CHAPTER SEVEN

Pacing in the living area, after Mir went to bed, he tried to calm his inner beast. It had seemed so simple on the ride back from the Blackwells. He’d had visions of Mir being grateful to see him, of them sharing a hug, then a kiss, and they would fall naturally into intimacy. Instead, Mir had been in the middle of a major mental crisis, and he’d been on the verge of taking advantage of them.

His hands still trembled, fingers twitching with the need to grab those rounded hips and claim Mir as his, and quiet their fear with his body. The dark room throbbed with the need to chase and claim, like when he’d been in the disused part of the house and Mir’s pheromones lay claim to him. Finding out that was just what someone, more than one someone had done, had a roar of anger building in his chest. His hands stiffened into claws and his jaw tensed, ready to rip and tear at the flesh of his rivals.

Striding over to the kitchen sink, he splashed cold water on his face, trying to put the beast back in its cage. Leaning on the sink, he hung his head, letting the water drip down his stubbled chin.

You’re Doctor Taven Grabar, act like it, not a sex-obsessed animal. You’re nothing like them.

No? What makes me better? I wanted to do the same, and Mir’s not even in heat now. Look at yourself, you’re trembling with want.

Grabbing, holding them down, forcing himself into a body that needed him as much as he needed them. They was just fighting because they needed a strong mate, the more they fight the more they need—

He took a shuddering breath as another wave of lust washed over him, and thick, almost visible clouds of pheromones poisoned the air.

Why the Hell are you still doing this? They’re not safe with you. They’d be better off with their siblings.

His throat ached with the effort to prevent a roar of angry defiance breaking free. He spun around, trying to find anything to focus on, other than his jealousy and lust.

The alarm clock that he’d dug out of storage, that hadn’t been used since he’d arrived here, sat on the mantlepiece, ticking. He latched onto the sound as if his life depended on it. Back in the city, its place had been beside his bed, but the ticking sounded so much louder now. When he’d tested the alarm feature earlier, it had nearly made them both jump out of their skins, so keeping it out here was a far better option to prevent early morning heart attacks.

Heart already drumming as if he’d been chopping firewood, he wiped slick palms on a kilt already damp from repeating the action. He didn’t even want to think about the amount of precum smeared on the inside of the garment.

Every sense screamed at him to hunt Mir down where they slept in his bed and claim what was his. Mir wouldn’t refuse; they’d willingly offer their strong, ripe body. They’d be slick, ready, and he’d bury himself deep, smearing his scent all over Mir so no one would ever doubt they were mates.

Mates. That sounded right, deep down right. His raging, hormone-driven emotions settled a little, and his thoughts came one at a time instead of like an avalanche.

Making it more evident that he and Mir were mates.

Bringing up the topic of rubbing ejaculate into each other’s skin as if it was some sort of calm, logical, medical procedure now sounded absurd after the day Mir had experienced. Having Mir that close, touching them, inhaling the scent from their bare skin, tasting their arousal— He took a shuddering breath. The likelihood of that ending well wasn’t high.

Taking sex advice from a sapien, even one with far more experience of intimate relationships, was pretty naive. How could Tom know what he was talking about? Betas might be able to control themselves to that extent, but the extra pheromones and instincts made it a laughable goal for the gendered.

Before the sun went down tomorrow evening, they would be in his childhood home, and if an omega who had never met him picked up that he and Mir lived as friends rather than mates, his father certainly would. Even if Clay’s forgeries were perfect, no one would believe he’d proved Mir and that the babies were his. The carefully constructed web of lies would crumble.

Time was running out, and it wasn’t just the clock ticking off the seconds and hours. His body screamed with it. His arrogant declaration that he wouldn’t touch Mir until their feelings aligned sounded laughable now. The sapien had been correct about one thing. If he didn’t do something about the fast-approaching musth, things would go to hell very rapidly.

