CHAPTER FIVE

Cole snorted, dancing sideways. The beast was probably wondering why his rider had gotten him all ready and was just sitting there like a moonstruck calf. Tavish pulled his gaze from the front door of his home. “Ha’” he called out and put his heels to the gelding’s flanks. Riding away from Mir was never easy but exposing them to a strange alpha and his family without a compelling reason would be just plain cruel. Besides, the fewer people who knew about Mir, the better. He still hadn’t forgotten about the betas who had come searching for them.

After the initial hundred-yard run, he reined Cole back to an easy canter on the compacted dirt lane that led to the main road. The gelding seemed content, but Tavish knew he’d be a fool to let his guard down. At this speed, being thrown would be uncomfortable, but probably wouldn’t result in a broken bone. He still itched to give Cole his head and go faster. The longer he was away from Mir, the more his nerves stretched. “Stupid alpha hormones,” he mumbled. “You know, if I had a beta to stay with Mir, this wouldn’t be so bad.”

He snorted at his idiocy. “If I had a beta, I would have sent them on this errand, and thinking about it, this wouldn’t be necessary at all if I had a beta. Shame I don’t know of any who would want to be up here in the back of beyond.” He huffed in amusement at the thought of Clayen living up here permanently. His sibling would be like a fish out of water, but perhaps one or more of the betas he’d shared the junior beta dorm with on the estate might fancy the job. Warren, Kenen, and Fossen had all been good people, and they’d all affiliated to his father. Breaking an affiliation contract wasn’t easy, although he’d heard of it happening.

“You know, I haven’t thought about any of them for years. I wonder how they’ll take the news that I’ve alphaed.” But he was skirting around the real issue. How would Mir get on with his father and stepma?

One of Cole’s ears flicked as the beast listened to him. All of Tavish’s stock were used to him rambling, and he often wondered if Cole took it as a sign that his rider wasn’t paying attention. Usually, he enjoyed locking horns with the obstinate horse, but today, Tavish simply wanted to get home as soon as possible.

Glancing down to check the time on his watch was automatic, even though he hadn’t worn the device in months. As it was clockwork, it had probably run down. Although, as the civilized world, including trains and the Grabar household, ran to a timetable he’d have to start wearing it again.

“But not for long, eh, Cole? Soon, we’ll be back together, irritating each other until the glue factory do us part.”

As they’d reached the main road, which had a little gravel mixed in with the compacted dirt, he turned Cole down the mountain and urged him to a faster pace.

The neighboring property on the sheltered eastern side of the mountain and the family that worked it shared the name Blackwell. He’d only ever ridden past the farm and assumed the lane leading away from the road, marked by a post box, was as long as the one that led to Freedom Farm. Although the properties were adjacent, a significant swathe of wild land that would never be claimed or cultivated lay between them.

The wild land at this altitude consisted of mixed woodland of fir, spruce, willow, and birch forests interspersed by small meadows. He reined Cole in, wanting to revel in the idyllic quiet for a little while, storing it up for the coming days. Whether his family received them with open arms or suspicion, it wouldn’t be relaxing for him, and it would be damn stressful for Mir. Stress or not, they needed the paperwork Clay had promised.

He didn’t doubt that Clay could have alphaed if he’d wanted to. Clay remaining a beta had been a choice, probably so he could continue with his various schemes unencumbered with the responsibilities and stress that came with being an alpha. Responsibilities Tav had run from like a frightened rabbit, but they’d caught him anyway.

A smile curved his lips as he thought of his foul-mouthed, uncouth, needy, bolshie omega. Mir would undoubtedly make a significant impact on the Grabar estate.

A brown, bulky shape moved in the woods up ahead, and Tav brought Cole to a halt. There were bears up here, although he doubted one would attack him and Cole. If it was a sow with cubs, she might be hungry enough to try. Bringing the crossbow he used for hunting deer hadn’t even occurred to him. Right now, having it would have made him a lot happier. From the way the trees were shaking, that was one big bear. A crossbow bolt would probably just make it angry. He’d just have to rely on Cole being faster.

The trees swished again, and a bull moose walked out of the foliage. Tavish sat in awe and stared at the magnificent creature, who was almost at Tavish’s eye level despite him being mounted. The only one he’d seen before had been a cow with a calf at foot. This bull had an impressive wrack of flat antlers still covered in velvet at this time of year. The magnificence of Mother Nature awed him.

One of the students in his first apartment at university had been an environmental student, and when not studying diagrams of cadaver dissections, Tavish had leafed through some of their textbooks. On the other side of the veil, these magnificent beasts had been wiped from existence in this part of the world over 8,000 years ago, although they survived elsewhere for longer. As far as he knew, the only ‘wild’ animals left on the other side of the veil were in zoos, where they were kept for the entertainment of the gawking, teeming sapiens.

Tav had never been particularly religious, but no one had ever come up with a plausible, scientific explanation for the veil or for evolution and natural extinction events that had occurred identically on both sides. He let the theologists and scientists argue about why flora and fauna, but not humans or their primitive ancestors, flowed from one side to the other. The scientists claimed that sentient beings were too intelligent to simply drift. The theologists claimed God had recreated a human-free environment so that the blessed devout could pick the best from one side of the veil to create utopia on the other. Mir certainly hadn’t experienced utopia, but being in the presence of this magnificent animal, he had to admit the priests were partially correct.

The moose cast him a calm glance, utterly uncaring about how it had gotten here. If he’d had a gun—a device the humans on the other side of the veil loved—killing this spectacular animal would have been the work of a moment. Malthusia had its issues, but Lord, he was glad he was here rather than over there.

