“Good morning, sexy,” Charlene called out to Lidon. “How’s married life treating you?”

He sent her a grin as he folded his long frame into a chair next to her desk. “Pretty sweet, thank you.”

“Have you guys christened every room in your house yet?”

Charlene was one of the few people who knew of Lidon’s home, and the only reason was her husband John had been Lidon’s boss when he first started on the force. He was now a high-ranking officer in the corps. Charlene knew he wanted to keep that information to himself, so she never breathed a word to anyone.

“We’re making good headway,” he laughed, hoping she wouldn’t see through it.

The truth was that something was off with Vieno that he couldn’t put his finger on. At first, he’d chalked it up to him needing time to adjust to all the changes, but three days later, he wasn’t so sure that was the case. His heat was coming in a few days, but it felt like something else. Something bigger.

Charlene’s eyes narrowed for a second, but she decided to let it go. Thank fuck for that.

“Excellon,” she said, lowering her voice. “That birth control you asked me to look into for possible bribery?”

He nodded, leaning in. “What did you find out?”

“You were right about the company that owns it. It’s a small company called Lukos, founded five years ago. They developed Excellon, as well as two other drugs. One is still in clinical trial, a heat suppressant for male omegas called X34 for now while it awaits approval from the government. The other is—”

“X34?” Lidon interrupted her. He’d heard that name before. He’d even discussed it with Enar. Wait, Blondie. The blond beta he’d arrested and then let go, the one who had bought the meds for his omega husband. “I recently arrested a drug dealer who sold that stuff.”

Charlene nodded. “I’m not surprised. I don’t understand half of what I read, but the clinical trial results are promising. If the stuff is half as good as they claim, I bet omegas can’t wait to get their hands on it.”

Lidon’s thoughts drifted to Vieno. Would this be an option for him to suppress some of the excesses of his heat? Then Enar’s remarks popped back into his head. Did Lidon really want to diminish Vieno’s heat? Enar had been right, there was something powerful about being needed and wanted that way.

“You still with me?” Charlene asked.

“Yeah, sorry. Went on a tangent. What else did you discover?”

“The third patent they have is for another birth control method, also aimed at male omegas. It passed clinical trials with flying colors, but there’s administrative hold up at the approval level. It’s called Optimon.”

Hadn’t Enar said something about that as well, about a more effective birth control method that still hadn’t been approved? He’d called Lidon naive when he’d asked why.

“Anything strike you as unusual in what you discovered?” he asked.

Charlene leaned even farther forward and her voice dropped to a whisper. “Yes. One, it’s highly unusual for a company that young in that field to have three successful patents in such a short time. Medical research usually takes a decade, if not more, and requires a high degree of experience and a truckload of money. No one had ever heard of Lukos until five years ago, and they’re highly secretive. It’s not a publicly traded company either, all privately owned.”

Lidon frowned. She had a good point, though he wasn’t familiar enough with company structures and research processes to have thought of that himself. He could check that with Enar, maybe even with Palani who excelled at investigating stuff.

“Two, I do believe there’s bribery going on, on various levels. The delay in government approval for Optimon is suspicious, considering the results of the clinical trials. And your source was correct that insurance companies are putting pressure on doctors not to prescribe it. I suspect they’ve teamed up with the big three drug companies, but I haven’t gotten clear evidence yet.”

“Damn, if that’s true, this is big,” Lidon said, his mind reeling with the implications of a case this big. Why hadn’t the white-collar division looked into this? Were they in on this as well?

“This is as far as I can go because Ryland is monitoring me closely. He can’t fire me because of John, but he stopped trusting me a long time ago. I think he may somehow be plugged into my emails or even all my electronic actions, and I can’t risk him finding out what I’m discovering. You’re on your own now, Lidon.”

Shit, he’d been right. They were part of the problem, at least Ryland was. He’d never liked the guy, but he hadn’t been expecting this. If Ryland was dirty, how many more cases were not being investigated because of him or others who had been bribed?

“Have you talked to Internal Affairs?” Lidon asked, his voice barely audible.

She nodded. “Yes. For months now. They’re building a case, but he’s slippery.”

“Thank you. Be careful, okay?”

She grabbed his wrist. “You be careful. He’s…dangerous. I know you’re a bad ass cop and all, but he’s operating without any morals whatsoever. If he’s find out you’re digging into this, he’ll come after you… Promise me you’ll protect yourself.”

