2. Julian

2

JULIAN

Being in love with a bonded omega was hell.

Being in love with a forcibly bonded omega while working for the alphas responsible? It sat at a similar humiliation level to cleaning Satan’s gloryhole sex club every night. Not as the janitor — but the actual mop itself.

While Julian wasn’t directly related to Pack Zhao, their convoluted connection was still familial. His aunt on his mum’s side was married to one of their cousins. Or second cousins? Wait, he could’ve sworn there was some sort of in-law link he was missing too.

Either way, his extended family was in the Zhao’s orbit. And like crabs in a bucket, they scrabbled desperately to be the one at the top to impress the powerful pack. His father worked days at one of their money laundering business fronts and nights as a dealer for their gambling houses. He must have been in the running for being their biggest bootlicking sycophant. It’s why he offered up Julian’s services — no specified service mind you, just eternal servitude apparently — for work experience, hoping to gain a foothold in their inner circle that way.

It would have saved a whole lot of time and heartbreak if his Baba realised that Pack Zhao thought of betas as little more than dirt.

Andrew had initially turned the offer down. But one morning after a wedding, Julian found himself hauled to the Zhao pack house. He wasn’t sure how to tell his eternally grateful father that the likely reason Andrew changed his mind was because Eric had caught him on his knees in the garden with one of the groomsmen. “Yeah, you’ll do.” Andrew smirked. Julian could tell there was a slur hanging unsaid from the tip of his tongue.

Julian was intent on doing the bare minimum to appease his dad before bailing. But everything changed when he met Juno.

He took one look at her, dark circles under haunted eyes and her neck oozing blood, and knew he was hers. Her small body curled protectively in on itself when she scented him. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to bring her back to life again.

Every word he said that first day, that first week, was carefully practised over and over in his head. He forgot how to breathe when she first made eye contact with him. The first time he said her name brought the most melancholy smile to her face it shattered him.

“I like that you call me Juno and not…omega. Like I’m a person.”

He had known in a theoretical sense how much more complex omega scents were compared to alpha scents. And certainly beta scents. But nothing prepared him for how evocative simply being around Juno was. Especially in the brief moments when she was content. Peaches, velvet and plush, ripened in the summer sun. A bite of firm flesh seeking comfort from the searing rays, juice running down his chin. Then a burst of sugared sweetness, caramelised browned with molasses. Finished with a lush dollop of vanilla laced cream. She was the final temptation — I couldn’t possibly — before licking the bowl clean.

It only made his job harder. He felt an immense responsibility towards her. Every time he’d get ice for a new bruise, walk her through wrapping a sprained wrist or push her to nap after they had exhausted her body the night before, his throat would burn from the inhumanity of it.

He dreamed of being able to free her. He remembered one misguided rescue attempt two years ago. It was back when he was still too scared to really talk to her much, and left her to her own devices. He occasionally checked in (i.e. hovered awkwardly), before leaving again to sweat profusely in private.

Heavy rain assailed the house, dark clouds blotting out all trace of the sun. He was on the second floor near Andrew’s office when the power cut out.

Julian knew he might only have minutes — maybe even seconds — before the cameras rebooted and reconnected. He didn’t even know what he could find, what use it could be. Despite being the most likely source of leverage, the laptop was out. Guaranteed to be password protected and Julian knew Andrew was not a password1 kind of guy.

Top drawer revealed a lacy g-string. A clearly worn lacy g-string. Julian flinched — was it Juno’s? What if it wasn’t Juno’s? Julian took a photo in a panic, not knowing what on earth he could possibly do with the image.

“The fuck am I doing. They’re going to kill you.”

He found some sort of leather-bound notebook in the middle drawer and flicked it open. Fuck, it was all in Chinese. His childhood tantrums over having to go to Saturday school were coming back to bite him in the ass. Though there were numbers that looked like monetary amounts in one of the columns. If it was financial evidence of their illegal activities it could be something. Julian hastily took photos of the first few pages as well as the last few pages. Wait, wasn’t that the character for Zhao? Most of the lines had it. And he was pretty sure that said shu shu. Which was…uncle.

Another drawer held a mess of invoices. His hands shook as he tried his best to take non-blurry photos. They looked like purchases pertaining to businesses the pack owned. And also receipts for parts of Eric’s PC gaming rig.

He was the worst rescuer ever. At best he could expose that Andrew Zhao had a panty-stealing kink, helped his family out with money and probably fudged his taxes a bit.

The photos sat on a hard drive in his home, collecting dust, as it became abundantly clear that bonded omegas do not get to leave their alphas.

* * *

Julian stared at the raw slashes of crimson burning her delicate wrists, trying not to let his distress show. Juno didn’t need his anger or his pity. Vincent didn’t use ropes often but when he did, Juno would be almost catatonic the next day. Usually, Julian would get an antibiotic ointment for her, all while desperately wishing he could do it himself and press a kiss to her bandage after.

But today she was drawing, uncaring that the abrasions on her wrists were grazing the paper with every stroke of her pen.

“Don’t worry about me, Julian,” she said serenely. “I’m an 8 today.”

Juno had used the new pens he’d gotten her, creating an overlapping portrait piece in red and blue. A girl in red and a wolf in blue, staring out through the same eyes.

