SKYE.6

The next week, Soren's behavior changed even more. Where he used to be distant, maybe a bit irritable, now he seemed kind of down, almost depressed. He got quieter too. Sometimes we'd sit next to each other, whether in the cafeteria or on the benches around campus, waiting for class. He'd just smoke, staring blankly at the sky or ceiling, depending on where we were, and only answered me with one-word replies. I kinda got used to it and was just enjoying his presence. It was pleasant enough for me, satisfying my needs on some level, but never fully.

Then the following week brought some nervous excitement.

The dreadful Python exam!

It was make-or-break time for passing my final year of college. The whole day before, I was super on edge, stressed out. Soren watched me closely, and at one point, when we were doing some last-minute study materials revisions in his room, he noticed how miserable and frustrated I looked while endlessly going over my notes.

"Hey, don't stress so much, you'll do fine," he said suddenly, looking like he surprised himself with those words.

"I don't know… I'm not great under pressure," I muttered, feeling pretty down, my eyes glued to my notebook.

Then, out of nowhere, Soren got up and walked over to me. I was shocked when I felt his hands on my shoulders. I should mention—Soren almost never touched me, except when he'd guide my head during bjs. Usually, he was just passive.

But now, his slender fingers slid over my neck and shoulders, and I couldn't help it—I let out a loud groan. He ignored it, focusing on massaging my tense shoulders, maybe not aiming for anything sexual. But it felt like I was under some kind of spell, like I was high on something, and everything started to spin.

In consequence, my dick immediately reacted, getting hard in seconds.

"Please, stop," I mumbled. "I still need to prep for the test, and I can't do that while tenting my pants."

Soren's movements slowed down. He slightly leaned toward my ear and whispered, "I can help with that."

I squeezed my eyelids almost painfully. "Soren…"

But he was already on his knees between my spread knees, unzipping my pants.

I wasn't mentally into it, but… Soren's magic worked like a charm. His face… it was something else, just otherworldly. He rarely had such an expression—seductive and submissive at the same time. His tongue swirled around my dick's head, his gray gaze shifting over to my face.

"You don't need to cram for the test anymore. You're good, Skye. I'm proud of you. You've accomplished so much and learned so much in the last few weeks," he trailed off, as if realizing that he had almost said too much.

"Proud of me?" I whispered while he smeared some pre-cum over the head of my dick.

"As… your tutor," he quickly clarified, and with a rather innocent look, he took my dick in his mouth. I loved how it stretched his lips, making him look really… obscene.

I slid my hand over his neck, where I could see my hickeys. I made it a matter of honor to renew them every other time, and Soren didn't seem to mind. He never covered himself or wore a turtleneck. He just didn't give a shit what people thought, and I loved his attitude.

The words: "I wish you were mine…" were on the tip of my tongue, but I didn't have the guts to say them. When I unloaded into his beautiful mouth a moment later, I felt regret because I knew that with every moment that slipped away and in which I couldn't muster the courage… I was losing another day with Soren—another chance, sinking further and further into my cowardice, overwhelmed by the fact that the stakes were getting higher and higher with each passing hour, seemingly to the point of impossibility.

***

The next day was the Python exam. Soren was taking it too, but we were sitting apart since we were in the exam hall using laptops set up specifically for it. The questions kept popping up on the screen, and I had to nail each one. My heart was pounding like crazy, just like everyone else's. All the omegas had headphones, and I wore mine too. Betas didn't need them because they couldn't hear heartbeats, so… no distractions for them.

Soren shot me a look, and his lips moved slightly. I tilted my headphones, and even from that distance, I heard him say, "Good luck. You got this, Skye! Easy!"

His support meant a lot to me, and I desperately wanted to believe it was more than just teacher-student encouragement, but I probably shouldn't dwell on that.

I focused on getting the tasks done right. We had two hours in total, with each question taking about twenty minutes.

"Optimization and algorithm complexity analysis. Write a Python function that takes a list of integers and returns a sublist with the maximum sum. Your function should run in O(n) time. Then, analyze the time and space complexity of your solution."