The moose ambled on its way, not perceiving the horse and its rider as a threat. I wish Mir could see this. He smiled as he urged Cole back into a walk. This was why Malthusians, with all their faults, were superior to their less-evolved Homo sapiens cousins. The earth could live with Homo malthusiens, but it died under the pressure of the constantly reproducing Homo sapiens.

Mir was magnificent, and their children, if they were healthy, would have a positive impact on the world, even if it was only in this one small part of it. Tavish would see to that. The world, and both he and Mir, would have been better off if neither of them had manifested. The genes he carried were in several fertile individuals, and Mir’s manifested siblings were capable of reproduction. Although that was a thought he’d never share with Mir. The things they’d endured to ensure this pregnancy had a happy outcome boggled his mind.

Even though he now could, he still possessed no urge to reproduce himself. Any population needed diversity to thrive, and it seemed that Grabar genes were over-represented. And if Zepish was the sire of Mir’s babies…

Cole tossed his head and danced sideways. “Whoa, sorry buddy, just stupid alpha thoughts. Come on, let’s get going. The sooner we get there, the sooner we’ll be home.”

Cole seemed to agree as he eagerly launched into a fast canter. The road snaked into the distance, hugging the contours of the land. A far more used lane than the one leading to Freedom Farm pointed downhill to his right. Tavish didn’t slow Cole as they turned down the gently sloping, one-cart-wide track toward what appeared to be a well-drained, fertile valley nestled between higher, less productive land.

Tavish reined Cole to a walk as a sprawling single-story house and outbuildings came into view. The area the Blackwell family cultivated was more extensive than at Freedom Farm, and everything appeared to be meticulously maintained. He didn’t know whether to feel jealous or happy that his household didn’t have the same number of workers or mouths to feed as this place.

Two adult betas stood behind the closed gate of the property, and a younger one sprinted for the house. There was no resemblance between Denen, the twenty-something beta who farm-sat for the estate agent before Tavish arrived, and either of these two betas. The pair didn’t resemble each other either. One was willowy with long hair tied back, while the other was shorter, stockier, and had hair cropped short to their head. A curved hand scythe swung from the shorter beta’s fingers. Threat or simply a tool they’d been using? Both appeared to be in their late thirties. They wore rough brown canvas shorts, dark green, well-washed shirts, and work-worn black boots. They could probably disappear into the surrounding woods without much effort in those colors.

He sniffed, mouth open, trying to identify their unique scents, then wished he hadn’t. Each exuded an artificial musky citrus scent he remembered from his beta days. Without the heightened senses of the gendered, betas who lived only with other betas often indulged in powerful scents so they could distinguish each other by aroma. Taven hadn’t indulged, wary of the senses of his omega patients, but some all-beta social gatherings must have excluded gendered individuals from smell alone.

Tavish felt almost overdressed in his dark red utility kilt, cream cotton long-sleeved shirt, and clean brown boots. Despite his run, Cole’s hide and black tack shone in the sunlight.

“We wondered when you’d get the urge to visit, neighbor,” the one holding the scythe spoke up. Light glinted off the farm implement as the beta swung it back and forth. Definite threat.

Tavish brought Cole to a halt, confused and alert. Yes, Denen hadn’t been chatty when Tavish arrived to take up residence, but they hadn’t been unfriendly.

He managed a smile, “Well, as you apparently already know, I’m Taven Grabar, the owner of Freedom Farm.” As soon as he uttered the beta form of his name, he kicked himself. As he was traveling down south to reveal his manifestation, keeping clean-shaven no longer seemed appropriate. There was no way someone with his scent, hairy legs, and stubble on their chin could be anything else but an alpha. The betas stared back, retaining their distinctly hostile expressions, and didn’t twitch at the disconnect between his beta name and obvious alphaness.

“We know who and what you are, Dr. Grabar. You’re a long way from the city.” The shorter beta’s voice had a slightly higher, almost child-like pitch. The contrast between their appearance and voice was stark, but maybe that was why they’d chosen the more rugged alpha-ish hair style and more belligerent manner. Being teased for sounding and looking like an omega could be a significant motivation to act tough.

“Yes, it is, but this suits me now, and I’m not planning on leaving permanently, although I’ve come to see if Denen could farm sit temporarily again for up to a week?”

“Something to do with that fancy visitor of yours?”

Tavish’s eyes narrowed. “You’ve been spying on me?” He expected the betas to drop their gazes and deny any wrongdoing when faced with a clearly angry alpha.

“Yep,” the taller one said. “Can’t be too careful about new neighbors, even if they are a former omega doctor. Although, being part of the omega underground gives you points.”

Automatically, Tavish glanced around to check if other people could be listening. Having such things said out in the open would get him in serious trouble back home.

“Don’t worry, Doctor Grabar,” the short one said, lips twitching with amusement. “There’s no one around except for us Blackwells. We keep a close eye on our borders.”

“And mine by the sound of it,” Tavish said. His back prickled with the feeling of being watched.

“That’s true too, although we’ve been keeping an eye on Falen’s place for years. It’s a hard habit to break.”

“How about you try unless you’re invited?” Tavish growled. The thought of these strangers watching his comings and goings, maybe watching Mir too, had every protective and territorial instinct pinging to life. Are they actually invading my property? He certainly hadn’t seen or smelled any trespassers, and he would have smelled these two from several hundred yards. Four other betas rounded the side of the barn, dressed like the others. As if acting on a silent command, or on a pre-arranged drill, they spread out, backing up their colleagues.

“How about you get off that horse, unless you’d rather go tattle to the police?” the short beta said.

