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Chapter Three

Teal

T eal came downstairs the next morning to find Niall bustling around the kitchen making breakfast.

“You’re here early,” he said to the beta.

“Hope that’s okay. I slept over at Jax’s last night and he’s a little farther out. I didn’t want to risk being late since I’m still not sure of the commute from there.” Niall ran a friendly hand over Teal’s arm. “You look tired.”

Teal blew out a breath. “I am. Ronan and I have both been putting in crazy hours this week.”

Niall gestured for him to sit. “That’s another reason I didn’t want to be late. I know you rely on me to be here so you can work.” He put a plate of eggs and a bowl of oatmeal on the table.

Before Niall could walk away, Teal grabbed him by the wrist. “You know how much we appreciate you, right? And not just because you’re reliable.

” He kept his grasp light, but didn’t let go, looking up into the beta’s face.

“We’d love you even if you were late every day.

You make our life…the boys’ lives…so much better. ”

Niall slowly unwound Teal’s fingers from his wrist. “Thank you,” he mumbled.

The air grew thick between them as Niall seated himself at the table. Teal figured he'd discomfited the beta with his awkwardly earnest sentiment, but he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t stop thinking about the conversation he’d had with Ronan last night.

Had they been blind and cavalier letting Niall go? Should they have fought for him? What would that have meant? A permanent triad? A public declaration?

That never could have happened. Not unless he wanted to undo all the progress he’d made at work.

As much as Teal missed being with Niall, it would have been impossible to have a more official relationship.

While there were certainly betas who joined alpha/omega pairs, those situations were considered unconventional at best. No way would his bosses have accepted it. Let alone the rest of the state.

Part of the reason Teal had achieved so much at work was because he was a model omega.

Married, with three beautiful children. Nothing controversial about him other than his career ambitions.

Supporting those ambitions made his firm appear progressive, sensitive to the changes in societal attitudes toward omegas.

But for Teal to have an official relationship with a beta, to be part of a publicly acknowledged polyamorous relationship, would be unsupportable.

Since he’d taken on the Bannon case, Teal knew other omegas were watching and cheering him on.

Whispering in colleges and law schools across the country.

If an omega could try cases in High Court, what came next?

A judgeship? An omega on the state council?

Who knew? As his star rose, many people looked to Teal as a leader.

Niall steadfastly supported Teal’s dreams and understood the necessity of keeping their intimate relationship private. Over the years, he’d become not only a lover, but a loyal and trusted friend.

That friend looked at Teal now.

“It won’t always be this hard, you know,” Niall said. “Your work life, not to mention Ronan’s, will calm down eventually.”

“And you’ll still be here?”

“As long as you want me.”

“We’ll always want you,” Teal said, holding Niall’s gaze, uncaring that his double meaning was about as subtle as a brick.

Niall’s cheeks flushed. He stood quickly and busied himself at the sink, scrubbing the already sparkling white porcelain. “The boys should be up soon. Can you hang out, or do you want me to wake them now so you can say goodbye?”

Teal felt a bubble of rebellion in his gut. He’d already worked over fifty hours this week. “Let them sleep. I’m going to enjoy this wonderful breakfast.” He dug into the eggs, which Niall always cooked with peppers and cheese. “Mmm.”

Niall smiled and sat down to eat with him.

They shared a companionable silence as Teal sated his appetite.

He’d been eating more lately, a signal that his heat could arrive soon.

The prospect gave him pause. The last thing he needed was to go into heat during High Court.

If the judge had to issue a tribunal pause, it would prove all the doubters correct.

On the other hand, his heats had been more irregular the past few years, and now that he’d turned thirty, he didn’t know how many more breeding heats he’d have. Taking suppressants could make the situation worse. It was something he needed to discuss with Ronan. Soon.

A sudden thump startled Teal from his thoughts.

Muffled shouting came through the shared wall from the next-door unit. The grumpy betas next door, Dale and Abe, sounded irate.

Another thud shook the cabinets. This time, the yelling grew loud enough for Teal to catch some of it.

“…should have been done…what the fuck were you thinking…lazy good-for-nothing omega!”

Teal winced at the last words, spoken with such disgust. Niall’s mouth turned down in a deep frown. If the words were this loud through the wall, Teal could only imagine how they sounded on the other side.

“Do you think Sorcha’s okay?” Teal asked, knowing Niall shared his and Ronan’s concern for their neighbor.

