12. Isaac

12

ISAAC

Isaac had wondered if Ari would find his way back into the fold.

Contrary to what the rest of the pack might think, he didn’t hate the man. Even respected him somewhat after looking into the career achievements from his former life. He just wasn’t deserving of Juno in his current state. Isaac had essentially drawn his line in the sand and now the ball was in Ari’s court.

Though of course, whatever Juno wanted trumped everything else.

Isaac sighed heavily as he opened his laptop. Julian had been understanding, even insistent, that they reschedule their next date in light of what was happening with Juno.

Didn’t make it any easier to stop thinking about how good he looked on his knees though.

Isaac re-read the email from NOC’s PR team. They reaffirmed that trial participants would remain confidential no matter what as they were beholden to the Privacy Act to protect health data.

It was frustratingly middling. Bare minimum, really.

There was a quiet knock at his door before Juno and Ari entered.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Juno said tentatively.

“You’re not,” he assured her. “How can I help?”

“Juno showed me the video.” Ari stepped forward, eyes glimmering with renewed purpose. “You need to get in touch with NOC.”

“I did,” Isaac replied flatly. “May as well not have bothered.” He spun his screen around so they could see and released a frustrated sigh.

Ari scanned the email. The man needed a shower. And a clothes steamer. And a haircut.

He’s not your packmate, Isaac. If he wants to be a slovenly cretin, let him.

“No, not like this,” Ari said, shaking his head. He began pacing back and forth, both Isaac and Juno watching him wear a hole in the floor.

“Bond dissolution is so topical right now. I mean, sure there were debates over it during the trial period but now that it’s here, things are very different,” Ari said, thinking out loud. He was tapping a pencil he’d subconsciously grabbed from Isaac’s desk on his chin. Isaac really hoped he wouldn’t start chewing on it. “Andrew isn’t looking to get you back — he wouldn’t have done this if he was. This is someone who has lost you and wants to punish you for daring to leave him. Right now, his motives align with the Alpha Brotherhood’s. They’re using each other to further their own ends.”

"Which is?” Isaac prompted.

“The ability for anyone to break alpha bonds for the first time weakens long standing social structures. Obvious why the Brotherhood wouldn’t want that,” Ari muttered. Isaac could almost see the cogs turning in his head. “And Andrew gets to be the face of it all with his sad story as the hook. A single voice that resonates with their creed. More effective than a crowd. More sympathetic.”

He was articulating everything Isaac had thought when he first saw the video but took it further, laying it out with a terrible clarity.

Isaac didn’t even realise Juno was shaking until she spoke. “I-I don’t want to put myself out there against him.”

Ari was beside her immediately. “No, god, no Juno. No one would ask that of you.”

“Then what do we do?” she asked miserably.

“NOC need to respond,” Ari said decisively. He pulled up NOC’s accounts on LoopTok and Pixelgram. “Look. Nothing. They’ve pretty much just announced they’re offering bond dissolution and direct people to a sign-up page. Ridiculous.” Ari pocketed his phone with a snort. “They need to do more to address what’s happening in the public discourse.”

“How would they do that?”

Ari was pacing again, his eyes wild as the words tumbled from him like a stream of consciousness. “They need to focus on the why. Why it’s important and why their work matters. Omega advocacy groups already back bond dissolution. But we need packs and alphas on board too — people who don’t have skin in the game but recognise the importance of the work. They need to put their own face to their messaging, someone who will resonate with everyone but particularly alphas. One central idea and then fill social media with stories from everyone else until fuckers like Andrew are drowned out.”

There was a loud snap as Ari accidentally broke the pencil in half. “Shit, sorry,” Ari apologised immediately. Isaac waved away his apology as he dropped the broken shards into the bin.

“The Alpha Brotherhood’s ideas are extreme and have no place in our society,” Ari finished resolutely. “Let’s not give them more real estate than they deserve.”

Isaac watched the true Ari emerge. Sure, he was teaching for now but this was what he excelled at and where his passion lay. Using his creativity to influence change and engineer society.

It was kind of intimidating honestly.

“I need to brainstorm. Write a script,” Ari muttered, looking around as he sank into the armchair in the corner like he belonged there. Juno wordlessly handed him a pen and paper and he began scribbling immediately, utterly engrossed. He only looked up once to politely ask if Isaac could please put him in touch with NOC’s marketing team.

Isaac didn’t miss the way Juno was looking at Ari. He watched a transformed alpha hone his competence and skillset entirely on protecting his omega. It’s what a good alpha would do. It’s what a packmate would do.

Fuck. They were gonna need a bigger house.