Chapter Text
"I beg your pardon?"
"You're three months pregnant, Lord van Zieks." The physician paused, perhaps expecting some sort of reaction.
Barok simply sat there.
"...I see," he nodded, keeping his tone even.
He maintained his composure through the remainder of the routine checkup. He listened to the instructions regarding diet and rest, asked a few necessary questions, and even thanked the older man before seeing him out.
The moment the heavy oak door clicked shut, however, that composure shattered. He walked back into the office and slumped heavily onto the nearest chaise lounge, flinging his forearm over his eyes to block out the light. A long, weary sigh escaped him.
No wonder he hadn't experienced a heat for the last few months. He'd just assumed that years of abusing suppressants had finally taken a toll on his body, not that he was actually pregnant.
This was an accident that should never have existed in the first place.
As far as the public was concerned, the Little Darling of the van Zieks family, Barok van Zieks, was an unmated omega. By all accounts of high society, he should've been wedded to an alpha from a similarly respectable noble household when he turned eighteen. His older brother, Klint, had pushed back against tradition, wanting Barok to enjoy his freedom and youth rather than be tied down so soon.
Barok hadn't been in any rush to find a mate either. Back then, he'd been entirely focused on hoarding his brother's attention. He knew his time as Klint's primary focus was limited, given that Klint was already engaged to Lady Baskerville and would soon be married. Barok had wanted to claim every bit of his brother's pampering and affection while he still could.
After Klint's wedding, Barok finally opened up to the idea of a future partnership. He allowed himself to be courted by a few interested alphas, assuming he'd eventually find someone he liked enough to spend the rest of his life with. But before any of those courtships could turn into something meaningful, the Professor case shattered everything. Klint was dead, and in the dark years that followed, Barok became known as the Reaper.
One by one, the men who had once sought his hand quietly withdrew. Devastated by the loss of his brother, Barok had neither the strength nor the desire to open his heart to anyone else. So he shut himself away.
For over ten years, he'd long since accepted that this was how things would stay. At this point, he no longer considered finding a mate. No respectable alpha would willingly choose an older omega, regardless of how much gold rested in the van Zieks vaults or how much weight the family crest still held. While Klint did have a daughter, Iris had chosen to stay under Sholmes' care and retain her current surname rather than adopting the van Zieks title.
The van Zieks line would eventually die with him, leaving no heir to carry on the family legacy.
Or so he'd believed until half an hour ago.
Barok reached up and touched the back of his neck, tracing the area he'd been carefully concealing since the incident. Beneath the pads of his fingers, he could still feel the distinct ridge of a healing bite mark right over the scent gland on his nape.
The memory of how it came to be was one he'd spent the last three months trying not to dwell on.
The night it happened, everyone gathered at the van Zieks estate for a small celebration to welcome Ryunosuke and Susato, who were visiting Great Britain for a short stay. It was a lively affair. Even now, looking around the living room, Barok could spot a lingering pink stain on the wall where Gina had fired a smoke bomb at the young Japanese attorney and completely missed.
Despite the chaos the younger generation had brought into his home, Barok really enjoyed himself. When he was in a rare good mood, he tended to drink a bit more than usual. His tolerance was high enough that it rarely caused problems, but perhaps that night he'd simply gone a little too far. He remembered feeling unusually lighthearted and laughing far more than he normally would. To his everlasting shame, he even chuckled at some of Sholmes' ungodly deductions.
Eventually, the gathering drew to a close. Barok escorted his apprentice back to the guest room he was occupying. Kazuma was deeply intoxicated, barely coherent, and leaning heavily against him the entire way. Beyond that, however, his memories became hazy.
The following morning, instead of waking up in his own bedroom on the opposite wing of the manor, Barok opened his eyes on Kazuma's bed. The young alpha was still snoring softly beside him. The sight alone was alarming enough, but the absence of clothing between either of them and the dull ache throughout his body had painted an unmistakable picture. There were also marks on his skin and, most damning of all, the fresh mating bite on his neck.
Pushing down the sudden panic in his chest, Barok quietly dressed himself, removed every trace that he'd been there, and slipped away before the young prosecutor woke up.
Fortunately, Kazuma appeared to remember nothing when they crossed paths later that day. In fact, the younger man seemed unaware that anything unusual had happened at all. Kazuma simply complained about the hangover, oblivious to the fact that he'd marked his mentor.
