2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Blaine

" I 'll go."

The room went deathly silent again. Blaine rolled his eyes. Was everyone going to be shocked every time he opened his mouth?

"Excuse me?" Professor Mephis said. He looked horrified, which tickled Blaine. He loved making alphas sweat, especially this one. Blaine didn't know what it was about the alpha that attracted his wrath. He wanted to see him break into a million pieces. He just fucking rubbed him the wrong way.

"I'll be your assistant," Blaine repeated.

Professor Mephis narrowed his eyes at him as if he didn't understand the words coming out of Blaine's mouth. The beta next to him cleared his throat when Professor Mephis didn't respond for a long time.

"That would be great. We…" the beta said.

"We need someone who is qualified to be…" Professor Mephis interrupted.

"Are you saying I'm uneducated?" Blaine interrupted him too. The beta gasped and looked around the table. "I mean you kind of alluded to that earlier." Blaine turned to Holi innocently. "Are you happy with your alpha funding a…"

The beta jumped to his feet. "You're hired!" he shouted before Blaine could finish his sentence.

"Matews," Professor Mephis growled.

"No. I run your program. It's my job to make sure your research runs smoothly from wherever you are," Matews said, gripping Professor Mephis' arm.

Professor Mephis said nothing for what felt like forever before he gave the most unimpressive nod. If Matews hadn't released an audible breath and smiled at Blaine from across the table, Blaine would have thought the alpha was just stretching his neck or something.

"You're hired," Matews said.

"Thanks," Blaine said, feeling a little disappointed. He didn't know what he'd expected, but this wasn't it. It was a little anticlimactic. Professor Mephis had given in too quickly, making Blaine feel like he'd made the biggest mistake of his life.

Fuck.

What had he just got himself into? Blaine stared at the professor, but he was already walking out of the room with Xaine, Matews and Klane.

Shit.

"What the fuck was that?" Holi asked next to him. The other guests dragged their chairs on the floor as they got up from the table. They walked out of the room with their heads low, disappointed.

That's the fuck how I feel, Blaine thought, staring at them and not answering Holi.

"Blaine?"

"What?"

"What are you doing?"

"Fucking take my mouth away. I don't want it," Blaine said, getting to his feet. "What the fuck did I just do?"

Holi gasped, his eyes going wide. "You didn't mean it?"

"No."

"I knew it. I knew you don't want to go. You know nothing about research or any of that stuff."

"I don't."

"What the fuck, Blaine. What were you thinking?"

He wasn't thinking. That was the problem. He never thought anything through.

Blaine shook his head and buried his face in his hands. Holi gripped his arm and pulled him out of the dining room. They rushed upstairs to a room they'd clearly allocated to Blaine since his case was there. Blaine walked to the bed and dropped down.

Fuck, it was soft! Blaine silently moaned, forgetting the mess he'd created downstairs for a second. He had a thing for beds. Having a lot of siblings can do that to you. When he was young, he hadn't had a bed of his own. He and his siblings had to share. Well, they shared a lot of things since his mother couldn't afford much. When he'd moved into his first commune house it was the same thing. They had to share everything. The only difference was… he'd had his own bed. And he'd loved it so much. He'd gotten obsessed with the damn things from that day on.

Blaine turned over to his side and buried his face into the mattress. Fuck, he could lie here forever.

"Are you just going to lie there?" Holi asked. Everything that had happened a few minutes ago came back to Blaine, messing with his bliss.

If he could scream, he would. But he knew everyone downstairs would hear him.

"What was that about? Why did you say you'll be Professor Mephis' assistant when you don't want to?" Holi asked. The bed dipped as Holi sat down. "Blaine?"

"I don't know," Blaine mumbled. "I was mad."

"Mad?"

"Yes. You know how I get. When I'm mad, the whole fucking world must burn," Blaine said. "And I might have accidentally burned myself this time."

"You're crazy, you know that?" Holi shouted. "I told you your temper will get you into trouble one day."

"I know," Blaine said, rolling over.