The thought of involving the authorities cooled his anger like a bucket of cold water. From a sensible beta point of view, keeping an eye on your neighbors, especially an odd one from a very different part of the county and social structure, was a logical strategy. From their point of view, Tavish was the threat, not the other way around.

Two figures came trotting out the front door. One of them, to Tavish’s relief, was Denen. The other was an alpha, a head taller than the familiar beta with him and half again as wide, in his fifties, and wearing a full beard. Tavish didn’t recognize the blue and green tartan.

Although his very pale skin and bright copper hair stood out. Tav didn’t think he’d ever seen that color before. Yes, Clay’s hair was red, but it had darkened with age. None of the betas shared his coloring, although that didn’t mean they weren’t related. As he thought about it, neither of the betas shared a family resemblance either. Unless they were his offspring with several different omegas. If true, the thought left a sour taste in his mouth. Hopefully this was just a case of an alpha who accepted affiliations from unrelated betas. A plus point in Tavish’s book.

“Good to see you again, Dr. Grabar,” Denen called out. “Watch out for the horse, folks; he’s an evil bugger with his teeth.” It was the exact warning Denen had given him the first time they met.

Tavish took the friendly greeting as a green light to dismount, as after a nod from the alpha, the pair of betas opened the gate. Denen moved to take Cole’s reins with a sidestep and feint that showed they did indeed have a lot of experience with the animal that Mir claimed was merely mischievous.

The alpha strode forward and held out his hand for Tavish to shake. Although shorter than Tav, he had a formidable barrel chest that spoke of power and long hours spent working the land. He smelled of artificial smokey wood with a leather background, but there was an odd tinge underneath that Tavish couldn’t put his finger on. It seemed that everyone here except Denen liked wearing artificial scents. He shelved the odd practice as something to think about later, even though not being able to identify someone by their scent itched like a bug bite.

“I’m Tomish Blackwell.”

“You ordered a watch kept on my land, my home?”

“Ach, sorry about that, but ya cannae be too careful these days.”

Something was off, but Tavish didn’t have time to dissect it as he focused on the second part of the alpha’s statement.

“I assure you that you have nothing to fear from me.”

“I know that, doc. The beta who is the local agent for the realtor that sold you Falen’s place is a relative of the missus. They know who will or won’t fit in, and they do their research, if you know what I mean. You, Dr. Grabar, are exactly the sort of resident we need. It’s not you we’re being careful about.”

“I’m not practicing anymore,” Tavish thought it important to get that right out in the open as quickly as possible. The last thing he needed was to be called on at all hours of the day and night to bandage scratches, although he wouldn’t refuse to help anyone in real need.

“We know that too,” Tomish said, with just a touch of smugness.

“Anything you don’t know about me?” He couldn’t keep the grumble out of his voice.

“Plenty. Although I’m more interested in if you got a visit from some nosey city betas asking about runaway omegas.” The alpha’s speech had an odd inflection; he pronounced about as aboot, and dropped t’s.

“I did, but as I haven’t seen any, I sent them on their way.”

“Aye, that’s what I told them too.”

Tomish gave him a side-eye. “Where are ma manners? The Missus will have a fit if she knows I haven’t invited you in for tea. Come on in.”

Tavish went with “thank you,” although his curiosity clamored to know more about the betas he’d been sure were searching for Mir as they walked across the well-swept yard. The flowers in planters against the walls of the house reminded Tavish of home. He made a note to get some seeds when they got back from the Grabar estate. Pups should grow up surrounded by beautiful things.

Tomish opened the formidable varnished wooden front door that appeared to predate the log and stone building.

A stout omega with strands of gray in her neat, pinned-up dark hair waited in the hallway, only a step back from the door. She had Denen’s eyes, or rather, the young beta had hers. Tomish may or may not be Denen’s sire, but this omega was certainly a close relative, even if she wasn’t Denen’s ma.

“This is Linny, the real boss of this place.”

It clicked what had been odd about Tomish’s initial greeting. He hadn’t claimed ownership of the property or the people on it. Alphas meeting for the first time usually compared status to establish a dominance hierarchy, and that included listing assets such as property, titles, and the people they controlled.

The omega’s face reddened, and she brushed down her crisp white apron that sat over a dress made from the same dark green as the rest of the residents’ shirts. “Oh, stop it, Tommy, not when we have company.”

Their affectionate pet names for each other were cute. The love and acceptance in this house almost oozed from the walls.

Tomish bowed slightly and tugged on a lock of his short, copper hair. “Yes, ma’am, anything you say, ma’am.” Gold glinted on the third finger of his left hand. A quick glance showed Linelle also wore a wedding band like the characters in the sapien romance books that Ma loved to read.

Linelle’s face got redder, and Tavish couldn’t help grinning at the friendly banter between the spouses. It was a dynamic he’d never seen in his childhood, but he was thrilled that it could exist as it gave him hope for his and Mir’s future.

Tavish bowed his head and spoke directly to the omega, even though it would be a breach of protocol on the Grabar estate and in most proper society. “Lovely to meet you, Linelle. You probably already know, but I’m Dr. Grabar, your neighbor. Taven, Tavish, or Tav are all fine with me. To get to the point of my visit, I’d like to borrow Denen to farmsit for around a week.”

“Linny is fine for me too. Suffixes are so formal, don’t you think?”

Tavish smiled. “I most certainly do.”

A thick, alpha finger pointed in Tavish’s direction. “And that’s the second reason we’re letting you into our home. Anyone who treats omegas as second-class citizens or chattels is not welcome here.”

“Happy to hear it,” Tavish replied. “The same goes for my place.”

“Denny? Tea, please, dear,” Linelle called out.