With shaky hands, I got to work. Soren had taught me this, and I felt a mix of excitement and gratitude. I glanced at him and caught his eye. I smiled, and he gave me a slight nod in return, like he was trying to boost my confidence.

I focused on the task and implemented a function using Kadane's algorithm. I also explained that the time complexity of the algorithm is O(n) and the space complexity is O(1). I finished within the time limit.

Next question: Creating and managing advanced decorators.

"Write a Python decorator that logs the execution time of a function and the number of times it's called. The decorator should store this information in a text file and update the data every time the function is called."

I bit my lip—this was another thing I practiced with Soren! I felt another rush of excitement. I implemented a decorator that logged the function's execution time and the number of calls, explaining how the decorator updates the text file and manages the data with each function call. Easy peasy!

The next questions were even simpler, and I finished them with plenty of time to spare. Funny, I was the first one to finish the test!

I walked out of the hall, feeling a nice adrenaline rush. Alvin and Don, who were also taking the exam, shot me a gloomy look. From what I glimpsed on their screens, they still had two or three questions left. I smirked to myself.

While waiting, I sent a text message to Finn Delgado, "Hey, I just finished the Python exam, and I'm pretty sure I passed! Just wanted to let you know."

Finn responded right away, "Congrats! I knew alphas could wrap their heads around Python. Maybe even Winter will come around to the idea of hiring alpha programmers. :)"

Wait. Did he mention Winter again? It was kinda peculiar. They broke up a decade ago, yet Finn was still talking about his ex. It struck me as strange, but I didn't dwell on it too long because I noticed the door to the hall opening, and Soren came out.

Immediately, I jumped toward him and grabbed him in a hug, lifting him off the ground!

"Fuck yeah! I knew all the answers!"

Soren huffed slightly at being lifted so suddenly, but I could see the hint of amusement on his face. "I told you—you'd do fine. You worked hard!"

"You're the best tutor and the most sexy at that! Now we'll see if I got it right—the results are supposed to be out tonight."

I put him down, and we walked out of the building together. Soren immediately lit a cigarette, taking a deep drag.

Staring at the bushes on the edge of the small park next to the building, he murmured, "This exam, Algorithm Analysis, and Artificial Intelligence are the last ones we've got left. After that, it's just graduation."

I swallowed hard. Right, that topic. Only a week and a half left.

Opening my mouth to answer, I spotted Alvin coming out of the building, so I held my breath. He noticed us and hesitated for a moment, but finally walked over.

"How'd it go?" he asked in a rather ambivalent tone, not looking us in the eye.

"Good, I think," I replied, keeping my voice neutral.

I hadn't exchanged more than a few sentences with him in weeks.

Soren didn't respond, but Alvin fixed his gaze on him.

"Great. So. Are you still planning to move downtown to be closer to DevApp?" he inquired in a weird, almost sarcastic tone.

Soren took a deeper drag, not even looking at Alvin.

"Still the plan," he answered coolly.

Alvin shot me a smirk that screamed, ‘I told you so'. Fucker.

I had the urge to… I don't know, either explode or implode. The end was near. Soren had rented an apartment with Liam. I knew that. There wasn't a place for me. He hadn't changed those plans, and I still hadn't had that conversation with him.

THE conversation!

"Well, whatever, guys. Don and I applied for jobs at D-project. So we probably won't see each other," he added with a slight chuckle.

"Are you two together?" Soren suddenly asked, still not looking at Alvin. I noticed that this was his way of talking to people he didn't give a shit about—he rarely made eye contact. Now, he was blowing smoke rings into the air.

Alvin shrugged lightly. "We're working on it. College is ending, there won't be as much studying, just work. Gotta start a normal life, right? Relationships are fine, aren't they? No more the Kingdom of Promises thing," he quipped bitterly.

"You'll find an alternative, I'm sure," I grumbled.

"Gotta save up for my own condo. The challenges of adulthood."

Silence fell. Neither Soren nor I had any desire to dig into his relationship and future plans, for obvious reasons.

"Well, I see Don's already out. Take care, guys!" Alvin raised a hand in farewell and walked away.

Soren kept blowing smoke into the air, and I still couldn't—couldn't get the words out… The longer I wrestled with it, the more impossible it seemed to overcome.

