Chapter 41: Chapter 41

There’s this place between sleep and consciousness, a fuzzy state.

Comfortably lethargic. That’s where Millan is, cuddled up to his soul mate. They’d put on a film they both knew they wouldn’t really watch.

As other wolves gathered in the living room, Millan basked in the feeling of finally being part of a group. He’d let himself get lost in that fuzzy reassuring state.

He is vaguely aware of a strange vibration in his chest. As he feels Weston smile above his head and place a quick kiss there, he realizes he’s purring again. Stranger though, he doesn’t care. He simply smiles and lets the moment engrave in his memory.

They’re both lulled to sleep, Millan almost lost in dreams when he hears sudden shouting in the corridor.

“I’m sorry! Amir! Please, wait! Let’s talk about this, Amir!”

Millan's head snaps up, making Weston jerk awake in the process.

“What’s-“ Weston’s interrogation is cut off by Amir speed walking towards the entrance, crossing the living room in a gust of wind, Andy on his heels.

“Amir, please stop!”

“No! I need some air.”

Millan can see it; an Alpha Command burning Andy’s lips just as Amir gets a hand on the door knob.

“I said, stop.”

There it is.

Millan purses his lips, frustrated for Amir who’s now stuck in the doorway.

He turns around slowly with a glacial glare, enough to bring a chill down Millan's spine even though he isn’t even the receiver of it.

Andy looks down and sighs heavily. He finally decides to relieve Amir of the command, seemingly understanding that Amir needs a moment.

“Okay, get some air. We’ll talk later.”

Amir doesn’t let up his angry stare as he turns around and opens the door. Just before stepping out however, he turns towards Millan briefly.

“Would you like to go with me?”

“Me?”

“Yes, you.”

Amir proceeds to step out of the door, and Millan scrambles to untangle himself from Weston’s arms ignoring the alpha’s discontent sigh and struggles not to step on any tails or limbs as he makes his way to the door.

Once outside, Amir has a good advance on him, power walking towards the woods and it takes a minute for Millan to catch up.

“Where are we going?”

“In the city. We’re going to drink until we can’t walk straight anymore. You in?”

Millan has never seen Amir like that. A determined angry look on his face. He looks like he could burn the forest down without batting an eye.

Millan has a feeling he should just go with it. He can’t deny he hasn’t been out of Headquarters for a while and he’d be happy to finally venture out.

“Sure!”

Amir doesn’t waste a second before shifting into his wolf form.

Millan follows suit.

*****

The waiter, a middle aged, bulky man, drops a pitcher of beer loudly in the center of their scrawny round table.

“There you go, lads. Can I get you anything else?”

Just as Millan starts answering with the negative, Amir interrupts.

“Yep. We’ll need another one after this, and then another one.”

“Well, you look like you can hold your liquor but I’m not sure it’s wise for your small friend here to drink that much.” The waiter said, gesturing to Millan.

Millan’s eyebrows raised and he was about to retort but Amir beat him to it. He is beginning to understand the power of Amir’s glacial stare.

The waiter puts his hand up in surrender, “Keep’em coming, got it.”

Millan waits for Amir’s stare to merge into a gentler one before asking the question that’s been burning his lips since they arrived.

“So… what was that with Andy earlier? You guys are fighting?” Millan tries to keep a casual tone, perceiving that Amir doesn’t want to tell.

“Yeah… it’s stupid. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Mhmm. That’s why you dragged me out here. To not talk about it.”

“Exactly.”

Amir proceeds to fill his glass and immediately takes a sip or more of a pretty big swig. Scratch that, he gulps half of it down then lets the glass fall back loudly on the table.

“It’s just. He’s being an idiot. Like, I know Jace and him are my older brothers. I owe them a lot ever since they took care of me after our parents died. It’s just that, I also have my own life! Max and I had been in a relationship for a while now and they still think that he’s not the right guy for me. It’s annoying. We’ve already decided that I will spend my next heat with him, but Jace heard us talking and threatened Max. Andy heard us and just… I’m not a kid anymore! I hate it. I hate them. You know?”

“I’m glad you didn’t want to talk about it.”

Amir snorts and takes another swig of beer.

“Shut up.” Amir’s tone is considerably lighter.

Millan smiles and takes a sip of his own drink. He is realizing now that he has never done that in his life- getting drinks with a friend. He likes it. Hopefully he won’t fuck this up and Amir will want to do that again.

“You know, Amir, I’m not familiar with sibling dynamics because I grew up as an only child. But I have two very close friends that'd been like brothers to me. They’re both Alphas and would often scold me for my crazy ideas, but they would still accompany me and would often get punished with me. I think, Jace and Andy’s protectiveness isn’t as bad as you think, and it comes with the package of being an omega’s brother. You guys have lost your parents early and its just the three of you left. I’m sure they just don’t want you to get hurt. If you talked about it with them properly, and with Max, I’m pretty much sure it won’t necessarily result in a bad thing.”

Amir is silent for a moment, contemplating his beer. Then he shrugs.

“Maybe. I haven’t really took a seat and talked it out properly with them yet. I just springed on them that Max and I are a thing, and now this. Maybe they freaked out. I mean, I am the youngest and an omega at that.”

“They worry and they have the right to. All the responsibilities of your parents fell on their shoulders. Giving them the benefit of the doubt wouldn’t be bad.” Millan said sincerely.

After knowing Jace and Andy for a while now, he’s sure that the two are just afraid that their youngest brother will make a wrong decision. Being a strategist doesn’t mean that you’re also good at making decisions when your heart is involve. They might just want to make sure that Amir won’t make decisions that will hurt him.

He had also met Max a couple of times and he seemed like a great guy. The guy adore children and thus, he enjoys being a teacher of the pack’s school.

Millan senses he shouldn’t push further on that topic. After all, all that can be said had been said, and Amir brought him here because he needed a distraction, not a therapist.

“Amir?”

“Mmm.”

“How do you read people? You said you know when someone’s lying, how do you know?”

“Body language. I’ve studied how to analyze someone’s demeanor. It’s not an exact science but if you understand it properly, it does give you a good idea of what someone else is thinking. When I met Max, he was certain I could straight up read minds. I think he still believes it sometimes.”

Millan laughs and Amir follows suit, shaking his head.

“He’s an idiot.” Amir’s fondness is transparent in his tone and his eyes.

It warms Millan up to see someone love so blatantly.

“You love him.”

“I do. Like you do Weston.”

That has Millan pausing, taking another sip of beer.

Is Millan that obvious too?

Does his infatuation with Weston show that much?

“Would you teach me?”

Amir’s eyebrows rise up, head tilting slightly in silent question.

“To read people?”

“Yeah.”

“It takes a long time to learn, Millan. I studied it for years.”

Millan shrugs, “I’ve got time.”

Amir smirks. “All right, let’s make a deal.”

There’s a rebellious glint in Amir’s eyes and Millan already knows he’s all in.

“I want to know how to ignore Alpha Commands. You teach me that and I’ll tell you how I read people.”

That’s the easiest decision Millan has ever taken. In his opinion, every omega should learn how to disobey anyway.

“Deal.”