He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “I will.”

As he walked back to his own desk, her words spun around in his head. What the hell had he gotten himself into? This sat far, far outside his scope of responsibilities, and yet he couldn’t let this go. Not if other cops, fellow officers, deliberately turned a blind eye to crime. But was he willing to face the shit storm this could cause when he got himself involved in this? Charlene’s warning sat fresh on his mind.

Protect the Pack.

His father’s words rang clear in his head. If what Charlene said was true, and he had no doubt it was, Ryland wouldn’t only come after him. He’d come after those Lidon loved. His main priority wasn’t to protect himself, but those around him. Vieno. Enar. Even Palani. He had to find a way to keep them safe. Vieno, first and foremost.

* * *

As soon as Lidon left for work after eating the breakfast Vieno had cooked for him, Vieno started working on the kitchen. Lidon had spent the two days after their wedding home with him, helping Vieno find his way around and explaining how everything worked. 

Plus, consummating their marriage. They’d fucked like rabbits, to put it crudely, which was wonderful and confusing at the same time because first, Vieno wasn’t used to having sex outside his heat, and second, he hadn’t expected to love the sex as much as he did. What did it say about him that he so easily switched from one man he’d claimed to love to another? 

The thought made him slightly nauseous, so he pushed it away. He needed to focus on what made him happy, not dwell on what made him sad. Otherwise that sinking sensation would come back, and he couldn’t do that to Lidon. The man deserved more. After everything he’d done for Vieno, he deserved a happy omega who took great care of him, so Vieno would do his damndest to be that person. 

He put on some happy music, spending a minute or two trying to remember how Lidon’s expensive sound system worked, then another five minutes being wowed by the sheer sound of the thing. Wearing bright yellow gloves, he tackled the fridge first. God, the thing was…gross. He’d opted to make Lidon oatmeal this morning, too afraid to open anything other than milk until he’d sanitized the fridge.

True to his word, Lidon had arranged for an almost literal truckload of groceries to be delivered to the gate the day after their wedding. Vieno had spent an hour making a grocery list and Lidon had called it in to get it delivered the same day. It was amazing what you could accomplish when money wasn’t an issue, Vieno discovered. 

Most of the groceries still stood stacked in crates outside the kitchen. Lidon had offered to help put them away, but Vieno had declined. It was senseless when he would have to take everything out again to clean. 

He scrubbed the fridge until it looked new and smelled like lemon, then put all the refrigerated products back in. Phew, that was done. He emptied his bucket in the sink, then took off his gloves to rest for a second. 

He was tired, for some reason. His heat was two days away, so was that bothering him? He always slept more the day before, as his body stored up sleep since he wouldn’t get much the forty-eight hours of his heat. It could also be because everything was still so new. The house was magnificent, but it felt empty to him, all by himself. The emptiness didn't scare him, but he felt more alone than in their apartment. Palani’s apartment. 

God, he missed him. He hadn’t dared to contact him with Lidon at home, even though his alpha had assured him he could call Palani at any time. He didn’t want them to stop being friends, he’d explained to Vieno, just hold off on seeing each other for a little bit to get used to the new situation. Vieno considered that a reasonable request, so he’d agreed.

He had not expected to miss Palani this much. Even the thought of him made his stomach cramp and his heart contract painfully. He needed to hear his voice, ensure he was okay. He’d dialed the number before he could talk himself out of it over guilt toward Lidon.

“Hey, baby,” Palani answered, then quickly corrected, “Vieno. Sorry, force of habit. How are you?”

Vieno’s knees buckled at the sound of his voice and he slid onto the floor, his back against the kitchen cabinets. His throat was so constricted, he had to swallow a few times.

“Vieno? Are you okay?” Palani asked with concern in his voice. 

“I’m…I’m okay. Good. I’m good,” Vieno managed. 

“You don’t sound good.”

He’d never been able to fool Palani. He knew him too well and was tuned into him to read his every mood.

“I’m adjusting,” he said.

“I know it’s hard, baby.” This time, Palani didn’t seem to realize he’d used the term endearment again, and Vieno wasn’t telling him. He loved it when Palani called him that. “It’ll take time before you feel settled.”

“His house is…huge.”

Palani laughed, but it didn’t sound all that happy, more like he was trying to cheer Vieno up. “It's massive, right? Enar gave me the five-minute tour when we dropped off your stuff, but holy fucking hell, I’ve never seen anything like it. I take it you’re cleaning?”

