Page 55

Chapter Thirty-Four

Sorcha

S orcha turned up the TV in the living room when the newscaster said the closing proses were about to begin.

He and Niall had set the boys up in the main bedroom.

The prospect of being allowed to watch cartoons in the middle of a weekday was enough to keep them from asking too many questions about the tribunal.

They understood the basics of what their daddy was doing, especially the twins, but the adults had worked hard to create a sense of normalcy over the past few weeks, and that meant not inundating the boys with the details of High Court.

For the past twenty minutes, reporters outside the courthouse had been interviewing demonstrators on both sides of the street, as well as local law enforcement.

The police captain mentioned that there would be extra officers on duty until the judges made their decision, and he expressed concerns that someone could get hurt.

Jax came into the living room just as the cameras switched to the courtroom.

“He looks good,” Jax said, crossing his arms and standing stiffly behind the couch where Sorcha and Niall huddled together. “You’d never know how poorly he was feeling yesterday.”

The three men shared concerned glances. Last night, Teal had been doubled over in agony. He’d also run a temperature, the first real sign his symptoms might be an indicator of issues with his heat. But he seemed to have improved upon waking that morning.

“He always looks good,” Sorcha said. “But you can see the toll it’s taking in his eyes.”

“Agreed.” Niall patted Sorcha’s knee as he scrutinized the TV. “He always gets that little line over his nose when he’s trying to mask his pain.”

“But he was firm this morning that he was good to go for the closing,” Jax said. “I see that little line too, and I’ll admit it concerns me, but I’m choosing to focus on the fact that he’s sitting up straight and his cheeks don’t look as red as yesterday.”

Sorcha rested his elbows on his knees, lacing his fingers together underneath his chin. “He looks yummy in that blue suit.”

“Yeah…yummy,” Jax deadpanned. The other men cackled.

Their phones buzzed. Ronan letting them know he was watching from the job site.

The state delivered its closing prose first. In High Court, the rule was that petitioners got to have the first and last word in any tribunal.

Teal had been saying for days that the state was mounting a lousy defense of its position, and its lawyer’s closing words made this point clear.

The older alpha went over the statements of their few witnesses and based his defense on the idea that allowing heat services to be run by omegas didn’t provide enough benefit to society to justify the disruption the change would cause.

Sorcha frowned at the TV when the lawyer finished. “It’s like the state doesn’t think the health and safety of omegas is an issue worth addressing.”

After the judges motioned to Dayson’s table, Teal stood up and began his closing prose.

His initial words were an extensive summary of all the evidence they’d presented, including the many omegas who spoke about the horrific experiences they endured.

“We’ve shown the court that omega abuse at the hands of unscrupulous alphas is a widespread and consequential dilemma,” Teal stated.

Next, he recapped the biological realities.

“Through our witness testimony, including that of Dayson Bannon, we have demonstrated that omegas have different needs, and for some, it is simply impossible to express these needs to alphas, which in many instances has led to catastrophic results.”

Teal cleared his throat. Sorcha gasped lightly and grabbed Niall’s arm when he saw his partner stumble before catching himself against a table. The pain and exertion showed on Teal’s face, his cheeks growing ruddier by the second.

Jax brought his hand to Sorcha’s shoulder and squeezed it from behind. “Have faith, little omega.” He pointed at the TV. “Our Teal is doing something special.”

Sorcha knew Teal was determined to finish, that he needed to give the closing prose and win this case for Dayson. But that didn’t stop Sorcha from dying a little on the inside when he saw the beads of sweat dripping down Teal’s forehead, or the way Teal’s fist rested over his stomach.

Pushing away from the table and standing straight, Teal coughed again before continuing.

“We need to remember that omegas who engage with heat services are already in a vulnerable position. Most times, it means they are unattached to a husband or partner, and they don’t have an alpha friend in their life they trust enough to help them.

The heat service becomes the only option, since suffering heat without an alpha, or at least someone trained to get an omega through one using alpha semen and toys, is too much of a risk.

“So they come to the heat service, and hope for the best. They hope to be matched with a kind and caring alpha who will give them what they need. But in many cases, the alphas are a bad fit. In others, the heat goes poorly because the omega cannot communicate his needs.

