Braun’s fingers shook so badly he had trouble typing in the number for Kell’s house. He hoped beyond hope as it rung that one of the servants answered it, because Krause would probably tell Braun no, that Kell needed his rest before the birth. And he desperately needed to hear his brother’s voice.

“Iverson residence,” an unfamiliar voice answered. Not surprising. Krause liked to fire beta servants for the tiniest of errors.

“Hello, this is Kell’s brother Braun. I’d like to speak to him, please.”

“He was napping the last I was told, but I’ll check. Hold please.”

Braun nearly broke the phone in half with relief. He paced the length of the small guest room, Tarek’s scent still in his nostrils and all over his skin, even though they’d only touched in a few non-intimate places. Braun had been relieved that Tarek was a kind-seeming alpha, and he hadn’t hit him for talking back. Tarek had seemed…impressed. Braun wasn’t used to that from an alpha. He was used to cruelty and demeaning words, not kindness and support.

It took forever for someone to pick up the line again. “Braun?”

The single word shot joy down his spine. “Kell! Oh goddess, it’s you.”

“Hi. It’s so good to hear from you, brother. I’ve missed you desperately.”

“Same.” Kell sounded exhausted. “Are you all right? How’s the pregnancy?”

“Draining. I’m having a difficult time with food, and it’s kept me weak. Krause isn’t happy about it, but he hasn’t come near me since my second trimester, not for sex or for punching. I don’t think he wants to risk the baby.”

Braun grunted. Too bad the asshole didn’t care as much about hurting his own mate. “Please take care of yourself. I can’t wait to meet your first child, even if he is an Iverson.”

Kell released a rusty chuckle. “How have you been, though? I heard about the accident and that you were alive, but where have you been living?”

“It’s a long story, but right now I’m in a safe place with friends who are being kind to me.”

“I’m glad. Really glad.”

Braun debated telling Kell about his first heat, but he didn’t need his brother worrying about him more than he already was. Kell needed to focus all his energy on his upcoming birth.

“Are you able to come see me soon?” Kell asked.

“I’m not sure, but I’ll do my best, I promise. I need to do my brotherly duty and make fun of how big and pregnant you are.”

Kell laughed again. “I’m huge. I can’t believe I’m not giving birth to a small horse, I’m so big. You hear so many stories about how even an alpha can’t resist the charms of a pregnant omega, but they aren’t true. I think Krause avoids me now because I disgust him.”

“Take it as the blessing it is,” Braun said. “Ignoring you is better than hitting you.”

“I know. Please tell me something about you. It’s been months since we’ve talked to each other.”

Braun struggled for something interesting that wasn’t the drama of his last couple of days. “I met a unicorn today.”

“You what?”

“A unicorn. A magical beast that doesn’t truly exist. But he does. He’s a kind alpha.”

Kell made a sputtering sound, half-choke and half-laugh. “You met a kind alpha? Was he ill?”

“No. He was simply…kind. He didn’t speak down to me. He treated me like a person, not an incubator. I so wish you’d met an alpha like him.”

“Are you mating with him?”

Kell’s open suspicion didn’t surprise him. “I don’t know. We both felt the bond, but he isn’t pushing for anything. It’s likely my age.” Although Braun wasn’t so sure. Tarek was twenty-eight, which was unusually old for an unmated alpha.

“Fuck your age,” Kell retorted. “Now that father isn’t around to push you off on any alpha who sniffs with interest, you can wait for an alpha who will at least be decent to you. As long as you’re safe to do so. You should be nearing your first heat soon.”

“I know.” Boy did he know.

“What’s this kind alpha’s name?”

“Tarek.”

“I like his name. If he’s kind to you, and if you’ve felt the bond, don’t give him up. He could be the difference between a happy life, or one like mine.”

