Chapter - 11 Running Out Of Time

Delcain's Point Of View

Everything was happening too fast. Too much information was coming from too many places, and I was out of time. I wasn't going to tell this secret unless Tristan asked, but I didn't have that luxury anymore. Cole's father was the stuff of nightmares, if I could take Tristan's place and suffer for him I would, but that wasn't an option.

Today, I learned just how far these Alphas would go for Tristan. They clearly had no problems killing anyone who hurt him. Not to mention it was painfully obvious that they loved him, or at least had feelings for him. There was a down side to all the knowledge I knew about Tristan and his constitution. Some days I wished my mother never told me, it was all so burdensome. However, he was my best friend and my loving big brother, his happiness meant everything to me.

As I sat in the room looking at the despairing Alphas I was torn on what to do. There was a stop gap of sorts to save Tristan, however it would put these Alphas in a lot of danger as well. Not only that but, we would need to separate from Tristan for a few days... I wasn't even sure Tristan would agree, or if these Alphas could convince him. His future and happiness depended on this however, so I had to try.

"Um... I'll be right back. None of you leave this room... please..." I said standing up.

"What's going on now?" Bellamy asked.

"I promise to explain in a bit. Just... Stay here." I said, heading for the bathroom where Ferdinand and Tristan were.

I walked in to find Ferdinand holding Tristan as he softly cried in his arms. I turned on the tub and let it fill up, startling Tristan and earning a confused glare from Ferdinand.

'Honestly, for some reason this guy isn't scary to me at all... like a lion cub trying to appear big...'

"Do you have any bath bombs or oils here?" I asked Ferdinand.

"There's a closet in the hall outside this room to the left, take what you want." He replied.

I made my way out of the room, ignoring the confused looks from the others, and reached the closet. It had everything I needed. I grabbed two large dry off towels, a blue fluffy bath robe, a rose colored bath bomb that smelled like strawberries, oil that smelled like vanilla, and a red loofah sponge. As I walked back into the room, the Alphas eyes widened.

"Do you need some help?" Sylvester asked.

"No. Just stay put." I said, walking back to the bathroom.

I entered the bathroom and placed everything on the counter. I dropped the bath bomb into the tub, it was almost full now. Then I dripped 5 drops of the oil in and then turned off the water.

"Ferdinand, please get out. I'll explain in a bit. Please wait with the others." I said.

I expected him to protest, and the fact that he didn't only confirmed I wasn't making a mistake. He kissed Tristan's forehead and sat him down on the toilet. He gave me a quizzical look one last time, before leaving the bathroom.

I closed the door and turned to face Tristan. He had stopped crying and was now also looking at me confused.

"Delcain? What are you doing?" He asked me.

I hesitated for a brief moment, I was scared of his answer. Scared I might hurt him with my rushed carelessness, but the alternative was far worse. So I had no choice but to play the bad guy, to save his life.

"Tristan... strip, and get in the tub. Once you're in I'll explain everything. Just... trust me on this one, okay?" I said, taking his face in my hands and pressing my forehead against his.

He looked back into my eyes searching, before slowly nodding his head. As he undressed, I spread out the robe and found an unopened toothbrush inside a cabinet above the toilet. When I heard the sloshing of water I turned around to face Tristan. I knelt down beside the tub, putting his hair behind his left ear. He leaned his head against mine, taking a slow shuddering breath.

"Listen to me carefully Tristan... in order to save yourself and preserve your future you have to mate with those Alphas." I said as calmly as possible.

Tristan froze immediately, and looked back up at me shocked and confused.

"What are you talking about? I don't even know how, or if I even want to... Why are you saying this?" He asked, tears forming in his eyes again.

"There is a fail safe plan, woven into your DNA by Auntie Maybelline. In the event that you take 3 or more mates, your body will violently reject the pheromones and sperm of any other Alphas until you have a successful birth by each of your mates. Do you understand what I'm saying?" I asked.

"No... what are you saying? That if I mate with them, unless I have 4 children– one by each of them– the government can't take me back?" Tristan asked.

"That's not exactly true... there are many ways they can take you back... If you were loved by lesser Alphas I would never bring this up, but as we saw today these guys can clearly handle themselves. I find it hard to believe they could abduct all 4 of them, much less hold them hostage until you birth all their children." I said, once again pressing my forehead against his.

