Half an hour later, Gabe was still sitting there staring at the orange bottle. He hated to do it, but he canceled class for the rest of the day. Family emergency, he’d said. It was a lame excuse, and he was weak, and he knew it. But he owed it to his students to be present and give them his full attention, and that wouldn’t be possible after what had just happened.

And truthfully, he had no idea what had just happened.

He’d never seen Logan angry, but the pure fury on the Alpha’s face when he saw those pills was terrifying. What was the story there? And more than anger, he looked betrayed, like Gabe had done this on purpose to hurt him.

He didn’t know why Logan had reacted the way he did, but Gabe had an idea who might.

* * *

Julian agreed to meet him at Gabe’s house. He waited on the deck that overlooked the beach, hoping the beautiful view would keep him calm. It was pretty, but it didn’t help.

Finally, he heard Julian’s car pull into the driveway. When the other Omega saw Gabe’s face, he pulled him into a hug. “Are you ok? Do you need me to take you to the doctor?” Julian asked, peering into Gabe’s face.

“I’m not sick,” Gabe said. “Just confused.”

Julian sat down in the deck chair beside Gabe, looking worried. “You said you needed my help?”

“You know about Bright Beach since you’ve lived here all your life. Did something happen with Logan and drugs?” Gabe didn’t see any point in playing coy. He needed to know what was going on.

Julian’s eyes widened. “Not Logan,” he said quietly. “His parents.” The Omega hesitated as if he was afraid to say more.

“Please,” Gabe said. “I’m not interested just to gossip. It’s important.”

Julian sighed, and he looked upwards, clearly thinking. “It was when we were kids. Probably… I don’t know, ten? Holt was a toddler, I guess. Logan and I actually used to play together a lot, but one day my mom said I wasn’t allowed to go over there anymore. She wouldn’t tell me why, but she still let Logan come to our house so I didn’t care too much.” Julian spoke slowly, remembering. “Then a few weeks later Logan didn’t show up for school. The teacher told the class that his mom had died. I heard my parents talking on the phone, they said it was an overdose.”

Gabe froze.

“I didn’t know what that meant at the time, of course, but I felt so bad for him,” Julian continued. “His dad had run off too, and nobody knew where. They found him in a ditch two days later. He got too messed up and ran his car off the road, the police said. Luckily, Logan’s grandparents lived here in Bright Beach, and they ended up legally adopting him and Holt. In a way, it was a good thing. They were much better parents to those boys than their own had ever been.” Julian shook his head. “Drugs, man. Even the legal shit will mess your whole life up if you let it.”

Gabe stared at Julian, horrified as understanding dawned on him. No wonder Logan had reacted the way he did to those pills. Gabe knew that the Alpha had been raised by his grandparents, but he’d never thought to ask why - it seemed too personal.

“Why do you ask? Did something happen?” Julian asked, glancing over at Gabe.

Gabe nodded. “Yeah. I think someone’s setting me up,” he said quietly.

Julian looked startled. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t want to say anything until I know more,” Gabe said. “But I appreciate you coming by and telling me what you know. It was a huge help.”

“I should get going. I can sub for tomorrow morning’s class if you want.”

“I can manage,” Gabe said, feeling guilty, but Julian shook his head.

“Please, Gabe. Let me help you. You take the time to take care of this and come back when you’re ready, ok?” The other Omega hugged Gabe gently. Gabe was surprised to find tears springing to his eyes: he’d enjoyed working with Julian, but now he could see that the other Omega would be a wonderful friend.

“For what it’s worth, I think you and Logan would make a really good couple,” Julian said. “I know he’s got a bad reputation in this town, but I’ve seen the way he is with you. And I think you’d be good for him, too.”

Gabe knew Julian meant to be kind, but the words twisted a knife in his heart. He wasn’t sure if he could salvage their relationship, but he had to try. Gabe managed a weak smile. “Sometimes people surprise you, don’t they?”

“Yes,” Julian agreed. “They really do.”

