1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Blaine

" I told you to cool that temper of yours, didn't I?"

Blaine rolled his eyes. Holi was being judgemental much. After getting bonded to the wealthiest alpha on the planet, the omega acted all holier than thou. Laughter bubbled inside Blaine at the thought. Holier than thou… Holi. Blaine laughed unable to help himself. It was probably not that funny, but he needed some levity in his life, or he would cry.

The Omega Placement Agency had finally blacklisted him. They'd warned him of his unruly and "insulting" behaviour numerous times. And this was apparently the last straw.

Who had he insulted? Who?

It wasn't his fault that the alphas the agency kept matching him with were weak, cheap and too sensitive.

Blaine laughed harder.

"You're laughing? This is not funny, Blaine." The concern in Holi's voice sobered Blaine up. He stared at his case, which was at the door, ready to go. Blaine had to get out of the alpha's house by tomorrow morning. And the stupid alpha wasn't even going to make things easy for him. The alpha refused to send Blaine back to the commune he'd been living at before he got the job, which meant Blaine's life had just gotten complicated.

He's being a sensitive ass! Blaine shouted in his mind. He stared daggers at the door, as if the alpha were standing there. If eyes could kill…

"I wish I had supernatural powers," Blaine mumbled.

"What?" Holi asked.

"Nothing. You wouldn't understand anyway," Blaine sighed, turning over in bed. Fuck. He was going to miss this. The alpha might have been an asshole, but he had a nice house. And the fucking bed was heaven.

"I understand perfectly. Don't forget, I know you. You never take anything seriously. You're short tempered and unreasonable," Holi said. "What was wrong with this alpha? Did he make you work day and night? Did he treat you badly?"

"No. But he's overbearing and smells funny," Blaine said. "We didn't click."

"You're not supposed to click with him. You're supposed to work for him and submit to him as your alpha," Holi said.

Fuck that. He wasn't submitting to an alpha just because he was an omega.

As if he'd heard his thought, Holi sighed. "Sometimes, you have to go along with the status quo in order to survive."

"You mean conform to the bullshit."

"No. I mean having three square meals a day, having a nice place to live, and having credit. Survival, Blaine, survival. You don't get to act out when you don't have shit. You're an omega."

"I know what I am," Blaine bit out.

"Do you?" Holi sighed again.

Damn, Holi and his sighs. He was making Blaine feel bad.

"You don't behave like an omega. I mean, you don't even let yourself go into heat, because you hate how our bodies become wet, which is weird, by the way. Don't you want an alpha of your own?" Holi continued.

"Do I have to want an alpha of my own?"

"Blaine?"

"I didn't connect with you so you can berate me."

Holi sighed impatiently. Blaine clenched his jaw. "Fine. What are you going to do now that you've been blacklisted by the agency? Is the alpha going to return you to your previous commune house?"

"Uhhhh… about that. I was thinking…" Blaine said rubbing his neck sheepishly. He moved the connector to his other ear and rolled to his stomach. "Maybe…"

"No," Holi said adamantly.

"You don't even know what I was going to say."

"I can hear it in your voice and the answer is still no."

"Why not?" Blaine asked. "You wanted me to come and live with you not long ago. You practically begged me."

"That's before I…"

"You fucked your alpha," Blaine said.

"Aggg… why are you so vulgar?"

Blaine giggled. He could literally hear Holi's blush through the connector. "You need to get over that. You're not innocent anymore. And don't worry. I don't want to live with you either. I just…" Blaine closed his eyes. Fuck, why was it so hard to ask for help? And why did he mess up everything in his life? It was like he was a magnet for disaster.

No. He was more like kindling for disaster. One spark and everything went up in smoke. He couldn't help himself. When things went well in his life, he got bored and had to ruin it. He was addicted to chaos.

Things had been better when he was with Holi. When he was with his friend he hadn't had to think about much or focus on himself or his family or the burden that was on his shoulders. Holi grounded him somehow. Blaine had barely thought about his family when he had been with Holi. He'd hardly missed them either.

But now he missed them so much.

Three of his omega brothers were assigned to commune houses around the planet this year and Blaine didn't have to support them financially; only his mother and the remaining three. But he still worried about them. Blaine hoped they were doing better than he was. Well, they probably were. He was the reckless one. The one to jump into trouble headfirst without thinking.

"You what?" Holi asked softly.

"Can you please ask Xaine to find me a commune?" he asked.

"Yes, of course," Holi was quick to say. "We'll figure out the rest once you're settled in a commune. When are you supposed to leave?"

"Tomorrow."

"That soon?"

"Yeah."

"Hold on a second," Holi said.

