Liam was well and truly fucked.

He paced the obstetrics waiting room, so he didn’t have to pick a chair and sit, and the constant movement kept him from paying too much attention to Higgs. The big, burly man whose scent had invaded Liam’s senses and had stayed well and truly put this time. That hug had been everything Liam needed and more, and that was the problem. He could not get hung up on a man who didn’t want him back.

And he absolutely did not feel the mating bond with Isa Higgs. Nope. Not even a little bit.

Liar, liar, pants on fucking fire.

Except the pacing was making his feet swell, and eventually he chose a chair four seats away from where Higgs and Tarek were waiting with Braun, who looked pale. Maybe imagining his own pregnancy ending this way in seven more months. Liam couldn’t imagine the fear of going into a surgery that had just as much chance of killing you as saving you and your son’s lives.

A patrolman arrived and spoke privately with Higgs, who turned and gave Liam a truly mournful look. “I have to head back to division,” he said. “But Patrolman Corinth here is going to stay with you, Liam, while you’re outside the ward.”

Liam didn’t understand why Tarek wasn’t enough, but he didn’t contradict the constable. “Thank you for earlier,” he said, instead.

“You’re welcome.”

A little bit of Liam mourned the loss of the alpha he’d come to rely on, but he told that part to shush. It wasn’t useful right now. Patrolman Corinth leaned against the wall nearby, in a good position to see everyone coming and going.

Braun came to sit by Liam and leaned in. “I’m going to assume that you weren’t thanking him for taking your statement,” he whispered. “Did something else happen?”

Liam shrugged. “After Brogan was taken away, I had a minor meltdown in the delivery room. Constable Higgs helped me through it, that’s all.” It was so much more than that, but Braun was a new friend, not someone he trusted enough yet to confide in him.

But Braun studied him with knowing eyes. “Would you feel safe alone in a room with Tarek?”

“What kind of question is that?”

“An honest one. When I first escaped from the halfway house, two unmated alphas cornered me in an alley and tried to rape me. Someone intervened before they could, and I swore I’d never let another alpha near me, but I felt safe with Tarek from the moment I met him, once I gave into the bond.”

Liam groaned. “Please don’t go there.”

“So you did feel it?”

No. “Yes.”

“Did Constable Higgs?”

“I have no idea.” Liam cut a glare at Braun, who only looked curious. “How could he? He’s already had a bondmate, and he’s got three kids. Why would he feel anything for me?”

“Because the mating bond is always reciprocated. It’s how the goddess made us, so we’d be able to find our true mates.”

“Exactly. How can one alpha have two omega bondmates, if we’re only meant to have one?”

“I don’t know, but you should tell him.”

“No way. Promise you won’t say anything, Braun, please.” Liam clutched his wrist. “I don’t want him to know, because what if he feels obligated to me in some way?”

“Dude, he already cares about you. I see it every time he’s near you.”

“Look, I know you mean well, and you’ve been really nice to me, but please promise you won’t say anything to anyone about this bond thing.”

Braun frowned. “Okay, I promise. You have your reasons, and I’ll respect them.”

“Thank you. Besides, I can’t handle any more stress right now. I just…I need to know Brogan is okay, and that’s it. That’s all I want.”

“I get it.” Braun slid his arm across Liam’s shoulders. “Trust me, I get it. When my big brother gave birth last year, it was incredibly difficult, and he almost bled to death.”

“Goddess, that’s awful.”

“It was, but he survived. He and his son are strong, and they’re fighters. Believe that about Brogan.”

Easier said than done, but Liam tried. He tried for the next hour as he waited for news, until Dr. Troi finally found them, his blue scrubs stained red in a few spots. Liam needed help levering his exhausted body onto equally sore feet.

“Brogan is in recovery and resting,” Dr. Troi said. “We were as careful as possible in removing the baby, so I’m optimistic about his chances of avoiding future complications.”

Liam nearly cried with relief. “What about his son?”

“The baby was having trouble breathing after delivery, so we sent him over to the NICU. We’ll know more in a couple of hours.”

Some of his relief shriveled. “When can I see Brogan?”

“He’ll be groggy for a while, because of the anesthetic, so I’ll have a nurse come find you when he’s been delivered back to his room.”

“Thank you so much, Dr. Troi.”

