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Ra's was one of those old-fashioned men. He was in his mid 50's and still looked impressive. The gray hairs that had begun to appear here and there hadn’t minimized his presence, they had given him a touch of wisdom that he already possessed.
He had a financial empire in a good part of the East, which helped him to enter the Western market without major problems immediately after globalization, the market and a couple of bribes allowed him to do so.
Besides, he had a huge pack. Three daughters. Several grandchildren. Two omega women passed through his arms and he tragically lost. And well, many, many alphas and betas who unquestioningly obeyed the one who was clearly one of the most powerful men in the world.
Unlike some businessmen like Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor, he lacked that charm in front of the media and the public that they displayed. He wasn't rude, but he didn't go around bragging at every newscast and event about what he had accomplished and what he planned to accomplish. His daughters were better for those things. He was a busy man, with bigger obligations than smiling for the cameras. His pack and his empire were far more important. That's what an alpha must do. Be strong, powerful, assertive. Those kids were just wasting their time.
Never, in all his decades had he failed to his beliefs in the roles that each and every member of this society had. The alphas to sustain. The omegas to procreate. The betas to mediate society. He fulfilled the role of his gender and looked down on anyone who did otherwise. Alphas lowering their heads, submissive. Omegas fighting as if they didn't know what they were. Sure, some were smart, but to think they could survive on their own! Unbelievable.
No one had been able to change his mind about it.
Until that beautiful naked body in front of him appeared.
Tangled in the green silk sheets, his skin was as white as snow. Ra's liked it because it made every bite, kiss, and scratch last much longer. His hair was so dark, it contrasted sweetly with his skin. And not to mention his thick eyelashes, hiding a pair of blue eyes that looked straight at him, with heavy breathing and dilated pupils. He'd been married, twice, and yet, he'd never had an image as beautiful as this.
He laid down on his side, his heart pounding as well, and watched the golden details of the ceiling for a few seconds, before turning his gaze to his companion, who was moving between the sheets, still immersed in the pleasure that good orgasms provoked.
The boy settled back on the pillow, on his side, tucking his legs in a little, and as soon as he could focus his eyes, he smiled flirtatiously at him. Beautiful...so beautiful.....
Timothy Jackson Drake. That was the name of his doom. When Bruce Wayne broke the news that he would be leaving his barely twenty-something son in charge of the company, Ra's had to smile. Another alpha who preferred parties and women, for sure. An even younger one, so he would be easy to manipulate, unlike Ra's former son-in-law. He just had to wait for him to make a mistake and as soon as Tim found himself at the first crossroad, Ra's would be there, with his company, lending him a hand that would lead Tim into a trap. Al Ghul Enterprises was very big, but if they absorbed Wayne Industries, even Lex Corp would have trouble competing with them.
He had to give Drake credit. As the months passed, and not only did he stay afloat, the company began to shine in fields Bruce had never explored, affecting Al Ghul's business in the process. Ra's began to feel some grudge for the young alpha as he noticed that the opportunity to manipulate him was slipping through his fingers. Tim was dangerous. Ra's had to do something to slow him down, or at least regain some lost territories. His relationship with Tim Drake was just a couple of phone calls, his company getting in Wayne's way and vice versa by winning various projects for both government and private companies. Always names on a document that made him laugh or growl, depending on which side of the coin he was on each time.
Talia finally pushed him to go to a party with her. Bruce Wayne would be there, and she needed someone to put a stop to her in case she wanted to tell her ex-husband much of what she had been holding back. Ra's immediately refused, but she reminded him that it had been too long since he had been at such events. He had a public image to maintain, at least from time to time. For that reason alone he agreed, reluctantly.
Perhaps if he had refused that day... No. Sooner or later he would end up crossing paths with this talented young man. If not there, it would be at some other event, in some business, in some hotel.
The power with which those blue eyes had taken his will wouldn't have been stopped for any reason.
Every alpha he saw was a rival or an opportunity to prove how he was infinitely superior. But with Tim, it wasn’t the case. He felt drawn in, trapped. He thought his first words with him would be pure hatred. Claims under the table. Venomous phrases in the air, intended to hurt his opponent. But that wasn’t what came from his lips. Compliments, a deep voice that dragged a syllable or two in his sentences. And that charming young man wasn't helping at all, smiling at him and laughing with clever comments that left Ra's speechless, returning his smile.
