Dear Diary (Maxley)

16

"Is there a reason you keep picking on him?" Brad's gaze is cold, chilling, voice low as he tries to suppress his annoyance. "Nevermind, obviously there is. I'm assuming it's because you know better than to pick on me."

"You think you're so high and mighty now that you've got your degree." Benjamin's eyes are just as narrowed, teeth gritting. "You're still an omega, born to be bred."

"Oh? Thank God I have a good Alpha then." Brad shrugs, "Not all Alphas are blessed with hearts. You're walking proof."

"You should be fucking thanking me for what's going to happen to him." Benjamin hisses, "You'll be rid of him. Father will never let it go."

"Never let what go? What are you-"

CRASH!!

Brad's the first one to run over , glass scattered around Max along with a tray knocked from a servant's hand. Bleeding, his blood spills on the wooden floor and leaves him scrambling to wrap a handkerchief around Max's palm. The Alpha has yet to move, eyes stuck staring straight ahead, straight at Benjamin.

And he growls.

"Max?" Brad shakes his shoulders, eyes widening when he sees his hair standing on the back of his neck. "Hey! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Get. Him. Out." He's never done this, snarled, Brad has never seen him so enraged. What the hell did Benjamin say? What did he do? "Now."

"Max, you need to calm down-"

"No." He's up before Brad can stop him, walking over to Benjamin with shaky steps.

They make eye contact, Benjamin smiles, and the rest is a blur of movement.

Guests gasp, Brad's mother has a mortified look on her face, and his siblings are all watching from behind his father. A brawl in a place like this? How beastly. Brad can't break them up, they're moving too fast, rolling on the ground, throwing punch after punch. Max lands the most hits before security arrives to pull them apart, Benjamin's nose oozing red and an eye bruised and swollen.

"Beast! The mutt is rabid, attacking me without reason!" Benjamin feigns a cry, "Mercy! I surrendered!"

"Surrender my ass! You know damn well what you-"

"Max, enough!" Brad tugs at the back of his shirt until he stands, turning to him with a huff. "What the hell is going on?"

"Let me handle it-"

"So you can make a bigger scene? No." Brad pulls him along, out of the ballroom and straight down the hall. "Have you lost your mind? He's going to spin whatever happened!"

"I don't care!" Max squirms out of his grip and turns around. "He doesn't get to talk about you like that."

"Like what, Max?" Brad steps in front of him, holding him still by his shoulders as he tries to march on. "Talk to me!"

"I'm not repeating what he said-"

"Max, tell me what he did or so help me God-" Holding him up by his collar, Brad whispers to him, "-You'll be sleeping alone tonight. Now talk."

"...He had people whispering that you're spoiled goods." Max says it through gritted teeth, eyes narrowing. "Now let me go back and show him what spoiled really looks like."

"Max, no, don't be-"

"Let. Go."

"You can't go back in there." Brad's grip loosens on him, gaze softening. "Please, Max, let's just leave."

"That's exactly what he should do." His pheromones are suffocating, sinking around them as he stands in front of the closed ballroom doors. "Immediately."

"Father-"

"Do you have any idea what you've done? They think he's rabid." Mr. Uppercrust's eyes are empty but narrowed, "And you...you're mated to him. We'll have to remedy this quickly, come back inside, I'll call for a car to take him to a hotel."

"A hotel? Absolutely not, he's staying!" Brad squeezes Max's hand, eyes widening when Max pulls away. "Don't you dare leave me here."

"You should be thankful his mind has returned, I'm sure Mr. Goof knows it's for the best if he stays far away for the time being or else we'll have rumors of letting a beast bounce around our halls." He sighs, cane tapping against the ground. "It's bad enough he's a mutt, don't let him ruin our reputation any further, he's done more than enough tonight."

"Then send Benjamin out too!" Brad's never raised his voice at his father before but now he can't control his tone, blood boiling in his veins, "Have you considered what he's done? He's been instigating for weeks!"

"I'm sure he has, but an Alpha should have enough control to ignore such prodding." Mr. Uppercrust looks right at Max, eyes tracing his silhouette. "And to think I was starting to believe you could be trained."

"You-"

"Brad-" Max's voice is shaky, soft. "-It's fine."

"No, Max, it's not." Brad glares at his father as he takes Max's hand again, "You're not going anywhere."

"Well he certainly can't stay here."

"Then we'll be taking our leave-"

"Think of your family." Mr. Uppercrust's smile is taunting, "Think of the company."

"What of it?" Brad's body tenses, pheromones rising. "You can't remove me. It's mine, I earned it."

"Yes, it's yours, half yours." Mr. Uppercrust's steps are silent and he stops right in front of them, "Of course until you pose a threat to profits...which is written in the contract signed years ago if you remember."

"What threat could I possibly-"

"Rumors of you running around with a rabid mutt isn't good advertising, Bradley." He leans down, whispering in his ear. "It'd be such a terrible thing if they spread to our shareholders, then I'd have no choice but to remove you."

"Remove me? So you can promote Benjamin from errand boy?" Brad takes a step back, guiding Max behind him. "We both know the company would tank in a week if he got put into a position of power."

"Exactly, so don't make me have to move him there." His father turns away and walks back to the door, opening it slowly and glancing back at them, "Make the right decision."

"Yours will shoot you in the foot."