Blaine grimaced.

It was short notice, but he had no other option. The alpha wanted him out of his house as soon as possible. Blaine could go to the authorities in the hope that there was a commune house with an opening around the capital. But there usually wasn't one. And omegas who couldn't be placed in a commune house were taken to a halfway house.

The halfway houses were horrible and crowded. Blaine had had the misfortune of going there once, after he'd fought with his alpha of the time. Blaine had grown up with a lot of siblings, but even he couldn't stand the lack of privacy and resources at the halfway house. It had been horrible.

You'd think he would have learnt his lesson and would not find himself in such a situation again.

But noooo… he had to ruin his life… again.

Maybe I have a screw missing in my head, Blaine thought as he listened to Holi speak to Xaine in the background. The alpha's gruff voice came through. Blaine pressed the connector harder to his ear to hear him better, but he still couldn't hear him clearly.

Was he going to help him again? An anxious feeling twisted Blaine's insides.

The alpha had done so much for him, even though he didn't have to. Blaine was nothing to Xaine Covus. Blaine was Holi's friend, but that didn't mean that Xaine should take care of him too.

Maybe he should go to the authorities and wait for an opening in a commune house.

Blaine groaned at the thought of a halfway house: the dirt, the smell, omegas in heat everywhere.

Fuck. I really don't make it easy on myself, do I?

Now, he was bothering Holi with his problems. And the omega had warned him about his temper and lack of a filter.

"Alphas don't like it when you berate them and point out their flaws, especially because you're an omega. We're expected to submit," he'd warned.

"Not this omega," Blaine had replied flippantly.

But this omega was about to be homeless… again.

Fuck… fuck… fuuuuuck! Blaine silently screamed. He stared at his connector, waiting anxiously. Holi was taking too long to come back to him. Had Xaine refused to help him? Xaine was probably tired of his antics. He was an alpha, after all.

"Holi, listen…" Blaine said, just as Holi spoke.

"Xaine is sending Preat to come to fetch you. He's a little busy right now. He'll find you a commune house tomorrow," Holi said. "I hope you don't mind spending the night in my house."

"No… I… don't mind," Blaine said awkwardly. "Holi?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

Holi went silent for a beat. "You don't have to thank me. You're my friend, remember?"

Yes. They were friends. But sometimes it felt unreal. Blaine couldn't believe he'd made a friend like Holi, especially because they hadn't liked each other when they'd met. But the omega somehow grew on him. Blaine had never met anyone who tolerated him like Holi did, except his family.

Well, they had no choice but to love him. The rest of the world didn't. And it didn't help that Blaine had a short fuse.

Blaine knew he had to change at some point in order for him to survive. But… fuck… he wasn't there yet. He wished the damn planet were kind to omegas. He'd been fine when he was living with his family. He didn't have to submit to anyone except his mother, who was a beta. Betas were softer and more loving than alphas. And his mother was a sweetheart. She spoiled them rotten with the little she could provide for them. She never treated them like omegas who didn't have an opinion of their own. She loved it when Blaine and his siblings spoke their minds and she encouraged it.

But now the fucking world was telling him that he couldn't be himself. That he had to bow and grovel at the feet of some filthy alphas who didn't deserve the respect they demanded.

Fuck, he was getting worked up again. Blaine took a deep, calming breath.

"Preat is on his way, okay?" Holi said softly as if he could sense that he was getting emotional. "I'll see you in a bit."

"Okay," Blaine said.

As soon as the connector went silent, Blaine got up. Dragging his case behind him, he walked out of the house. The alpha was nowhere to be seen. He was probably somewhere in the house, licking his wounds because Blaine hadn't spared him.

Holi might think Blaine was impulsive, quick to anger and didn't have a filter. But truth be told, he'd tried to make it work with this alpha, even though the alpha had been verbally abusive and treated Blaine like shit. Blaine had snapped. And the oaf couldn't handle what Blaine dished out.

Blaine came to a stop at the end of the driveway and sat on his case to wait for Preat. Thirty minutes later, Preat arrived. Blaine didn't waste time. He picked up his case and literally ran to the hover pod before it drifted to a stop. Preat opened the door for him from inside.

"Hi," Blaine said as he got inside.

"Good evening. Is that all you have?" Preat asked, staring at his case.

"Yes," Blaine said. He didn't have a lot of possessions. For a while, Blaine wasn't able to buy things for himself because he'd had to send most of his credit to his family. But since his three brothers had left home to live in commune houses across the planet, things were a little better. But by then Blaine was used to not buying things for himself. He only needed a few things anyway. As long as his clothes were in good condition, he was good. He saved most of his credit now.

