Rian broke this kiss again, gently rolling over as he laid on his back again, pulling Alta on top of him. Right now, he was kinda glad his mother had forced them into the room to talk. He reached up to Alta’s ponytail, releasing the hair that had covered him for the past month. Red, silky and soft, it fell around them like the closing of a curtain, shimmering in the half-light, the strands catching along his fingers as if reluctant to let go. Alta’s breath caught as Rian combed through the loosened lengths, slow and deliberate, like each pass of his hand was some kind of promise he didn’t know how to voice yet.

He was still mad. The anger burned with every breath he took, but damn, he wanted this. He wanted Alta, to see if this ancient, scarred genie was the answer to the spark in him that had been cold for too long. It felt wrong that this is how his heart finally started to wake up, but he couldn't deny that he didn't want to give up this fire either. No matter how wrong the spark was.

“I am too old to be crushing like this,” Rian muttered, laughing as he saw the offended look on Alta’s face. 

“Fuck you. I am fifty times your age and I love this feeling.”

“Okay, since when did I have to abide by your rules,” Rian insisted, pulling Alta down for another kiss as Alta settled on top of him, chest to chest, breath syncing instinctively to the alpha’s rhythm. Rian kissed him again, slower now, savoring the taste of the man on top of him. “Fuck, I owe Sean twenty bucks.”

“For what?” Alta’s annoyed tone made Rian laugh again, cupping the genie’s face. 

“He swore I was gay. Made me promise to give him 20 bucks if my omega turned out to be a guy.”

“I thought everyone thought you were already paired for years?”

“They did, but I never said if my omega was a guy or girl. Told everyone to keep guessing,” Rian confirmed, soothing his fingers across Alta’s cheek as if the soft motion could fill the space between his words. “I’m sure a lot of money is exchanging hands today. You have no idea how nosey the betas here are.”

“Katy gave me a good idea,” Alta shrugged, and Rian took a deep breath, stealing another kiss from the omega on top of him. He just wanted to lie in this room and never move again. The weight of Alta settled over him like a blanket, grounding him with the kind of closeness Rian hadn’t even realized he craved until it was right there, wrapped around his chest and brushing softly against his skin. 

Those sharp green eyes that had been the loveliest shade of lilac he had ever seen, the red hair that both drove him crazy and yet he loved to touch. The shape of Alta’s face, the jasmine and vanilla that danced around both of them in the quiet room. He pressed a kiss to the nearest patch of skin he could reach, the underside of Alta’s jaw, tasting the faint salt of sweat and the impossible magic that clung to him like perfume. 

For a while, neither of them spoke. The silence between them was no longer uncomfortable, just the kind that buzzed around the edges with thoughts unsaid and choices unmade. Outside, the wind rustled against the old window panes. Inside, Alta shifted so his head rested against Rian’s cyphora, hair spilling forward to create a kind of veil between them and the rest of the world.

“I wish I could stop time,” Alta said eventually, the words a whisper caught in the hollow of Rian’s throat.

Rian closed his eyes, moving his hand so he could gently stroke Alta's cyphora through the layers of clothing. He felt as Alta hummed deep in his chest, a sound that reverberated through Rian.“If anyone could, I figure it would be you.”

“No,” Alta said, “I can only stretch it. Trick the world into believing it’s slowed. But it keeps moving.”

“So, when genies don’t have masters, you can use your magic? For you?” Rian asked, and he felt as Alta nodded against his chest. He gently brushed a hand through the curtain of red hair, letting his fingers trace idle paths over the back of Alta’s neck. The weight of the question settled between them, like the ticking of a clock in a quiet room.

“I can,” Alta murmured after a moment, his voice soft. “But it's never long enough.”

Rian tilted his head slightly, trying to read the edge in Alta’s tone. He had a strong feeling that a lot of the restrictions on Alta were due to him having a master and if he didn’t have one, he could talk more freely. That would’ve made Rian look forward to the other Ryan’s death so that Alta could talk freely, but there was that woman to consider. Yna, Alta had called her. If she was forcing masters onto Alta to control him, then…

“Do you regret it?” Alta asked suddenly, not looking at him this time, voice barely more than a shape on the air.

“It’s complicated. Like I said, still mad you forced it, glad my rut wasn't a month long blackout and feeling strangely hopeful that this might be something good,” Rian answered honestly, taking a deep breath that quickly turned into a yawn. “Fuck, we should leave soon.”

“Why?”

“Because if we don’t my–”

“Rian!” Halia’s voice came over the intercom and Rian groaned. He knew she was watching them. “You and that omega come to Ysemna’s office right now!”

“That.” Rian sat up slowly, carefully cradling Alta against him as they sat up. Alta merely grinned, a playful look on his face. It made Rian smile and he leaned in to kiss him again, making it clear he was in no rush to answer his mother’s summons. He was thirty-two years old, and if she thought she could shove him in a room with his mate and then dictate when he left, she had another thing coming. 

Alta moaned softly and Rian pushed more, his hand sliding around the back of Alta’s neck as he deepened the kiss, letting the tension in his body unwind into the shape of the omega in his lap. The taste of Alta, the scent of him, the way he leaned into Rian like there was no one else in the world… Rian didn’t want to stop. Didn’t care if his mother screamed herself hoarse on the other side of that intercom.

Another chirp buzzed through the speaker, more impatient this time. “Rian, you have sixty seconds to get out of that room or I’m walking in.”

“Do it and I’ll fuck him right here.”

“Rian Inphey!”

“You started it!” Rian yelled back, growling back as he heard his mother’s. He glanced at Alta as the genie laughed, clearly entertained by the shenanigans. “Now you know where I get my attitude from.”

