to have to backtrack a few pages that she'd turned just for show.

He grinned.

She noticed an interesting quirk he had when he turned around to talk to her. He didn't just turn his head and shoulders, but his whole body, as if his waist was incapable of twisting. She wondered if he felt uncomfortable with her there. Alphas didn't like to turn their backs on other people, but she had never encountered an alpha who wasn't comfortable around her. She made a mental note to check tomorrow if he did the same thing at work.

When Matts lifted a pot lid, a delicious smell filled the kitchen. He stirred the contents of the pot slowly, then used a small spoon to bring some of the food to his lips. He blew on the spoon, small steamy clouds scurrying away before he tasted the food. He nodded with satisfaction and lowered the heat under the pot, allowing it to simmer.

Alice felt herself blush and tried focusing on the book again, but her phone chimed with a message. "Lemos is asking for the coordinates of your house so he can pick me up tomorrow."

Matts turned to her, a curious look on his face. "Why does he need to pick you up?"

"Because I need to go to work tomorrow."

"You are going to work while Gabriel's gone?"

"Yes. Someone needs to wrangle all those alphas while Gabriel is out."

Matts leaned into the kitchen island. He was frowning, but the way he pursed his lips with his upper lip standing out made it look like he was pouting instead.

"I was hoping you could take me sightseeing, and show me around Lisbon." His mouth raised slightly in a dry smile. "You know, since you were too busy to do so all the other times I was here."

Alice gave him a dry smile of her own. "Maybe after work I can show you a few places," she proposed. "But understand, this is not a date. I'm here because you alphas seem to think the Big Bad Wolf is out to get me."

She expected Matts to give one of his mischievous grins, but his face turned dead serious.

"You need to take this more seriously, Alice," he said. "If Bruno's death wasn't enough warning, the beta who was spying on you should be."

Her cheeks burned from his scolding. She looked down at her book and rubbed the skin above her heart.

"I apologize," he told her gently.

She looked up at him, surprised he even knew the word.

"I shouldn't use Bruno's death against you like that. I just want you to take this more seriously."

"I would take things more seriously if you guys told me what is happening, instead of giving me half-truths and expecting me to obey orders at face value," she objected. "I can't take things seriously when you refuse to explain why they are serious in the first place."

They stared at each other for a few moments, Matts's intense gaze burrowing into her like he could see her thoughts. He nodded and returned to his cooking.

He was still frowning when they sat down to dinner.

Alice dug into the stew and a content look spread on her face as the savory meat melted in her mouth.

"This is delicious," she told him.

His frown faded and he gave her a genuine, if somewhat smug, smile. "I'm glad you like it."

When they were done with the stew, he served a decadent-looking dessert. He was really aiming to impress.

She tried a spoonful of the chocolate-and-cream treat, and almost melted in her seat. She needed the recipe for this.

"I've been thinking about what you said," he told her after he finished his dessert. "And you're right. We should be more honest with you."

Her spoon stopped halfway to her mouth. Was he really going to share information with her?

"Has Gabriel told you about the strays?"

Alice set the spoon down and gave Matts her full attention.

"The people who don't obey commands from alphas?"

"There is more to it than just that."

Matts told her about the people who attacked Bruno, how the beta's mind had been manipulated, and why they thought these "strays" were after her.

It was an overwhelming amount of information. Matts watched her closely, but she needed some time to process all of this.

"So the guy who erased himself from our memories is also messing with the heads of people around me?"

"Yes. That beta didn't spy on you of his own free will." Matts turned his wine glass on the table, over and over. "Now do you understand how serious this is?"

"Can we stop him from doing this?" Alice asked. "I mean, can we prevent people from having their memories wiped?"

"The only people who can truly stop a mind invasion like that are other bookkeepers," he explained. "With training, some people may be able to avoid the worst of it, or at least make their memories easily recoverable, but there are no guarantees."

"Could you train me?"

Matts's eyes opened wide at her question.

"Could? Yes, but I'm not sure if Gabriel would agree."

"Gabriel is not my father, nor my husband," she retorted. "He is a friend who wants to be my mate, and even if he was my mate, this is my decision to make. Not his."