Braun’s heart broke for his brother’s pain. Kell was right. Tarek was a catch, in the alpha department, but Braun didn’t trust him. Braun didn’t trust any alpha, period. Tarek’s kindness could be an act for his friends, and the moment they were behind closed doors, he could assault Braun. Beat him. Rape him. Leave him as terrorized as his big brother.

No.

“I’ll try to make the best decision possible,” Braun said. “I promise.”

“Good. Oh Braun, I can’t wait for my son to meet his uncle.”

“Me too. I hope he has our green eyes.”

“Yes. But I hope he’s not an omega.” Kell’s voice hitched. “Krause has knotted me so many times, and it took us three years to conceive. He’ll be furious if my first birth isn’t an alpha heir.”

“Your child will be perfect no matter his gender.” Braun said the words but couldn’t put much enthusiasm into them, because Kell was right. A man like Krause would expect alpha heirs, and he’d be disappointed by anything less. Braun hated to imagine his brother suffering for something he had no biological control over. Alphas were the least common of the three genders and always the most desired.

“I have to go,” Kell said. “If Krause checks the call logs, he’ll be angry if I stay on the line much longer.”

“I’m sorry. I miss you.”

“I miss you, too. I hated not being there to shield you from our father’s rage, but it sounds as if you’re in a better place now.”

“I am. I promise I am. You worry about you and your baby now.”

“Okay. Goodbye, brother.”

“Bye.”

Braun dropped the phone on his bed, then pressed a hand over his mouth as more tears threatened to consume him. Growing up, Kell had been his hero. Three years older, somewhat stronger, he’d bore the brunt of their father’s beatings for years, saving Braun from the pain and bruises. Beatings simply for being born omega, two useless mouths to feed. At first, Braun had been happy for Kell to find a mate and move out—until the bruises continued to appear. And then he’d been heartbroken.

Braun had believed that, as an omega, he was destined for a future full of pain and torment, in between the fever of his quarterly heats. After meeting Tarek, he no longer believed that. He started believing omegas could have happy lives with the right alpha—but not this omega. Braun wouldn’t be fooled by a friendly smile and a commanding voice.

No matter what his body said otherwise.

* * *

Tarek called Dex on his lunch break with good news: as long as an alpha signed off on it as a supervisor, then yes, a beta couple could petition for guardianship of an unmated omega. Dex said he’d file the paperwork that afternoon, with Tarek as the supervising alpha. Tarek hadn’t expected it to be that easy, because he’d never heard of it being done before.

Miracles happened when you thought outside the box.

The rest of Tarek’s day was spent between the two Narrows disappearances—still no leads—and investigating the halfway house Braun had escaped. He got the address from Heely with a lie about a family he knew possibly needing their services. He used that to check for any reports filed by the homeowner, Fynn Lawry, and found none. Not even a missing person call about Braun, which dinged his suspicion bell hard.

Tarek drove to the house, which was in a dreary, dismal neighborhood that gave him the creeps. Bars on all the windows and doors surprised him a bit, because Braun hadn’t mentioned them. He rang the bell.

A rotund beta opened the door. “Can I help you?”

He flashed his badge. “I’m Constable Bloom, and I’m here to speak with Braun Etting. It’s about the car accident that killed his father.”

The man’s eyes narrowed. “Braun is at a doctor’s appointment right now. But you can certainly leave the message with me.”

Interesting lie, because without the heat block, Braun would have been in full heat right now and unable to leave the house. “And you are?”

“Fynn Lawry, I’m in charge of the house.”

“Mr. Lawry, it’s sensitive information. I don’t mind waiting for Braun to return.”

“I’m afraid it’s against house rules to have alphas inside. I’m sure you understand.”

“No alphas at all? Anytime?”

“No.” Fynn came out onto the stoop and shut the door behind him. “You see, we’re a safe house of sorts for unmated omegas, and I wouldn’t be keeping them safe if I brought an alpha onto the premises.”

Unless they were there to sample the goods, apparently.

“I understand,” Tarek replied. “I’ll try again another day.”

