4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Wayden

" A re you coming?" Wayden asked staring at Blaine's ashen face.

He'd felt it too then, Wayden thought, rubbing away the electric current that had gone through his fingers and up his arm as soon as he'd grasped Blaine's wrist. Wayden's fingers still tingled from the simple contact. He balled his hand into a fist, willing the feeling away.

Developing an attraction to the hellion would be a disaster. Wayden could barely control him as it was. He didn't need to add feelings to an already chaotic situation.

It was probably a fluke anyway. Wayden hadn't touched an omega in what… Damn… he was going on five years now since… his breakup. No wonder he'd felt like his body was on fire as soon as he'd touched Blaine's soft skin. Going so long without touching an omega would do that to an alpha.

After Ambrose had dumped him, nothing had felt right. The world had dulled to a depressing grey. Food had tasted like ash in his mouth. Wayden had been devastated. And the day he'd pulled himself out of his depression and devastation, he'd realised one thing: he preferred to be alone, his heart buttoned down behind his hard chest, never to see the light of day.

Wayden glanced over his shoulder at Blaine, his heart going a million beats per second. It was fucking beating right then. And for the worst omega on the planet. Wayden inwardly cringed and looked away. But he couldn't deny the pounding of his heart in his chest. The hellion was affecting him.

No… no… no… no… never, Wayden thought as he walked into the house.

"This way. My brothers are waiting for you in the office," Kain said, walking Wayden deeper into the house. Wayden glanced over his shoulder again, making sure Blaine was following them. And to make sure the omega wasn't causing any trouble. Not that he would. There was no one around. Wayden looked around, wondering where everyone was. The house was too big to only house the four alphas and besides, Wayden could smell other people in the house. The scent was strong, meaning they lived in the house.

They came to a stop outside a closed door that Wayden assumed led to the office. Kain waited for Blaine to catch up. Wayden watched as Kain's brows pulled in a frown as Blaine took his sweet time. Wayden closed his eyes and prayed for patience. When Blaine finally arrived, Wayden resisted the urge to drag him to his side, and fucking command him to behave. But Wayden wasn't the omega's alpha. He couldn't tell him what to do.

Shit. They were barely a day in, and Wayden was regretting his decision. Matews had warned him.

"Shall we?" Kain asked, opening the door.

Wayden nodded and walked through the door.

"Professor Mephis and his assistant have arrived," Kain announced to the room. Three alphas and a gorgeous omega stood up from the two couches in the room. The largest alpha walked towards Wayden; the omega followed a few paces behind. Wayden's eyes fell on the other alphas. They hung back too. Kain also went to stand there with them. The hierarchy within their pack was obvious.

"I'm Professor Mephis and this is my assistant, Blaine." Wayden stepped forward to shake the alpha's hand. "Thank you for allowing us into your pack."

"Don't mention it. It's not every day we have someone of your calibre interested in our way of life. I would love to hear more about your research. But first things first," the alpha said, turning to the omega behind him. "This is my mate Aidyn. You've already met Kain. Next to him are my youngest brothers Gybe and Caleb. And no, they're not twins. Though sometimes I can't tell."

Well, they did kind of look alike, Wayden thought staring at the brothers. "So, I'm guessing you follow the traditional pack order we used to have long ago."

"Uhhh… straight to the business of the day, I see," the alpha said with a slight laugh. "Before that… I thought maybe we should give you a minute to freshen up and relax. We have dinner prepared. You can meet the other members of my pack."

"Yes, no problem," Wayden said.

"Aidyn," he said turning to his mate. Aidyn and the alpha smiled sweetly at each other, making Wayden's heart suddenly squeeze painfully at the sight. Wayden rubbed his chest, looking away. He'd thought he was over that shit. He didn't need anyone in his life. All these thoughts about Ambrose were messing with his mind. Wayden clenched his jaw, shoving the bitter memories from his past away.

"It's very nice to meet you," Aidyn said as he approached Blaine. "I'll take you to your room."

Blaine looked over at Wayden, the omega's eyes narrowing. Wayden held his breath waiting for Blaine to go off. It wasn't lost on Wayden that Aidyn hadn't spoken until he was spoken to. And worst of all, Blaine hadn't been acknowledged by the alphas. They'd practically ignored the omega.

"Put omegas in cages already." Blaine's words echoed in Wayden's mind.

Shit.

Don't do anything stupid, Wayden silently begged. A tense moment passed between him and Blaine before the omega turned and followed Aidyn out of the room.

Why did it feel like he'd just stepped into a warzone? Wayden asked himself as he stared at Blaine's back. If eyes could kill, Wayden would be dead by now. The look in Blaine's eyes before he turned away had promised so much hurt, Wayden was surprised the omega hadn't exploded there and there. Wayden stared at the door, anxiously. He shouldn't have fucking brought Blaine here. The omega was going to cause him a lot of trouble.