"But... I'm scared... 4 seems a bit much, right?" He asked, tears flowing.

"Could you choose two or three and leave one or two out of the equation? Understand that this will only work because Ferdinand is a Hyper-Dominant Alpha, take him out and you wouldn't be able to pull it off. Also, they absolutely adore you and the kids, you should see the girls turning those scary twin Alphas into putty in their hands. Sable even braided Payhne's hair. I don't doubt they will do right by you, and by extension us." I said, wiping his tears away.

He leaned against me breathing deeply for a while, I could tell he was thinking things over. I didn't want him to agree without knowing the full impossible task ahead of him.

"Listen, it will be pretty hard on you physically and mentally. I won't sugar coat it, so I want you to think over everything properly before making a decision, okay?" I asked.

"Tell me what I'd have to do, then I'll think about it..." He said, his voice full of trepidation.

"You would have to take them in order of strongest Dominant Alpha to weakest. While they knot you they will have to mark you in that order. Ferdinand being the strongest will mark your nape. The next will mark your right shoulder, third will mark your left shoulder, forth will mark your right wrist. Ferdinand will then need to mark your left wrist but he doesn't necessarily have to knot you that time. However, all of this will need to be done while they force your heat and you, in turn, force their ruts. The hardest part for you will be to not pass out, but I'm sure Mr. Pharmaceuticals can find a way around that. I'll leave all the minor details to them." As I explained everything to him, his frown was replaced with horror.

Who could blame him, it was a daunting task. One that he would need to do alone. The bright side was that his heat would ensure his body thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. On the other hand, his mind was liable to break afterwards.

"How long do I have, to think about it?" He asked.

"I wish I could say take all the time you need, but realistically speaking, you have until Cole's father gets back from Delgaide. It's not like your pheromones wash off easily, and that disgusting bastard no doubt remembers our scents. It's all he ever talked about when he touched me. The moment Cole reunites with his father will spell our doom, and the countdown clock will begin." I replied.

"Okay so at best a week, at worst a few days. I understand... I'll think about it." Tristan said, hugging his knees.

"One more thing, you will need to separate from us to do it, if you do decide to do it. You can't do it here, we can't risk the kids with the Alphas pheromones. Also I figure, it would be embarrassing for you if the girls found out or heard you... take a bath... soak, and think things over... I'll talk to the guys. Okay?"

"Del... what do you think I should do?" He asked.

"Honestly if I could, I'd do it for you. I will say this, unlike a normal mating, once they mate with you, they can never take another mate. They uh... won't be able to get it up, without your pheromones. So if they choose to mate you, then they probably are serious about their feelings for you too." I replied.

"Wait what? That sounds like a huge and major drawback!" He exclaimed, wide eyed.

"Only if they don't actually love you... so think about it carefully big brother, I'll support your decision no matter what you choose." I said, walking out the bathroom.

'Out of the frying pan, and into the fire...'

As I walked out of the bathroom and softly closed the door, I was met with hard quizzical stares when I turned around. They looked like kids waiting for a lecture from their parents.

"Okay I think we've–"

"I think you can stand to wait a little more, don't you? Don't push me on this, it's taking everything I have to summon the will to even tell you, understand?" I said, cutting Sylvester off.

He had become somewhat unhinged after walking into Barthélemy's office today. I understood but, rushing this would spell our doom. I walked over to an empty chair, they had clearly set out for me. It was positioned in front of them, as they sat on the bed and floor in a semi-circle.

I took a deep breath to settle myself I really didn't want to say what I had to say, but I also wanted to give Tristan a fighting chance.

"Tell me something, would you all give your lives to save my brother?" I asked, deadly serious.

They all answered with variations of 'yes' and 'of course'.

"Would you all live to save my brother?" I asked.

This time I was met with confused stares.

"Anyone can die to save someone, but you are no good to my brother dead. I'm asking you, will you do everything in your power to ensure you live. So you can guarantee his safety and happiness?" I said.

The Alphas looked contemplative for a bit before giving slow serious nods, sensing I wasn't just vetting them for my brother's sake.

