Elias' heart momentarily stopped.
Axel was feverish and barely conscious, his muttering was almost unintelligible. But because he was slumped over Elias, his lips way too close to Elias' ear, Elias could still hear it perfectly.
Axel had said his name. His real name.
Did he… recognize him?
'No, that can't be it,' Elias quickly reassured himself, snapping out of it. 'He would have said so earlier…'
If Axel were to recognize him, then that would have been in the coffee shop, when he was fully awake and sober, not when he was in the middle of his rut, on a dark residential street. Elias' disguise was still in place, after all, down to his contact lenses, so there was nothing that could tip the Alpha off. It was just that his facial features were still the same, but a few years had passed and he had matured. With a little bit of makeup, different hair and different eye color, there was no way this dumb Alpha could recognize him so easily.
But… if he hadn't recognized him, then why would he call his name? And so affectionately, with so much longing…
Well, perhaps he was thinking about a different 'Elias'. Yes, that must have been it. 'Elias' wasn't exactly an uncommon name, after all. Axel must have met another Omega with the same name at some point, and fallen in love with them. That was the only explanation that made sense.
…It seemed that even a wretched Alpha such as him could have some feelings.
All of a sudden, Elias felt extremely bitter.
It wasn't the time for him to dwell on his or Axel's feelings, though, as he was being suffocated by the Alpha's sweet orange pheromones. They didn't have any effect on him, thanks to the suppressants he was taking, at least not physically, but they still brought up unpleasant memories of a certain late summer night… And that was almost as hard to endure.
"Ugh," he groaned, trying to stabilize Axel. Why was this damn Alpha so heavy?!
…Because he was tall and well-built, that's why.
But it wasn't the time to dwell on Axel's physique either, so Elias bit his lip hard, trying to take control over his emotions, and started quickly rummaging through Axel's pockets, searching for his phone. If he could call Axel's personal driver or someone, then they would be able to pick the Alpha up quietly, without it turning into a big issue. Elias would get to score some brownie points with Axel, earning his gratitude, while also getting this damned man out of his hair soon. It was the most efficient solution…
Except that Axel's phone was nowhere to be found.
And Elias didn't know his driver's number. Nor any of his friends' numbers. And most certainly he didn't know his parents' numbers. He HAD found out the numbers of their secretaries… But he wasn't crazy enough to use them. Not now, not in this situation. The stakes were just too high, and the potential reward was meager in comparison.
He quickly scanned the sidewalk in hopes that perhaps Axel had dropped his phone somewhere nearby, but no. It was all clear, with not even a discarded empty can lying around anywhere in sight. Perhaps if he were to look a little further…
But that wasn't a good idea, not when he had an Alpha in rut to babysit. The street was empty, but they were still not far from the center. The longer they stayed there, the more at risk Axel was of getting spotted. All it would take was for one random person to snap a photo and upload it online, for whatever reason, and Elias' efforts might go to waste. Chances of it were rather slim, yes, but some people posted all sorts of things these days…
Since arranging a pickup to take this oversized baggage off his hands wasn't possible, there was only one option left: find a place where he could store this baggage known as Axel Chandler, and stuff him with suppressants. Then, once Axel recovered the clarity of mind (relatively speaking. Perhaps it would be better to say 'a functional state'? After all, Axel's mental soundness was somewhat questionable, in Elias' humble opinion), Elias would explain to him how he saved him from distress, and finally send this wretched Alpha home.
As for where to store this human baggage… Elias' place was out of the question. He COULD technically toss the Alpha on one of the couches in the restaurant area of his coffee shop… But he didn't want to. Especially not when he was in the rut. He would stink the whole place with his sweet orange pheromones, and then Elias would have to smell it for days… Or at least feel as if he could smell it. So, nope, no way. He wasn't a masochist, he wasn't going to do it to himself.
But if not his place, then it could only be a hotel. It would cost a lot of money, especially in this part of the city… But it wasn't as if he were the one paying. He would have to pay it upfront, but he could just ask Axel to pay him back later… The Alpha was a rich third gen, he had more than enough money. And he and 'River' were still barely acquaintances at this point, a customer and a coffee shop owner. On top of that, 'River' was a 'Beta', not an Omega. Surely, even Axel wouldn't be shameless enough to use him as he pleased, right? Not with their current relationship.
Having made up his mind, Elias dragged Axel to his motorcycle. It was just a few steps away, but he felt as if he had done a heavy workout… This man was way too heavy for him, even when he was actually still partially standing on his own, and sluggishly dragged his feet as Elias led him. Although perhaps that said more about Elias' current strength than about Axel's weight. Still, taxing as it was, he managed to throw the half-conscious Alpha over his bike. This damned pervert (well, maybe not necessarily 'pervert', since he was not exactly to blame for his actions when he was clearly not aware of what he was doing, but due to his personal feelings, Elias chose to ignore that part) still tried to cling onto him, but Elias pushed his sticky paws away, and reached for his phone, looking up the hotels nearby.
As expected, all expensive. But since he was going to make sure that the money went from Axel's pocket, Elias shrugged his shoulders. He started the engine and put the motorcycle in the first gear. Then, he started walking down the street alongside it. It was hardly comfortable, especially with Axel squirming around… But riding it with the Alpha in this state would be impossible, so it was the best way for him to transport him.