Earlier, it’d taken every ounce of self-control to offer Mir a hug instead of pouncing on them and laying claim. His mind was being corroded by Mir’s intoxicating scent and the need to get out of the house, to breathe clear air and be alone. Mir, oblivious to the danger hiding under his friendly exterior, followed him like a lost puppy. He’d even considered jerking off behind the hen house. He probably would’ve done exactly that if Mir wasn’t waiting a few feet away and would have smelled it.

To his relief, the fresh air and Mir’s diminishing scent had calmed his raging hormones, but they were now back, stronger than ever. The vivid signs of his procrastination showed in the tremors of his fingers and the rigidness of his spine. Even his breathing deepened as he kept sucking Mir’s pheromone-laden scent into his mouth, unable to get enough of it. The claws of his newly awoken alphaness sunk into his dying beta self. The manifestation might have started with him growing balls, but it was completing now, with his cock swelling, needing to knot, and his blood boiling as it recognized his true mate.

Dr. Taven intruded into his thoughts. Or is it just a hormonal overdrive caused by the prolonged presence of an omega?Would any omega, if they spent enough time with me, cause such a reaction?

Tavish didn’t know, there had been no studies on true mates, but did it really matter? His inner beast already laid its claim, and now, for Tavish, it was Mir and Mir alone.

“Pull yourself together, doctor. Yes, it might be embarrassing—you will probably be hopeless, and Mir might laugh at you—but they want this too, you can smell it, and they are healthy and drug-free. And if they say no, I’ll deal with it.” Although how he’d cope with such a massive blow to his alpha ego, he didn’t know. With that pep talk done, he headed into his bedroom and halted.

Mir lay on their side, top leg exposed to the thigh and supported by the pillows from the spare bed. They faced the far edge of the bed, all ready for him to just slide in behind. The covers were bunched under their arm, showing that, as always, Mir wore one of Tav’s shirts, and his chest warmed at the rightness of the scene. Mir choosing to wear his clothing next to their naked skin was just another sign of ownership, one Mir put on themself.

When they stood, those shirts covered Mir to just below their ass. That long, slender, muscled leg stole his focus. The bottom half was darker from being exposed to sunlight, but the ankle and foot were as white as the top of the thigh. So different from when they’d met.

He’d used images of Mir under him, on top of him, beside him, standing, one or other of them on their knees, to jerk off. In his fantasy, he’d traced every scar with his tongue, erasing the bad memories that had caused them. Then those strong legs would wrap around him, pulling him into their hot, tight body.

But that was all fantasy. How would it feel to slide his cock between those taut, smooth thighs? His cock lurched at the flash of memory of the time Mir presented to him. How he’d resisted, he didn’t know. Now he didn’t have to resist, didn’t want to, but how would Mir take the change of heart?

He’d heard his alpha brothers talking about the ‘assets’ of various omegas, about what drew them sexually. Faces, chests, attitudes. For him, it was attitude, closely followed by legs. He just loved Mir’s strong legs, thighs, and ass. And their arms. The curve of their biceps, powerful but not bulky, was so unlike any other omega he’d ever met. Just letting himself look at Mir without the mental shield of his former profession and ‘don’t touch’ mindset caused his dick to swell.

Mir’s belly made it awkward for them to sleep with their face against Tavish now, so he’d taken to wrapping himself around Mir all night to stave off their nightmares. Who am I kidding? I love having my arm snug around Mir’s chest, angled between their slightly puffy nipples, and cradling Mir’s face with my palm.

But holding Mir at night had never been sexual, mainly because he always went into his ensuite and jerked off several times to make sure nothing unconsciously untoward happened. Tonight, ‘untoward’ was precisely what needed to happen. Disturbing Mir after the day they’d had seemed so damn cruel.

Should I jerk off as usual but just save a bit and rub it into Mir’s skin, pretending I’m just giving a massage? It would be far more important to his family that Mir smelled of him rather than the other way around. And that was yet another inbuilt discrimination. Why should it be expected that omegas didn’t experience sexual satisfaction as much as alphas or betas?

