Twin Mates

Chapter Three

Tap tap tap tap tap

The rhythm of the pencil rapping against the table filled the room. Zephyr, his head resting heavily against his fist, glared at the destroyed sketch on his desk. The weight of creative pressure bore down on him, evident in the frustration that seeped through every pore as he crumpled up the design and tossed it towards the wastebasket, which joined the pile of failures. His stress and tension were palpable.

A pair of warm arms snaked around Zephyr's shoulders, and Lucien, his partner with rainbow-dyed hair and ember eyes, rested his head against Zephyr's. His eyes glanced over at the pile and the other man's constant tapping. "Babe, you've been at this for hours. Come to bed," he whispered sweetly.

"Lucy," Zephyr sighed, dropping the pencil and running a hand through his thick curls. "I need to finish this before the next event. I only have one outfit, and I need two more." His dedication to his craft, his unwavering commitment even in the face of exhaustion, was palpable.

The company was hosting a fashion show representing subgenders. This time, it was about not judging a book by its cover. Like Zephyr and his brother, an omega could be just as dominant and aggressive as an alpha. A beta can be just as sweet and nurturing as an omega. Alphas can be calm and collected as betas. The outfits were to be worn by the opposite sub-gender and show the world that they were more than stereotypes. He had already finished the alpha design as an omega with alpha characteristics. He needed the other two by the end of the year. They have nine months to go.

"Babe, you have plenty of time. Your parents gave you the end-of-year deadline just because of this," Lucien reasoned, his understanding nature shining through. "Please, babe, come to bed. I'm lonely." His empathy and unwavering support were evident in his every word.

Lucien combs his manicured fingers through Zephyr's locks and down his tense shoulders. Zephyr groaned at the sensation, trying to fight against the temptation but ultimately losing. Zephyr pushed the chair back, lifted Lucien into his arms, and carried him to their bedroom. The beta squealed with glee as the omega shut the door behind them with the heel of his foot.

Hours later, Zephyr reemerged from his room to find his brother at the dining table. His sapphire eyes met hazel gold. "Could you at least have the decency to turn the soundproofing on?" He nagged.

"Sorry, I thought you were out the whole time," the older twin shrugged.

"I came back a little while ago," Onyx replied, taking a swing at his coffee.

"How is our new PA doing? Think he can handle it?" The bronze twin asked as he went to grab himself a mug.

"I think he'll do just fine," Onyx replied confidently. "We went over a few details and had a bit of practice with ol' Reigner."

Zephyr choked midsip of his dark coffee, looking at his twin in shock. Mr. Reigner was an old geezer who wanted nothing but perfection regarding business details. He criticized poor Stacey for everything from her notes to her clothes. He would even criticize one's scent if he felt like it. To say Mr.Reigner was overbearing is an understatement. Zephyr and Onyx had experienced Mr. Reigner's harsh criticism in the past, which was not a pleasant memory.

"And he did okay?" He asked.

"Surprisingly, yes," the younger twin beamed. Ol' Reigner deliberately tried to put Elias down, but his time at his old job taught him to ignore his criticism."

Or bottle it up, Zephyr thought.

"Speaking of Elias, he will be working with you today," Onyx informed him as he left.

"I honestly don't know if he should," Zephyr sighed, his hazel eyes reflecting his inner turmoil. The thought of being stuck in the house, pondering what designs to create, was a daunting prospect.

"You never know; he might be your inspiration. Elias will be here in about an hour, so please get dressed," With that, the sapphire omega left the house with a slight wave.

Zephyr looked down, seeing that he came out of the room wearing nothing but his birthday suit.

"Why couldn't I be your assistant, love?" Lucien whined as his partner got dressed.

"Because you will only assist in one thing, babe," Zephyr grinned.

Lucien laughed; he wasn't wrong. He had been dating Zephyr for about three years and had been in the modeling industry for four. He always admired the powerful omega from afar and made it his duty to try to get closer to him. Eventually, being friends became much more within three months of spending time together. The beta knew the omega in and out of work and knew he would only distract him instead of helping.

"Well, I am going to get ready to leave, but I want to meet this mysterious PA of yours," the beta said as he went to freshen up in the master bathroom.

"Okay, he should be here in about thirty minutes," the omega said.

Lucien admired himself in the mirror, noticing the love bites littering across his fair skin. His colorful hair in odd angles and skin just radiating from the pleasurable night. He could smell his lover's scent engulfing him; he smelt like honey and vanilla, a comforting aroma. Although, unlike alpha's and omega's, a beta's senses are much duller. But he was happy to know that Zephyr tried smothering him in his scent so he could smell it himself.