“To declare that it would be too disruptive to change the status quo, which is a fancy way of saying it might put the less-scrupulous alphas out of business, is akin to saying the state does not care equally about the health and safety of omegas. We are not imagining this will solve all problems, but it’s a start.

And it aligns more with what we know about gender, scientifically speaking, and with how we have progressed as a society.

“We’ve made strides over the past few generations.

Gone are the days when the genders were carefully segregated into highly-specific roles.

We now have alphas who are fully involved in the care of their children and help with household chores.

Most betas now live outside the traditional beta neighborhoods, and many marry alphas or omegas.

And reproductive care has improved to accommodate our changing society as well.

There are higher quality suppressants, surrogacy, donated alpha semen, and, yes, the proliferation of heat services as omegas embrace careers and later-in-life partnerships.

Allowing omegas to own heat services is simply the next logical step.

“I’ve been called an ‘omega whore’ more times than I can count.

Every day, I receive vicious and hate-filled letters and emails.

My family has been threatened, our home vandalized.

My husband and children endure hateful taunts when they go to work and school.

My friend Dayson Bannon has been bruised and bloodied, and has to be guarded all day and night for his safety.

We’ve both had alphas calling for our deaths, something that occurred on the courthouse steps as we walked in.

“Dayson and I know better than anyone how hot society’s temperature is regarding omega rights.

We understand that this tribunal, although theoretically deciding only one issue, is in fact deciding society’s general direction.

Every day we march further toward a world of equity among the genders.

And while that is scary for some folks, the pro-alpha groups especially, that doesn’t mean it’s wrong.

“I’m threatened every day. But I’m still here.

Because some things are more important than what we’re afraid of.

This is even more true when the thing we fear is change.

We must not get complacent. Or comfortable in a status quo that no longer works for everyone.

Change is difficult. And change is messy. But change is necessary.

“We need to change who can own heat services. Because now that the genders mix, now that we aren’t all in our own lanes, everyone understands omegas are our daddies, our co-workers, our teachers, our nurses, our friends, our…

ahem, lawyers.” Teal turned to give Dayson a little wave.

“How can we understand this and not do everything in our power to make them safe in the society we all enjoy? There’s no way.

There must be a change. Thank you for your time. ”

Sorcha put his hands to his face, then turned quickly to Niall. “That was good, right?” he asked the beta, before twisting to ask Jax, “Right?”

“It was fantastic,” Jax said. “I feel…proud…to be part of Teal’s life.” Sorcha saw he had tears in his eyes.

Sorcha rested his palm on the back of Jax’s hand where it gripped the couch. “Not just his life. You’re part of his family.”

Jax dipped his chin.

“I kind of wish lawyers in High Court had mics to hold, because Teal could definitely drop it right now,” Niall said.

The camera in the courtroom kept rolling.

Sorcha winced when he saw Teal stumble again on his way to re-seat himself at the table.

Even through the screen, he could make out the sweat pouring down Teal’s temples.

Teal barely made it back to his chair before steepling his fingers in front of himself and resting his forehead on them.

“He looks beyond tired,” Jax observed. “I hope the judges make their ruling tomorrow so this can be done, and he can get some proper rest.”

“Agreed,” Niall said.

Sorcha watched the TV. The judges appeared to be whispering amongst themselves. Teal propped his head against one of his fists. His other hand had disappeared beneath the table. Sorcha was certain his partner was pushing on his middle, pressing against the stabbing pains that plagued him.

The court lights highlighted Teal’s ghostly pale skin. Whatever swagger he’d had when he entered the courtroom had been decimated by the energy he’d expended delivering his closing prose.

Finally, the judge in the middle of the platform spoke. “We will deliver our decision tomorrow afternoon at one p.m.”

Sorcha clapped his hands together. It would be over tomorrow! Thanks stars!

Niall jumped up and ran behind the couch to pull Jax into an embrace.

Sorcha looked back at the TV, expecting to see the relief on Teal’s face. Instead, he watched in horror as Teal slumped over and fell out of his seat, landing in a heap on the floor of the courtroom.