LIAM

I could already feel the next wave coming on, my hole contracting and clenching in anticipation. But that wasn't going to stop me from finishing what I'd started. I kneeled down in front of Finn and my mouth closed around his rock-hard cock.

This was the first time I'd done this with a guy, but I wasn't completely inexperienced. I'd practiced deep-throating with a dildo before, trying to get over my gag reflex, and it now paid off. I was able to take him in deep, my mouth stretching to accommodate his size, and I felt a weird, wild sense of satisfaction. I'd been dreaming about this for years, and now I finally made it.

Finn's eyes closed, and his hands found their way into my wet hair, his fingers tangling in my locks. He muttered something that sounded like "oh, yeah, baby," but I might have just imagined it—my own blood pressure was through the roof and I could hear my pulse pounding in my ears.

I got to work, sucking him off with a series of slow, deep strokes. I made a point to keep eye contact because I'd heard it was more exciting that way, and it seemed to be working; Finn's face was flushed, and he growled, "It won't take long, Liam."

That just encouraged me to work harder. My mouth massaged his shaft, taking him in as deep as I could without gagging. It didn't take long, and Finn warned me with a growl a moment before he came, shooting his load deep into my mouth.

Everything they say about True Mates turned out to be true—his cum tasted sweet and creamy, completely lacking the salty or bitter taste you usually taste when you try your own. I swallowed it all and licked my lips, making satisfied noises.

The fact that Finn climaxed so quickly was a good sign of things to come; his transformation seemed to be going well, and his libido appeared to be starting to match that of an alpha. I also realized that his stamina wouldn't be a problem during my heat!

Finn smiled at me with this dark, sexy grin I'd never seen before, and then he grabbed my arms and pulled me up into a dirty, hot kiss. "That was so hot," he muttered into my mouth. "You did it so… enthusiastically!"

I felt a sense of satisfaction and excitement, and I wanted it to last… Finn tilted his head, gazing into my eyes, and chuckled as my arms wrapped around him.

"Now it's my turn," he whispered in my ear, and suddenly spun me around to face away from him. My elbows landed on the shower wall, and then Finn dropped to his knees, his mouth tracing down my spine toward my slick hole.

His warm tongue danced around the ring of my muscles before sliding inside, making me cry out in pleasure.

At the same time, his hand moved forward, wrapping around my cock, which had been hard for a while and was patiently waiting for its release.

It was a truly divine feeling, his tongue swirling over and inside my swollen entrance as his hands massaged my shaft.

But it couldn't last long, not with my heat wave just starting. About thirty seconds later, I arched my hips and came, painting the shower walls with my cum while making shameless noises.

When I turned around to look at Finn, he gave me that same flirty and slightly dark smile.

"Now we're even," he said.

"Far from it," I muttered, nuzzling into his chest. "My heat wave is just starting, I can feel it building, Finn. I need more."

My eyes drifted up to his neck, and I was surprised to see that his glands were slightly flushed and swollen. Was he entering the rut?

But I decided not to comment on it. Heat was supposed to be about sex, and about us, not a deep dive into anatomy or the ins and outs of how being True Mates might or might not affect our performance.

We got out of the shower and Finn lent me a towel and a blow-dryer for my hair. As I did that, he started shaving. I usually shaved too, but today, I didn't feel the need—it seemed like no hair had grown back since my last shave. I'd only ever had the faintest hair on my chin and jaw anyway, but now, my skin was totally smooth. I knew a lot of omegas didn't have much facial hair or any at all. Was this my future?

These thoughts didn't keep me from sneaking glances at Finn, though, admiring his classic, masculine features and the practiced way he shaved.

When we finally left the bathroom, both of us still bare, we went to the bedroom, where Finn suggested changing the sheets—they'd seen better days. We exchanged meaningful looks as we swapped the bedding, and when it was done, I boldly lay in the middle of the bed. I wasted no time, pulling my knees up to my chest. "It's starting, Finn. I feel it building. Don't make me wait," I managed in a near-pleading voice.

Finn knelt between my wide-spread legs, looked at my hole, gasped and muttered, "You're ready, super wet!"

"Yeah, that's what happens during heat, or at least that's what I'm learning firsthand," I replied with a crooked smile.

"Good, no lubricant needed," he said with a matching grin.

