Omega Teacher’s Secret

arm, Ian was picking at some new scabs.
Brad grabbed his wrist, yanking his hand away. “Fuck, Ian.”
Ian tugged the sleeves back up his arms, hiding his scars. “I’m depraved, okay? You should leave.”
He looked furious with himself, scared and disappointed and on the verge of tears, and Brad only now realized that Ian was shaking, sucking in shallow breaths.
I’m not coping, he’d said.
“Please just leave,” Ian mumbled, biting so hard on his lip that Brad thought it might bleed. “Don’t take Gwen away from me. I don’t—I can’t…”
He looked like he was close to a breakdown, and Brad stared, horrified at himself.
He was a firefighter and an alpha. He prided himself on saving people. What had he been doing, confronting Ian like that? Pushing Ian that hard? When he knew some of the things Ian had been through? Gods, I’ve been an idiot.
Guilty now, Brad slipped his arms around Ian, keeping them there when Ian flinched. Then he pulled Ian close, snug against his chest, and pressed his nose to Ian’s ear. “I’m sorry.”
Ian shook against him, his breathing ragged. “What’re you doing?”
“Apologizing.”
Brad held him, easing Ian back down on his knot so he wasn’t hurting himself. Then he brushed his fingers through Ian’s hair, stroked his back. Pressed a kiss to Ian’s jaw, so hopefully Ian would understand that Brad wasn’t about to skin him alive.
“You shouldn’t—shouldn’t be doing this,” Ian croaked, his breaths coming sharper.
Brad pulled Ian’s face down against his shoulder. “Yeah. But I am.”
He cradled Ian’s head. Held Ian as he shook, his tears soaking through Brad’s shirt. “You’re—pissed with me,” Ian mumbled.
“Yeah, I am.”
Ian shrank into himself, and Brad hugged him tighter. Rubbed his back. Stroked his wrists over Ian’s arms, so Ian smelled like walnut again.
“I’m not leaving you,” Brad murmured.
“Why?”
“Because you need me.”
Ian trembled, his breathing coming in short, ragged gasps. Brad wondered when Ian had last been held like that. When he’d last had an alpha who would protect him.
Sure, he’d kept secrets from Brad. Sure, he’d kept Gwen’s existence a secret for six years.
But Ian had also done all the parenting himself, he’d been raising a great kid, and the way he coped—he wasn’t at all. Brad should’ve been there for him. Not aggravating his stress, making him hurt himself even more.
And if he really thought about it, Ian had done this because he wanted to keep his job. And Brad’s father had forced him into a corner. Not because Ian had any malicious intent toward Brad, keeping secrets from him.
“I’m not taking Gwen away,” Brad whispered.
Ian breathed out shakily, pressing his face into Brad’s shoulder. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because I care. Because you need someone.”
Ian shook his head. “That doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your own time. You have better things to be doing—”
“I’m here because I choose to be,” Brad said, realizing it was true.
“I’m not the best omega,” Ian said. “You’re free to go out and find another, and—and…”
Brad pressed a kiss to Ian’s neck. Then further down where his neck met his shoulder, where Ian’s scent gland was. “Yeah, I could be gone right now,” he murmured. Brushed his lips where Ian’s scent was the strongest. “But I’m still here.”
“I can’t believe you still see anything worthwhile in me,” Ian said. He reached for his thigh, and Brad caught his wrist. Entwined his fingers with Ian’s, so Ian couldn’t pick at another scab.
“I need time to process this,” Brad said. “But you’re still someone I look up to, okay? You care. You put everyone else before yourself. You’re good at the stuff you teach, and you’ve always been patient with me.”
Ian sighed, pressing his forehead to Brad’s shoulder. “Even so.”
“You’re the father of my kids,” Brad said. That sounded good. Better than good. “I want you to be mine.”
Ian swallowed noisily. “I’ll think about it.”
“That’s fine,” Brad said. “Can I visit Gwen? Sometimes. I don’t know if I can be a dad. But I just… I figure I should.”
“You don’t have to acknowledge them as your own, you know,” Ian whispered. “It’s a lot of responsibility. I’m not holding you to it.”
Brad blew out a breath. Yeah, that was a good option. It seemed too sudden, finding out about the children all in one day. Knowing the girl he’d treated to a turkey dinner was actually his daughter. That was insane. “You should’ve told me about them.”
Ian was quiet for a while. “I’d lost all your contact information. And by then… Gwen needed surgeries, anyway. I wasn’t about to go to you with a sick daughter who’ll drain your bank account. It’s just… not right. It was my choice to keep her, not yours.”
“So my dad found out about her before I did?” Brad asked.
Ian sagged. “He was right outside my office after you left. That first time. I was too late to hide anything.”
Brad imagined Ian trapped by the evidence, and winced. Hugged him tighter. Ian had probably been mortified, being found out like that. “I should’ve been there.”
Ian rolled his shoulders. “Who knows? It might’ve been worse.”
Brad’s father had probably forced the truth out of Ian when he’d been pregnant. Brad scowled, wishing he knew a better way to protect Ian. So Ian wasn’t stuck at his job, scrimping and saving all the time. “How are the medical bills like?”
Ian huffed. “Like you wouldn’t believe.”
“How much are we talking?”
“A few hundred thousand. More if there’s complications.” Ian curled his fingers into Brad’s shirt.
Brad swore. He had savings, but a few hundred thousand? That would take a few more years of saving all his wages.
“Look, I’m not asking you for money, okay? I don’t want to be that omega who shows up to suck you dry.”
Brad snorted. “If you wanted to suck me dry a different way, I wouldn’t be opposed to it.”
Ian’s breath hitched. “You still… want that?”
He smelled good, all rose and sweat and musk. And honey, too. He was carrying Brad’s child.
“Yeah,” Brad said. “I still do.”
“Oh.”
When Brad didn’t answer, Ian