As it turned out, Raf’s father took Dante’s explanation of the situation fairly well, although the first few minutes of the visit were somewhat...tense. 

They arrived at the stately brownstone house shortly after midnight. The downstairs lights were still on, so Dante opted to ring the doorbell instead of having Raf use his keys. The door swung open quickly and they found themselves face to face with a stern-looking older man that Dante could only assume was Raf’s father. He shared Raf’s large build and dark brown eyes, although his expression held none of the warmth that Dante had become used to seeing in his son.

As soon as Mr. Alvarez took in Raf’s bruised and bandaged state, his face turned an unsightly shade of purple and he began to let loose a stream of impressively loud profanities. For his part, Raf hunched his shoulders and lowered his head submissively, taking the browbeating without complaint. It pained Dante to see the brash young Alpha looking so diminished in the presence of his enraged father, and he decided it would be best to cut the scene short as soon as possible.

He cleared his throat loudly. 

Raf’s father must not have noticed him when he first opened the door, because as soon as Dante made his presence known, the wrathful tirade instantly short-circuited. Mr. Alvarez looked stunned for half a second, then he straightened his posture, smoothed his hair, and transformed his face into a stoic expression so completely that it was almost as if he had never been angry at all.

“Oh, good evening,” he said, looking down at Dante. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there. I didn’t expect Rafael would be bringing a visitor home with him.” He flicked a glance over at Raf, who was still intently studying the pavement at his feet. “Especially not at this time of night.”

“Mr. Alvarez,” Dante said in as cordial a tone as he could manage. “I’m so terribly sorry to disturb you at home this late in the evening. May I come in?”

“Of course,” Mr. Alvarez nodded briskly. He opened the door wider and stepped back, allowing Dante to enter the foyer. Raf followed slowly behind. Dante noticed that he appeared to be making himself as small and unnoticeable as possible, which was no easy feat given his large frame. Raf’s father closed the door behind them and turned to face Dante, ignoring Raf completely. He flashed a rueful smile.

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” he began apologetically. “Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time Rafael has come home in such a state. You understand. Boys his age really can be such a handful. Petty vandalism, fights, drunken and disorderly behavior...it’s always been one thing or another with him. His mother and I have done the best we could to raise him to be a proper Alpha, but obviously it wasn’t enough to curb his worst impulses. I sincerely apologize for any trouble that he has caused you--”

“Mr. Alvarez,” Dante cut in with a tight smile. “I apologize if I gave you the mistaken impression that I’m here because Rafael has been causing trouble. Quite the opposite, actually.”

“Pardon?” Mr. Alvarez seemed genuinely confused. 

Dante sighed. “Would it be all right if we sat down?”

“Of course.” Mr. Alvarez ushered Dante into the spacious and tastefully appointed living room. “Please, make yourself comfortable. Would you like some tea or coffee?”

“No, thank you,” Dante replied wearily. “I realize it’s quite late. I won’t be staying very long.”

Once they were all seated, Dante began to recount the events of the evening. As he had suspected, Mr. Alvarez’s anger largely dissipated once the circumstances of the fight had been explained. He was, however, less than impressed with the results.

“Considering the embarrassing beating he took, I’m assuming that Rafael at least put that lowlife Alpha in the hospital, correct?” he asked, eyeing Raf’s injuries with an air of disdain. Raf kept his eyes fixed to the floor, but Dante did not miss the way that his shoulders subtly tensed. 

He fought to keep his face neutral, but his words came out icier than he intended. “Not quite, I’m afraid,” he said stiffly. “However, he was able to hold the other Alpha at bay until the police arrived.” This was a slight stretching of the truth, but Dante honestly didn’t feel slightest bit guilty over it. He refused to give this man any excuses to make Raf more miserable than he already was. 

“Moreover,” Dante added, “considering that his opponent had military training, I would say that Rafael more than held his own.” He lifted his chin and looked at Mr. Alvarez defiantly. “Most importantly, he kept our resident safe, even though it meant putting his own safety at risk. I sincerely commend him for his courage.”

He glanced over at Raf. The Alpha was still staring resolutely at the floor, but Dante thought he saw the small twitch of a smile at the corner of his mouth.

“If you say so,” Raf’s father shrugged dismissively. He turned his attention to Raf. “Next time, boy, just make sure you win,” he said coldly. “I didn’t raise my son to lose to scum like that.”

“Yes, sir.”

This, apparently, signaled an end to the interview. Raf’s father stood, and Dante rose with him. They shook hands and made their goodbyes, and then Dante saw himself out. Just before leaving, he turned back to say a final goodnight to Raf, but was surprised when the Alpha took his hand and pulled him swiftly outside, shutting the door behind them both with a soft click. They regarded each other for a moment in silence.

“I’m sorry,” Raf finally said, releasing Dante’s hand. He shoved his hands into his pockets and turned to face the street. “My dad means well, but sometimes he can be a bit, um, harsh. I know he just wants me to be a good Alpha, but as you probably gathered, I kind of suck at living up to his expectations, so…” He shrugged and trailed off.

“It’s fine, you don’t have to apologize for him,” Dante said. “More importantly, are you alright? He was pretty hard on you.” 

“Hm? Oh, yeah.” Raf seemed mildly surprised at the concern. “I’m used to it, I guess. I’m just sorry you had to see it.”

