SKYE

The following day, after a brief and eye-opening convo with Alvin, I found two rather telling texts from Sean on my phone, apparently sent yesterday evening.

So, I took a shower and made sure to arrive just in time for the lecture—didn't wanna risk being alone with Soren, who was, as usual, outside the building, smoking before class started.

Walking slightly hunched, I slipped into the classroom and sat down in the corner, but I was surprised to see a slender figure sitting right next to me.

"Hey," I heard Soren's sour voice.

I looked up at him, confused. His face was still unfriendly, tense, and honestly, kinda hostile. Not much had changed there.

"Hey," I replied quietly, pretending to search for a pen in my bag.

"I've got a spare one," Soren muttered out of nowhere.

"Thanks, but I'll find mine in a sec," I mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

"Listen, about the whole ‘Kingdom of Promises' thing—I'm ready if you're still into it."

He said it in a weird tone, kind of annoyed but also unexpectedly submissive. A peculiar mix.

So, I turned to face him, and our eyes met.

"I know you don't like me and think I'm ugly. I don't want you to force yourself. No need for a pity fuck."

Soren rolled his eyes and sighed. "I don't think you're ugly! Seriously, you believed that, dumbass? And I'm not doing you any favors. I get paid for it; it's a job. Just letting you know if you still want it, I'm down, and I'm sober," he added bitterly. "Standard rates, just business."

There was a moment of silence. Well, damn, I didn't expect him to follow up on what he said yesterday. Even after sobering up and having time to think, he still wanted to do it? But why? Maybe I shouldn't ask… But I had to let him know about the texts I got from Sean. So, I pulled out my phone and showed him the first message.

"Soren's gonna try to talk you into the bj tomorrow. He bet he'll succeed. Just saying."

Soren stared at the screen for a while, pale and frowning. His body stiffened.

Since he didn't seem eager to say anything, I made my point clear, "As I said, I don't need pity, or to be some bet for you. And by the way, Alvin told me this morning that he kicked you out of the ‘Kingdom'. So, you're on your own."

Soren still didn't say anything, just kept staring at the screen like he was in mild shock. Suddenly… I noticed his eyes got a little watery! Then he let out a shaky breath and quietly said, "Sean wants you for himself. He told me he made a move on you, and you turned him down. He asked if he could try again today, and I said… no."

This was totally unexpected, and I just stared at him for a while. The guy had pushed me away and ignored me for almost two months, and now this?

He was very pale and seemed kinda devastated… It looked like Sean's betrayal hit him hard. But why did he say no to Sean making a move on me? That didn't make sense. No fucking sense at all.

"Are you pulling a ‘dog in the manger', Soren? You don't want me, but you don't want anyone else to have me either?"

To make things even clearer, I swiped to the second message from Sean and showed it to him:

"I think Soren intends to make you his next paypig, like Don was before. Take your money, give you shit."

Soren looked at it, still in shock, maybe even a bit nauseous.

Honestly, I felt bad for him. I noticed Sean's text came after my fight with Don, so I could piece together what probably happened.

First, I turned down Sean, then rejected Soren's offer. They must've talked about it afterward, and Soren must've said something about a bet. But I clearly remembered he made the bj offer before they talked. So it couldn't have been a bet; it was just an impulse after I saved him from Don. It was more about gratitude than anything else. Even if he said something weird to Sean later, the initial offer was spontaneous.

"Sean's being kinda bitchy to you. I'm sorry if this situation messed up your friendship," I said calmly, feeling genuinely sympathetic for him. "That wasn't my intention, Soren. Listen, I left you alone like you wanted. I stopped pursuing you because I felt like you truly didn't like me. Yeah, I wanted to use your service before, but I don't want you to feel like you had to do it out of gratitude. You don't owe me anything. We're good. You really don't have to do it, Soren."

Soren's eyes lifted to mine. They were beautiful, light gray, crystalline, like the sky over a stormy sea. I could drown in them. I wished he actually liked me, not just forced himself because of feeling grateful or for the sake of winning with Sean. But that wasn't the case.