For what, he didn't know. He didn't have big dreams of starting his own business or buying a house.

He just… he was drifting through life.

No wonder he'd felt like he was doing something worthwhile when he was living with Holi.

The hover pod drifted down the airway. Blaine stared out of the window at the bustling night life of the capital to stop himself from thinking. Thinking just made him feel bad about his situation.

When they arrived at the Covus mansion, he was surprised to find a line of hover pods parked in the long winding driveway. "Are they having a party?" he asked, staring at the well-dressed people getting out of their hover pods and walking to the door.

"Aaah… sort of," Preat said.

Fuck. Why had Xaine and Holi allowed him to come here?

The hover pod drifted to a stop behind the last one, and Preat got out. He opened the door for Blaine and carried his case. He had no choice but to follow him inside.

"I'll take your case upstairs. Holi asked that you join them in the dining room once you've arrived," Preat said, walking upstairs without waiting for him to say anything. Blaine turned to the hallway where Holi and Xaine's guests were heading. The dining room was probably that way.

Was Holi crazy? Blaine wasn't in no position to join them. What was Holi thinking?

Blaine stood there for a few minutes before he turned and was about to follow Preat when Holi's voice reached him. "Where are you going?" he asked, coming to grasp Blaine's arm and walk him down the hallway.

"I can't go in there. You should have told me you had guests. I wouldn't have bothered you and Xaine if I'd known," Blaine said, pulling Holi to a stop. "And you don't have to include me in your party. I'll go to the guest room and sleep. We can see each other tomorrow."

"Don't be silly. It's not a party," Holi said, dragging him along. Blaine tried to pull Holi to a stop, but the omega held on.

Fuck, he was strong.

"Okay." Blaine gave up. "If it's not a party. What is it?"

"Ahhh…" Holi bit into his bottom lip, looking sheepish all of a sudden.

"What?"

"It's a networking dinner. Xaine invests in a lot of businesses, but this year he wants to invest in research programmes that can help our planet, so he's been listening to ideas all night long. It's so boring. I need you to save me. I was ready to bang my head on the table when you connected with me."

Laughter burst out of Blaine's mouth.

Holi slapped his arm. "Stop. It's not funny."

"It is. Why didn't you just leave Xaine to handle everything? It's not like you have anything to contribute."

"It's our first dinner as a couple. I have to play the host and support my alpha." Holi's cheeks turned rosy as he said the last part. "He likes it when I'm close."

"Okay, I'll save you from your boring dinner. What do you want me to do?" Blaine said.

Though he suspected Holi was only saying those things to make him feel included. Whatever was happening in the dining room was probably important. Now, Blaine really felt guilty for imposing on his friend.

Don't mess this up, Blaine told himself as he followed Holi down the hallway.

He took a deep breath as they walked into the dining room. The smell of delicious food was the first thing to hit him. Maybe being included wasn't such a bad idea. Blaine's mouth was already watering.

Rich people really ate amazing food, Blaine thought excitedly as he followed Holi to the head of the table where Xaine was seated. Holi sat to his alpha's right and pointed to the empty chair next to his. Across from Holi sat Xaine's assistant, Klane. Klane gave Blaine a welcoming smile before he turned to the alpha seated next to him.

Blaine's eyes landed on the alpha too. He was… average. The dull oversized clothes and long shaggy dirty brown hair didn't do him any favours. I guess he's never heard of a tailor, Blaine thought.

Was the alpha one of the researchers? Blaine looked around the room. Maybe not. Most of the guests were dressed to impress. They were here for business. They didn't look rumpled, as if they'd just rolled out of bed a few minutes ago.

Weird, Blaine thought.

"Excuse me," one of the maids said to his left. Blaine moved his arms from the table so she could place a plate of food in front of him. He silently moaned, salivating at the sight of the meal. He took the first bite and almost cried.

Fuck. Rich people ate good food.

Blaine went in for another bite and another. He wished he were alone and could really go to town on the food. But he still had to show some manners and not embarrass his friend. Everyone around Blaine was well behaved, classy… boring. Holi had been right. Xaine's guests spoke in long, winding monologues as they tried to explain their ideas. Blaine was exhausted just listening to them. And he'd only been there for a few minutes. The only good thing about the dinner was the food. For the delicious food Blaine would sit through the boring dinner.

Conversation buzzed all around him. Blaine half listened as he enjoyed every bite of what the maids put in front of him. But he did pick up a few words here and there in spite of himself. They were discussing omegas and the current situation on their planet.

Why didn't ears have lids? Blaine asked himself with a sigh. He really didn't want to listen.

