"Well. It's good to see you two getting along." A deep rumbly voice remarked stoically. Thomas and Harriet parted from the kiss and he saw his father standing there. Much like Thomas, his father, Cesar West was a tall man with a massive form. His hair was cut cleanly and even in the evening, Cesar's clothes were flawless and stylish.
"Father?" Thomas asked, "Hello Thomas, I know it's late but may I come in to chat?" Cesar asked politely, his eyes landed on Harriet. "Hello, Miss Smith." He greeted, "Hello Mr. West." Harriet replied politely. "Sure we can talk..." Thomas remarked looking over at Harriet feeling unsure. He didn't want a repeat of the situation with his mother just a few days earlier.
Thomas unlocked the door and all three of them walked in. His father walked over to the very spot that his mother had sat in and sat down. Thomas cleared his throat and then headed over to sit down. In the end, things were set up in much the same way they had been when Cheryl came to visit.
"Before anything else, I'd like to apologize for my wife's actions to you Miss Smith." Cesar said apologizing, "I would say she is truly remorseful but... I think we all know that would be a lie." Cesar sighed. "Mother regretting things beyond not getting every color of something she likes is very rare," Thomas remarked casually, it wasn't directed at someone it was more of an observation.
Cesar's eyes stared at Thomas before looking over at Harriet and then back at him. "This is not an excuse but a possible explanation for your mother's behavior that day." He said it was then Thomas noticed the sudden nervous behavior from his father. Cesar took a deep breath and he spoke, "That day I sent in a test to see if I was an omega." He explained.
Thomas stiffened up, "Why?" He asked, "Thomas, whether you like it or not we are very alike. If you're an omega then it is likely I am as well." Cesar looked away not meeting either of their gazes. "I informed Cheryl and she... I think she thought..." Cesar took a breath, "I think she thought if she could somehow convince you that you weren't an omega... Then I wouldn't be." Thomas stared unsure how to feel this was the most vulnerable that he had ever seen his father.
Harriet shifted in her seat and Thomas heard her sigh. "Have you received your results?" She asked carefully, Cesar looked up from the floor and swallowed. "Yes." He spoke, "Then?" Thomas spoke, Cesar stared down at the floor. "I... I haven't told your mother yet. I believe she'll leave me over this." Cesar took a shaky breath.
Thomas stood up and walked over to his father pulling him into a hug. "It's alright Dad," Thomas spoke, he heard his father choke and then collapse into his grip sobbing silently. The father and son held each other tightly before Thomas finally released his father. At that time, it seemed that Harriet grabbed a box of tissues for the two of them.
Cesar blew his nose and cleared his throat. "I..." He sighed, "My marriage is neither here nor there. But it seems... We've uncovered a bit of a family secret." Cesar shifted getting comfortable. Thomas sat down. "Father, your marriage is important," Thomas stressed, Cesar frowned briefly before returning to a neutral face. "Things will work out as they should... Good or bad." He decided.
He wanted to drop the subject in other words.
Thomas frowned deeply, and Cesar ignored his concerned look. "I spoke with your grandfather, he took to looking at his father's journals. We went back one more generation and found that his father Temple West was an omega man who decided to hide his dynamic." Cesar explained, "According to what I read earlier today it was because investors would not take him seriously."
"We can only assume in order to ensure that the family company was still successful Temple started the trend of suppressing omega behaviors." He elaborated, "Something that your great grandfather just thought was how you were supposed to raise a child which was passed down to your grandfather which was passed down to me." Cesar sighed deeply.
"Intergenerational trauma." Harriet observed sounding stunned, "Indeed." Cesar replied, "By mistake you've uncovered quite the skeleton in the West family closet, Miss Smith." Cesar remarked almost humorously.
"I hadn't meant to cause an issue." Harriet replied politely, "Miss Smith this is the sort of thing that would've come out eventually." Cesar replied, his eyes then landed on Thomas. "I'd like to apologize to you, Thomas. I thought I was being a good father to you and teaching you how to be a proper alpha man." Cesar let out a bitter chuckle, "I wasn't even an alpha man in the first place..." He trailed off looking like he had a thousand-yard stare.