He knew him so well. “Fridge is done and I’m about to start on the rest of the kitchen.”

“Good. That will help you feel better as well. You love cleaning and the dirt is probably getting on your nerves, right?”

“Yeah, I guess. Lidon says I can start any renovation project I want. Did you see the out buildings and stuff? I want to rebuild the chicken coop and start with a vegetable garden.”

“You’ll love that. I’m so happy Lidon gives you a free hand in that. Are you still happy you quit your job?”

“Yeah. I never wanted to have a career.”

Palani’s voice softened. “I know, baby. I’m so excited you get to have your dream, build a family.”

His words were wonderful and horrible at the same time. How could it hurt so fucking much to hear him say that? “How are things with you and Enar?” Vieno asked, wiping away a stray tear. “Are you guys…together?”

Palani sighed. “I'm not sure. We…hooked up, I guess? It’s complicated.”

Complicated. That word didn’t even begin described how fucked up everything was. Vieno laughed. “Everything is complicated,” he said and then his laugh transitioned into a sob. “It’s so fucking complicated…”

“Vieno…”

All it took was his name falling from those lips. Those gorgeous lips that he’d kissed a thousand times, always knowing it wouldn’t last, and now that his fears had become reality, he would give anything for one more kiss, one more touch, one more…

“I have to go,” he sobbed. “I can’t do this. This hurts too fucking much.”

“It will get better, I promise… Baby, listen to me.”

Vieno let Palani’s words roll over him, trying to soak in the promises, to believe them.

“It. Will. Get. Better. You have to believe that, okay? Lidon is a good man, baby, a good man. He’ll grow to love you, I promise you. I know it hurts, but it will become less.”

Vieno’s eyes were so full of tears he couldn’t see anything anymore. “Do…does it hurt for you, too?”

Palani took a long time to answer. “Like being cut with a thousand knives.”

* * *

Enar ushered a patient out the clinic where he rented a sterile room a couple of days a month to do procedures.

“Thank you so much, Dr. Magnusson,” the woman said over her shoulder, supported by her husband as she shuffled to her car. He’d tied her tubes because she kept getting pregnant and with six kids, both her and her husband were done. Like many from the working class, they were uninsured, so they would've never been able to afford the cost of a “real” clinic. Enar loved he could provide services like this to the underprivileged.

He walked back in. Janet, his assistant, was cleaning up the room and sterilizing everything for the next patient, but he wouldn’t be here for another thirty minutes. Good. Maybe he could get something to eat, because his stomach was complaining loudly.

He’d just crammed half a sandwich from the convenience store around the corner in his mouth when his phone rang with the ringtone he’d set for Lidon.

“Yo,” he said with his mouth full. “What’s up?”

“Can you talk?” Lidon asked, his voice tight.

Enar quickly swallowed. “Yeah.” He closed the door of the tiny office he was in. Janet had music on her earbuds anyway when she was cleaning, but he wanted to make sure. “What’s going on?”

“Remember we talked about Excellon? When I called you, you mentioned another birth control that was more effective but hadn’t been approved yet.”

“Yeah, Optimon, but it's being blocked for approval, somehow.”

“Did you know the same company that owns Excellon produces Optimon as well? Lukos?”

“I did. It’s not uncommon for a company to own multiple patents or products aimed at the same market, even competing ones, if that’s what you were worried about.”

“They also own X34, that heat suppressant we found during a raid. You helped the omega husband of the guy I initially arrested.”

“I remember. He’s being tested for the gene, but the results haven’t come in yet. But why are you telling me all this? What’s your point?”

“Isn’t it unusual for a young, privately owned company like Lukos to realize three successful patents in such a short time?”

Enar cocked his head. Huh. He’d never looked at it that way. “It is, actually. But I thought you were looking into bribery from the competitors?”

“I am, but this was brought to my attention and you know how I feel about anomalies.”

Enar smiled. “I do. Are you gonna look into this further? Because this is far, far outside your scope…”

“There’s a cop,” Lidon said and the tension in his voice had Enar sit up straight. “He’s the second in command at the white-collar division, the department that should be looking into this. He’s not. In fact, I have a source who tells me IA has an eye on Ryland.”

