Kintsukuroi_ Chapter-6

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Chapter-6

The days seemed to rush past as the three of them settled into life together and Jayna was grateful for the extra week of summer break that she still had before classes commenced, especially because this year she needed to arrange for all the mundane necessities that followed the death of a dear one. Everyone was saddened to hear about Adam’s death, but the outpouring of grief and sympathy coupled with the myriad paperwork felt more fake than genuine and Jayna wished she could just be allowed to hide under the covers with Ben and deal with her mate’s loss privately. In a strange way, Janardan was the one around whom she felt most at ease because he was the one individual who didn’t demand anything – be it a recounting of the events surrounding Adam’s death or questioning Jayna on the arcane rituals that she was supposed to follow now that she was a widowed omega.

Still, Jayna was uneasy about the man’s strange silence and wary about offending the alpha from a traditional pack and having Ben taken from her, so she tried to act as conservatively as she could- staying off meat and poultry- even eggs and avoiding onions and garlic as much as she could. She restricted herself to the pastels and shades of white from her wardrobe  even as she wondered how she was supposed to manage keeping track of it all once the holidays were over and she had to go back to her job as a teacher at the college.

 The last weekend before work started, Jayna finally got tired of walking on eggshells and pulled on her pale-pink tee-shirt and red-and- black flannel after her shower in defiance. Janardan, doing push-ups (again) in one corner of the living room when Jayna emerged from her room after the shower, didn’t even blink.

Feeling ornery, Jayna got out the steaks and grilled them for lunch, holding the alpha’s gaze boldly as she helped herself to a generous serving.

Once again, Janardan didn’t react and Jayna deflated. She waited until she’d put Ben down for a nap before confronting the man, “You don’t mind?”

The alpha looked genuinely confused, “huh?”

“That I’m... that I-... that-I-ate-meat-and-wore-red?” She mumbled in a rush.

“Why would I mind?”

“Because it’s not ... not right?” Jayna asked in a small voice, doubts rearing their ugly head about what Janardan would do once again as she debated the wisdom of goading the alpha.

“It’s not my place to judge, Omega-heir,” The warrior murmured, waiting a beat before adding, “And I’ve found it better to follow my own path than be forced into empty traditions.”

Jayna gazed up at the man in wonder at his easy acceptance, “Thank you. Really,”

Jayna’s gratefulness dissolved when she stumbled over one of Ben’s scattered toys the next day and slammed into a hard chest instead of falling face-first on the floor. Given how hard the alpha’s muscular body felt against her softer skin, she wondered if the carpeted floor might have provided better cushioning.

“You need to be more careful, ‘Mega-heir,” The warrior murmured softly, releasing her once she was sure on her feet.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jayna asked sharply.

“You’ve just lost your mate... someone you cared for deeply and who... returned you affections...” Janardan began hesitantly, “It’s believed that when a dear-one departs, their spirit remains; trying to reunite with those they loved...”

“Are you saying that Adam’s trying to murder us?!” Jayna gritted out, eyes narrowed and furious, “The nerve of you- insulting my mate!”

“Please...” Janardan protested, backing away as Jayna furiously advanced on him, “I just meant that Heir Adam might be lonely... he doesn’t mean to hurt you- of course he doesn’t! ... but he misses you-”

Jayna glared, “Of all the stupid, superstitious bullshit-”

The warrior lowered his head, “I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to offend-”

“I should toss you out on your ass, you insulting imbecile!” She interrupted.

“I’m sorry,” the alpha reiterated.

“Don’t let me hear you badmouthing Adam ever again!” Jayna huffed, tossing a final warning over her shoulder as she stormed away, “Or I’ll be forced to complain to Mama about what you said at the very least,”

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There was a bit of friction when the week ended and classes at the college she taught at, reopened. She had strictly forbidden the alpha from accompanying either her or Ben and for once Janardan had openly voiced his objections; explaining that he couldn’t protect them if he wasn’t with them... but Jayna had refused to budge. Things got worse when Hayden – a colleague from work; came to pick her and Ben up- Janardan glowered at the other alpha but much to Jayna’s relief didn’t engage in a fight with the man. The two alphas had never gotten along, from the second Hayden had come to pay his respects to the memorial Jayna had held for Adam, and the animosity between the two was obvious; but fortunately, both had been civil so far.

