Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

Delton could barely contain the joy blooming inside him at Adar’s words. He hadn’t said it in the hope of impressing the alpha but out of a desire to help Adar explain himself to Oliver. But now that Adar had shown his gratitude, Delton experienced a rush unlike anything else he’d ever felt. Hopefully, it wasn’t too evident, considering the curious glances Oliver had sent his direction.

“Delton explained it perfectly,” Adar said to Oliver, and they continued walking at a leisurely pace. “That’s exactly how it is. My brain goes blank, and for an hour or so, sometimes longer, there’s this utter peace in my head.”

“I believe you, but it’s hard for me to imagine,” Oliver said. “Fallon said you could do a demonstration.”

“That was an idea Delton had. He thought it might help you to see it in person so you can observe what it does for me. If you want, of course. If it’s too hard for you, I understand.”

Oliver kept silent, but that didn’t bother Delton. All three of them were introverts, which made things easier. Not that Delton had anything against extroverts, but they tended to interpret long silences negatively.

“I don’t know what it will be like to see that,” Oliver finally said. “But I guess if it’s too much for me, I can always walk out.”

Delton still had to get used to hearing Oliver speak in full sentences, but then again, the omega himself was probably not accustomed to it yet either. It had to be strange for him after such a long time of barely talking.

“You can leave at any time. I’m honored and grateful you’re willing to try.”

“But who will do it?” Oliver asked.

Yes, that was the next problem to tackle. Should Delton bring up his crazy idea? Chances were Adar would laugh him out of the room. Not literally. The alpha was way too kind and softhearted for that, which was such a fascinating contrast to his job and the ruthlessness he sometimes displayed when on duty. There was a good chance he’d think Delton’s idea ridiculous and would tell him as much but in a nicer way.

But what did Delton have to lose? Nothing. Worst-case scenario, Adar said no. Best-case, he was open to it. Delton wanted to help Adar and Oliver find their way to each other, and if he could do this for them, why wouldn’t he?

No, that was bullshit. If he did this, he should at least be honest with himself. As much as he tried to convince himself his motives were pure, they weren’t. His motivation had a hell of a lot less to do with Oliver than it did with Adar and Delton’s desire to help him. That was genuine, though it was probably fueled by Delton’s inability to let go of the man rather than some altruistic urge to see Adar find his happiness with Oliver.

Whatever. The idea of spending more time with Adar was irresistible. Delton took a deep breath. “If Adar is open to it, I’m willing to help.”

For the second time, Adar stopped walking. “What?”

Delton halted too. “I’ve done a lot of research, like I said. I may be able to help.”

Adar frowned. “Help with what? Sorry, I’m not following.”

“With you. With the impact play. Me dominating you, for lack of a better word.”

Well, dominating was the right word, but it had sounded wrong, somehow.

“But… Have you done it before?”

“No, but I’ve always been a quick study. I’m sure if someone could teach me, I would pick up on it soon enough.”

“Sorry. I think I need to… You’re saying you want to inflict the pain. Like, whip me or paddle me or whatever.”

Delton raised his chin. So far, the conversation wasn’t going the way he had hoped. “Yes, that’s the idea. You’re free to say no, of course. It was just a thought because, well, you seem to trust me, and Oliver already knows me a little, and it might be easier than doing it with a stranger. And like you said, it’s not like you can take him to the club.”

Adar stared at Delton, his brown eyes searching for something, though Delton didn’t know what. “Why would you do this? Is this something you have thought about before?”

That question was easy to answer. “No, never, but I want to help you.”

At least he wasn’t lying with the way he had formulated that.

“I think that would be great,” Oliver said, and Delton took a step back in surprise. He hadn’t expected Oliver to weigh in, let alone for his immediate support.

“Yeah?” Adar sounded as surprised as Delton felt.

“He knows you, and I do trust him.”

That casual praise made Delton warm inside again. This night was proving to be good for his self-confidence. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

“I don’t know if…” Adar didn’t seem sold on the idea yet. “You would need some kind of training.”

Or maybe he was, and he had already moved on to the practical details. “I know, and I’m willing to be taught and practice with somebody.”

He wasn’t using Isam’s name because he was pretty sure Adar hadn’t shared it with Oliver.

“I can ask…my friend if he’s willing to teach you. If not, I may know someone at the club, but you’d have to⁠—”

“I can meet him at the club if that’s easier,” Delton said. Shit, was he sounding too eager now?

“Okay. Let me try my friend first.”

“But you’re open to it?” Delton asked.

“Honestly? It would be the perfect solution. Like Oliver said, I trust you, and so does he, and the idea of being able to keep this between us brings me a lot of relief.”

Of course he hadn’t agreed because he thought Delton would do a stellar job. That was ridiculous to expect. Hell, Delton wasn’t even sure if he’d be any good at this. It was just that during his research, he’d played several videos of demonstrations, and every single time, he’d pictured Adar as the sub…and himself as the Dom.

A role reversal hadn’t even occurred to him until he’d watched a few, and it had sunk in that he’d put himself in the Dom’s shoes, analyzing his reactions rather than those of the sub. What that meant, he had no clue, but at least it was proof he had some interest in it, right? Other than helping Adar.

“Thank you for giving me a chance,” he said.

