good, but Ethan still had to be smart about it.
He eyed Bram and spoke neutrally. “No wonder you didn’t want to kiss me. Not when your alpha is your mate.”
Bram gave himself a whole-body shake, reminiscent of a real wolf’s movement of shaking off water. He gritted his teeth. “I’m an omega.”
“So what, omegas and alphas don’t mate? Sorry, I don’t understand pack dynamics all that much.”
“Would you like something to eat?”
“Not mates, then.”
Bram gazed at him, long and hard, not answering. But there was fire in that gaze, which told Ethan two things. Bram and Doug weren’t mates—a mated wolf would never deny the bond—and Bram was an angry omega, sometimes beaten but not completely down. Ethan had to find a way to use that anger to help him.
An angry omega had issues with his alpha, whether or not they were fucking.
Maybe Ethan stood a chance after all.
Chapter Six
The next day Bram appeared on cue as Ethan was waking. Not from a particularly restful sleep, but there’d been no nightmares either. Small mercies and all that.
Bram looked weary, like all the enthusiasm for Project Ethan had been sucked out of him. Maybe good, maybe not.
“Good morning.” Ethan rubbed his eyes. “It is morning, right?”
“Sure.”
“Sure, it’s morning? Or sure, Ethan, it doesn’t matter since you live in a windowless room?”
Bram studied the table upon which he’d laid breakfast. “It’s morning. Late morning. Did you have a good sleep?”
Bram’s diffidence was kind of endearing, or would have been if the wolf hadn’t been holding Ethan captive. At least Bram didn’t smell of Doug anymore. All washed off and there’d been no rematch. Ethan figured if they were having sex too often, there was the danger of a strong bond, angry omega or not. Occasional fuck buddies would better work in Ethan’s favor.
He finally lifted a shoulder in response to Bram’s rote question. The wolf usually asked about his sleeping, probably after watching him for hours. “All I do is sleep. With practice, I’m becoming very good at it. Gets a bit dull as my only hobby though.”
Bram gestured at the food and drink brought in for Ethan, all prepackaged, high-energy shit. His mother, Ethan thought, the memories weren’t all that clear, would have called it junk food. At any rate he gobbled them down and wondered if he was already putting on a bit of weight. It sure as hell wouldn’t hurt. He needed more strength.
“I’m also getting good at eating and drinking,” Ethan said, picking up the conversation again and giving a nod towards the empty tray. “I’m wondering what my next party trick is supposed to be. Not sex, I can assume. You and Doug have each other.” But Ethan allowed a little innuendo to enter his tone, a little invitation.
To his surprise, Bram met his gaze, a warning in his eyes. “Don’t talk about Doug.”
“No? The topic is off limits?”
Bram slowly swerved his eyes up and to the left, added a slight tip of his head before looking back at Ethan. “It is for me.”
Ethan waited a beat, letting Bram pick up the empty tray, before he briefly looked into the top right corner of the room.
He didn’t know much if anything about these things, but there might have been a camera embedded in the wall—black, circular, with something lens-like in the middle.
The air whooshed out of him. They were fucking filming him? Jesus. He stood up, feeling shaky, feeling like he couldn’t get a good handle on his situation. Then he plonked back down on the bed.
“Tired from eating so much?” Bram suggested. His tone was flat and bland, carrying the faintest distaste.
Ethan turned away from the camera and spoke to the bed. “Yeah.”
“I’ll be back.”
“Fantastic.”
And Bram left.
Of course, if Ethan’s brain was in any kind of working order, he would have realized he was being watched. How else did they know to come in while he was waking up? Every single fucking time. He let the resentment wash
He eyed Bram and spoke neutrally. “No wonder you didn’t want to kiss me. Not when your alpha is your mate.”
Bram gave himself a whole-body shake, reminiscent of a real wolf’s movement of shaking off water. He gritted his teeth. “I’m an omega.”
“So what, omegas and alphas don’t mate? Sorry, I don’t understand pack dynamics all that much.”
“Would you like something to eat?”
“Not mates, then.”
Bram gazed at him, long and hard, not answering. But there was fire in that gaze, which told Ethan two things. Bram and Doug weren’t mates—a mated wolf would never deny the bond—and Bram was an angry omega, sometimes beaten but not completely down. Ethan had to find a way to use that anger to help him.
An angry omega had issues with his alpha, whether or not they were fucking.
Maybe Ethan stood a chance after all.
Chapter Six
The next day Bram appeared on cue as Ethan was waking. Not from a particularly restful sleep, but there’d been no nightmares either. Small mercies and all that.
Bram looked weary, like all the enthusiasm for Project Ethan had been sucked out of him. Maybe good, maybe not.
“Good morning.” Ethan rubbed his eyes. “It is morning, right?”
“Sure.”
“Sure, it’s morning? Or sure, Ethan, it doesn’t matter since you live in a windowless room?”
Bram studied the table upon which he’d laid breakfast. “It’s morning. Late morning. Did you have a good sleep?”
Bram’s diffidence was kind of endearing, or would have been if the wolf hadn’t been holding Ethan captive. At least Bram didn’t smell of Doug anymore. All washed off and there’d been no rematch. Ethan figured if they were having sex too often, there was the danger of a strong bond, angry omega or not. Occasional fuck buddies would better work in Ethan’s favor.
He finally lifted a shoulder in response to Bram’s rote question. The wolf usually asked about his sleeping, probably after watching him for hours. “All I do is sleep. With practice, I’m becoming very good at it. Gets a bit dull as my only hobby though.”
Bram gestured at the food and drink brought in for Ethan, all prepackaged, high-energy shit. His mother, Ethan thought, the memories weren’t all that clear, would have called it junk food. At any rate he gobbled them down and wondered if he was already putting on a bit of weight. It sure as hell wouldn’t hurt. He needed more strength.
“I’m also getting good at eating and drinking,” Ethan said, picking up the conversation again and giving a nod towards the empty tray. “I’m wondering what my next party trick is supposed to be. Not sex, I can assume. You and Doug have each other.” But Ethan allowed a little innuendo to enter his tone, a little invitation.
To his surprise, Bram met his gaze, a warning in his eyes. “Don’t talk about Doug.”
“No? The topic is off limits?”
Bram slowly swerved his eyes up and to the left, added a slight tip of his head before looking back at Ethan. “It is for me.”
Ethan waited a beat, letting Bram pick up the empty tray, before he briefly looked into the top right corner of the room.
He didn’t know much if anything about these things, but there might have been a camera embedded in the wall—black, circular, with something lens-like in the middle.
The air whooshed out of him. They were fucking filming him? Jesus. He stood up, feeling shaky, feeling like he couldn’t get a good handle on his situation. Then he plonked back down on the bed.
“Tired from eating so much?” Bram suggested. His tone was flat and bland, carrying the faintest distaste.
Ethan turned away from the camera and spoke to the bed. “Yeah.”
“I’ll be back.”
“Fantastic.”
And Bram left.
Of course, if Ethan’s brain was in any kind of working order, he would have realized he was being watched. How else did they know to come in while he was waking up? Every single fucking time. He let the resentment wash
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