Hazi ignored him, opened the bags and proceeded to put the groceries away.
Nylune watched him while he fought his tears. “Hazi?”
“What?” he sighed. “I didn’t bully him. He’s my alpha. And the law states that alphas or betas must accompany omegas in public at all times. I didn’t make the rule, the council of alphas did. I’m a law-abiding citizen.” Hazi touched his chest innocently. “I’m doing what the council wants.”
Nylune laughed, wiping his tears away. He loved having his cousin around. There was never a dull moment with him. “There should be a law against the things you’re doing to that alpha.” Nylune walked to the counter and pulled out a chair. He sat down, just as Hazi took out his food from the warmer and placed it in front of him with a flourish. The food smelled delicious and looked appetising. His stomach growled at the sight of it. Every time he visited him, Hazi bought him food from different eateries around the capital to keep him connected to the world outside. The food was always delicious. Nylune took his first bite and moaned as flavour exploded on his tongue. The meat was perfectly cooked and tender, the vegetables were crunchy and fresh.
“Are you still mad that I dragged my alpha around the capital to get you the best food ever?” Hazi asked as he moved away to continue packing.
Nylune shook his head, devouring his food.
“Thought so,” Hazi quipped, packing everything he bought away.
Nylune finished eating and washed his plate. He made sure everything was neat and in the rightful place before leaving the cooking station to tackle the boxes. Where was he going to keep the stuff anyway?
“Do you need any help with the boxes before I leave? I can help you move them to your office,” Hazi offered.
“Yes,” Nylune said readily. He could use the help to stick the scent patches along the wall. He ran to his office to get his box cutter. He returned a few seconds later to find Hazi already looking inside one of the boxes.
“I thought these were pleasuring bots,” he said fishing out a gas mask. “You could have told me you bought weird shit last night.”
“As if you would have let me. You like the sound of your own voice, and I don’t mind listening to you,” Nylune said with a laugh. Hazi growled and lunged at him. Nylune easily dodged him. They played for a while, laughing and wrestling on the floor. A chiming sound suddenly filled the silence interrupting them. Nylune turned to the door with a frown.
“I’m not expecting any deliveries,” he said walking to the screen on the wall displaying footage from his front door. There was an official looking person outside his door. From his build he could tell that he was a beta. Betas mostly worked as officers of the council.
Was he here for him? He was supposed to be living in a commune house after all. He’d had a few enquiries over the years about his living situation, and his resident permit always helped to clear things up, but Maxus wasn’t the alpha king anymore. He wondered if the permit would work.
“Who is it?” Hazi asked coming to stand beside him.
“I don’t know,” Nylune said. “He looks like an officer from the council. I should go and get my permit. Go talk to him while I go get it.” Nylune rushed up the stairs to his room, heading straight for his clothing cubicle. He pulled out the case he kept his official papers in. He slid it to the floor and pressed his thumb in the keylock to unlock it. He opened it and rummaged inside for his papers.
“Nylune?” Hazi called from downstairs. Fear stabbed through him even as his fingers closed around the papers.
“I found them,” he called as he ran downstairs. Only to find Hazi alone. “Where did he go?”
“To your other neighbour. He was not here for you, but to deliver that,” Hazi said handing over a piece of paper. “It’s a neighbourhood notice. You’re going to get a new neighbour and he’s moving in with an okie.”
What? Nylune looked towards the backyard.
Wasn’t the alpha moving in last night? He thought he’d moved in. It sure sounded like it. Or did he hear what he wanted to hear, and overreacted because the thought of living next to an alpha scared him. He read through the notice, and he couldn’t believe the alpha was moving only in a month’s time. He went crazy last night. Nylune looked around him and started to laugh.
“What’s funny?” Hazi asked staring at him weirdly. “You look deranged right now. Are you scared of living with an okie nearby? They are vicious. I don’t understand people who want to tame such an animal. It’s dangerous.”
Wow, he’d completely missed that.
“An okie?”
“That’s what it says here,” Hazi said pointing to the paper. “The alpha must be out of his mind to own such a thing. Okies are dangerous. You don’t see a lot of them in the animal sanctuaries because they are hard to tame.”
He must be mad, Nylune thought. Or he could be a very strong alpha who needed the challenge of taming such an animal. Aggressive alphas were known to have strange habits and hobbies to offset their aggressive nature. The animal could be something he needed.
But still…
“The alpha probably has a cage or something. He wouldn’t let it roam around, right?” he asked.
“You’ll have to connect with them and find out,” Hazi said. He glanced at the boxes and then back at him. “Do you still need help with these? You never told me why you bought so many gas masks and these weird looking citrus smelling patches. Should I be worried?” He looked him up and down, his face morphing into a cringy look. “Don’t go crazy on me too, Ny. I can handle a lot of things. But I draw the line at crazy.”
Nylune blushed. Hazi’s assessment of the situation was too close for comfort. He didn’t remember half of what happened last night after all.