Teal’s driver arrived on time. The omega’s stomach still hurt, but not nearly as bad as on Friday. Teal said he was looking forward to getting his bagel and checking in with Brinn. Niall pestered the twins to start their schoolwork and Sorcha volunteered to keep Zayne busy so Jax could get some desk time in.
There was one moment as Ronan left that reminded him of what had happened the previous night. As he opened the door to the garage, Jax caught his eye and stepped toward him. The large beta came close, just as Ronan had done Friday evening, except this time, Jax met Ronan’s stare directly.
“Have a great day, Ronan.” The unspokenalphahung in the air.
Ronan felt a rumble in his belly. The beta’s face said it all. There was a camaraderie there. A kinship. A shared understanding that, last night, they’d both done the fucking.
Ronan fixed their eyes together. “You too.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Teal
“No offense, Brinn, but your co-worker looks at you the way the protesters outside the courthouse look at me.”
“Percy? Nah. He’s grumpy to be sure, but essentially harmless. I know his parents pretty well, since they’re my bosses, and they’re mild-mannered.”
“That doesn’t mean they didn’t raise an alphahole.”
“Maybe.” Brinn shrugged, passing Teal his bagel. Since the other omega didn’t seem concerned, Teal didn’t push it.
“Thanks.”
“How many witnesses do you think the state will call today?” Brinn asked.
“They only had five on their list total. I’m not sure how many they’ll get through. At least a few, I hope. It would be nice to get to closing proses by Wednesday.”
Teal rubbed his fist against the persistent dull pain in his stomach. It had been wonderful to be intimate with his partnerslast night. He’d certainly slept well. But although he felt better, he was still at only about half his usual energy level. He’d tried not to let it show too much, because he needed to keep his attention on the tribunal. But he desperately wanted it to be over so he could focus on his health.
He was terrified the doctors would tell him the problems had something to do with his heat. And even when his logical brain told him Sorcha’s babies meant they could still expand their family, he dreamed of sharing one more breeding heat with Ronan. He remembered the ecstasy when they’d made Zayne. He wanted it again. And he wanted to include all his partners in the experience.
Brinn noticed Teal’s pained grimace. “Stomach still bothering you?”
“It improved over the weekend but now it seems to be getting bad again.”
“Just in time for High Court? Must be the stress.”
Percy kept looking over at them, narrowing his eyes at Brinn. Teal gave the young alpha a hard stare. Percy responded by throwing a towel down on the glass counter and shoving his way angrily through the door leading to the kitchen. Brinn watched his co-worker’s display and rolled his eyes.
***
The state got through all their witnesses on Monday, leaving no doubt that they did not intend to mount a staunch defense.
Teal’s stomach cramps grew more intense. Twice during the afternoon, he had to excuse himself from the courtroom to go into the bathroom to writhe in pain. Thankfully, there was a private restroom for lawyers, petitioners, and judges, so Teal didn’t need to worry about nosy journalists or members of the public following him. And it would have been easy enough forSchulman or Carson to handle the cross-examination of the state’s witnesses if Teal needed a longer break. Luckily, he hadn’t.
But whether Teal’s illness would affect the outcome of the tribunal had little bearing on how his obvious infirmity was perceived. The cameras in the courtroom captured both his aggrieved facial expressions and his requests to break.
The talking heads on TV were hypothesizing as to why Teal appeared so ill. They questioned if he was experiencing symptoms of impending heat. Teal’s behavior gave fuel to the blowhards on the pro-alpha channels, who used the speculation to emphasize their point that omegas weren’t fit for certain professions. Such as being a lawyer. Or running a heat service.
Schulman and Carson took Teal at his word that he was merely experiencing some stress-induced intestinal symptoms. They all hoped Teal would be able to conduct the closing prose. Dayson would likely win no matter what, but for the sake of history, the older alphas felt like Teal should be the one to deliver the last word on the case.
The third time Teal excused himself to the bathroom, Mikel muscled his way in after him.
“What are you doing, Mikel!?” Teal cried, clutching his stomach. “Get out of here.”
Mikel’s features maintained their grumpy aloofness, but Teal saw the change in his eyes. This wasn’t the gruff alpha who had been his rival for years. This was his long-term colleague, who seemed to have finally developed a grudging respect for Teal’s capabilities.
“Tell me what’s wrong, Teal,” Mikel insisted. “Let me help you.”