"But I'm not forcing myself," he choked out, as if reading my thoughts.

I shrugged and turned my gaze back to the class board, choosing not to respond.

Soren kept staring at me.

"If you're worried, I want to turn you into another Don… I don't, Skye. You can believe Sean if that's what you decide, but I'm telling the truth. I don't need your ‘friendly support', and what I offered is more than I've ever offered any alpha besides Anton… my ex-fiancé. I've never blown any other alpha, surely not Don. You can take it or not. It's not a bet, I don't give a fuck what Sean says. It's business, nothing more. Yeah, Alvin kicked me out, but I can offer what I want… to whoever. It's a paid service, exactly like you wanted at the beginning. It's still on the table."

I stared at him for a bit, kinda reading him. There were two Sorens in him, like two layers of images, one imposed over the other. One was vaguely hostile, bitter, and provocative. The other, under it, much more vulnerable… on some level, I knew Soren genuinely wanted it. The other part of him was almost scared I would reject the proposition, and—shockingly—NOT because of the bet or Sean's involvement.

My gaze slowly shifted across his face. He hadn't cleaned off his makeup from yesterday too well, and there were still dark smudges and shadows around his eyes, making him look kinda emo, pretty dramatic. I looked down at his lips, and they were… Damn. Soft-looking, slightly wet, plump, tempting, fuck. His lip ring shimmered slightly. I had to tear my eyes away from the view, fighting the waves of strange excitement.

I knew if I said no now, Soren would never make this offer again. He was too proud for that. So even though I was sooo tempted to refuse… after all that, it wouldn't even be weird, but on the other hand, I really wanted him. I'd wanted to touch him for more than two months now. He was giving me consent… maybe I shouldn't throw a fit?

For some reason, these words tore out of me: "The dance. You know, the one you did yesterday. Was it for me?"

Soren's lips parted slightly in surprise, and then… did I notice a blush?

"Yeah," he murmured so quietly I could barely hear it.

A rush of heat ran through my body.

"If I had approached you then and asked for a dance, would you have agreed?"

"I would. And I was furious that Sean interrupted it!"

Wow.

A short pause.

"Do you have time this afternoon?" I heard my voice, surprising even myself. Was I that desperate for him?

Soren blinked, and an even deeper blush crept up his cheeks. His heart seemed to speed up in seconds, pounding like crazy. He let out a breath.

"Yeah. My dorm's Delta 4, room 143. You can come at 6:00 pm."

"Okay."

Silence fell between us (except for his racing heartbeat).

We didn't talk for the rest of the lecture, and then in the cafeteria, I sat with Archer, and Gabe. I didn't even remember if Soren was there either. Every nerve in my body was tense. I didn't know what to expect from this evening, but I was definitely ready for whatever! It was officially ON!

***

For the rest of the day, I was in a strange state of excitement, barely paying attention to the lectures.

When it was 5 pm, I flew home to take a thorough shower and change my clothes.

The moment I entered the room, I noticed Archer sitting at his desk, and he raised his eyes to me. For a second, I felt as if he could read my mind.

The guy continued to be a serious puzzle to me—his reserved demeanor and secretive aura were intriguing. But one thing about him wasn't a mystery: his dating habits were quite famous on campus. Omegas and betas gossiped about his strange viewpoints, which were quite traditional and rather controversial, especially among younger people.

For example, he used to greet his boyfriends like it was in older days, by putting his hand on their neck, which was considered offensive by many modern omegas. He also insisted on paying on first dates, opening doors, and being the whole strong ‘provider and protector' figure.

Alvin and Gabe were always rolling their eyes whenever he expressed his views, but honestly, I didn't judge him. I had this ‘live and let live' rule and was focused on my own shit—plenty enough of it to not burden myself with other people's matters.

"You look like you won the lottery," he muttered. "And I know the feeling."

I eyed him. "I'm not sure if it's like that. But Soren agreed."

Wow, I said it out loud!

Archer's face remained unmoved. "Good for you, if that's what you want."

