18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Blaine

S top clinging to him, Blaine silently reprimanded himself.

Wayden's knot had subsided hours ago. They were not locked together anymore. He could move to his side of the bed and sleep properly, like a normal person. Not plaster his whole back to Wayden's front while holding the alpha's damn arm hostage. Blaine stared at their intertwined fingers. A mushy and strange feeling bubbled inside him. Blaine closed his eyes, trying to assess how he truly felt. He didn't want to let go. He wanted…

Blaine sat up so fast, Wayden jerked awake.

"Blaine?" he said, reaching for him.

"I… go back to sleep. I need to go to the washroom," Blaine said, getting off the bed. He ran to the washroom and closed the door behind him. His cheeks heated and he felt breathless.

Damn, Blaine thought, walking to the basin. He splashed water on his face to cool his cheeks. He looked himself in the mirror and bit the inside of his mouth. It would seem he more than liked Professor Douche. Blaine stared at himself, waiting for the feeling of wrongness to fill him. There was nothing. He felt good; giddy, in fact. A smile pulled at his lips.

Stop it. This is not good. He wasn't supposed to fall for this alpha or any other alpha. Blaine dropped to his haunches, scared of how he was feeling. He didn't know what to do. What if he ended up like his brother? Blaine had sworn that would never happen to him. He'd sworn that he would never let himself go down that road. He'd fought his omega instincts all his life because he never wanted to become his brother. But now, here he was. He was falling for an alpha.

Blaine covered his face, groaning loudly.

What am I doing? How did I get here? Blaine didn't know. From the moment he'd left with Wayden nothing had been the same. He should have known he wouldn't get out of this unscathed. He should have known that the worst thing would happen.

Blaine's chest constricted and for a second there, he couldn't breathe.

Stop. There was no need to scare himself.

Blaine straightened and stepped into the drying bot. The hissing sound of the machine as warm air washed over his face filled the silence. If only it could drown out his thoughts too. They were still there, loud and clear.

He was falling in love with Professor Douche.

No. I'm not. I'm not falling in love with him. I won't let myself do it, Blaine thought with a huff.

He stepped out of the drying bot and walked out of the washroom. Blaine tiptoed to the bed not wanting to wake Wayden. But, as soon as he lay down Wayden gripped his arm and turned him around.

"What?" Blaine asked, his voice shaky. Wayden wrapped his arm around him and pulled him close.

"I missed you," Wayden said, sliding on top of him and slamming their lips together. Blaine moaned, feeling tingly all over, no matter how hard he tried not to. His body melted against Wayden's and the world disappeared as they plunged into a never-ending dream of pleasure that continued for weeks.

Every night, they ended up naked in bed, limbs intertwined, lips locked and Wayden's cock deep inside Blaine's hole. And Blaine couldn't fight it, no matter how hard he tried to resist him. He was drawn to the alpha. And he liked it too much when he touched him. Wayden made him feel good. It didn't feel like they were just having sex. They were… Blaine couldn't bring himself to name it, because he was scared of what it meant. He was scared because his heart was at risk.

And then he just had to share Wayden's heat. Blaine knew he shouldn't have done that. But he couldn't stand the thought of Wayden spending his heat with another omega. Not that Wayden said anything about it. They just fell into it. And it had been explosive.

Every kiss, every touch and every movement of their bodies was so intimate, so beautiful. Blaine's heart melted every time Wayden touched him. There was a deeper connection there that Blaine couldn't describe or deny.

Blaine was fucking falling in love with Wayden.

"At this point, just look at him," Owen grumbled next to him. "You're giving me whiplash."

"What?" Blaine frowned at Owen. What was he talking about? He hadn't looked at Wayden since they'd come out of the shuttle that morning. He was focused on his work. Though tedious, he was focused. Blaine stared down at the data reader and realised he hadn't transcribed anything from the footage he was supposed to be watching, because he couldn't stop thinking about Wayden. Wayden was busy digging for root vegetables buried deep in the snow a few paces away with the other alphas.