“Yes, Ma.” The young beta moved past them and through an open doorway where Tavish glimpsed a huge wooden kitchen table like the one that had been in Freedom Farm when he moved in. This family ate together, no matter their status.

Tavish wondered if everyone in the Blackwell household had a ‘y’ added to their name. So far, he’d heard Tommy, Linny, and Denny. It felt cozy and affectionate, like when Clay called him Tavvy. With every passing moment, Tavish felt more comfortable in the strange alpha’s home, which was odd.

In general, alphas who weren’t closely related didn’t get on when in close proximity for extended periods, as their instincts caused them to compete. Even related alphas often fell out unless a dominance hierarchy was established and accepted by both. The scientists who spliced wolf DNA into Homo malthusiens probably intended that aspect to limit population. He’d often wondered if the ability to knot had been intentional or a surprise side-effect. He’d never know, as those files were classified.

“This way,” Linny announced and led the way down the paneled hallway to a shut door near the back of the house. “We keep this one closed or the young ‘uns bounce all over the settee.” As Tavish walked behind her, he caught her scent. Unlike her alpha and the betas, her scent wasn’t covered by artificial fragrance.

“Young ‘uns?” Tomish chuckled. “Denny’s nineteen.”

Linny flicked her hand at her mate, catching his belly in an affectionate smack. “Well, they’re still a pup to me.”

The cozy room proved to be oddly small for a home that clearly housed many people. Two, two-seater fabric sofas faced each other on either side of a clearly hand-made wooden coffee table.

“Please, take a seat,” Linny said. “It’s been a long time since we had a welcome visitor.”

The Blackwells sat next to each other on one sofa. Tavish took a seat opposite them and continued the conversation that Linny left hanging.

“So you’ve had some unwelcome visitors?”

“Aye,” Tomish began, and he unconsciously pushed up the sleeve of his shirt, revealing a thick, hairy forearm. Tav tried not to stare, but there was a drawing of a thistle with an odd intertwined blue knot around it, literally in his skin. His sharp alpha eyes picked out a raised area, scar tissue probably from a burn or scald, beneath the design. He focused back on the alpha’s words as he carried on speaking.

“‘Bout six weeks ago. Two betas, dressed like city folk, turned up asking about a runaway pregnant omega. Said she was crazy.”

Tavish put on his best ‘doctor-is-listening’ face and waited for him to say more.

Tomish met his eyes. “Like you, we sent them on their way, even though they wanted to nosey round, but us highlanders are private people. We look out for each other and keep ourselves to ourselves.”

Tavish didn’t voice the obvious question of, “So why are you talking to me?”

“Tell me, Dr. Grabar—” Linny speaking up again after their introduction was a surprise, but these two had an unusual dynamic. Most omegas would never have interrupted their alpha, and come to think about it, having an omega even involved in such a meeting was odd. He added it to the growing tally of marks in favor of the Blackwells.

Tavish tipped his chin up in acknowledgment of Linny’s conversation starter, even though formal protocol said he shouldn’t engage in a conversation with another alpha’s omega. “—How many pregnancies, proving or otherwise, have you ended on the orders of your fellow alphas? Or are you not a medical doctor?”

Shocked by such a bold question, particularly from an omega to an alpha, he was stumped on how to answer.

“Ha, look at his face,” Tomish exclaimed. “He doesn’t know whether to make a run for it or get on his knees and pledge affiliation.”

Tavish couldn’t help snorting at his mirth. Linny biting her lip pushed him into a chuckle. “You really are quite extraordinary.”

“Like a certain person living with you?”

Linelle’s comment slammed the door on his amusement. These people clearly had similar attitudes to him, but denying Mir’s existence would be a blatant lie. They might or might not have seen them already, but if Denen came to farm sit, even if he locked the beta out of the house, the youngster might pick up Mir’s scent.

In their favor, the Blackwells had already let him into their home and exposed their non-traditional lifestyle. They could be significant allies, and he and Mir needed all they could get. Proceeding with caution seemed appropriate.

“My living arrangements are private,” he said, drawing a firm line under the subject. Although Linelle’s almost belligerent question niggled at him, her animosity must have come from somewhere. There was a story here, and he wanted to help if he could, but not at Mir’s expense. He put on his most compassionate ‘doctor’ expression, the one he’d used when delivering bad news.“But as your source must have mentioned, although I’m a medical doctor, I’m no longer practicing. Although I tried to continue my work after I manifested, according to the powers that be, manifesting as an alpha is not conducive to doctoring.

“When I was practicing, I specialized in omega medicine at the hospital in Malthus City. And yes, I did perform many terminations, always safely, with proper anesthetic, and the vast majority were with my patient’s willing consent and instigation. The other ones…” He looked Linelle in the eye. She held his gaze, as bold as any alpha.

“Despite my personal reticence about performing procedures without my patients’ agreement, it was part of my job. Refusing the demand of an omega’s guardian could have led to my dismissal and my patient ending up somewhere far inferior. Many patients were brought in suffering horrendous infections and damage after botched terminations, and I couldn’t save all of them.” Memories of omegas who would have lived long lives, killed by pregnancy after pregnancy, like his mother, bombarded him, and he took a breath to push the anger away, but he still spoke through gritted teeth. “I conducted every unwanted procedure with as much empathy as possible.”