Besides, Hayden acted much too familiar with her, and while it did make Jayna slightly uncomfortable, she had known the history professor for years now and counted him as a close friend and he did want to exasperate Janardan into leaving, so she put up with Hayden’s forwardness if only to annoy Janardan. She figured Hayden was the smaller threat and could refuse the man’s overtures once they had gotten rid of Janardan.

Now that she was away from the man for at least a few hours every day, she gathered her friends and explained the situation to them, begging help. Her friends suggested she ignore the alpha invading her house and though she felt guilty doing it, Jayna agreed. Besides it wasn’t like she wasn’t already doing that; not including the warrior in conversation or engaging him even just to say she was leaving or dinner was ready... She lavished her attentions on Ben and could only harden herself when she watched Janardan reach out to help her with the child and then withdraw when Jayna soundly ignored him.

It was petty, but Jayna heeded Candice’s suggestion that she do tiny things that would make Janardan uncomfortable: reading the paper and then throwing it away. ... It took two days for Jayna to realize that Janardan didn’t read the paper and then they were back on square one.

The next suggestion was washing Janardan’s whites with some of Ben’s coloured garments so they stained and discoloured. This one Jayna put her foot down about and refused outright. Knowing how little Janardan owned, it felt wrong to damage his clothes; besides, it was a moot point since Janardan did his own washing. The alpha would clear the laundry hamper and wash everything in it occasionally- and wasn’t it embarrassing to find her unmentionables washed and in a neatly folded pile on her bed, knowing that an unfamiliar alpha was responsible for it?! But Jayna never found Janardan’s clothes in the hamper with theirs...

Three days after classes resumed; Janardan hesitantly approached her to ask if he might borrow some sui-dhaga. Assuming the alpha wanted to repair his own clothes, Jayna loaned him her sewing kit. The next day she found herself mortified as she discovered the meticulous repairs done on her well-worn sleep-wear and on a few of Ben’s clothes. [Sui-dhaga= Needle and thread]

Candice’s next idea was for Jayna to make foods that an alpha wouldn’t like. And alphas in general preferred meat and meat products. So, they had salads for a solid fortnight till Jayna felt herself frowning at the sight of lettuce even though she and Ben had (secretly) had meat at lunch.

Janardan didn’t object.

Frustrated, Jayna changed their routine so Janardan barely got five minutes in the bathroom before she and Ben left for the day.

Janardan didn’t object... but she’d anticipated that this time since the alpha had enough time after the two of them left for the day.

The next idea Jayna tried was Hayden’s: she brought home her students’ project reports from over the summer that she had to check and spread them all over the couch which Janardan had been using as his bed. She fuelled herself with coffee to stay awake and go through them at a snail’s pace, just so Janardan wouldn’t have a place to sleep. The alpha curled up on one corner of the floor on the first day, and Jayna dozed off sometime after 3 am... She repeated it four nights in a row till she realized that she was the one suffering from sleep-deprivation.

Janardan didn’t object.

Slowly becoming more and more desperate with each failure, Jayna went as low as resorting to ruining Janardan’s meals despite the blatant gratitude that shone out of the alpha’s eyes every time Jayna placed a plate in front of him (In fact, she’d found herself wondering if Janardan expected her to deny him food but had shaken off the notion as too absurd.)

Throwing herself into her plan headlong, she decided to ‘ruin’ a sauce/dip that Adam had taught her soon after their mating- it was a speciality of his native pack and with how much they’d prepared it, Jayna knew the recipe by heart. It felt sacrilegious to ruin something that held such special meaning to members of the Fahlmer  pack, but if anything was going garner a response from the stoic alpha, it would be this. Still, Jayna found herself biting her tongue and sending up a silent apology into the universe as she sliced the boiled bitter gourd into rough chunks and added the blanched neem leaves (that she’d gotten from one of the shops dealing in exotic, tropical spices, fruits and vegetables) to the coriander and garlic in the food processor. The resulting thick green dip that Adam used to love (minus her ‘new’ bitter additives) looked as innocuous as ever, but tasted horridly bitter when Jayna put the very tip of the spoon she’d been using  to her tongue to check the taste. She gave a whole-body shiver at the off-putting taste, immediately popping a piece of candy to get rid of it and carefully decanted it into a glass jar.

