Chapter 9

Damian sat on the condo balcony video chatting with his mom. Their business had wrapped up, and they were still on vacation. They were due back this weekend. Antonia was excited.

News had reached them about the case and the new outlets had reached out for interviews. David was dealing with that while Antonia made sure their son was sane.

"You look good," she said. "Your color's back."

Damian smiled. He'd been ghost white for a week after everything. A few days before they'd gone back to school, he'd gone to have a blood test. He hadn't told anyone he was going and had somehow snuck out without Tay knowing.

The results had taken a couple of hours to come back so he had spent some time alone in the food court. It had given him time to think things over.

He hadn't come to terms with everything so to speak, but he couldn't deny it'd happened. He'd been raped for whatever sick reason, and he was going to have to live with that fact for the rest of his life. He was somehow going to come to terms with it.

He could look at it one of two ways. He could mourn the even the rest of his life as a victim and hide, or he could live as a survivor. He was't sure which one he was leaning towards just yet. He'd have to do some more sould searching before he figured it all out.

The first step was getting this test. It was for him solely.

Luckily, it came back negative. He was relieved as well as happy. It meant he could have a free life without too many repercussions.

"Damian? Are you okay?" He looked back up at his iPad. His mother's face was drawn as she looked at him. His silence had concerned her.

He smiled and nodded. "I'm fine. It's been a long week. The new freshmen ask a lot of questions. Most of them are transfers who were finally able to get in."

"What are your classes this semester?"

"I have four hours of practicum and one history class. The rest are electives like swimming and food science. One to work out and one for fun. Although I'm not so sure I should do swimming though."

"Son, don't make rash decisions," his dad said. He was out of frame and undoubtedly listening.

There was some scarring on his back and arms from that night. A few were from fighting back, but he wasn't sure about the others. From what he saw in the mirror, they looked like bite marks. He was too nervous to ask Tay about them so he left them alone.

That didn't mean he wanted people to see them. He had just gotten the courage to go back out in public. He didn't want to answer questions he didn't have the answers to.

"Where's Tay?" Antonia asked. She was nervous about the far off look in her son's eyes.

"Uh… He went out with Em Stratland for a meeting or something. He said he'd be home late."

"Are you alone?"

"Mom?" Damian looked into his mother's brown gaze. "What do you think about Tay?"

Antonia stared at the pixelated boy she'd give birth to. Right now he wasn't her baby. He was an Omega in need of answers.

"What do you want to know?"

He shifted, drawing his feet up to fend off the cool night air. "I just want to know what you think about him."

David's face came into view. "What is it, son?"

Damian told his parents everything. He knew it was dangerous because of his father, but he didn't have anyone else to talk to. His mind was overwrought with too many thoughts that contradicted all of his emotions.

He wanted some answers, but his heart was fragile. He wasn't sure he could handle his parents' rejection if he chose Tay.

"Are you sure of his feelings for you?" his dad asked.

"I'm not sure of anything right now. All I want is to get rid of anything that reminds me of that night." He paused for a moment. "Jak said I smelled like him."

"That's to be expected, son. Your body is more receptive than ours to scent changes. We can sleep with anyone, unlike you." David sighed at his son's long face. "If you think Tay is the one for you, I won't stop you. But he will not hurt you."

"I don't think he will, dear," Antonia replied. She smiled at her husband's and son's reactions. "Tay hasn't been around this long for no reason. Middle school to now is a long time for someone to have feelings for another."

Damian wasn't sure how he felt about his parents knowing how long Tay had liked him, but a part of him was relieved to have told them. They'd never kept secrets from each other despite how hard it was.

They ended their call with lots of love and well wishes. His parents would be home this weekend so it wouldn't be too much longer. He wasn't sure if he'd go home just yet. He guessed it depended on how this week went.

He sat on the balcony for a long time, soaking in the chill. It was one the first few times he felt anything. Lately he'd been walking around numb from the inside out. Not too much brough him excitement these days, and he figured it was due to everything over the last couple of weeks.

The front door opened and closed. Damian didn't move, wrapping his arms around his knees. He watched the night life of the city, sitting quietly as he did.

Even when the balcony door slid open, he stayed where he was. A blanket landed on his tucked knees as a mug hovered in front of his face. Damian took it then looked at Tay.

"I would say you'll catch your death, but I know you won't listen," he said. He took a sip from his mug, his eyes drifting over the city.

"Did you finish your business?" Damian asked.