"There is a way to negate his suffering, but it will need you to remain alive and vigilant, presumably for the rest of your lives. Will you comply? Will you take on the world and guarantee you will not die– in vain or otherwise– and leave my brother all alone? Yes, I know what I'm asking sounds unfeasible, but so is the burden you will place on my brother should you fail... So? What will you do? What say you?" I asserted.

"Naturally I'm not a violent guy, but I feel myself getting more and more volatile the more Tristan is in danger. I'll do everything I can to protect him and to stay by his side." Bellamy said, cooly.

"I can black out and snap when I get too angry or upset, but I also know I don't want to die and give these guys more time with Tristan without me." Cole said, with a boyish grin.

"I'm a fairly violent guy, even before I met Tristan. I promise that I'll be his sword. After all a broken sword can't protect its master." Sylvester said, with a shrug.

"I am not known for my patience, just the thought of Tristan being in danger sends me spiraling. However I never run headlong into danger without a plan, and I never fight alone. I will protect him forever." Ferdinand said, eyes full of determination.

They had all pledge their loyalty and resolution to stay by my brother's side and to protect him. I had no more concerns.

"There is a fail safe, woven in his DNA. Made possible by our Auntie Maybelline, Arrisa's mother." I began.

"What kind of fail safe?" Ferdinand asked.

"The kind that would make it impossible for the government to use him as a breeding machine." I replied.

"W-Wait what?!" Sylvester and Ferdinand yelled at once.

"What are the conditions?" Bellamy asked.

"What are the drawbacks?" Cole asked.

"Mating with Tristan... when Tristan takes 3 or more mates, his physical constitution will temporarily shift. He will violently reject the pheromones and sperm of any Alpha that is not his mate. However, that will only be the case until he bares at least one child with each of you." I said.

It was so quiet you could hear a mouse fart. The men stared at me in total shock. No one said anything. That is, until Sylvester broke the silence.

"I knew it! It just didn't seem real. An Omega always in heat would surely try to end things one way or another. It just didn't make sense that marking and bonding would have no reaction... what happens after he gives birth to each of our kids?" Sylvester asked.

"His pheromones will become stronger, basically inciting you and any other species to breed him again. The real problem will be with you..." I said, looking away.

"What do you mean? We don't become impotent right?" Cole asked, looking concerned.

"Your not 100% wrong..." I said, but before I got to finish my statement all of the Alphas stood up. Their eyes were glowing sharply.

"Hahaha! Let people finish will you. Jeez. I don't know why you're getting mad at me, I didn't splice his DNA. Also if you love my brother then it won't be much of a sacrifice." I said, barely holding back my laughter. It was pretty fun teasing these monstrous Alphas. You could clearly see when their brains hit the gutter, hard.

"Elaborate fully Delcain. Stop messing around." Ferdinand said, his eyes still glowing.

I stood up as well and squared my shoulders, planting my feet right in front of him. He really was amusing when it came to Tristan, but he was still a man after all. It was clear there was no greater hell for him, than being near Tristan in heat and not being able to help him.

"If you love my brother then it shouldn't matter right? Even if your dick never rose again would you still love him?" I asked, staring right into his bright golden eyes.

"Yes. That's not the problem though... the problem will be Tristan's unsatisfied body and my inability to help him." He said, his pheromones flaring.

"Hahaha! Right. Right. Of course. Then it's fine. Once you mate with Tristan you will become impotent to any and everyone but Tristan and the Alphas you share a mating bond with. For you guys it's for life. That will not be the case for Tristan. If you die, your mark will fade from his body. That is the heavy price you will pay for bonding with him." I said with a nonchalant shrug, as I plopped back down in my chair.

Each of the men collapsed back to their seats in relief. It was good to see that none of them found that to be a particular hindrance. If anything they looked happy, almost glad even, that that was the case.

"So let me get this straight... if we mate with Tristan, we can never get it up for anyone else except for Tristan and each other. On top of that, even if he was taken they couldn't force him to become a baby factory unless he's had a kid with all of us?" Cole asked for clarification.

"The troubling part is what your implying, no?" Bellamy asked. I liked this guy, he seemed smart as hell and quick on the up take.

"Yes. There are two problems with this plan. It does not mean they won't still take him. There are still ways to get what they want, and these men are very patient men. Also if any of you die before he births your child the bond will break, your mark will fade, and his body will call out to any and all Dominant Alphas to try to complete him once again. That will be a worse hell for Tristan." I replied.