* * *

After Julian left, Gabe paced his kitchen floor. It was clear now that someone who knew Logan’s history was behind all this. So it was probably someone local.

He froze in his tracks. Was Holt behind it?

The idea was horrible to think about, but it made sense. Holt had been the one who found those pills, after all. So maybe he had planted them. But something about it didn’t quite add up. Gabe had heard stories from Logan about how great Holt was, and the Alpha didn’t seem like the type to be easily fooled. So then why would Holt do this to Gabe?

It hit him like a book falling off a high shelf: Jimmy. Logan had told Gabe that Jimmy was one of the local “bad kids,” and had come close to being expelled any number of times. It was only through the intervention of his father Russell that Jimmy was going to graduate with his class. Could Jimmy have put Holt up to it? Gabe remembered his first love in high school, and how he would have done anything for him, how it seemed so important to be loved. Now that he could believe.

But if it was Jimmy, Gabe doubted he had done it just for fun. Maybe he shared his father Russell’s anti-Omega sentiments? But if so, then why date Holt, an Omega? Unless that was a lie too.

Gabe felt like his head was spinning. It all seemed so crazy but plausible.

But the question was still why? Why spend all this time and energy to get rid of one Omega? He rubbed the place between his eyebrows where a headache was starting to form. He felt like he was missing some crucial piece of the puzzle, but the more he tried to think about it the more frustrated he got.

The sun was setting over the ocean, and the water reflected the luminous pink of the clouds, but Gabe didn’t even see it. He was so tired, suddenly. All he wanted to do was crawl into bed and not come out for a week. But he had people who were counting on him, like the Omegas who were becoming his new family at his gym. No matter what, he couldn’t let them down.

Gabe eased himself out of the chair and went back into the house. He was hungry, but nothing in the fridge seemed appetizing. Maybe a trip to the store would be the distraction he needed to calm himself down.

* * *

Beach Foods was a combination grocery store, beach supply, and souvenir shop, providing anything a person would need all in one place. Every inch of the store was packed with stuff, but it was all lovingly chosen and arranged.

Normally the mix of food, swimwear, beach toys, and seashell magnets made Gabe smile, but today he barely saw them. He picked up one of the little shopping baskets and put it over his arm, trudging up and down the isles of the grocery section of the store.

He was gazing at the display of cookies, wondering if chocolate chips for dinner were ok just this once, when he heard male voices in the next aisle over.

“It’s done. Holt did it today.”

Gabe froze. The shelves were too high for him to see over to tell who was talking, but the voice didn’t sound familiar. Had he heard right? He could have sworn that guy said "Holt."

“Good,” a second voice replied. “But tell your father he’ll get his money when Gabe is gone, not before. I suggest you finish it soon. Try the thing I told you about.”

The Omega felt like he’d swallowed an ice cube whole. Because that second voice was very, very familiar.

It was his ex-husband, Brian.

* * *

His heart pounding, Gabe set the basket on the floor. Slowly, cautiously, he crept to the end of the aisle and peeked around the end. Two men stood in the aisle, talking quietly. One was young, high school age. The other he only saw from the back, but the glimpse of a tall man with blond hair was enough, and he silently backed away. It was his ex, and he was willing to bet the young man was Jimmy.

Everything made sense, suddenly. Brian had been behind it all. Brian was paying Russell to get rid of him. In a way, it wasn’t a surprise: the Alpha had been furious he had to pay alimony after the divorce and swore that Gabe would regret it. The Omega had chalked it up to Brian’s dramatic streak, never dreaming that he would do something like this.

He heard the two men talking, but too low now for him to catch what they were saying. But some arrangement must have been reached, because he heard the click of dress shoes on the tile floor. Gabe quickly ducked behind a display of canned goods, but he saw flashes of Brian as the Alpha exited the store.

The sudden movement had been a mistake: he felt dizzy, faint. The store grew silent around him. Grey spots swam in front of his eyes, and they suddenly covered his vision like a cloud of moths.

His shoulder hitting the hard tile floor was the last thing he remembered.