“Just doing my job, lad, but you’re very welcome. And make sure you’re both taking care of yourselves. Stress isn’t good for either of your developing young ones.”

Liam glanced at Braun, who grinned. “He’s my OB,” Braun said, and that did not surprise Liam at all.

“Is he the only OB in the hospital?”

“No, but he’s the best.”

“You flatter,” Dr. Troi said. “Now you both need to relax and rest a bit. Brogan will still be here in an hour.”

“We will, thank you again,” Liam said.

After Dr. Troi left, Liam had zero mental or physical energy left. And he had to pee. He and Braun leaned on each other as they walked back to the ward. After a stop in the bathroom, Liam luxuriated in climbing into bed and getting his feet up. Braun made use of the room’s second bed to relax. As much as Liam wanted to dive into his stack of newspapers, his body had other ideas, and he fell asleep trying very hard not to think about Isa Higgs and his addictive cedar scent.

* * *

Isa cursed his choice to be kept personally apprised of all aspects of this case, because his own decision had him leaving his distressed omega behind at the hospital and driving back to division.

Not. My. Omega.

But they’d made a new arrest, and Isa wanted to be there when he was questioned. He needed to know what had compelled a man to accept credits in exchange for silencing young men’s voices.

Their bust of the fight ring location yesterday had also yielded them a wealth of information about Mad Dog Productions, the front Udall and Dent used for their activities. Financial ties, frequent customers, and known associates, including the doctor who’d performed the surgeries that reduced the voices of at least a dozen omegas in their records. Everything was coded in a way that had taken them most of yesterday to break, but today was leading to one arrest after another, on charges ranging from assault to illegal gambling to rape.

Isa had made it his life’s mission to bring these animals down.

He stalked the corridor to the meeting room Patrolman Corinth said that Dr. Pat Rajel was being held in. Patrolmen and constables alike moved out of his way. Isa was a big guy, and he used that to his advantage when he was intent on something, but he tried hard to rein in his temper around his subordinates.

Rajel was cuffed to a metal table, and the beta man shrank a bit when Isa walked in. Isa looked at the patrolman guarding Rajel. “Has he asked for a lawyer?”

“No, sir, he waved his lawyer.”

Interesting.

“I’m Senior Constable Higgs,” Isa snapped at the man behind the table. “Pat Rajel?”

He nodded. “Dr. Pat Rajel.”

“Not for much longer, once the medical board gets involved.”

“I don’t know what you think I’ve done, but you have the wrong man, Constable. I’ve committed no crime.”

“No?”

“Absolutely not.”

Isa sat in the chair opposite Rajel and put his hands flat on the table. “What exactly is it you do as a physician, Mr. Rajel?”

“Dr. Rajel, and I have a private practice.”

“Private practice, eh?” Isa opened the file that had been left for him and scanned its contents. “It says here you specialize is plastic surgery and body alterations.”

“I do, and they are completely legal specializations, and I believe you’ll find all my licenses are up to date.”

“So your file says. Do you know a man named Esom Dent?”

“No.”

“Do you know a man named Ness Udall?”

“No.”

“How about Jo Ferral?”

“No.”

This guy was a tough nut to crack. “Have you ever performed a surgery intended to reduce a man’s ability to speak or make sounds?”

“Of course not, that’s inhumane.”

“And yet it’s happened to more than a dozen omega victims in the last eighteen months, including more than one who has turned up dead.”

Rajel’s left eye twitched. “I don’t know anything about any of this.”

The man sounded convincing, but… “If you don’t know anything about any of this, then why did we find your name and personal information in a location we recently raided for running an illegal gambling and sex trafficking ring?”

“I have no idea.”

“Of course, you don’t. I wish I could offer you some sort of incentive for cooperating, but we’ve already got one informant who’s getting a good deal, considering his level of involvement in destroying so many innocent lives.”

That eye twitched again. Interesting tell from an otherwise very good actor. Isa pulled a sheet of paper from the file and slid it across the table. “Can you account for your whereabouts on all these dates, including witnesses?”

Rajel perused the paper. “Vacations.”

“You vacation quite a lot, Mr. Rajel.”

“Plastic surgery and body alteration is a lucrative field, constable. You’d be surprised how many men, alphas in particular, are unsatisfied with their…manhood.”

