be scared and in pain, and he’ll see it and be unhappy. Yet his happiness is my responsibility, isn’t it? It doesn’t make sense.”
Slowly, his baba’s face split in a tender smile, aggravating Navid’s frustration. His tutor had been all wrong, and Navid needed guidance. He was leaving in only a few hours to live in a different country, on another continent even, away from everything and everyone he knew. Who’d help him then?
“Navid, I’m delighted for you. Zana Massoud is a good man.”
“How do I keep my husband happy, Baba?” Navid asked impatiently.
“I wouldn’t give this advice to every omega groom, but I’m lucky I can give it to my dearest son.” He kissed Navid’s forehead and looked into his eyes with warmth. “Get to know him and let him get to know you. Don’t be afraid to ask him questions. Be honest with him, open your mind and heart to him. If he meant what he said, the only way you can make him happy is to let him love you as you are.”
Navid still wasn’t entirely sure he understood everything his baba had said, but he left the reading room with lightness in his chest. His baba was pleased and approved of Zana—not as an eligible son-in-law but as a good man. And in Navid’s mind, it was the greatest praise a man could receive.
They were to pay respect to Navid’s grandparents on the first day of their new life. According to tradition, only the alphas from the wedding party would be accompanying them for the celebratory lunch.
As he entered his grandfather’s sprawling mansion, Navid expected to feel anxious like he’d done for the past few weeks of the exhausting wedding preparations and family duties. Yet with Zana’s hand on his neck, Zana’s fingers brushing the short hair on his nape, he could let his mind drift away. The grip calmed him. Zana must have realized it during the day because he kept his hand there when they mingled among the honorable guests. Navid paid little attention to them. He kept his gaze lowered and thought of the trip over the sea and of an unseen house far away on the other side of the world. He was aware of the eyes of his uncles and cousins, the penetrating gaze of his alpha grandfather, but what used to feel like fiery rays of the midday sun on his skin was now just a vague sense of discomfort. Zana’s constant touch and reassuring presence shielded him from everyone else.
And he felt proud. So proud. His husband never left his side, answering all inquiring questions, whispering words of comfort into his ear, and ostentatiously showing their connection. Zana held his hand when Navid was saying his final good-byes to his alpha father and grandfather.
Navid bowed his head, a pang of sadness in his chest, followed by a sense of relief. He’d never have to answer to their demands again. Was he ungrateful?
“Be good, Navid,” his father said in front of everyone. “If you’re quiet and obedient, you will earn your husband’s affection. He can’t return you after last night, you know.” He chuckled at his joke.
Bitter disappointment made Navid curl into himself. Why couldn’t his alpha father say farewell without mortifying him? He remained quiet, not knowing how to respond. Zana squeezed his hand.
“Thank you, Your Excellency, for the treasure you’ve so generously bestowed on me,” Zana said in a strong, steady voice. “I promise you I’ll be good to Navid, as I hope to earn his affection by treating him with kindness. And I assure you, I’ll keep him safe. No one is allowed to hurt, censure, or ridicule him. Remember, I have the means to punish anyone who’d dare to humiliate my husband in my presence.”
The silence that followed was deafening. Navid bit his lip and kept his head down. His heart raced in his chest. No one had ever spoken to his father like that, openly threatening him for all to hear.
Navid’s grandfather clapped sharply. “The car is waiting.”
Navid didn’t look who held the door open. Zana’s palm warm on his neck, he walked down the stairs, watching his feet. The early evening heat assaulted them for only a little while. Within seconds, he was leaning into Zana’s embrace on the back seat of the air-conditioned Mercedes, hidden behind the tinted windows.
He looked up and found Zana’s gaze intent on him. “Thank you,” he murmured. Zana’s smile was bright.
“Do you think your father was satisfied with