A moment later, he was inside me. Smooth and easy, like a hot knife through butter.

It began. Finn turned out to be quite skilled and in top shape. Looking at my face almost constantly, he moved inside me with a steady, fast rhythm, our eyes locked in an intense gaze, our breathing in sync.

His neck glands seemed even more flushed now, almost red. Seeing him like that, made me realize that Finn truly had entered the rut. I'd watched enough porn to know that the reddening was a dead giveaway.

My heat had brought about a change in him too, we were transforming in perfect harmony to meet each other's needs, yet another proof of what we'd discovered so unexpectedly—our TM status. It was a shock that still hadn't fully sunk in, and I didn't even feel ready to talk about it, think about it—not yet, not until after my heat would slow down.

When the second wave passed, we collapsed onto the bed, and this time I managed to stay awake, enjoying Finn's closeness for a little while longer.

We lay in silence, me snuggled into his neck, my mouth right next to his glands, savoring the blissful serenity and peace.

"This feels so good," I murmured. "I've been stressed out for months. It's shocking how different I feel now, I want this to last."

Finn kissed the top of my head.

"It will. You're stuck with me now," he joked.

"I accept that sentence with gratitude," I replied, kissing his neck in response, this time without feeling guilty.

The night passed like a typical heat night—basically in constant joining. Slow, drawn-out sex, mixed with regenerative naps. Nice hours filled with more or less intense effort, each time ending with a piercing, orgasmic reward.

The morning greeted me with the smell of eggs and bacon.

I lay there for a moment, imperturbably relaxed, then checked a few things on my phone to get an idea of what the next few days might look like.

Surprisingly, I actually had the energy to get up, and after a quick shower—I found Finn in the kitchen. He was busy at the counter, wearing black sweatpants and a light blue tank top. He looked incredibly sexy and… fresh, which was surprising since we'd barely gotten four hours of sleep, if that. But somehow, we were both feeling pretty energized.

As soon as he saw me, Finn walked over and gave me a kiss.

"Here you go—breakfast for my perfect mate, suddenly and unexpectedly found," he announced, setting steaming plates on the table.

I sat down, and something in my expression must have caught his attention because he immediately asked, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just keep thinking about it. Almost obsessively, actually. That moment on the cliff when you held me in your arms—it was just a single moment, but… incredibly powerful, almost magical. Since then, it's like someone flipped a switch, reset everything, and put me on a whole new path."

Finn's dashing face moved a little closer to mine.

"You know, I felt so awkward around Skye and Winter right then. Here I am, a college professor, holding you—an almost total stranger—like we were in a romance movie. It was weird, but I couldn't stop myself. You're right; it was definitely magical."

We exchanged shy, happy smiles; I think we were both feeling our way through this whole True Mates thing. It was so new and delicate, like a little chick hatching, and neither of us seemed ready to dig too deep into it just yet.

But one thing did come up. "I'm wondering how long my heat will last. I read that strong stress can really shorten it. Could that be the case for me?"

Finn frowned a bit, staring at the table. "Maybe. You were in prolonged stress, so it's possible. They say that heat is easily disrupted."

"I'd like it to last at least four days. I'd hate to be a weird case, like Soren with his mini-heats. That just doesn't seem like something to envy. I want to… savor the experience."

Finn studied my face for a moment, a focused look in his eyes. "Liam, it's only your first heat. There'll be plenty more to come. Don't stress over it; that won't help it last longer, that's for sure."

I nodded. "You're right." I tried to smile because really, I didn't have anything to worry about. I wanted to immerse myself in this experience.

"So… my virginity is officially gone," I said, leaning back in the chair and giving him a mischievous look.

Finn smirked. "Happy about it?"

"Sure am!" I snorted. "Twenty-two years? Enough's enough."

Finn hesitated. "I'm actually glad you waited. It sounds weird, but I just still believe that—"

"Always wanted a virgin?" I teased, fighting back a laugh.

"It's not that. It just increases the initial intensity and the importance of the first time, at least in my mind it does. But to be perfectly honest, I've been with a virgin before. In fact, me and… errr, one person I dated were each other's firsts. Unfortunately, it didn't have the desired effect."

I burst out laughing. "You mean Winter?"

Finn looked embarrassed. "I shouldn't talk about private things like that."