"I wasn't looking at him. I was…" Blaine groaned. He couldn't even come up with an excuse. He glanced at Wayden again, unable to help himself. Blaine shivered as their eyes met. The world disappeared, and it was just the two of them, surrounded by beautiful mountains and snow. Wayden lifted an eyebrow. And Blaine nodded as if he knew what the alpha was asking him. He just knew. The connection between them was deepening. It felt strange and good at the same time. Warmth filled Blaine's chest.

Fuck. He was in trouble.

Wayden gave him a lingering look before he looked away.

Owen sighed loudly next to Blaine.

"What?"

"I want that. I want what you have with him," he said in a tiny voice. Blaine turned to stare at the omega. Owen looked so sad. "I don't know how you did it, but he wants you now, right?"

Blaine bit the inside of his mouth, not sure how to answer that. He and Wayden haven't talked about what they were doing. Blaine wasn't even sure how Wayden felt. Even if he knew, Blaine wasn't sure what to do about that.

"Have you thought about leaving the pack?" Blaine asked after a few minutes. Owen stared at Blaine horrified. "I mean… maybe your alpha is not here. He could be somewhere else."

"Maybe I'm supposed to be alone," Owen said with a shrug.

"That's not true. What about Escala? He's single," Blaine said. There were other alphas who were single too, but Blaine was sure Owen wasn't attracted to any of them. Owen's immediate attraction to Wayden told Blaine everything he needed to know. Owen was attracted to powerful alphas. "He's a nice alpha."

Owen blushed. "Of course he's nice. He's my alpha, but…"

"But what? You don't like him."

"It's not that I don't like him. He's… he doesn't like me, not in that way. In his eyes, I'm still that tiny omega whose parents died, and he had to take care of me. It's okay. He doesn't have to like me like that. It would be weird if he did, wouldn't it?"

"I…"

Owen smiled sadly. "It's okay. You don't have to say anything. I'm going to help with dinner."

"Owen, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I didn't mean…"

"I know. I'm just being impatient. Someone will eventually fall for me. It just gets lonely sometimes," Owen said as he got to his feet. "I'll leave you to your work."

Blaine watched the omega walk to the main hut. He felt sorry for him. He knew there were omegas who were obsessed with finding an alpha of their own. They talked about nothing else. Blaine always avoided those kinds of omegas as their desperation for an alpha disgusted him and they reminded Blaine too much of his brother, Orly. Blaine couldn't understand why omegas wouldn't want to strive for better, why they wouldn't want their own lives, their own credit and assets like alphas and betas, why they fell into the omega stereotype when they could achieve so much more.

But now… Blaine wasn't so sure. He didn't know what to think anymore.

Professor Douche had fucking changed everything.

Blaine's eyes drifted to Wayden. Damn. He should stop looking at the alpha and go back to work. Blaine forced his eyes back to the data reader and continued to work.

Two hours later, Blaine's back, ears and eyes ached. He stretched his arms over his head and rubbed his eyes. He tried to go back to work, but his eyes wouldn't focus on the screen.

Maybe it was time for a break, Blaine thought. He turned off the data reader and got to his feet. He walked down to the lake. Though it was frozen it was still beautiful. Mist wafted off its surface into the distance. Blaine stared at it, so mesmerised that he didn't hear Wayden come up behind him.

"Oh fuck." Blaine gasped as arms came around him and Wayden's scent filled his lungs. "You scared me," he said, fighting the desire to lean into Wayden. A moan slipped out of his lips when Wayden's arms tightened around him, holding him close.

"I called you. Didn't you hear me?" he asked, kissing the side of Blaine's neck. Blaine shivered. Fuck. He loved it when Wayden did that. Blaine wanted him to do it again and again. "What were you thinking about that you didn't hear me?"

"I wasn't thinking about anything. I was just enjoying the view," Blaine said.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yes," Blaine said.

"I'll leave you to it, then," Wayden said, tightening his arms around Blaine for a few seconds before he stepped away.

"No. Stay," Blaine whispered.

"What? What did you say?" Wayden asked. Blaine glanced at the alpha and quickly looked away. He bit the inside of his mouth, feeling weird. Why had he said that? His lungs constricted and he felt like he was suffocating.