Adar snorted. “I don’t know why you’re thanking me when it should be the other way around. You’re doing me a favor.”

Right. Of course that was how Adar would see it. “It’s my pleasure.”

They’d reached the cabin Oliver shared with two other dragon omegas, Frick and Jorah. Oliver let out a huge yawn. “I’m wiped. Didn’t get my nap in.”

“You get some sleep, angel. It’s been an intense couple of days,” Adar said.

“Why don’t you two hang out a little longer?” Oliver suggested, and Delton’s heart skipped a beat.

Why was Oliver saying that? Did he suspect something? But if he did, why would he encourage it? That made no sense. No, it had to be an innocent remark. Oliver wasn’t even looking at Delton.

“We could work out some of the details,” Delton said.

“Works for me.” Adar pointed. “I often sit on that bench there so I can watch Oliver’s cabin.”

“Perfect.” Oliver rose on his tippy toes and kissed Delton on his cheek. “Thank you. For everything.”

Delton’s hand flew to his cheek, which tingled from the way-too-brief contact with Oliver’s lips. He was at a loss for words, but luckily, Oliver did the same to Adar, so Delton didn’t have to say anything. He and Adar stared at the door through which Oliver had disappeared for far longer than they should have. Finally, Delton tore his eyes away. “Wanna sit on that bench?”

“Yeah.” Adar cleared his throat. “That’d be good.”

Silently, they made their way over and sat. It took a while before Adar spoke. “Thank you for suggesting what you did. That you want to dominate me, I mean.”

“You don’t think it’s a ridiculous idea?”

Adar sharply turned his head sideways. “No, why would I think that?”

“Because I’m a beta?”

“Ah. I don’t care about that.”

“Really?”

Adar quirked an eyebrow. “You don’t believe me?”

“I do, but I wanted to make sure.”

“If you’d asked me five, six years ago, I would’ve felt differently. But back then, I had a much harder time admitting to myself that this was what I needed. The shame was real.”

“I can imagine. It’s hard to let go of the role patterns we’ve been taught.”

Adar gave an affirmative hum, and another silence fell, but it felt peaceful.

“Do you think Oliver’s voice is back for good?” Adar asked.

“I can’t say for certain, but the timing does suggest it may have had to do with Queen Grian’s death and funeral. If that’s the case, it very well could be permanent.”

A slow smile spread across Adar’s mouth, those full lips curving up in a tantalizing grin. “I love how you’re always so precise with your words. You’re really smart, and it shows.”

Delton’s cheeks heated, but Adar wouldn’t notice that in the darkness. “Words matter in what I do. People don’t always realize it, but how you label something has power, positive or negative, so it’s important to use the right language.”

“Can you give an example?”

“One experiment showed participants a video of a crash between two cars. When the researchers asked the participants to guess how fast the cars were going, it made a difference which words they used. If they asked, ‘How fast were the cars going when they slammed into each other?’ the estimates were much higher than when they used the phrasing hit each other. The word slammed primed the participants to guess a higher speed.”

Adar widened his eyes. “That’s a little scary. If something so small can influence how we see things, that means we’re very easy to manipulate.”

Delton nodded. “We are. Much easier than most people realize. We think we have much more control over our decisions than we do. As much as ninety-eight percent of what we think of as our decisions aren’t ours at all but influenced by things like biology, chemistry, previous experiences, our primal brain, you name it.”

“Like I said, you’re really smart.”

“In this specific area because I’ve specialized in it. Don’t ask me to do math, for example, or question me about history. I’m a total idiot when it comes to those.”

Adar’s smile was back, even bigger than before, and Delton’s stomach did funny little flips. “A total idiot? Now you’re yanking my chain. I refuse to believe that.”

“Oh, I promise you I know nothing about that stuff. In high school, I almost failed science because I had no interest in it whatsoever. I mean, what good was learning the periodic table going to do me when I wanted to be a psychologist?”

Adar shrugged. “Don’t ask me. I only passed science ‘cause my teacher felt bad for me. That shit is hard when you’re dyslexic.”

“I can’t even imagine.”

Adar blew out a long breath. “I’ll ask Isam if he’s willing to train you.”

“If you feel comfortable with that, that’s perfect. If not, I can work with anyone from your club.”

Adar bumped his shoulder. “You’re pretty great, you know that?”

“Thank you. I do what I can to help others.”

“You’re going above and beyond in this case. Seriously, how do you not have a partner?”

As if Delton was going to tell Adar the truth. Instead, he faked indifference. “I guess no one has noticed me yet?”

He refused to say he hadn’t met the right guy yet because that would feel like a lie. Maybe there was someone out there for him, someone he hadn’t met yet. But it was hard to see how he could ever feel for anyone else what he experienced when he was near Adar. The racing heart, the sweaty hands, the dry mouth, and the inability to form coherent sentences. The way every fiber of his body seemed to be aware of the alpha’s presence. How he hung on his lips, eager for even the smallest smile or word of encouragement.

“I hope you’ll find that guy soon,” Adar said, and the sincerity in his voice brought Delton close to tears. “Because you deserve to be happy. You’re so selfless and sweet, and I wish someone would see that.”

Someone? No, Delton didn’t need just anyone to see that. Only one person. But Adar had firmly shoved Delton into the friend zone, and that was where he’d always be with him. It had to be enough.