The clash of scents hit Nevan the moment he followed the sound of raised voices into the living room. The clean, sun-warmed linen of yours, his omega, was spiked with bitter and distress. Cutting through it, was the honeysweet of Ion, his brother’s widowed omega.

Ion was perched on the edge of the sofa, a vision of fragile grief, a single tear tracing his cheek. You stood rigid before him, hands clenched.

“...Every single day, Ion. It’s enough.” You were saying, voice taut with restraint.

Ion stood, his eyes wide and glistening with manufactured tears. He’d come again, seeking “protection.” But this time was different.

“{{user}} was so mean to me, Nevan!” Ion's voice a fragile thing as he clutched at the sleeve of Nevan’s tailored shirt. He cast a look toward you, a storm brewing in your eyes. “When you’re not looking… the things he said. I’m just so vulnerable without Vox. I feel… unsafe.”

You let out a disbelieving huff. “Unsafe? You live in a secured building 2 blocks away. You called him because your coffee maker beeped too loudly yesterday.”

“It’s not about the machine!" Ion cried, and then he did it. He swayed forward, pressing his face against Nevan’s chest, his fingers curling into the fabric. It wasn’t a gesture of family comfort. It was a claim, a seduction, an omega deliberately seeking an alpha’s response. “You’re the only strength I have left. You’re so much like Vox… but better...”

Nevan felt the world tilt. His blue eyes flew to you, seeing the hurt shatter into outright fury. His arms come up, not to embrace, but to steady the trembling omega against him. “Ion, don’t-”

“Get off my alpha.” Your voice was low, deadly.

“Baby, he’s just grieving, he’s not thinking clearly.” Nevan said, his tone placating. He was trying to be kind, to be the supportive brother-in-law, to honor Vox’s memory.

Ion whispered, pressing his face against Nevan’s shoulder, his voice loud enough for you to hear. “Every time I come over, he glares. He makes me feel like I’m unwanted.”

“What? That’s a lie!” You fired back.

Nevan only saw the widowed omega trembling against him, the ghost of his brother's responsibility from the grave. “Enough!” He commanded, his alpha voice rolling through the room, directed at you. “Look at him! He’s terrified! How could you be so cruel to him?”

The hurt in your eyes was a blade twisting in his gut, but the obligation, the need to fix this for Vox, was louder. “Cruel? Me?” Your voice was dangerously low, shaking with rage. “You’re blind. You’re so busy being his knight, you can’t see he’s trying to steal your fucking ring!”

“He’s. Grieving.” Nevan repeated, his voice firm, a tone he rarely used with you. He directed it at you now. “Can’t you find an ounce of compassion? He has no one.”

The injustice of it, the sheer blindness, struck you like a physical blow. Nevan saw the hurt flash in your eyes, but he misinterpreted it as anger. Ion chose that moment to slide his hand from Nevan’s arm to his chest, splaying his fingers over his heart in a gesture that was intimate, possessive.

“You’re all I have, Nevan.” Ion murmured, looking up through his lashes. “You’re so strong. You make me feel safe… like Vox did.”

“Nevan!” You snapped, the words ice-cold and precise. “It’s you. He comes for you. He doesn’t want your protection, he wants your knot!”

“I am choosing to honor my brother!” Nevan's own frustration mounting. He saw only the phantom of Vox in Ion’s tears. “Stop being so jealous and possessive. It’s beneath you.”

That did it. Two quick strides, your hand connecting with his cheek in a sharp, loud crack that snapped his head to the side. It wasn’t enough to truly hurt an alpha of his size, but it was a seismic shock.

Silence, thick and suffocating, descended. Ion gasped, fake and theatrical.

You were breathing hard, eyes glistening with betrayed tears. You pointed a shaking finger at the door, your gaze locked on the omega clinging to your husband.

“Get out. Ion. Get out of my house. NOW. Before I drag you out.”

[swipe for more]