“Hard to say.” Niall lifted his shoulders. “Dale and Abe are total assholes, but I don’t think they’ve ever been violent. Families fight. The noise could have been something falling by accident.”

The shouting stopped, and Teal and Niall remained silent, waiting to see if it would start back up again. A few minutes later, they saw Sorcha from the side window. He appeared to be setting up a workstation in the family’s garage.

Teal released a relieved breath.

“He was out there yesterday,” Niall said. “In the garage and the driveway. When Ronan got home, Dale bitched Sorcha out about not being cleaned up. Ronan stood up for him, of course, but it sucks that his uncles are such jerks.”

Teal felt oddly protective of the younger omega and wished he knew more about his situation. “Maybe I should go talk to him. Omega to omega. Make sure he’s okay.”

“I mean, you can try. He and I have spoken occasionally, since he works on those projects outside a lot. We make small talk, but I’ve never been able to get more than a few words out of him.” Niall looked out the window again. “It’s sad. He seems lonely.”

“Even if we only end up chit-chatting or saying hello, I should at least make the effort. Let him know we’re here if he needs us,” Teal said.

“Daddy!”

Their discussion of Sorcha ceased as Zayne raced into the kitchen, straight into Teal’s arms.

“Hello, my little sweet pea.” Teal picked up his youngest and squeezed him tightly, pressing their cheeks together.

“I missed you so much last night, Daddy.” There was no accusation in his tone, but Teal felt a pang of guilt anyway.

“I’m sorry, sweet pea. It won’t be much longer.”

“Zayne, you know Daddy is doing very important work right now,” Kino said, walking into the kitchen. “We talked about this.”

“I know,” Zayne said, keeping one arm around Teal’s neck as he stuck three fingers into his mouth.

Garin strode past Kino and sat down next to Teal. “Don’t suck your fingers, Zayne. That’s for babies.”

Zayne slowly dropped his hand and Garin nodded at him with approval. Kino took a seat at the table as Teal moved Zayne into the booster chair.

After Niall put bowls of oatmeal in front of the boys, Teal turned to the older twin. “Garin, I understand you mean well, but there’s no reason to be so harsh with Zayne. You need to use a nicer tone with your little brother.”

Garin let out an annoyed sound. “I know, Daddy. Papa told me yesterday. I’m trying.”

“Okay,” Teal said, ruffling his hair.

As the boys ate, Niall leaned over into Teal’s ear. “I can keep an eye on them if you want to do that thing you were talking about.” He angled his neck toward the window.

Teal mouthed a thank you as he excused himself from the table.

***

In the back of Dale and Abe’s open garage, Sorcha hunched over a large wooden table, smoothing it with a sheet of sandpaper.

Teal walked heavily, hoping to avoid startling him. “Hello,” he called out.

Sorcha turned quickly, relief evident at finding Teal.

Teal believed one of the best things about being an omega was the immediate sense of solidarity one felt with other omegas, even those they didn’t know well—the omega bond. Although he and Sorcha hadn’t spoken much, there was still an innate kinship between them.

“Oh. Hi, Teal,” Sorcha said. “What’s up?”

Teal stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Nothing much. Just saying hello.”

Sorcha’s forehead scrunched.

Teal hummed, trying to game-plan how to ask the younger omega about his uncles. He moved closer to the table. It practically glowed in the dim light, a testament to Sorcha’s skill.

“Did Ronan say something to you? About yesterday?” Sorcha asked hesitantly.

Teal paused before recalling Niall's words about Ronan sticking up for Sorcha with his uncle. “No. Should he have? What happened yesterday?”

Sorcha put the sandpaper down and ran a hand across his brow. “Oh…um, I was blocking the driveway working on this table when Ronan came home. He didn’t seem mad about me being in his way, but since you’re here, I worried maybe I’d misread… Sorry. I see now that was a leap.”

The young omega was so high-strung. Probably unavoidable with Dale and Abe for uncles.

“Not a leap at all,” Teal said. “I’ve never bothered you in your garage before, so of course you’d wonder.” He made a mental note to ask Ronan about his conversation with Sorcha. “And I don't want to intrude, but…" Teal gripped his fists in his pockets.

Sorcha eyed him quizzically.

“Cards on the table, the reason I came over is that my nanny and I were in our kitchen a little while ago, and we heard some loud noises and some…not-so-nice words. I wanted to check on you and make sure everything is okay.”