"Understood," Matts agreed with a hesitant smile. "In that case, we can start with a few basics today."

He had never been so bored in his life.

Alice's workday started early, which suited him fine, but standing around watching other people work was not something he enjoyed. He sank deeper into boredom as he quietly watched Alice sitting at Gabriel's desk, reading proposals sent to Gabriel by the other Chairs.

"Okay, seems reasonable," she murmured to herself while staring at the screen.

With a huff, Matts got up and decided to take a stroll around the office. He walked around the top floor twice, shaking people's hands and looking for anything suspicious. On this floor, everyone loved Alice and regarded him with distrust, clearly unhappy with his presence. But here, Gabriel already had everything in place to protect her, so there wasn't much for him to work on.

So he went to the other floors, showing his clearance badge to every security officer who tried to stop him. Not that he really needed the badge. One look from him was enough to send these alphas into submission, and the betas nearly jumped out of their skin with fear.

After getting bored with that, he went back to Gabriel's office, wondering if he could convince Alice to go to an early lunch. When he opened the door, he nearly hit the back of a beta man who was holding a perilously high stack of paper. Beta?

"Oh, sorry about that," he quickly apologized as the man tried to keep the leaning tower of files standing up.

"No worries," he replied, his voice strained by the weight of the papers. "I've got this."

"Need help with that?" Matts asked, feeling awkward.

"No, I'm good," the beta replied with a friendly chuckle. "I'm Vicente, by the way, I don't think we've met."

Vicente was tall for a beta, and Matts could see some muscle disguised by his suit. But his appearance was somewhat forgettable. His brown hair and brown eyes looked the same as any other Portuguese man. Yet there was something in his eyes that made Matts's bookkeeper instinct flare.

"Matts Hansen," he politely replied. He extended his hand for a handshake, but realized it would be impossible.

"I would shake your hand, but if I let these papers drop, it's going to take hours to put everything in order again."

Matts smiled, but cursed inaudibly. He really wanted to shake the man's hand, but other than grabbing him by the neck or face, there was no way of touching his skin.

"I should probably take care of these," the man said awkwardly as he took his leave, grunting under the weight of the files.

Matts followed him with his eyes, his gut telling him something wasn't right. He checked his mobile for the roster of people who worked with Alice and had been checked by his team. There was a Vicente there, with a green check mark assuring he had been tested. But still…

Matts went into the room adjacent to the office. It was full of cabinet files, the kind that you have to open with a key. Alice was on tiptoes, browsing through the top drawer of one.

"Alice? Do you know that guy that was just here? Vicente?" he asked, trying to keep his suspicion under wraps.

"Vicente? Yes, I do. Why?" she replied absentmindedly.

"Was he checked by your team?"

"I think he was. Everyone around the office was checked a bunch of times by your people." She took out a file and made a face as she read it. "I knew there was one more. Is he still there? He needs to take this one too."

"No, he's gone. But I can take it to him if you'd like."

"That would be great. He's on the second floor, in the public information office."

He took the file and hurried after the beta. There was something nagging him. All bookkeepers were alphas, no exceptions so far. But, like Rita, maybe there was something different about this man.

When he reached the public information office, it was empty. He looked around for someone to ask where the beta was, but as he passed an open door, he heard someone say that Vicente had gone home sick.

Had Matts scared the guy that much?

He made his way back to Alice, determined to learn where this guy lived and find a way to shake his hand, but he found her having a heated conversation with another alpha.

"I already told you, no level A proposals will be sent for the consideration of the Chairs while Gabriel is not in attendance. If you have anything lower, feel free to discuss with the others," Alice told the alpha sternly.

"My issue is that this is not a level A proposal. You clearly mislabeled it!" the alpha growled.

Matts's shoulders tensed, and he got ready to pounce on the man if he got any closer to Alice.

"This is exactly the same proposal you sent Gabriel last month, with fancier words," Alice retaliated. "Which, you may remember, was vehemently denied by him." She got closer to the man, and had to tilt up her chin to meet his eyes. How this woman had the balls to stand up to an alpha was a mystery to Matts. He tightened his fists, prepared to punch the alpha if he tried anything.