From one moment to the next, they had both lost themselves in a remote part of the party, taking each other's breath away in passionate kisses he had never thought to share. Another alpha's saliva must have tasted so bad, he always imagined. Tim was an alpha, for God's sake! But he tasted like glory. Not even that sweet touch that omegas had. No. There was nothing he could compare it to. He was one of a kind...
"Why so quiet?" It was his voice. It seemed to amuse Tim when Ra's watched him this intensely. But Ra's was lost in his thoughts. Why had this happened? He wouldn't ask how because he remembered it well.
After those kisses, things escalated in a few days. They ended up in a bed, together. Tim moaned far better than any omega he had ever subdued. He swore to himself that it was a slip that would never in his existence happen again. But no. A few weeks later he coincidentally met him at a hotel, on a business trip, and they ended up in one of their rooms.
It was a vicious cycle that had been repeating itself for almost a year.
They had sex, Ra's despised the memory, but as soon as he saw Tim again, as soon as he uttered his name... Ra's would fall again.
He felt Timothy's soft kiss, and closed his eyes, trying to let go, to forget it, but something at the back of his mind wouldn't let him.
After that, Tim sat up in bed, stretching his body. He was exhausted, but he had an important dinner with an investor and couldn't discreetly stay overnight in Al Ghul's room.
"I'd better take a shower. I can't arrive reeking of you.” He leaned down to give him one last kiss and got up with some difficulty. Ra's watched that beautiful silhouette walk to one of his huge mirrors. His well-shaped back, the muscles in those legs and arms... Tim was thinner than many alphas, but he still looked like one. He controlled that company not only because of his last name. "Augh…”
Ra's stopped staring at the boy's beautiful ass, to understand why he was whining. Tim had a discontent grimace while touching a wound on the lower part of his neck. It was open, and you could see a couple of drops of blood, already dried, around it.
"You have to stop doing this." He complained, meeting Ra's green eyes from the reflection. "I am not an omega. No matter how much you hurt me, you're not going to create a mark.”
"Maybe if I bite hard enough, you won't be able to get rid of the scar, Timothy.”
"Or you could tear a vein in me and be jailed for murder. You're an alpha, not a dog." He replied in a venomous tone. "And that still wouldn't change anything. It wouldn't make me an omega.”
“I have heard of ways.” Ra's sat on the bed, reciting what his personal research had thrown up. “In ancient civilizations, it was believed that some rituals or treatments could turn a beta or even an alpha into an omega. Even with the absence of a uterus, their hormonal and personal behavior was similar. Even their appearance. They could fool another alpha and-” He interrupted himself as he heard the thud Tim had made with his cell phone on the dresser. More than discontent, his stare was annoyed this time.
“Wow, you really do know about the topic.” He sharpened his gaze. “It almost sounds like you want to actually do it.”
“That may be one of my intentions.” He wanted to continue, but Tim interrupted him again. With a laugh this time.
“Too bad for you that I can't and don't pretend to stop being an alpha.”
“Why not?” He lifted his chin, no longer giving him a look. As if the young man didn't deserve it. “Don't you realize what we're doing?”
“Having sex...? Having a relationship?”
“A homosexual aberration.”
Tim sighed, tilting his face. He didn't bother to dress. He walked back to the bed, raising an eyebrow.
“You know. The least attractive thing about you isn't your age, it's that you start saying this stuffs right after we've had sex.” He crossed his arms as he reached his side. “I don't see you complaining when we are tied by your knot.”
Usually, Ra's didn't mind that kind of language. It wasn't vulgar. It was harsh, and he was much better at using it.
“I'm just telling the truth.”
“It's not the truth. It's what your old brain wants you to believe, but it's not.”
“It is.”
“So why don't you stop doing it?” Tim smiled slightly, without hesitation. “I'm not the one dragging you into bed. You are.”
