I stride out and only slow down as I get to the lobby.
I take a detour to buy a sports drink.
Maybe I’m just dehydrated and more annoyed because of that.
I’m just about to pay for my sports drink when a finger adds another drink right before I press the button.
Immediately after, two bottles tumble out of the machine. I pick them both out.
I turn to the guy standing at a significantly smaller and less muscular stature than myself.
It’s kinda cute he has to look up at me. Or any alpha. Which is normal. He just ain’t as big as the rest of the group.
“What the fuck?” I tell him, and hand him the mineral water he made me pay for.
He could at least have had a sports drink, damnit, if he was gonna sneak something in. He would benefit from it.
He takes it. His hands are almost as calloused as mine. Of course they are. They have been for a while now. They used to be smoother.
I don’t mind either way.
Not that his hands is my business. My opinion is insignificant. I don’t need to have opinions because a finger accidentally brushing the back of my hand.
It’s hardly no difference from before anyway. They’re basically the same. I just noticed it is all.
“I’ll pay you back later,” he says. “I forgot my wallet.”
Before I have time to bristle, I sigh in defeat. “All right. Fine. You pay me back later. With interest.”
“Fair. But if I need to pay extra, could you at least tell me about the plush rabbit? When you said stuffed animal, I think thinking wolf, not bunny rabbit.”
“So you can fucking blab about my it to someone else? Nah, I’m good.”
I pointedly ignore his comment about it being a bunny rabbit. I wish Seth had kept his fucking mouth shut.
“Leo, I won’t judge, y’know?”
I clench my jaw and unscrew the cap of my sports drink. I refuse to speak to him and instead take a swig of liquid.
I had already decided to never talk to him again anyway. I should keep that promise.
“Come on, I can tell it’s making you feel bad,” he says.
I down the entire bottle and toss it into the recycling bin several metres away.
Why they don’t have it next to the vending machines, I’ll never understand. I grab the bottle of mineral water and unscrew the cap for him.
“You’ve been weirdly talkative today. Why?”
Why am I so antagonistic about it? I’m not usually like this. I should be happy if he’s comfortable talking around other alphas.
Any alphas, I mean.
“I don’t think I’ve talked more than usual.”
“All right, fine, you’ve been provoking people today. Better?”
“I can joke around with safe alphas, you know?”
Oh.
So he thinks the others are safe?
I’m certainly not.
I’m definitely not safe. Not around him, I am not.
Anyone else? Wouldn’t hurt a fly unless justified.
Him? Even on a good day, my thoughts aren’t all that good about him. Today is not a good day. Today is a very bad day.
“I thought I was a volatile omega?” I ask him, eyebrow raised.
He smiles.
God, I what to wipe that smug smirk off his face so bad.
“You’re acting like one. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
“Piss off and return to your own friends. Teddy and Miguel would love to have you back.”
This makes him laugh.
And I can’t stay mad at him anymore.
I put my arm over his shoulders and steer him out of the sports centre. There are mostly alphas here. I should make sure he safely exits.
I’m just being a good friend.
I don’t want to be a good one, but I am.
“Tell me,” he insists as we step out. He doesn’t explain what. I obviously know. I don’t even try to play stupid.
“There’s nothing to tell you. Mum took it ä. I’m upset. I know I don’t have the right to be, though. I’m just being a jerk. Alpha being alpha, you know. Yerritorial about the dumbest shit. That’s it.”
“If it was me in your shoes, would you see me as a jerk?”
“A li’l bit, yeah.”
“Leo.”
“Okay, fine, I would, but also, it’s not your job to protect your mother. You’re a beta. Just find a nice partner, have pups, maybe, be the backbone of society. That’s your job.”
“Isn’t your dad an alpha, too?”
“He is.”
I don’t see what that has to do with anything, though.
“So why can’t you be upset that someone took something from you? I don’t get it,” he says.
“It’s my responsibility to see that Mum feels safe,” I tell him.
He should know this, since he’s friends with several alphas, but fine. I’ll explain it as many times as I need to.
He shakes his head. “No, that’s your father’s responsibility. You’re not the head of your pack.”
“I don’t have a pack.”
He adds a simple, “Yet.”
As if I’d ever.
I don’t want one.