I raised my eyebrows. "You're not gonna scold me? You're against paying for sex."

He only shrugged. "I am, but I'm not in the business of telling people what to do. I live my life as I see fit. Some people hate my traditional approach to it, but since you leave me alone, I won't lecture you either."

"Thanks, I appreciate it. But wait… what did you say about feeling like you won the lottery?"

He smirked subtly. "I kinda did, today."

"What do you mean?"

"I inherited my beta uncle's fortune and his mansion. He was the head researcher at Malden Pharmaceuticals for years, he died a few days ago. By the way, that place is about twenty miles from where your parents live."

My mouth gaped. "Oh, wow! Seriously?"

"Yeah, I'm basically set up for life. My uncle was a millionaire, and I was his sole heir. One of my cousins also got some money because of his medical condition, but not a lot, so I pretty much inherited the entire fortune."

The fucker was so lucky!

"You're not planning on working for the rest of your life?"

"Nah, I will work, as a security tester. I like it and it's good money. I just… don't have to if I don't want to. It's my choice now."

For a moment, I was silent, frowning a bit. "Do you want… something else in your life? People gossip that you're the kind of guy who wants his omega to sit in the kitchen, produce children, and be super submissive… Sorry if I messed it up, but that's what I heard."

Archer smiled ruefully. "People have very skewed views on submission. A very… pejorative understanding of it. They have no idea what true submission is, Skye."

"So… you do really want that?"

"I want traditional roles, yes. And I want to have a big family. But does that mean I'm a tyrant and want the omega in the kitchen? I can pay for cooking and cleaning now, believe me. And true submission can only be given… out of free will, Skye. And out of love."

Then he leaned in a bit toward me and added in a low tone, "And you have to deserve an omega's submission first. Prove you are worthy of one."

I stared at him for a while. He was a special case, I guess. I could see why people on our campus hated him for his views, but who was I to criticize him when I was such a mess myself? The good thing was—Archer wasn't judgmental. Alvin was much more of a pain in the ass, to be honest, at least in that respect.

Archer studied my face for a moment.

"Good luck, Skye. Be wise. Some people can be… difficult, you should keep your calm," he warned, but… to no avail.

***

My nerves only grew as I approached Soren's dorm just before 6 pm.

With my jaw clenched nervously, but also with my body full of unrelenting excitement, I knocked on the door of his room, and Soren opened it immediately.

He was dressed in a hoodie and tight jeans, as usual. His face expressed little. He took a step back to let me in.

With my lips tightly pursed, I walked in silence as he closed the door behind me.

It was a small room, single occupancy, from what I could tell by the number of beds. I walked slowly to the window and leaned against the sill.

Our eyes met. I have no idea why, but I guessed he was also feeling nervous. His usually pale face was slightly flushed.

I pulled out my wallet and took out $70, carefully placing it on his desk.

He looked at the amount immediately, it was a confirmation of what I expected from him.

I was curious why he agreed to bj, even though he had never done it for alphas before. But since he had suggested it himself… Why should I undermine his decision?

It might've been my imagination, but I noticed his hands trembling slightly. When our eyes locked, it was both nerve-wracking and exciting. For some reason, I chose to stay quiet and let him make the first move.

Soren took a small step toward me, his gaze dropping to my crotch. His tension seemed to seep into me too, but oddly, I was still caught up in the waves of heat and excitement coursing through me, like ripples on water, making me somewhat immune to stress. I couldn't stop thinking about his perfect lips—the full, pink ones he was lightly nibbling on now. They looked so soft and sweetly shaped, utterly irresistible. From time to time, he also nudged his lip ring.

He took another step, and we were now very close; he slowly extended his hand, then hesitated, looked at me, noticing that I was staring at his lips.

"I guess you have this no kissing policy," I muttered, crazy focused on his mouth.

"Yes, exactly, no kissing. All business," he said in a slightly hoarse voice.

"Too bad, your lips are perfect," I muttered and thought about it for a second before I asked, "Can I touch you?"

