Not gonna hurt you my ass, Luca thought as he put a bandaid over a cut near his left eye. He grimaced at the tenderness there before looking up at the door where Jackson had left.

He was awfully tempted to make a go of trying to escape, but he wasn't stupid. Jackson was right; he had no idea where he was at and how to navigate the area, let alone the fucking house-- oh sorry, mansion. The thought made Luca shudder in revulsion, especially as he scanned the expensive shit in the room. The desktop computer had to be over a thousand dollars in itself, plus a shoe rack that looked like it was carved out of fucking marble and filled to the brim with the kind of shoes Luca had only ever seen on the QVC.

Yeah, the alpha was loaded and it gave Luca pause.

If he could take even one watch back with him, he'd be able to pay for at least a four months supply of suppressants. On top of that, maybe even his rent if he got a second one in his pocket. Fuck, he could just rip the guy off completely. If he was like any omega worth his salt, he'd seduce the bastard and mate him and live the rest of his life well off.

Except he really didn't give a shit about living well off, did he?

No, he had a job to do and sadly, it left no room for something like a mating. Not that Luca would mate with anyone in the first place. He'd rather deal with his heat for three or five days a month than let some alpha take control of him. No, he'd seen plenty of omegas get romanced by charming alphas, only to end up in abusive controlling relationships. That lifestyle just wasn't for him.

So he didn't think too far ahead. All he thought about was the task at hand.

Finding his mother and giving her a little payback.

He just hadn't gotten to the actual finding part yet.

Which was kind of hard when you were dirt fucking poor.

Luca grimaced, reaching up to rub his hands over his face in frustration before he rose to his feet slowly. His muscles quivered, protesting at the movement. What he really wanted to do was curl up in bed and sleep, but he wasn't about to drop his defenses anymore than he already had. For all he knew, the alpha could've touched him in his sleep.

Shaking off that particular disgust, Luca moved around the room to try and get some strength back into his body, which was hard. His body begged him to rest, begged him to sleep. He ignored the warning signs of exhaustion and stress. He walked around the room, tried to occupy his train of thought with the shit in the room.

And there was a lot of it.

The guy had bookshelves crammed full of medical books. From the basics to things Luca couldn't even fucking read. Was it English? Who fucking knew? He sure as hell didn't. There were even books and articles written by someone named Aurora Colt. Was the alpha already mated perhaps? That was a load off his mind, considering most mated alphas didn't tend to have sex outside their matings. Some said they couldn't even get it up for anyone other than their mate.

But then why did the guy buy him?

The more Luca wandered the room, the more confused he became. Why would someone like Jackson Colt buy him? The alpha clearly had everything he could ever want. He could mate with some high class omega and have little celebrity babies and live a full and happy life. Why the hell had he gone to a black market auction to buy an omega? It just made no sense. The guy seemed to have a pretty basic easy going life.

At least, that was what Luca thought until he sat at the computer desk. His legs were like pudding and he couldn't move anymore, so he'd sat down in the spinning leather chair, turning to the computer and bumping the mouse in the process. In doing so, he'd brought up a news article with the headline LOCAL HUMANITARIAN KILLED IN TRAGIC CAR ACCIDENT.

Luca frowned and turned fully around, leaning his elbow on the desk as he skimmed the article. It sounded like Aurora, the female who'd written some of the books on the shelves, had been killed in a car accident not too long ago. There was some foul play suspected, but the authorities had ruled it an accident. As he read further, he realized Aurora Colt wasn't Jackson's mate, but his mother.

Actually, now that he thought about it, the name sounded familiar. Especially as he read on. Aurora Colt had been more than a humanitarian in the city of Sterling, but a beloved celebrity. She was the head of the university hospital and research facility. She held galas and parties all over the city and beyond. She'd represented Sterling City at medical conferences all around the world. A true gem of the city.

Luca cocked his head.

She died so recently, though. So why in the hell was Jackson at a black market auction and not curled up in bed weeping into his silk pillows? But then, what did Luca know about mothers? His had abandoned him, royally fucked him over by giving birth to him. He wanted her dead. If he'd found out she'd died in an accident, the only reason he'd be upset was that he wasn't the one to end her pathetic life.

But, judging from this, and the screensaver that came on a few moments later of a smiling brunette woman that the article confirmed as Aurora Colt, Jackson adored his mother.