"You believe what happened a hundred years ago on our planet has a direct influence on our situation right now, Professor Mephis," Klane asked, sounding mystified.

"Social culture influences our daily lives, medicine and economy. But our culture was ripped away when we moved from pack life into the modern society we have today. Families became micro packs with their own set of rules and ways to raise their cubs. We slowly moved away from common values, practices and behaviours. Omegas gained more and more access to public spaces, and they've been put in positions that they wouldn't have been put in before. Something was bound to happen."

Blaine made a disapproving sound, the food turning sour in his mouth. He clenched the edge of the table to keep himself from saying something. He promised himself he'd behave. If Holi wasn't offended by whatever oversized clothes was saying over there, why should he be?

Don't listen to them, Blaine told himself.

"But…" Klane said.

"Don't get me wrong. I know the Deltta Kohle scandal was some twisted plot to unseat him as our alpha king, but if our way of life hadn't changed something like that wouldn't have happened. Long ago, our society was organised differently from what it is now. Omegas were excluded from public office. Moving from such a life broke barriers that, when looking back, might have prevented our present problem."

Blaine snorted.

The room went deathly silent. Blaine looked up to find everyone looking at him, including the badly dressed alpha. For a tense second, Blaine felt the urge to drop his eyes.

Fucking hell. Blaine shoved away the feeling and stared at the alpha. He wasn't backing away.

"Did you say something?" Professor Oversized Clothes asked. The professor's dark eyes bored into Blaine, making him feel weird inside. It was as if the alpha were daring him to say something: challenging him.

Blaine wasn't sure where he got that idea from because the alpha's face was emotionless – hard as stone. The alpha was a little intimidating when he stared like that. Blaine's stomach fluttered.

Fuck. Blaine gritted his teeth. I never back down from an alpha. Never. He can fucking stare at me all he wants.

"No," Blaine said. "You seem to be doing fine speaking down on all omegas. I doubt I can say anything of significance."

"I'm not speaking down on anyone. I'm merely stating facts. It's part of our history."

Blaine shook his head. "I'm sorry. What the hell was I thinking? If it was written down by someone, then of course it has to be ‘true'. Blaine made air quotes with his fingers.

Professor Mephis' eyes narrowed the tiniest bit.

There it is, Blaine thought, proud that he'd managed to hit a nerve. Blaine smiled smugly.

"The deteriorated state of our society is alarming. Even the quality of our education is questionable," Professor Mephis mumbled dispassionately before he turned to face Klane, dismissing Blaine.

Anger burned through Blaine. He hissed, hands balling into fists. The entire room and the other guests disappeared as his vision narrowed on the alpha across from him. Blaine didn't even know why he cared, but he couldn't let the alpha win. The professor's words got to him. He was back in those alphas' houses all over again. Working his ass off, submitting to dimwits who didn't deserve it, just because he was an omega and the whole planet believed omegas were at the bottom of the food chain. And this fucking professor believed they had to go back to the worst time in history for omegas so as to solve their problems. Not that the present was any different, but before the Deltta Kohle scandal omegas had had some rights – some.

"Questionable?" Blaine asked smoothly, even though he felt like screaming. He wanted to tell Professor Drab to go and fuck himself. "I suppose there's no bias tucked away somewhere between those ancient pages of yours, Professor?"

"Of course, there are accounts that are…"

"Just say yes, Professor. There's no need to overexplain. I might not even understand you anyway. My education is questionable, remember?"

The professor's nostrils flared, the only sign that what Blaine said was getting to him. Otherwise, the professor looked unaffected. His very demeanour was calm and collected. He was like a fucking vault that Blaine couldn't crack.

The alphas he'd dealt with before usually exploded the second he questioned them. But alpha douche just stared at him, not saying anything, as if Blaine were a specimen he'd never examined before.

What kind of professor was he anyway? Blaine asked himself as he held the alpha's gaze, not willing to look away. He wasn't going to let him fucking win.

Blaine leaned forward. Although the dining table separated them and the alpha barely moved, Blaine felt his reaction. It was subtle: the tiniest pull of air and tightening of shoulders.

Blaine wished his impassive mask would crack. But it held, making Blaine feel like he'd dreamt the whole thing. Nevertheless, Blaine had fucking won. Professor Drab had no comeback. He sat there, mute.

May you stay mute forever, Blaine thought, his entire body buzzing from his victory. Blaine smiled sweetly at Professor Drab. Tension thrummed in the air between them. And Blaine wanted nothing more than to break the alpha further. To watch him crumble like the other alphas who'd thought they had a right to dominate omegas just because they were alphas. He wanted to crush him, make him regret the words he'd carelessly spoken a few minutes ago.