Mir snuffled and rubbed their face into the pillow before settling again. He wanted, so damn much, to make Mir feel good. Lying, being sneaky, wouldn’t do that; it would be a betrayal. Besides, Mir would smell what he’d done, even if he didn’t wake them up.

I’m such a damn coward. His heart was knocking against his ribs, and his kilt was already deformed by his hard, heavy cock. His body knew what it wanted, even if his mind was running scared.

Any other time, he’d put this off and wait for a more appropriate scenario, but they’d have to get up before dawn to make sure they got into Langan to catch the train. The time he’d set aside to pack this evening had been taken up with talking Mir down from their panic attack. They could pack in the morning, but that would just eat into their day.

He had to do something now, but he still stood and stared, wondering what taking that step would do to their relationship.

Mir was a sensible person. Tav was sure they could just explain what Linelle had said, and they could just exchange fluid like he had with Zenish. Mir would understand. He snorted to himself. No, they damn well wouldn’t. He’d been refusing a physical relationship ever since they arrived and had convinced them that he only wanted a platonic relationship. He didn’t. With every fiber of his being he wanted more.

You’re perfect. Absolutely perfect. I want to give you the pleasure you missed out on and experience all my firsts and lasts, with you.

“What the hell happened at the neighbors?” Mir’s drowsy voice was half muffled by the pillow.

Tav’s heart stuttered. “I said that out loud, didn’t I?”

Mir turned their head, opened sleepy eyes, and their mouth tipped up at the corner. “Yeah, you did. Did they give you a porn show or something?”

Mouth dry, Tav shook his head. “No, no porn show but—” His throat closed up as he fumbled for words. “My smell has to be on you. They could tell it’s not.”

Mir’s pheromones were thicker here, as if they kept emitting them, a relentless battering Tav couldn’t defend against even if he’d wanted to. Images of what he wanted to do to this tender body rushed through his head. His own smell mingled with Mir’s, creating the most sublime, unique scent that would scream of their connection to anyone they met. And to each other. He didn’t want to smell just like himself anymore; that’d been his goal as a beta, but that couldn’t be further from reality now. He wanted Mir permanently in his life, in his skin, and he needed to be in Mir’s.

Every cell urged Tav to cross to the bed, turn Mir on their belly, rise their ass in the air and take, take, take, slam himself so deep into Mir, they’d become pregnant if they wasn’t before.

He blew out a breath. How many times had he scoffed at the need to supervise an alpha’s first mating so it wasn’t too violent? He’d thought it just another excuse alphas used to justify their savage behavior. But right now, even though he loved Mir, Tav knew he’d hurt Mir if he crossed that line.

“There are plenty of ways I can make you feel good without putting that—” Mir nodded at the tent in Tav’s kilt, “—anywhere that could hurt the babies.”

Tav shook his head, shaking off the permission; the spell Mir cast on him would give him immunity from legal consequences but not his conscience. He hadn’t even thought about hurting the babies.

Then Mir shifted on the bed, the cover slipped, exposing the curve of their muscular ass, and all thought vanished again.

It would be so easy to give in, but the annoying beta doctor at the back of his head cleared their throat, leashing the eagerness of his freshly awakened alpha.

“What are you scared of big alpha? Me?” The flirty tone had him gritting his teeth against the urge to simply lunge forward and take.

“Yes,” Tav rasped, “and myself. Of what I could do to you. I don’t know how to handle this version of myself.”

“Then let’s explore it together?”

His cock lurched at the suggestion, and he bent at the waist, groaning. “I’d hurt you if I let go. Don’t you know how it is for first-timers? And you’re more than a proving omega to me. So much more.”

A wry smile tickled Mir’s lips. They slipped off the bed with a feline grace Tav didn’t think possible when this heavily pregnant.

“No, you won’t.” They licked their lips like a cat smelling cream. Every step echoed in Tav’s heart with a heavy thud. If anyone had seen them now, they’d laugh their asses off at the alpha backing away from the pregnant omega, shaking and sweating.