Damn him though it might, Tavish felt able to reveal the truth—or at least some of it. “With the patient’s consent, I also helped many omegas avoid similar procedures in the future.” By her scent, Linelle wasn’t pregnant, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t another omega on the property in difficulty. “I’m sorry to say, that I don’t have the equipment to perform a safe termination, so if that’s what you wish to ask, I—”

“No, that isn’t what we want,” Tomish said. “Nobody here is pregnant or likely to be.” Linny’s hand covered her mate’s as it lay on her thigh. “But even though we live at the edges of civilization, we used to hear things, mainly through Falen. Things about omegas going missing from the hospital in Malthus City, among other places. Although, the lines of contact no longer reach us since Falen retired.”

Tavish’s heart rate sped up. Was Tomish really telling him that this family was part of the omega underground? In his old beta life, he might have wanted to get involved, hell, he had been involved, but he had Mir to care for now.

“That sounds an awful lot like what those betas were searching for. I couldn’t help them, and I can’t help you.” He started to get to his feet.

Tomish looked him in the eyes. “Hold your horses, laddie. I’m not fancy and neither are the rest of the people who call this place home. Nobody here holds with the laws about omegas needing guardians, and as for those proving rules…” His jaw clenched. “Everyone here, including me and Linn, are here because we want to be. There is no coercion and no claims of one person over another person’s life.”

“I don’t need to know how, or if, you have omegas hidden on—” Tavish started. Hearing their confession of not having correct paperwork implicated him in their ‘crime’ and he had enough legal issues of his own to deal with.

Tomish held up his hand, silencing Tavish. “I am not highly educated, nor do I understand politics, art, or science, but I have a knack for figuring out what’s in a person’s heart, and as I said, the realtor did their homework, but two and two do not always add up to four. So, I’m going to put the question right out there. Are you now, or have you ever, been involved in the omega underground?”

“That is not a question anyone in this room should be answering in any other way but in the negative, given the length of time we’ve known each other.”

Tomish rolled his eyes. “Another damn double talker. I thought I’d left those behind years ago.”

“He’s just protecting himself and his guest.” Linelle’s gaze flicked to Tavish and back to her spouse. “I don’t blame him for that, and neither should you. Remember, we have far more information about him than he has about us.”

A tap came on the door, and Tavish was saved by Denen bringing in a wooden tray with three mugs, a bowl of sugar lumps, and a little jug of milk. The crockery was wonderfully rustic and mismatched. Tavish couldn’t help thinking how comfortable Mir would be here.

Denen set the tray down but didn’t immediately leave. “Well, am I packing a bag?”

“Out,” Tomish growled. Denen rolled their eyes and beat a sulky retreat.

Tavish couldn’t help grinning at the youngster’s bolshiness. “Got your hands full with that one.”

“Aye, and we will continue to have our hands full because nobody here will be manifesting anything. But if Denny does, they will have the option to stay here, whatever their gender. Now, about your involvement in the omega underground?”

Tavish took his time preparing his tea. The click of the spoon in his mug echoed in his head. He’d already suspected that the previous owner of Freedom Farm had been involved in the omega underground, but the fact remained, the property had been virtually empty for years. Where had those rescued, smuggled, omegas gone? His beta self wanted to know, but his selfish inner alpha told him to leave well alone. He had enough on his plate with Mir and returning home. They’d dropped huge hints that they knew he’d been involved in the initial stages of the underground, but they hadn’t said anything concrete. This could all be fishing, casting a line and hoping for the best. What if it isn’t?

Tavish took a sip of tea, then put the mug down. He needed more information before sharing anything that could incriminate him and affect Mir.

“Why is this so important to you?”

Linelle’s jaw set.

“Uh doc, brace yourself, I know that look,” Tomish blurted.

“And I’m tired of pussyfooting around,” she growled at her spouse, before turning back to Tavish. “It’s important because if you’re keeping that poor lass at your place until she delivers so you can plant some of your own in her, and don’t deny it as I can smell her on you, we’ll take her and the babies in here. Falen helped me, and—” She pursed her lips. “Me and mine would like to pass on the favor to another unfortunate. Don’t worry, we have more than enough money and space to feed a few more mouths.”

“You’ll take them?” Just the thought of someone taking Mir anywhere set his teeth on edge. He shot to his feet. “Without their permission? Over my dead body.”

The couple met each other’s eyes and smiled, clearly unintimidated. Tavish gritted his teeth. Yes, he wasn’t the most macho alpha in the world, but this middle-aged alpha was about to find out just how protective he could be when his mate was threatened.

“Sit down, Dr. Grabar. We have no quarrel with you,” Linelle said, and he realized he was looming over an omega who could be double his age. “I know my Tom is no longer in his prime unlike yourself, but we have a dozen farmworkers willing to defend us within shouting distance.”

Tavish’s mind locked onto her use of ‘farmworkers’ rather than betas. Were the Blackwells merely against using gender designations or was something else going on here?

“The money you paid for Freedom Farm came to me, Dr. Grabar, although Denny doesn’t know that. As far as my only natural child knows, their pa,” she put a hand on Tom’s knee and huffed out a laugh, “traveled south and found himself a bride as well as a whole bunch of unaffiliated betas who prefer using their pre-adult names.”

“Well, I did travel, my sweet, just not as far as Denny assumes.” Tomish focused back on Tavish “and it was north, not south. What would you say is the distance between our properties?”

Tavish remembered thinking he could smell hints of omegas in the disused part of the house on the few occasions he’d been in there. He’d bounced between assuming he’d imagined it, a ghost of his previous beta life intruding on the present, to wondering if the carefully concocted ‘mean, unsociable beta’ had been a cover for something else.

He blinked as the pieces of the puzzle came together. Betas came in many different sizes, but those outside were universally small, at least a head shorter than Mir. Tavish weighed the empirical evidence as he’d been taught in medical school, tried to find a different diagnosis, but only one fit.