"Well, we're True Mates. There's a bit more leeway there, don't you think? We'll practically be able to read each other's minds once our Bond settles in." I gave him a reassuring smile.

He nodded, looking a little relieved. "You're right. So, anyway… it just didn't work."

"Why not?"

Finn bit his lip. "I'm more possessive than I probably should be, Liam. That's why I constantly say I should have been born an alpha. But with Winter, I couldn't be like that. He was just… reserved? My need for intensity, for that ‘we are made only for each other' thing, just didn't materialize. And since I was a beta, I couldn't exactly act on that possessiveness. I didn't have the tools to, well… make the person more… mine. I couldn't mark them as my mate, or get them to respond to my Allure scent, and of course, I never knew if they were even my Low Mate."

I frowned. "I know what you mean; I felt the same way, the helplessness, the lack of tools, I wanted to belong, to have a bond like that. I guess I was wired to be an omega, but my body hadn't caught up."

"And I was wired to be an alpha, but… my body didn't follow."

We looked at each other for a second. "Well, Fate solved it for us, in a way," I shrugged, smiling.

"It sure did!" he responded with a wide grin.

After another quick but intense round of sex, we ended up relaxing in the jacuzzi, enjoying the sunny day in his serene garden. We talked more about his exes—which probably isn't the best idea in any relationship, but I was curious, and surprisingly, I wasn't even jealous. Finn admitted that he'd never been fully emotionally committed because none of his exes had wanted that level of devotion. As a result, his relationships hadn't been passionate or committed enough for him to fully open up. He felt rejected, much like I did, though more subtly, and yet it was there, the lack of fulfillment, the lack of satisfaction.

He showed me pictures of his two exes, both from long-term relationships, and I was pleasantly surprised—they were pretty much my type: smaller, nerdy-looking betas with blond hair. So, oddly, that conversation actually improved my mood.

Another heat wave swept over me later in the afternoon, and we had to relocate to the house. Since I had no intention of staying quiet, it definitely wasn't suitable for the garden jacuzzi.

We spent the evening making dinner together, chopping vegetables and swapping favorite recipes. It all felt so… relaxed, so homey, so natural! There was a moment we were laughing and talking, gesturing wildly, and I was so… happy because it was just normal. I'd lived in almost constant stress, but with Finn, I felt free of any worries.

Night came much like the last, and the next morning, I was woken up by Winter's call.

He let me know that one of the D-project managers needed a junior programmer in his department ASAP, and I'd been asked in for a quick interview. Thankfully, I was given a time window to meet him, and by pure luck, one of my waves had just ended, so I was able to drive over with Finn by my side.

The interview was short—Winter had probably made a case for me, presenting me in the best light and helping me get the job, which was considerate of him.

So, I got the job, just like that, and was set to start in about a week.

On our way back home, another wave hit me! Finn sped up while I sat there panting, practically praying for green lights.

As we pulled into his driveway, I pounced on Finn and frantically unzipped his pants, desperate to impale myself on his shaft. The smell of heat filled the car, and we were both totally crazed by it. When I started riding him in the driver's seat (he pushed it back as far as it would go, so my ass wouldn't hit the wheel), this weird need washed over me, and it just wouldn't go away.

My gums started tingling, and I realized what was happening—I was about to mark Finn as he marked me before… The moment Finn saw my fangs emerging, his eyes went wide, and his smile almost split his face in two. I'd never seen anyone so eager to be marked, so I sank my teeth into the flesh of his right neck gland. My body was shaking and convulsing in this intense, powerful orgasm, and his dick pulsed too, spurting inside me. Finn's throat let out this low, almost alpha-like growl.

"Fuck…" I managed to hear, and it hit me at the same time—we were in the damn car, and his knot had expanded, trapping us inside!

Well, that was a fun experience for sure, but I just couldn't bring myself to worry about being stuck in a confined, hot space for an hour in a not-so-comfy position because I did what I'd always wanted to do. I marked my perfect mate.

***

As it turned out, that was the last day of my heat—I got a solid three days out of it. I didn't tell Finn, but I'd already felt by that evening that the waves were getting gentler and less frequent. The stress of the past few months must've shortened it, but I was still happy with what I got; it was a real heat, not some weird mini-heat, and I knew they'd last longer in the future.

That night, falling asleep in Finn's arms, I felt content and at peace. But there was this one tiny thing nagging at me…