She added a generous helping of the dip with her homemade fries for dinner that night to Janardan’s plate. Her and Ben’s plates had what was apparently the same dip (in reality, theirs was the version before she’d added the bitter elements to it) to avoid suspicion. Her already guilty conscience twanged when she saw the way the alpha’s face lit up at the sight of the traditional dip and she watched carefully for the warrior’s reaction, but Janardan schooled his expression after an instinctive widening of his eyes at first taste. She waited for the alpha to comment, to say something ... anything; but the man kept silent, polishing off his plate till it was clean... To see Janardan’s plate once he was done eating, no one would have guessed Jayna’s deceit.

“Was it... uh... was it okay?” She asked curiously while they cleaned the table together, taken aback by how the alpha had finished the rather generous helping of the bitter sauce she had plied him with.

The alpha glanced up in surprise at being addressed after the days of silence, and smiled bashfully, “Yes, omega-Heir, thank you for the meal.”

Jayna opened her mouth to protest the gratitude- to admit to what she had done and seek forgiveness, but then snapped it closed as she realized she would only be confessing to her attempts to get the alpha to leave if she did that... something she still wanted, despite her burgeoning respect for the taciturn alpha.

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Adam’s birthday had Jayna waking with stifled sobs of loss loud enough that Janardan had come knocking worriedly at the closed door of her bedroom. She whimpered, too exhausted and heart-sore to deal with the alpha warrior and shouted out a demand to be left alone; sighing in relief when the soft footsteps padded away obediently at her response.  She closed her eyes and thought of the birthday surprise that she’d planned for her mate... She’d asked Miles to watch over Ben for the day way back in January itself and planned some adult-only fun for the two of them since they were fortunate to have Adam’s birthday fall on a Saturday this year. Then, the three of them could have some family-fun on Sunday. ... But Adam was gone and never coming back and Jayna felt like she was being ripped apart with how much that loss hurt. She wiped the tears from her face and splashed some cold water, hoping to control the puffiness rimming her eyes from the crying jag.

When she finally emerged, Janardan was at the stove making halwa, while Ben sat playing happily with his legos nearby.  It surprised her to see her son so quiet and she threw a suspicious glare towards the alpha even as Ben barrelled headlong to her once he caught sight of her. [Halwa= a sweet made of semolina that is sometimes served as breakfast]

“Hey Benny, good morning! Sleep well?”

“Morning Mama, I was making a castle! Wanna see? C’mon, I’ll show you how to make the biddgy!”

“Bridge,” Jayna corrected with a smile as she followed her son to the scattered toys.

“Bridge,” The child repeated obediently, the ‘r’ loud and unnaturally stressed. “Help me make the tower, Mama?”

“Uh, sure...” Jayna agreed, still throwing uncertain looks towards the alpha that had his back to them currently. Deciding she needed answers, she turned to her son and questioned softly, “Benny, why didn’t you ask Janardan for help?”

Immersed in his play, the child didn’t bother looking up as he answered, “You make frowny-face when I talk to ‘im. Don’t like frowny-face.”

Jayna sucked in a startled breath at the revelation; she’d thought that she’d hidden her animosity well... but if Ben had managed to pick up on it... She was brought out of his thoughts by the ringing of the doorbell.

“Candice?” She asked (somewhat pointlessly, since it was obviously her friend), pleasantly surprised.

“Hey, Jayna! How’re you holding up?” The omega enquired, pulling her into a hug.

Jayna just stared, shocked speechless as she saw the rest of their friends approaching behind Candice. “What? I mean...how?”

