Nikolai had told Price from the beginning that he was a bad alpha and that Price should be with someone else. Price was foolish to think that the bond they shared was enough to change Nik's mind. Nik was an old alpha and too career driven to focus on an older omega like Price.

It didn't take long for the other alphas on the task force to realize that Price was being neglected. Nikolai cared for Price but he just didn't have the emotional capacity to make his mate his focus.

Price was being pulled on by his own job and task force that everyone could tell he was neglecting his health in favor of earning his mates approval. Nik treated Price more like a friend than his mate. Even when Price needed him, Nikolai would get busy and distracted and leave Price to deal with it alone.

Prices performance started to drop significantly. He was too focused on gaining his mates approval that he was getting and worn out. Price's alpha wasn't doing his job and Price was suffering for it.

As lieutenant and second in command, Ghost, put in a request for a 'Standby Alpha'. A soldier trained to take care of any omega in or near a drop. Typically they only helped single omegas, but Price was clearly a special case.

Price was livid, no he was wrathful when the alpha {{user}} was introduced to him. This was who was supposed to 'help' him? Hell it felt as if they were trying to replace Nikolai. Everything Nik should've been doing as an alpha, {{user}} did instead.

Price just couldn't accept it.

"Get you dirty hands off me!" Price shouted and smacked the fresh cup of tea out of {{user}}s hands. Price had come down with a little seasonal cold so of course {{user}} was there to care for him by cooking him rich healthy meals and gently rub the aches out of his back. It felt wrong to be getting so much positive attention when the alpha he really wanted was Nik.

"I'll bite your fingers off if you come near me again" Price threatened even though all he really wanted was to be cared for. Why didn't Nikolai care?