"You should go downstairs and tell him you don't want to go with him. I'm sure he'll understand. He doesn't want you as his assistant either. I saw it in his eyes," Holi said. "I think he hates you."

Holi's words grated on Blaine, even though Holi was only telling the truth. Professor Mephis didn't want Blaine as his assistant. And that fact was the very thing that had got Blaine into this mess.

Blaine sat up and sighed.

What's done is done, I might as well ride the wave, he thought as he got to his feet and reached for his case.

"What are you doing?" Holi asked, looking a little horrified. "You can't go with him tonight. You have to sign the paperwork from the authorities to make everything official. He has to become your alpha. Or have you forgotten that part?"

Fuck, he had forgotten.

Blaine dropped down on the bed, feeling weak. How could he forget the most important thing? How could he forget the fact that in order for him to get the job, Professor Drab had to become his alpha.

Oh, shit.

Blaine inwardly cringed. He must have made a weird face because Holi shook his head. "Please go down there and tell them you made a mistake," Holi begged.

"No. It's fine. I need a job anyway. He's no different from any other alpha. I can do this," Blaine said.

"You hated those alphas. How are you going to tolerate Professor Mephis for days on end when you couldn't sit across from him at the dinner table?"

"Alphas are all the same. I'll call him master a few times and stay out of his way," Blaine said. "At least I'll get to travel."

"You don't know that alpha," Holi said. "He seems different to me."

"Different how?"

"He's not what he seems. There's something there. I just don't know what," Holi said. "You shouldn't go with him. You don't know who he is."

"Did you know Xaine when you came to live with him?" Blaine asked. Holi's eyes widened just as Blaine realized what he'd just said. "I don't mean… Professor Mephis and I would end up like you and Xaine. I just meant you didn't know Xaine. And you were afraid of him. I'm not afraid of Professor Mephis." As a matter of fact, Blaine wanted to cut him down and see him bleed. The professor was going to regret ever insulting omegas in Blaine's presence once he was done with him.

"Because I had feelings for Xaine. It scared me," Holi said. "Do you have feelings for…"

"No! Fuck no!" Blaine said. He rubbed his arms in disgust. "Did you look at him?"

"What?" Holi laughed.

"He looks unkempt. His hair is too long and lifeless. If he hadn't announced to the damn room that he was a history and anthropology professor, I wouldn't have guessed."

"You could have just said he's not your type of alpha."

"That too. I'm sure he's not anyone's type."

"He's handsome, though."

"Where?"

"He has a nice strong face. He was just ill-dressed, that's all."

"Are you supposed to notice that?" Blaine asked. "Xaine would kill Professor Mephis if he heard you say that. And Xaine is way hotter. He should wear white more. I couldn't stop staring at him."

"And you're not supposed to notice that!" Holi screamed. He dragged Blaine into a headlock and dragged him down on the bed. "Take that back," Holi said, laughing as he pinned Blaine to the bed. They wrestled around until Blaine tapped out.

"I'll keep my lusty eyes off your alpha. I promise," Blaine said breathing hard. There was a slight knock at the door before it was pushed open, and Xaine came into view. "Maybe I can't," Blaine whispered staring at Xaine. Holi growled, making Blaine laugh.

"Professor Mephis would like to have a word with you. He's waiting for you in my office," Xaine said.

"Okay, thank you," Blaine said and made his way downstairs. He found Xaine's office and stood outside the door for a few seconds before he opened the door and walked in.

"I'll get everything set for you so you can leave as soon as possible," Matews said to Professor Drab before he turned to Blaine. "And Blaine, I'll see you in a few days to make your employment official. Goodnight."

Matews walked out of the office, leaving them alone. Blaine looked from the door to Professor Drab, his chest tightening. Fuck. Blaine wasn't ready to be alone with the alpha yet. He'd hoped Matews would ease them into it slowly, wait until they had to leave for the trip for them to be alone. Blaine wouldn't have any choice then but to bear it.