"If Gabriel denied it once, you can be sure it will be denied again," Alice continued. "But if you insist, I will email him urgently, interrupt his work in France, and make sure he knows you are not happy with his decision."

The alpha glared at her for a few tense seconds before visibly deflating and hunching his shoulders.

"All right. I'm sorry, Alice. Please don't bother Gabriel with this." The alpha shuffled out of the room like a kid after a lecture. He appeared surprised to see Matts there, and hunched over even more.

"That could have gotten you into trouble," Matts fumed at Alice. "You can't just…" He pointed at the door where the alpha had left, unable to find the words for what she did.

She giggled. "Do you even know what omegas are?"

"Yes. You are gentle and kind, and converted humans won't hurt you, but that doesn't mean that they won't get angry and act rashly."

She laughed. "Matts, alphas can't hurt omegas, even if they really want to. Besides, if I don't put them in their place while Gabriel is gone, who will?"

He took a deep breath to steady himself, and sat down heavily in Gabriel's chair.

"What is that proposal about, anyway? Must be something important if he's insisting so much on it."

Alice's smile dropped a little. She went to a cabinet, took out a file, and placed it in front of Matts.

"Here, see for yourself."

Proposal 37-A, Housing and Urban Planning. Matts perused the pages carefully, wondering why a housing project would make Alice so morose.

"This is a ghetto project," he said.

"Yes, for basic humans," she agreed. "Everyone who is not converted, or whose conversions failed, were to be relocated to government housing on the outskirts of the cities, or into the country's interior."

"But why?"

Alice turned the pages until she found a seal with the symbol of the Potentia ad Opus.

"Because they want this to happen." She pointed out a part of the seal. "This means it's kind of a request, not an order. That's why Gabriel was able to refuse it."

"Why was that alpha insisting on it, then?" Matts asked.

"The Second Chair thinks that obeying these requests would be in the country's best interest." Alice leaned into the desk. "Level A proposals can only be discussed with Gabriel present. Anything else can be approved by the other chairs without him."

"The bastard wanted to sneak this into motion without Gabriel knowing?" Matts grunted.

"He's a good man, you know?" Alice reasoned. "The Second Chair. He's insisting because he really thinks it's for the best."

"And you?"

"I think people can't see things clearly since the conversion. Sometimes I wonder if they send out orders like this as a test. Just to see if the alphas obey."

Matts didn't know what to say. He followed orders from the Potentia ad Opus blindly. He had done so since his own conversion, not questioning why they would ask for the things they did. Would he have followed this order if he was in Gabriel's place? He didn't like the idea of separating people like that, as if some were inferior just because they refused to convert. But on the other hand, something in him propelled him to obedience. He knew what it was—the conditioning was implanted in all converted. The only ones that didn't obey were strays, and omegas and their mates.

"Bruno didn't obey them, you know?" Alice whispered, as if she was reading his thoughts. "Not after I was converted. Jerome said it's the real purpose of the omegas, to keep some humanity in an alpha's reasoning."

"Not enough omegas in the world for it to make a difference, Alice."

"I know."

Alice walked to her desk. Matts had hoped this week would be fun, with plenty of opportunities to flirt and seduce her. Instead, he ended up sharing more than he should about the strays, and second-guessing his own free will. All the while, Gabriel was probably having the time of his life in France.

He had never been so bored in his life.

Gabriel listened to the endless drone of an alpha presenting his proposal for a unified beta database, for future resource sharing. He hated how some of these alphas talked about betas as if they were a commodity. Worse still were the ones who compared basic humans to pests, and proposed things like exclusion from certain public places, and denying access to most jobs. Some even proposed separate spaces for alphas only.

"Almost lunchtime," a smooth voice with a deep French accent said to his right. "Then we can finally have a rest from this pointless babble."