Wayden wanted to go and warn Blaine again about his behaviour, but the alpha of the pack spoke again. "I hope we can be of help to your research, Professor Mephis," he said. "Please feel free to let me know if you need anything."

"I have no doubt that you will be of help. And thank you again for welcoming me into your pack," Wayden said.

"Stop thanking me, please, I'm glad to be of help. Kain will take you to your room. We can meet again in… say thirty minutes…?" the alpha said.

"Yes," Wayden said.

"I'll take him to his room, but he still doesn't know your name," Kain said with a shake of his head. "You're really hopeless, Luka."

Luka laughed, making the others laugh too. Wayden stared at them curiously.

Luka noticed. "It's a running joke that I don't pay attention to myself." Luka turned to Gybe. "You called me a what…?"

"An officer from the council. No one asks for their names. And we don't even care that they're there," Gybe said, making Luka laugh harder. "If it wasn't for Aidyn, you would forget you have your own life outside of the pack."

"Yeah, well. I guess I'll have to do better. I wouldn't want anyone to think that I am an officer from the council. They don't look happy," Luka said still laughing. He moved to his desk and waved everyone out. "Go. Caleb and I still have some work to do. Professor Mephis, I'll see you in thirty minutes."

"Yes, of course," Wayden said and followed Kain and Gybe out of the office. Gybe excused himself as soon as they'd gone, leaving them alone. Kain walked him down one hallway, then another and they still didn't meet anyone. It was odd. Wayden could have sworn he'd caught other scents in the air. The thought of people being kept in cages popped into Wayden's mind.

Wayden clenched his jaw, hating that he'd even thought of that. Blaine had him thinking weird shit. Luka and his brothers seemed like decent alphas. And besides, his job wasn't to judge anyone. It was to observe.

"Here we are," Kain said as he opened a door at the end of the hallway. "I'll send someone to come fetch you in thirty minutes."

"Yes, thanks," Wayden said, walking into the room. He moved to the window and stared out at the vast land stretching as far as the eyes could see. He saw a few buildings out there too. Not as large as the main house, but they came close. He could see a few figures walking around and children playing.

See people, Wayden thought with a shake of his head.

Fucking Blaine. The omega was affecting him.

How he did it, Wayden didn't know. He normally didn't react to people. But there was something about Blaine that just… just… Wayden didn't know. He just knew he didn't need an assistant like Blaine. The omega was infuriating, disrespectful, rude and unruly. Right now, Blaine could be ruining his research with his big mouth.

Fucking hell.

Wayden turned to the door, about to run after Kain to ask him where Blaine was. He stopped in his tracks. From what he'd observed earlier, there was a clear separation between alphas and omegas. And Wayden didn't want to disrupt any social structure within the pack. He was there to observe and participate in the pack's way of life.

Shit. He couldn't go to Blaine.

Wayden pulled out his connector and connected with Matews. The beta took forever to answer. By the time he did answer Wayden was ready to snap.

"Is this how it's going to be this field trip?" Wayden bit out.

"What? Are you angry? This is unlike you. You never get angry," Matews said, the shock in his voice clear. "Are you okay?"

No! Wayden wanted to shout. He took a deep breath and fought for calm. He didn't fucking react to anyone. He was the master of his own emotions, no one else.

"Please keep the assistant job listing open. And tell me when we receive any applications," Wayden said. "I want a new assistant as soon as possible."

"What happened? Is Blaine okay?"

"Continue to reach out to my previous assistants. Offer them more credit, anything. I don't care. Just find me someone else." Wayden continued as if Matews hadn't spoken.

"We tried, remember? Blaine was the only one willing to go with you."

"I know. But that doesn't mean we can't find someone else. Please try. I need a new assistant. I'll be staying in Beon for two days. Please find someone else before we travel further south."

"There's no one else, Wayden," Matews said. "You do realise that if it wasn't for the omega we wouldn't have gotten the funding, right? No one wanted to be your assistant, Wayden."

"So… I should be grateful to him? Is that what you're saying?"

"No. I'm saying you should try to make this work. He's your only chance to research your theory or Master Covus will pull his generous funding," Matews said. "What happened anyway? Did Blaine do something? I'll talk to him."

Wayden sighed frustrated. It wasn't about what Blaine had done; it was about what the omega would do in the future. Blaine was like a ticking bomb ready to explode. And Wayden couldn't wait anxiously for the bomb to go off. His research was too precious to him.

"Just do it, Matews," Wayden said, ending the connection. He walked to the bed and dropped down on it. He closed his eyes, praying his life wouldn't be ruined by an omega again. That would be the worst luck. It had taken him forever to recover from what Ambrose had done to him. His work had suffered, and he'd almost lost his job.

