suspicion and heartbreak

After the morning excitement, everyone went back to their usual routine. After eating breakfast in a dining room with no windows and getting ready for the day, Donovan dropped Alfie off to high school before going to his campus. Iris went out to work and Gabrielle became a stay-home mom.

To look after Easton.

That and she is sort of a… notorious felon, according to the Lab and the po-po.

Easton sighed as he trudged slowly to the basement. Another day of training. Another day of sparring. Another day of torture.

He knows this room like the back of his hand. Easton once tried-out of sheer boredom-if he could open the secret rooms with his eyes closed.

And he did. Flawlessly.

That's sad. Really sad.

Oh well. That's the way things have always been. As Easton passed by his room to reach the adjacent wall (where the training room is at), he stopped.

There was that scent again. It was stronger. Much stronger this time. It blanketed all other senses, making the omega focus solely on the seductive aroma.

He could feel himself becoming aroused, and he just had his heat a few weeks ago. It's not due, not for the next few months.

Suddenly Easton found himself sitting on his bed. He doesn't remember how he got there. And most curiously he is holding a small white ring box in his hands.

The seductive aroma was emenating from the very thing in his hands. As though in a trance, Easton finds himself opening it slowly.

The first thing he sees is hair. A lot of hair crammed into the small space of the ring box. Shaky fingers reach to touch the locks.

When his finger made contact, immediately Easton retracted his finger and shut the box. Whatever that thing is… Whoever put that there… is dangerous.

He quickly shoves it under his mattress right before Gabrielle walks in.

"Let's go, we gotta train." Alpha mother has a look of disdain on her face. Easton's heart drops to his stomach. He'll pay for being late in the training room. He can already feel the muscle soreness everywhere.

"Right." Easton quickly rushes out of his room to the training room. If he hadn't looked back by chance… "Mom?"

Gabrielle immediately stepped out of her son's room, startled and a bit flushed. She swears she saw Easton stuff something under his mattress for a split second. What could it be? It's best to find out…

"Right. To the training room." She briskly walked past Easton as though nothing had happened. Still, she couldn't help but take a glance backwards.

What could Easton be hiding from her?

Easton could only stared back with a hard look on his face.

——

"Thanks for dropping me off Vinny." Alfie smiled teasingly at his personal nickname for Donovan, his striking purple eyes curved in beautiful crescents.

"No problem," Donovan smiled, blinded once again by this boy. He subconciously leaned closer. The atmosphere suddenly had an intimate feel to it. Alfie couldn't help but hope…

Ding!

"It's Mark." Donovan was relieved when he glanced down. Mark's contact showed on the phone screen.

[red heart emoji]Mark[red heart emoji]

From the corner of his eye, Donovan saw Alfie's face darken. Without another word he stepped out of the car angrily. Even going as far as slamming the door shut, making the omega flinch.

"It's for the best." Donovan whispered as tears threatened to fall. He dialed Mark's phone.

"He gone?" A concerned voice immediately picked up the phone after the first ring.

"…yes." Donovan could only stare at his mate's back as it got smaller and smaller. Disappearing altogether in the sea of students.

A honk behind him alerted the college student that he had stayed there too long, and reluctantly, Donovan drove on.

There was silence. It was heavy.

"You can cry if you need to." Mark hesitatingly said.

One by one, hot salty tears run down Donovan's face. He could feel Maverick trying to poke through their connection, but years of practice made it easy to block him.

The day Alfie was born was the day Donovan got his memories back. His twin visited him. The same day he met Mark and…

He shut his eyes as more painful memories entered his mind.

"How can you do it?" Donovan ignored the stubborn tears and asked, hoping his voice sounded much more stable than how he felt. Inwardly the omega cringes. He knows the answer already and yet he still dares to ask.

"I can't." Mark's voice cracked at the end. He quickly covered it up with a cough. "Anyways there's still…"

Donovan bitterly laughed. Tears stopped falling. "I know."

He must fix his wrongs.