The worse part of all this was Marcel, the French First Chair, arranging seats so Gabriel would be sitting next to him. He had welcomed Gabriel at the airport, his long blond hair and tall stature making him stand out in the sea of beta aides he brought with him. After greeting Gabriel, the alpha looked around expectantly, as if he'd expected someone else, and was quite disappointed when he noticed Alice wouldn't be joining them. That reassured Gabriel that he had made the right decision in leaving Alice with Matts. He didn't know why Marcel was so anxious to meet Alice, but one thing he was sure of: the man clearly had expected Gabriel to be like him, both having omega mates. He wondered how much Sophie had told Marcel about Alice. Probably nothing, considering she hated her mate.

"I made reservations for my favorite restaurant. I think you will enjoy it," Marcel continued, not noticing Gabriel's dislike. "Too bad you didn't bring your mate. Sophie would so much love to meet her in person."

Gabriel felt Henryk tense in the seat behind him.

"You brought your mate to the conference?" It took all Gabriel's self-control not to growl the question.

"Bien sur. Where I go, she goes," the man said with a chuckle. "I have to keep an eye on her, non? Omegas need control or they start running wild."

Gabriel scratched his face and quietly counted to ten. "I don't believe this is a safe environment for an omega," he eventually said gruffly.

"Oh, I don't believe any of these alphas could challenge me for Sophie." He laughed so loudly that the people in the lower seats turned around and looked up at them.

Gabriel hated to admit, but Marcel was an extremely powerful alpha. He was one of the few men Gabriel had met who was taller than him and just as wide. And the strength of their combined presence was likely felt all around the room, with all the others present refusing to sit in the seats directly in front of them.

After the alpha at the podium stopped talking, the host of the conference announced it was lunchtime.

Marcel stretched with a yawn, not afraid to show what he really thought of these talks. Gabriel tried to keep a more dignified appearance. They were the two most powerful alphas in attendance. Either of them could easily command any other alpha around them. The difference between them was that Marcel had no restraint in showing just how much stronger he was.

One thing remained to be seen: which one of them was stronger than the other. He had to admit that Marcel was probably the strongest, but at the same time, he didn't think he would jump to obey any of Marcel's commands.

It was a short but stressful car drive to the restaurant. He didn't like being in such a confined space with Marcel, and poor Henryk was even more uncomfortable, with two strong alphas so close to him.

Arriving at the restaurant, they entered what looked like an old palace, with beautiful frescoes on the ceiling, huge crystal chandeliers, and ornate furniture. Someone played a piano out of sight, the gentle melody lending a charm to the din of the patrons talking and eating. Alice would have loved this place. Gabriel felt a pang of guilt at the thought. She wanted to travel and see places like this, but her security demanded otherwise. Maybe he could talk to Matts about a possible trip somewhere.

The waiter guided them up an ornate staircase with gilded handrails, and from the top of the stairs to a secluded table overlooking the main floor below. Two large figures hovered over a small woman already seated at the table, waiting for them. When Gabriel and Marcel reached her, the two figures retreated. The petite woman with pale skin, black hair that barely covered her ears, and a slim figure, got up when she spotted them. She studied Gabriel and Henryk with curiosity in her pale blue eyes. Her perfectly curved eyebrows, in combination with her big eyes, gave the impression that she was slightly surprised.

"My dearest, I hope you haven't been waiting for too long," Marcel said in English. "This is Gabriel, your friend Alice's mate, and this is his aide."

Marcel pointed to Gabriel and Henryk in turn. Henryk fumed at the slight of being called an aide, and of Marcel not knowing his name.

Sophie shook Gabriel's hand, and an expensive perfume smell reached his nostrils. When Henryk stretched out his hand, she took a step back and quickly shook her head at him, turning her eyes to Marcel. The alpha put a possessive hand on her shoulder and gave Henryk a warning look.

"A pleasure to meet you all," Sophie said in a shaky voice. "Shall we sit down?"

Marcel's attention immediately jumped to her. "Of course. You must be hungry."

He pulled out her chair for her, and sat to her right. Gabriel sat to her left and Henryk to his left, directly in front of her.

"I brought you a gift from Alice." Gabriel took a small box from his jacket's inner pocket and placed it on the table between them. Sophie looked at her mate for permission before touching the gift. Marcel smiled and gave her a short nod. She quickly ripped the wrapping paper and opened the box. A smile spread on her thin lips, the first genuine smile Gabriel had seen on her so far, as she pulled out a gold Portuguese filigree heart dangling on a gold chain.