Wayden cussed Blaine for insisting on coming with him. Now he was wasting time obsessing over what the omega would or would not do. He should be thinking about his research, not worrying about that hellion of an omega.

Everything is going to be fine. Just focus on your work, Wayden told himself. Thirty minutes later there was a knock at the door. Wayden got up from the bed to open the door.

Finally, he thought as the beta spoke the magic words.

"I'm here to escort you to dinner," he said.

"I'm ready," Wayden said eagerly. They made their way outside into a large garden. Colourful string lights twinkled above them in the trees. Laughter and chatter filled the night. Wayden looked around him, fascinated.

Large tables took up the middle of the garden, decked out with all kinds of dishes. Wayden noticed that there was a clear separation between everyone here too. The betas sat with the alphas, while the omegas sat at a table a few paces away with their cubs. Even though they were separated, there was still a cohesiveness between the groups. Wayden stopped and stared, making mental notes to take down later. He wished he'd taken his recorder to capture the moment. But he'd wanted to respect Luka's wishes.

"This way, please," the beta said. He walked Wayden to a table set a little away from everyone. Kain was already seated there with Gybe.

The alphas stood up as Wayden got closer. "Professor Mephis," Kain said, pulling out a chair for him.

"Oh please, you don't have to do that," Wayden said as he sat down. "And you can call me Wayden. There's no need for formalities."

"Huh? It has a name." Blaine's unmistakable voice filled the garden over the chattering. Wayden looked up to find the omega standing next to a stunned Aidyn. Aidyn looked from Wayden to Blaine. Wayden could feel Kain and Gybe's eyes on him too.

Shit.

An awkward silence ensued as they stared at each other. Wayden opened his mouth to say something, but another omega called Aidyn to their table, saving him.

"Come," Aidyn said to Blaine. Wayden held his breath, waiting for Blaine to refuse, but he turned and walked away. The awkwardness continued as Kain and Gybe continued to stare at him.

Damn that little minx. He had done that on purpose. Wayden stared daggers at Blaine until he sat down. And the little devil didn't even glance his way. A growl rumbled deep inside Wayden's chest. He was going to kill him.

"He's not just an assistant," Gybe commented next to him. Kain laughed.

"What?" Wayden asked.

"I told Gybe Blaine is your assistant, nothing more, and he didn't believe me. There's something between you two, right?" Kain asked, interest sparkling in his eyes.

"No," Wayden said. "Believe it or not. He and I just met."

"No way."

"Really?"

Kain and Gybe spoke at the same time. Wayden would have laughed at the stunned looks on their faces, but there was nothing funny about the situation.

"Are you sure you've never met before? There's this weird energy between you two. I thought you were together when you first arrived. Maybe you met and you forgot all about it."

Wayden laughed, humourlessly. "Believe me, I would remember meeting him."

"Yeah, he is gorgeous. No alpha in his right mind would forget an omega like that," Gybe said, staring at the omegas' table.

That's not what he'd meant, Wayden silently groaned.

There was nothing gorgeous about Blaine. That mouth on him was enough to turn any alpha off. "You have no idea the kind of person he is," Wayden said, glancing at the table too. "I'm sorry if he offended you earlier. He can be a bit…"

"Uhh… no. We're not offended. It just looked like a lover's quarrel to us. We have a lot of those here since we are a small pack. It's always fascinating to watch new love blossom. It can be tumultuous," Kain said with a laugh. Gybe joined him.

"I'm glad you find this funny," Wayden bit out, which only made the alphas laugh harder. Wayden clenched his jaw, telling himself that it was a good thing Kain and his brother were not offended, or this would have been a disaster. Wayden glanced at the omega table. Anger swirled in his stomach as his eyes landed on Blaine. Wayden shoved the emotion away. He wasn't going to let that hellion provoke him. He was here to work.

Wayden turned to Kain to do just that. "I noticed that omegas are separated from the alphas and betas."

"I was wondering when you're going to ask about that. It's kind of what the council of alphas did to the omegas out there, right?"

Wayden nodded.

"It happened organically. Once Luka got bonded to Aidyn, the omegas kind of grouped themselves. And we didn't interfere. They seemed to feel comfortable that way."

That was interesting, Wayden thought, his gaze returning to the omegas' table. He'd never thought they would voluntarily do that. Were they influenced by what was happening out there? Luka's pack wasn't that old.

Wayden had been aware of this fact. And it had fascinated him to learn how a modern pack would function in their current social structure.

***

Blaine

This is so fucking uncomfortable.

