UTTERLY SYNCED

Tires screeching, I parked in front of his building, jumped out of the car, and ran inside. My heart was pounding as I reached his door, and it only sped up when no one answered. The silence inside felt deafening. Swallowing hard, I tried the doorknob. It turned, and the door creaked open. He hadn’t even locked it behind me?

The apartment was dark and quiet. The previous scent of his heat was gone, replaced by something else… a heavy, gloomy atmosphere.

Feeling a weight settle on my chest, I walked down the hall to his bedroom. On the bed, in the exact position I’d left him, lay Damien.

Wrapped in a blanket. Motionless.

Something inside me cracked. I stepped closer, praying he was alive. For a moment, an awful thought crossed my mind—that he wasn’t—and it nearly knocked me out.

"Damien, it’s me…"

The muffled sound of his heart saved my mental health.

I could tell immediately that he hadn’t gotten up since I left. He was still lying on the same dirty sheets in the same position. It was frightening. Had this situation shaken him so much?

I leaned over and switched on the bedside lamp. His wide eyes stared straight at me and seemed very dark now.

"Why are you back, Storm? Did you forget something?" His voice was strange, like nothing I’d ever heard from him before.

"Damien, I told you I’d come back. I keep my promises."

"And I told you that you didn’t have to. You did your part. The heat is over."

I knelt beside the bed, resting my hands on the edge of his nest.

"I came back because I wanted to. All day, you were the only thing on my mind. I was terrified you didn’t want to see me again. But the truth is… I want to see you. Every single day—for the rest of my life."

Yeah. Big declaration. His eyes stayed locked on mine, unblinking.

"I know I might not be the most ideal partner. I worked for that weird company, and I know you hated that. But because of you, I fought to change things. I’m begging you—give me one chance to prove I’m not as crazy as I seem."

Those big, sapphire-gray eyes kept staring at me.

"All day, I felt sick. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. My chest hurt. I was short with clients, even snapping at the last one, but I didn’t care. You were all I could think about. I just wanted to come back to you. I know it’s a madhouse—we’ve only known each other for a few days—but I feel like you’re The One For Me. I feel… you’re my True Mate."

Yes, I finally said it, and it landed… good.

Damien blinked slowly, then—just as slowly—reached out his small hand. Our fingers met at the edge of his nest, and I exhaled, a wave of relief washing over me.

"You know," he said, "I once read a story on a forum about a guy who met his partner in college. He said the guy came to visit his roommate but stopped and stared at his nest. He told him it was the most beautiful nest he’d ever seen. A masterpiece. The king of all nests. "

Damien smiled faintly, almost melancholically.

"It’s silly, just a random story… but the moment you came into my room last week and seemed mesmerized by my nest planted this crazy idea in my mind. And now you said it aloud."

I wanted to burst into laughter—after all, Nathaniel said it was bizarre that I thought my admiration of Damien’s nest was a sign! It wasn't a proven thing, after all, among all the hints pointing to fated mates. And here we were, Damien had the same clue!

"Apparently," he continued, "when an omega’s nest feels like the most beautiful thing an alpha has ever seen—no matter how shabby it might look to everyone else—it’s because…"

"It reflects his soul?" I finished.

"Exactly. And True Mates are two halves of one soul, so they recognize each other in the energy that creates the nest."

I laughed softly and kissed his hand.

"Of all the obvious signs of being True Mates—like Allure, the First Touch, the First Orgasm, the Pull, the quasi-telepathic mind connection… liking someone’s nest has to be dead last. But we both decided it was the one that mattered. I guess we really are fated mates!"

He chuckled quietly too. "I know it’s stupid, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it from the first day. The way you were so careful, making sure it didn’t fall apart—it was incredible. People always say nests aren’t an alpha’s business. You’re not supposed to touch them or even talk about them. But maybe that’s the wrong way to think."

I stared at him, amazed that he just… accepted the idea, that the reasoning for it was actually coming from him . Had I been struggling with it unnecessarily?

In our society, the whole concept of True Mates was surrounded by this weird taboo.

Everyone was heavily trained to doubt, to fight against the idea, to dismiss it as illogical before even considering the possibility.

The fear of being shamed for believing in ‘fairy tales’, in ‘HEA’, for being delusional or overly hopeful—was almost universal, like a standard reaction.

First—always deny!

Then, deny it even more.

Then, ideally, run away!

Push him away, reject him!

