12. MACON

MACON

By the time I return to the nest, Savin is sprawled out across the pillows, mumbling something incoherently as he humps one of the blankets. He’s adorable and even more so when he’s not cringing every few minutes in pain. I hate this for him, especially when he tries to put on airs for me. Jace’s requirements have become stricter in the last few months, requiring my Omega’s presence at events sponsored by products he models for and I hate it.

Gently, I tap Savin’s shoulder, waking him long enough for him to take his meds. In the next few seconds, he’s fallen back asleep. I press a kiss to his forehead and then head back to the kitchen to return the gelato before slumping onto one of the barstools.

I slip out my phone, fingers ready to dial Euphoria like I always am. Ellie asked us to respect her space and at the same time, I know that she felt the bond between us. Why she hasn’t tried to reconnect, I don’t know. Maybe it’s the fame we carry with our name? Maybe she didn’t truly have as much fun as I thought. I shake my head and talk myself out of calling, just as another number pops up on the screen.

“Jace, why am I not surprised that you’re calling?” I ask, annoyed the second I pick up the phone.

The man huffs on the other side. “You left an event early. You know that publicity is everything and we get paid more when the public sees Savin’s face. Something you keep robbing them of.”

I chuckle. He gets paid more. Neither Savin nor I see enough money to care about showing up at these events. If it wasn’t for the networking and building relationships part, I’m not sure either of us would entertain that part of the contract.“I know you mean well, most of the time, but Savin’s health is more important to me than some fucking contract. Are you going to be the one to take care of him when he crumples during one of those events? No? I didn’t think so. Don’t trample on my duty to ensure my mate’s safety, Jace.” There’s a warning to my tone as I stand up and move to the office. Conversation carries in this place and I don’t want Savin to wake up and hear us.

I love Savin and I don’t want him to feel like he’s a burden in any form. If that means fielding angry calls from Jace in private, I will, regardless of how much the guy irks me.

“Look, Macon, it’s written down-”

“I’m very aware of the contract,” I growl out as I kick the office door closed behind me. “We showed up and then we left. Have it written up any which way you’d like.”

A huff of impatience filters through the earpiece and just as I’m about to lay him out over the phone, Jace speaks again. “You left during Gordon’s speech, one of your love rivals if I remember correctly.”

“That’s what this shit is about?” I take several deep breaths to calm the building rage in my chest. Had it been any other day, I might have found a way to reasonably speak with Jace. But it’s not just any other day. Savin is suffering. Ellie is goddess knows where and I’m stuck here discussing my Omega’s health and how it’s not working with Jace’s schedule. “Let me get this straight. You are worried about the tabloids printing some story about me making a statement?”

“It looks bad, Macon. Savin is a big conversation piece right now and-”

I hate that. I hate that my Omega, even after he pulled away from acting due to his health, is still being used for his image. It’s a striking one, I can attest to that, and the tidbits he brings to his community when he’s invited to events are priceless. However, it’s draining. “Jace, let me stop you right there. Savin and Gordon were together before I was in the picture. The problem isn’t a love rival. It’s a Beta that can’t understand that his advances have become a nuisance. I asked Savin to attend today so that I could support someone in the business but Savin’s health demanded we leave. And before you say that my Omega is faking it, he does far more for you than he’s required to and he’ll push himself until he’s out of commission for days.”

“But-”

“If you want the real story, maybe ask Gordon the last time he asked Savin for a spin. Or should I show you the text messages? Don’t forget that Savin is more than my fucking Omega. He’s also my husband.” It’s a ceremony I’ll never forget, especially the disgust on my mother’s face as she watched me kiss the love of my life. She has never approved of Savin and it’s only become worse as his health worsens. She tells me that I can do better, that my promise need not be upheld because Savin no longer fits my image.

Yet another person who angers the fuck out of me and I can’t do much about it unless I ostracize myself in a career that I’ve built over the last several years.

“Your mother said-”

Rage flares beneath the surface as I tune him out to succumb to one of my vices, throwing open the liquor cabinet. I don’t even have the patience to find a glass as I pull off the top and down a fifth. Liquid heat burns my tongue and slips down my throat. I relish the rich flavors before speaking again. “Keep talking Jace,” I interrupt him. “Just go ahead and dig your grave.” My mother has been by my side since I stepped into the limelight, taking up some of the tasks more easily forgotten like hiring cleaning and maintenance for a house that is both entirely too large and too obnoxious to keep.

While I usually appreciate my mother’s help, the way she has so expertly dug herself into my career is a problem. She has access to the people I work with and has forged relationships on her own so that when people don’t find what they need from me, they run to her. It’s brought issues into our relationship that I can’t fix and am slowly losing patience with.