“Oh, fuck. If Internal Affairs is conducting an investigation, they must have some proof he’s dirty, right? This is bad news, Lidon. If he finds out you’re going behind his back on this investigation…”

“I know, which is why I can’t dig deeper. Not while he’s still there. It could compromise IA’s case against him.”

“Not to speak of the danger it would put you in. I would say that ranks higher than IA.”

“Do you think I could ask Palani to investigate? It would be a major scoop for him.”

Enar pushed a breath out. “Oh, boy. That’s thin, thin ice you’re stepping on. If Palani so much as gets a whiff of how dirty your boy Ryland is, he’ll nail him to a cross in one of his pieces. And if he does… Lidon, you’d have to tell him. You’d be putting him in real danger.”

“Yeah, I'm aware.” Lidon sounded miserable. “I’ve looked at it from every way, but I can’t see another way.”

“You could wait with the investigation until Ryland is caught,” Enar suggested.

“I would, if I knew for certain he was the only bad apple. Did you read that last article Palani wrote, about the homicide cop who turned out to be taking bribes to let evidence disappear? He stated once again how widespread the problem is. If he’s right, it won’t be just Ryland, but him and a dozen others, and it could take years before they’re all gone. Meanwhile, these meds are being kept from people who need them, and that’s an injustice I can’t ignore.”

“Then tell him. Tell Palani your suspicions about Ryland so he doesn’t go in blind. They’re targeting him already and this could put a bulls-eye on his back.”

Lidon was quiet for a second. “You’re quite…passionate about his safety,” he said, the question implicit.

“Fuck you,” Enar said, then sighed. “We’re… I have no idea what we are, but I like him, okay? And you do too, don’t deny it.”

The silence hung comfortably between them for a while.

“I’m worried about Vieno,” Lidon then said.

Enar frowned. “Why? What’s wrong with him?” He did a quick mental calculation. “Is it his heat that’s coming? Couple more days, right?”

“Yeah, but I don’t think that’s it. He seems…lifeless. Passive. He’s not sleeping well and he barely eats.”

“He needs time to adjust,” Enar said, his voice gentle. “He's experienced big changes, all at light-speed.” He remembered what Palani had told him, about Vieno being prone to depression. “But keep an eye on him, okay? Maybe being by himself in that gigantic house isn’t the best thing for him.”

“What do you want me to do about that? I can’t spend every day with him… Palani didn’t either and he was doing fine with him.”

Something about that statement triggered Enar, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. “Don’t forget that he’s also missing Palani,” he said.

“I know. But that will pass, right? Considering I claimed him.”

“I expect so,” Enar said. “Are you…are you jealous of what he has with Palani? Or had, I should say.”

Lidon sighed. “I should be, but I’m not. I’m more confused. The connection between him and me is so strong, and I know he senses it too…”

This was the perfect opening if he ever saw one. “Speaking of that connection,” Enar said. “I have a theory.” He explained his idea that what Lidon was experiencing was a version of the fated mates that had been common amongst his ancestors.

“Fated mates? Fucking hell man, you didn’t think that was worth mentioning before I claimed him?”

Lidon didn’t sound angry, more stunned. “The fact that you wanted to alpha-claim him triggered my suspicions. I’ve never seen you act the way you do with Vieno. You’re so…tender with him, so involved. Patient. It’s…special to witness.”

“It sounds sappy as fuck, but it’s exactly how I feel about him, as if he opened a part of me that was there all along but was hidden somehow. Closed off. But fated mates…holy fuck, I didn’t see that one coming.”

“There’s a lot we don’t know about how that stuff worked back then,” Enar said. “But from what I’ve read, it sounds an awful lot like what you and Vieno experience. The way he responded to you, how fast he recovered from the effects on his long-term use of heat suppressants… He was in horrible shape when I first saw him and to watch his transformation into a healthy omega within forty-eight hours? It was nothing short of amazing.”

“I…I don’t know what to say. I wanna say you’re right, but damn, I need some time to wrap my head around this.”

“That’s fine. Vieno isn’t going anywhere. Just…take good care of him, okay? He may need more time than you to adapt to all the changes. Life’s not been easy for him. And when you decide to go after that fucker, with or without Palani’s help, be careful. For yourself, but also for Vieno. He’s your weak spot now.”

Lidon was quiet for a long time. “Protect the Pack,” he finally said.

“What? What does that mean?” Enar asked, frowning.

“You be careful as well, Enar. Look over your shoulder. Vieno’s not my only weak spot.”