“In any case, I’ve always been in Dad’s pack. I should protect the omegas in it, too.”
“Protection doesn’t mean you have to accept everything. Look at Geoff. He won’t accept stuffed animals in the bedroom.”
“Yeah, well, his omega isn’t going through menopause.”
“Neither is yours,” he points out.
I don’t reply.
“Ow, too tight.”
I pull my arm back to me. “Sorry. My bad. Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you too bad, did I?”
When he doesn’t reply, and I turn him to face me. He doesn’t look up, so I grit my teeth, take his chin and tilt his head back.
Big mistake, because now I see his facial expression.
Don’t frown like that. That’s no good.
I get stupid thoughts when he does that.
Very stupid thoughts.
“I asked, ‘Did I hurt you’?”
“You said, ‘I didn’t hurt you,’” he corrects me.
“You’re infuriating, Dex.” I let got and touch the squeezed shoulder. “Does it hurt?”
He shakes his head. “You’re a mess.”
“Fuck you,” I tell him.
He’s quiet for a second and then says, “Okay.”
Okay?? Okay what?? DEXTER??? How will I know what that means?
I see my own reflection in his eyes. I look awful.
Confused. Maybe?
My brows are pulled together, and my lips are parted. I probably should close my mouth.
Though, I didn’t realise before his eyes were green. I have never really noticed.
…actually, nevr mind.
Was that agreement?
It definitely wasn’t. He would never. It’s broad daylight.
Well, not really. It’s more like early evening. Just enough sun to light up the world. Just enough to see his eye colour clearly. Just enough to—
“Be an emotional mess as much as you’d like,” he finally adds. “But I’m trying to help, okay?”
Dude, you’re not helping. You’re making it worse.
Don’t press your lips together like that.
I feel bad. I don’t know what to do.
I’m confused, definitely.
I blurt out, “Don’t be scared.”
“What?” he asks, pulling away, looking like I offended his blood line and desecrated his pack’s graves.
“I mean, I’m a big, bad alpha. Don’t try to hide your fear. I’m not evil.”
I’m worse.
“I’m not trying to de-escalate anything,” he tells me. “I’m saying that if you’re going to treat every omega like they’re yours, you’re not going to last. Had it been your own omega, I would have questioned why it had to be a stuffed animal. Because it’s your mum, I’m questioning why it’s not okay to say no. Do you just quietly agree to everything? Do you say ‘okay’ to everything she asks for?”
Goddammit.
I should have realised he was making a point.
Not…
Okay, no, I should have understood he wasn’t saying okay to that either way.
“Dumb alpha.”
I feel like a knife was jammed straight between my ribs. I know I shouldn’t be so upset, but hearing him call me dumb actually hurts a bit. More than if anyone else says it.
And I’ve heard it many times before. It’s a pretty common insult towards alphas, after all. We are a special kind of dumbfucks.
“You’re absolutely right. I’m stupid. I’m very dumb. I’m a total knothead who doesn’t use my brain. I’m sorry?”
“That’s not the conversation we’re having,” Dex says with a sigh.
“We’re not?” I ask in confusion.
I’m not sure what conversation we were having if admitting I’m dumb and probably did something bad to him is not part of the equation. It should always be part of the conversation if someone you get along with calls you dumb. Basic courtesy.
“Whatever.”
He pulls away, turning away from me, and I want to force him to look back at me.
However, I notice that the others are about to exit the sports centre.
Fuck them. I want alone time with Dex right now.
I shouldn’t.
But I still want it so bad.
Miguel is walking up ahead, with Teddy following closely behind. Geoffrey and Seth follow them. It’s not common to see four alphas walking together like that. Two, maybe three, might be able to get along…
Actually, never mind. Geoffrey doesn’t look like he’s getting along with anybody. He looks like the cat dragged him along.
The cat being Miguel, I suppose.
“You guys done?” I ask, taking a couple of steps away from the beta.
“Yeah, but tell me about the rabbit drama. I’m curious,” Miguel replies. “I heard you told the guys — why aren’t you telling me?”
I let out an exasperated sigh. “It’s not drama, okay? Listen, it’s stupid. My mum just took a plushie from me, and I got a bit upset for no reason. I was just trying to get everyone to validate me, even if I knew I’m in the wrong for getting upset. She’s an omega, so I get that it happens. It’s not as if it mattered in the first place. I’m just being dumb as fuck.”
