One

Chapter 3

"That doesn't sound ominous at all." Brandon drawled around a spoonful of piping hot lasagna. He did notice that, as soon as his father mentioned the talk, Sean had tensed and was now fiddling with his meal. "Talk about what, exactly?"

When he didn't get an immediate response, Brandon looked around the table, feeling his hackles raise slightly at the apprehension that clung to the air.

Especially so when sour apple and bitter jasmine mingled, forcing Brandon to breathe through his mouth, as his nose burned from the Omegas' distress.

Everything an Alpha didn't want to smell. It instantly made him want to fix whatever was causing the distress, wipe it off the table and replace it with that sweet scent he'd come to like.

"It isn't...bad..." Ryker paused, seeming to mull over his thoughts before rephrasing, "It's a serious, sensitive topic. Normally we wouldn't have touched it but the situation calls for it."

Sean's spoon trembled as he brought it to his mouth, eyes focused on the table, head lowered demurely. More food spilled down the spoon and back in the plate instead of reaching Sean's lips.

Scared Omega. Distress. Comfort!

With a bit of a struggle, Brandon stopped his wolf from surging forwards, anticipating that his sudden hugging of the trembling omega would only result in more panic, not a relief from it.

"Okay..." The young Alpha looked around but didn't see a hint of confusion on Sean or his mother's expressions. Clearly he was the only one here that had been left in the dark.

Lies.  Deceit.

The beast snarled lowly, an annoyed grumble slipping past Brandon's lips, even if he pressed them together in a thin line. "What the fu- heck is going on?" Brandon amended after a scolding glare from his mom.

Adult or not, she wouldn't hesitate to learn him some manners if he failed to show a proper upbringing.

Ryker sighed, scratching through his hair as he glanced down at Sean as well. A flicker of unease settled in Brandon's stomach as he noticed the Pack Alpha's eyes glimmer with repressed anger.

But he could tell it wasn't aimed at the omega. An Alpha's anger should never be aimed at an Omega. Brandon's nostrils flared as his wolf crept underneath his skin, anxious, stressed, growling.

Clawing on the tight control Brandon had over it, threatening to rip free if he relented for even a second.

"Since you've been assigned to keep an eye on Sean and guide him around, there's no real way this secret can be kept from you." Ryker started, eyes flitting hesitantly to Sean before the Alpha sighed once more.

"But we're hoping you'll keep it from being discovered by the others..." Ryker continued before looking at the now trembling Omega.

"Sean?" The omega whimpered at the Alpha's voice before Ryker gently patted the boy's shoulder, hesitant yet reassuring. "You were the one who suggested this-"

"I didn't....Jamie did, I...I-Jamie, please-" The omega's eyes widened, brimming with tears as his breath seemed to get stuck in his throat.

Jamie? Who the fuck is Jamie?

Sean rubbed at his eyes, yawning and shaking his head a little bit before blinking. His shoulders relaxed as he slowly sat upright, eyes flitting to the clock before he sighed.

And then the scent hit Brandon. That particular scent of rain on a hot day, the scent of petrichor that made you want to inhale and sigh as it reminded of a hot summer's day, finally cooling down in the refreshing rain.