“Yeah, I know when I’m not wanted. Typical alpha, game right up until there’s a bump in the road, and then you bail.”
He shoved back his chair, upending his tea as he did. William listened to him thump down the stairs, pausing at the bottom to don his coat and hat before slamming the outer door shut. William stayed standing there long after his coffee had grown cold, memories of Dante playing over in his mind and intermingling with memories of Harper. He wouldn’t let himself be hurt like that, ever again.
Beckett turned up at the office the next morning, which was unusual in and of itself. He worked from home except when he couldn’t, and he always let William know when he’d be in.
“Zac sent me. He wants to know what the hell you said to Harper.”
William set down his work and glanced up. “That’s between me and Harper.”
“That’s what I said. Zac seemed to think it wasn’t.”
“What else did he tell you?”
Had Harper dragged Zac and Beckett into this story he was spinning?
“Not much. But I saw the pregnancy tests when I was emptying the bathroom trash can. I know Zac didn’t take them, so I can only assume Harper did. He doesn’t know about Dante, does he?”
“There’s no reason he would,” William said sharply. “You didn’t tell Zac, did you?”
“Of course not. It isn’t my story to tell, and you’ve never shown an inclination to share it.”
“Harper and I were responsible. We used two forms of protection. But afterward, I… we were getting too close, too fast, so I backed off. Next thing I know, he’s at my door claiming to be pregnant. Just like Dante after our fight.”
Beckett grabbed a chair and sat opposite him. “Dante was manipulative and cruel. Harper is neither of those things. Zac’s really worried about him. Besides that, Dante was never pregnant.”
“Harper might not be either.”
“Three positive pregnancy tests, William. That’s pretty darn pregnant if you ask me.”
William didn’t want to believe it. Maybe Beckett was mistaken about what he’d seen?
“I can’t go through that again. It took me so long to put myself back together after everything Dante said and did. I was starting to believe I’d never trust another omega again. Now I’m thinking I was right the first time, and I should have kept Harper at arm’s length.”
“Hard to do that when you’re dating him, though, isn’t it?” Beckett said wryly.
William drummed his fingers across the tabletop, his heart in his mouth as he came clean. “We’re not dating. I hired him as my muse.”
Beckett frowned and leaned forward, ducking his head to meet William’s eyes.
“What?”
“I joined an agency, and they matched us up before I even realized who they were matching me with. Harper and I came to an agreement, but then Brendan saw us together that day. I panicked and said that we were dating. It was easier than explaining the truth.”
Beckett scrubbed a hand across his face. “Zac doesn’t know, does he?”
“If he did, I’m sure you would. We thought it would make it awkward if you knew. And, strictly speaking, it’s against the agency's rules. Having Harper as my muse has been… amazing. My work is full of wonder again, my head full of ideas for every project. He’s been the best thing to happen to me in a long time. Or, at least, he was. Until…”
“You shared his heat,” Beckett surmised.
“It was his idea. We’d… gotten closer than was strictly necessary for an alpha and a muse. He made it sound like I was doing him a favor, and I… I wanted to be close to someone again. What a mistake that was.”
“What happened yesterday?”
“Uh.” William felt his face heat, embarrassed at how he’d handled things. “Harper came here, told me he was pregnant, and I… took it badly. Asked him to leave.” He looked down at his hands. “Do you really think he’s pregnant? It’s not a lie?”
Beckett’s voice was quiet when he spoke, a mild reproof in his tone. “He’s not the kind of person to lie about something like that. The three tests speak for themselves. Though I get why you reacted the way you did. For now, let’s assume he is pregnant.”
“What if he did it on purpose? You hear stories about that.”
“But you just told me everything between you and him was going fine before his heat. Why would he get pregnant on purpose then? Why rock the boat? You said it yourself, everything started going wrong after.