That was the accepted protocol. Maybe it served the purpose of testing, but we were literally drilled into behaving like that. Always doubting.

"Do you really believe it? That we’re True Mates? I’ve been holding it back for days because I didn’t want to overwhelm you, but—"

He cut me off, placing his hand gently over mine, his eyes soft.

"I know it, Storm."

God… the relief felt like an orgasm. We were finally on the same page.

So I whispered, "Ever since I first saw your picture. That shiver, that strange certainty… This saying, ‘the shoemaker’s children go barefoot’… With my knack for sensing matches, I doubted my own situation the most! But the truth was, I felt it with every fiber of my being—I knew you were my True Mate."

"And I remember the day when my friend, the… pug, told me about you. I trembled; it was like a breath of Fate on my neck. I even kinda imagined him—he had white hair and pale violet eyes. He said, ‘It’s him! Pursue this guy!’"

Yeah… about that. I knew someone who fit that description.

"One more thing, Damien: I didn’t take my suppressants this morning. I was all over the place, but that’s a good thing. By tomorrow, my receptors will be clear—it takes 24 hours—and we’ll have… undeniable proof."

I hesitated, glancing toward the door. "Give me a second, I’ll be right back."

Damien blinked again but nodded.

Feeling elated, I headed to the bathroom and started filling the tub with warm water. Luckily, this bathroom had a separate tub and shower, so I quickly hopped in the shower first—I didn’t want to stink after such a crazy day.

By the time I’d dried off, the tub was full. I walked back to the bedroom, where Damien was still lying in bed. Without a word, I pulled back the comforter.

Underneath, he was naked, his stomach still marked with dried traces of cum from our middle-of-the-night heat session.

A wave of guilt washed over me. Poor guy. He hadn't even moved since this morning! He hadn’t showered, hadn’t done anything. It was kind of heartbreaking.

I looked at him closely. "Damien, you didn’t even go to the bathroom?"

He turned his gaze away.

"I don’t know. I couldn’t. I didn’t feel good."

"Why? Did you really think I wouldn’t come back?"

His lips trembled slightly. "I was the one who pushed you away, wasn’t I? I couldn’t blame you if you didn’t return. And honestly, I felt the same as you, just in reverse. I thought someone like you would never be interested in someone like me—a small, chubby omega. I didn’t want to beg you to stay. It was easier to tell you to leave than to face the possibility of hearing you say it yourself."

I let my eyes wander over his soft body. "I’m so sorry you went through that, but it was all… unnecessary! This ‘small, chubby omega’ is my… perfection!"

I leaned down and slid my arms under his knees and back, lifting him up effortlessly. Without saying a word, I carried him to the bathroom. He lay quietly in my arms the whole way, not resisting.

Gently, I knelt by the tub and eased him into the warm water. He let out a small gasp as the heat touched his skin.

I grabbed a sponge, lathered it with soap, and knelt beside the tub, carefully washing his pale skin, dusted with faint, rosy freckles. Damien watched me the entire time.

"Is this all real?" he asked softly.

"I know it is."

He smiled, and I saw a tear roll down his cheek.

"This feels like a dream. For so many years, I thought no alpha would even glance my way if I wouldn’t give him my last name. And now… I’ve found my True Mate?"

"Yes, and tomorrow, there will be no more doubts," I replied with a warm smile as I continued to gently clean him.

I washed his hair, massaging his scalp with my fingers while he closed his eyes, completely surrendering to the care.

When I was done, I lifted him out of the tub, wrapped him in a towel, and carefully dried him off.

"Where’s your hairdryer?"

He pointed to a lower drawer. I grabbed it, plugged it in, and began drying his hair. We stood in front of the mirror, and I couldn’t help noticing again the stark contrast between us—our height difference was dramatic. But I didn’t mind. In fact, I loved it.

Our eyes met in the mirror, and he gave me a shy smile.

"Our lives are about to change so much."

"But only for the better."

Once Damien was dressed, we headed to the kitchen. This time, I made dinner while he sat, still looking slightly dazed.

"You know, from the very beginning, I felt this… irritation, realizing you had suppressants. For some reason, I really wanted to sense your scent, even though it seemed ridiculous…"

"You didn’t catch a trace of it? Funny enough, I felt it the moment I walked into your apartment. Just at the edge of my awareness, there was a scent I couldn’t quite pin down, almost entirely blocked by my suppressants. It was right there, always just a hair out of my reach. The good news is, tomorrow, I’ll finally catch it."