"They'd still keep him, even if he can't be bred?" Sylvester asked.

"Tell me, if they took him what would you do?" I asked seriously.

"Well obviously I'd go and get him–" his words died as realization dawned on his face.

"They would gladly take you all one at a time. Force his heat and your ruts ensuring he gets pregnant each time. Until they have all of you, and all of your children. And as a last lesson for you, they wouldn't set you free once they no longer needed you. They'd keep you around to make sure you produced perfect children, all the while making you watch as your children got sold off and Tristan was taken by multiple men for scientific research purposes. Don't underestimate the levels of depravity they will go to." I said.

"True, they killed Tristan's mother and let her die slowly in his arms to teach him a lesson." Ferdinand added.

"Is that why you asked us to live for him?" Bellamy asked, as insightful as ever.

"Yes. Protecting Tristan will be your number one priority. Because if they get Tristan consider that, check. If they get Tristan, and even just one of you? Check mate." I replied.

"I understand now." Ferdinand said.

"Bellamy if you can get a few injectable Amphetamines, mating Tristan won't be too hard. The hardest part will be keeping him conscious. But I assume Mr. Pharmaceuticals can concoct something to stop him from passing out and keep that from happening." I said.

"Yes, I can definitely put something together for him in two days." Bellamy replied.

"Another thing, is that you can't do it here. We can't risk the girls being exposed to prolonged bouts of your pheromones, they are also Dominant Omegas after all." I noted.

"Hmm... I noticed they had a calming effect on the twins earlier. Now it all makes sense." Ferdinand said.

"I guess if he agrees, we could use this opportunity to show him Ferdinand's house... though house might not be an adequate name for it." Sylvester said.

"The time frame we have is until Cole's father gets back from Delgaide. After that we will be screwed. If there's one thing I know for sure is, that disgusting bastard knows our scents like he knows our faces." I said.

"Understood. Does Tristan know?" Cole asked.

"More or less... he's going to think it over... his future hinges on his answer." I replied.

"Why are you just now telling us? I thought you said mating him wouldn't change anything?" Ferdinand asked.

"Because at that time, I thought we had more time. I wasn't going to say anything unless Tristan asked, but knowing who Cole's father is now... Tristan was right, we're so fucked. That man didn't just have a sick obsession with Omegas, he had a sick obsession with us specifically. Me, Tristan, Kaleb, Sable, and Arrisa. There were many reasons why we ran, but he was the number one reason." I revealed.

"Wait... all of you?" Bellamy asked.

"I told you didn't I? That man was in charge of who got tested and for how long. The ones with pheromones with the sweetest smells were his favorite, even more so if they were beautiful. At the time he couldn't sexually stimulate the girls because they were much too young. He would force his pheromones on them to incite their own pheromones. Then he would just breathe into their neck while touching himself... the boys however were a bit different..." I said, gripping my stomach at the memory. I too wanted to throw up, just as Tristan had.

"You don't have to finish...we understand what you mean now." Ferdinand said.

"No you really don't... there is no way for you to fully comprehend the depravity he subjected us to... he would make it seem like it was such an honor to be chosen by him. Out of the hundreds of children there, we five were selected. Since he couldn't do what he wanted with us at the lab he had devised a scheme. He would adopt Sable and Arrisa prematurely, they were both Dominant Omegas and beautiful. He wouldn't need to abide by the institutions rules or wait till their coming of age if they were his possessions." I said taking a deep breath.

"Wow... what a disgusting bastard... and the boys?" Cole asked, also looking sick to his stomach.

"Naturally he couldn't take Tristan, so he opted to father Tristan's first child and spend an entire week making sure he got pregnant. As for me and Kaleb... we were both Recessive Omegas, his strong pheromones were awful. It made us unable to use or control our bodies. He would basically molest us while smothering us with his pheromones, and since we were just old enough and boys, the facility didn't mind. As long as he didn't break our chastity, so things like oral were not off the table for that man. After all, how could the lab tell it's benefactor no, right? So even though the possibility of us bearing his kids were not necessarily high, he still wanted to keep us as pets. Pets that could teach and prep the girls..." I said, pulling my knees to my chest.