Ignoring the strange sting of disappointment, Barok quietly thanked the heavens for that small mercy. Their relationship had already been complicated enough. There was no need to burden it further with an unfortunate mistake neither of them had anticipated. Kazuma was still young and had a bright future ahead of him, Barok had no desire to tie the promising alpha down with an accident born from too much alcohol and poor judgment.
And so he'd chosen to pretend that nothing had happened and carried on with his life. What he hadn't factored into his decision, however, was that a single careless night with his apprentice was more than enough to leave him pregnant.
Barok didn't know what to do with the unplanned child growing inside him. The simplest solution would be to terminate the pregnancy. After all, the child would bring nothing but complications into the peaceful life he'd spent years rebuilding. If the truth ever came out, it would undoubtedly shatter the comfortable dynamic he and Kazuma had managed to build.
Yet, as Barok lowered his hand to the flat plane of his stomach, the cold logic melted away. He simply didn't have the heart to do it.
For years, he'd grown accustomed to being alone, though not lonely. There was a difference. He had people who cared about him now. He had friends who regularly invited themselves into his home, whether he approved of it or not. He had Iris, who visited often enough to bring some youthful liveliness into his life. He even had Kazuma living under the same roof, and they spent meals together, worked together, and occasionally shared quiet evenings over tea and wine.
Still, some small part of him yearned for something more: a family.
His thoughts drifted to Klint. Even after all these years, the memories remained easy to recall. The warmth of his brother's hand resting atop his head. The way Klint's face would brighten whenever Barok sought him out. The endless patience and affection he'd received simply for existing.
Absentmindedly tracing circles over his belly, Barok wondered if he might finally find that same simple happiness again. Perhaps it was foolish. Perhaps he was being sentimental. But he could already picture an angel of a child looking up and smiling at him. A little boy or girl reaching for his hand. A small voice calling for him at the end of a long day. The image alone was enough to make his chest soften.
He sat there in silence for a long while, weighing his options and considering the future that lay before him. Eventually, the answer became clear: he would keep the child. The circumstances surrounding the pregnancy were far from ideal, but none of that was the child's fault. Whatever challenges lay ahead, Barok would face them himself.
If nothing else, the van Zieks name wouldn't die with him after all. Whether the child was a son or a daughter mattered little. There'd be someone to inherit the family name and carry it into the next generation.
As for the child's father, Barok decided he would keep it to himself. He couldn't hide his pregnancy, but he could hide this small truth.
There was no point in complicating Kazuma's life with an accident he couldn't even remember. Someday, the young alpha would likely find a partner, marry, and start a family of his own. The knowledge of an illegitimate child with his mentor would only create unnecessary friction in that relationship. Barok genuinely wished for Kazuma's happiness, and he refused to let an innocent child get caught up in a mess created by the adults.
☆☆☆
Kazuma wanted to tear his hair out.
On one hand, things were going well. Over the past few months, Barok had entrusted him with more responsibilities. More cases landed on his desk. More important tasks were assigned to him. His mentor seemed increasingly confident in his abilities, which should've been exactly what Kazuma had always wanted.
The problem was that this newfound trust came with Barok acting strangely distant around him.
Kazuma had no idea what had changed or what he'd done to upset him. Every time he tried to ask, his mentor would calmly insist that nothing was wrong. Naturally, Kazuma didn't believe a word of it. He'd caught Barok casting strange, unreadable glances in his direction when his mentor thought he wasn't looking, only to immediately turn away the moment their gazes met. Whenever Kazuma approached and stood close, Barok would subtly step back and keep his distance.
The worst part of it all, however, was that Kazuma strongly suspected Barok was pregnant. The older man hadn't been looking well lately. During meals, he barely ate anything, and more than once Kazuma had noticed him suddenly lose his appetite over dishes he'd enjoyed countless times before. Though Barok always tried to hide his reactions and carry on as though nothing had happened, Kazuma wasn't blind.
It was incredibly selfish to admit, but he'd rather Barok be sick than pregnant.
The mere thought of some random alpha laying their hands on his mentor, on his crush, before Kazuma even had the chance to properly court him made his blood boil. Worse still, perhaps Barok's recent distance wasn't voluntary at all. Maybe that damned alpha was jealous and possessive, forbidding Barok from getting too close to other alphas, including his own apprentice.
Kazuma gritted his teeth at the thought. After all the effort he'd put into courting his mentor, losing to some unknown alpha was infuriating.
Then again, perhaps "courting" was being generous.