Dante’s heart squeezed painfully in his chest. “It’s no problem,” he said huskily. He paused for a moment, unsure if he should say anything else. The boundaries of professionalism dictated that he shouldn't try to overstep into Raf's personal business, but... oh, fuck it. 

“Listen, Raf,” he said, “if you ever want to talk about it, or actually, if you ever want to talk about anything, really... well, I’m here, okay?”

Raf’s eyes widened at the spontaneous offer. Dante cringed at himself and blushed furiously. God, why did he have to make it sound so awkward? Raf didn’t laugh it off, though. He seemed to be seriously considering it, but then his brow abruptly furrowed. “By ‘talk about it’, do you mean, as a therapist?” he asked. His voice sounded strangely disappointed.

Dante was taken aback by the question. “Well, you’re technically not my patient, but I guess I could, if you wanted…”

“No,” Raf said sharply. Dante looked up at him in surprise, and Raf dropped his eyes. “I’m not looking for a therapist,” he added in a quieter voice.

Dante thought for a moment. “Then, how about as a friend?”

“A friend?” Raf repeated. He looked up at the night sky, and Dante thought he caught a ghost of a smile sliding across his face. “Yeah, I think I’d like that,” he finally murmured.

They stood in silence for another few moments before Raf spoke again.

“Hey, Dante?”

“Yes?”

“...Thanks. For, you know.”

“Yeah, I know. Don’t mention it.”

------

When Dante arrived at the Center the next morning, he found Christina sitting on the floor next to his office door with her knees pulled up to her chin. She looked haggard, and her eyes were red rimmed and puffy from lack of sleep. Dante extended a hand and helped pull her to her feet.

“You look like you had a rough night,” he observed. “Want some coffee?”

“Sure.” She waited as he unlocked his door, and then followed him into his office and slumped down onto the couch. She sat unmoving as Dante briefly left the room to fill the pot with water and then set about fixing the filter and ladling out the coffee grounds. As the pot began to brew, he finally sat down in his chair and faced her. 

“So,” he opened.

“So,” she returned.

He waited, and when she didn’t continue, he prompted, “Do you want to tell me why you were camped out in front of my office?”

“Well...that is…” She trailed off into silence again.

Dante sighed. “Christina, whatever it is, I promise I won't judge you; but I need you to talk to me in order to help. What’s going on?”

She twisted her hands, then finally said in a small voice, “I want a Dissolution.”

“Sorry? I didn’t catch that.”

“I want to get a Dissolution!” she said, more loudly. 

Dante sat back, surprised. “I thought you had said you weren’t interested in pursuing that.”

“I wasn’t, before. But Robert…he wants custody of Cameron. I heard him say it last night. I know he was drunk and maybe he wouldn’t actually pursue it, but...I can’t take the risk. As things stand now, the courts wouldn’t be able to deny him. I can’t let that happen. I won’t let that happen.” Her tone took on a note of grim determination. “I will do whatever I have to do to keep her safe, Dante, even if it means dragging our whole sordid relationship in front of a judge. I want to apply for a Dissolution, and I want to do it today.”

Dante regarded her evenly. “You know that once you set this in motion, you can’t take it back. You’re absolutely sure this is what you want?”

Christina lifted her chin, though Dante noticed that her bottom lip quivered slightly. “I’m positive.”

“Okay.” Dante nodded and opened his planner. “I have appointments until noon today, but my afternoon is clear. If you don’t mind waiting until then, we can go to the courthouse together.” He paused, tapping a finger to his chin. “Actually,” he added, “it might be a good idea to have Raf come too. He should be in by then.”

“Raf?” Christina asked, surprised. “Isn’t the poor boy taking the day off today? I imagine he must be hurting.”

“He messaged me earlier and said he wanted to come in, though he did ask if he could have the morning off to rest a bit.”

“Okay, but why do you want him to come with us?”

“Partially because I want someone there for support, in case something happens. You know the Safe Haven rule only applies to you if you stay in this building. I don’t want to be caught flat-footed in the event that Robert tries something while we are out.”

“But Raf literally just got beaten up by Robert!” Christina protested. “He’s not in any shape to take him on again. Wouldn’t it be better to have Miguel come?”

“Normally, I’d agree,” Dante said. “However, in this case, Raf’s injuries work to our advantage. When we make your application, we can ask for an expedited hearing on the basis that Robert is a clear threat to your safety. Raf can attest that he tried to take you from the Center by force last night, and his injuries provide compelling evidence of just how dangerous Robert is. With any luck, that will be enough to sway the clerk to get us onto the docket as soon as possible.”

Christina folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. “You...are really conniving sometimes,” she observed.

Dante shuffled some papers on his desk. “We’re Omegas, Christina. These are the cards we have been dealt; might as well make use of them.”

“Yeah, but...I kind of feel like we’re taking advantage of Raf.” Christina chewed on her lip. “I don’t like it.”

Dante leaned forward. “I don’t think Raf would see it that way,” he said gently. “He really cares about you, Christina. If it bothers you, we can talk to him first and see what he thinks. If he says no, we’ll just ask Miguel to come instead. But something tells me he’ll be willing to do this if there’s a chance it could help you.”

Christina sat in thought for another moment, and then nodded. “Okay, let’s talk to him. He already got hurt for my sake once. I owe it to him to warn him what he might be in for before I ask any more favors.”

“Fair enough.” Dante stood up. “Now, how about that coffee?”