Chapter 1: Axel Chandler
One hot night before his last year in high school. That's when everything started. Elias, the beautiful Omega he'd been crushing on the whole summer, was finally his.
Axel still remembered it clearly. The damp porcelain white skin, glistening in the moonlight. Chestnut locks spread all over the pillow. Creaking of the bed in one of the guest rooms in the summer house. Sensual gasps and moans, escaping from Elias' throat, as he moved in the rhythm of the pushes of Axel's hips, his slender waist trembling, their bodies intertwined in the perfect harmony. Elias' pink lips tasted so sweet, as sweet as the blend of their pheromones filling the air.
Truly, a perfect match.
And perhaps the best of it all, Elias' magnetic, unforgettable eyes, one amber and one green.
The unwillingness to get up the next morning, to return to the city, and his daily life. Not wanting to wake Elias, who was sleeping so peacefully, he only kissed the Omega softly on his shiny locks, leaving a note with his number on the bedside table, and a few words to servants to take care of his lover well.
Back then, Axel didn't know yet.
It was the end, not the beginning. He would never see the Omega again.
All that he had left was the memory of that night, a broken heart, and…
The fruit of their short-lived union, a little baby boy dropped at the doorstep of the summer house nine months later.
***
Five years later.
Quick, little footsteps resounded on the hallway, growing closer, and the door opened suddenly, a boy with a head full of chestnut curls hanging from the handle.
"Papa!" he called out, all excited, clumsily landing on the polished floorboards, and proceeding to run circles around the tall, blond man standing in front of the mirror with a consternated look on his face.
The man, Axel Chandler, couldn't help but smile. "Excited for your first day?"
"Yes!" Oliver, or Ollie, bounced around, throwing his hands high up in the air. Wearing nothing but a pair of soft white socks on his feet, he would have slipped, if it wasn't for his father catching him in time.
"Careful now! You don't want to show up all dirty and covered up in bruises, now do you?"
Ollie pouted, puffing his chubby cheeks, but still obediently nodded his head. "Yes, Papa."
"That's my boy." Axel tousled the chestnut locks, before turning his eyes to the mirror again. How did it go again? He pulled on both ends of his tie in utter confusion.
"Trouble with the tie?" A woman's voice came from the door, as Mrs. Chandler, Axel's mother, entered the room. She approached her son, the corners of her mouth, perfectly covered in rose lipstick, raised slightly in amusement at Axel's plight. "Come, give it to me."
She took over the navy tie, and in a few seconds, turned the mess into a tidy knot. "There. If you found yourself a wife, you wouldn't have such problems."
"…A few more times, and I will get a hang of it myself," Axel pulled on his tie, fixing it in place. "I don't need a wife for that."
Mrs. Chandler's doubtful, twisted expression clearly stated that she thought otherwise, but considering it was almost time for Axel and Ollie to depart, she held back herself from spouting any further comments. She'd have more than plenty of time to do it in the evening. And the next day. And the day after… Until her son would finally come to his senses and marry a suitable Omega from a respectable family, as a handsome young Alpha like him should.
"Good luck today," she just said instead, and turned to her grandson, tousling his messy curls, "to you too."
Ollie smiled, his whole face radiating, his round eyes - one amber, one green - turning into crescents. "Thank you granny!" he exclaimed, and ran out of the room, completely forgetting about his father's earlier warning.
"Thanks, mum." Axel also forced a smile, despite his nervousness, and followed his son. It was his first day at the new job, and although there was no need for him to worry - it was his parents' company, so even if he messed up a bit, he would still be fine - he truly wanted to make a good impression. He didn't want other employees to think that he was just a nepo baby, granted a cozy job he didn't deserve by his doting parents… No, he wanted to work hard and learn, and earn everyone's respect with his own capability, no matter how limited it was.
When he walked downstairs, the maid had already finished tying up Ollie's shoes, and the boy was standing by the door with his tiny backpack, trying his best to stay still at least for a minute - even though by his expression, it was clear he wanted nothing more but to run around in circles again.
"Hurry up, Papa! Driver is waiting!" he exclaimed seriously. As if he himself hasn't just been jumping around in disarray just a moment ago.
"Yes, yes, I'm coming," amused by his son's behavior, Axel felt the tightness in his chest lessening, making him finally able to take a deep breath. He exhaled slowly, calming down, put on his shoes, polished by the maids until they had mirror-like shine, grabbed his briefcase, and then held Ollie's hand, letting the boy drag him to the car waiting in the driveway.
'How the time flies,' he thought to himself, observing his son as Ollie stared out of the window, excitedly watching the passing buildings. It seemed that it was only yesterday that the tiny baby was brought to the Chandler mansion, after being dropped at the doorstep of their summer house. And now, he was already old enough to attend the kindergarten, while Axel himself managed to graduate from college…
If only Ollie's daddy could also see it. While the kid rarely mentioned it, Axel knew. The boy missed his Omega parent, despite never knowing him.
Taking advantage of a quiet moment with no eyes on him, Axel pulled out his phone, and quickly started swapping through the recent photos sent to him by the detective agency.
However, once again, there was no beautiful Omega with chestnut hair and heterochromia among them.