“Of course. If you’ll excuse me?” Fynn slipped back into the house.

Tarek went back to his car, then pulled his mobile out of his pocket. Turned off the audio recording app. Later that evening, when he played the recording for Braun and Dex, Braun nearly vibrated out of his chair with anger.

“That piece of garbage,” Braun snarled. “I ran away nearly twenty-four hours ago, and he’s lying about me still living there? To the authorities?”

Riled up Braun was also sexy Braun, and Tarek didn’t need to think those thoughts. Not while sharing takeout pizza with his friends. “It means there’s a good reason he doesn’t want the constabulary involved,” Tarek said. “Official records say you still live there, so as soon as Dex and Serge’s guardianship paperwork goes through, someone is going to start sniffing around that house. Fynn works directly with our people to house omegas, and there is a distinct possibility there are other omegas”—he made air quotes—“living there who disappeared into the night.”

“Goddess, this is horrifying.” Braun slumped back in his chair, dropping his half-eaten slice of garlic and mushroom pizza onto his plate. Tarek loved that his omega enjoyed a healthy amount of garlic in his food.

Not my omega. No.

“It is horrifying,” Tarek replied. “Omegas expect to be protected by the constables, but instead we’re delivering them to someone who, at best, lies to them, and at worst, sells them to whoever will pay.”

“Can’t you just shut them down?”

“I wish it was that simple, but until the guardianship is approved, which should only take a few days, a week at most, I can’t do anything to put you, Dex or Serge in jeopardy by telling anyone I know you. Once the proper paperwork is filed, I’ll nudge the department to begin a proper investigation into Fynn Lawry.”

“I hate that this is happening.”

“I know.” Tarek reached out to squeeze Braun’s shoulder, grateful the young man had allowed Tarek to sit next to him, instead of across the table. “We’ll find a way to shut this down, whatever it is. I promise.”

“Thank you.”

“Thank me by finishing your pizza. You’re skinny enough and need to eat.”

Braun blew a raspberry at him, and then continued eating. Tarek caught Dex’s smirk across the table. His eyes telegraphed exactly how screwed Tarek was, and they both knew it. Tarek was absolutely taken with his firecracker omega, no matter what he told himself otherwise.

The next few days kept Tarek busy, as a third beta teen went missing in the Narrows, and he dug deeper into Fynn Lawry. The man had no criminal record, and he didn’t seem to have any connections to anyone in their database of known criminals. It was possible the name was an alias, but without fingerprints, Tarek’s hands were tied.

Finally, five days after Braun came into their care, Dex and Serge Freel were given guardianship of Braun, with Tarek as the alpha supervisor. It gave Tarek the opening he needed to suggest to his own supervisor, Senior Constable Higgs, that Braun was still on the roster at a union-sponsored halfway house he no longer lived in, and perhaps someone should question why.

Tarek didn’t expect anyone to jump on the request immediately, but it would happen. Fynn would have to come up with a damned good lie this time, or face an investigation—which was exactly what Tarek hoped for. An investigation to expose whatever the hell Fynn was up to.

He’d eaten at Dex’s place every night that week, always with Braun, sometimes with Serge depending on his hospital schedule. Braun was slowly warming up to him, allowing brief physical contact and initiating conversation. He wouldn’t talk about his past home life, but he did frequently mention his excitement over his brother’s impending birth.

“Maybe I could visit him in person soon,” Braun said over dinner that night. Tarek had brought a bottle of wine to celebrate the guardianship papers, and Braun had already finished his first glass. He wasn’t drunk, but he was obviously a lightweight. “I miss Kell so much.”

“I could take you one evening,” Tarek said.

“I don’t know. If Krause is there, he’ll probably be an alphahole, and you might punch him.”

Serge laughed into his wine glass. “You know, I’d pay money to see that. I’ve never met Krause, but from what little you’ve said, I hate him already.”

“Ditto,” Dex said.