"Nothing. Here. I transcribed some of the footage. I'll get to the rest tonight," Blaine said, handing the data reader to Wayden. Wayden stared at him. Tension swirled between them, thick and sensual. Dammit. Blaine took a deep breath and tried to think of something to say. "I should have finished, I know, but I got tired."

"That's fine. Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me. It's part of my job," Blaine said. He hesitated for a second, his fingers itching to reach for Wayden. "I should go and help with dinner."

"Okay," Wayden said. "I have some work to get through. I'll see you later."

Blaine nodded and walked away, his heart thundering in his chest.

Shit.

He walked into the main hut and headed straight for the cooking station. There, he helped Owen and the other omegas prepare dinner for everyone. Blaine was glad there was so much to do, and for a while he could forget what had happened.

Escala walked into the cooking station to bring in some herbs he'd found in the forest. Blaine's eyes drifted to Owen. The omega tried very hard not to look Escala's way. Liking an alpha was really the worst thing that could happen to an omega. It hurt and it was humiliating. Unless the alpha claimed said omega – but sometimes that didn't happen. Blaine knew those moments when an alpha didn't claim an omega very well. He'd lived through it. He closed his eyes as memories from the past crowded his mind.

Fuck. How the hell had he allowed himself to fall in love with Wayden when…

"Blaine, what are you doing over there? We need those vegetables. Stop daydreaming about your alpha," Owen shouted from the other side of the room, shaking Blaine out of his thoughts. Blaine's eyes popped open and he looked around him. The other omegas in the room laughed.

"I wasn't daydreaming," Blaine shouted back, which only made them laugh harder. "I'm almost done, anyway."

"Here. I'll help you," Owen said, coming to stand next to him. "If I leave everything to you, we won't have dinner ready on time."

The laughter continued. Eventually, it morphed into conversations about alphas, love and cubs. Blaine rolled his eyes at the smooth transition. It was like they had nothing else to talk about. But Blaine knew it was the natural way of things. He went back to chopping the vegetables. The smell of food permeated the air. Even though the conversation around him was annoying, Blaine found himself relaxed. The omegas made everything fun.

Dinner was nice too. Wayden hadn't been there though. The alpha was probably working. In the days that they'd been together, Blaine had noticed that Wayden sometimes forgot to eat. He got lost in his work and didn't notice anything around him. It was like the world didn't exist; all that mattered was his research. Now that he knew how important Wayden's research was, Blaine couldn't help but feel guilty for insulting the alpha at Xaine and Holi's house. And so, Blaine did everything he could to support him. He made sure Wayden had everything he needed.

Blaine held the plate of food he'd made for Wayden close as he walked slowly on the slippery path. He walked into the shuttle. And just as he'd thought, Wayden was deep in work. He sat at the counter, his data reader in front of him. He didn't even look up when Blaine walked in.

Blaine placed the plate next to him, and silently walked to the bedroom. He quickly got cleaned up in the washroom and got into bed. Hours later, he heard Wayden come to bed.

"Are you awake?" Wayden asked, reaching for him. Blaine blushed as he went willingly. He really needed to do something about his lack of control where Wayden was concerned. "I guess you are."

Blaine hadn't meant to wait up for him. He just couldn't sleep without Wayden's arms around him.

"Did you eat? I brought you food."

"I did. Thank you," Wayden said, tightening his arms around him. "You don't have to do that."

"It's my job to make your life easier. I like doing it. It feels like I'm being useful," Blaine blushed, surprised by what he'd just said. Blaine cleared his throat. "And besides, you need to finish your research. Everyone is waiting for it. It's going to be good."

"How do you know?"

"I just know. You're working so hard. Of course, it's going to be good," Blaine said proudly.

"You sound so confident."

"I am. When we met, I didn't understand what you wanted to achieve. But now I do." Blaine turned to face Wayden. He forgot his train of thought as soon as their eyes met. The fluttering in his stomach intensified. Why did he have to feel everything so intensely? Blaine couldn't breathe or speak whenever that happened.

"You do?"

"Yes. I want omegas to be free. I'll do my best to help you find the answers the alpha king is looking for."

"You're already doing your best. You take care of me," Wayden said, leaning closer. "And your contribution to my research has been invaluable. Your interaction with the omegas has brought new insights. You've proven to be an asset."

