Leon went back to work Sunday only to catch up on his work he’d missed from the previous week. He hadn’t wanted to but it was a good distraction from what he wanted to do. It didn’t take him long to catch up, his subordinate had done a wonderful job as usual. His girlfriend Cathleen had called and nagged at him for hiring a prostitute when he could take medication like everyone else. The problem was the only medication he could take was strong and it’s side effects were even stronger that they left him in misery. He had explained it to her several times and she wasn’t I tested in helping him through it. She was mostly mad that it had made them miss some month anniversary, he promised to make it up to her next month or when they had dinner next but now he was busy catching up. It was a lie, he just was rapidly losing interest in her, there was now someone else who occupied his mind.

It had been a week and a half now since he’d seen the adorable Omega Avian, and the sweet scent of mint just seemed to appear and taunt him. He found himself smelling it and finding it was just a simple mint candy or nothing at all and those times he just desperately looked for the Omega. He tried to drown his thoughts in other things, starting off with his girlfriend. Today he was going to meet her at her office after work to whisk her away to a romantic dinner.

That had been the plan, but here he was standing outside the office after a half hour and she had not come out yet. Figuring she got caught up in work he walked in and it was confirmed she hadn’t left yet and he was allowed up to the office. It was empty, then deciding to check on the boss’ office since his light was on and he seemed to be the only other person there. He knocked on the door that easily opened. There he was assaulted by pheromones and the low moans of Alpha’s having sex. Peering in he could see his girlfriend with her skirt around her waist and her blouse and bra open as her boss and his good friend's husband were going at it on the desk. All the papers pushed to the floor and the keyboard to the computer hung by the cord and the mouse on it’s side on the floor. Vanessa was going to have his balls in a jar once she heard about this. Doing the sensible friend thing he quietly took pictures, as they were too distracted to notice him, and walked off. He was done with Cathleen and he was sending his evidence to Vanessa, he was too annoyed to care about the outcome they both deserved  what they got. 

Leon’s phone rang almost two hours later, he picked it up being very casual, Vanessa had asked him not to tip them off and if possible to calmly break things off for his own safety. He had readily agreed, and agreed to go out to dinner with her once the dust had settled. “Hello.”

“Leon, Honey I’m sorry I lost track of time at work.” She was clearly lying. “Did you eat already?” She asked. “If not we could still go for a late dinner.”

“I just finished eating, I figured you were either still mad and it got me thinking, maybe we should take a break.” He lied back. He’d finished an hour ago and he was back at home in his home office.

“Come on don’t be like that Leon, I’m not mad, I was just upset that you didn’t just take medication like everyone else does.” She complained.

“I told you the only medication that works is strong, you know what I don’t have to explain this for the nth time, I’ve told you again and again Cathleen.” He used her name instead of her nickname as a sign he was distancing himself from her. “It’s probably best if we take some time apart.”

“Come on I’m not that mad and I know you say it's bad but maybe you should see another doctor about it, maybe they’ll have something better now. Come on Leon honey, you know we’re going to end up together anyways.” She said, sounding annoyed.

“Look I’m tired and it’s late. You had a long day. I've had a long day, but I had the last two and a half hours to think about it, and nothing has been set in stone, but maybe this will be for the better.” He lied. He just wanted this to be over now, he wasn’t going to take her back even if his grandfather told him to. No now he had someone else he wanted.

“Fine I’ll call you next week to see if you changed your mind and don’t forget my grandfather’s birthday is next weekend and he’s expecting us to go together.” She said annoyed.

“I remember, I’ll call you if I change my mind, but I will at least stop by the party just to pay my respects to the old man.” He told her. “Good night.” He hung up before she could say more.

Later in his room laying on his bed alone he sighed, he missed Candy Cane and he was deeply regretting letting him go. He could always go back there, request him for a night, maybe talk to him more. He knew nothing about him other than he was a male Avian Omega who loved to hum and sing, who it was a joy just to cuddle up to. He wanted to know more about him, he felt like he should call, no he would call in the morning to see if there was a way to purchase his contract. In the meantime he pulled out the only thing he’d kept, it was a single shed feather he’d found the next day it was a vivid blue with a white tip and black stripes. Candy Cane was a Blue Jay if he had to guess. He restlessly slept that night thinking about him.