Frowning, Luca pushed himself back from the computer, turning just as the door opened and he cursed, shooting to his feet, only for the entire world to do a little tilt and whirl, making him stumble and hit the floor.

"Shit," Jackson said, dropping the clothes on the bed and rushing over to help, but Luca immediately scrambled back, almost going underneath of the computer desk.

"I'm fine," Luca snapped, putting his arm out and waving for Jackson to give him space, "Holy fuck, get off my ass! I'm fine! I just... was looking for a contact." Oh wow, that was smooth. Like a fucking gravel road. Luca averted his eyes, ignoring Jackson's droll stare. He cleared his throat and used the desk and chair to pull himself up into a standing position.

"You need to eat," Jackson stated, backing up again so he could go to the bed to get the clothes, "I got some clothes from my brother. He's thinner than I am, but they're still going to be a bit big on you." Luca frowned.

"Clothes are clothes, don't give a shit," he answered. He really didn't want to wear an alpha's clothing. The idea made his skin crawl, but so did getting attacked by an alpha, so he would make an exception until he got back home. Then he'd burn them.

With that in mind, he went across the room and snatched the clothes from Jackson, who raised an eyebrow and backed up to give him space. Luca turned his back to him so he could slide on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, both of which were pretty big on him. He frowned, adjusting the sweatshirt and wished the guy had brought him a pair of sweatpants instead of jeans because the fucking zipper was biting into his dick.

"You got any sweatpants instead?" Luca asked in a mutter, turning around just in time to hear the strangest, most unholy sound he'd ever heard. It was a deep guttural growl that made him go absolutely still.

Jackson was staring at him with hard, intense eyes, his lip lifting off his teeth in a snarl. Luca stiffened and backed up a whole step. Worse still, the growling seemed to be doing something to his body because hot fucking damn that zipper was now chewing into his erection. His really hard, really painful erection.

"What the actual fuck," Luca managed, more to himself than Jackson, who blinked and appeared to snap out of whatever weird state he'd been in. He scowled.

"What?"

"Uh, sweatpants?" Luca tried again, not entirely sure why he wasn't just decking the guy and making a run for it. Jackson nodded, frowning in confusion as he started for the door, then doubled back and went to his own dresser. Luca watched with a cocked brow as the guy dug through his drawers, shoving things aside and balling up other things and tossing it on the dresser before he took out a pair of sweatpants that were clearly too big, and another shirt.

"Here," Jackson said, turning and approaching him with the clothing. Luca scowled.

"Why another shirt?"

"That one doesn't fit you."

"And this one does?"

"It'll look better."

"If I was going for fashion, I wouldn't be wearing your clothes, asshole," Luca retorted with a snort, snatching only the sweatpants from Jackson's hands. Jackson bristled, but didn't say anything as Luca threw the other pants off and pulled on the new ones. Thank fuck they were sweatpants with a drawstring, otherwise, they'd have pooled at Luca's ankles given how big they were.

Luca frowned at the material. Fuck, was the guy's clothes even made of some kind of expensive fiber? They were super soft... and smelled just like Jackson. It made Luca uncomfortable. He didn't like wearing this alpha's clothes.

He glanced up to see Jackson shoving his clothes back into his dresser before turning to face him.

"How about I get you something to eat now?" Jackson asked after a moment. Luca felt something in him tremble at those words. He was starving. He wanted to eat an entire buffet table. If he tried hard enough, he was positive he'd eat the guy out of house and home. However, the thought of taking food from this guy made his skin crawl. He had no idea what the guy could do to any food he ate, and he wasn't going to trust him just because he claimed to be a doctor.

Okay, so there was proof of that status on the walls with the rewards and degrees and shit, but Luca still wasn't going to put his life in the guy's hands.

"I'm fine," Luca answered, making Jackson frown, "I just want to get the fuck out of here." Jackson didn't appear to like that idea. He studied him for a moment before speaking.

"How about we go downstairs and eat? I'll have the food prepared right in front of you, that way you can see that nothing's being done to it. Not that I would do anything to it anyway. I'm just extremely concerned about your weight right now, and the fact that your heat is close," he explained, making Luca narrow his eyes. What the hell did those two have to do with each other? It sounded like an excuse to take him somewhere and he wasn't big on going anywhere with the guy.

"How am I supposed to trust you considering you just fucking bought me like a chair at an auction?" Luca asked dryly, folding his arms over his chest. Jackson sighed.