“Falen was the end of the omega railway, and your betas are…” Tavish met Tomish’s gaze. “Farmworkers.” His mind whirled. To return an omega to permanent beta status required a full hysterectomy, a significant surgery, and to his knowledge, no doctor would have performed such illegal procedures. He certainly hadn’t.

“And you had something to do with the start of the process, before you manifested, didn’t you?” Linelle said, eyes alight with intelligence.

Tavish took another sip of his excellent tea. Performing needed surgery, in his professional omega doctor opinion, was possibly defensible in a court of law. Admitting to smuggling omegas away from their legal guardians would be viewed far more harshly. “And what makes you think that? I’ve certainly never created a… farmworker without it being an immediate medical necessity.”

“Oh, we know that,” Tomish answered, but Linelle began counting on her fingers.

“One, you said you helped those omegas in other ways—”

Tavish interrupted. “The only surgeries I’ve ever performed were fallopian tube ligation and/or inserting long-acting heat suppressants.”

Linelle’s eyebrows shot up. “Without the permission of their guardian? That’s illegal.”

“I never said it was without permission.”

Linelle countered with, “You never said it wasn’t either.”

“You’re a tricky one, Dr. Grabar,” Tomish smiled, “but my Linelle has got your measure.”

Tavish took another sip of tea, wondering about the surgeon and location of the facilities where the full hysterectomies the former omega farmworkers must have undergone. And if the facility still accepted patients. Because even though he loved Mir just the way they was now, if he was even half the person he’d been as Taven, he’d have to offer Mir that option.

He’d never considered such a surgery for Mir, although he should have done, bearing in mind his own plan to have reversal surgery. If it was true. Yes, things here were a little odd, but a system that performed illegal surgery on omegas and hid them as beta farmworkers? It was damn farfetched. So was a beta manifesting balls at his age. The urge to trust them battered his defenses, but he just wasn’t sure, not yet. And he needed to be sure because it wasn’t only him that would suffer if he’d gotten it horribly wrong.

The mere need for people to undergo medically unnecessary surgery because of the oppressive society they inhabited was all sorts of wrong, but medicine was his specialty, not politics or law. If it wasn’t for Mir, maybe he would’ve considered a change of profession, but not now.

“Linelle’s very bright,” Tavish said, “Mr. Blackwell, but I’m not in jail yet, and I’d like to stay that way.”

“Oh, we agree,” Linelle said. “The world needs more people like you, like Falen, like Tommy, but shouting about it will, as you say, get all of us, including your mystery guest, into a great deal of trouble. Speaking of which… A moment, Tommy?” She inclined her head toward the door.

“Be right back,” Tomish said and followed his spouse out of the room.

Tavish decided he needed to examine his deep-down prejudices. His instinct was to protect, but Linelle not only didn’t seem to need it, she appeared quite happy confronting a strange alpha about his personal life and revealing facts about her mate. Not even Mir spoke to him like this, and they was a proto-alpha down to their toes. Even when Mir showed flashes of obstinance and anger, Tavish had no problem feeling like he was protecting someone weaker than himself, but this omega didn’t need shielding, she commanded respect.

Considering Mir and Linelle, their boldness, courage, and intelligence led him to an uncomfortable conclusion. He’d spent most of his life assuming he was the white knight, charging to the rescue of those who couldn’t protect themselves. However, given the right legal protections, omegas like those two, and probably the aggressive pair outside, were more than capable of protecting themselves. With heat suppressants, there was no reason omegas couldn’t be doctors, lawyers, or in fact any profession that didn’t require the brute strength of an alpha. Society disabled them, not their bodies.

Tomish came back into the room alone and sat down. “Linny thought you’d be more comfortable with me saying this” He wrinkled his nose. “She says you smell like pregnant omega but not sex. So, tell me, who is this omega to you?”

Another alpha being interested in his mate set his teeth on edge. “Mir is none of your business,” Tavish ground out.

“Firstly, I’m no threat to you. Use that super sniffer of yours.”

Tavish opened his mouth, drew in air over his Jacobson organ. The only hint of alpha aggression came from himself, but there was something not quite right here.

“Ok?”

Tavish found himself nodding. This felt like having a conversation with his academic mentor and friend, Sibiren.

“I think you need to start thinking with your beta doctor self rather than your balls,” Tomish said. “Because I’m sure your beta self would agree that the welfare of vulnerable pregnant omegas should be everyone’s concern. Right?”

He deflated. “Right.”

“Mir prefers beta pronouns, just like you do?” Tomish prompted.

His head nodded, almost on auto pilot. “We’ve both had issues dealing with unexpected manifestations. And Mir was…” He halted, Mir’s story was theirs to share or not. “Not treated well where they was. As for the scent, it’s not that either of us don’t want to. Mir was certainly keen, but at first, it wasn’t me they wanted; they just wanted to appease an alpha when they was vulnerable and hurt.”

“So you refused them?”

“I did.” Proud as he was of his restraint, he hung his head, resting his elbows on his knees. “And I have no idea why I’m telling you all this.”

The sofa creaked and then it depressed beside him. A hand landed on his back and rubbed. “You’re telling me because you have no one else to talk to about this, laddie, and being everything to a traumatized person is a tough burden. Plus, I’ve done a lot of counselling in my time.”

“You’re a psychiatrist?” Hope bloomed. Perhaps Tomish could help Mir.

“No, laddie, I’ve got no certificates or fancy titles, I’m just an enthusiastic student of people. And, like you, I spent much of my life somewhere very different to here.”

Disappointment hunched his shoulders. “City dweller too, huh?”

Tomish smiled. “Like you wouldn’t believe. Although the quieter pace of life here suits me down to the ground these days.”