He swallowed and raised his eyes to my face again, as they kept dropping to my crotch.

There was a strange vulnerability in his gaze.

"Where?"

"Well… I don't know, your shoulders, neck, back?"

"Okay," he said quietly. I was surprised that he agreed, but I wasn't going to object to it.

His strange shyness completely did not match his previous attitude, which was a bit baffling. Sean told me that Soren was a complicated case, and I had to agree.

Well, okay. We should start, I guess. So I lifted both hands and gently placed them on his shoulders. And then I felt it; he trembled slightly, and I trembled too. It was like an overwhelming electric shock that spread pleasantly through my body, making me shiver. And it wasn't even his bare skin, as my hands were still on his hoodie.

Instinctively—as if reaching for something longed for—I immediately pulled him closer, pressing him against my chest, flooded with a wave of urgency mixed with desire as strong as I had probably never felt before. It was like a summer storm, overwhelming and powerful, my body hungrily priming for action. I even let out a loud gasp of relief, as if a broken circuit had been reconnected the moment our bodies made contact.

My heart was beating crazy fast now, and I could hear his heart racing as well, merging with my rhythm. He was panting, his eyes closed, looking like he was in a trance. My hands moved down his back, caressing it, and then they went up to his neck to touch his bare skin for the first time—and it was also a truly ecstatic sensation! It made me gasp and moan. And to my surprise, my moan was accompanied by another sound—it was Soren whimpering—softly, almost timidly! And yet it happened.

I couldn't stop myself, I leaned forward and nuzzled my face into the crook of his shoulder and neck, smelling his silky black hair; soft dahlia with a hint of mint and a subtle taste of vanilla, very sweet. A light vanilla fragrance was often produced by pregnant omegas, but I guessed he must have it as his natural scent, mixed with other tones.

Another instinctive move was to put my hand on his neck, it was stronger than me, and although I had laughed when I first heard that Archer liked to do this to the omegas he dated, I suddenly understood the temptation. Yes, I just had to do it, put my hand on his neck! My fingers slid between the hairs above his neck, between the smooth strands, in slow motion, then up over his head, ruffling his hair. Soren clenched his eyelids, tilted his head back slightly, as if he wanted to cling to my hand, like a cat in heat, wanting to be stroked harder. As I tangled my fingers in his hair, another moan escaped his parted lips.

In a reflex that was part of my nature as an alpha, I pressed my lips to his neck, searching for his neck gland—in betas it was mostly inactive, but I did it anyway and my lips found the right place. I licked it greedily and felt the sound called 'Appreciation' in the AOs language come out of my throat. It usually expressed sexual interest in another person, and was mostly involuntary.

Betas couldn't make mating calls, of course, but this one was popular enough and in the middle of the sound spectrum that Soren could hear it and probably understand it.

It somehow jolted him out of his daze, perhaps reminding him that he had a job to do. He stepped back a little, I could see that his breathing was very accelerated, his cheeks fiery red, he lowered his hands to my belt and began to undo my zipper with rather frantic, hurried movements.

As he pulled my pants and underwear down to my knees, my dick popped out in full erection, and Soren looked at it, his eyes widening. I smirked arrogantly to myself, guessing that he was probably a little surprised at how well equipped I was.

Undaunted by the discovery, he slid down to his knees, and his slender hand with the black lacquered nails wandered down to my shaft and slowly squeezed it. Our gazes met, his pupils now huge, almost eclipsing his gray irises. The sight of Soren kneeling beneath me, his widened eyes and plump lips with the silver lip ring… yes, my dick throbbed so hard it almost escaped his grasp.

"It won't take long, the easiest seventy bucks you've ever earned in your life," I murmured, feeling a blush in my cheeks. He made no comment, his pink lips parted and the tip of his tongue wrapped around my glans. I tried to stop myself from moaning, it would have been too much. A moment later he engulfed my shaft with his mouth, sliding it deeper and deeper, and this time I failed; I just couldn't control my moans. Again, I buried my hand in his hair as it tempted me—it was so silky, smooth. He started working on me, and I really didn't know whether he did twenty head bobs or less. I couldn't stop myself, and feeling embarrassed… released into his mouth.