"It's beautiful." She started to put it on, but her mate got up and took it from her, carefully wrapping it around her neck and clasping it. Her shoulders tensed and her breathing quickened while he did this, and Gabriel felt the urge to punch the man. What the fuck was he doing to her that he had her afraid of such a simple gesture? Henryk was trying his best not to look directly at them, instead diverting his attention to the floor below. He had his hands under the table, but the tension in his shoulders told Gabriel that he was probably thinking the same thing.

Sophie played with the heart on her chest. "It's wonderful. I love it." She smiled at Gabriel. "If you don't mind, I also have something for you to take to Alice."

"Of course I don't mind."

Sophie took a small parcel from her purse and put it on the table. Gabriel picked up the parcel and found it surprisingly heavy.

"It's perfume. She mentioned some scents she liked, and I had this made specially for her." Sophie beamed.

"Thank you. Alice will love this."

Sophie turned to Marcel. "May I say thank you to Alice on the phone?"

Gabriel and Henryk exchanged irked looks. Wasn't she allowed to chat with her friends?

Marcel either didn't notice the other men's reactions, or ignored it. "Yes, you may," he replied, his eyes fixed on her.

She took out her phone, unlocked it, and passed it to Marcel. He put his finger on the screen and passed the phone back to her.

Gabriel could see the omega chat room pop up on her screen. She typed a few messages to Alice before closing her phone and putting it back in her bag.

So this was why Sophie hardly ever talked with the other omegas. Marcel controlled when she could access the chat. He looked at Henryk again and an unspoken agreement passed between them. They would have to do something about this if they could. This level of control over Sophie was unacceptable. Gabriel often worried that he controlled Alice too much, with all the security around her and the demands he made of her. But this—this was not an alpha protecting his omega mate. This was a predator keeping his prey in line. Jerome was going to get an earful tonight.

During the meal, Marcel infuriated Gabriel more and more. He controlled the food Sophie ordered and how much she ate, didn't let her drink anything other than water, and stopped her from ordering a dessert.

By the end of the meal, Henryk's neck was deep scarlet with the strain of keeping his thoughts to himself. Gabriel was having trouble with his self-control too.

Sophie, however, seemed resigned to her alpha's controlling ways.

Marcel's phone rang, and he excused himself to answer the call. While he was away, Gabriel took the opportunity to talk with Sophie without supervision.

"Do you want to get away from him?" he asked her without qualms.

Sophie offered a resigned smile. "You would not be the first one to try." She placed a hand on his, then quickly pulled it away. "He's not in this position just because he is so strong. He has someone protecting him." She leaned closer whispered, "And that someone is far too powerful for you to mess with. You would endanger your mate."

Gabriel tensed. He would have to discover who exactly was backing Marcel, then. But he wouldn't let this go. Sophie was an omega in danger, and his senses were screaming at him to protect her.

He could see Henryk thought the same. He had gripped his cutlery so hard during the meal that the ornamentation was engraved in his palms.

When they were done with their meal, the men said their goodbyes to Sophie outside the restaurant and returned to the conference.

This lunch had given Gabriel a lot to think about.

Back at the conference hall, Henryk excused himself to make a phone call, leaving Gabriel alone with Marcel.

"I see you don't approve of how I handle my mate." Marcel chuckled.

"No, I don't," Gabriel replied. "You treat your mate like a child, instead of the gift she is."

"Gift?" Marcel laughed louder. "She was not a gift. I fought hard to get her, and I will hold onto her with every power allotted to me. I thought you would understand, given you are in the same situation."

"What do you mean?" Gabriel asked, an eyebrow raising in suspicion.

"Sophie also had a husband before, although hers was a useless beta. Not fit for an omega at all," Marcel replied. "Your mate also had a husband before, non?"

"Yes, she did." Gabriel fumed. "But he died in an accident. I didn't force them to separate like you did."

"I didn't force Sophie to separate. The court took care of that for me." Marcel laughed again. "And you may not believe it, but I didn't force Sophie to do anything else either. I found a simple way to convince her to accept me as her mate. Something that proved to me that omegas are meant to please alphas." Marcel gave Gabriel a wicked grin. "Would you like to know what that is?"