Granted, his mentor could be remarkably dense when it came to feelings. The man could argue circles around criminals and attorneys alike, yet somehow remain oblivious to the fact that his apprentice had been hopelessly smitten with him. As a result, Kazuma had taken things slowly and approaching with caution, worried that moving too quickly would only make Barok uncomfortable.
Looking back, he started to doubt his mentor had even noticed a single one of his attempts at flirting. Which, admittedly, was not a very encouraging thought.
Still, if Barok wasn't going to tell him what was wrong, then Kazuma would simply have to find out for himself.
Fortunately, doing a little investigating wasn't difficult when they lived under the same roof. Kazuma had access to nearly every part of the estate, save for the master bedroom where Barok resided and the neighboring room that had once belonged to Klint.
Over the last few weeks, he'd spotted several incoming packages with labels indicating pregnancy-related items. Combined with the family doctor visiting way too frequently and a brief conversation about prenatal care that Kazuma had shamelessly eavesdropped on through a cracked door, there was no room left for doubt. His mentor was indeed expecting, which meant Barok already had a secret mate.
Kazuma swallowed his frustration and focused on the next problem: figuring out who that alpha was.
Once he found the bastard, he was going to—
Actually, he wasn't sure what he was going to do. Punching the man would probably upset Barok, and it'd undoubtedly damage the relationship Kazuma had with his mentor. Besides, if Barok genuinely cared about the alpha, then causing trouble would only make things worse.
"...I'll decide that part later," Kazuma muttered to himself, rubbing a hand down his face.
Based on the timeline he'd pieced together from overheard conversations, the pregnancy was nearly four months along. If his memory served him right, that lined up with Ryunosuke and Susato's visit to London.
Ryunosuke was immediately crossed off the list. Kazuma trusted his best friend enough to know that he wouldn't betray him like that. Besides, the man already knew about his hopeless crush on Barok and had suffered through enough late-night rambling to last a lifetime.
That left the most plausible suspects: Herlock Sholmes and Albert Harebrayne.
Kazuma didn't know what the scientist's secondary gender was, but he sincerely hoped Harebrayne wasn't an alpha, considering how fond Barok was of his old university friend. It'd be a very tough competition for him.
As for Sholmes, while Barok rarely displayed a pleasant attitude toward the man, the familiarity of their bickering suggested a bond that ran far deeper than appearances would suggest. Adding to Kazuma's misery were the rumors he'd heard over the years claiming that Barok and Sholmes had once been involved romantically. Most people dismissed them as gossip, but now that Kazuma was desperately searching for potential fathers, those rumors suddenly seemed a lot less amusing.
Naturally, Sholmes became Kazuma's first target. His plan was simple. He'd pay a visit to 221B Baker Street, subtly confirm whether the detective was the father or not, and if Sholmes was innocent, move on to investigate Harebrayne.
Unfortunately, Sholmes wasn't home when he arrived.
Fortunately, it turned out he wouldn't need to conduct any investigation at all.
"Oh, yes, I already know about Uncle Barry being pregnant," Iris said cheerfully as she set down a tray of suspiciously colorful tea.
"How do you know? Did Lord van Zieks tell you?" Kazuma kept his composure, but inside, he couldn't deny the small sting of disappointment that his mentor had shared such big news with a child but not with him. Then again, Iris was family. She was Barok's niece. Kazuma was merely his colleagues.
"No, Hurley told me."
Well, damn.
The rumors were true. The detective really was the father. The thought of Sholmes somehow beating him to the finish line made Kazuma want to lie face-down on the floor and never get up again.
But then she clasped her hands together with a bright smile. "Don't worry, Kazzy. I promised to keep the secret and not tell anyone until Uncle Barry and you are ready to announce it!"
Kazuma blinked. "Wait. What does any of this have to do with me?"
Iris tilted her head, giving him a wide-eyed, innocent look. "Well, because you're his partner, aren't you?"
Something exploded inside Kazuma's head.
He barely remembered offering a hasty excuse to Iris before rushing out of the flat and heading straight back to the van Zieks estate. His thoughts tangled themselves into knots the entire way home.
According to Iris, he was Barok's partner. Which meant he was quite possibly the father of the child his mentor was carrying. The idea sounded ridiculous.