I have to admit, it was an amazingly powerful orgasm; piercing my loins, traveling up my spine, and flooding my mind with a wave of unprecedented pleasure. My loud moan was at such a pitch, I must have sounded like a bitch in heat.

But unfortunately, I also felt the frustration that came with it because I knew it was over, well, the $70 was gone, and I only had half a minute of fun!

Soren swallowed it all, his face had this… astonished expression, then he slowly straightened up, I noticed that his cheeks were deeply red, and then I glimpsed something else, rather unexpected—an impressive tent in his crotch area!

Wait a minute… I froze in amazement, so he liked it enough to get a full erection?

That was quite a surprise.

"Soren, let me return the favor," I growled, grabbing his waist and pulling him closer. I felt wonderful, in a post-orgasmic high, surrounded by his tantalizing scent and the warmth of his body.

He made a strange face, his eyes widening in consternation. He even made a sound as if he were giggling or snorting. Has no one ever suggested this to him?

"That's not what you're here for, that's not what you paid for," he rasped.

"I'll pay the second amount if you agree," I proposed.

There was this tremendous surprise visible on his face; he blinked, staring at me with dilated pupils. Up close, his pink lips looked even fuller and softer. I was tempted to kiss him, but I knew he wouldn't approve.

And then he whispered, so soft I could barely hear it, "Okay…"

The moment he said it, I fell to my knees, just as he had a minute before. No hesitation. Our eyes met as I was now in this position, kneeling under him, his gaze had this strange intensity as he slowly unzipped his pants.

With delight, I noticed that he had a black jockstrap on, and he slowly pulled it down, revealing his 7-inch, very nice, silky dick, fully hard. Rock hard! Yep.

Feeling incredibly eager, I immediately enveloped it in my mouth, taking it deep into my throat and hearing him moan softly. His hands quickly found their way to my head, lightly guiding my movements. He tasted so good as I slid my tongue over his slit and licked his pre-cum. The funny thing was that I made exactly the same number of motions that he made on me, and I felt his sweet cum flow down my throat and his hips thrust forward slightly in a rush of orgasm. Soren moaned shamelessly, his head thrown back hard.

The taste was delicious, amazingly good, like whipped cream, how strange.

I licked him clean, noticing that he hadn't lost much of his hardness, and neither had I, so I let myself nurse his dick in my mouth for a minute while he regained his composure and his breathing slowed. Then I licked over his balls and around the base of his dick; it was shaved clean.

Soren watched me with his lower lip bitten, his dick refusing to go limp. Eventually, he removed his hand from my head, and only then did I pull up his jockstrap and pants and slowly stand up.

Our eyes met. Soren swallowed, then reached over to the desk and grabbed the other $70 I'd given him. He slipped it into my pocket with a quick motion and said, "Take it back. It would've been the fastest $70 you ever lost," his tone was a mixture of amusement and bitterness.

I gave him a genuine smile. "Thanks for agreeing to do this. I really appreciate it."

He turned back toward the desk, his expression shifting. His eyes became more distant, and I knew that was my cue—the meeting was over.

"Can I ask you something else?"

"About what?" His voice had a bit of a chill to it again, his gaze drifting further away.

"Why do you only offer hand jobs and blow jobs? Why not anal?"

He rolled his eyes slightly. "I have my reasons. I don't owe you an explanation."

"Of course not, I was just curious."

Silence fell between us.

Then, in a hoarse voice that sounded almost reluctant, like he was ashamed to say it, he muttered, "It's… something I could only do again with someone I'd love."

"I get it. That's… how it's always been for me in the past. I've never paid for sex."

Soren didn't respond or react, didn't even look at me. His gaze stayed locked on the desk, where the money was.

I had no idea what else to say, I wanted to say goodbye, but before I did… there was this one more important thing:

"Will I be able to use your service in the future?"