“Well, you’ve always been a dumbfuck,” Seth says with a smirk, and once again the guys laugh.
Yeah, no, still doesn’t feel good to be laughed at. Still know I’m being dumb about this, though, so I can’t complain. I really can’t.
“That aside, where are you going now?” Dex asks Miguel. I can tell he’s changing the subject on purpose. “Teddy said you planned on going out to eat?”
“Right. At that new place,” Miguel says.
Dex looks confused. I feel equally confused. Seth looks interested, but not entirely sure where this is going.
Geoffrey… Oh man, he looks excited.
I think I know where this is going now.
“Sorry,” I say. “I got the morning shift tomorrow.”
Teddy pats me on the shoulder. “You can stay for a bit, you know? You’re free. You said it yourself. It’s not going to get too wild.”
Fuck him all the way. I don’t want to. I also am not free. I’m very taken.
Very single too.
Bad combination, really. Worst combination.
Dex is looking between us. He doesn’t get it. I hope he never does. But alphas are always gonna alpha and unfortunately he might have to learn what sort of places alphas go to when they forget a beta is coming along.
“Time rushes by at those places, yeah? Before I know it, I might have to head to work.”
“How early does your ‘morning shift’ even start?” Seth asks curiously.
“Four in the morning,” I say without batting an eye.
“What do you even work as if you work that early?” Teddy asks, eyebrows raised in wonder.
Thank goodness I’ve never talked about my job with these guys. Work isn’t usually the topic that comes up. They just know I work morning or evening shifts. I don’t really know what they work with either.
Aside from Seth.
I might have spent time trying to put things together relating to Dex. I don’t know the details, though.
And Miguel looks and acts exactly like the type, so I know without a doubt that his job is “becoming or being very rich”, also known as a being in some kind of high company position.
“I work at the hospital. A&E,” I reply.
Miguel looks genuinely surprised. “Oh, so, like a doctor?”
I’m too dumb for that, idiot.
I say, “More or less.”
I’m a fucking nurse, okay? Sorry for not getting into med school to be a surgeon, like a proper alpha in the medical field.
“So, since I told you what I do for a living, now’s your turn,” I say to avoid them asking for specifics… like if they have dedicated surgeons at the A&E. “What do you do?”
I look at Miguel. He decides who tells first after all. He looks at Geoffrey.
“I’m in construction,” he grumbles.
I wouldn’t have guessed it. But then again, he never goes to the gym, so he would get exercise from somewhere that isn’t the bed, I suppose.
Miguel then turns to Seth, who simply says, “For now, I’m a paralegal at my dad’s firm.”
Teddy follows with, “Oh? We’re in related fields. I’m in law enforcement.”
I can see that, actually. It even makes a lot of sense.
“I’m—”
“A secretary,” Teddy says before Dex can finish.
“Oh, come on! I’m an administrative assistant!” Dex says with a pout.
God, he’s so cute.
Teddy folds his arms before his chest and looks down at the beta. “Yeah, that’s what I said. You’re the guy who replies to emails, takes and makes calls, and schedule meetings for his boss.”
I want to pull Dex into my arms and say he’s doing great. He doesn’t need to listen to the big dumb alpha.
“Give him a break,” Seth says. “I basically do the same job. If your job is related to mine, it’s related to his too now.”
Maybe I should kiss Seth for putting the big dumb alpha in his place? Wouldn’t be the first time.
Although last time I was twenty and pretty drunk.
“I run my own firm,” Miguel says, surprising exactly no one.
Well, it’s Seth and I who are the outsiders, so aside from us, the others shouldn’t be surprised.
“But I guess we’ll have to go another time,” Miguel says. “I wanted to bring you too.”
“No, you can go. I’ll just go another time,” I reply.
“It’s pretty expensive,” Geoffrey says and wiggles his eyebrows.
“More reason for you not to go. How far along is the pregnancy? You should focus on buying whatever your omega’s nesting obsession is. It can get pretty expensive. My mum would only accept cashmere blankets when expecting me. Of course my dad would have it no other way and made sure she had nothing else to nest with than cashmere blankets and silk sheets.”
“That’s too luxurious. No way any alpha would accept that,” Miguel laughs.