“Well, we all know it was Adam’s birthday today... So you’ve gotta be feeling especially shitty. So we thought we’d drop in... remember Adam and the good times we had, make it a memorial of sorts in his honour and then get royally drunk!”

Jayna smiled, heart warming at her friends’ thoughtfulness. “I’m in for all of it but the drinking part. Gotta watch out for Benny, remember?”

“Dude, c’mon!” Candice chided, “You have a hunky nanny living with you 24/7... order ‘im to watch the munchkin!”

“Candice’s right,” Miles added, “Janardan can watch o’er Ben. And before you object, yes Ben will be safe with Captain Handsome. Or did you forget how he jumped in front of a car for the kid?”

“Dude, what?!” Candice repeated, pale blue eyes wide, “He jumped in front of a car?! When did this happen? And why didn’t you tell me ‘bout it? I thought he was some brutish terminator type knot-head, not a Disney Prince!”

“Not a Disney Prince?!” Miles repeated rhetorically, “Have you looked at him?!”

“Not to interrupt, but since when did you start quoting marvel?”

“If the show fits,” Miles shrugged.

“He was Commander of the Guard, not  Captain. And I’m not sure of how the ranks work back there, but I guess you might be close.” Jayna corrected her neighbour with a laugh as her mood brightened at her friends antics. She absently glanced at the alpha in question, taken aback by the deep red of the man’s ears and his hunched posture.

“Hey,” She murmured carefully as she stepped up next to the man, cautiously placing her hand on the alpha’s shoulder. “Janardan?”

Janardan flinched at the touch but didn’t shrug off the hand as he glanced expectantly at the omega, “Yes, Maalik?” [Maalik = Master]

“Not your Master, Jen,” Jayna corrected vaguely as she reached out and grabbed the pan that the man had been stirring.  She leaned back out of the kitchen nook to address her friends, “Guys, you hungry?”

“Depends on what you’re offering,” Hayden’s voice returned with a teasing chuckle.

Jayna blushed at the double entendre and strove to maintain her composure, “Umm... it’s halwa. Wanna try?”

“Not eating anything that the bastard made,” Hayden returned as he opened up a bag of chips and offered it to Ben.

“Chips!!!” was the youngster’s happy squeal as he dug in.

Jayna huffed- she didn’t like Ben eating fried foods first thing in the morning but figured she could cut the kid some slack today. Knowing the boy wouldn’t be eating his intended meal anymore after getting his hand on chips, she started to scrap it, readying to throw it into the bin. “Anyone else want a taste?”

Miles was the first to speak up into the silence, “Sure, I’ll try some.”

Jayna looked up in surprise and discovered that though the beta was speaking to her, his eyes were focussed on Janardan.  She steadfastly ignored the guilt that Janardan’s wordless-but-obvious- gratitude at Miles’ intervention arose, as she plated some on a bowl for her neighbour.

Miles eyes widened as he put the spoon in his mouth, “Dude! This is SO good! You’ve got to try some!” And he was shoving a spoonful into Candice’s reluctant mouth.

And through the friendly ribbing, Jayna soon found herself scraping the last of it for a taste herself. The mildly sweet mash contrasted beautifully with its grainy texture and the occasional crunch of a cashew or almond or the burst of pulpy tartness from a raisin made the food interesting. However, she found herself wishing for something slightly savoury to cut through the overwhelming sweetness after a few bites and found herself grinning in thanks as Janardan offered crunchy Papad to eat with the halwa. [Papad= savoury wafer, sometime described as a flatbread, it’s usually made from dried lentils and eaten fried/roasted as an accompaniment or as a snack]

“So, how do you make this?” She asked the alpha.

“The halwa?” Janardan asked shyly, obviously not expecting to be addressed. “Just mix some semolina with milk and sweeten it. It’s not hard.”

“Great!” Hayden interrupted, “If you ladies are done discussing recipes, the real men want protein. So, what’ve you got, Jayna? Got any steak?”

Jayna watched Janardan flush at the gendered insult obviously aimed at him, but was happy the man did not retaliate. “Lem’me check.... uh, yeah, we have steak... and meat for some burger patty What’re you planning?”