"Your mom must have been the best at gathering intel to have told you all this." Bellamy replied.

"Hahaha... haah. Yeah if only... Those plans were said straight from the bastards mouth himself, as he thrust his cock into my throat... Or when he'd induce my heat and touch me until I passed out from ejactulating too much.... The more he came to see us, the more elaborate his plans for us became. And since he was our benefactor, he got special unsupervised visits with us whenever he wanted. As long as the lab got our semen samples and their rules were followed they didn't care." I said, tears forming in my eyes.

The men just stared at me in shocked horror... their faces would be comical if not for the memories currently flooding my brain.

"T-That's just..." Bellamy said.

"W-What the hell man!?" Sylvester asked.

"What a fucking bastard..." Ferdinand murmured.

"I'm going to kill him, he doesn't deserve mercy..." Cole said, eyes glowing a beautiful vibrant hazel-green. His eyes were enchanting.

"So understand, Tristan's panic attack earlier was very justified. Because if that's what he did and said to us, what he did and said to Tristan must have been brutal."

Now all the men looked to be sick to their stomachs as well. Cole especially, looked as though he was going to vomit any moment. Who could blame him, his relationship with his father might have been strained, but it couldn't help knowing what a monster he was either.

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Bellamy's Point Of View

This situation was getting out of hand, there was a silver lining but it wasn't a permanent solution. I would have to get ahold of his genome information to make inhibitors and suppressants just for him, until I could make a cure all. But before that I had to make an Amphetamine that would help him stay conscious but also not give him terrible withdrawals.

*BZZZ...BZZZ...BZZZ...BZZZ*

"Stellah? Bout damn time. Where are you?"

—I just got back into town from Lore'rahlye. Don't blame me, there were road blocks and checkpoints everywhere. What the hell is happening in Sayenrio?

"No clue... we are at the Golden Lion. How long until you get here?"

—I'm pulling up now, Mr. Impatient! Jeez! You said you got the bullet out and he's no longer bleeding, stop freaking out.

"I'm not freaking out, but we would like him to not wake up before he gets the stitches and antibiotics."

—Fine. Whatever. Just send someone down to get me. You know how much I hate this place.

*Click*

"Stellah is downstairs. I'm going to go get her." I said looking over the room.

"Okay, I'll go check on Kaleb." Delcain replied.

I headed out the room and down the elevator. Luckily I didn't have to go far, she was waiting at the elevator. Once she got in and the doors closed I slid the card into its slot again and it began its accent.

"So who is this boy that you're having me patch up, instead of taking him to a hospital? It better not be one of your little flings." Stellah said in a huff.

"Ha. He's the little brother of my mate actually." I replied, full of smugness.

Stellah let out a sigh, and then snapped her head towards me with wide eyes.

"Tell me your joking!? You got mated before your hot headed quartet?!" She exclaimed.

The elevator chimed and the doors opened, Cole was there with Sylvester. We all shared a knowing look.

'Ferdinand was trying to convince Tristan.'

"Oh look it's more of the loser quartet." Stellah said, rolling her eyes.

"Good to see you too Stellah." Cole replied, with his charming smile.

"Kaleb is this way..."Sylvester said, leading the way.

We walked into the room and found Delcain sitting with a Kaleb, who was wide awake and grimacing.

"Oh my goodness, they are both so beautiful, that's terrifying. Bellamy you dog you." Stellah said, as she sauntered over to the bed.

"Yea no. These are both his brothers and not him. Just do your job and stop saying unnecessary shit." I retorted.

"My Gods, if these are the brothers then what's your mate look like?" She said, shocked.

"That's not your concern," Delcain said with a glare, "we just need you to stitch up my little brother."

"Excuse me?" Stellah said with her own glare.

"Oh, I'm sorry. How rude of me, are you incapable of stitching his wound?" Delcain retorted. He seemed to be in a foul mood all of a sudden.

"You may be beautiful, but you're not cute at all." She said, getting to work and taking out her equipment.

"Thank you for the compliment." Delcain said. He then kissed Kaleb's head and moved to the side of the room where Cole, Sylvester, and I were standing.

Once Stellah told Kaleb what she was going to give him, and what she was going to do, she put him out like a light and got to work cleaning and stitching the wound.