There was a moment of silence, and my heart almost stopped, worried he might say no.

But Soren answered with a simple, "Yeah."

"Thanks. That was great. And you smell really good. Take care."

I turned and walked away, not wanting to prolong the awkward moment. It was clear Soren wasn't in the mood for conversation anymore. He seemed genuinely uncomfortable, and forcing small talk wouldn't have been a smart move—it might even jeopardize our fragile truce.

***

When I got back to my dorm, Alvin and Archer were both there, and Alvin immediately noticed my mood shift.

"What's up? You seem all hyped."

I hesitated. Would it be smart to tell him I'd been with Soren? He'd kicked him out of the Kingdom of Promises. What if Alvin got pissed and took it out on Soren somehow? I had no idea, but it seemed safer not to say too much.

"Nothing," I muttered.

Archer didn't even look up, his eyes glued to his laptop screen; Alvin glared at him, then back at me.

"Don't fucking lie to me, Skye. Sean told me Soren was gonna blow you today!"

Wow. That escalated quickly. I didn't expect that kind of intensity right from the start.

"Why do you even care? Didn't you kick him out?"

"I don't care. Just a heads-up, alright? I heard about your beef with Don outside the party room. Don's got it bad for Soren, treats him like a substitute boyfriend. I've seen how he acts around Ed and May, he even shoved Ed once. So, just… watch your back." His tone was bitter.

"Didn't you already steer Don away from Soren? I saw you grabbing his ass." My tone was way more sarcastic than I meant it to be.

"Fuck you, Skye. I failed, just like I did with you. I try to warn people all the time, but Soren's a fucking Banshee. Wherever he goes, all you stupid simps run after that fucking whore with your tongues hanging out like hungry dogs! Or rather dicks—"

"Don't call him that!"

"Why not? The whore takes money to blow Ed and May."

"Aren't you a whore too?" Archer's voice cut in, surprising us both. "You fucked with that guy from the admin office for a favor."

"What's that supposed to—"

"You don't seem to mind whoring around, huh?"

Alvin glared at him for a while. "It's none of your damn business what I do! At least I'm not pushing some stupid machismo bullshit ideology and trying to lock omegas in the kitchen!"

The argument was spiraling out of control, but Archer seemed unfazed.

"Still sulky because I turned you down yesterday after you begged me to fuck you?" Archer said with a smirk.

The room went dead silent.

"What… what the fuck are you saying?" Alvin's face turned bright red as he quickly glanced at me. Clearly, that wasn't something he wanted me to know.

Archer shrugged. "Want me to quote you? ‘Gosh, you've got the biggest dick I've ever seen. I'd kill for you to put it in me.'"

I blinked. Yep, just as I thought from the start—things were getting way out of hand, and fast!

"Please, Archer! Just one time!" Archer mocked Alvin's nasal voice. Hey, maybe he wants that ‘mature' anyway?

I couldn't help but chuckle, but on second thought… I had to admit, I'd seen Archer's dick a couple of times when he came out of the bathroom in just his boxers, and yeah, he really did have a scary monster down there. He probably appealed to guys who loved to bottom. On top of that, at seven feet tall, Archer looked like an orc straight out of an erotic comic—dark blond hair, a much more handsome, masculine face with sharp-edged, symmetrical features. That was probably why, despite his backward views, some omegas still wanted him to fuck them. And obviously, not just omegas—hello! Alvin's red face looked guilty as charged.

"Archer! Just the head, just the head!" Archer was relentless!

Alvin growled and threw a pillow at him.

But on second thought…

…I also had enough of this childish back and forth. I was exhausted and didn't see the point in being dragged into such a ridiculous scuffle.

"Alright, lovebirds. You obviously have a lot to talk about, but I'm going to sleep. I'm tired," I said, heading quickly to the bathroom to take a shower.

As if I didn't have enough emotions today, those two had to start some stupid quarreling, and Alvin? He was just infuriating! And to be honest, I had no idea what he saw in Don, why did he even defend him? To me, the guy was just a waste of space.