Isa quirked an eyebrow; he was quite happy in that area. “I’ll have to take your word on that. So you were on vacation on all of these dates? Do you have receipts for hotels, or train tickets?”

“Nothing I’ve saved, but I’m sure if you pull my credit card history, you’ll find the charges you need.”

This guy had an answer for everything, and he spoke in such a practiced way that Isa had no doubt he’d spent his entire involvement with Mad Dog Productions building his own defense in case the shit ever hit the fan. “What about witnesses to these vacations?”

“You would have to speak directly with the hotel or train station employees. I’m a single man, and I prefer to vacation alone.”

Of course, he did.

“You see, constable,” Rajel said, “I didn’t ask for a lawyer, because I’ve done nothing wrong.”

“We’ll see about that.” Isa closed the file and took it with him when he left, frustrated at the man’s stoic exterior and ability to cover his tracks. They could keep him in lockup for now, but they needed more proof than simply the information from Mad Dog to tie him to the crimes. Part of that proof was a photographic identification by the omegas they’d rescued. Every photo lineup had to include photos of other men who were not their suspect, so Isa stopped by the main offices for the mug books.

By the time he had his nine photos, it was late afternoon and close to quitting time, but Isa wanted to get this done. It was an excuse to return to the hospital and see Liam, too. First, he called Demir’s mobile.

“Yeah?” his surly youngest answered.

“Just checking in,” Isa replied. “Are you home?”

“Nah, at the library. I’ve got a history project I need to do some research for.”

“Try to be home by six, okay? I’ll have dinner ready.”

“Yeah, whatever. Later.”

Isa glared at his phone after Demir ended the call. Goddess knew he needed to find a way to make it up to, and to win back the love and respect of his sons, starting with Demir. And lusting after an eighteen-year-old omega was not the way to do it. He needed to push back his attraction to Liam as far as possible. Ignore it, pretend he’d never felt it. Stay away from the young omega.

Easier said than done.

Tarek Bloom walked into the office.

“How’s Braun?” Isa asked.

“He’s at home now, with Kell and Branson. When I picked him up, Liam was fast asleep.”

Isa didn’t allow himself to react to the comment about Liam. “I know you just came from there, but I need a favor. Photo ID.” He explained his encounter with Rajel.

“Of course, I can do it,” Tarek said slowly. “You’d rather not?”

“It isn’t that. I just promised Demir I’d be home for dinner, and I’d like to manage it at least once this month.”

“I understand, sir. I’ll get right on this.”

“Thank you.” He handed Tarek the photos. “Rajel is a tough nut to crack, but positive ID’s will help us build our case against him.”

“Yes, sir.”

Tarek headed out again, and Isa went upstairs to his private office to finish out his day doing paperwork he’d put off because of the fight ring bust. He left at five for the first time in weeks, and he stopped by the market for groceries, since he honestly couldn’t remember what was in the house besides cereal and fruit. The concept of “keep it simple, stupid,” turned into the basics for pasta and garlic bread, and Isa had dinner ready and on the table at six on the dot.

At six-oh-seven he sent a text to Demir.

At six-ten he called and got no answer.

Naturally, the constable in him started worrying, because omegas weren’t the only teenagers kidnapped into sex trafficking rings, and Demir was a good-looking kid. It wasn’t that late at night, but Isa had asked him to be home by six.

He called Aven.

“Hey, Dad, what’s up? I’ve got an essay to write,” Aven said.

“Have you seen Demir today?” Isa asked.

“No, he said he was staying at your place tonight.”

It rankled that Aven didn’t refer to ‘his place’ as home. This was still Demir’s home, damn it. “I asked him to be home by six for supper, and he’s late. If you hear from him, please let me know. I worry.”

Aven was silent a beat. “I know. Part of being a constable, right?”

“Being a father, too. And I’ve had a hard couple of cases these last few months.” An odd bubble of emotion swelled inside of Isa, and he blinked hard several times. “I just need to know my boys are safe.”

“If he calls me, I’ll call you. Tarius, too.”

“Thank you. How are your classes?”

“I’m getting high marks in all of them, but I do have this essay due tomorrow.”

Aven code for: I don’t want to talk.

“I understand,” Isa said. “Take care.”

“Yeah.”