He reached to touch his scent gland; the mock bonding mark on his neck made his heart sink. If only he had been born an alpha, to mark Zephyr as his and his alone, to let others know that Zephyr belonged to him.

"If only I weren't cursed with this body," Lucien growled, clawing at the mark. Backing away from the mirror, Lucien went back to getting ready.

Zephyr was sitting in the living room reviewing his latest designs when the doorbell rang. He glanced at the clock, noting Elias was twenty minutes early. The tall man gets up to greet his guest and finds the alpha drenched upon opening the door.

"Elias! What on earth happened?" Zephyr exclaimed, pulling the more petite man inside. He looked up to see no rain, so how did he get soaking wet?

"A street sweeper wasn't paying attention and drenched me with their spray," Elias explained.

Zephyr gently led Elias to his brother's room, knowing he wouldn't mind lending the poor alpha some spare clothes. Luckily, he wasn't planning on going out for the day. He gathered a few clothing garments and instructed the alpha to leave his soiled clothes outside the bathroom. Elias hesitated, but Zephyr reassured him that everything was fine and that he needed to get cleaned up. Zephyr waited patiently for his clothes and waited longer until he heard the shower going. He gathered up the soaked clothes; the omega went down to the basement to toss them in the washer.

Elias looked around the bathroom, amazed by its size—bigger than his room back home. It felt odd to be taking a shower in his employer's house, but he had a job to do and rent to pay. I'll make quick to get it over with, Elias thought. He grabbed the all-in-one body wash and began to clean himself thoroughly, sighing in relief as the dirt and chemicals washed away. Once rinsed and dried off, Elias pus on the clothes given to him.

The T-shirt hung off his left shoulder, and the sweatpants kept sliding down his hips. On the counter, there was a jar of hair ties. Reluctantly, the alpha grabbed a couple to tie the spare fabric. Lastly, he combed his hair with his fingers after drying it. After deeming himself decent, Elias exited the room entirely.

He stepped out into the living room to see a stunning man, no older than he was, sitting on the couch. The man's hair was dyed in bright colors, and he wore bright designer clothes that seemed worth more than his wardrobe combined. His ember eyes looked the alpha up and down. A frown on his lips was present for a split second before disappearing behind a toothy smile.

"You must be Elias, Zephyr, and Onyx's new assistant," he said as he stood up. He towered over Elias by three inches, making the alpha feel even smaller. "I'm Lucien, Zephyr's mate," he stated.

Mate? Elias glanced at Lucien's proudly displayed mark. From his scent alone, Elias could tell this guy was a beta, and the mark did not solidify that the omega and beta were bonded. But, most couples like the idea of being mates verbally despite not being physically marked.

"It's nice to meet you, Lucien. " The alpha lifted his hand to shake the betas' hands, but Lucien turned away and began to head for the door.

"Tell Zephyr I had to run but will be back sometime tonight," Elias flinched at the authoritative tone the beta gave off.

"O-okay," He stammered.

With that, Lucien huffed with his nose and stomped out of the house. Elias couldn't help but feel like he did something to put the beta in a foul mood.

"Elias, everything okay?" Zephyr's voice brought him back from his thoughts.

Zephyr looked down at him with a concerned expression. "Did Lucien say something?"

Elias quickly shook his head. "He just wanted to let you know he'll be back later tonight," he reported.

Zephyr soothes Elias's hair out of his face, releasing calming pheromones. Little did Elias know he was releasing a distressed scent around the house. The pacifying amora of Zephyr's scent puts the alpha at ease.

Zephyr stared at the front door, reeling from what had caused his little assistant stress. He sighed; he'd dwell on it later.

Zephyr was about to say something when he took in Elias's appearance. His heart caught in his throat. The alpha reminded him of a cute puppy he once rescued off the street. Freshly cleaned and looking somewhat content. His features had no sharpness of an alpha but the softness of an omega. Elias glanced back up at him with his mix-matched eyes, tilting his head curiously.

Excitedly, Zephyr lifted Elias and took him to his office. "What- Mr. Tempest!" Elias exclaimed in surprise.

"It's Zephyr, or Zep, Elias," Zephyr grinned as he made his way down the hall. "You've given me inspiration!"

"Eh?"

Once in his office, he set Elias down and instructed him to sit on the couch. He grabbed his sketch pad and pulled his chair out to sit directly across from the confused alpha.

"The ideas are swirling in my head! I don't know what to start with!" Zephyr beamed.

Elias felt awkward for just sitting on the couch for his boss to sketch to his heart's content, but seeing the inspired smile on his face made it all worth it. As long as his boss was pleased, so was he. Elias just hoped that it would not take too long before Lucien returned.