The Arrangement (Omegas of Hunter's Point Book 1)

Chapter 11

Damian tossed his wallet and keys onto the round table in his foyer of his flat and dug his phone out of his pocket, hitting Evan's number. Ringing coming from Damian's phone was interrupted by, "Stone, here," as the call connected.

"Resubmit the adoption petition, Evan."

"Damian," Evan sighed, "we've talked about this. You won't win unmated."

"I'm not unmated," Damian responded, grinning to himself, "or, I won't be unmated for much longer. That's the other thing I need to talk to you about."

Silence for several beats, then a suspicious, "What have you done?"

Damian shrugged, opening the fridge and getting himself a beer. "What you told me to do." He twisted the cap off and tossed it across the kitchen into the sink. "I found a mate."

"In six weeks?" Evan asked, his voice rife with disbelief. "Bullshit you did. Hunter's Point's Most Eligible bachelor is a confirmed one."

Damian winced. Good gods, one Society rag voted him that. The corner of his mouth tugged up. Six years in a row. "I found a wonderful woman willing to take a chance on me. Is that so hard to believe?"

"Yes," Evan responded, flatly. "What did you offer her?"

"Being on my arm isn't enough?" Damian's quip was met with silence. Fine. "She wants to go back to school. I told her I'd pay for it."

"And how do you plan to dissolve this mate-pairing once you get what you want?" Evan asked.

"I told her we'd use a common law arrangement." Damian took a long drink from his beer.

"Yeah, I guess that could work. No one's used a common law mate arrangement in at least seventy years, but being that she's a beta-"

Betas were generally his choice of playmate, but... Damian cringed. "She's omega."

Dead air on the other end of the line. "Are you fucking kidding me with this? You want to use a common law arrangement with an omega?"

Damian leaned against the counter. "And she's an Ahern." He almost heard Evan's eyebrows hit the man's receding hairline.

"As in Legislator Ahern?" Evan blew out a breath. "You're not out to make this easy, are you? Have you secured her father's permission?"

Why anybody still bothered with that archaic garbage was beyond him. Damian couldn't imagine having to go to any man and beg his permission to mate-pair with an adult daughter, especially one with as strong a sense of herself as Von had. "Not needed. She was disowned." It was probably way too late to be asking this question, but, "Can it be done?"

"Theoretically? Yeah, I can put together the paperwork, no problem," Evan confirmed. "But is a court going to buy that you found yourself an omega, let alone an omega from a prominent family, in less than two months who, for some reason known only to herself, was willing to accept something as flimsy as a common law mate arrangement instead of the legally ironclad claiming mark? That, I cannot guarantee. Who is this girl, anyway?"

"I've never met anyone like her, Evan. She's just...she's so..." He found himself without the proper words to describe her. Incredible didn't go far enough.

"Wait, is this for real? Are you into her?"

Yes. No. Maybe?

"Where'd you meet her?"

Damian found himself smiling, his thoughts on that awful pink dress. "A club."

"Figures," Evan huffed.

"I need you to put the paperwork together and help me with the contract and the NDA. Clear your schedule for tomorrow morning. I'll bring breakfast."

"Will do. Make those chocolate croissants, will you?"