“Me too, but I’m a fully qualified doctor, and here I sit, twiddling my thumbs.”

“You miss it.”

“I do. My intention was to wait out my two years and get elective,” he huffed in amusement, “farmworker surgery. But that’s the last thing I want now, even though, deep down, I know I could make a difference to so many more people as a doctor.

“But Mir… I can’t explain it.” He shook his head. “I just have to be near them. All the damn time. See?” He held out his hand, palm flat, and it trembled. “This is after only an hour and a half apart. It feels like I’ve got ants crawling under my skin.”

“Son, if this Mir of yours is still willing, you need to think about getting closer, physically closer, or you could go into musth, and that won’t help anyone, least of all Mir. As a doctor, I bet you’ve seen what an out-of-control alpha can do.”

Tavish looked up into Tomish’s steady brown eyes. “Have you ever?”

Tomish chuckled. “Me? No, it’s never happened to me, although I’ve seen the aftereffects on omegas and so had Linny.”

Tavish glanced at the closed door. Beta and omega hearing wasn’t as sharp as an alpha’s, but he still didn’t want this conversation overheard.

“Don’t worry, we’re alone. Linny is sorting Denny and a couple of the others to go over to your place. She doesn’t want Denny over there alone in case those betas turn up again.”

“Fine with me,” Tavish said. “They might have to bring some food with them though. I’ve only catered for two, for now anyway.”

“How pregnant is Mir?”

Not answering didn’t even occur to Tavish. “Just over eight months, as far as I can determine, but it’s triplets.”

“Leave everything to us. We’ll get you sorted out. I know what condition that house is in; we visited Falen regularly. And I’ll have one of the pups bring the carriage over to take you to the station. Separating you two at this point will just cause both of you more stress, but we can’t expect anyone that pregnant to ride in a dray. When are you going?”

“Tomorrow morning, I’m hoping to catch the early train.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll get you both there. It must be important for you to risk traveling this close to the due date, but I know some things can’t be helped.”

With Tomish sitting beside him, the alpha’s natural musk became clearer under the powerful artificial scent, but it wasn’t as strong as he expected. Curious, he drew air in over his Jacobson organ. Even if Tomish had showered immediately before Tavish arrived, his body odor was unnaturally faint.

Tavish’s head snapped to the side, eyes locking with Tomish’s muddy brown ones. Tomish’s eyebrows rose, daring him to pose a question that would normally be highly inappropriate and dangerous to ask an alpha.

“What’s your story, Tomish? Have you had some sort of partial surgery? Because you might be fooling those betas who visited, but you’re not fooling me. You’re not as much of an alpha as you appear, even with the beard and hairy legs. Super sniffer, remember?”

Tomish smiled. “Linny thought the scent would fool you, but I’ve got two perfectly normal balls, Doctor, and they are as natural as they come. In fact, they’re far more natural than yours because I was born with mine.”

Tavish gaped as Tomish’s, no, Tom’s, grin widened. “Yep, that’s right, I’m a scary sapien, a born male. No channel whatsoever.”

“How… when…” Tavish had so many questions he didn’t know where to start. Everything he knew about sapiens said they were sex maniacs who bred as often as possible.

Tom just waited as Tavish stuttered, trying to get his brain to work; what came out of his mouth proved it hadn’t kicked into gear yet.

“But Linelle said you only had one kid.” Tom laughed, a rich rolling sound that made Tavish grin too. “Stupid question, right?”

“Not what I expected, that’s for sure. Linny and I never thought we’d have a child. We all thought omegas needed knotting to conceive, and I—” he shrugged, “—just don’t have that equipment.” Tavish opened his mouth. “And no, you can’t look, even if you are a doctor. Linny still took oral heat suppressants to be comfortable. But she got a stomach bug, and… nine months later, Denny arrived.”

“You didn’t think about becoming a beta?”

Tom’s immediate scowl provided his answer. “Firstly, no. Secondly, hell no. A sapien male without balls is a eunuch, not a beta and they are very different things. Without the right hormone replacements, which aren’t available here, I’d end up all,” he mimed curves with his hands, including sapien breasts. “Plus, by the time we knew Denny was on their way, Falen refused to travel.”

“What does Falen have to do with anything?”

“Because they was the only person we knew who had the ability to cross the veil. And as an illegal sapien stuck here, I can’t imagine any malthusian doctors would perform that surgery on the quiet, do you? I’d end up in prison or simply dropped back into the veil.” He shuddered as if someone had slipped an ice cube down his back.

“It’s not widely known on either side. Few people know about it at all over there, which is a bloody good thing if you ask me, but without someone like Falen touching you, the veil can’t be seen, smelled, or touched, or at least that’s how it works for sapiens, betas, and omegas. I don’t know about alphas. And if you lose contact with your guide when inside.” Tom made starbursts with his hands. Tavish wasn’t sure that meant you exploded or vanished. Either way, it didn’t sound like something he wanted to risk.

“I met Falen because I drove a taxi on the other side. I took him and various women, at least that’s what I thought they were for many years, to a private clinic. A week or so later, I got another call, and I picked the girl up and drove her to where I always picked up Falen. Other times, I got a call asking me to take them somewhere else. I guessed those ones stayed on the sapien side.” He shrugged. “One day I asked where all the girls were coming from, and Falen brought me through.” He smiled at the memory. “You could have knocked me down with a feather when I walked out to all this nature. I met Linny that evening at Freedom Farm; she was tending to a new arrival, and that was that. Love at first sight. I never went back.”

“She’s remarkable,” Tavish said.