"I wasn't there to purchase people. My friend was intrigued by the idea of a black market auction and we had no idea they were actually selling humans. The whole thing was set up to look like an art auction," he added. Luca eyed him warily.

"But you still bought me," he stated. Jackson stared at him in silence. Luca stared back, waiting for the guy to make up a bunch of bullshit excuses, but he never did. He was really weird for an alpha. Most alphas who met him immediately went to work trying to subdue him, whether with physical violence or words. This guy, on the other hand, just went along with everything he did. From fighting him to throwing back insults.

Luca didn't trust him. That was one thing he wanted to get straight. Didn't trust the alpha as far as he could throw him. However, he had a decent chance here to get a good meal before he went back home.

And then there was that tiny voice in the back of his mind, that hungry panting voice that loved the scent of this alpha. He hated that part of him. He hated that omega instinct to mate. It was why he tended to take stronger and stronger suppressants, even more than the average dose. He wasn't about to let himself cave into that disgusting submissive side of himself.

He wasn't weak. He didn't need an alpha.

All he needed right now was some goddamn food, his suppressants, a bottle of Burnett's, and oh yeah... a new job might be able to fucking help with all that.

Sighing, he raked a hand through his hair in frustration before dropping it at his side, glaring at Jackson, who seemed to relax, as if sensing his reluctant agreement.

"Fine," Luca said, "But everything you make in front of me. So lead the way." Because no way was he putting his back to an alpha. He didn't need to say it. Jackson seemed to understand and inclined his head before leading the way out the door and into the hallway.

Luca stuck close, but kept Jackson in his line of sight. Though, it was hard not to get distracted by the rest of the house.

Yeah, the Colt family was definitely living in the lap of luxury. The place smelled like a fancy spa, the walls weren't chipped or fading, like it was just freshly painted in a soft grey-blue tone with real hardwood floors. Expensive art and family photos were lined up along the walls. Luca noted that there appeared to be more than one Colt child, considering most of the photos appeared to show what were possibly brothers with Jackson.

Most of the photos weren't surprising. Typical family photos of laughter and joy, hugging and even the cheesy family photos that you had professionally taken where everyone was smiling slightly and they were all dressed in fancy clothing. Luca had always thought that was just a joke from 90s sitcoms. Turned out, some people legitimately had that garbage in their homes.

His apartment consisted of a mattress on the floor in front of an old box television, which also sat on the floor. He had all the basics that needed to survive, but nothing really fancy or unnecessary. He had no photos, not even a wallet photo. The only thing in his fridge was half a bag of bread, a couple lemons he'd stolen from the bar, and maybe one or two slices of baloney left. Maybe. Plus a package of those nutritional meal replacement drinks. That and the suppressants were the most expensive things he'd spent his money on.

It felt like walking in a whole new world just traveling through the mansion. It smelled nice, looked nice, felt nice. The air conditioning wasn't on full blast, but a steady cool breeze throughout the place.

Luca followed Jackson down the stairs and into a large fancy kitchen. It was the kind he'd seen on the home design channel when the families first moved in. He'd always thought that shit was staged, but it turned out, rich people actually did live like that.

"I had my friend pick up some food that would be healthy for you," Jackson said as he made his way to the fridge and Luca frowned further, "I'll put together a meal for you. Since your weight is so low, I would recommend high protein and high fat content."

"Why did you get food for me? I'm not staying here," Luca added quickly. He really hoped this wasn't going to turn into a creepy situation where he was drugged and kept in a basement somewhere. He'd seen plenty of news reports about omegas who sometimes were tricked into a mating through some sick demented game of stockholm syndrome.

"I was hoping you would be a bit more agreeable," Jackson replied dryly as he got ingredients out of the fridge, and Luca tracked every move like he was reaching for a gun, "But that doesn't matter. A healthy diet is a healthy diet. I prefer to eat right as well."

"I prefer food."

"What's your favorite?"

"Chocolate," Luca deadpanned, not really having to think about it. All his meal replacement drinks were chocolate flavored. He liked the sweet flavor, the added fullness it seemed to give him over the other two flavors, vanilla and strawberry. Vanilla tasted fake and the strawberry was like cough syrup. Chocolate was the best of the three.

"Okay," Jackson said slowly, raising an eyebrow, "Eat a lot of chocolate, do you?"

