“What do your brothers do?”
“One of my brothers is ex-military, and now he heads a soup kitchen. My other brother is a doula, specializing in male omega pregnancies.”
Elijah snorted. “None of you sound like alphas. Didn’t you want to do something a little more exciting or rewarding with your life?”
“Rewarding?” Silas lifted a brow. They passed through the iron gates and turned down the street. “What could be more rewarding or exciting than making the world a better place? I think the job I do is just as important as the work that doctors or lawyers do, only in different ways. My father may not think so, but my brothers and I are changing the world.”
“Your father isn’t proud of you?” There was hesitation in Elijah’s voice. “Why?”
“He thinks I should have used my education to follow a traditional career path,” Silas said. The hurtful words exchanged after Silas had declared his major still stung, but he understood his father’s concern. In his eyes, Silas was making a risky move. Out of the three Rutledge triplets, Silas excelled in his education, and his father had expected great things. Greattraditionalthings.
It had been a tense few years, and Silas was glad he’d gone away to study. Being home at the Rutledge estate would have been too much.
“You’re an alpha.” Elijah sounded troubled. “Why would anyone be disappointed in you?”
“You think that alpha status is a free pass?” Silas smiled. They distanced themselves from Stonecrest, and as they did, Silas left his training behind. The casual conversation was already having a positive effect on Elijah, and he wanted to keep it going. “Just because I can knot doesn’t make me a superior human being. Just because you can bear children doesn’t make you inferior.”
For the first time since he’d brought up the idea, Elijah didn’t refute it. They wound through the streets in silence until Stonecrest disappeared behind them. The section of the downtown core they headed for was antiquated. Close to the ports, it had been the first part of the city settled, and the architecture remained steeped in the old world. Stone buildings and European aesthetic made the location a prime tourist destination. In response, cafes and restaurants opened their doors. Niche shops appealing to vacation-goers opened alongside them. It was busy, but laid back. To Silas, there was no safer place to test an omega’s capabilities.
The sea breeze took the bite off the heat of the day. When Silas looked to Elijah again, the breeze caught in his hair and mussed it. Nothing subtracted from the simple beauty he exuded. How had a guy as gorgeous as Elijah ended up selling his body? Silas pushed the thought aside and reminded himself that they were there for therapeutic purposes.
Itwasn’ta date.
“I would kill for a coffee right now.” Elijah gestured at a small shop down the small street they traveled down. A chalkboard sandwich sign was left propped outside of it, advertising cappuccinos. “Can we go?”
“We can go wherever you feel comfortable going,” Silas granted.
Elijah rolled his eyes. “I’m not a basket case, you know. I know you deal with fragile, damaged omegas, but I swear, I’m well-adjusted.”
“Prove it.”
The challenge hung between them. Elijah quirked an eyebrow and looked up at Silas, but Silas refused to meet his gaze. He focused on an arbitrary point ahead of them, trying to keep the grin from his face. Stubbornness shone in Elijah’s eyes.
“Come on, then.” Elijah grabbed Silas by the hand and dragged him forward. “Let me show you what I’m capable of.”
As their palms met, a chill swept down Silas’ spine. Elijah’s fingers tightened around his, and he pulled Silas toward the cafe as Silas tried to make sense of the emotions stirring inside of him. Elijah was off-limits. He’d told himself the same thing countless times during the past week, but it hadn’t done much to change what Silas felt. What bound him to Elijah was more than lust. A part of Silas had woken the second he’d detected Elijah’s scent on the air, and the more time they spent together, the more that neglected part of himself strengthened.
Elijah pushed his way through the door and brought Silas along with him.
“Hi!” the barista behind the counter said as they entered. “Welcome to Selmarie.”
Elijah’s exuberant confidence wavered. His grip on Silas’ hand weakened, then tightened again. Although he’d once led the way, Elijah stopped short until Silas stood at his side. He deferred conversation.
Some of the damage Silas knew lurked behind Elijah’s stubborn attitude manifested. Silas knew what was happening the second he saw it—Elijah was waiting for him to take control of the conversation. If this was confidence, he still had a long way to go.
To snap Elijah out of his head and get him to tone back on his instincts, Silas squeezed his hand. Elijah’s gaze flicked his way, then he took a deep breath and nodded in reply to the barista. “Hi.”
That was good. Most omegas on their first excursion from Stonecrest didn’t have the nerve to speak, even after silent prompting. Silas stood close, letting Elijah know he wasn’t alone.
“My um,” Elijah glanced Silas’ way again, and the fear on his face bled away into mischief. “My boyfriend and I saw the sign outside, about cappuccinos. We’d like to order two, please.”
Boyfriend? Standing in the cafe together, holding hands, both of them having a good time, it must have looked like that to outsiders. He’d challenged Elijah, and now Elijah was challenging him back.
“Just one. Instead of the second cappuccino, I’ll take an earl gray tea.”
“Sounds good to me.” The barista punched up the order on her touchscreen operating system.
“And a vanilla scone,” Elijah added. “Please.”