I placed a plate of bruschetta in front of him.

We ate, occasionally exchanging glances.

"What’s it like, having sex during recovery?"

I laughed, seeing his cheeks flush bright red.

"I’ve never done it, but I’ve heard True Mates can even make it work then! Why? Thinking about trying it?"

Damien blushed even more and stared down at his plate.

"Honestly, even though I’m recovering, I feel surprisingly good—way better than I’ve heard most people feel during this phase."

"That’s part of the magic of True Mates. We can help each other recover and heal while staying in what’s called ‘Joining’."

"So, just another word for having sex."

I gave him a mischievous grin.

"Exactly. The euphemistic term. Plus, instead of being twenty-five, I’ll soon biologically feel like I’m twenty again—because my body will adjust to match your age! Oh, and I can already see you totally dropped the glasses. Is your sight already good?"

"It is! That’s really incredible… the magic of True Mates."

I finished my meal and fixed my gaze on him. He noticed and ducked his head, wiping out the last bite of his bruschetta.

As soon as he swallowed the final piece, I stood up, extending a hand toward him.

"Come on, we'll see what it's like to have sex in recovery."

We walked hand in hand into the bedroom and stood by the bed, I turned to face him and put my hands on his neck, seeing the marks from my previous hickey still visible on his glands.

"Can I mark you today, Damien?"

He smiled and I grinned back. It wasn't easy to kiss him because of the height difference, so I bent down a little, picked him up and laid him on the bed. I propped myself over him, leaning on my elbows. We looked deeply into each other's eyes.

"Are you afraid?"

"No, I trust you. Completely."

Our lips met softly. Then I turned my head and kissed his cheek, my mouth brushing over his birthmark. I whispered in his ear, "You'll never guess… but I have the exact same birthmark as you!"

Damien perked up. "What do you mean?"

"Well, when I was born, I had a large rose-shaped birthmark on the back of my head. It's covered by hair, of course, so you can't really see it, but if you look at my hair there and part it a bit, you can see the outline of it."

Damien sat up immediately. I laughed to see him so eager, and lay on my stomach so he could check the back of my head.

"Wow! I can't believe it!" he exclaimed, gently parting my hair.

"It's really here! But how is that possible? This isn't part of the True Mate magic, is it?"

"Maybe it's just a coincidence, or maybe it's something more. When I saw your birthmark, it stirred something in me… I liked it, and I knew I had to get to know you."

He stopped staring at the back of my head, and I was able to turn on my side to pull him close.

"Think about it. A week ago, we didn’t even know each other, but we have a whole life to make up for it…"

He nodded, then wrapped his arms around my neck and kissed me, for the first time on his own.

It was really sweet, and I quickly returned his kisses. Soon, we were making out like crazy.

This time I also spent a lot of time caressing his nipples, knowing he loved it, and his reactions were truly adorable: moaning and groaning, arching his back and making pleading sounds, trying to get me to move on to penetration.

But I was even more patient this time than I had been during his heat, knowing that he would need quite a bit of preparation to accommodate me. So I lowered myself to his cock and spent a long moment there, sucking it sensually, making sure he didn't come too fast, keeping him right on the edge.

Then I proceeded to his entrance, which looked different than when he was in heat. The folds were closed, but not completely, still a little swollen. After all, he was recovering. But I felt his excitement and hoped he would be able to take me. I licked him gently with my tongue and penetrated him with the tip of it.

Damien moaned and gasped constantly, and soon I could taste the drops of his pre-cum, a welcomed sign of his arousal. I gently inserted one finger, then a second a little later, as he was tighter than before. As I slid in the third finger, he whimpered and arched, repeating, "Please, please, please," but I didn't want to rush it. I wanted this experience to be as pleasurable for him as it was when he was in heat.

Only when I felt he was ready did I rise on my elbows and lie on top of him, positioning myself between his thighs.

"Will you invite me inside you?"

"Yes, of course, please…"

I began to enter him slowly. My preparation was more than enough; he was wet but still tight. Damien moaned softly the whole time.

"Baby, does it hurt? Is everything okay?"

"No, it feels good, very good, don't stop," he breathed out.

So I started to move, pulling out almost all the way and then sinking back in, maintaining a steady, slow pace. I even gently moved my hips from side to side to help him stretch and relax.