“He’d deserve it and more,” Braun said as he speared a piece of pasta. “But no, it’s not a good idea. It would be better if Dex or Serge took me.”

“How about tomorrow morning?” Serge said. “I don’t have to go in until one.”

“Really?” Braun bounced in his seat. “I’d love that, thank you.”

“Friends help each other out.”

“Yeah.” Tarek glanced around the table, grateful for the friends he had. This small, close-knit family of four had become incredibly important to him in less than a week. Braun was important to him, and Tarek vowed over a dinner of pasta and wine that, even if Braun wouldn’t mate him, Tarek would never let another soul hurt Braun Etting ever again.

* * *

Braun was vibrating with nerves when Serge pulled up to the gate at the Iverson house. Serge rolled down the window and pressed the call button on the security box. A moment later, a tinny voice said, “Can I help you?”

“Yes, my name is Serge Freel, and I’m here with Kell’s brother Braun. He’d like to visit, please.”

“One moment.”

Ten or twenty seconds passed before the gate buzzed and began to open. Serge drove up the rolling driveway to the mansion set back on a small hill. Every home in this neighborhood had a similar setup, from gate security to the lush lawns. Kell had absolutely married into money, but he’d also married into violence and fear.

Serge parked in a circular driveway next to a shiny car that cost more money than Braun would see in his lifetime. They both got out, and Braun had to take a few deep breaths before he could walk up the granite steps to the massive double front doors. Brass lion head knockers dared him to touch them with his filthy omega hands.

He let Serge knock.

A young beta in a black uniform opened the door. The foyer was the same marble floors and ostentatious chandelier that Braun remembered, so he didn’t pay much attention. Serge didn’t bother hiding how amazed he was by the décor.

“Mr. Kell is upstairs resting,” the servant said. “One visitor at a time is doctor’s orders.”

“I’m simply the escort,” Serge said. “I can wait here while Braun visits.”

“This way, then.”

Braun followed the servant up the wide, winding staircase. On his infrequent visits, he’d never been on the second floor before. Polished hardwood floors, fancy wallpapers, big oil paintings. All ways to waste money simply because you could, while Braun’s father had scraped for every credit they had, until he was let go from his job and put on government assistance.

The servant opened a big wooden door to a lavish bedroom, complete with a four-post bed, fancy ceiling fan, and life-sized portrait of Krause on one wall. Kell lay in the bed, propped up on pillows, his big belly a small mountain beneath the coverlet.

“Ten minutes,” the servant said, and then left.

Braun practically dove onto the bed. He carefully pulled his very pregnant brother in for a proper hug, savoring the familiar scent of his skin, the softness of his hair. He held tight until Kell’s soft snuffling sounds demanded he investigate.

Kell wiped tears from his eyes. “I’m sorry, I’m just so happy to see you, plus my damned hormones are all over the place. I could pop any day now.”

“I should think so.” Braun placed his palm over Kell’s belly. “He’s huge.”

“And he kicks almost constantly when I want to sleep.”

As if on a cue, a small echo of movement rang in Braun’s palm. “Oh my goddess, I felt him. Have you two discussed names?”

Kell shrugged. “Krause says he’s picked one, and I’m fine with that. I just need this baby to be born already. You always hear how omegas love being pregnant, but I can’t wait for this to be over.”

“Until it happens again.”

“If it happens again.”

Braun couldn’t leave that alone. He settled cross-legged next to Kell and held his hand. “Does your doctor think conceiving again will be difficult?”

“Well, it took almost three years of trying to make one happen. A second child of Krauses’s is…unlikely.”

“Then we’ll have to spoil this one rotten. You’re going to be an amazing omegin.”

“I hope so. I’m already so attached, and we haven’t even met yet.”

Braun rested his ear against Kell’s belly, listening as the baby kicked several more times. “He’ll be a star athlete, I bet, just like his omegin.”

Kell sighed. “I wasn’t that good.”

