Chapter 20

Cassie was older and a lot more experienced than Eli who was listening to her attentively. She was telling him all about her experience as an omega and what she learned along the years as they passed.

"There are a few other omegas I met, but it is still hard to find others like us." She told him as they walked along a walkway outside in the gardens. There were few other people there, and it suited them just fine.

Eli looked at her curiously. "How many of us have you met?"

"Let's see, in my thirty years…" She stared up thoughtfully thinking about all the omegas she had met. "I met seven including you."

"Seven sounds like a lot to me." He laughed as they stopped near a lake. There was a railing and he rested his hand on it staring at the lake in thought. "I wish there were more, though. It was always hard for me to make friends."

Cassie nodded her head in understanding, and he rested more of his weight on the railing. "About your friend, Ari, I think you should-"

"Just don't." He quickly cut her off resting both of his hands now on the railing. For some reason he felt irritated, and he was not in the mood to talk about this every time Ari is brought up. "Everyone tells me to stay away from him, and I get it. I do. But he's my friend, and I thought you'd understand."

"Eli…" Cassie reached for his hand looking concerned and she finally realized what was happening. "We need to get you inside."

"W-why? I am not going to leave Ari. I don't… I don't understand." He was sad and frustrated and he just didn't want to think anymore.

Despite his recent angry outburst at Cassie, he allowed himself to rest his weight on her and didn't even question it when she began leading him somewhere. "What's going on?" His speech was slurred, and Cassie tried walking faster.

It wasn't easy to get him inside, but luckily, she knew her way around the Dietrich's mansion. It aided her into navigating Eli to one of the many disused rooms where he could be safe.

She almost blanched when she saw someone on the way. He was leaning on one of the walls staring down at his drink looking like he needed a few moments of quiet. Cassie was about to turn around and look for another way, but her face lit up in recognition as Eli started to become more delirious and harder to move.

"Aurelius!" She called making him turn his head and he stood up in alert when he saw the state Eli was in. Cassie was at a disadvantage with her smaller body, so she was relieved when he grabbed Eli's other side and began to do most of the carrying. Her shoulder ached. "He's going into heat. We need to get him in there." She explained pointing at one of the rooms and his eyes widened.

"Again?"

They both managed to place Eli on a couch as he breathed heavily, and Cassie felt his forehead and saw that his temperature was rising. "Irregular cycle, apparently. He's young." She bit her lip searching for something on her person before her body slumped. "I need to get him some medication. Watch over him."

"Huh? But-"

Ari watched in horror as she left, and he quickly recoiled back when he felt Eli grab his arm. "Hot. It is so hot." He panted and gulped writhing uncomfortably. "I hate it."

This is not a situation Ari ever wanted to find himself in, and he had no idea what to do. This could only end in a disaster and he didn't know which. So many things could go wrong…

But when Eli let out a sob and reached out for him with both of his hands, he couldn't help but lean closer and let him. Arms wrapped around Ari's neck and he wrapped his own around Eli's waist rocking and shushing him.

"It's okay, you'll be okay. Cassie is getting medication for you."

A mewl came out of Eli and he pulled Ari closer almost making him fall on him. "Hurry, please." He begged and Ari couldn't think of a way to comfort him. He tried to pry Eli's hands off, but that only made him tighten his hold. "Don't leave me."

Cursing, Ari patted his back. "I won't, I promise. Just please let go."

"No."

"Eli, please." Ari groaned when a scent entered his nose and he knew he was doomed as he buried his nose in Eli's shoulder trying his best to hold himself together. It was not easy, and the scent just kept getting stronger as he struggled to breathe. "I can't help you like this."

He could feel Eli breathing heavily as well, and they both were a mess and it was only about time before everything went to hell. It was only a matter of time before Ari's bad luck struck. This wasn't a situation he got himself into by choice, and he didn't know whether to laugh or cry when the door opened and pheromones engulfed the room.

There was one blissful moment where he felt Eli's warm embrace against his own offering a small amount of comfort before it was immediately snatched away to be replaced by dread.

An enraged Alec stared down at him, Rowan and Jaxon were behind him, and their expressions were nothing good.

All they could see was a panting red-faced Ari who was struggling to get on his feet.

"Get out."

That was all what Alec said, and all what Ari wanted to do. To just get out.

At that point he didn't care about what they thought had happened as he wobbled out feeling like the world was swaying. All he knew was to just walk away without a destination in mind in his drunken stupor and it wasn't easy.

Stupid pheromones. Stupid alphas and omegas. Stupid friends.

That was all what Ari kept thinking of as he wobbled on. Everything was just so stupid.

"I can't… I need to get out." Alec said covering his nose after he gently put Eli down where he was lying previously. He quickly exited the room where Rowan took over and started to comfort Eli while Jaxon followed Alec outside. "Fuck, what was that? How could he?"

Jaxon closed the door and led Alec away to be as far as possible from the smell emitting from the room. Even to someone like him, a beta with a claimed mate, the smell was strong and it affected him. Somehow, he could forgive Ari for being enticed, yet he couldn't excuse what was about to happen.

He found himself thinking what everyone kept on thinking, Ari shouldn't have been alone with Eli in the first place.

"We kept telling him, Jax." Alec slammed his fist angrily on the wall in front of him. He was still raging, still looking like he was ready to fight. For a moment there, Jaxon believed he was going to kill Ari. "Stay away, that's all he had to do. And look what happened."

"I know, Al. Just calm down."

"How can I?" He roared understandably upset. "What if we were just a second late? Anything could have happened."

Jaxon nodded his head in agreement. There was nothing to say. Alec was completely right.

The two were very close with Eli in heat. Their arms wrapped around each other, and Ari's head was buried in Eli's shoulder. A few moments later Eli would have been bitten and taken away from Alec. The rage was completely justified.

There really was nothing to say.