Gabriel hesitated. He doubted Marcel had convinced Sophie to do anything, but curiosity was chewing at him.

"You wait for your omega to go into heat," Marcel said in a gleeful whisper. "Then she won't be able to refuse you. She may say she doesn't want it, but if you put your hands in the right places, she won't be able to stop herself. And then you take what you want."

Gabriel stared at the other alpha in disgust. Daniel had told him about the heat, had warned Alice would be vulnerable. To take advantage of a woman like that…

"No wonder you don't have a bond with your mate," Gabriel scoffed. "She's not your mate at all. She's your prisoner."

For the first time since they met, Marcel looked at him with anger.

"Bond? There is no such thing. A lie the omegas made to keep alphas in line." Marcel sneered. "Omegas need control. They need to be kept on a tight leash by their alphas or they will spend themselves on everyone around them. They crave our control. Sophie would be lost without me."

Gabriel didn't reply. What could one say to someone so full of himself that he couldn't see the harm he was doing to his own mate?

"I had hoped you would be like me, and support me." Marcel gave him a fake smile. "But I see not. Maybe after your omega goes into heat, we will see things more eye to eye, non?"

With that, Marcel left him in the hallway and went to his seat.

Gabriel fumed all the way to a secluded room, where he pulled out his phone and decided there was no reason to wait until tonight to give Jerome the full force of his opinion.

Matts was dumbfounded at the absurd quantity of powdered sugar and cinnamon Alice sprinkled over the pastries. He wouldn't be able to eat one without getting powder all over himself. Was that what she was going for?

She chuckled at him. "It's normal to put so much on, if that's what you're wondering."

"Are they so bad that you have to bury them under sugar?"

She laughed as if he had made a joke, but he was dead serious.

It was the end of the afternoon and the sun was setting behind the buildings, but it still warmed the air enough that it was pleasant for them to be outside on the patio of a famous pastry shop in Lisbon.

Alice had been with him for three days now, and she was still warming up to him. She had taken him to see the Lisbon sights, and to amazing restaurants for lunch. But only for lunch, because dinner was his time to shine. He had picked up cooking to impress the women he dated. It was a tool to get laid, and it often worked. But with Alice, it was different. He found he enjoyed cooking for her, as if he was giving her something no other man could. And there was some erotic pleasure to having her watch him cook, then eat what he offered. It was something just between them that Gabriel couldn't interfere with.

He picked up a pastry carefully, trying not to get the white and brown powder all over himself. Taking a bite, he had to suppress a groan of satisfaction. It was delicious. The cream melted into the roof of his mouth while the buttery shell of the pastry cracked in a satisfying manner between his teeth. He watched Alice take a bite and accidentally laughed when he noticed the tip of her nose covered in white, his huff sending a wave of powder flying. Alice laughed also.

"Is everything all right? Would you like anything else?" a friendly beta waitress asked, briefly putting her hand on Alice's shoulder.

"Everything is great, thank you." Alice smiled at the woman.

Matts forced himself to relax. It seemed like everyone around Alice, beta or alpha, kept finding some excuse to talk to her or be around her or, if they could, to touch her. He knew they did this on instinct. His own instincts pushed him to do the same. Get her attention, touch her, kiss her… It was hard to control it sometimes, and he couldn't expect other people to have better control over themselves than he did. But it still annoyed him, and he couldn't help looking menacingly at everyone.

A small child came over to their table and presented Alice with a leaf. Alice took it with a smile, and thanked the child in Portuguese. The mother, a kind-looking beta woman, tried to calm her child down, but the kid insisted on finding new leaves and bringing them to Alice, running to her each time with a glee that made one think he was buying ice cream. The kid found a small rock and ran up to Alice again, presenting his new discovery. She accepted the rock with a smile and said something that made the child laugh.

