I want to say something, but Storm grabs my elbow and pulls me toward the exit of the hall. His expression leaves noroom for argument. Whatever this cost him, it was a lot. I have no intention of shouting over him in the middle of a crowd, so I follow, but inside I am boiling over with a mess of conflicting emotions.
The fuck? A homeless man rummaging through a trash can finds his destined partner… This sounds like a Cinderella fairy tale or something along those lines. Stories like that just do not happen.
I mean, they do happen. After all, my own parents were True Mates. But cases with betas are incredibly rare! Why would it come about for me of all people?
This whole thing could easily be a scam. Storm could have made a deal with Salt.
Find me a good looking guy, because I do not want my contract bought by some old creep or fetishist who likes the idea of taming a criminal.
So Storm went out, scoped the place, spotted someone who seemed acceptable, dragged him in, and Salt played his part in the little performance of pretending to be ‘hard to get,’ making it look believable.
A plausible scenario. Salt did give in surprisingly fast. But then I remember that shiver when I touched his skin.
Well, even that could have been staged. What if Salt had some kind of special patch hidden in his palm that delivered a mild electric shock? I have heard of tricks like that being used to pick up omegas in clubs. Some alphas used them and then went, "Oh wow, maybe we’re fated mates. We should go to bed right now and make sure this is real." I have heard about that plenty of times. A lot of guys in the mafia used it on inexperienced omegas.
This could all be one massive scam, and I fell for it.
Storm, Gessler, and I finally reach a small office off a side corridor, and the entire time I am putting together a neat escape plan in my head.
Only the cop stays behind at Salt’s booth.
We step inside the office, and a short, chubby omega with strawberry red hair springs up from behind the desk and rushes over to Storm, planting a wet, intense kiss on him.
Wow. That I did not expect. Storm keeps his own boyfriend right here at work?
"Eliano, this is my True Mate, Damien," Storm says with a note of triumph, and I blink. Well, the fact that Storm has his own True Mate certainly adds to his credibility, but it is still not a hundred percent proof.
I sink down onto a small sofa. I would rather say all of this while sitting, calmly.
"This whole situation is extremely suspicious. You pick me up off the street, and suddenly it turns out this murderer is my perfect match. Please forgive me, but it really sounds like a setup to close Salt’s difficult case."
To my surprise, the case handler joins in.
"Unfortunately, I also have to voice my doubts. This all seems strange."
"I am aware of that," Storm says calmly as he sits down behind the desk. He looks almost comical there, the desk is so small and he is massive, and his omega perches on his knee, which only adds to the absurdity of it all.
"Please keep in mind that our organization selects candidates for our wards with great care and thoroughness," Mr. Gessler says in an official tone. "The written agreement we have with your agency states that anyone who decides to acquire Salt’s contract must undergo our verification process, including a series of psychological evaluations, as well as a detailed reviewof their financial status, housing situation, and legal standing." Mr. Gessler smooths it over, like a clerk at a city office.
Storm leans forward slightly and flips through a stack of papers.
"But there is one factor that changes this entire situation. Salt was accepted not only into the Second Chance program, but he is also simultaneously enrolled in the Beta Activation program. So that is where we have an opening."
Gessler snorts. "Was he?"
Storm nods, and the handler’s expression shifts to mild surprise and thoughtfulness. He pulls his tablet from his briefcase and starts scrolling through it, and we wait in silence, broken only by the wet kisses Damien presses to Storm’s neck.
Finally, the gray-haired omega lifts his head and speaks. "You’re right. In the ‘additional programs’ section, I see he is enrolled in Beta Activation. I’ll admit, none of my wards have ever been in that program." A slight grimace appears on his lips, clearly displeased by the complication.
"The program is still relatively new. The first trials started about two to three years ago. Volunteers are paired based on various tests and placed together in facilities. They can live there as couples for up to five years by design. That is why something like whether Eliano owns a house is irrelevant."
"But does this program accept people who come in already as a pair?"
"Normally they do the pairing themselves. But Beta Activation also has a small subsection for the rehabilitation of criminals. They are willing to cooperate with the Second Chance program and accept pairs that you suggest as good matches. In a way, you do part of their work for them by screening the pairs."
Mr. Gessler clearly seems underinformed on the subject. He bites his lip and rubs his chin. "I need to read more about it."
"I assure you that this is how it works. I did my research," Storm says firmly.