To my surprise, Damien came about three minutes later, completely unexpectedly. He opened his eyes and let out a low, guttural moan, and then his cum splattered on my abdomen as I continued to move inside him in a steady, regular rhythm.

"Oh fuck, that was good, that was so good, I want more, more," he panted.

So, I sped up, feeling the blood boiling in my veins. I knew that knots were much rarer outside of heat, but I knew mine would soon swell. I sensed the familiar tingling at the base of my cock, my heart racing. I felt so incredibly good, better than with anyone before.

"God, I really love being inside you, it's so addictive, I might just move in here," I muttered, thrusting vigorously. Our bodies collided, and the room filled with moans and groans.

"Yes, yes, yes—more, more," Damien breathed out, wrapping his arms around me and putting his legs on my hips. I drove into him, claiming him, taking him, and then… I felt a strange pressure in my gums, something I'd fought so hard against before, during Damien’s heat—but now I just didn't have to.

There was an urgent feeling that something had to be released. I looked down at his neck, and Damien seemed to read my thoughts. He turned his head to the side, his eyes with huge pupils, his lips parted. All of a sudden, I noticed something just above his normal teeth—thin, pearly, long mating fangs emerging from under his gums. Damien craved that too—it happened simultaneously for us, at that very moment.

According to public knowledge, only True Mates could successfully mark each other outside of heat; no one else could do it because their hormone levels weren't high enough. This was further confirmation of our status, and it made me even more light-headed. I licked my lips, feeling a slight taste of blood as the mating teeth pierced through my gums.

Damien noticed it too, and his lips curved into a smile. I responded in kind. As members of the ABO society, we had the ability to retract our lower jaws further back than other species, allowing us to bite each other. I leaned forward, and Damien lifted his head—at the same moment, we both sank our teeth into each other's neck glands.

A bright white light flooded my vision. My body shuddered as my knot swelled, and I groaned in the most powerful orgasm of my life, my soul blending with Damien’s.

A white wave of electricity spread around us, and unexpected images appeared before my eyes.

An understanding dawned—it became clear what had just become possible for me! My power grew as I connected with the lost half of my soul and became whole. I laughed to myself as I saw the answers to my questions, now, being fully united with my True Mate. I knew that everything was going to be so much easier, even in my matchmaking job!

We formed a synergy, like an energy coil, that took the shape of a rose around our bodies—our birthmarks made sense after all. The energetic structure slowly circled around us, sparkling and glowing, fusing our separate powers into one before folding back and merging into our bodies in what felt like another cosmic orgasm.

My mind remained immersed in Damien's, connected telepathically more than ever before. I felt him all around me, as if I were wrapped in his mental energy. I saw his acceptance, his entire essence, his heart—everything he was—and it was perfect, ideal, exactly what I had searched for my entire life.

Trembling with ecstasy, we stayed in that connection—I don't know how long. I only knew that waves of orgasm rolled through us, and then I wasn't sure if I was asleep or in a state of dazed bliss. When I collapsed on top of him, I could still feel my cock throbbing and his teeth embedded in my neck, but I felt no pain, only joy and satisfaction. I had found my True Mate.

I walked through a meadow filled with millions of roses. It was the most beautiful place I had ever seen in my life. I looked around, admiring the beautiful shades and colors, the different shapes and forms of the different types of roses. This field was idyllic, filled with fragrances and vibrant hues. As I walked, I noticed that the arrangement of the flowers had a specific pattern, forming intricate designs. Golden roses intertwined with blue roses, and blue roses intertwined with red roses in a complex yet beautiful vortex-like formation. I quickly realized what this magnificent arrangement reminded me of—it was similar to Damien's nest, forming a giant rose. And that scent, that wonderful scent that surrounded me from all sides…

I smiled, feeling a deep sense of happiness, enjoying the sun on my cheeks, magically turning into little golden and pink freckles.

Then I opened my eyes and saw that a stream of sunlight had entered Damien's bedroom and was shining directly on my face, although I still felt as if I was in that beautiful meadow.

That was because I was completely enveloped by the most beautiful scent I had ever experienced in my life—a scent I couldn't mistake for anything else.

A smile spread over my face. I turned to look at Damien, and he opened his eyes at that very moment.

"What’s that beautiful smell?" he whispered. "It smells like a sea shore breeze, after a beautiful, electric storm."

"Nah, for me, it smells like a million roses," I replied with a smile.

We met each other's eyes and grinned.

He was mine forever.