A blow below the belt. He couldn't even blame the boy with it being a sick game of seduction Ra's was the victim of. Ra's was the one doing this, the one who insisted. He would give in completely and then regret his actions.
“You can't hate it that much, do you?” Tim smiled amused at him, hoping to see at least a positive reaction on his face. Even if it was something small. “Do you?” He insisted in a more low tone, after seeing that he didn't want to show him his eyes.
That was the problem Timothy couldn't understand. Ra's didn't hate this. He'd never felt so fulfilled in his entire life, but there was no logic to it. Alphas and omegas were meant to walk hand in hand. The omegas gave pups to the pack. The alphas provided for them and their omegas. All in perfect order from the beginning of time and those who would attempt against that order were to be segregated. Rotten apples that could infect the rest.
But Ra's, though he kept repeating it to himself, didn’t feel like the despicable being he always imagined them to be. It wasn't just the sex. Tim's intelligence, his business presence, his teasing laugh that wouldn't be intimidated by him, a powerful old alpha who surpassed him in height and experience.
He could never agree with those new movements that protected and reintegrated those bad apples. Trends that would never succeed. And now... now he just pulled his sheets tighter, hating himself for feeling so happy.
“Ra's…” Tim called him, but he didn't want to turn around until he felt Tim sit on the edge of the bed and grab him by the face. Drake had a sad, worried expression. He didn't like to bring out this conflict inside him, because the dashing, confident image of Timothy that he was so attracted to would shatter. And that didn't make him stop... loving him. Seeing him like this was what really made him miserable. Alpha or not... He didn't protect or provide for this person he shared his bed with.
“Timothy... Does it really not bother you what we do?” Because it seemed unbelievable to him. How could he kiss him without feeling all this guilt?
The boy shook his face, stroking that thick beard with his thumb.
“No. What should bother me? I love you. There's nothing wrong with that... And a lot of people wouldn't believe it either. Well... some might say you're an old man taking advantage of a kid, but I'm not a teenager anymore.” Tim tried to laugh again, but his expression was breaking down into a more serious grimace.
They were both big businessmen. One had all the experience. The other had his whole life ahead. They knew that staying in a business that didn't produce the expected profits no matter how hard you tried was pointless.
“Ra's. Do you really hate this so much?” He slowly released his face, and Ra's hated the feeling it gave him. “Be honest with me. If you hate being with me so much, I will stay away from you…” Ra's could tell Tim was trying to look confident and strong, but his youth betrayed him and Ra's saw concern in his expression. “Even if you slip and try to bring me to bed, I will stop you. Just... say it clearly.”
Of course! Tim had more willpower with these things. He didn't see this as bad, so he could make it infinitely easier for Ra's. The annoyance of having his wishes unfulfilled would generate a dislike for Drake, so this stupid feeling would dissipate. It was the perfect solution.
So perfect, and Ra's didn't understand why then he had taken Tim's body from his shoulders, rolled with him, returning him to the bed, beneath Ra's, looking into his eyes. The way his long hair decorated the white pillows was like a beautiful painting that he would never get tired of looking at.
Tim said no more. Surprised, he continued to wait for an answer. But to Ra's it was implicit.
If Tim gave him this solution and he still wouldn't accept it, it meant only one thing. Ra's was utterly lost. There was nothing to be done. No matter how much disgust he felt for himself, he couldn't stop loving this boy. He wanted to tell him with his eyes because his mouth was incapable of expressing it.
And so he bent down to his neck, kissing under his ear again, down his jugular, gently kissing the bite his stupid pride had tried to make. And so, he kept going down and down. To his chest, his sweet nipples. He licked one and squeezed it between his lips, and Tim finally sighed.
“Ra's. No... I have an important dinner i-in... Ah…” He stroked Al Ghul's hair, arching his eyebrows and sighing again as he felt Ra's bite him.
“You'll apologize later Timothy.” He continued, not neglecting the work he was doing on his chest. “There is nothing more important to you than me right now.”
Ra's would still feel like he was walking into hell, over burning embers that burned his feet. But if that was what he needed to endure to remain at Timothy's side, to see him laugh with that grace that characterized him, then he would do it.
He would gladly take a bite of that rotten apple.