“No, I believe him,” Seth says. “Leo’s the spoiled youngest brat. His dad hired the entire firm to sue the school once just because Leo was upset mad that a boy refused to switch seat with him.”
“That’s spoiled youngest master to you, little lawyer,” I reply without missing a beat.
He rolls his eyes. “I’m so sorry, sir. Would you like me to order you dinner and reserve a table at a fancy restaurant for breakfast as well?”
“I don’t need a wannabe-lawyer do that for me. I’ll just ask Dad to hire an assistant for me if I need that,” I turn to give Teddy a look, “since I know ‘secretaries’ are very valuable.”
Miguel burst into a hearty laugh and smacks me on the back. I’m glad I work out because I barely stay standing despite that. Large alphas really are safety hazards.
He smirks at Teddy. “You hear that? You’re a bit uncultured, Teddy.”
The other alpha only shrugs. He can’t really talk against Miguel, after all.
“How did you even think we met?” Seth asks curiously, giving Teddy this look that looks extremely amused.
Meanwhile, Dex walks up to me and rubs my back as if he can tell I had my breath knocked out of me just a little for half a second. He probably can. I don’t think I was subtle.
Either way, I don’t mind if it’s him. I’m even a little grateful for being subjected to the health hazard.
“I dunno. I just assumed you and Miguel met somewhere and he invited you over and you brought Leo along.” Teddy shrugs. “He mostly just does cardio, so I figured he wasn’t too keen on coming, anyway.”
Miguel shales his head. “Leo’s brother and I met because of one of my business ventures. Afterwards, he asked if I wanted to visit the sports centre he owns and brought me here. Leo happened to be playing tennis that day, so his brother introduced us. We’re closer in age than I am to his brother, so we got along pretty well,” he explains. “Since Leo goes here specifically, and he sometimes teaches me tennis, this is what it came to.”
“Wow, the rich kid plays tennis. Why ain’t I surprised?” Geoffrey said.
Teddy hushes him, but I’ve already turned to him.
“I also was a junior champion in swimming, fencing and martial arts, and placed in a few others while in high school. What medals do you got?” I shoot back at him. “Tennis is just a side hobby I do because we had a decent tennis team at our middle school.”
“I was also on the tennis team,” Seth adds. “It was the only sport I was better than him at while in school. Can’t say the same nowadays.”
“Speaking of backstories,” Dex chimes up. “I grew up with Miguel.”
“So the only one who doesn’t have a connection to Miguel isn’t Leo, but Seth,” Teddy says.
I hum noncommittally and check the time.
“Anyway, I’ll have to raincheck on the new place,” I say and add, “Text me the location, Miguel? I’ll just reserve the place for some day I’m available.”
“Sure. Sounds good to me,” Miguel says with a tone that sounds like I would be spending a handful of pennies.
I don’t miss how Geoffrey looks like he just chewed on something bitter when he realises that not only would I be able to afford what he can’t, but he tried to convince me to go using money, when I could easily cover a greater expense than Miguel.
Well, I don’t usually flaunt the wealth anyway. Being wealthy doesn’t make a nurse a good nurse. Well, alphas don’t generally make good nurses either. I’m surprised I’ve held my job down for as long as I have. Literally all my coworkers are betas.
They probably just keep me around because I’m strong and pretty easy on the eyes.
“Let’s go to a nearby restaurant or something,” Dex suggests. “I’m hungry.”
“Sorry,” I say, but I’m not sure for what reason. Maybe because things got dragged out and he deserves food. “Sounds fine to me. Where do you wanna go, Dex?”
Dex hands me his bottle of mineral water and fishes out his phone to check places nearby. He scrolls by a pub I’m pretty familiar with, so I offhandedly say, “Oh, we could go to that place. The one you just scrolled past. Seems decent.”
After Dex looks it up, the others agree as well. Seth even gives me a look that says, I see what you did there, but I pretend not to notice.
The two of us used to go there all the time way back. We may or may not know the owner too.
Author’s Note
I originally wrote this in just one single scene in Dabble. But after sometimes I divided it and the above section became chapter two.
This was also when this story took a turn I wasn’t prepared for, but I rolled with it and that’s what made Lost Rabbit what it is about at its core, I suppose.
