Steam rose from William's body as he walked, still naked, his body marked by training and scars, slowly down the carpeted hallway. But as soon as he turned the corner, someone caught his eye.
"Well, well... if it isn't my little Willi," said Veronica Aballay from the other end of the hall, her arms crossed, leaning brazenly against the frame of an open door. She smiled with that mixture of haughtiness and affection that only she could effortlessly combine. "You did a good job, as always. Impeccable."
William stopped, not out of embarrassment but out of habit. After all, it was difficult to provoke that in someone like him... just as it is to try to impose it on someone like her.
"If you wanted to talk to me, you could have sent someone to get me, Aunt," he snarled disdainfully.
"And miss the show this morning? Never!" Veronica replied with a soft laugh as she tossed him a black silk robe. "Please, get dressed."
William grabbed the robe the older alpha had thrown him with one hand and slowly put it on. Unperturbed, she tossed him a pair of slippers with the same nonchalant gesture, as if it were her daily routine.
"I don't have any visitors today," he replied as he began to dress, tying the garment with slow movements.
"You have your family... and this is supposed to be more than most people can handle before breakfast," she replied with a shrug as she turned and began walking down the hallway.
He followed her silently, now covered in the robe that brushed his calves, and his feet encased in slippers. They descended the main staircase together, his aunt with light steps, he with a silent resignation that had become his habit.
The dining room opened imposingly at the end of the hall. And at the head of the table was Sarah Aballay. Dressed in a cream-colored robe, her hair tied back in a loose bun, she held a wine glass between her fingers. Her blue eyes lifted as soon as William entered, her lips curving in a soft smile.
"Good morning, Will," she said in a serene voice, with that low tone of courtesy she always used with him. "I hope the hot water helped relax you."
"Good morning, Sarah," William murmured, taking a seat.
Veronica sat next to her wife, crossing her legs elegantly and reaching out to caress the back of her neck. Revealing the image of one of the most influential and eccentric couples in the underworld, so different from each other that they could only be understood through contrast.
Verónica Aballay was the living portrait of the Aballay lineage, a red-eyed, black-haired woman with sharp features. A thirty-six-year-old alpha with pheromones that smelled like freshly ground coffee, always wrapped in wine-colored designer suits. Beside her, Sarah Aballay contrasted like the night with the snow, a white-haired, blue-eyed woman with soft features. A city omega with simple dresses and a citrus scent, fresh as the breeze before a storm.
William simply nodded, uncomfortable with what his aunts called him, sitting across from them without bothering to hide his annoyance.
"As I said... a clean and quick job," Verónica added as she took a sip of her own drink. "Maybe too fast. Are you losing your taste, or was it simply not worthy of you?"
"It was disappointingly fragile. It wasn't that big a deal," William finally said with a shrug.
"Darling… anyone else will seem like a small fry compared to you," Veronica chuckled, her eyes shining with that annoying spark that mixed pride and mockery. "Alphas of your kind are built differently. If you keep looking for fun in the trash, you'll soon get fed up."
"If it still bothers you or you can't get used to it, you should keep bossing those closest to you around," Sarah chimed in, still staring at her nails. "I don't know why you got so personally involved again. I thought we'd had that conversation before."
"I thought the same thing," Veronica added, raising an eyebrow. "If I recall correctly, the reason Bentral shadows you is precisely to take care of these things. Unless…" her smile twitched, "something happened at that speakeasy you haven't told us about."
"Speakeasy?" Sarah finally looked up, her eyes fixed on William with even more interest. "Did you find someone who caught your eye... for more than just one night?"
"First, I gave up on nights out a long time ago. Second, what happened is my business, entirely and purely my business," he growled in a final tone, wanting to close the subject once and for all.
"Fine, fine, we'll put it aside... for now," Veronica said with amusement, interlacing her fingers with her omega's. "Go to sleep peacefully. Tomorrow, we'll definitely have to give a press conference... Those vultures must have already stuck their noses in the police, or one of Brandon's men must have talked too much."
"I'm sure you have," William murmured, pouring himself a glass of wine before downing it in one gulp. "I hate interviews that follow lecturing a public figure."
"Sweetheart... everyone hates them. You'd be surprised at what our acquaintances do to avoid them," Sarah said, resting her cheek on her alpha's shoulder with a lazy smile. "Go rest. You'll need all the patience you have left to keep from exploding... or at least to explode afterward."
"Rest easy, little Willi," Veronica purred, stroking her partner with obvious intent. "Your beautiful aunt and her sensual wife have... issues to strengthen in their relationship."
The husky growl that accompanied the last sentence made Sarah blush, and she simply waved goodbye.
"We'll wake you up when it's time to attend the deposition," she added sweetly, receiving a couple of kisses on her neck.
"No, thank you. I can get up myself," William said as he stood up, not needing to hear any more to know what was about to happen next. By the time he left and the door closed behind him, faint, very recognizable sounds could be heard.
Upon reaching his room, the dark-haired man collapsed onto the bed, lying on his back with his hands under his head, staring at the ceiling as the silence enveloped him completely. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep.
.
.
.
A soft knock on the door brought him out of sleep. William opened his eyes slowly, blinking.
"What now?" he grunted from the bed, sitting up to hear better.
"Sir, we have forty minutes until we leave," Xander's voice was muffled on the other end. "I'll wait for you in the hall."
"Right... press," William murmured with resignation, listening to the beta woman walk away. So he stood up with a sigh, dressing in black slacks, dark shoes, and a purple silk shirt.
He had no desire to attend that interview, but there was a subsequent meeting that interested him. That thought, faint but firm, improved his mood slightly as he went back downstairs, this time more cheerful.
"You look well, William," Sarah commented, following him down the stairs in a silk robe, her hair still somewhat disheveled.
"Thank you. I see you two had a great time last night," he replied with a frown, bringing a hand to his nose as he noticed the thick scent of their intertwined pheromones. "Are you trying for a cub, by any chance?"
"I don't know... You never know." Sarah stroked her belly gently, smiling. "I'll just say that in eight months... the family could grow."
"Are you serious?" William took a step forward, sharpening his senses as his eyes fell on the omega's stomach, widening a little as he picked up on something. "Sarah... er..."
"Shhh," she placed a finger to his lips, silencing him gently. "This is a surprise. I'm only telling you because sooner or later you would have noticed, even before it started to show."
"Understood. No one will know a thing about me. I'll be as quiet as the grave."
Sarah nodded, satisfied, and said goodbye with a smile before disappearing down the hall. William left, crossing the entrance where Veronica was already waiting for him, standing next to Bentral.