The cold wall next to the ensuite door burned his back as his overheated skin collided with it. Tav tore his gaze from the most enticing view his omega presented, fingers clawing at the wood. “Mir, stop. I’ll take care of it myself in the bathroom, then you…”

“No,” Mir said, voice laced with alpha-notes. Their hand slammed against the wood an inch away from Tav’s ear. “You said you want to spend your life with me? Then stop running away and look at me.”

When Tav did, Mir’s eyes glistened with a mixture of deep emotions. Their serious expression held no fear. The alpha they should have been shone through as Mir repeated Tav’s words back to him. “You’re perfect. Absolutely perfect. I want to give you the pleasure you’ve missed out on and experience all your firsts and lasts with you. Will you deny me?”

“No...” Tav heard himself say. “No, but, on my conditions.”

When Tav, barely hearing himself over the drumming of his heart explained his plan, Mir pulled back. Relief flooded him as the distance let him scramble for control, but the urge to reach, to grab, resurrected. He gritted his teeth, keeping his breathing shallow.

“Will you really do that for me?” Mir’s eyes glittered, but there was no fear in them, just amusement. An alpha asking for such a thing instead of taking what he wanted was indeed laughable. Tav would laugh at himself too, if he wasn’t dying to sink his teeth into the back of Mir’s neck while knotted inside them.

“Yes. I’ll go grab the harness I was working on, but for fuck’s sake, please be in here when I get back, or I might really chase you.”

The threat elicited a snort as if Mir didn’t believe him, but Tav’s control hung by a fast-fraying thread.

“Ok.”

Lying on his back, with his wrists tied to the bed, Tav growled in frustration as his beast clawed at his chest, wanting out. His head tossed and turned from side to side, and he cursed under his breath as Mir’s beautiful body straddled his hips, calves pressed to his thighs.

He’d stripped to his kilt before he lay down, but as soon as his hands had been secured, Mir reached for the bottom of their nightshirt.

“Leave it on,” Tav growled, fighting for control.

The smirk on Mir’s lips told him what he was in for. “For now.”

“Mir, I mean it, clothes stay on.”

“Such demands from someone who can’t move.”

Despite Mir tying him up only moments ago, his hands were already swollen and purple from him tugging on the restraints. Whatever else Mir could do, they was damn good at knots. Even though he’d proposed this, he hated being unable to run his hand up Mir’s smooth, muscular legs or squeeze the round globes of their ass. The shirt might hide Mir from his sight, but the skin-to-skin contact drove him wild. His beast hated the leash too. Alphas and restrictions didn’t go together well, so now his fingers thickened with the restricted blood flow as the black strips of leather sunk deep into skin wet with sweat.

Mir’s hazel eyes were hooded as they just sat on top of him, scrutinizing him from under the thick, long lashes. The tight muscles of their limbs and the strong column of their tanned neck contrasted with the swell of their belly, but nothing about Mir was soft, not on the outside anyway.

Mir hadn’t moved yet, but they didn’t have to, because the heat spreading from where their bare skin touched was enough to cause Tav’s cock to leak like an omega in heat. It twitched, contained by the heavy fabric of his kilt, spilling more moisture that soaked the cloth, desperate to feel a tight channel or ass closing around it.

Agonizing, mind-wiping lust scalded every nerve. It demolished everything Tav had been, remolding him into something new, something selfish, powerful, hungry, and so furious, because this beast wanted to touch, lick, sniff, rub, and bite but was tied to the bed.

If Tav’s mind wasn’t suffering extreme hormonal overload, his beta self would’ve given him a pat on the shoulder for coming up with this idea, but the alpha snarled and snapped his teeth in the air, wanting to regain control.

Mir’s lips parted, and the air thickened as Mir’s arousal laced with his. The beautiful head tilted to the side as Mir swayed their hips, carelessly brushing their hot, surprisingly big omega cock over Tav’s rock-hard thigh.