Once he got home, Kazuma immediately began digging for answers. Unfortunately, he found nothing that confirmed Iris's claim. For a brief moment, he considered the possibility that Sholmes had been joking around and accidentally given the girl the wrong impression, but he quickly dismissed the thought. Sholmes might appear unreliable most of the time, but when it came to Iris, he was surprisingly honest. The detective wouldn't lie to her about something like this.
That meant something really had happened between himself and Barok, and his mentor had simply cleaned up every single trace without his knowledge.
Kazuma paced circles around his bedroom restlessly, racking his brain for any sliver of a memory, but to no avail. He couldn't, for the life of him, remember a single detail. He didn't remember how it happened, when it happened, or what exactly had happened.
If there was one thing Kazuma had spent many nights dreaming about, it was laying with Barok. So how on earth had he managed to forget actually doing it?
The answer, of course, wasn't hiding anywhere in his memories. That left him with one final method of confirming the truth: A marked omega would only react positively to their own alpha's pheromones.
Kazuma hesitated at the idea. If Iris had somehow been mistaken and he wasn't actually Barok's mate, it'd be extremely intrusive, disrespectful, and likely enough to earn him a lecture that lasted several hours. But this was also the only option he had left.
Which was how he ended up cornering his mentor in the office.
Barok stood with his back against the wall while Kazuma planted both hands on either side of him, effectively blocking any easy escape. Rather than looking intimidated, however, the older man simply pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.
"What, pray tell, is the meaning of this, Prosecutor Asogi?"
"You're pregnant," Kazuma stated firmly, refusing to back down.
"I am."
The admission came so easily that Kazuma was caught off guard. He'd fully expected Barok to deny the claim, or at the very least scold him for his insolent behavior, but the older man remained composed and well-mannered.
"I must add, I've been aware of your attempts to investigate the matter over the past few weeks," the older man continued calmly. "As I have no intention of hiding it, had you simply asked me directly, I would've answered. There was no need to go snooping through the manor like a common thief."
Kazuma's confrontational attitude wilted at the response. "...Right. Sorry."
"Apology accepted."
Kazuma rubbed the back of his neck. "Fine. Then I'll ask directly," he sighed, shifting his stance but refusing to let the older man escape his space. He looked up with a dead serious gaze. "Can you tell me who your mate is?"
The older man was silent for a moment before answering. "This is a private matter. I'd appreciate it if you would cease your investigations into my personal life."
Kazuma wasn't about to let the matter drop so easily. He leaned in closer, shifting onto his toes so he could be more eye-to-eye with the tall prosecutor. "Do not keep me in the dark, my Lord," he grumbled, his voice dropping low. "Are you carrying my child?"
For a fleeting moment, Barok looked uncomfortable. His eyes darted away, avoiding Kazuma's intense stare before he quickly recaptured his usual composure. "This matter does not concern you."
"It concerns me quite a lot if I'm the father."
Barok shook his head. "As I have stated, this matter is purely my own affairs. It has nothing to do with you, Asogi, so I must ask you to let the subject rest."
Kazuma's eyes narrowed, his expression hardening as he stared up at his mentor. Barok met the gaze without flinching, as if he'd already decided how this conversation would end and saw no reason to deviate from it.
Suddenly, Kazuma reached up and snatched the scent-blocking patch right off his mentor's neck. Barok's eyes widened in shock, his hand immediately flying up to cover his exposed nape, but the defense came too late. The young alpha had already ripped off his own patch and released his pheromones.
Despite Barok's best efforts to fight the instinctual pull, his body reacted to the scent within seconds. A dark flush crept up his cheeks, his breathing turned shallow and heavy, and his knees visibly buckled beneath his weight. A tingling heat pooled deep in his lower abdomen, accompanied by a sudden, unmistakable dampness growing between his thighs.
"I said stop, Prosecutor Asogi Kazuma. This behavior is inappropriate," Barok gritted his teeth, attempting to push the younger man away. Kazuma didn't budge at the warning tone, his hand clamping firmly around Barok's wrist to pin it back.
Under normal circumstances, Barok would have had no trouble overpowering his apprentice, but with the pheromones overriding his rational thoughts, his muscles felt uncooperative under Kazuma's intense, dominant gaze. Kazuma ignored the breathy protest, intentionally releasing more of his scent until the air in the office was thick with it. Unable to sustain his own weight any longer, Barok slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor, breathing heavily, visibly overwhelmed by the alpha's presence.
Catching sight of the damp patch darkening the fabric of his mentor's trousers, Kazuma had all the proof he needed. It was an undeniably positive biological reaction. He was, without a doubt, Barok's mate.