The air in the office suddenly became thick. With his already tight chest, Blaine found it hard to breathe. And it didn't help that Professor Mephis just stood there staring at him. The alpha was far more intense than Blaine had thought. The professor's blank face made it even worse. He hadn't been like that when they were seated at dinner.

Fuck. Maybe he couldn't do this after all.

Blaine thought about taking his offer back, but he still needed a job and a place to stay. He couldn't rely on Holi for everything, especially now that he couldn't get another job through the Omega Placement Agency. He should be glad he'd managed to get himself a job before he'd had to ask the omega for another favour. Blaine needed this job, no matter how unconventionally it had come to him.

"You wanted to see me," Blaine said, even though he didn't have to. The silence was getting to him, and he didn't do well with awkward silences. He had a need to fill them. And he tended to say stupid shit.

Professor Mephis stared at him coldly, before he turned and walked to the window. He sighed audibly as if he didn't know what to do with him.

Blaine smiled smugly. He liked it when alphas were stumped, and they didn't know how to deal with him. But Professor Mephis was yet to break. He was a tough one.

"You're the first omega who…" he trailed off and continued his hard stare out the window.

"The first omega who what… challenged you?" Blaine asked haughtily, joy thrumming through his veins. Blaine wanted to shout, because he'd fucking thought he hadn't gotten to Professor Mephis. It was time to watch him explode. But Blaine's joy was short lived when Professor Drab didn't answer him.

It was like pulling teeth.

"Are we going to just stand here, with me staring at your back?" Blaine asked irritably.

"You're going to regret this," the professor told him without turning around.

"I won't," Blaine fired back.

"There's a reason why my other assistants quit. They couldn't handle the long days out there. The travelling. It's going to be just you and me in a hover shuttle; nothing else."

"If I am going to be talking to your back the whole time, it just might be terrible," Blaine said. "I see why your other assistants quit."

Professor Mephis turned and stared at him. Blaine waited for him to explode, to show any emotion. But he didn't. "You're really not qualified for this," he said instead.

What? Blaine had thought they were over this. "Is this about my education again?"

"No. It's your need to provoke me. It's juvenile. I'm not looking for a cub. I need someone to assist me with my research, not play games. You don't have a professional bone in your body."

Blaine balled his hands into fists and held back the words that rushed to his mind. He wanted him to be a professional? He'll give him professional.

"I guess I'll see you once we leave," Blaine said and turned to walk out of the office.

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into," Professor Mephis said, stopping him in his tracks.

"I know," Blaine said with a shrug. "But I can handle it. I'm a quick learner. I'm sure I'll pick up whatever you teach me. You'll teach me, right?"

"We're going to be travelling to the farthest parts of the planet. The rural of the rural. Nothing fancy," Professor Mephis said, instead of answering his question.

Blaine shook his head. "Nothing can penetrate that thick skull of yours, can it? I said I can handle it. Stop trying to scare me off. I might seem uneducated to you, but I know research projects don't happen in the backyard."

"Right," Professor Mephis said. He gave Blaine one last look and then walked towards him. Blaine's stomach did a funny dance that sent tingles up his spine as Professor Mephis got closer. Blaine danced from one foot to another, not sure what to do with himself. Professor Mephis stopped moving. They stared at each other for one tense moment. Fuck, his eyes were really dark and intense. And he was bigger than Blaine had imagined. The damn big clothes hid a lot.

"What?" Blaine said, uncomfortable as Professor Mephis continued to stare at him.

"You're blocking the door." Professor Mephis pointed behind Blaine.

Blaine looked over his shoulder.

Fuck, damn… Blaine moved to the side and Professor Mephis walked out without a backward glance. Blaine closed his eyes as his cheeks heated. He rubbed his cheeks and walked out of the office, leaving his embarrassment there. It was a good thing he had a talent for compartmentalising, or he'd be feeling that wash of embarrassment for days. If Blaine didn't want to think about something, he shoved it to the back of his mind and he forgot about it.