Sparks of pleasure exploded all over Blaine's body. He liked it when Wayden praised him. He liked it too much. It made him want to do more, to give Wayden everything he needed.

"I was only doing my job," Blaine said, shoving the feeling away. "And besides, someone told me to behave and not embarrass him."

"Someone?" Wayden growled out. He slid on top of Blaine. Blaine hissed in pleasure as Wayden's weight sank into him. Blaine loved it. Wayden was so fucking hard to resist.

You don't even try to resist him, Blaine admonished himself as he arched into Wayden.

Fuck. He was a lost cause. He couldn't fight this thing between him and Wayden. Maybe it was time for him to admit that he was utterly and completely in love with Wayden. There was no use fighting it. He should accept it… accept Wayden as his alpha…

Blaine closed his eyes, the very thought scaring him. Maybe Wayden wasn't like Orly's alpha. Maybe Wayden wouldn't abandon him or leave him when he needed him the most. Maybe Blaine could trust him. Maybe…

No. It was too risky

Wayden ran his fingers down Blaine's thighs, scrambling his brain. Blaine moaned, wishing he hadn't bothered with his sleeping clothes because he knew how each night would end: with Wayden's cock deep inside him.

Blaine's hole pulsed in anticipation. He wanted Wayden's cock inside him. He whimpered when Wayden rolled his hips, grinding into him.

Oh, fuck. He was so weak for the alpha.

"Are you tired?" Wayden asked.

Blaine bit the inside of his mouth, his heart pounding like crazy. He should say yes and go to sleep. But… shit…

"No," Blaine said.

"Good," Wayden said. He moved away to pull off his clothes. Blaine hesitated for a second before he did the same. They dropped down on the bed in a pile of limbs, gasps and kisses. Blaine ran his hands down Wayden's back to grasp his ass as he slid deep inside him and started to move.

"Fuck," Blaine gasped, wrapping his thighs around him. His body bowed off the bed as pleasure flooded his veins. He shivered, wanting so much more. "Please," Blaine begged.

"I've got you, baby. I've got you," Wayden mumbled, moving faster and deeper inside him. Blaine screamed when his orgasm hit out of nowhere. Pleasure roiled inside him hot and violent. Blaine stared at the ceiling of the shuttle, at its mercy. His body shook so hard, he felt like he was breaking into a million pieces. And it wasn't even the best part. Wayden hadn't knotted him yet. To say that Blaine was obsessed with Wayden's knot was an understatement. He loved it. He loved how it stretched him so good, and how it pulsed deep inside as Wayden came over and over. Wayden growled, sinking deeper inside him. And then Blaine felt it.

Blaine clung to Wayden desperately. His mouth hung open as overwhelming pleasure swamped his body. Tears filled his eyes, and he couldn't hold it back anymore. Words filled Blaine's mind, and his mouth opened to say them out loud.

"Wayden, I lo…" Blaine blubbered. The sound of a connector going off somewhere in the room interrupted him.

"Fuck," Wayden groaned, before lifting to his elbows. He stared down at Blaine, making him feel shaky inside. Blaine bit the inside of his mouth to shut himself up. "What did you say?"

"Nothing," Blaine said looking away. He wished he could get up and leave, but Wayden's knot pulsed deliciously inside him, locking them together. Blaine's eyes rolled to the back of his head as Wayden lay back down and ground into him. "That's… that's mine," Blaine stuttered.

"I know," Wayden said. "Who would connect with you at this time?"

"I don't know," Blaine said. The connector rang for a while and then went silent. Blaine wished it would ring again. It distracted him from what he was feeling, and what he'd almost said.

What's the worst that could happen anyway if he told Wayden how he felt? He could trust Wayden… couldn't he? Blaine wasn't sure. Wayden hadn't said anything about what they were doing. As a matter of fact, they hadn't talked about anything. Blaine had gone into heat, they'd had sex, and they were still having sex.

Fuck.

Blaine had done the very thing he'd sworn he would never do. He'd let his omega nature take over and control his every action, just like Orly had.

Blaine's connector went off again.

"Whoever it is must want to talk to you," Wayden said, sucking on Blaine's neck. Wayden started to move again, fucking him all over again.

