Kintsukuroi _ Chapter 10

 

Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï

Chapter-10

Jayna hurried to the door at the sound of Janardan’s holler, worry spiking her heart-rate because Janardan had never summoned her like this- and freezing to a stop at the sight of Janardan barring the door with his body and using his hands to hide Ben behind him who kept trying to sneak away by squeezing past the alpha’s legs and when he failed to run out through that route, went down on all fours and tried to crawl his way between them. Janardan let out an outraged squawk at Ben’s unexpected bid for freedom and closed his legs, trapping the boy before bending down to scoop the giggling child up into his arms; carefully angling his body to stay between whatever was waiting out there and Jayna’s baby.

Unable to stop her startled chuckle- apparently Benny had finally grown comfortable enough around Janardan to be the little troublemaker he usually was with Jayna; she stepped forward, going up on her tip-toes and using the additional gain of a few inches of height the action granted her to peer over the warrior’s shoulder and felt her mouth drop open in surprise at the sight of her parents.

“These people are claiming to be your parents, Omega-heir...” The alpha grumbled; his disbelief in the claim obvious from his tone.

“Uh... that’s because they are, Janardan.” She told the older man quietly.

“What?!” Janardan whirled around in surprise, Ben still hanging like a monkey from his neck, “Sacchi? I-I-I thought they had passed away!” [Sacchi= really/truly]

He turned to the older couple with an awkward smile, “I’m sorry, please do come in.”

Her parents seemed more bemused than offended and cast curious glances towards the alpha as they stepped up to wrap Jayna in a hug. “Hey, honey... how’re you doin’?  We figured if we wanted to see you, we’d have to drop in unannounced otherwise that boor you call a husband would find excuses. Speaking of, where is he?”

“And who’s the hunky guy who blocked our entry?” Her om added with an appreciative once over of Janardan.

“Ummm, Adam’s not- Adam’s gone, Dad.” Jayna felt her throat close at the renewed reminder of her loss and cleared her throat to continue, “And that is Janardan. He’s from Adam’s pack. He lives here now.” She looked around to find Ben and Janardan with their heads bent together over something in the garden out front and called out, “Benny? Aren’t you going to greet your grandpa and grandma?”

The boy glanced up at the call and down again at whatever had caught his interest, trying to decide if he really wanted to leave it and greet his grandparents like his mother was asking him to. Jayna watched as Janardan murmured something quietly to him, making the child smile. And then Ben was running up the stairs and into the waiting arms of his grandparents, “Gran-pa! Gran-ma!”

“Hey kiddo!” Jayna’s father greeted, lifting the boy up and tossing him into the air carefully, “My, haven’t you grown?! Are you as tall as your Mama now?”

The child squealed and giggled at the action and Jayna couldn’t help but smile as her parents took the boy inside and to his room. She was still watching them when Janardan came back inside.

“I’m sorry if I offended them, I... you never speak of them, so I didn’t think they were alive.” The alpha apologised again, explaining haltingly: “You call Alpha every weekend, but never them...”

“You wanna know why,” Jayna filled in, smiling indulgently at the man’s guilty look at being caught out and walked back to the kitchen- they were going to need more pasta.

Janardan stepped up alongside her, wordlessly joining in dicing more vegetables to add to the meatball- stew she was preparing and nodded, “Unless you mind,”

“Well, my family is fairly liberal, you know? And Dad, he uh... he isn’t fond of traditional packs...I mean, like at all...hated Adam on sight. Well, okay, ‘hate’ is a pretty strong word, but there was no love lost in that relationship. And- and the feeling was sort of mutual, you know? Adam didn’t like Dad’s constant criticisms of his customs. They never really screamed at each other or anything, but the coldness between them could give you frostbite. I didn’t want to expose Ben to that, spoke to them when Adam wasn’t there and visited them alone or with Ben when I could find the time. Guess we just... just drifted apart, you know?” She shrugged, then added guiltily, “I hadn’t even thought to call them after getting back... hadn’t remembered.”