Blaine shoved Professor Drab to the back of his mind. He'd pull him out when he had to deal with him. For now, he wanted to forget this night ever happened. Blaine went back to his room where he didn't bother to unpack because he would be leaving soon.

Well, that's what he thought.

Five days later, he was still waiting. It were as if that night had never happened. He tried his best not to think the worst, but he couldn't help it. Professor Drab didn't like the idea that Blaine was his assistant. What if he ditched him? Not that Blaine was desperate to be employed by the alpha.

"Who am I kidding? I am desperate," Blaine said, staring up at the ceiling forlornly. He needed to find a new situation, because he couldn't stand being in the Covus mansion. Xaine and Holi didn't make him feel unwelcome or anything… they just… Blaine blushed thinking about it. Holi and Xaine fucked everywhere in the house. Being around the happy couple wasn't fun. It made Blaine long for things he didn't want, and he was reminded of what he was every single day. Even though he was an omega, he didn't want an alpha of his own and he sure as hell didn't want a cub. But watching Xaine and Holi had Blaine's omega instincts tingling. Normally he could fight those desires, but all the love in the air was too strong. He needed to get out of there.

What was taking Matews and Professor Drab so long? Blaine asked himself, just as there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Blaine said, sitting up.

"I knew I'd find you in here," Holi said as he walked into the room.

"Are you and Xaine done for the day because I really want to get some fresh air?" Blaine had been stuck in that room for hours now.

Blaine laughed when Holi's face turned red.

"We're done. He has a meeting," he said, not looking at him.

"And if he didn't have a meeting?"

"Stop," Holi said playfully swatting at him. "You'll find your own alpha and you'll know what it feels like."

"Xaine is going to knock you up if you're not careful," Blaine told him, ignoring the other bit about him finding an alpha. He wasn't. Blaine refrained from telling Holi that because the omega already thought he was weird for not wanting things all omegas wanted.

Before Holi could respond there was another knock at the door.

"Yes," Holi called.

"A beta named Matews is here to see Blaine," whoever was out there said.

Blaine's heart jolted. A shiver ran down his spine. Fuck. Was he excited?

No.

He couldn't be excited to see Professor Drab. No. He was just happy to have a job. He couldn't spend another day in Holi's house, or he would find himself bonded and pregnant.

The horror.

Nope. Blaine rushed to the door and made his way downstairs. He found Matews waiting there for him with an officer from the council. Blaine had seen a lot of them, and he could easily recognize them from a mile away.

"Where is…" Blaine asked without thinking.

"He's waiting for you in the shuttle. Let's make everything official so you can be on your way. Officer?" Matews said. The officer from the council stepped forward and gave the data reader to Matews to sign the documents first.

Blaine stared at them confused. "But I thought Professor Mephis was going to be my employer."

"No. You're being employed by the director of the institution. He's an alpha," Matews said. He suddenly looked uncomfortable as he handed Blaine the data reader to sign.

"I thought Professor Mephis was going to be my alpha," Blaine said, taking it.

"No. He, ahhh…" Matews glanced at him for a second. An emotion Blaine couldn't decipher passed through the beta's eyes. "He didn't want to take on the responsibility."

Yeah, of course he didn't. Blaine pressed his thumb in the allotted slot and handed the data reader to the council officer. Why it bothered him, he didn't know. He didn't want Professor Drab to be his alpha either. He only wanted a job.

"Don't look so sad. This is a good thing. You'll be working for the director. You'll still have a job once Professor Mephis' research is done. You can choose another professor to work with," Matews said.

"Okay. That's great," Blaine said, even though it didn't feel great. He should look on the bright side. He wouldn't have to submit to any alpha if he didn't want to only the director. It sounded too good to be true, though. Alphas demanded submission, even though they didn't deserve it. But Blaine would deal with that when he came to it. He knew how to shut alphas down. Right then he needed to survive working for Professor Drab.

Blaine inwardly cringed. He barely tolerated the alpha. Blaine wondered how they were going to survive being stuck in a hover shuttle for…

Fuck. How long was the fieldwork going to take? He hadn't asked.

