Tears prickled his eyes.
He couldn’t bring the downfall of his family, not after what he’d put them through. All this…everything…it was his fault – he broke down in the commune and asked his parents to beg Master Rosh to bond with him. He went to him and begged for his freedom and debased himself.
It was time to take responsibility for what he’d done.
He couldn’t hide behind Hym, no matter how much he wanted to. His mate deserved better. He wished he could have stayed with him longer and helped him heal.
“What is your decision?” his dad asked.
Jamue turned to Master Rosh and walked to his side, leaving his mate behind.
“Jamue?” he said, stunned.
Jamue stared down at his feet, unable to look him in the eyes.
“Baby.” His voice broke.
Dammit.
He couldn’t stand this. His heart clenched hard.
“Please, let’s go,” he said, biting the inside of his mouth to keep from crying.
“Of course,” Master Rosh reached for him, but Jamue stepped back.
"Don't touch me." He walked into the house.
A bloodcurdling scream split the air, and Jamue forced himself to keep walking.
“Hym, shit…come on, man,” someone shouted.
Jamue swallowed his tears as he got into Master Rosh’s pod. He watched the house as they drifted onto the airway, hoping to catch a last glimpse of his mate.
His throat tightened.
“That went better than I imagined,” Master Rosh said. “If I had known you were such a prize, I would have forced your parents to hand you over a long time ago. I was willing to wait. I wasn’t in a rush to get bonded. Your reluctance to bond with me worked for me. I could play around, knowing my good little omega was waiting for me. But seeing you at the inauguration with him did something to me. I just had to have you.”
“What?”
“I saw you in the garden wrapped in his arms, whimpering like some cheap service omega,” Master Rosh snarled, fingers tightening on the controllers. “When is your heat?”
Fear stabbed Jamue in the gut. Why did he want to know that?
“I asked you nicely. You better answer me.”
“Next week. Why?” He asked, dreading the answer.
He knew there was some darkness in Master Rosh. The alpha was finally showing his true colours.
Chills ran up and down his spine as he stared at him.
“That’s too far. We’re going to have to speed things up.”
What?
What was he talking about?
***