Evan woke up sore, but in the most fabulous way. Reece had given him the fucking of his life with that thick cock of his, and Evan wanted more, even though he preferred to top. If Reece kept fucking him like he had the night before, Evan could get used to being on the bottom.

Or they could find a cute little omega right away so Evan could still get his fill of fucking another. Imagining pounding into another man as Reece took him made Evan sigh. He stretched and rolled over, only to realize Reece wasn’t there. The man came out of the bathroom a minute later, looking a little frazzled.

“What’s up?” Evan asked. He’d expected Reece to look as sated and happy as he had when they’d fallen asleep tangled in each other’s arms.

“You’re about to meet some opponents of the new changes, if you’re up for it. Part of my job includes keeping people from getting stirred up. Over anything. I have to be even more vigilant with our alpha gone.”

“Keeping the peace?”

“Yeah, basically.”

Evan nodded. “Sure. I’ll help.” If Reece was going to face something difficult, Evan wanted to be by his side. As rough and aggressive as he’d been in bed, Reece seemed to have a sweet, tender side as well. Evan liked the combination, and it also made him feel even more protective. Maybe Reece didn’t need protecting the way an omega would, but if they were together any length of time, Evan would not tolerate any mistreatment coming Reece’s way.

“Okay, great. I have some coffee going. I’ll let you get dressed.” Reece left the room.

Evan hurriedly got dressed. He hadn’t had a chance to shower, but he could do that later. He didn’t care if anyone smelled Reece on him. Even though he seemed to have rinsed off, Reece still smelled of Evan a bit. Evan smiled, liking that.

Evan found two travel mugs for them, and they both filled them with black coffee before heading out. They found three people—two men and a woman—standing in the square basically lecturing anyone who would stop to listen to them. All three had dark hair and eyes and very similar features. They looked like they had to be related.

“Who are they?” Evan asked.

“Carson’s the biggest. Then there’s Graham and Raven. Siblings. Graham and Raven were twins, which you know is rare. Makes them feel even more entitled.” Lowering his voice, he said, “Carson’s known for pressuring omegas who resist him. No one’s ever been brave enough to say he actually forced an encounter.”

“So he’s not a fan of the new omega rights because it could mess up his fun.”

“Exactly.”

All three stopped talking and looked over at Reece and Evan. Raven came forward first, scenting the air. “And it’s begun,” she said. “One of our strongest, most virile males is fucking a beta. From another pack. This union will produce no pups, and it might take our enforcer away from us.” She bowed her head slightly. “Even if we disagree, you serve our pack well. Losing you would hurt us, especially with our alpha away.”

“Thank you for the compliment, but that doesn’t make it okay for you to say who I can or cannot fuck. Or mate. If you respect my office and service, you should do the same for our alpha, who wanted all of this.”

“And where is he?” Carson asked. He pointed to his right. “He’s with another pack, letting their alpha dominate and fuck him. Alphas fuck. It is disgraceful for any alpha to bend and submit.”

“But he fell in love,” one woman said, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at Carson. “Some people want that. Love, not just rutting to produce pups or further bloodlines.”

Carson snarled at her and everyone who nodded at her words. “It is disgraceful. And he took his brother with him. Practically gave him to the other pack. Noah was a fertile omega who should’ve been mated and bred long ago.”

A man laughed. “You say that because you wanted him and Thomas denied you.”

“That is a lie!” Carson yelled. “I am the strongest beta here. Who else would be most fit to breed the alpha’s own brother? My suit was in limbo when this other alpha turned Thomas’s head.”

“Wait a minute,” Evan said. “That’s not the way it was. They talked about it. Reflected on it. They were lovers for a time before they ever presented anything to the council. It was no whim. They put a careful proposal together. These changes are for the good of all of us.”

“This is not your concern,” Graham said as he fixed Evan with a glare.

Reece held up his hand when Graham moved toward Evan. “He was sent here by our alpha. He has a right to speak as long as he’s here. We’re all one people despite living in different packs. We have to adapt in order to survive. How can we thrive if we oppress our own kind? Omegas should have been given full rights long ago.” He fixed his gaze on Graham. “I won’t have you harassing our guest.”

“Says the man who reeks of his cum,” Graham said. He took two more steps forward. “You both waste your seed. If you want a stronger mate, there are more than enough female betas.”

“Mating should be about more,” Reece said. “I’d rather fight and work for someone I love than someone I just happened to put a baby in. You can live and fuck how you want, but you won’t poison others against these changes.”

Graham glared at them both as he moved in even closer. “You couldn’t at least choose a beta from your own pack to sate your lust with?” he whispered low enough that only they could hear him. After eyeing Evan a moment, he added, “I know I could please you better than he did.”