Painful. Wonderful. Agonizing. Tav wanted more of it. The leather sunk deeper into his wrists, making his fingers tingle. He wanted, needed, to close his arms around Mir’s waist, bring his nose to the notch between Mir’s collarbones, revealed by the gaping collar of the shirt, and inhale.

Mine. Mine. Mine. His heart beat in his ears.

“Mine.” His lips echoed.

Mir grinned and the most fantastic blush of arousal colored their cheeks. They ran their finger over Tav’s heaving, sweat-slicked chest, playing with the hair.

“You know, in a way, this is my first time too. The first time I’ve ever led and touched the way I want, with someone I chose. I have to say, it’s addicting.”

Slender fingers counted his ribs, outlined the muscles of his abs, and then hovered just over the waistband of his kilt without touching.

Tav growled, hips bucking forward, needing to meet those beautiful fingers and learn the feel of them with the most eager part of his body.

“This is ridiculous...” Tav growled, trying to anchor his slipping mind to his body with words as he writhed under Mir, wanting more sensation. It was like giving a color-blind person magical glasses that allow them to see colors. Before, the thought of reverting to a beta hadn’t scared him; now, he wasn’t sure.

“What is?” Mir asked with a knowing smile. Their finger hooked in the top of Tav’s waistband and moved from side to side, teasing.

“You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you, evil little omega.”

Mir’s lips tipped up in a smile. “Finally having you at my disposal is a bit conflicting. I want to try so many things that I don’t know where to begin. Like a donkey stuck between two heaps of hay, I’m not sure what to choose.”

“Please don’t be the donkey,” Tav pleaded. “Or it will be me dying from thirst and hunger. Mir, I need…. Don’t make me beg.”

“This is so different, so wonderful, compared to anything I’ve done before. Let me explore?”

“Fuck...” Tav growled, shaking. “If you keep saying such sweet things, I’ll spill on my kilt. Is it what you want?”

His chest arched as Mir carefully swayed their hips again, rubbing their hot body against his where he was terribly overdressed. The kilt had shameful damp patches as his cock strained to break free. Everything in his hormonal alpha brain told him that his precum should be easing his way inside his mate, not soaking into inanimate, uncaring cloth. Mir’s own omega cock tilted the white cotton shirt that teasingly covered their sex. They’d produced their own damp patch, dark on cotton, and Tav vowed he’d never wash that shirt again.

Tav growled again when Mir grinned, but then their pink tongue poked out and trailed across their top lip. “This is kinda fun. How about I play and find out what you like? Starting with a little taste.”

His mind just… stopped. Mir shuffled down, lips hovering over his taut belly and bathing his damp skin in warm breath. Mouth open, they exhaled, then sucked in a deep inhale, taking in his scent as he wanted to take in theirs and make it part of him. Mir’s eyes closed, and a low purring rumble vibrated from their chest and into Tav’s soul.

“I like the way you smell. It’s comforting, yet so… appealing.”

Tav swallowed against his dry throat. “I love your scent too. It’s like warm cinnamon. I…” He couldn’t believe the cloying embarrassment that heated his face. “I’ve dreamed of tasting it since we first met.”

With a hesitant glance up at his face, as if scared they’d do something wrong, Mir pressed their mouth to his ribs, then dragged down, leaving a humid, burning trail of want behind as they moved lower.

When Mir’s mouth reached the waistband of his kilt, and the skin-to-skin contact broke, he growled, wanting Mir’s attention back on himself rather than the cloth. He craved more of those soft lips on his belly and lower. By everything the Three-Faced God held dear, he wanted those lips on his cock, his balls.

Mir sat back on their heels, tight, swollen, pregnant nipples standing out under their white shirt, and locked their eyes together. Nervous and aroused, just like me.

Mir’s scent had never been this strong, this clear before. Their arousal had always had an underlying tinge of fear, but now... they smelled of pure lust, and that lust was for him. Tav growled and tested his restrictions again.