“Barbeque!” The professor grinned, “Watch how real alphas cook.”

“You’ll need to set it up,” Jayna worried, “Adam had packed it up before we left for his pack and I’ve not had time since returning.”

“No worries, Darling.” Hayden announced before planting a quick, wet kiss on Jayna’s cheek. “I’m sure I can handle it,”

“I’ll assist you,” Janardan offered, moving towards the door to the backyard and steering the other alpha away from Jayna with a gesture.

Jayna wiped instinctively at the sticky wetness, frowning briefly at the unsolicited familiarity and set about thawing the meat products as the two alphas went to set up the barbeque grill.

She handed out the beer cans her friends had brought along and put the remaining cans in the freezer before pulling out pickles and other ingredients to whip up a quick salad.

“What’cha doin’?” Benny enquired; watching the bustling adults with curious eyes.

 “Well, ‘twas your Daddy’s birthday today so-”

“Birthday!” The child squealed happily, before shooting his next enquiry, “Where’s the cake?”

“There’s no cake, Benny because-”

“But you can’t have a birthday without cake, Mama...” The little boy pouted.

“Its not-”

“Cake! Cake! Cake! Mama, make cake? Pwetty peaze?” The child demanded, eyes wide and pleading.

“Munchkin’s right! We need cake!” Candice seconded; the plump omega always eager to satiate her sweet-tooth.

Jayna gasped theatrically at being teamed up against by her son and friend before setting up the ingredients to prepare the demanded confection. She cast a glance towards the backyard and found the two alphas working together to set up the grill and relaxed- maybe the day wouldn’t be so bad after all...

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“You have absolutely no shame, do you?” Hayden snarled the moment they were out of earshot.

Janardan tilted his head in silent question as he helped heave the heavy propane tank out of storage and into the backyard but held his tongue: after all, Ätithi daevo bhavä. These were the guests of the Omega-Heir and despite his opinion of a few of them; it was his duty to make sure they had no complaints regarding the Omega-Heir’s hospitality. ... It was just unfortunate that Professor Hayden’s entertainment appeared to be humiliating Janardan. [Ätithi daevo bhavä= Guests should be treated like/ considered as Gods]

“You know no one wants you here; not us and definitely not Jayna. And yet, here you are! Shamelessly sponging off a widowed omega,” He continued. “Eating their food and brazenly using their hospitality because Jayna is too polite to turn you out on your ear. Tell me this, have you contributed even a single cent towards household expenses-”

Janardan felt the tips of his ears turn red in embarrassment as the words hit home but swallowed the insult in silence: it wasn’t like it wasn’t true... “I- uh... I don’t have any money. Is t-th-there any other way-?”

“No money?!” The professor mocked with a cruel laugh, “Jeez, you’re worse than I’d thought!”

Janardan lowered his head in shame.

“You really are pathetic,” Hayden sniggered unkindly, “But tell what, I’ll do you a favour and let you in on a secret, though. Jayna really really doesn’t want you here. ...so much so that she asked us to help us get rid of you,”

Janardan couldn’t help but cast a surprised glance towards the omega at that; the omega who was gracefully making a cake with her son at the moment... He had known that Jayna was not happy about his presence, hell, the omega-heir had told him as much herself; but he hadn’t known that the omega had held enough animosity towards him to involve her friends.

“So,” Hayden asked, watching his reactions keenly, “Are you going to politely leave or are you going to make us intervene?”

“I- I can’t,” Janardan answered softly; earnestly confessing, “Alpha ordered me to watch o’er them. I cannot disobey Alpha.”

“Good,” Hayden shot back, much to Janardan’s surprise. “I was hoping you would say that,”

“I- I shall make sure to minimize my presence around Omega-h-... uh, Jayna, so that she does not have to deal with me. I’ll eat less, not use hot water-... It-it- it’ll be like I’m not even here-” Janardan continued, recklessly offering a compromise even as his trained eyes noted the other alpha’s aggressive posture. He restrained himself against moving into a defensive pose just yet.