“Aye, that she is.” If Tavish had ever doubted how much Tom loved his malthusian spouse, the dreamy expression on his face at that moment proved it hands down. “It sounds like your Mir is more than a little special too. Although, according to Linny, you haven’t done the deed for a while?”

The swift change of subject made Tavish blink, and all he could do was nod while his brain caught up. Linelle and Tomish had trusted him with information that could destroy their family. It made sharing his own story almost an obligation, but he didn’t have a right to share the horrific details of Mir’s. “We sleep in the same bed, but that’s it, and we only do that because it helps us both sleep. But until I’m positive that Mir feels the same way about me, as I feel about them, it’ll stay that way. Besides, it could risk the pregnancy.”

“Do you think they like you in a romantic way?”

“Yes. No. I think so. I hope so.” Tavish put his head in his hands. “I don’t know what I’ll do if they don’t. I want to spend the rest of my life with them.”

“Sounds like a great ambition, but first you need to solve this scent issue, seeing as you’ll be around all those super sniffers. You are going to be meeting other gendered people on this trip, right?”

“A whole bunch, and they’re traditionalists too. None of them know I’m an alpha now, let alone that I’ve got a pregnant omega mate.” His throat parched and he wiped his abruptly damp palms on his kilt. The enormity of what he was going to attempt to do was laughable now he examined it in the cold light of day.

“How much experience did you get as a beta?”

The unexpected intrusive question made him scowl. “Why is that relevant?”

Tom threw both palms up in surrender. “I’m not snapping at you, laddie, and I promise we’re only trying to help. Now, if you don’t want that help or think that a sapien has no business discussing sex with you…” Tom left the comment hanging.

As far as Tavish knew, sapiens were more like polyamorous betas than gendered malthusians. Tom probably had a wealth of practical experience.

Tavish took a deep breath and told himself this wasn’t embarrassing. “Virtually none. By choice, I wasn’t sexual.”

“So your first time was proving?” Tom nodded. “Explains a lot.”

A groan rumbled out of Tavish’s chest. He either trusted these people or he didn’t, and with Tom’s revelations, this couple certainly trusted him. “I’ve never… I haven’t been proved. I came up here to wait out the two years before I could have self-certified alpha reversal surgery. And then… and then I met Mir, and everything changed.”

Tom’s lips pressed together as he nodded his understanding while Tav explained why they had to travel right now. “Quite a pickle you two have got yourselves in.”

Tavish couldn’t do anything but shrug. Pickle didn’t really cover it.

“If there’s a medical way to sort out your separation issue, Mir could stay here with us while you go alone.”

The glare Tavish shot him made the sapien chuckle. “Well, that’s a no then. Linny told me how obsessive alphas can get, but as you’re the first one I’ve met, a man’s gotta check for himself, right?”

Man, not alpha.Tom’s word choice brought home the differences between them. “You’ve never met an alpha before?”

“Nope, and I’ve been here for twenty years. Meeting you confirms it was the right thing to do. You picked up something was up straight away; I could see it on your face. And, no offense intended, but your experience of having enhanced alpha senses is limited. It’s why we send Den out into the world if it’s necessary. We can’t risk me or the others getting identified.”

Tavish waivered but giving them the details of Mir’s siblings before there was a need might bite him in the ass big time if it ever got discussed within Mir’s hearing. “If that ever happens, get word to me. I still have some contacts who might be useful.”

Tom nodded. “Thank you, lad. But the oppressive laws here mean that them out there—” he cocked his head toward the front of the house, “—would end up with the alphas they were running from.”

“Would they? Technically, they aren’t omegas anymore, and as they are adults, I think claiming they are exactly what they are, betas, would work. Especially if they are legally affiliated to a name that has significant clout.” As soon as he said it, it felt right.

Tom’s bushy red eyebrows rose. “You? I know an alpha doctor is unusual, but does that give you that much status?”

“I’ve never heard of another, but that’s not what I meant. My family has a whole damn town named after them, and my father is the clan alpha.”

Tomish blew out a breath. “The background check didn’t reveal you’re that closely related to the central family. We just assumed you had to be from a minor branch to remain unaffiliated and go into omega medicine. So you’re what, minor Malthusian royalty?”

Tavish shrugged. “Never thought of it like that, but yes, I suppose so.”

“And you’re going down to reveal you’ve got shiny new balls?”

“Yep, and with that proving certificate, I’ll not only be able to become an omega guardian but have affiliated betas too.” He nodded toward the window that overlooked the front yard.

Tom held his gaze. “You’d do that for us?”

Tavish didn’t have to force a smile. “We’re neighbors, and us highland folk look out for each other.”

Tom held out his hand, and Tavish shook it. His first friend as an alpha was a sapien. Life couldn’t get any weirder, and his curiosity burned.

“So, what’s it really like over there? We hear so many rumors, but I can’t help thinking a lot of it is council propaganda.”

Tom glanced up at a round wall clock that had to be at least as old as the house. “That conversation could last weeks, and I suspect that Mir of yours will be biting their nails waiting all alone for you.”

“Shit.” Tavish shot to his feet, adrenaline bursting into his bloodstream.

A meaty hand caught his forearm. “Just a minute more. Linn was pretty insistent about the scent thing, so—”

“I will not mate Mir. I don’t care how important us smelling like we’re mated is, it could risk—”

“Settle down, laddie. Damn, you’ve got a hair trigger. I know you don’t have much experience, but there are plenty of other ways to please each other.” His eyebrows wagged. “You both have hands, mouths, and if you’re feeling adventurous, backsides. As long as the right stuff ends up rubbed into each other’s skin, so those nosey gendered folks can smell it, it doesn’t matter how it happens. Now get going.”