/~/~/~/~/
Cord felt the shift in Billy’s emotions through their bond before he even looked up from his burger. The sudden spike of anxiety and old hurt hit him like a physical blow, making his wolf bristle with protective instinct. His head snapped up to see a middle-aged couple approaching their table, and even without the bond, Billy’s body language told him everything - the way hismate went rigid, shoulders hunching slightly, fingers tightening around his glass.
“William.” The woman’s voice was sharp, cutting through the comfortable buzz of conversation in the Wonky Pig. She was dressed in what Cord’s mother would call “trying too hard” - a beige pantsuit that looked expensive but somehow still managed to seem cheap.
The man beside her - Billy’s father, Cord’s wolf supplied with a growl - stood with his arms crossed, jaw set in a way that made Cord want to bare his teeth.
“Mom. Dad.” Billy’s voice came out steady, but Cord could feel the tremor underneath, the way his mate was fighting to keep control.
“Don’t you ‘Mom and Dad’ us,” Billy’s father snapped. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? What people are saying about us all because of you?”
Cord’s hand found Billy’s thigh under the table, a silent show of support. Through their bond, he sent waves of calm strength, even as his own anger began to build.
“What I’ve done?” Billy’s voice cracked slightly. “I haven’t…”
“People are talking,” his mother interrupted, her perfectly manicured nails drumming against her purse. “Saying we threw out our own son when he was just eighteen. An omega! Do you know how that makes us look?”
“Makes you look?” The words came out before Cord could stop them, low and dangerous. Both parents turned to him, seeming to notice him for the first time.
“And who are you?” Billy’s father demanded.
“Cord. Billy’s mate.” He let a hint of alpha dominance color his voice, watched with satisfaction as they both took an involuntary step back.
“Mate?” His mother’s face went pale. “You mated with… of course you did. First you embarrass us by being... what you are, and now this.”
“What he is,” Cord said slowly, his wolf pushing closer to the surface, “is an incredible, brilliant, kind omega who survived being thrown out by his own parents at eighteen. Who built a life for himself with no help from anyone. Who…”
“Cord.” Billy’s hand covered his, squeezing gently. Through their bond, Cord felt not just hurt but exhaustion. This wasn’t new pain - this was old, scarred over, but still tender.
“We need you to fix this,” Billy’s father said, ignoring Cord entirely. “Tell people it wasn’t like that. That we had our reasons.”
“Your reasons?” Billy’s laugh was hollow. “Which reasons would those be, Dad? The four years of telling me I was wrong, broken, disgusting? The way you made me eat alone because you couldn’t stand to look at me? Or maybe the part where you changed the locks while I was at school and left my stuff in garbage bags on the lawn?”
The emotion pouring through their bond made Cord’s chest tight. Cord had believed that Billy had just been kicked out of home, but what he was describing was years of systematic emotional abuse, starting when Billy was just fourteen. A child.
“You were confused,” his mother said, but her voice lacked conviction. “We thought if we were firm…”
“You thought if you were cruel enough, I’d stop being an omega.” Billy’s voice was stronger now, and Cord felt a surge of pride. His mate was finding his voice, just like he had at Paradox, just likehe had with Brandon. “But that’s not how it works. And now you want me to lie to make you look better?”
“It’s affecting our standing in the community,” his father said stiffly, glancing around as if worried about being overheard. “People are gossiping, turning away from us in restaurants and retail outlets. Your mother’s book club…”
“Her book club?” Cord couldn’t help the incredulous laugh. “Are you seriously standing here, asking the son you abused and abandoned to lie about what he went through, so your wife doesn’t feel awkward at book club?”
“Abused is a strong word,” Billy’s mother protested.
“Is it?” Billy leaned forward slightly, and Cord felt the shift in him - from hurt to something fiercer. “What would you call telling a fourteen-year-old omega that he’s an embarrassment to the family? That he’s weak, pathetic, an abomination only fit for the gutter. A piece of shit that no alpha would ever want? What would you call four years of that, Mom?”
The diner around them had gone quiet, conversations trailing off as people noticed the confrontation. Cord recognized several faces from around town, including Doris from the furniture shop where they had just been looking at couches. She was glaring at Billy’s parents, and if looks could kill...
“That’s enough,” Billy’s father said. “We’re not having this conversation here.”
“Then where?” Billy asked. “You want to have it at the house I’m not allowed in? The one where you told me I was dead to you?”
“We never said…”
“‘No son of mine,’” Billy quoted, his voice barely above a whisper. “That’s what you said. ‘No son of mine.’ Well, guess what? I’m not your son. I haven’t been for five years. I survivedwithout you. I thrived without you. And I’m not going to lie for you now.”
Cord’s wolf was practically vibrating with the need to protect, to fight, to chase these people away from his mate. But this was Billy’s battle, and he was handling it beautifully.