“You’d have been the star soccer player if omegas were allowed to join the team.”

“Water under the bridge, brother. So many things could have been, had omegas had equal rights, but here we are. Making the best of the life we were given.”

“Yeah.”

“So tell me more about your unicorn Tarek.”

Braun grinned. Tarek had been so attentive every single night since Braun came to live with the Freels, without being pushy or going overboard. He was an alpha, but he didn’t act the way Braun expected him to, which was confusing and wonderful.

“He’s come for dinner every night,” Braun replied. “He’s nothing like I ever expected an alpha to be, and I worry there’s a cruel side to him I simply haven’t seen yet. Krause seemed kind the first time we met him.”

“He did seem kind, yes, but I’ll tell you a secret.” Kell squeezed his hand. “I saw something in his eyes that first day. A coldness that I soon felt through his words and his fists. Trust your first impression of Tarek, Braun. It’s likely the right one.”

“Okay.” His heart wanted Tarek to be a genuinely kind person, but history warned Braun against it.

Braun stretched out next to Kell and wrapped his arms around his brother, desperate for that connection to his last living relative. Kell relaxed into his hold, their cheeks pressed together. He lost track of time, and when the door creaked open, he expected to hear the servant’s voice.

“Another omega in my bed,” Krause sneered in a voice that sent chills down Braun’s spine. “What a kind gift you’ve summoned for me, Kell.”

Braun sat up, his insides trembling in the face of such a cruel, unforgiving alpha. Krause was only a year older than Kell, but he had a fierce, angular face that made him seem closer to forty. Braun took care to keep his gaze on Krause’s throat, instead of anywhere near his cold eyes.

“My brother is visiting,” Kell said. “And I believe his ten minutes have expired. His escort is waiting downstairs.”

The implication was clear: Braun wasn’t here alone, and if Krause touched him, someone else would know.

“Shame,” Krause said. “I’ve always wondered if you both squeal the same when you’re being fucked.”

Kell flushed. Braun’s temper flared, but he resisted the urge to stand up to this alpha. It would only get him in trouble, and Kell didn’t need the fallout.

“It was wonderful to see you, Kell,” Braun said. He kissed his brother on the forehead. “Take care of yourself and the little one.”

“I will. Be safe.”

Braun hated leaving, but he had no choice and no legal leg to stand on if he tried to take Kell with him. Krause was his mate; Kell belonged there. Period. Krause followed him into the corridor, and before Braun could anticipate, he had Braun face-first against the wall, one arm twisted up behind his back. A hand covered his mouth before Braun could cry out, and a semi-hard dick rutted against his ass.

Bile rose in Braun’s throat.

“I could take you right now and no one would care, you simpering little omega,” Krause whispered. “I should, since my mate has been declared off-limits. Betas are fine in a pinch, but there’s something special about an omega’s ass.” He pushed his dick more firmly against Braun, and Braun tried hard not to retch. “Especially another virgin. The first time I took him after heat was over, he bled so sweetly.”

Rage filled Braun’s head with static. He snapped his head forward, smashing Krause’s knuckles into the wall. Krause yelped and let him go. Braun spun away, putting several yards of distance between them. “Don’t touch me,” Braun snarled. “I have another alpha’s protection. A constable. Try anything and he’ll snap your spine.”

Braun must have put a convincing amount of righteous fury into his words, because Krause visibly backed down. Not willing to give the man his back, Braun side-stepped his way down the hall, and then fled down the staircase to the first floor. Serge waited in a fancy wooden chair, and he bolted to his feet when Braun appeared.

“Are you hurt?” Serge asked. “What happened?”

“The usual,” Braun whispered. “His mate is an alphahole.”

“Did he touch you?”

“Yes, but I got away. Don’t tell Tarek, please.”

Serge frowned but dropped it. “You ready to go?”

“No, but I have to.” Braun gave the staircase one last forlorn look, hating himself for leaving Kell behind, but he had no other choice.

Yet.