“You had a lot on your mind,” Janardan excused with an understanding smile, not looking up as his hands wielded the knife deftly. “And uh... chota muh, bari baat; but maybe you should start letting them back in, ‘Mega-heir... it would do Ben good to know his grandparents. I thought Heir-Adam’s parents were the only grandparents he had, so I encouraged you to let him have a relation with them, had I known about your parents...”

[chota muh, bari baat= Literally, small mouth, big words. It’s a phrase generally used as a preface when someone of junior/lower status daringly gives their un-sought opinion to their senior/ higher-up. Sort of like saying: “You (obviously) know better, but in my humble opinion...”]

“Ben virtually has three sets of grandparents now, doesn’t he?” Jayna smiled as she acknowledged the other man’s suggestion.

“Three?”

“Yeah; Adam’s, mine and yours,”

“Oh,” Janardan’s cheeks reddened, a pleased smile lurking at the corners of his lips at the unexpected inclusion even if his eyes looked inexplicably sad, “Uh... not exactly. Dad died when I was six.”

“And your om?” [om= omega parent]

“I ki-... my om died giving birth to me.” The alpha responded shortly. Jayna wondered if she had imagined the self-blame when the alpha spoke of his om.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” Jayna apologised.

“It was a long time ago,” Janardan returned. And adroitly changed the topic before Jayna could make further enquiries, “Now, do we need more meatballs as well?”

Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï

Jayna had expected dinner to hold more friction with his father around yet another alpha from a traditional pack, but to her surprise, the two men seemed to hit it off really well. The small table was soon filled with laughter and friendly teasing as the two alphas swapped stories and Jayna could only smile, feeling some of the bleak coldness that had wrapped itself around her heart since Adam’s death finally begin to thaw as she watched her family bond with the alpha who had unexpectedly become such a huge part of her life.

“So, if I may enquire... why the sudden visit, Alpha Page?” Janardan asked, as Jayna and her om cleared the dishes while he brought out the party sized tub of ice-cream along with cups and spoons to divide it in with Ben’s questionable help.

“You saying you don’t want me here, son?” Gerald returned with an affected southern twang and a wink.

Janardan turned scarlet, “Oh, please... no! I- I’m sorry, I never meant to imply-”

“It’s alright; Gerry was just teasing you, boy.” Jayna’s om interrupted the stuttered apology with a light flick at their husband’s ear.

The alpha shot a part relieved and part guilty look at Jayna as he explained himself, “it’s great having you all here. It’s just... I mean, I know it’s Friday so you’ve got the weekend ahead but it’s not holiday season...both Jayna and Ben have to go to school on Monday. Jayna has work even tomorrow as a matter of fact. ... I- I just found it strange that you’d choose to visit now rather than in a few more weeks at Christmas.”

Jayna’s father and her om exchanged surprised glances and turned back to the alpha, “Well, as it happens... Sunday is a certain pint-sized alpha’s birthday and we wanted to be here to wish him in person.”

Janardan’s eyes widened as he glanced instinctively at Jayna for confirmation. The omega nodded.

“Right, of course.” He agreed; voice slightly hoarse in his surprise, “that- that makes sense.”

“Speaking of sense,” Jayna interrupted, “I think it’d be sensible if I bunk with Ben. Dad and Om can take my room.”

“Of course not,” His father interrupted, “We’re not putting you out of your room, kiddo.”

“And you’re an adult. You’re welcome to share with whomever your heart desires,” His om added, obviously assuming that he and Janardan shared a room.

Jayna felt himself flush even as Janardan’s brows furrowed in confusion, “Wait, where do you guys normally sleep when you visit? Because Jayna’s right, Ben’s bed is much too small for two adults-”

“Why, the couch of course!”

Jayna watched as the warrior processed that, obviously still slightly confused.

“Right, of course...” Janardan conceded with a smile, although his expression said he remained unconvinced, “You’re welcome to it, obviously.”

“You can uh...  you can share with me,” Jayna offered hesitantly.

“I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you, Omega-heir. I can always sleep under the stars. I’ve missed it, in fact. I think it would be good to remember the feel of the earth beneath me again.”

“You camp a lot, son?” Gerald questioned.