Fuck… fuck… fuck…

Me and my big mouth, Blaine groaned. Professor Drab had tried to warn him. But at the time it had felt like he was talking down to him, questioning Blaine's education and everything. He might not have gone beyond his A-levels in the learning centre because his mother didn't have the credit, but he had been an A student.

"Do you need help carrying your things?" Matews asked.

"No. I don't have a lot of stuff. I'll go get my case," Blaine said. He headed upstairs to fetch his case. Unbidden excitement pinched his skin with every step he took. Blaine didn't even want to think about why he was so excited. He ignored the tingling along his spine and the fast thumping of his heart.

"Are you leaving?" Holi asked, walking down the hallway from his room.

"Yes. I'm off," Blaine said excitedly.

Fuck. What was wrong with him? He shouldn't feel excited about this. He was going away with a strange alpha.

"I can see that," Holi said. A sly smile on his lips. "I'm going to miss you."

"I doubt that." Blaine imitated Holi's tone, making the omega blush. "But I'm going to miss you, more than you know."

"Come, I'll walk you out," Holi said. He hooked his arm around Blaine's free one and together they walked out of the house. "Please behave yourself while you're out there."

"I ahhh…" Blaine stopped in his tracks when he saw Professor Drab leaning against the weird-looking hover shuttle. Well, it wasn't exactly weird, it was just not the kind Blaine was used to. It was modified, with most of the windows gone and the back a little longer than normal. It even had a balcony of sorts at the back. But even that didn't capture Blaine's attention. The alpha leaning against the shuttle took all of Blaine's attention. He was…

Oh fuck.

He wasn't the alpha Blaine remembered from five nights ago. He was…

"Oh fuck," Holi said next to him, sounding as stunned as Blaine was. They were looking at a totally different alpha. "He's hot as fuck."

Blaine swallowed the retort that Holi shouldn't be noticing Professor Mephis because Xaine would kill him, but he couldn't even bring himself to say it because he was confused as fuck. And Blaine couldn't deny that the alpha they were staring at was hot as fuck. And Holi had every right to notice him… everyone would notice him… including Blaine… and it scared Blaine shitless that he did notice.

Gone were the big drabby clothes, and in their place was a form-fitting shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to show muscled arms and insane ink along the smoothest skin Blaine had ever seen on an alpha. His shaggy hair was pulled into a loose bun atop his head, to reveal shaved sides.

Shaved sides, for goodness sakes.

What the fuck?

"No… no… no…" Blaine cried. "I want my Professor Drab."

"Professor Drab?"

"That's what I call him," Blaine groused. Now the name didn't fit. Nothing fit the image he had of the alpha in his head.

"He doesn't look anything like that. I guess you were wrong," Holi laughed, making Blaine growl. Which only made his friend laugh harder before he sobered and then gave Blaine a concerned stare. "Are you sure you don't like him?"

"Fuck no," Blaine said. "I hate him."

"Yet you're leaving with him. It doesn't make any sense?"

"I don't have to like him to work for him."

Holi stared at him for what felt like forever, making Blaine feel like what he'd said was a lie. It wasn't a lie. Blaine really didn't like the alpha. He was doing this because he needed a job, and he had no other way to get it. He wasn't going to burden Holi. He'd helped him too many times. It was time Blaine did something for himself. Even if it meant he had to put his trust in Professor Drab.

Blaine silently groaned. The name didn't fit him anymore. What was he going to call him?

"You're going to connect with me and whine, asking me to send a shuttle to fetch you in a few days, aren't you? You look like you're already thinking of an escape route."

"I'm not."

"You are."

"No. I'm going to do a damn fine job. And I don't whine," Blaine said, walking away.

"Good luck," Holi shouted after him.

"Thank you," Blaine said, staring at Professor Mephis. The alpha hadn't moved from his spot against the shuttle. He wasn't going to help him with his case then. He was being a douche… yep… that name suited him. Professor Douche.