“Those are good ideas, but no; I most definitely want you there when I claim that tall drink of water as mine. Hell, I’ll do you one better: I’ll give you a front row seat as my pretty bitch betrays your friend...”

Janardan’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected words and he chose to ask the more pressing question than protest the gendered insult against Jayna first: “Has- has the Omega-heir expressed interest-?”

“Interest?” The alpha laughed, “Bitch is omega- built to spread for alphas... I’m going to show off her pretty little curves. And oh, she will have curves once I get her belly nicely rounded with my pups... And I’ll ship off Adam’s brat to boarding the first chance I get.”

“Jayna would never consent!” Janardan protested, doing his best to ignore the vile images Hayden’s words painted in his mind, and glanced frantically around to see if there was anyone else around to hear Hayden’s threats.  Miles was preparing a marinade for the burger-patty a few feet away but even though the beta glanced at him on sensing his gaze, he gave no indication of having overheard the conversation. Janardan swallowed and turned to face the other alpha again.

“And that’s exactly where you’re wrong,” Hayden snorted, clearly relishing the impact his words had over the other, “Jayna would agree to anything I suggested if it meant getting rid of you. She’ll only figure out that I wasn’t faking when she’s already got my ring on her finger... and by then, it’d have been. Too. Frickkin'. Late.”

“No! I won’t let you!”

“And how’re going to stop me, hero?” Hayden taunted, glancing around quickly to ascertain they weren’t being watched before punching the other alpha.

A lesser man might have been knocked clean off his feet from the force of Hayden’s punch; as it was though, Janardan had spent a full decade in the guard and the hit only jerked his head to the side. Hayden looked surprised momentarily before attempting another hit. Only this time, Janardan was prepared and caught the fist moving towards him.

“What’s happening here?!” Jayna demanded; eyes wide and horrified as she approached the alphas, having caught sight of the scuffle from the open patio-door and hurried outside. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of Janardan's hand curved over Hayden’s fist, having expected it to be the other way around, but ignored it on the chance that Hayden’s punch had been a defensive one.

“Jayna!” Hayden called, pulling back and straightening his clothes as his words echoed Jayna’s own thoughts, and “This Neanderthal attacked me out of the blue!”

But the man had only managed a step towards the omega before Janardan was between them, teeth bared in a snarl.

“Janardan!” Jayna gasped, horrified by her friend’s accusation.

She had suspected the alpha to have an aggressive side given the way he had been smeared in blood at their first meet; but having not seen any further violent tendencies during their acquaintance, had not expect the man to actually hit her and Adam’s friends.  Before anything further could be said, they all heard the wail of approaching sirens and Jayna closed her eyes- her relief at having Janardan finally removed from her property warring with her hurt over the way Adam’s birthday was getting ruined. Apparently at an impasse, they waited for the cops to appear and sort the matter, but Janardan showed no signs of moving from between the omega and Hayden, carefully angling his body in any direction the other alpha moved to stay between his charge and the threat.

“Janardan what?! What’re you doing? You knew I had friends who were alphas... what on earth has gotten into you! Oh, for heaven’s sake, move!” Jayna demanded, shoving lightly at the warrior’s shoulders in frustration, “You’re embarrassing me!”

The alpha grunted at the unexpected shove from behind, stumbling forward a step and Hayden utilized the moment to launch himself at the warrior. It was only his years of battle-honed reflexes that allowed Janardan to absorb the fist to his stomach and still grab his attacker’s hands, sweeping out his feet from beneath him and pinning him to the floor. The ‘fight’ was over before it started, and by the time the police appeared; Janardan had Hayden well and truly pinned. He released his hold on the man when he noticed the uniformed men surrounding him but stepped in front of Jayna again immediately after, determined to protect his charge from these armed newcomers. He had no idea about the volley of words being shouted at him, unable to understand a language he only had elementary knowledge about, in the hullaballoo. His entire focus on Jayna and Ben, Janardan didn’t react or respond to the repeated warnings from the men in uniform, which unfortunately was translated to refusal to co-operate and go with the cops.