"Oh shit," Blaine moaned arching into him. When had his knot subsided? Blaine hadn't felt anything. He'd been too busy being afraid of what he felt, afraid of the fact that he was falling in love with an alpha and the alpha might not love him back.

Does he have to love me back? Blaine asked himself.

Blaine tried to push the feeling of disappointment away and enjoy the moment, but he couldn't and the question lingered in his mind long after they'd come, and the high of the moment had dissipated, leaving him cold. Blaine lay on the bed, trying his best not to freak out.

"Aren't you going to check who was trying to connect with you? It could be important," Wayden said.

"Yes, of course." Blaine got up and went to the clothing cubicle. He took out his connector. The light from the communication device lit up the room. "It's Matews. Why would he connect with me?"

"Ask him," Wayden said, sleepily.

"Okay," Blaine said, walking to the bed. He pressed on Matews' code and waited for the connection. The beta's voice came through a few seconds later.

"Oh, Blaine. Sorry for disturbing you. Is Wayden there. I've been trying to connect with him, but his connector is off. Can I please talk to him?"

"Yes, sure." Blaine turned to Wayden. "He wants to talk to you."

"What?"

"Here," Blaine said, handing over the connector and escaping to the washroom. Blaine heard Wayden curse right before he closed the door. He turned back. "What's wrong?"

Wayden shook his head. He got off the bed and moved to the clothing cubicle.

"Is he okay?" Wayden asked as he took out his clothes. "How did this happen? He's a fucking aggressive alpha. They're stronger than the rest of us. How the hell did he hurt himself?" Wayden fell silent for a few seconds, and then he sighed. "I know you're only conveying a message and you don't know anything, but fuck… I can't go home now," Wayden rubbed the back of his neck in frustration. Blaine tried his best not to stare at his naked body. But he couldn't help himself. He was that hot. "I understand, Matews. He's alone but I have work to do here. I can't just leave in the middle of my research because Ckson sprained an ankle." Wayden pulled out clothes and dropped them on the bed. "Okay… okay… fine. I'll go."

Go where? Blaine asked himself as he watched Wayden.

"Dammit, Ckson." Wayden snapped irritably. He turned to the bed and roughly got dressed. Blaine walked to him and grasped his arm.

"Stop. You can't go anywhere right now. It's late. You've been working all day. You need to rest before you even think of drifting. The airways are not well maintained in these parts. Sleep. You can deal with everything in the morning," Blaine said. He folded Wayden's clothes and returned them to the clothing cubicle. He turned around to find Wayden staring at him. "What? Are you not tired?"

"I am," Wayden said. "I've never had an omega take care of me before."

"I…" Blaine mumbled, not sure what to say. He hadn't even realised that he was doing it. He just… he wanted to make things better for Wayden, even though he didn't know what was going on. He didn't even think about it. He just did it.

"You're coming with me." Wayden walked to him. He pulled Blaine into his arms and held him tight. "Don't say no. I can't imagine leaving you here, even though I'll be coming back."

Why? Why couldn't he imagine leaving him there? Blaine wanted to ask him, but he said nothing.

"Let's go to sleep."

"Okay," Blaine said. He walked to the bed and got under the covers. Wayden lay down next to him. The alpha pulled Blaine into his arms, holding him close.

"You haven't answered me," Wayden said.

"Did you ask me something?" Blaine asked feigning ignorance.

"You little shit," Wayden said biting into Blaine's shoulder lightly. "You know what I want you to say. You're coming with me."

"You're still not asking," Blaine said, even though he knew he was going with him. He couldn't imagine being here without him, either. At this point he would follow the alpha anywhere. It was scary but it was true.

"Please come with me," Wayden said, his teeth sinking into Blaine's shoulder a little harder. Blaine moaned, arching into Wayden. He couldn't fucking want to have sex again. Wayden laughed. "I'll take that as a yes."

Blaine growled and shoved him away. Wayden tightened his arms, not letting go.

"Sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day," Wayden said.

Blaine did as he was told. He closed his eyes and was about to drift away when he realised he didn't know where Wayden was from. For the second time he was following the alpha into the unknown and he wasn't scared.