Isa hung up to the blissful sound of the front door opening and shutting. He also tamped down his initial wave of anger over Demir being almost fifteen minutes late, because he didn’t want to yell at his youngest right off the bat. The familiar thump of a backpack sounded in the foyer, and then Demir stepped into the dining room.

Demir had the same ashy blond hair and pale skin as his omegin, while his brothers had Isa’s darker brown hair and tanner coloring. He also had his omegin’s fine, delicate features, and Isa was glad every day that his boys were all beta and not omega, especially Demir. He’d be an alpha target by now, and even as a beta, he wasn’t completely safe from harassment.

The first time Aven had come home from school with a black eye, having been suspended for a day for punching an alpha first, Isa had bought him a new game for his system to celebrate. The alpha teen had gotten handsy with his then-fifteen-year-old son, and Aven had fought back instantly. So far, his boys had stayed safe from predators, and he intended to keep it that way.

“Why were you late?” Isa asked. “I said supper was at six.”

“I got caught up in my project,” Demir replied.

“You didn’t answer your phone when I called.”

He yanked the phone from his coat pocket and put it on the table. “It died. You can check if you don’t believe me.”

Isa very much wanted to check, but he also wanted to be able to trust his kid. “I believe you, but you know I worry when I can’t get ahold of you guys. It’s why I bought you all mobiles in the first place.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” Demir plunked into the chair next to Isa’s. There was room at the rectangular table for up to eight people, but Isa preferred sitting side by side when it was just the two of them. “Smells good.” He reached for a piece of garlic bread and took a big bite.

“Thank you.” Isa had doctored the store-bought sauce a little and added extra garlic to the bread, because they both loved it super-garlicky. He served them both scoops of pasta and sauce.

Demir sprinkled a generous amount of red pepper flake on his; the kid liked spicy pasta something fierce, despite liking only plain cheese on his pizza.

“How was school?” Isa asked.

“Boring, mostly. I did get a perfect score on my biology test, though.”

“That’s fantastic.” Isa puffed with pride over his youngest’s accomplishment.

“Meh.” Demir stuffed pasta into his mouth. “Biology is easy. History is kicking my ass, but Aven’s been tutoring me so I don’t totally flunk.”

“That’s good. I’m glad your brother can help you with it.”

“Yeah.”

They ate in silence for a while, but it wasn’t as awkward as it often was when Isa managed to be home for a meal. It almost felt normal—except normal had died with Herris.

“I read about the omegas you saved yesterday,” Demir said. “That really sucks what happened to them.”

“Sucks is an understatement.” And damn it, Isa had managed to go fifteen whole minutes without thinking about Liam. “One of the omegas gave birth today. It was touch-and-go, but I got a message before I left that omegin and son are both doing well.”

“That’s good, I guess.”

“You guess?”

Demir shrugged one shoulder and twirled his fork in his pasta. “I mean, it’s not like any of them wanted to be pregnant, right? Weren’t they all, you know…raped?”

Isa put his own fork down and studied his son. His unhappy expression and sad eyes. The information had made it into the evening papers, thanks to a talkative patrolman who’d be reprimanded once Senior Constable Lars got hold of him, so Isa wasn’t revealing anything unknown about the case. “The five omegas we recovered yesterday were all forced during their last heats, yes. But being raped doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t want their child.”

He couldn’t help thinking of Liam and the choice he’d have to make in a few months: keep the baby, or give him up for adoption. And Isa had no idea what Liam might do. Liam was still so emotionally fragile.

“It’s just hard to believe all the awful shit that’s been happening lately,” Demir said.

Isa couldn’t make himself mention the bad language. “It is hard to believe.” He curled a gentle hand around his son’s wrist. “And believe me when I say we’re doing everything in our power to bring the men responsible for these evils to justice.”

“I know.”

“I also want you to know that if you ever experience any threats or threatening innuendo from other boys, you can tell me about it. Not all alphas stop at harassing only omegas.”

“I will, Dad. Promise.”

“Thank you. Demir, I know these past two years have been hard, and I’m sorry for that. But I’m trying, and I promise I’ll do better by you boys.”

Demir studied him a moment before allowing the smallest grin. “Good. I need my dad back.”

Isa returned the grin. “He’s back, son. I’m not going anywhere ever again.”

He’d do anything in the world for his sons, even turn away from the chance to have another mate in his life. His boys had to come first. No matter what.