"Your father thought the same of you father." Thomas replied, "Yes, it was quite the shock to your grandfather. But he seems happier, he finally let himself go to a nesting store the other day as he had always wanted to. He learning how to create his first nest." Cesar said looking a bit pleased about that, "What about Uncle?" Thomas questioned, "Him as well." Cesar nodded.
"Though he took the news better than I did." Cesar added, "Just saying 'oh well that explains some things,' and then moving on." Thomas shifted in his seat, "Well his marriage isn't falling apart so that's probably why." Thomas grumbled a bit bitter for his father. "Yes well, here's hoping your mother can find a nice alpha man to make her happier than what I've managed," Cesar said a bit stiffly, he was obviously upset by the thoughts of this.
But even still his father was doing his very best to remain strong and unbothered just as every man in the West family had been taught to be. Even still it seemed hard for Cesar to shake off what he had been taught. It was hard for Thomas too, he wondered how much harder it was without someone to support him just as Harriet had supported him.
His parents were a lot of things, but they often tried to do what they thought was best for each other and Thomas. He had thought his mother and father loved each other in their own way. Thomas supposed he had gotten too used to Harriet's philosophy of loving him regardless of what he was. In the end, it seemed for some people that dynamics mattered just as much as anything else.
He just wished his father didn't have to get his heart broken.
"You should speak with her honestly," Thomas spoke licking his lips, he was stressed out by the thoughts of his parents divorcing. His mother always seemed to adore his father. Often bragging about how handsome he was whenever she got the chance. How loving or kind he was, how much she loved him. But his mother never reacted well to change. He could only imagine what she had already said to him.
Cesar stared at Thomas silently, "Tell her about everything you're worried about. Harriet and I do that-." Thomas motioned to Harriet but Cesar cut him off. "Harriet's your alpha," Cesar said sounding bitter. "That's how things should be, alphas and omegas. Not two omegas..." Cesar trailed off. He stressed the word omegas as if it was bitter in his mouth. "Your mother won't want to hear anything I have to say... It's best to let her leave..." He said softly, "At least I won't look like a damn fool begging her to stay." Cesar stared at his lap letting out a trembling breath.
"If you two love each other then I don't understand what the problem is." Harriet spoke up, "It's not my place to say, but an outside perspective may help." She added. "No, you're Thomas's mate, you're a part of this family now for better or worse Miss Smith," Cesar replied. "To elaborate my wife... She is very traditional and has strong feelings about what she expects in her life. I suppose she feels lied to or cheated... Not that I could blame her."
Thomas stood up having just about enough of this. "You two need to talk." He stressed, "Harriet may be my alpha but regardless partners are supposed to discuss these sorts of things." Thomas said defensively, "Don't go making assumptions about Mother wanting someone else by yourself!" He exclaimed.
"Thomas-." Cesar started to say, "I know that you may feel like you know how relationships work-." Cesar struggled to argue against his son's fierce glare. "I don't need to have been in a relationship for a long time to know that divorce is something that needs to be talked about." He spat, Cesar flinched at the word and hugged himself. "Talk to her!" Thomas exclaimed, "I tried!" Cesar shouted, "I brought the idea up and she came over here causing a scene! She told me that I can't be an omega and that she married an alpha!" Cesar stood up shouting.
"What..." Cesar choked, "What am I supposed to think with something like that? She won't want me once she knows..." Cesar sobbed tears trickling down his cheeks. "I prayed to every God I could think of before reading those damn results..." He sunk back down into the chair, it seemed like the strength left him. "I love your mother but she won't love me, not anymore... I'm not the man she thought she married..."
Thomas kneeled down placing a hand on his father's shoulder. He looked around for Harriet and saw that she had just stepped out of their bedroom with her cell phone and his cell phone in hand. "Harriet?" He asked, Harriet stared as she turned her phone onto speaker. "Tell them I'm on my way!" Thomas heard his mother shout.
Cesar froze and turned, "Miss Smith..." he said in a shaking voice, "What did you do?" He asked looking scared and angry. "I let her listen," Harriet replied simply.
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