“Do whatever you want, and if you want to stop, that’s fine too.” It wouldn’t be, and he had no idea how he’d survive if Mir walked out the door.

Their fingers were cold against Tav’s heated body as they inched the kilt up, keeping hazel eyes on his as if checking for permission. The wet fabric grazed his balls, tickled his cock, then slipped over his cockhead, exposing the wet tip to the cool air.

Mir’s head lowered, face hiding behind the mound of his bunched-up kilt. His mind exploded when a damp, featherlike touch tickled his balls. A long, gentle lick washed him in hellish flame, and Tav imagined the bedsheets spontaneously combusting merely for being in contact with his skin. A supernova of pleasure centered where Mir’s tongue caressed his flesh. It grew with every pump of his overexcited heart, every throb of blood in his cock, as if trying to reach its limit before exploding and obliterating everything.

“Mir... Mir...” he chanted, craning his neck to see Mir’s face and their wanton tongue that was doing unthinkable things. The curve of their body, the raised nightshirt pooling around their hips, made Tav’s mouth water for what he hadn’t yet seen, let alone touched. He wanted to make Mir feel good too. He wanted Mir’s smell on him, and he needed to know how they tasted more than his next breath.

“T…Turn around. I want to taste too.” Mir’s gaze flicked up to his, and a lustful smile tipped up their lips. Flat on his back, the evidence of his own arousal almost blocked Mir from view; it was the most erotic thing he’d ever seen.

With deft movements, Mir undid the fastening on his kilt and opened it like they was unwrapping a gift. Tav had wanted nothing between them, but now he felt exposed. Mir must have seen other alphas naked, and he had no idea how he compared. The only indication lay in Mir’s reaction. Butterflies took over his belly, but his cock didn’t seem to care one bit as it continued to leak and twitch.

Mir’s lip found its way between their teeth as they gazed at him, exposed and needy. Reaching out, Mir pressed a fingertip to the base and trailed up a thick, pulsing vein to his cockhead, then circled around it, outlining his drawn-back foreskin, throwing Tav fully back into the pit of lust. He thrust his hips up, trying to find relief from the gut-twisting, mind-numbing need.

Taking pity at his suffering, Mir wrapped a loose fist around his cock and jerked it, up and down, once, twice, and then released him.

Tav groaned at the teasing pressure that hadn’t been nearly enough, but more than that, he needed to take Mir’s scent from the source. If his hands had been free, he would have picked Mir up and taken what he wanted. Instead, he was reduced to begging. “Turn around, for fuck’s sake, I need your gorgeous ass on my face.”

Mir huffed out a laugh. “At last, I’ve made you talk dirty.” Their movements were a little awkward, but at least Mir was shifting position.

I’ve seen a lot of omega anatomy in my time, this won’t be any different. Control yourself. You can do this.

As Mir’s smooth muscular butt hovered over him, the darker, tender skin around their hole and the smooth, glistening, slightly open dip of their channel entrance switched off the last remnant of his beta brain, leaving only pure alpha instinct. His entire being pulsed with the need to smother himself in the scent, the taste, of them. He’d never been more thankful for his alpha senses as he could see clearly, even in the muted moonlight. The overwhelming scent claimed him. It absorbed into his skin, invaded and stole his sanity as Mir bent to take his cock in their mouth. The thought of finishing without experiencing more of Mir threw him into a panic.

“No, no,” he blurted, “I need to taste you.” His arms and shoulders bunched, trying to break his bonds and take what he needed.

“I can’t,” Mir grumbled, frustration buzzing in their voice. “My belly gets in the way.”

Tavish strained his neck up, forehead touching where his mouth, his tongue should be, but all he could see was Mir’s hard, round belly.

An order vibrated at the back of his throat, battering against his resolve never to demand Mir’s compliance.

“Sit up, I—”

“You don’t need to scent me, you’re as hard as a—”

With a roar, Tavish strained, putting everything he had into his right arm, the leather, creaked, stretch.