“Yes, Sir.” Janardan answered guilelessly, “The Guard usually sleeps under the stars while on patrol.”

“You were in the Guard?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Impressive,”

Sleeping arrangements were quickly organized soon after and Jayna had to harshly stifle her guilt when she saw Janardan’s obvious surprise at realizing that the couch doubled as a pull-out bed; remembering that while she had shared the information with the alpha initially, she had never actually explained what a ‘pull out bed’ meant and for someone who had never encountered one before, it was a novel concept for a couch to serve as a bed. While she had initially noticed Janardan’s incomprehension, she had never made the effort to explain in order to hasten his departure and had then forgotten about the matter entirely. Guilt churned like a roller-coaster inside her belly at the understanding that the man had been contorting himself to fit into the couch every night for the past seven months and never voiced his discomfort.

Janardan grabbed the offered bed-roll gratefully and left them for the coolness of the backyard soon after and once Ben was down for the night, Jayna found herself alone with her parents.

“So,” Her father began, putting voice to the question Jayna knew they had wanted answers to since they arrived, “just where is our illustrious son-in-law?”

Jayna forced away her tears at the reminder of her loss and at the obvious disparaging tone her father used whenever he spoke about Adam, repeating her words from earlier in the day: “Adam- Adam’s gone...”

“I knew it!” Her father crowed, “I told you- told you not to mate that low-life. But no... I’m in love, Daddy... Adam loves me...” he mimicked in a ridiculous falsetto that sounded nothing like Jayna’s voice, before continuing his rant, “so where did all his love disappear?! Bloody faker!”

Jayna whimpered in wordless protest and lowered her head, letting the insults hit her like knives as she tried to rein herself in.

“Anyway, boy am I glad to see that you left that loser,” Her dad commented as he stepped up next to Jayna to help fluff the pillows, “You did good... As the saying goes, better late than never.”

Jayna stiffened. A glance across the yard through the clear-glass patio door showed Janardan nestled in the camping roll, but still looking towards the house, his eyes glittering in the faint light being emitted from the house.

“See? That’s exactly what I’m talking ‘bout!” His father crowed, catching her glance. “Even from across the yard this guy knows how to take care of you. That douche couldn’t do it if he were standing next to you.”

“Enough, Dad...” Jayna interrupted tiredly, finally confessing: “I didn’t leave Adam... he died. And Janardan is not my boyfriend.”

Her father digested that information for a minute then turned to her again, “Okay, I get the first part, and I’m sorry to hear it. Mind you, I still don’t like that man, but I wouldn’t wish him death. I mean, he is… was  someone’s son too. But coming back to your assertion, I’m not sure about the last bit... you’re sure he’s not your boyfriend?”

“Yes!” Jayna huffed, before lowering her voice and explaining how her alpha-in-law had ordered Janardan to accompany Ben and her.

“But the guy genuinely likes you, JT.” Her father insisted, “Benny too. That affection is not faked.”

Jayna couldn’t help her smile at that, “Yeah, I know.”

“Good,” Her father nodded approvingly. “So what’s keeping you from acting on it? It’s not every day that you get a diamond in the rough like that boy out there. Why haven’t you claimed him yet?”

“Because, it- it doesn’t matter, Dad... it doesn’t matter if he’s a good guy or if he actually cares for me or Benny... Why do you think Papa chose him to accompany us and not any other?” Jayna confessed on a huff, “When the time comes, he’s still going to drag us back to the pack,”

“Don’t be too sure of that, son.” Her father cautioned, “From what I can see, the fellow genuinely cares for the two of you... enough that you can trust him. Take him into your confidence... make him see why taking you back is a bad idea... and who knows, maybe he’ll even listen, you know?”