The first taser had him grunting and lurching forward, and the second one brought him to his knees; but Janardan was still struggling enough that the cops thought it prudent to get back-up and it was finally with six cops holding him down that he was escorted to the police van.

Jayna made to follow after but was stopped short by Miles.

“I-I have to go,” She stammered. “Get Hayden out, explain that he was innocent.”

“You’re going to let Janardan just rot in there?”

“He’s the culprit!”

“Is he?” Miles questioned softly, not releasing his hold on the tall omega’s bicep.

Jayna frowned, “What... what’re you saying, Miles?”

“I’m saying you should probably get your facts straight before you go charging after them.”

That brought her up short. She took a deep breath to centre herself and nodded to show that she was listening, “O-kay... you-you’re right. So, umm... Were you there? Do you know what happened?”

Miles nodded and filled her in on all that had transpired, ending with: “I really wanted to deck him, you know? But I was sort of curious about what your bodyguard would do… Sorry, I should have intervened before things got so out-of-hand,”

Jayna waived away the apology as she felt her throat close as she listened, “You... you’re telling me that Janardan was actually just protecting me?”

Miles nodded, “And Ben,”

“And Ben,” Jayna echoed, “So ummm... can- would ... Would you please come with me and talk to the cops?”

“Of course!” The beta smiled, “And hey, I don’t mean to interpose, but I really think that you have a good man in your hands, Jayna... don’t lose him just ‘cause you’ve got your blinkers on.”

Jayna was glad to be able to leave Ben with Candice as she headed to the police station with Miles. Hayden was telling the cops some story about how Janardan was abusing Jayna when they arrived. In sharp contrast, Janardan was pacing his cell like a caged animal and Jayna felt her heart clench when she noticed the mild bruising on the alpha’s brow. The warrior stilled at her approach.

Explaining the situation to the cops was as awkward as she’d imagined but nevertheless, both alphas were released shortly with warnings. Hayden narrowed his eyes when Jayna headed towards Janardan and then stormed off. Janardan was frighteningly silent on the way back.

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Jayna closed the door to her bedroom and sighed before opening it again and heading for the living room. Janardan was still sitting on the couch, face buried in his hands; not having moved to make his bed yet and given the kind of day the alpha had had, Jayna wasn’t surprised.

“May I join you?” She asked softly.

The alpha lifted his head from his palms and stiffened minutely, “Of course, O- .... uh- how may I be of service?”

Jayna shook her head, “You know you needn’t be so formal with me all the time, don’t you?”

Janardan just blinked uncomprehendingly up at her even as he moved to one side to make space for her.

“You can use my name, Janardan. I told you that before, remember?” She returned, joining the man on the couch.

“I can’t seem to do anything right, can I?” The alpha asked tiredly, rubbing his face as he shifted to ensure respectable distance between him and Jayna.

The unexpected self-deprecation had Jayna glancing at the older male in surprise. Janardan looked utterly miserable and Jayna had an unexpected epiphany.

“I’m sorry,” She blurted.

The alpha looked at her, stricken, “What? Why?”

“You’re here,” She shrugged, “Away from everything you’ve ever known and in a totally different society. Hell, half the time, you can barely follow our dialect! And I’ve just let you flounder, haven’t I? You’ve been nothing but kind to Ben and me and the way I’ve behaved...” She shook her head sadly, “And you never called me out on it.”

“It’s not your fault.”

Jayna shook her head, “I should’ve noticed-”

“How?”

The question brought her up short. She slumped as contemplated her answer, “I... I knew how different the city is from the Pack-lands and I knew you had no concept of currency and I saw you fail to understand the cabbie when we came over; Hell, Adam didn’t understand some of the downtown accents and he’d been living here for nearly a decade now... So yes, I had some idea that this was all going to be a giant culture shock to you. And that’s not even counting on how differently gender roles and interpersonal interactions are handled in the city and in your Pack. I spent two weeks there and it was driving me crazy... and I had Adam warn me about all of it beforehand. ... So yes, I should’ve done things differently- not left you to fend for yourself all day long while Ben and I went out.” She let out a long breath and confessed, “Instead, I was plotting how to get rid of you.”