A flash of embarrassment crossed Sorcha’s face before he gestured to the table.

“My uncles were in a bad mood this morning. This project is taking longer than expected because I found some water damage that needs to be addressed. I tried to explain, but they don’t really listen to me. They just want it done.”

Teal frowned. “They should be grateful you do such careful work.”

Sorcha shrugged. “I don’t think they care, as long as they get paid. Abe said I should mask the damage with stain. He didn’t want me to waste time doing the actual repair.”

“I’m sorry,” Teal said, not knowing what other words to offer. Dale and Abe surely weren’t the only business owners to place profit over quality workmanship, but their lax attitude put their nephew in a tough position.

“It’s alright,” Sorcha said. “I told them I’m going to do it my way. That’s why they got so mad.”

So the little omega had some limits when it came to his overbearing uncles. That was good to know. But Teal was concerned about the price Sorcha paid for his principles.

“Not to pry,” he began gently, “but there were some loud thumps against the wall.”

Sorcha peered down before explaining. “Like I said, they were mad. Abe got frustrated and grabbed his coat off the rack before he left for work. He pulled so hard the rack fell. Instead of picking it up, he…uh…kicked it against the wall.”

Teal didn't know whether to worry or roll his eyes that a beta in his forties could have such a temper over something so trivial. Sorcha didn’t seem cowed or frightened. And he’d stuck to his insistence on making the repairs. Teal supposed those were positive signs.

But Teal had also never seen Sorcha laugh, and the younger omega was always wary.

Teal wanted to gain his trust and offer support. It was past time he and Ronan got to know their little neighbor better.

Teal circled the table. “Looks good.”

“Thanks.” Sorcha pointed to one of the table legs. “You can see here where I made the repair.”

A section of the wood looked like it had been replaced with a separate piece. Although Teal knew nothing about furniture restoration, he scrutinized the area closely before nodding. “It’s beautiful. I’m sure it will be fantastic when it’s done.”

“I hope so.” The two men locked gazes and Sorcha grinned timidly.

The younger omega's innocent expression sent a jolt straight to Teal's heart. Without warning, a surge of protectiveness raced through him. Urgent and raw.

He blinked, swallowing roughly as a newfound awareness coiled unwittingly in his gut.

That smile. Teal had never seen it before, and it… affected him.

As Sorcha sucked shyly on his bottom lip, the tightness in Teal’s chest threatened to steal his breath. His physical reaction to knowing he’d made the younger omega smile was like nothing he’d ever experienced before.

What was happening?

Teal switched the subject abruptly. “Have you always lived with your uncles?”

Sorcha's smile faded into a neutral expression. “Since I was ten. Technically, I’m only biologically related to Dale, since my alpha father was his brother. But he and Abe have been married forever, so I’ve always called them both ‘uncle.’”

“Your parents are…gone?” Teal asked gently.

“Yeah,” Sorcha replied with a degree of sadness, although he didn’t appear overly emotional. “Boating accident. My two alpha brothers as well. After that, I came to live with Dale and Abe.”

Teal assumed there was more to that story, but it seemed imprudent to ask for details when Sorcha hadn’t offered them. Especially considering this was the first meaningful conversation they’d ever had.

“I’m sorry about your family,” Teal said.

“And I’m glad to know the noises this morning weren’t anything more serious.

” Although, he thought, knocking over furniture in a fit of rage didn’t exactly indicate a stable mind.

He put his hand on Sorcha’s shoulder. “Please remember you can always come to me and Ronan, or even our nanny, Niall, if you need anything. Anything at all.”

“Thanks.”

Teal hoped he’d done enough to lay the foundation of a friendship with this man he already felt connected to. What that smile had done to him. He pulled his arm back. “I need to head to work now, but I hope to see you later.”

As he turned to leave, Sorcha called out, “Hey, Teal?”

“Yes?”

“I know what you’re doing, like, being a famous lawyer and all.” He dragged a foot across the cement floor. “I think it’s great. Really great. Important.”

“Thank you for saying that. It means a lot.”

An undercurrent flowed between them as their eyes met again. Did Sorcha sense it too?

With effort, Teal broke the spell and returned to his unit.

The memory of Sorcha's grin sat with him for the rest of the day. He needed tell Ronan. Teal couldn’t explain it exactly, but he knew that his world—their world—had just gotten bigger.