"So, my Lord, I am your mate, am I not?" Kazuma asked, crouching down to bring himself to eye level with the seated prosecutor.
Barok threw him a sharp, flushed glare, then closed his eyes tightly before letting out a long, dejected sigh. "Whether that is the truth or not, it changes nothing. The child belongs solely to me, and I have no intention of demanding that you assume any responsibility."
"It changes everything!" Kazuma said, the words coming out sharper than he intended. He corrected himself, forcing his voice down. "So it really is my child. Do you truly hold such a low opinion of my character, my Lord? Do you think of me as the sort of despicable man who would bed an omega, father a child, and run away from his obligations?"
"Forgive me. I didn't mean to imply such a thing," Barok murmured, still avoiding Kazuma's fierce stare. "It was selfish of me to conceal the truth from you, I admit. However, I have long desired a family of my own, and an heir to carry on the van Zieks name. This pregnancy is likely my final opportunity to achieve such a thing. My youth has faded, my body is wilting, and I simply do not possess the emotional fortitude to seek out another alpha."
Barok trailed off for a moment, his throat moving as he swallowed before finishing quietly. "You, on the other hand, are still young. You'll eventually have a family of your own, and sire children who will proudly carry the Asogi name." His free hand lowered, gently resting over the slight, hidden curve of his abdomen. "But it can't be this one. So I refuse to shackle your bright future to an unfortunate mishap that neither of us ever anticipated."
"Have you ever considered that I might want to take responsibility? Or that I might actually want to be your partner?" Kazuma's voice was flat, but beneath it, frustration simmered.
Barok finally turned to look at him with a surprised expression. After a short, heavy moment of silence, however, the older man lowered his gaze once more.
"You're under no obligation to do so, Asogi. I'm sincere in my words. You needn't force yourself into a partnership with an older omega such as myself simply out of duty."
Kazuma let out a short laugh devoid of any amusement. His grip tightened around his mentor's wrist, and a sharp, spicy note bled into his pheromones, reflecting his souring mood. The shift in the air drew an uncomfortable noise from the omega.
Oh, how Kazuma hated this man's stubbornness and dense head. On any other day, he might've found Barok's obliviousness endearing, but right now it was only adding fuel to his anger.
Barok might believe he was acting in Kazuma's best interests, but all Kazuma heard was an insult to his integrity and his feelings. He realized then that being sweet or honest wouldn't work. No matter how truthfully he spoke, Barok's deep-seated insecurities wouldn't allow him to believe that his younger apprentice genuinely wanted him. So Kazuma decided to play along with his mentor's logic instead.
When the laughter faded, he reached up and firmly guided Barok's face back toward him.
"My dear mentor, Lord Chief Prosecutor Barok van Zieks," he said, enunciating the lengthy title slowly and deliberately. His even tone did little to conceal how displeased he truly was. He reined in his pheromones, wanting to ensure his mentor's mind was clear enough to fully process what he was about to say.
"If I were to follow your suggestion and walk away, it would be a severe stain upon my dignity."
"My apolog—"
"I don't need to hear your apologies, my Lord," Kazuma cut him off. "I have my own pride, my own judgment, and my own ability to decide what's best for me. You may be my mentor, and I respect you more than anyone, but you don't get to make that decision on my behalf."
He stared deep into Barok's wide, hazy eyes, giving him no room to look away. "Therefore, I must insist that you allow me to fulfill my responsibilities to you as my mate, and to our child."
Barok seemed taken aback by the determination in his voice. For several seconds, neither of them spoke. Then the older man let out a defeated sigh.
"Forgive my presumptuous behavior, Asogi. You speak the truth, and it was improper of me to presume I could decide such a matter for you. But regarding the matter of becoming my mate..." he looked up, hesitated. "Are you certain—"
"Yes." Kazuma didn't even need to think about it.
Barok studied him for a moment before giving a small nod. "Very well. If that is your decision, I shall not argue further."
To Kazuma's relief, that seemed to settle the matter. Unfortunately, Barok wasn't finished speaking.
"However," he continued, "should you one day encounter your true soulmate and wish to pursue that happiness, I would ask that you tell me honestly. I'm more than willing to grant you a divorce and restore your freedom."
Kazuma clicked his tongue in annoyance but chose to ignore that ridiculous caveat for now. He knew arguing against Barok's stubborn sense of nobility today would be futile. Besides, he'd already won the battle that mattered.