Eric

Being invited to stay over in Vincenzo’s room felt like a significant moment in our relationship. It was probably naïve for me to even call it a relationship, but that was what it felt like, and I couldn’t help but ride that feeling for as long as possible.

The day before, I had heeded Dominic’s warning. I reminded myself of what I was to the Santiago household, but that all changed when Vincenzo swept me into his arms and took me to his room. There, he worshiped my body like I was someone to be cherished. Someone he might even love. Then he asked me to stay, and the hope that what was between us was more than just sex took root. This morning, it grew longer than the vines of my pothos plant.

But Vincenzo was gone by the time I woke up in the morning.

I knew he’d have to leave early to meet up with his brothers, but I’d been so tired lately that sleeping just a little bit longer felt like my only possible option.

When I finally opened my eyes, I sat up and looked around the space that I’d barely glanced at the night before. Sunbeams shone through the arched window, and beneath it was a chair next to a bookshelf built directly into the wall. The four-poster bed dominated the space, draped in navy velvet. The TV mounted on the wall seemed to be the only thing out of place, though I could imagine Vincenzo lounging in the room after a long day, watching whatever it was he enjoyed on the screen.

After lying in his plush bed for longer than I should have, my stomach started to grumble, and I realized I hadn’t eaten in a while. As quietly as I could, I got dressed and made my way back to my quarters within the omega wing.

We had a communal dining room where all the omegas ate together. Sometimes, the food went fast, but I was happy to see there was still oatmeal in the crock when I arrived. Some days, it went quickly, and other days, nobody touched it.

Lately, it was the only thing I could stomach in the mornings.

Dominic wandered in with a popsicle just as I was sitting down to eat.

I grinned and shook my head at him. “Isn’t it a little early for that?”

He pulled it out of his mouth, his tongue matching the same shade of orange as the frozen treat, and shrugged. “It’s basically a glass of orange juice on a stick. I just haven’t been hungry lately, so I’ll take my calories however I can get them. Whoever said morning sickness only lasted the first trimester was a dirty liar.”

“I’m starving.” I shoveled a big scoop of cinnamon-laden oatmeal into my mouth.

Dominic waggled his eyebrows and dropped into the chair across from me. “Does that mean you had a good time last night?”

I could feel my face lighting up just thinking about my time with Vincenzo. “Yeah, we went back to his room and…he asked me to stay over.”

“Really? In the family wing?” Dominic bit off the tip of his popsicle and chewed it slowly as he stared at me. “I’m surprised. Lorenzo said they never bring omegas into the family wing. I was the first.”

“Well…” I shrugged, feeling almost proud. “I guess I’m the second.”

As much as I didn’t want to let my mind wander, I couldn’t help but imagine that I was on the same path Dominic had been on. Of course, he was brought into the house specifically to marry Lorenzo.

I, on the other hand, was brought into the house to be a fuck boy to the entire staff of alphas.

Not exactly the same thing, but that didn’t mean our stories couldn’t have similar endings…right?

My shoulders drooped, and I immediately felt like shit, remembering my place. Lorenzo had to marry Dominic because his father had demanded he get married. Someday, Vincenzo would have to marry for the good of the family too. I was pretty sure that a pack omega wouldn’t make the list of possible suitors. “But I know it doesn’t mean anything. I’m sure he just wanted to be in his own bed.” I made the argument as much for my benefit as for Dominic’s.

Dominic sighed and scooted closer, giving me a side hug. “It does mean something, Eric. Just…try not to get your hopes up. Vincenzo is a great guy, and I know he would never intentionally hurt you, but there are a lot of politics involved in relationships at his level. Practically every move he makes has to be approved by the family.”

Good point. “Well, your mate is the head of the family now. Doesn’t that mean Lorenzo could okay something between us?” Dominic might have been an acceptable match for Lorenzo, but it wasn’t the one that Vern had wanted. When Lorenzo brought Dominic home, he had set the family on edge.

Dominic sorta nodded, but it wasn’t very convincing. “In theory, yes. Maybe? And you know he would never stop his brother from pursuing love, if that’s what this is.” He added that part apologetically as if reminding me that my feelings might be unrequited.

“But…?”

“But it wouldn’t be an easy road for you or Vincenzo. Even if Vern agreed to any decision Lorenzo made to a union, that could cause even more dissension among the ranks and other families. There’s a lot going on right now that we probably don’t even realize, so it might not be the best time to be shaking things up, you know?”

“Yeah, I know.” The last thing I wanted to do was cause problems for Vincenzo or the family, but it was hard to accept the fact that I could never be anything more than just one of the omegas in his pack.

Right now, the first priority of the Santiagos was to keep Dominic and the baby safe. I wouldn't jeopardize that.

As I picked at my oatmeal, several other omegas came in, deliberately ignoring me and sitting at a separate table. They liked Dominic well enough, and appreciated all the things he was doing for them, but they didn’t like that I got so much special attention.

Not from Dominic, and definitely not from Vincenzo. It had been like that since my first day here. No alpha beside Vincenzo would touch me, and now, no omega besides Dominic would talk to me.

I took a bite of the oatmeal that had smelled delicious just a few moments ago, but as soon as I swallowed, I knew it was a bad decision. Nausea immediately rushed through me. I stood up and raced to the trash can, heaving what little was in my stomach with all eyes boring into my back.

Fuck. It was over just as quickly as it began, but I stood there for a moment, staring at the wall and wishing I didn’t have to turn around and face everybody.

Accepting that I couldn’t fast forward the next few minutes of my life, I turned around and went back to my seat, sighing as I looked over at Dominic. I took a small sip of water and wiped at my face with the napkin.

Dominic shook his head minutely and a small grin began to spread across his face. “Do I need to have the same talk with you that you had to have with me?”

Fuck, fuck, fuck. “No. No, that’s not possible. Don’t even joke about that.” I couldn’t be pregnant. I couldn’t… I was on suppressants.

“Have you taken a test yet? You all test pretty regularly, don’t you?”

We did. But it had been a while since I’d taken one. I shook my head, not wanting to face this reality, especially so publicly. Everyone who was in the room was thinking the same thing Dominic and I were thinking. And these omegas didn’t have my best interests at heart. Most of them were jealous, which meant the news would travel fast. “This is the first time I’ve been sick.”

He shrugged. “Maybe it’s the flu?”

I bit my lip as I nodded, wondering if there was any possibility that was true. “Yeah, maybe.”

“Do you want me to go with you?”

I inhaled deeply and looked him in the eye, trying to be as strong as I could. “No, I’ve got this. I’ll text you later.” I waved off his concern, forcing some happiness onto my face even though I didn’t feel it.

All I felt was dread and fear.

Dominic got up and gave me a firm hug, holding me tightly as I tried to rein in my emotions. “You’re gonna be okay, Eric. No matter what happens, you’ll be alright. I promise.”

I nodded against his shoulder even though I didn’t believe a word he was saying. There was almost no way in which this ended well for me or the baby I was most likely carrying.

As my mind raced with scenarios that seemed far-fetched and impossible to realize, I headed back to my room. I just needed to be alone for a little while while I processed my options.

Pack omegas could not have children with the alphas of the household. Especially not with the direct members of the family. It was forbidden.

Then again, so was falling for the alphas and spending time in the family’s private quarters. Clearly, I was shit at following the rules.