I take another swig from the bottle, settling now that Jace has realized his words aren’t doing him any favors. “Don’t make me say something I’m going to regret, Jace. We can draw up Savin’s contract differently if he agrees but give me a day or two before I bring that up with him. And stop letting my mother put ideas in your head. Savin is my mate. End of discussion.”

“I just feel…”

I am thankful that this conversation is taking place over the phone because someone would be on the floor, Savin would be out of a job, and I would definitely be sitting across from a police officer in an interrogation room, my face plastered all over the news. “You’re toeing a precious line, Jace. Remember that although I don’t want to break the contract, I do have the money needed should I feel it necessary.” Would we be hurting for a few months? Probably but it would be worth it.

The only reason Savin still works with Jace is because of the contract and the obligation my Omega feels he owes to the industry. Not to mention the longing in his eyes as he sees all of the opportunities he can no longer take part in due to his health.

“Savin would never let you do that!” Jace screams. I imagine he’s pacing the room, seething, wishing we were having this conversation in person. He has no idea what I’d do to him.

“He would, Jace. You seem to misunderstand our relationship. I do not own Savin. I don’t speak for him either. He’s a grown man and can speak for himself. However, he has graciously allowed me to relay information on his behalf, one of which is what I’ve just told you.”

I catch the end of a rumbling growl but decide not to address it. Jace is not a patient man and continuing to provoke him will only exacerbate his relationship with Savin. “Fine. Just… there’s an event-”

“I’ve seen the schedule, Jace. Should things change, I’ll let you know.” I wait for him to hang up first, giving him the satisfaction of ending the conversation. The next event is in a few days and while I know Savin’s heat will have ended by then, I’m not sure he’ll be ready to handle people. I scroll through my contacts and dial our personal doctor, the Alpha picking up on the second ring. “Hey.”

“Macon, I want to say it’s nice hearing from you but I assume by the short greeting something is wrong with Savin.” Always straight to the point. Bailey Landson was my doctor first but Savin took a liking to the woman’s gentle touch and I couldn’t be happier. “What’s going on?”

“The cream isn’t working. I mean, he refuses to take it most times because it takes his awareness of my scent away but it’s not working anymore.”

“That’s odd. Does it at least relieve any pain? Macon, that means something has changed in the last couple of weeks since I saw you last. Can you think of anything?”

I sigh, heading to the chair by my desk and setting the bottle on the surface before running a hand down my face. “Fuck. We met our mate.”

“Another Omega?”

“What? Why would you ask that?”

Bailey laughs. “Mac, calm down. I’m just saying that scent matches are super rare between any other designation. If you had mentioned that it was Savin’s mate, I wouldn’t have asked. But both of yours? Tell me, Alpha or Beta?”

“She’s a Beta.”

“Mmm, as much as I love this for you two, it’s unfortunate.” Bailey lets out a little sigh. “If she really is your mate, then in the same way your scent can be both an aphrodisiac and a Xanax to him, her scent will be the same. Savin’s Omega is searching for that relief and can’t find it.”

I was afraid of that. “She’s… not an option right now but I can’t see Savin continue to suffer. There’s not another cream that you could give him?”

“I’m afraid that’s the highest prescribed dosage he can take with the other medications I’ve given him. You can try over-the-counter scent blockers but they won’t last more than an hour or two and can’t be used long-term. They also won’t dull the pain. You mentioned that he can’t work on the Omega-oxysterol because it makes him sluggish, right? Damn. How are the scent patches?”

Goddess, I love this woman. Even if no one can truly diagnose Savin’s condition, she cares. “They’re okay. He finds them itchy but they keep his scent muted.”

“They won’t be perfect. How’s his heat?”

“Painful. I was hoping this would have been one of the better ones. I’m going to check on him in a little bit.”

Bailey murmurs her agreement, shoving one last painful truth at me before I hang up. “I know you don’t want to hear this but Mac? Savin needs her. You both do. It would make his heat so much easier even if it’s just holding him through the tremors for the next few days. It’s the pitiful truth of our biology, that once we meet our mates, it’s hard to be without.”

I thank her and hang up, not wanting to face reality. The nagging feeling in my chest isn’t just worry for Savin, it’s a need for Ellie. Ignoring my needs, I head to the kitchen and find a hot pack before making my way back to the nest. His hands are fisted in the same pillow he was humping earlier, his face scrunched up in pain. When I slip in beside him, cracking the hot pack and placing it between us to rest on his belly, he snuggles closer.

His face relaxes and his fingers lose their grip on the cotton. It bothers me that this is the only thing I can do for him.