Ï∞ϫʘ»»Ħ««ʘϫ∞Ï

For two days, Jayna kept thinking of what her father had said and watching Janardan covertly... the alpha’s adoration for her son seemed to be the genuine article and Jayna decided that she would heed her father’s suggestion and take a chance. Hell, she’d confessed to the man that she didn’t want him here and that she was terrified of being dragged back to the pack months ago and the man had not retaliated in any way – not even for everything that Jayna had put him through... so maybe if she explained her side and told him just why she couldn’t go back to the pack, the man would agree and let them go? But she needed to do it in private without fear of being interrupted... and she needed to have the alpha’s complete attention, so she’d need someone to watch over Benny. The obvious answer was to do it while her parents were here- it was evident that Janardan trusted them with Ben far more than he did with anyone else... and if she timed her confession to coincide with her kid’s birthday celebrations, she’d not only have her Dad and Om to watch over Ben, but Candice and Miles as well. It’d be better to have four eyes over the kid, right? Plus, it would ensure that nobody interrupted them.

Only thing was, there were no free lunches in this world and she needed to figure out something she could offer Janardan in return for doing this... problem was, the alpha did not covet money or things of monetary value and despite the months spent under the same roof she didn’t know enough to even guess at what would tempt the alpha into compliance. Wait, alpha. Jayna swallowed as she repeated the warrior’s designation to herself. Janardan was an alpha...  and everyone knew there was just one thing that an alpha would never refuse...

 

On Sunday afternoon while everyone was busy with the kids running around in their backyard and she had her parents and friends keeping watch over the party; Jayna summoned up the nerve to ask Janardan if they could speak privately. Everyone was pre-occupied with Ben’s birthday celebrations and she was sure that her son was safe for the moment with her parents and Miles and Candice all present. She met her Dad’s eyes briefly as she led the alpha back inside the house and felt her cheeks heat at the man’s encouraging ‘thumbs up’ gesture- the older alpha aware of only part of the plan and not what Jayna was planning to offer up in the bargain. The reminder had her swallowing back bile and Jayna tried to rein in her trembling as she pulled Janardan by his hand to the bedroom- the only place in the house hosting a children’s birthday party where they could hope to have some privacy for the upcoming discussion. Knowing she would not find such an opportunity later, Jayna forged ahead with her half-baked plan, praying that her instincts would be enough to allow her to see this through. For his part, the alpha appeared uncomfortable with Jayna’s sudden tactility, but followed her into the room without protest. Jayna hesitated briefly before locking the door behind them and then guiding Janardan towards the bed. Janardan refused to sit, standing with his arms folded and waiting for whatever Jayna had planned and the omega realized that this was the best she was going to get under the circumstances.

Taking in a fortifying breath, she undid the collar button of her blouse- suddenly feeling like it was suffocating her… It was only when she finished popping it from the pretty little loop holding it that she realized how her action could be misconstrued. She glanced up found herself looking into Janardan’s shocked eyes.

 “Omega-heir...” Janardan murmured, clearly discomfited.

“Janardan... pl-please...?” Jayna interrupted, keeping her fingers on the button as she realized that her thoughtless action had given her the perfect segue into the topic.

“I- I don’t understand, Omega-heir. Please... What-what are you-?” The warrior stuttered out, eyes not straying past her face. While the restraint was admirable, Jayna found herself wishing that for once Janardan would react like just every other alpha...

“I- I know you find me attractive, Janardan.” Jayna forced out, the words feeling like gargled glass- not managing to sound either attractive or seductive like she had planned to, “And if- if you promise to protect Ben, then you can. Alright?” Unable to hold the alpha’s gaze, Jayna lowered her head, as she struggled to finish saying her piece. “You can… uhm… you can ... I-I’ll agree to...” She stuttered, unable to complete her sentence and started anew, “I-I-I promise, okay? I’ll do anything. Won’t say no to anything you ask... just please... protect Ben. Plea...” Unable to continue, she dissolved into sobs, sinking to her knees. She had never kowtowed to anyone before, but figured if she was doing this, then she should commit to it fully and leaned forward  to press her head to the floor, facing Janardan to show her absolute submission.

Before her head touched the ground, Janardan stepped back deliberately and she sat up uncertainly. She peered up at the alpha, shivering from a mix of nerves and humiliation as she wondered if the alpha wanted her to perform some other ritual she was unaware of... She raised her hand in wordless plea and-

“Stop!” Janardan thundered.  The alpha took a deliberate breathe and visibly calmed himself before continuing in a much more measured tone: “Please... just- just stop, alright?!”