"Bellamy, Cole. Kaleb told me what you walked in on when you went to our apartment." Delcain said, in a hushed whisper.

'Ah... That's why he's so irritable...'

"Yeah... Cole blacked out and snapped all their limbs and their necks at break neck speed, no pun intended." I replied.

"Thank you..." Delcain said on a sigh.

"Don't mention it. I only wish I could remember. I am worried about the girls though. They watched the whole thing at gunpoint..." Cole said, looking remorseful.

"Thank you for not telling Tristan either. He would have blamed himself." Delcain said, looking frustrated.

"Yeah... he's got enough to worry about as it is." I replied, rubbing Delcain's back.

"Sorry, we've been so much trouble. Everything is just happening so fast, I can't catch my bearings." He said.

"There's no need to apologize. We are helping because we want to." Cole said, ruffling Delcain's hair.

"Okay. All finished. He should be good once the IV is empty. He'll probably need some pain medication for at least a week. Make sure he trys to walk around by tomorrow. He'll need to exercise the muscles in his leg starting tomorrow morning." Stellah said, taking off her gloves.

"Thanks Stellah." Cole said, relieved.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be sending you idiots the bill. And speaking of idiots, where's the biggest idiot? Is this not his penthouse? Why is everyone here but him?" She asked, raising her brow.

"He's here, he's just busy with... uh... never mind." Sylvester said.

"Hmm... you boys look like your hiding something." She said, quizzically.

"Here, I'll show you out." I said.

"Oh? So I don't get to meet this alleged mate of yours, or Ferdinand?... Indeed you all seem to be hiding something." She said, walking out the door Cole was holding open.

As we walked to the elevator, we were halted by an adorable little voice.

"Payhne! Payhne! Wake up! You promised to make me something delicious. I'm hungry..." Arrisa said, poking Payhne's cheek.

"Raihne... we fell asleep. Arrisa is awake now... Uncle Sylvester isn't at the bar... and I'm thirsty..." Sable said, sleepily.

"Okay, Okay. I'm up Princess, let's go make something delicious..." Payhne said, standing.

"What do you want to drink sweetheart?" Raihne replied to Sable.

"Oh my stars and garters! Are those the psycho twins!? Playing with fucking children?! What in the absolute hell is going on?! And whose adorable little girls are those!?" Stellah said, finally snapping.

"They are not your concern." Raihne said.

"Why are you here?" Payhne asked.

"She stitched up our brother." Delcain said.

"Is big brother Kaleb going to be okay?" Arrisa asked.

"Is big brother Tristan awake yet?" Sable asked.

"Kaleb will be fine, he's just sleeping. Tristan will be out a little later okay?" Delcain said calmly.

"Yay! Okay!" They replied.

Payhne and Raihne glanced back at Stellah once more, before carrying Arrisa and Sable to the kitchen.

"So... everyone is just gonna act like that was totally normal!? Fuking Psycho 1 and Psycho 2 are being doting brothers all of a sudden?!" Stellah exclaimed.

"They are still every bit as psycho so go ahead piss them off at your own risk. Can you stitch yourself up?" Sylvester asked.

"Look... if we told you, they'd have to kill you. Do you still want to know?" Cole asked, as the elevator chimed.

"No... thank you. I'll see my self out." Stellah grumbled, stepping into the elevator.

Sylvester stepped in to insert the card, and took Stellah back to the ground floor.

"She's so damn persistent..." Cole groaned.

"Yeah... but she's smart enough to let shit go, so it's fine." I replied.

It was true, she was curious by nature but she didn't want to die for an answer. What bothered me where the checkpoints she mentioned.

"Haa... she's so annoying..." Sylvester said, stepping back out of the elevator.

"Hey, I'm going to head to the company to work on a few things. Call me if you need me." I said, then got into the elevator myself.

If there were already checkpoints, then we didn't have nearly as much time as we had hoped. I needed to get a jump on the things we would need. I also wanted to call Meyhymn and see if he could hack into a government system.

"Okay, let us know how your research is going." Cole said, waving.

"Yeah... take care." Sylvester said.

"Don't over do it you two." I said, as the doors closed.

As the elevator opened up to the ground floor, I heaved a heavy sigh. Things were going to be a little busy and a whole lot of stressful...