“The resemblance is obvious,” Alta agreed and Rian finally stood, reluctantly letting Alta slide from his lap. His uniform was a mess now, but he really didn’t care. The alpha was more than ready to go change, go home, and maybe make Valentine’s Day plans with his partner.

Partner.

Rian hated how much he loved the thought. 

“Let’s go before I have to make good on my threat,” Rian sighed, carefully opening the door to the thankfully empty hallway. He closed the door before carefully threading his fingers with Alta’s, debating if he wanted to take the longest way possible to Ysemna’s office. However, there was a chance Ysemna wanted to see him too, and he still felt incredibly indebted to her for what she’d done for him. So with a quiet sigh, he squeezed Alta’s hand and started walking, each step pulling them closer to whatever version of trouble waited behind Ysemna’s door.

Rian could tell the shelter was getting ready to close for the day, the betas cleaning and sanitizing the booths, collecting linens to be washed, getting all the omegas whose heats had ended ready to leave. Usually Rian helped if he was still on site, but today he just kept walking, hand in Alta’s, ignoring the curious looks and barely stifled grins from the staff. No one said anything, but Rian could feel the ripple of gossip trailing behind them like a long shadow.

“You are gonna be hearing about this for weeks.”

“Days more likely. We’re getting a new backup and she’ll soon become the new focus. She’s a slinger.”

“How does that work?” Alta asked out loud and Rian gave him a suspicious look. 

“I know you’re not asking what I think you are.”

“Can Alphas pair to each other?” Alta repeated and Rian paused, looking down to see Alta’s expression. There didn’t seem to be any hint of sarcasm or teasing in the question.

“Technically, yes,” Rian said, resuming his pace but glancing sideways at Alta. “It’s not common. Pairing doesn’t work the same way between two alphas or two omegas, not naturally. But pheromones shift and one becomes the pseudo-omega. The alpha we're getting is the alpha in the bond. Her wife works in tech or something.”

“Huh,” Alta seemed to genuinely consider that, nodding to himself with a quiet “interesting” before falling into step beside Rian once more. Rian watched him from the corner of his eye, trying to guess where Alta’s thoughts were going. But the genie’s face was neutral again, composed in that way that meant something more was always being calculated behind those sharp green eyes.

They walked the rest of the way in silence, not the awkward kind, but the kind that made space for reflection. When they finally reached Ysemna’s office door, Rian didn’t knock. The moment his hand reached for the handle, it swung open.

“I see the two of you finally stopped making out,” Halia said dryly, but her gaze flicked briefly to Alta’s reddened lips. She opened her mouth to say more, but Ysemna’s voice from inside the office cut her off. 

“Stop it Halia, or I’ll make you leave. I’m only letting you stay as a paired delta, not so you can parent at work,” Ysemna’s tone made it clear that she wasn’t in the mood for another round of Halia's commentary. The delta huffed but stepped aside, letting Rian and Alta into the office. Ysemna was seated behind her desk, and her eyes moved between Rian and Alta. “I’m assuming you guys are gonna try and make it work?”

“Yeah,” Rian answered, squeezing Alta’s hand tightly. He didn’t need to tell Ysemna more than she already knew about Alta being a genie. “He’s safe for my ruts and I know how to handle an omega who is in heat. Besides, there’s no undoing it now.”

“And you are sure you don’t want to pursue this legally? It will be harder to do later.”

“I am,” Rian confirmed, squeezing Alta’s hand in his. He wasn’t going to make Alta suffer for trying to save himself, regardless of whether they worked out or not. Ysemna watched Rian carefully, but she eventually sighed, both of them glancing at Halia cleared her throat, clearly latching on to the implications that Alta had done something to her son.

“I just want to be sure that Alta and you are gonna be safe and you are certain in your decision. Halia can talk to you about anything else later,” Ysemna gave his mother a pointed look and Rian was already two seconds from blocking his mother’s number. He was willing to explain things to his father, but his mother had already burned out her good graces for the day. “Alta, it wasn’t… too much?”

“No? Once my heat ended, Rian made sure to get me ready and he gave me plenty of rest,” Alta shrugged and Rian squeezed his hand. “But why are you concerned? We both are standing here.”

“I’ll let Rian explain the rest, since I’m sure both of you don’t want to be here, but it is part of my job to ensure my deltas and their partners are safe.” Ysemna stood, moving to pick up a camera from her desk. “I do need a picture of the mark, so that I can add it to Rian’s file.”

“Okay.” Alta unlaced their fingers as he held out his hand for Ysemna, who motioned for the omega to place it on the desk. As his boss fiddled with the light to get a good picture, Rian chanced a look at his mother and frowned when he caught her expression. She was staring at Alta, but not just with the anger and suspicion she had before.

It was concern. Fear. 

Rian sighed, hating how complicated his mother made everything. “I’ll call you and dad later and explain what happened. Just please, Mom, not right now.”

Halia looked up to meet his expression, and her face softened just enough to make the tension in Rian’s shoulders ease. She didn’t nod, didn’t speak, but the subtle shift was there. She wasn’t done, not by a long shot, but she was backing down for now.

“Thank you,” Rian said anyway, voice low as Ysemna finally captured the image of Alta’s mark and turned off the camera.

“Alright, you two can go, Halia and I need to talk about something else.” Ysemna sat back down at her desk, and Rian nodded, threading his fingers with Alta’s again before turning for the door. The moment they stepped into the hallway, he let out a long, shaky exhale that sounded more like a sigh of relief than anything else. His grip tightened for just a second, grounding himself again in the warmth of Alta’s hand.

“Hungry?” He offered, looking down as Alta smiled up at him. 

“Starving.”