“Stop, you’ll hurt yourself. I knew this was a bad—”

A loud snap echoed against the walls as the strap snapped. His greedy hand wrapped around Mir’s hip, whitening their skin as Tav dragged them backward. Knees shuffled awkwardly as Mir shifted to keep their balance. He opened his mouth, chasing the scent and mouthwatering view. Flavor exploded on his tongue, cinnamon so strong it blew his mind.

He could hear Mir’s voice, amused rather than scared, but making out their words was beyond him as he feasted. Feet pushed under his armpits as Mir anchored their position, upright, hovering over his face. He licked again, and a low moan of pleasure stroked his alpha ego as Mir arched their back, providing even more access for Tav’s greedy tongue.

When Mir seemed like they would stay where he’d placed them, he reached around and groaned as he found their slick hard cock. It fit his palm perfectly as if designed for him. Two, maybe three inches long, it was bigger than many beta cocks, including what he’d had before manifesting. Would it taste as good as the parts I’m currently exploring with my tongue? That would be a quest for another time, hopefully in the near future.

His fingers moved up and down Mir’s length, gently but firmly, and more aromatic slick exploded on his tongue. If ambrosia had been a real thing, it would taste like this.

Mir’s body trembled over his, and they’d given up trying to reach his cock as they braced themselves on their spread thighs. His cock bobbed, desperate for attention, but Tav didn’t care; pressure built in his balls anyway. His hips jerked up and down, causing his cock to bounce and smack against his belly. The sparks of sensation lit up his world.

“Oh fuck, that’s—” Mir’s hips worked back and forth as if confused as to whether bearing down on Tav’s tongue or thrusting into his hand would be better. “I’ve never, not without a— Ah, fuck.”

Mir’s soft channel spasmed against his tongue as hot sticky fluid ran over his fingers.

Mir’s orgasm saturated the air with a burst of tangy pheromones. Tav catapulted into his own climax, cock lurching and spewing onto his belly, onto Mir.

Unwrapping his arm from around Mir’s hip, he brought his fingers to his face, but instead of sucking his omega’s cum into his mouth as he desperately wanted, he rubbed the musky fluid into his neck and upper chest.

“Rub it on you,” he managed to get out, voice hoarse.

Discomfort, bordering on pain, built as his knot swelled outside the comforting pressure of his omega’s body.

Mir huffed out a tired laugh. “Never imagined you’d have a cum kink.”

“Never imagined you’d be so bossy in bed.” He groaned as his knot pulsed again.

Mir stiffened. “You didn’t like it?”

The vulnerability in their voice felt like a punch to the balls, and combined with the pain in his knot, it stole his voice. Mir climbed off. The rejection slammed into him, and he flipped over, trying to grab his mate and regain physical contact. They might not be knotted together, but his instincts still screamed to keep touching. Mir stepped out of reach.

Pain centered at the base of his still-hard cock, radiating from his groin, through his lower belly and thighs. Sitting up, he spread his legs wide and wrapped his free hand around the knot to provide a little of the pressure it craved. His other hand remained tied to the bedpost, but the awkward, tilted sideways position didn’t provide a distraction. Despite his pain, he knew he needed to calm down so Mir wouldn’t to run. Controlling his alpha instincts already felt like riding a wild horse trying to throw him at every opportunity.

“Loved it, that’s why I’ve got a knot the size of—” his mind grasped for a suitable analogy and failed utterly, “Something fucking huge.”

A wicked little chuckle met his ears, and he couldn’t help smiling even as he winced as his knot throbbed. “You’re damn evil.”

A hand landed on his shoulder. “Come on, into the shower with you.”

He shook his head. “No, no we can’t do that. It’d wash away the smell. We need it to convince my family we’re a real couple.”

The hand left his shoulder. Dread hit him as he saw Mir’s blank expression.

“That was the only reason?”

“Well, right now, yes, but I—”

“Enjoy your knot, alpha.”

The slam of the door sent vibrations through the house, and it caused his knot to throb even harder.