Finally, I stammered, "There's a party at Yota 2 two days before graduation. Maybe we could go?"

Soren squinted a bit and shrugged.

"Sure," he muttered, releasing smoke in my direction like he always did.

I let my eyes trail over his body. He was wearing a black T-shirt, and I could see his nipples hardened from the cold. My gaze moved down to his side and left hip, where his tight black jeans sat low. A strip of skin was showing between his shirt and pants.

I stared at it, that sliver of pale skin catching my attention. Slowly, I reached out and brushed my finger over it. Soren let out a quiet gasp.

My hand slid under his shirt, moving slowly, teasingly, up toward his nipple. Soren closed his eyes, leaning into the touch. It was our little ritual—when he smoked, he'd let me touch him like this, tilting his head back. I looked at his pale neck, at his glands—different from an omega's, flatter and smaller. But I felt a strange hunger.

Suddenly, I grabbed him by the waist, pulling him close, almost roughly.

"Sometimes I feel like I'm gonna lose my mind, you drive me crazy, I want you so bad!" I growled in his ear, my lips sucking his glands hard. Soren made a low, throaty sound. Weird—it almost sounded like an omega's call when they're inviting a mark. I felt a tingle in my gums, my dick got hard, my mating fangs… I felt a sharp pain, and the tips of my canines grazed Soren's glands!

I jerked back, practically jumping away. I tasted blood—not sure if it was mine, from my gums, or his—from the cut skin.

What just happened? I stared at him in shock. Damn, we hadn't even had sex, and my fangs wanted to come out and mark him?! Soren was looking at me strangely too, his breathing quickened, pupils dilated.

"Sorry, I don't know what came over me," I mumbled. Feeling overwhelmed by my weird reaction, I wiped the blood from my mouth, turned around quickly, and walked off.

This was getting out of control. I didn't know why this wild urge to mate with Soren was growing so fast. For a moment, I felt like my body was scared—scared of graduation. And it wanted to keep him with me at any cost.

***

That evening, I was alone in my room with Archer when the notification popped up that the exam results were online.

I logged into the site to see the list of students who passed the exam and their scores. I swallowed hard, staring at the screen as the list slowly loaded.

Then I let out a high-pitched squeal, like an omega under stress.

"Fuck!"

Archer looked up at me.

"First place, 100%," I stammered.

"You're in first?" He raised an eyebrow.

"No, no. I'm in second. Soren's first. He got 100%, I got… 97%!"

"Wow, congrats. You guys are killing it!"

Archer leaned in and gave me a high five. "Hard work pays off!"

"Soren's a genius. I've never met anyone as talented as him…" I babbled, blushing with admiration.

Archer cleared his throat. "So, you gonna do something about it? Try to keep him around longer?" he asked cautiously.

I swallowed, feeling something stuck in my throat. "I don't know how… he doesn't want an alpha boyfriend. He's said it so many times."

"For the past month and a half, you guys have been practically joined at the hip. You sure it's a lost cause? Have you talked to him?"

"No. Honestly, I'm scared. Because if I ask, and he says no, it'll be so final… like, boom, the end."

"Nothing's ever truly final except for death, but you'll have to find out eventually."

"Yeah… not today. Today, I just want to enjoy passing the exam. I'll talk to him at the Yota 2 party next week."

"Well, your call, but I wouldn't leave it till the last minute. Better to have some time for… negotiations."

But I didn't listen to him.

I ran out of the room and headed straight to Soren's dorm, and knocked on the door. A moment of silence, then some shuffling, and another pause.

Finally, he opened the door. His cheeks were slightly flushed, and he was wearing nothing but a long T-shirt.

"Have you seen the exam results?"

"Yeah," he muttered, looking away and letting me in.

"Awesome… you killed it!"

"Congratulations to you too, Skye. Second place! And let me remind you—you had 59% before," he said, biting his lip.

I wanted to wave it off in a fit of modesty, but there was something I couldn't ignore. The room was filled with the smell of slick.

Sniffing, I opened my mouth and then closed it, my nostrils still flaring. I really wanted to address the matter of the exam, to savor our success some more, but the scent was too intense, and I was, after all, a healthy young alpha.