Tay hummed. "Em thinks the next series should be a science fiction one. I'm not too sure so I said I'd research it then back to him."

"That's probably a smart idea."

The dark headed Alpha frowned. Damian had barely spoken to him since yesterday afternoon, opting to sit and read. They didn't even ride together to school to finish welcome week. Next week they returned to classes for their final semester and were in different departments.

Damian got up and went back in the house. Tay followed him, watching as he washed his mug then folded the blanket. He disappeared in the bedroom returning with a book. He curled up on the couch and picked up where he left off.

Tay didn't blame him. He hadn't been honest with him for years, and it had taken Jak to make him face reality. If Dmaian was mad and refused to talk to him, there was nothing he could do.

He sat down beside him and turned on his laptop to work. They sat in utter silence only the flipping of pages and clicking of keys was heard.

A phone broke through their awkward moment. Damian pulled his phone from his pocket and checked the screen. He answered soon after.

"Hey, Jak," he said. He saw out of the corner of his eye Tay glance over.

"Have you seen the news?" Jak asked.

"Yeah, I've seen it. I've talked to my parents too."

"Are you all right?"

Damian closed his book and rubbed his eyes. "I'm fine. I'm not happy about it, but I was warned ahead of time so I've had time to prepare for it."

Jak let out a string of curses. "Pass the phone to the asshole."

He didn't deny Tay was beside him so he passed his phone. Tay took it, answering immediately. Damian listened as best he could, but Jak had lowered his typically loud voice. He finally gave up on eavesdropping and returned to his book.

Tay ended the call and set the phone on Damian's thigh. He let out a frustrated sigh. Life was getting out of hand.

"What did he say?" Damian asked.

"They found Evan Dorlane in the river last night. Jak found out from one of his friends interning at the police station. He was strangled to death," he replied.

The other man sat quietly for a moment. So there would be no justice? At least he wouldn't have to face him.

But Tay was still worked up. If the guy who'd hurt him was dead, why was he acting like things had only gotten worse?

"Tay, what's wrong? What is going on?" he asked.

"Evan was found with a business card in his pocket. It was the card of Conrad Evers, owner of Everly Place."

The Omega sat there staring at him. He was stunned. "But that place…"

Tay nodded. "Exactly. It'd allegedly been the circle for Omega trafficking."

Damian threw his book across the room with a desperate cry. It bounced off the wall, leaving a dark scuff mark on the white paint. He stared at it for a long time before turning tear-filled blue eyes to him.

Tay bit his lip at the distressed look on the other man's face. This was worse than his revelation yesterday. At least that would make him happy once he took time to digest it.

"That could have been me," he muttered. One tear slid down his cheek. "If he'd have finished that night, he could have sold me to someone. He could have marketed me as an easy Omega."

He grabbed the remote and it followed the book. This one shattered completely. He went to grab Tay's mug, but the other man grabbed his hand. Tay tugged him forward, crushing his face to his chest.

Damian started to struggle. "Let me go! Tay! Let me go!"

"Stop fighting me, Damian, and relax," Tay argued.

Damian hit him in the ribs. "Let me go!"

"Damian!"

Tay released a powerful burst of pheromones. It was a low blow, and one Damian couldn't fight it. His eyes drooped as his forehead hit Tay's shoulder. His breathing leveled out, and his body relaxed. It gave Tay the opportunity to pull him against him.

The other man shook uncontrollably as sobs wracked his body. They were painful and cmae from deep within his soul. As much as he'd worked through in the last several days, he was still ashamed. Now they were finding this out.

Tay wrapped his entire body around him in hopes it would soothe him. But he knew there wasn't much that could ease that pain.

They lay there for a long time. Damian's sobs finally subsided and he lay still. Tay ran his fingers through the other man's hair. When he finally dropped off to sleep, Tay stayed where he was so he didn't make things worse.

As he held the Omega, the Alpha's anger raged. He knew they'd find some more information once this hit the news, but he wasn't prepared for this.

Omegas weren't a commodity. They were people who were no different than anybody else. They just happened to have a different makeup than their Alpha counterparts. They were encouraged to find an Alpha where Alphas didn't necessarily need an Omega. But they didn't need to.

They were very few and far between, and male Omegas were born one in every fifteen hundred Omega births. That didn't mean they were to be sold.

Tay was going to look into Conrad Evers and his many businesses. If he needed to, he'd involve David Marquette. The older Alpha would destroy anyone who was after his son.