“No, of course not. It just means that you’ll have a real easy time of it sexually if you do decide to go for it.”
“How do you know all this?” Chad popped open his own Coke and considered Topher’s face. If this was all off some random internet site then he was going to kick his ass.
“I took biological psychology class when I was an undergrad. There’s been a ton of research on this, but it’s not really mainstream. A lot of alpha groups try to discredit it.”
“Why? Isn’t it good to know how it works?” Chad didn’t really follow alpha politics. All he knew was that being an alpha was a huge advantage, and he liked it that way.
“Well, maybe, except sometimes alphas can match with an omega. A lot of people don’t like thinking that you can be mates with one of them.”
Chad shrugged. So what if you were mates with your omega? They were yours to do with as you pleased.
“What do you think I should do?” he asked Topher, putting his feet up on the coffee table and looking up at the ceiling. He was so confused.
“Run away while you still can?” Topher said, sounding like he was only half joking. Chad looked at him, and he shrugged.“What can I say? He’s the scariest dude I’ve ever met. Why would you want to be in a relationship where you’re the bitch?”
Chad frowned, offended. Submitting to Peter didn’t make him a bitch.
“Watch it,” he warned. “I may not be able to take on Peter, but you’re no problem.”
Topher just nodded, not at all intimidated. “That’s my point. You’re a dominant guy—way above average. But with Peter you’re basically a beta. Can you really live the rest of your life with someone who outranks you that much?”
Chad opened his mouth to reply, but then he didn’t say anything. He was surprised that his initial impulse was to answeryesto Topher’s question.
“I don’t know,” he said at last, feeling overwhelmed and confused.
“Well, something tells me Tank isn’t going to give you a lot of space to think about it.”
Chad bit his bottom lip. The look on Peter’s face when Chad left had been shocked—like he couldn’t believe that Chad wasn’t just caving. Chad had the feeling that once Peter decided how he felt and how he was going to react, he was going to be in trouble.
Still, Chad couldn’t bring himself to be scared of Peter. He knew on an intellectual level that Peter was scary as hell, but he didn’tfeelit.
“Let’s talk about something else,” Chad said, choosing to put his head in the sand—at least for the moment. “How’s it going with the hunt for an internship?”
“I have interviews tomorrow and next week, but there’s a lot of competition. I’m just hoping for the best at this point.”
“Tomorrow? That’s soon. Are you prepared?”
“Mostly. If you want to help me out I’ve got flashcards I need to quiz myself on.”
Chad grinned. He hadn’t seen a flashcard since high school, and even then he hadn’t used one. Topher was such a nerd.
“As long as you don’t expect me to know anything, I’m happy to help,” Chad said, smiling.
***
Chad helped Topher study for several hours, quizzing him on every aspect of the company he was interviewing to intern with and a whole bunch of technical stuff that Chad didn’t understand. After Topher went back to his apartment, Chad called his parents to see how his dad was doing.
His dad was doing fine, though he hated his new diet. Chad evaded their questions when they asked about Peter, and they soon got the hint that he didn’t want to talk about it.
“We love you,” his mom said before they hung up, his dad repeating the words in the background. Chad felt his heart warm, missing them.
“Love you too,” he said, putting the phone down and ending the call.
Still feeling tired and worn out, emotionally and physically, he decided to make an early night of it.
***
Chapter 22