"The smell, Soren… your slick, it fills the room," I blurted out loud, knowing it wasn't subtle, but I wanted him to hear it.

Soren's face turned red, but he rolled his eyes at the same time. "This sniffing is like eavesdropping on a heartbeat. You shouldn't comment on such things," he muttered, but I grabbed his hand and pulled him toward me rather roughly.

He was flushed and breathing fast. I brought my nose close to his neck, loudly sniffing over the tiny mark I did before. My hand wandered to his buttocks and quickly discovered that Soren was completely naked under his long T-shirt. With a long purr, I slipped my fingers into his crotch and immediately realized what was going on.

"Have you used a dildo? You are wet there and slightly open…"

An even more intense blush flooded his cheeks.

"Do you have to make such… blunt comments?"

"Yes," I answered, narrowing my eyes.

Soren had not expected such an answer. He almost chuckled but stopped himself.

"Even if I did, so what?" he made a burbling sound, looking away.

My eyes were drawn to two small blood spots on his glands. I swallowed. So my fangs had lightly scratched him… the area around was slightly pink. It wasn't a full mark, just small punctures, barely the beginning of a mark, but still… I felt a slight wave of heat. Maybe he felt it too? That's why he was masturbating?

"I interrupted you… it's very uncool of me to interrupt someone while they're dildo-fucking. We need to correct that. Especially since I can sense that you're damn wet in there and still dripping…"

He was silent, his cheeks burning, his breath almost getting caught in his chest as my fingers made circular motions around his now soft, lubricated hole. I quickly grabbed his waist tighter with my other hand and pushed him toward the bed. Soren did not protest.

"Where is it?" I growled, feeling my blood pressure rise.

He closed his eyes. "Second drawer."

I reached out and immediately found it, a pale pink dildo shaped like an alpha penis, still wet from his slick. Soren hadn't even had time to wash it, apparently he just wanted to hide it quickly.

Unhurriedly, almost in a celebratory manner, I picked it up and looked at it for a while.

"I can use it on you…" I whispered. "You have a 100% pass rate on the exam. I think it's a good day for such a fun reward," I muttered encouragingly.

He let out a quiet, slightly amused snort.

"All in all… I didn't count on 100%. I guess, the tutoring served me well. Maybe I'm the one who owes you money now?"

"No way," I rasped, lowering my lips to his neck and licking his scratched glands. "You are so… capable, Soren, so talented! Thank you. Accomplishments like this will make a great employee…" I purred, licking his neck, my hands wandered to his nipples and squeezed them lightly, making him whimper.

"Thanks," he whispered breathlessly.

In a few quick moves, I stripped him of his T-shirt and pressed my lips to his hard nipples. Soren thrashed around on the bed, making adorable sounds. His stiff dick poked my side.

Only then did I slowly slide the dildo along his crack, teasing him a bit. He gasped for air at the very moment I brushed over his wet opening.

Still sucking on one of his nipples, I slowly pushed the dildo against his entrance and slid it inside. It went in fairly easily. Soren was breathing fast, his hands lifted and rested on my back. He squeezed his eyes shut as I began to move the dildo inside, directing it firmly toward his prostate.

His body trembled slightly, his hips raised themselves, coming forward a little, his thighs instinctively parting wider. I knew it was closing fast. Probably by the time I came here, he had already been at it for a while and was halfway to orgasm anyway—I just finished the job. With a prolonged moan, Soren arched his spine and orgasmed, his fingers almost painfully hooked into my back, his dick pulsing and ejaculating in a very stimulating spectacle.

Seconds after his dick produced its last spurt, I lay on top of him, muttering in his ear to tighten his legs. All it took for me was a dozen thrusts between his squeezed thighs, and I also unloaded all over his wet crease—whenever I saw Soren climaxing, it pushed me instantly to my own release.

We lay like this for a while in silence, my head on his chest.

I could hear the rapid beating of his heart, which gradually calmed down. I did not know what to say, as the same stifling fear was growing inside me. I felt that Archer was right, I should make my case now, as soon as possible, but still, unfortunately… I was a coward.