Matts's phone vibrated in his pocket. He had been getting angry texts from Henryk for days, his underling berating him for not doing anything about the French omega. Matts sighed, reading yet another text explaining the insane actions of the French First Chair. It was the last day of the conference, with Gabriel scheduled to arrive this evening. Matts wanted to enjoy the little time he had left with Alice, but it seemed like the French First Chair wasn't going to make that possible. Matts's growl at the message made the little kid drop the new offering for Alice and retreat back to his mother. This time, Marcel had had the brilliant idea of taking his omega directly into the conference hall, keeping her locked in a small room. Matts had talked with Jerome, who complained about Gabriel calling him with a similar rant, but it was beyond their power to help. The French First Chair was the son of one of the Potentia ad Opus, one of the scientists who created the Tube. Their conditioning wouldn't allow them to disobey someone so high up.

"Is everything all right?" Alice asked him, the tip of her nose still covered in white and brown dust from the pastry.

He reached out and brushed off the dust with a finger, earning himself a frown from her.

"I can wipe my own nose you know," she said, annoyed, while she swiped at her face with a napkin.

"I know, but it's fun to watch you squirm." He smirked. "Has Sophie said anything in your chat lately?"

"No, not since she thanked me for the gift I sent her."

The sadness in her voice raised his instinct to console her. He resisted it, though, acutely aware that she would resent it.

The betas on the patio looked at her in concern, some coming forward to ask if everything was all right, and giving him distrustful looks. She reassured them with a warm smile that everything was fine, but let the smile drop when they walked away.

"Why do you smile at them?" he asked her quietly. "It seems like you're forcing yourself for their sake."

"If I don't smile, they will worry," she replied in a matter-of-fact voice. "I can feel their emotions, remember? I don't want people to worry about me."

He knew omegas could feel other's emotions, but he never thought about what it meant, or how deep it went. He remembered that void he had felt when he was in her mind. Was it easier for an omega with a bond to manage other people's emotions?

"Bruno told me you guys met at work, but he never told me the full story."

Alice squinted at him with curiosity. "Just how often did you talk with my husband?"

"I talk with every omega's mate several times a month, about their security." He smiled. "Bruno was more open than the others. It was like talking with a friend."

"That was so typically him." Alice smiled. "He made friends quite easily." She shifted her chair closer to the table. "Bruno and I did meet at work. It was a startup, and he was invited by the owner, a friend of his, to join. After a few months of working together, he asked me out. I told him no, that I didn't date people I worked with."

"What did he do?" he asked, eager to learn how Bruno had gone around that particular rule.

"He quit his job."

Matts roared with laughter. "I can see him doing that. And you agreed to date him after?"

"Well, he had quit his job for one date. I couldn't say no." She sighed. "It was oddly romantic, really. My boss wasn't very happy, though. He said Bruno had betrayed him, leaving the project so suddenly. They stopped talking after that."

"Your former boss, is he an alpha?" Matts asked, lighting up a cigarette. Gabriel said someone at her workplace had erased her memories, but when he checked the conversion registry, there were no alphas there.

"No, he's as beta as they come. You may have seen him around where I work. He closed the company when he was invited to join the new government."

Interesting. He blew out the smoke and nodded, the wheels turning inside his head. He had the opportunity to peek inside Alice's mind, to help her build a resistance to memory alterations, but he had used a very light touch. But now he wondered if it would be worth it to look into her first erased memory. There was a chance it was the same guy who was after her. But on the other hand, an omega mind wasn't like a beta or alpha mind. Omegas' perception of things was overwhelming, and a mistake could cost Alice dearly. Better to let the issue drop for now.

Someone at work… Hadn't he meant to look up someone he met there?

His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he checked it to find another angry text from Henryk.

The bastard did it! He brought his mate down to meet with other alphas. He's parading her around like a prize.

Matts sat up straight in his chair and called Henryk.

"What the fuck has he done?" he asked as soon as Henryk answered the call. The sound of angry voices was blasting through the speaker, and the people on the patio turned around.

"He proposed becoming the leader of a unified European state, superseding all First Chairs," Henryk ranted. "He's been presenting his mate to the strongest alphas, pointing out how ‘special' she is, and how they should support him because he's her mate."

"Fuck," Matts cursed. "We need to go home." He needed to do some damage control.

Alice called the waitress over so they could pay the bill and leave.