Janardan was staring at her with wide eyes, obviously taken aback by the long tirade and then, when she ran out of steam, the alpha just chuckled and lowered his head, shaking his head slightly, “I’m not going to pretend I understood everything you just said, but Omega-heir… Jayna, I’m a grown man, I can handle myself. ... And uh-I...  I think you’re wise for an omega.”

Jayna gaped at him for a few long seconds and something in her expression must have tipped off Janardan because the man was rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, “A-n-d I think I’ve offended you again. May I ask what was it, this time?”

Jayna couldn’t help a soft smile at that, confessing: “I’m...uh... I’m not sure whether I should be offended or flattered.”

“I didn’t mean to offend,” Janardan assured, “It’s just that in the pack... omegas are not so... logical. Alphas are the ones you approach if you want logic or reason; Betas, if what you need is a patient ear. Omegas... If- if you are lucky enough to have won the affection of an omega, then you turn to them for support...Unflinching, unshakable faith and blind support.”

“Wow,”

Janardan shook his head, “It’s this quality of theirs that makes them so precious to us. Unlike Betas, Omegas cannot be swayed by pretty gifts or temptations of power... it takes time and effort to win them over. But if they accept your affections once, then you can be rest assured that you’ll not have a more faithful supporter.”

Jayna smiled as she listened; to hear Janardan talk, it was all so ...magical... Deserving, honourable alphas winning their matched omegas. It was a different world... “So... you have any omegas waiting for you back home?”

Janardan shook his head immediately, “Of course not!”

Jayna furrowed her brows, curious despite herself, “Why not?”

“I’m a warrior, Ome-...uh… uhm, Jayna. What can I offer someone as precious as an omega? Besides, it’s just not right to tie someone like that to me, what if I fail to return from my patrols? What happens to them then? No, it’s far better that I not try and play with their affections.”

“So... a beta, maybe?”

“I am not mated, Jayna.” The alpha shook his head, smiling gently; “I have no family to speak of, no one waiting for me to return; part of the reason Alpha selected me for this mission. ”

“You have Ben and me,” The words slipped out before Jayna could censor them.

Janardan’s eyes widened, “Oh, no! I wouldn’t! I promise you, Omega- heir, I shall never try anything of that sort with you or Ben. You’re safe with me.”

Jayna smiled teasingly, hoping to dispel the awkwardness that had descended, “No? What, you don’t find my form appealing?”

The alpha’s eyes seemed ready to pop, they had gone to wide at her words, and then the man was virtually panicking- his words a mix of trying to soothe Jayna’s ego and a promise his loyalty: “Omega-Heir...Jayna, please! I would have to be dead to not notice how beautiful you are!... but you are- were, Heir-Adam’s mate, I cannot even dream of-” He shook his head.

Jayna blushed, flattered and a little taken aback... as amusing as it was to watch the alpha flounder- struggling to assure Jayna of his integrity while walking the fine line between praising her looks and explaining why she was not to be ‘desired’; it was giving her an idea about how their relationship was playing out in Janardan’s mind. She raised his hand, palm out to stop the barrage of flustered words, “Easy. It’s alright; I was just teasing, and I understand.”

“Uhm... speaking of, I think I better inform you that if-... uh, I’m really not trying to threaten you or anything, just, I think you need to make an informed decision, okay? If- if you were to accept Alpha Hayden’s... uhm... his... uh- his proposal,  I’ll be taking Ben. It would depend on Alpha if he’d be raised here or back at the pack, but you shall not have any access to him if you choose to mate again.”

Jayna narrowed her eyes in confusion, “What proposal?”

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Chapter-7

MasterPost

Earlier Parts: Prologue - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter-3- Chapter 4- Chapter 5

Author's Note-

Voting for August’s story-theme is now open!  So if you want a story in the genre of YOUR CHOICE, be sure to vote in the poll for next month’s theme. Click HERE to vote now!

As always, comments and critique is welcome :-)