“I wonder what it would look like if you looked at it with one of those old school 3D glasses,” she said, lightly tapping the page.

“Like those red and blue ones?”

She smiled approvingly. “Probably nothing special. I didn’t use it to draw so it probably won’t have any sort of cool effect.” She tapped the page again in the same spot, where the girl’s thick braid meshed with the wolf’s fur.

Julian knew Pack Zhao monitored her phone and internet usage. He knew they kept cameras in the house. It was likely why they left her alone with him because they could see he was too chickenshit to even go near her.

“Can I use this as a bookmark?” He pulled Matilda out, holding it loosely so the bookmark fell back into the bag. “I don’t want to dog-ear a library book.”

Juno waved her hand dismissively, “Take it, I was just messing around. It’s not one I want to keep.”

She watched him intently as he slid the drawing safely in the pages of the book and tucked it back in his bag.

* * *

CONTACT NOC GET ME IN BOND DISSOLUTION TRIALS

Julian stared at Juno’s drawing overlaid with the blue cellophane he’d picked up on the way home. With the detailed strokes of the wolf’s fur obscured, the girl’s braid revealed her hidden message. This was it. This was how he was going to get Juno out. He pulled out his phone, found a contact number and dialled immediately.

Hello and thank you for calling the National Omega Commission.

For event inquiries including courtship galas and fundraisers, please press 1.

For scent matching inquiries, please press 2.

For all inquiries relating to the Omega Village, please press 3.

For heat services please press 4. Be advised we are currently only accepting alpha applicants as heat partners.

For all other inquiries, please stay on the line and an operator will be with you—

The line abruptly cut out. Confused, Julian redialed.

Hello and thank you for calling the National Omega Commission.

For event inquiries including courtship galas and fundraisers, please press 1.

For scent matching inquiries, please press 2.

For all inquiries relating to —

Maybe their call centre was understaffed right now? It was after hours. Julian would try again in the morning.

* * *

He was summoned by Pack Zhao the next morning. There was no time to call NOC before he left, but at least he could subtly let Juno know he’d gotten her message and tell her he would call later today. Pride swelled in his chest — he was going to do it. He was going to free her and be her hero.

Looking back at that moment made him want to punch his past self repeatedly in the dick for being such a moron.

Julian pulled into the driveway and was greeted by Vincent at the door.

“Bout fuckin’ time,” the alpha grumbled, pushing past him. “She’s on the back deck.” Julian stepped through and Vincent shut the door behind him, the click of the lock echoing through the foyer.

Instead of Juno waiting for him, it was Andrew. He was staring out into the back garden, dressed in business casual with his morning coffee in hand.

“I’m sorry,” Julian faltered. “Vincent told me to come to the back deck. I’ll go find her.”

There was a predatory gleam in Andrew’s eye as he turned around. A lion, toying with his prey.

“No need. I know exactly where she is.”

Julian swallowed and inclined his head respectfully. “If you let me know I can go find her and leave you to enjoy your coffee.”

Andrew was preternaturally calm as he placed his mug down on the table. Julian’s fight or flight instinct went haywire as every fibre of his being screamed.

“Do you know why Eric, Vincent and I trust you around Juno, Julian?” Julian was frozen by the door as Andrew walked over. His hands were in his pockets, posture loose and casual yet fear lifted every hair off the back of Julian’s head.

“Because I’m a beta? And g-gay?”

He stumbled over the lie. He could barely focus on Andrew, his heartbeat was pounding so loudly in his ears. They were face to face now, his broad frame and alpha dominance crushing him. He couldn’t meet his gaze any longer and dropped his eyes.

“Because we don’t, Julian.” He tilted his head towards the camera affixed to the ceiling. “We’re always watching.”

Dread iced his veins as Andrew reached down and plucked Julian’s phone from his hand.

“And we’re always listening.”

What a colossal fucking idiot he was. He had one chance to get Juno out and he blew it. He should have called using a different phone. Hell, he should’ve stormed the NOC offices themselves demanding they put her in the trials. How could he have fucked this up? His heart hurt at the thought of what this would cost Juno. The guilt rose in his chest like a tsunami. Choking, stifling, strangling him until he drowned in it.

“You contact them again and she pays for it.”

Andrew pocketed Julian’s phone, walked back to his coffee and took a sip; Julian’s betrayal just a minor blip to his morning routine. Julian staggered back, willing his knees not to collapse under him. The prime alpha sauntered back over to him, sliding a slip of paper into Julian’s still open palm.

“Also, my brothers purchased your family’s sorry excuse for a restaurant and that shoebox you call an apartment. Your former landlord was more than happy to sell to the right buyer.” He could see the sharp canines of Andrew’s teeth as he grinned. “Of course, you and your family will have to find other accommodations. Immediately.”

Julian stared down at the unmistakable red letters.

“Oh and one more thing?”

He had never felt smaller or more insignificant as the prime alpha’s full power washed over him.

“Tell your father he’s fired. He’ll never work for Pack Zhao ever again.”

Guilt. Shame. Complete and utter devastation.

“Get the fuck out of here.”

Julian stumbled to his feet and ran.