Time to put this asshole in his place, Blaine thought smiling. "Go on, Professor Mephis. I didn't mean to interrupt your very historically accurate speech." Take that, Blaine thought, happy with himself when he saw the alpha's dark eyes glow with anger, his impassive mask cracking a little.

Someone cleared their throat, snapping Blaine out of his attack mode. He looked around him and winced when he found everyone staring at him with shocked expressions.

Fuck.

Had he just ruined everyone's dinner with his big mouth? He looked to his right to find Holi staring at him, horror in his beautiful eyes. Dammit. Blaine was scared to look Xaine's way. The alpha was probably pissed.

Shit. He should really learn to shut up. Blaine stared at his plate. He'd promised he'd behave, but... Professor Mephis' words had rubbed him the wrong way. He shouldn't have reacted.

"He's a little passionate about omega rights," Holi said sheepishly. He grasped Blaine's thigh and squeezed. Blaine swallowed a wince as Holi's fingernails dug into his skin.

"Yes, I am," Blaine forced out. "I tend to speak my mind on the subject. I'm sorry if I offended you, Professor."

A fucking lie. Blaine was glad it sounded sincere.

Professor Mephis stared at him for a few awkward beats. For a second there Blaine thought the professor was going to call bullshit, but he gave a slight nod and looked at Klane to continue their conversation. A strange feeling pulled on Blaine's insides. He didn't like that. He didn't like that the alpha had so easily conceded and proceeded to ignore him.

I've lost, Blaine thought, feeling like shit. He hated losing to alphas. He hated that he felt dominated and stupid. He hated that he had to apologise because he was making everyone uncomfortable, even though he was telling the truth. If an alpha said what Blaine had said, the alpha would be seen as empathetic to the plight of omegas. But such an argument from an omega was seen as wrong. The omega would be dubbed headstrong and argumentative.

Fuck, he hated this.

And listening to Professor Drab argue his point grated on Blaine's nerves.

Damn, when was the fucking dinner going to end? Blaine was ready to explode. He'd turned to Holi to excuse himself when the conversation at the table changed. For the first time since the conversation started, Professor Mephis sounded unsure of himself.

Blaine looked up to find the professor pulling awkwardly on his oversized shirt. Blaine wished he could have heard what had been said to make the professor look like that. He hadn't been paying attention.

"It must get lonely," Klane said.

"Yes, it does. I'm dedicated to my work, so I don't feel it as much. I can't say the same for my assistants. They find it hard being away from their families. I had to postpone a lot of my research because I couldn't find an assistant."

"Will you be able to find one this time?" Xaine asked, speaking for the first time since Blaine arrived. "I mean, it would be a waste of my time if you can't."

A hush fell in the room.

"Are you going to fund my research?" Professor Mephis asked. The entire table seemed to hold their breath waiting for Xaine to give his answer. They were all there for the credit, after all. Blaine held his breath too. He couldn't believe Xaine was going to fund an alpha with such wild ideas about their society and omegas' place in it. Whatever the professor's research was about, it shouldn't happen.

"I don't know. It sounds interesting. Though I should be honest your ideas are rather radical. You're a history professor…"

"History and anthropology," Professor Mephis added proudly.

Blaine rolled his eyes. He should be called Professor Nutcase.

"My ideas are not new. Our ancestors lived this life," Professor Mephis glanced at Blaine, "and it was not detrimental to either betas, alphas or omegas. But what is happening now just might be harmful to our way of life."

Was he challenging him? Blaine's nostrils flared as Professor Mephis continued to stare at him. A tingle ran down Blaine spine as anger burned through his veins. He wanted to fucking poke Professor Drab in the eyes. Blaine dug his nails into his thighs to keep from leaping over the table at the professor.

"That's what has me worried. And we must do something to find the answers," Xaine said with a sigh. "I guess you have the funding for your research."

Professor Mephis leaned back and released a deep breath. "Thank you," he said. "Our institution is grateful for your support." He turned to his left and touched the shoulder of the beta who sat next to him. Blaine hadn't noticed the beta sitting there. He'd been so focused on Professor Drab that he hadn't even noticed that he was there with someone.

"I hope finding an assistant won't be a problem. I would like the research project to commence as soon as possible," Xaine said. "The alpha king wants solutions to our omega problem. I would like to present him with a possible solution as soon as possible."

"Yes. We have… applicants… who…" Professor Mephis turned to the beta, looking hopeful. But the beta shook his head. Professor Mephis turned back to Xaine, looking sheepish. "Not at the moment, but we will soon."

"I'll go," Blaine said.