Jayna paused and brought her arms down as she stared desolately at the man standing over her.

“Is... is that what you really think of me?” Janardan demanded harshly; crouching down to grab her firmly by the biceps and haul her to her feet. For once, the man appeared to be genuinely angry with her, but even then Jayna knew that she was safe with the warrior... knew that despite his ire, Janardan wouldn’t actually hurt her, “You really think me so low that I would take advantage of you?!”

And that had her head snapping up, “What? No!”

This was backfiring so spectacularly...

“No,” She repeated, as she straightened. “It’s not that, Janardan... please. You have to believe me... please...”

The alpha sighed and scooped up a discarded robe from the laundry hamper and tucked it securely around her to help with the shivering before walking her to the bed and making her sit before crouching, “I believe you. ... but I need you to explain it to me, Jayna.” It was the first time that the alpha had said her name without prompting and Jayna sobbed at the implications.

“I respect you, Janardan... really, I do. And- and –and you’re a good man; seriously, you are!  ... E-even my parents noticed, you know. ... Dad- uhm... Dad never quite approved of Adam. I don’t know why, but he always said that Adam was not the right one for me. ... He’d urge me to leave... to find someone ‘worthy’- whatever that meant. ... Uh ... So, yeah... he’s very protective of me. Anyway, this Friday?” She let out a hysterical little laugh, “You just met them that day and he pulled me aside to tell me that you were that someone worthy... Can you believe that? Seven years with Adam and he never once approved of my husband and just one- one dinner with you and he’s singing your praises!  He- he- he told me to trust you, Janardan. And that’s exactly what I’m doing. I’m  trusting you- I’m trusting you with my baby, Janardan and hoping that you’ll be in my corner. ... I know what I did was ... well, wrong... but I didn’t do it lightly. You have to understand that. I -” She hesitated before forging ahead, “I’m still in love with Adam, Janardan. And maybe a part of me will always be. Thing is, I don’t want another alpha.”

She glanced up through tear-filled eyes to gauge the warrior’s reaction to her confession and found- to her relief- that Janardan didn’t appear to be offended. “Yeah, so ... That’s- that’s the truth. But- But I’d give anything- do anything- agree to anything, if it meant my baby was protected. I’d... yeah, if it meant that my baby was safe… there’s no line that I wouldn’t cross.”

“Ben is safe,” Janardan assured her, brows furrowed in confusion, “Do you have cause to fear for his safety?  Because I promised Alpha that I’d take care of you and Ben, and I swear to you that as long as there’s breath in my body, nothing’s going to happen to either of you.”

Jayna looked at the man and saw the truth in his face. This was the tricky part...“Janardan, what if-?”

The alpha peered at her worriedly when she trailed off uncomfortably, echoing, “What if?”

“What if the one Ben and I needed protection from was your Alpha? Would you still protect us?”

The warrior seemed to have frozen at her words but slowly he shook his head, “You’re safe, Jayna; Alpha would never hurt you- either of you.”

She shook her head, wiping tears even as she struggled to rein in the tremors reducing her voice to a warbling mess, “No, but I ... I don’t want Ben to grow up there, Janardan. I want him to have a choice, to be progressive... and he can have that here, but not in the pack. Please don’t take him back... I’m begging you, please...”

“I’ll always do what’s best for the two of you, I can promise you that much.” Janardan whispered after a long moment of silent contemplation, rising from his squat and his bending forward to brush his lips against Jayna’s forehead chastely. Jayna could see the effort it took for the man to even contemplate his alpha- his very Pack- as being a threat, but to his credit, Janardan didn’t flinch. “I cannot promise not to take him back, because that was what I was sent here to do... but I’ll not take Benny back there if it’ll only hurt him, I can promise you that much. I was... I am tasked with protecting you and the Alpha-Heir first and foremost, Jayna... and I will protect you. Even if it’s my- even if it’s me, that you need protection from.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter-11

MasterPost

Earlier Parts:  Prologue- Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter-3- Chapter 4- Chapter 5 - Chapter 6-

Chapter 7- Chapter 8- Chapter 9

As always, comments and critique is welcome :-)