At least he was early. He sighed.
He pulled up five minutes later at the airport’s pick-up area, his heart thumping when he glimpsed her familiar face. Would she be excited to see him? He hadn’t lived this far away from home before. Would she... notice that he’d lost weight? Would she be happy about it?
Ulric parked, hurrying out to help with her suitcase.
“You’re late,” she said, glancing disapprovingly over his body.
That shot his hopes down. “I’m five minutes early.”
“I had to wait here for a long time,” she snapped. “That means you’re late.”
Ulric bit down his protest; there wasn’t any point trying to argue—she would always be right in her eyes. So much for her noticing he’d lost weight.
They got into his car, Mom sniffing at the air. “You found an omega?”
“No.” Ulric blinked. Or had she smelled Wilkie’s buttercup scent?
Unlike the woodsy scents of alphas and the grassy scents of betas, omegas had a distinctive floral scent. They smelled nice, too, but Ulric’s attraction to omegas ended there.
“No?” Mom’s eyebrows drew low. “Don’t lie to me, Ulric. You had an omega in here.”
“Yeah, we’re friends. But that’s all.”
“Which family is he from?” Mom’s expression grew calculating; Ulric’s dread began to rise.
“The Frosts.”
“I haven’t heard of them.” She sniffed disdainfully. “Haven’t I told you to mingle with people of our stature? You’re wasting your time with anyone less.”
Gage isn’t a waste of time, Ulric wanted to retort. Gage had made Ulric the happiest he’d been in a while. It sucked that his own mother only thought of wealthy people as important. He suppressed the whisper of dejection in his chest. He just had to get through today and go home. And do this again tomorrow. And the day after. All the way until Mom was done with her business here, and she left.
“Where’s your chauffeur?” she asked a moment later.
“I don’t have one.”
Mom grimaced. “It’s not a good look, driving your car yourself.”
“I like being in control.” It had been one of the few luxuries he’d had, back when he’d been living with his parents. Mom had every last say in the house. Their meals were prepared by a chef. The only times Ulric got to choose what he did, was when he’d gone to college, or when he’d taken his car out for a spin.
“You can be in control from the back. That’s what money is for,” she answered.
Probably the same reason why Gage didn’t want Ulric’s help with his problems. Except if Gage took on a second job like he’d been talking about, Ulric would hardly get to see him at all. And Gage brightened his day so much.
“I like driving,” Ulric said.
Mom scoffed, turning back to her phone.
In between her business calls, Ulric took his mom to the various attractions in Highton—the city hall, the famous theaters, the scenic piers at the beach. It was only after dinner, when they were on their way to Mom’s hotel, that Ulric’s phone buzzed.
Could you pick me up? Wilkie had texted. I’m in a bad part of town. I should’ve left earlier.
Ulric wasn’t so familiar with Highton’s dangerous areas, but it was dark out, shadows spilling onto the streets. The thought of Wilkie somewhere out there—that made his stomach squeeze. He did a U-turn. “I have to pick my friend up. He’s in a bad place.”
Mom frowned. “Is this so urgent?”
“Yes.” She could wait a few moments. Ulric wouldn’t be able to live with himself if Wilkie got hurt because of him.
The drive took twenty minutes; Mom tapped on the door handle, sighing impatiently. Ulric tried not to let her disgruntlement seep into his heart.
They ended up driving along streets with metal grilles over the shop front windows, iron gates that closed over the regular shop entrances. Ulric had the feeling that if Gage knew where Wilkie had been, he would blow an artery.
He found Wilkie huddled up at a well-lit bus stop. Ulric heaved a sigh as he pulled over; Wilkie hurried to the car, slipping into the backseat. The moment the door shut, Ulric hit the gas pedal so they could get out of there. He wasn’t used to being in places like this. “You okay?”
Wilkie nodded. “Yeah. Thanks for picking me up.”
Mom had turned to survey the new arrival. Instead of the frown she’d been wearing, she now looked... shrewd. “You’re Ulric’s ‘friend’?”
“Uh. Yeah?” Wilkie seemed confused.
Ulric sighed. She was trying to play matchmaker, wasn’t she? “To be specific, he’s a brother of a friend.”
Wilkie snorted—at least he didn’t let Ulric’s mom in on the joke.
“I suppose you could settle,” Mom said. “He doesn’t look half-bad. Fertile, at least.”
Wilkie’s amusement evaporated. What? he mouthed at Ulric through the rearview mirror.
“No, he’s off-limits,” Ulric said.
Mom waved dismissively. “There are no limits—only the right amount of money.”
Were they really talking about this now? “I’m not interested,” Ulric said.
“You need an omega,” Mom answered.
“No, I don’t.”
Ulric tried not to feel Wilkie’s stare on him. At least Gage wasn’t here. Ulric wouldn’t know what to do if Gage met his mom.
“Anyway, we’re heading to your hotel now,” Ulric told her. Time for some damage control.
Mom gestured toward Wilkie. “What’s your name? We’ll arrange for a lunch next week. We’ll fly Ulric’s father down.”
“Mom, no.” Ulric blew out his exasperation. “You’re not arranging another marriage for me. I’m not interested in omegas.”
Wilkie’s disbelief had been slowly growing in the backseat. “Yeah, actually. Ulric already has someone else he’s seeing.”
Ulric’s stomach dropped in slow motion. His mother turned, her eyes lighting up. “Really?” she asked. “And you didn’t tell me?”
He focused on driving so he didn’t have to answer her. At least, until they approached the hotel. “No. You wouldn’t approve,” Ulric said. Mom’s smile fell. “He’s an alpha.”
She snapped then. “Honestly, that’s a phase, Ulric. Stop being childish.”
What part of their friendship was childish? “He likes me.”
Mom scowled. “You can fool yourself into thinking he likes you, but all he’s after is your
