Chapter 21: The return (2)

"What the fuck are you doing here?" He asked, his voice trembling with anger. His hand slammed against the door, trying to shut it quickly, but Maximilian's long, elegant fingers, trimmed short and perfectly manicured, stopped it. The alpha's hand effortlessly pried the door open further, forcing his way inside with calm determination.

Gabriel didn't back down. He met Maximilian's gaze with a fire that should've been enough to send anyone running. "You really don't know how to take 'no' for an answer, do you?"

Maximilian stepped over the door frame, his green eyes locking onto Gabriel's with a level of intensity that made his skin prickle. The air thickened with the heavy scent of Gabriel's omega heat, which was subtle but undeniably present. It was fresh, a strange fragrance, something that lingered hours after he released them. It seeped into the room, clinging to everything, and Maximilian took a deep breath, catching the delicate scent.

"We need to talk." Maximilian said calmly, his voice smooth and authoritative. He tussled his hair back with one of his right hands. The silver ring with the Claymore's family sigil catching the golden light of the small chandelier. 

The apartment felt cramped with this dominant alpha in. He stepped back from the door, trying his best not to inhale any of Maximilian's pheromones. His body was rapidly responding only to his presence. That was too much. Couldn't he wait another day? Why were they so eager to move things so fast? 

He was in Claymore's head company for more than five years now. They barely moved anything until now. This sudden eagerness in finishing the understanding between von Jaunez and Claymore makes him incredibly uncomfortable. 

"I don't think this is something so urgent that you had to barge like this." Gabriel's tone was low, growling. 

"I don't think we have the luxury of waiting, Gabriel." Max entered the living room with long strides, despite being aware of Gabriel's condition and his hesitation to let him in. He walked in the opposite corner of the omega. He shrugged his black, thin coat and threw it on one of the chairs. He unbuttoned his blazer with graceful movements of his long fingers. It was hot. Max's green eyes never leave Gabriel's face. 

It was only the second time they had met in person; the first was when they worked on a project together, but they did not interact much.

Gabriel looked better than anything he saw on screen; he was tall for an omega, slender, and his body was drawn from elegant lines. His dark eyes were decorated with long, thick black lashes. He was tempting Max; his pheromones were a part of the temptation, but his body and proud stance attracted him more. 

Unfortunately, Gabriel's circumstances were heavily stacked against him. 

Gabriel wasn't blind. He was aware of Max's actions, which included assessing, measuring, and possibly considering Gabriel's status as a dominant omega. He recognized the hungry look of an alpha. Gabriel got shivers down his spine. He hates it more than anything in the world. 

His mark was fading out; the coincidence of it failing and George's urgency put him in a difficult situation. Based on Maximilian's words, he would decide whether to risk his life again by redoing the mark or accept their offer. 

"We do, but not right now. What is this sense of urgency that your family is forcing onto me?" Gabriel was in a tricky situation; he had taken his inhibitors, but the mark's effects disappearing left him vulnerable in any situation when an alpha was alone with him. 

Maximilian wasn't helping him, or at least took his condition into consideration. But what was he expecting? That man and his uncle wanted to barge into his hospital room with him in his most vulnerable state. He was lucky that Anabelle took a liking to him and treated him as a son. 

Callahan, Claymore, and his family were treating him as a pawn, and he knew it. Protesting was pointless; all he needed to do was get what he had promised. 

"Unfortunately, I don't have enough time to entertain the idea of a courting." Max replied. 

"And what does this have to do with me? If you had any awareness, you wouldn't be here in the first place. Call." Gabriel left Max in the living room and picked up a pill bottle from his kitchen counter. He took a few of them in his palm and looked at them for a moment before leaning back and pushing the bitter tablets down his throat. He took a long sip of water and returned to confront his intruder. 

"I'm as pressed for action as you are. I wanted to discuss with you the contractual terms and then both of us can be on our marry way." Max couldn't take any more of the pheromones in. It didn't have a strong smell; it was quite the opposite, but their intensity was something that he didn't expect. 

Max watched the man disappear into the small kitchen and took it upon himself to open all of the living room windows. Even though it was evening, the gentle breeze of late August was hot and dry. He closed his eyes, breathing in the hot air of a busy street. 

"So? What are your conditions?" Gabriel inquired while leaning against the window frame, grateful for the city's suffocating air. His inhibitors would work in a few minutes, but he was annoyed that he had to take them. He consoled himself with the thought that the next day would be free, another day for him to deal with the aftermath. 

"I don't have multiple conditions. Only one. I already have a mate and I want to keep him. We will have a contractual relationship in which I will place a new mark on you while you continue to live your life as before. I am not interested in marrying you." Max tried his best to sound as beneficial for Gabriel as he could.