The Exiled Alpha's Human Male Mate.[BL]

Dave was as good as his word. Within a few minutes, they were inside the elevator, descending toward the ground floor in a silence that felt strangely heavier than the distance between them.

The rest of the household still appeared to be asleep, except for the maids and the bodyguards.

The realization that Dave’s family was still asleep brought Bryce a small measure of relief. He had no desire to face them again, especially not now.

It was already seven in the morning, and Bryce had no idea what time he was expected at work.

Mr. Molloy had eventually stopped explaining anything to him when it became obvious that Bryce wasn’t absorbing a single word of what he was saying.

Outside the mansion, a sleek vehicle waited near the entrance, its chauffeur already standing beside it.

Bryce glanced at the man, wondering when Dave had arranged for him to be there.

For a moment, he assumed Dave would dismiss the chauffeur and drive himself, but he did nothing of the sort. He simply opened the rear door and got inside. After a brief hesitation, Bryce followed.

Two heavily built men occupied the front. One sat behind the wheel while the other occupied the passenger seat, his broad frame filling most of the space.

"LuminousLoom, Philip," Dave instructed quietly. "But stop at CaféNoir first and get Mr. Jones some coffee."

"I didn’t say I wanted any."

"You need it."

Bryce swallowed the retort that immediately rose to his tongue. Arguing would only lead to another pointless exchange, and he had no desire to waste his already-frayed patience on something as insignificant as coffee.

"This is Larry," Dave said, indicating the man in the passenger seat. "From today onward, he’ll be accompanying you wherever you go. Philip will be your driver whenever you need to travel. Which means you won’t be leaving the compound without them."

Bryce turned toward him, disbelief evident in his expression. "You mean they’ll be following me even while I’m at work?"

"Not necessarily inside. But they’ll be nearby. LuminousLoom is a secure establishment, so I’m sure you’ll be safe while you’re in there. It’s outside that I’m concerned about. So you’ll need to give them your schedule, including what time you expect to leave."

"I don’t have a specific or consistent schedule."

"Then I suppose they’ll have to wait around."

Bryce said nothing.

The absurdity of it almost made him laugh. Dave had told him he could go wherever he wanted as long as he returned to the house at the end of the day, but apparently that freedom came with one man assigned to monitor his movements and a driver waiting at his disposal.

Whatever Dave called it, Bryce could hardly mistake it for freedom.

The vehicle moved swiftly away from the estate, passing through the imposing gates before merging into the morning traffic. A few minutes later, Larry handed Bryce a cup of coffee along with several snacks.

Bryce left them untouched for a while.

His gaze remained fixed on the passing streets as he allowed himself to consider how different everything might have felt under different circumstances.

If Dave had simply been honest with him, if he hadn’t manipulated him, and if his wealth had come without the dangerous world attached to it, Bryce knew he would have enjoyed living this kind of life with his boyfriend.

Who wouldn’t want a life this comfortable?

A life where he wouldn’t have to constantly worry about protecting himself or watching his surroundings because there would be people whose sole responsibility was making sure nothing happened to him.

A life where he wouldn’t have to struggle with anything. He would only have to say what he wanted, and there would always be someone capable of making it happen.

He would probably still want to work, especially because he genuinely had a passion for that particular field, but he wouldn’t have to work because he was worried about money.

It was an extraordinarily comfortable way to live.

But these weren’t different circumstances.

Everything surrounding him now was tangled with deception, manipulation, fear and a relationship he no longer knew how to understand.

Maybe, Bryce thought, he could force himself to tolerate it for the time being.

He could live comfortably while he figured out what to do next. He could accept the protection, the expensive surroundings and everything else that came with Dave’s world without allowing himself to become attached to any of it.

Because he wasn’t planning to stay forever.

He would leave.

The only question was how.

That realization sharpened his thoughts immediately. Walking away from Dave and his family wasn’t something he could accomplish easily.

He needed a strategy.

~

Eventually, they stopped in front of LuminousLoom. Larry stepped out immediately and came around to open the door for Bryce before he could reach for it himself.

Dave stepped out as well.

He moved closer to Bryce and glanced around the building, taking in the impressive exterior with quiet admiration.

He didn’t say anything, but the way his eyes travelled over the place made it obvious that he was impressed.

Bryce started walking toward the entrance without a word, but Dave caught him gently and pulled him back.

Before Bryce could react, Dave leaned in and kissed him.

"Have a good day, my love."

Bryce barely restrained the urge to punch him. His fingers twitched at his side, but he forced himself to turn away instead, walking toward the entrance without giving Dave any word.

Dave didn’t leave immediately. He remained where he was, watching Bryce disappear inside.

Bryce had expected the men stationed at the entrance to stop him again, especially since he still didn’t have the ID lanyard that identified him as an employee.

To his surprise, they simply stepped aside without saying anything and allowed him through.

He had barely crossed the entrance when he heard voices behind him.

"He almost died yesterday, and he’s already back at work today?"

Bryce groaned inwardly.

Great.

He wasn’t just a newbie anymore.

Now he was also the guy who had been at death’s door.

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