𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫 || 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐊𝐰𝐚𝐧

Chapter 16

Seungkwan didn’t know why Vernon was so interested in his past or his present. Though the alpha’s pointed questions did have him wondering.

“How much of that did you overhear?”

Vernon had the grace to look embarrassed, even if his reply was defensive.

“I heard raised voices, wanted to make sure everything was okay.”

“Alpha protector or alpha overprotector?” Seungkwan asked, though he couldn’t really be angry at Vernon.

“Bit of both,” Vernon admitted. “Look, if you really love acting, surely you can find another agent, move to another country, or try another medium. Maybe the stage?”

“It’s not that I love it,” Seungkwan admitted. “It’s my job. Each new part is just another role to play.”

“Then why not leave?” Vernon said. “Start over. Find a new career, retrain as something else.”

“Where?” Seungkwan said bitterly. “How?”

“Surely you’ve got money from all those films you were in? Some of those were pretty big, right? Those blockbusters pay well.”

Seungkwan leaned back against the wall, avoiding Vernon’s gaze. “It doesn’t work that way for me. My contract is with Stewart. I don’t get paid for individual films. I get an allowance from him, and the rent on my apartment is paid. It’s enough to live on.”

“That doesn’t sound like a lot of money or a good deal for you,” Vernon said.

Seungkwan could hear how carefully he was controlling his tone.

He shrugged, still avoiding looking in Vernon’s direction. “It’s pretty standard. Most of the omegas I’ve worked with had something similar. I’m paying Stewart back, you see. For things like lessons and coaching, photos, auditions he’s gotten me. In fact, if I break the contract or he drops me, I’ll probably end up owing him money. I have about a thousand dollars to my name. That won’t stretch far.”

When he finally looked at Vernon, the unhappiness on the alpha’s face said it all.

“Do you have a copy of your contract?”

The question wasn’t one he was expecting. “Um, sure. I have a paper copy back at my apartment. But I think I’ve got one in my email somewhere. Why?”

“Joshua could look it over. He’s got experience with legalese.”

Seungkwan’s skepticism must have shown on his face, because Vernon laughed and said, “He’s an omega advocate.”

“But I thought he was mated to your pack’s alpha?”

“He is,” Vernon said, looking amused.

“And he has all those babies.”

“He does.”

“And he’s an advocate?”

“A pretty great one, at that. Got Duke custody of Jack when no one else could. We’re lucky to have him.”

Seungkwan felt a complex combination of shock and envy. No alpha, no pack, would ever feel they were lucky to have him in their midst. He was damaged goods, fruit past its best.

“There’s no point,” he said quietly. “I signed the contract, I agreed to it. This is my problem. I just have to suck it up and make the best of things.”

“No contract gives someone the right to exploit you like that,” Vernon said. He stepped closer, closing the distance between them.

Seungkwan pressed back against the wall and resolutely refused to meet Vernon’s gaze.

“He’s not exploiting me, he’s giving me opportunities.”

Vernon didn’t touch him, but his hands settled on the wall either side of Seungkwan, boxing him in.

“He’s using you for his own benefit. Isn’t he the one who sent you to that alpha’s house for sex? Do you think Stewart didn’t know that the plan was to film you? Do you think he didn’t tell that actor to give you something to make you a little more compliant, a little more into it?”

Seungkwan tried to swallow a sob. He knew it was true. He’d never have agreed to it if he’d known what the alpha had planned to do. He’d been set up, and it had to have been by Stewart.

“Kwan?” Vernon murmured.

He finally lifted his head, a lone tear trailing down his cheek. The depth of the compassion on Vernon’s face surprised him.

“I wish I could take it all back. I wish it had never happened. I wish I’d stayed home in my apartment and hid under the covers until daylight. Because now I’m stuck. I don’t have any options except Simon. I know what that’ll cost me, what it’ll make me.”

The alpha’s hand cupped his cheek, his thumb brushing the errant tear away.

“I know you feel like you’re trapped, stuck between a rock and a hard place, but you’re not. You have choices, beyond the scraps Stewart is offering you and trying to dress up as a gourmet meal. Choices that don’t mean ending up on the streets or in some unsavory role where you have to compromise yourself just to get by.”

It sounded too good to be true, which meant it probably was.

“I’ve never met an omega who had those kinds of options,” he admitted.

“You need to spend more time around Joshua,” Vernon said, looking thoughtful.

He cupped Seungkwan’s cheek again, and Seungkwan leaned into the touch, letting his eyes fall closed. It felt nice to be held like this, without expectation. He opened his eyes, stood on his tiptoes, and pressed a kiss to the alpha’s lips.

Vernon didn’t kiss him back. He pulled away a fraction, his smile sad.

Seungkwan was confused. “You don’t want me? I thought, after this morning…”

“I meant every word I said, Kwan. But you’re hurting right now. You need comfort, a shoulder to lean on, not a roll in the hay.” He indicated the bales stacked next to them and, despite himself, Seungkwan giggled.

“But you’re not saying no?”

“I’m saying there’s a time and a place, and this isn’t it. You’re up in the air right now, your strings have been cut. You need stability, not alpha posturing.”

Seungkwan didn’t know quite what to make of Vernon.

“I’ve never met an alpha who turned me down,” he answered honestly. “Are you sure I’m your type?”

Vernon leaned in, his eyes sweeping up and down Seungkwan’s body, the heat in his gaze obvious. “Oh, I am very sure about that.”

He stepped away again, leaving Seungkwan swaying a little in the face of his intensity. Vernon held out a hand and waited for Seungkwan to take it.

When he did, the alpha tugged him away from the wall, his grip warm and firm. He let go as soon as Seungkwan was upright and steady, nodding toward the house. “Let’s wash up and walk over to the packhouse. We’ll see if Joshua’s free for a chat.”

Seungkwan wanted to refuse, wanted to go back to his room and hide under the covers. Yet a part of him was intrigued by Joshua and all that the omega had done. Seungkwan could never measure up, but maybe he could learn a thing or two.