Leon called the next morning before work and received three different answers, the first person he spoke with was just a Scheduler who told him that Candy Cane had been fired. The second person he spoke to was the feline woman who was the secretary of the brothel and she informed him that he had run away with some Alpha just the other day. Lastly he spoke to the bear Boss who told him that they were wrong and that Candy Cane’s father had ended his contract and taken him back home, he had no forwarding address to give him. Leon frowned and then making some more calls he pushed the investigation forwards. He also hired someone to look for his missing Omega, there was no way they were telling the truth.

Now it was a waiting game, one he didn’t like. The only amusement he got was when Cathleen had called him a few days later crying that she had been fired, she didn’t know why, but she needed a job. He didn’t give her one and he reminded her that Vanessa had been his best friend. Vanessa in only a few days had not only served her husband devorce papers, but fired him and was taking him for all their money. Turns out that there had been a cheating cause in their prenup that allowed all of this and the fact that he had been a witness and taken evidence, not to mention others quickly came forward to confess they knew for the last three years about the affair. 

It had been a month and a half since he had last seen Candy Cane, since then he had found out that the Brothel was running illegally, most of the Omega’s were under age and most were auctioned off when either their contract was about to end or when they turned 18 in illegal auction houses. As far as the investigators could tell Candy Cane wasn’t sent home nor was he put into one of the auction houses, it was as if he had just vanished. This had made him become more irritable and few were willing to put up with him but when he was happy to supply any information to the police even if it made him look bad.

One of the detectives handling the case was able to get one person to talk to him but they agreed only if Leon came in person. It seemed they knew about Candy Cane and all the going on in the place. Walking into the office he looked at the Omega rabbit boy with the pink and blue hair and instantly he knew that this was one of the six candies that had roomed with Candy Cane. Despite being an Omega and a Rabbit in front of an Alpha Tiger he looked at him in annoyance.

“Do you mind if I record this Mr Peterson?” The detective asked. He nodded and the detective put a recorder onto the table and hit record as they all sat down.

“So you are the Tiger that my big brother Candy Cane was with last.”

“I was with him about two months ago now, yes. Do you know what happened to him?” He asked. “Where is he now?”

“I don’t know where the boss dropped him off, but it was probably one of those places that holds onto Omegas till auctions. Anyways, a week after your time together they brought in a potential client to the store, they wanted to look at the goods before they settled on it. They were interested in male Omegas only and that would just be the six of us. Candy Cane seemed all normal before, maybe he was a bit down, he was the last to show up. He got one whiff of that Alpha’s pheromones and vomited. The Boss got mad, dragged him into another room and took off his collar to check for a bite mark, there was none.”

“Why would he jump to that conclusion?”

“We clearly all wear collars but sometimes with the rougher clients or more desperate clients they find a way to bite through it. Then there is the medication we take, it shouldn’t let us bond or get knocked up easily, we’re also conditioned within a few months to take it every morning after sex. It’s ingrained deeply into him as he’s the oldest, his story is the typical sob story of him getting raped by several students during his first heat in his first year of high school, one of them was even his own brother. None of them managed to mark him but not for a lack of trying and not to mention a few were Beta’s. So rather than deal with things properly his old man  figured it was easier to just sell him here. He was still only fourteen when he got his first customer. Most of us start around fourteen or fifteen, most of us get out by the time we’re eighteen if we’re lucky.”

“How do you get out?” The detective asked.

“We hide our tips and pay our way out or we find someone willing to buy us. Sometimes we’re sold like mail order brides or in auctions at the end of the year. Candy Cane’s old man refused to let him be sold, I’m turning seventeen this week and I’m being put on auction at the end of next month unless I come up with six more grand before that or I get someone to buy me before that.”

“Why did his old man not want to sell Candy Cane?” The detective asked.

“He didn’t want to lose the money he was getting, Candy Cane went for a high price, he’s good at his job. Again he’s kinda gullible and he thought he was doing it for his younger brother who was an Alpha, we’re all sure that his dad was just pocketing it. Then I saw his Alpha brother last week, guess he heard Candy Cane got out. Turns out we were right he’d not seen a dime of what his old man had gotten from him. He left the house when he turned eighteen and was on several scholarships to pay for his schooling. Candy Cane is the oldest of six and besides the two of them they are all Beta trash.”

Leon felt sick learning all of this, he was regretting letting him go he should have just ignored his feelings to let him go. Maybe if his girlfriend had betrayed him sooner, maybe he would have called sooner and gotten him back. He knew he would still have had the place investigated and results would still be the same even with his Omega at his side. He needed to find him, he wanted to find and punish his father and his trash brothers and mostly he wanted to punish his father. How could they do this to his mate? How could they keep him apart from him? He would have done anything for his…

“What is his real name?” Leon asked suddenly.