"Mm, it just tastes better than vanilla or strawberry. I drink those meal replacement things," Luca replied, cocking his head at all the ingredients Jackson was piling up on the counter. What did the guy plan to feed him? Was that a slab of meat or a fucking boulder on that cutting board?

"Those aren't meant to be lived on," Jackson muttered as he got to work unwrapping the ingredients and chopping them up, "You're supposed to eat meals throughout the day."

"It says meal replacement. Don't need to spend money on food if I just get those."

"Okay, but they only provide you with the bare minimum--"

"Look, if I wanted you to be my doctor, I would've said so. But it just so happens that I don't really give a shit. I just want to eat a decent fucking meal for once, then go home. Unless I was right and this is all a big ploy for you to trick me into your basement or some shit," Luca replied, shoving his hands into the pockets of the sweatshirt. Jackson rolled his eyes and got to work cooking.

"So how exactly did you end up in that auction in the first place?"

"How do you think? I was minding my own damn business when some assholes showed up, knocked me out. Next thing I know, I'm waking up in a dog cage," Luca drawled. Jackson grimaced at that, pausing to look at him.

"A dog cage?"

"Yeah, like those wire ones you can get at the pet store."

"That sounds horrible."

"I've been in them before, so it's not a big deal," Luca replied flatly, making Jackson's eyebrows go up, "What? Did you think I was some sweet innocent kid from down the street who was kidnapped from his wealthy mommy and daddy? Look, sorry to break it to you, but I'm not some Cinderella who needs saving or anything. Shit like this happens a lot. But, of course, you wouldn't know jackshit because you're an alpha."

Because, that was the hard truth, Luca thought bitterly. It was rare to hear about alpha kidnappings or abuse. Omegas took the brunt of society's abuse. They were too weak, too helpless. They were nothing more than babymakers and cock sleeves. People stole them left and right. It was so normal that no one bat a lash when it came on in the news. Hell, it happened so often that it was hardly newsworthy unless the omega was somehow well-off and famous.

"I'm sorry," Jackson said after a moment, making Luca scowl at him, "That must have been terrifying."

"No, it's normal," Luca deadpanned, making Jackson frown, "And I don't need your fucking pity. If you're gonna lecture me, then I'd rather just leave right now. I don't have time to dink around here. It's like you said; my heat is coming. I need to get my suppressants."

"We have suppressants here," Jackson said, making Luca raise an eyebrow curiously, "It's just good to keep them on hand. My brothers have mates who visit and sometimes it'll happen unexpectedly."

"Yeah, well, fat chance it's the one I need," Luca responded, making Jackson look at him.

"What type of suppressants do you take?" He asked. Luca didn't answer and pretended to be interested in the real quartz island counter. He wasn't going to tell Jackson. If the guy was a doctor, no doubt the guy would chew him out.

Luca didn't take the generic suppressants that came in pill form. The pills had stopped working a while ago. He'd moved onto bigger and better things. Like the injections that were administered through the fat of his fucking asscheek on a daily basis. Not that he didn't take the pills on top of those because there was no way he wanted to risk the injections losing their effect or weakening over time like the pills had. Together, they created a solid safety net for him during his heat.

Of course, any doctor was going to tell him to stop it. He was going to overdose and make himself sick or maybe even straight up kill himself, but frankly, he didn't give a damn. He wasn't here to enjoy poverty and struggle with his heat and find an alpha to knock him up.

He needed to figure out where his bitch of a mother was so he could pay her back for everything.

Except he still had no fucking idea how he was going to do that. He didn't have access to records like that. He had no idea if his mother was in the system or if she skipped out. He didn't even know her new name. He knew nothing. Had nothing to go on.

He wiped a hand down his face before looking up as Jackson laid a fat juicy steak in a cast iron pan. The meat sizzled and hissed upon contact, steam rising up and carrying with it an aroma so delicious that Luca actually hit halt on all other brain functions just so he could inhale that delicious smell. The guy had rubbed an incredible combination of seasonings on the meat so it formed a nice crust on the outside. Plus some delicious butter mixed with herbs. It was enough to make Luca melt all over the island counter.

And were those potatoes? Holy fuck, Luca had never had potatoes that weren't in french fry form. He wondered what it would taste like. Was he supposed to be salting the water they were in? He had no idea. All he knew was that he wanted to take them out of the boiling pot right then and there and eat them.

He was so distracted by the smells of the food he didn't realize he'd drifted over to stand at Jackson's side, staring into the pan with his mouth watering.