Blaine inwardly cringed as he stared at all the cubs crawling around, crying and screaming in his ear. Who said he wanted to sit at the domesticated table? He looked around the garden for a place to run to, but all the omegas were seated together. They even had their own wing in the house, where all the single omegas lived. No one was allowed there but them.

It was fucking crazy. The omegas were happy; sickeningly happy. Blaine didn't understand it. He frowned, staring at them all. Were they brainwashed or something?

Blaine's connector burned a hole in his pocket. He wanted nothing more than to connect with Holi and whine about the damn situation. And possibly ask Holi to send a hover pod to come fetch him. Blaine needed saving from this crazy place. He reached for his connector but stopped.

Fuck. He couldn't give up so easily.

He silently groaned.

"Are you okay?" Aidyn asked softly next to him. Aidyn was irritating too. He spoke softly and sweetly. Blaine's teeth were rotting just listening to him. "You don't look so good."

"Maybe I'm tired," Blaine said politely. He couldn't very well tell the omega that it was all the fake happy flowing in the air that was giving him a headache. Aidyn was too nice and na?ve.

"You should eat and go rest. I'm sure you have a lot to do tomorrow," Aidyn said, glancing at the other table where Professor Douche and the other alphas were seated. Blaine glanced at the happy bunch and wished he could kick something.

He couldn't believe Professor Mephis had brought him to this loony pack when he'd made his opinion about overbearing alphas clear. He hated them. And the whole place reeked of self-important alphas who lorded their powers over the poor omegas.

You demanded to come, a tiny voice in the back of his mind said, reminding him of the fateful dinner five days ago. Blaine swallowed the growl that formed in his throat, hating the damn voice for reminding him of the stupidest moment of his entire life.

"Do you like it here?" Blaine blurted out, not wanting to focus on his stupidity.

"Yes," Aidyn said. The blush on his cheeks was unmistakable.

Aidyn was going to tell him about his bond with the other douche alpha, wasn't he? Blaine rolled his eyes.

"I don't mean to be judgmental or anything, but what do you like about it? You're all practically living like the rest of us out there, and we're not happy about it. What am I missing? This doesn't look normal," Blaine said casting a lethal look at the alphas and betas' tables.

Aidyn laughed. "Is it our way of life you're mad at or is it your alpha? Because at this point, I can't tell. You keep looking at his table as if you want to go over there."

"He's not my alpha," Blaine bit out.

"You could have fooled me. The way you keep staring at him with longing is almost like you two fought earlier before you arrived here, and you can't seem to resolve the issue."

"Ugh… longing for Professor Dou…?" Blaine bit into his bottom lip. Shit. He'd almost slipped. He needed to watch that. "You must think everyone is in love because you're bonded to the main guy here. Sorry to burst your bubble. Some of us don't fall for alphas."

"You can say whatever you want. The heat between you two is scorching. You're dying to be alone with him, aren't you?" Aidyn asked. His fucking sweet, na?ve face turned mischievous in seconds. Blaine stared at the omega, stunned. He'd never imagined the omega had it in him.

Before Blaine could say something to refute Aidyn's claim, the omega got up to go speak to someone. Blaine gritted his teeth, wanting to call him back. He couldn't say something like that and then leave. Blaine needed to tell him how wrong he was. Blaine stared at the omega, the words he wanted to say choking him. He wasn't one to hold his tongue. The fact that he had to now was killing him.

Everything about this place was killing him. And it was all Professor Douche's fault. If he hadn't said those stupid things about his research, Blaine wouldn't be here.

"The alpha is coming," someone squalled next to him, making it worse.

Here comes another douche alpha, with his douche brother. There's another one, and another and another… it's a whole pack of them, Blaine thought, pointing them all out including Professor Douche Mephis. No. Wayden. That was his name. The name he'd refused to tell Blaine.

Wayden. Professor Wayden Mephis.

Blaine said the name over and over in his mind. He liked it. The alpha had a pretty name, in fact. It was strong – and so him. Everything about the alpha was gorgeous. And Blaine fucking hated it.

Why did he have to be perfect in everything?

Blaine's eyes dropped on Wayden as Luka introduced him to the rest of his pack. They ate, laughed and chatted, having a good time. Professor Douche looked more stunning when he smiled, Blaine grudgingly noticed. He wanted to wipe that gorgeous smile off Professor Douche's face. But Blaine wasn't even allowed into their little circle of douchey alphas to do that. The only omega allowed was Aidyn.

Was it because he was bonded to Luka, their alpha? Blaine stared at them, a little fascinated by the pack's dynamics. It wasn't something he would have been fascinated by, or even noticed in the past, but after Professor Douche had told him he wasn't qualified for the field trip, Blaine had done some reading on their history and a bit on anthropology. He'd even read some of Professor Douche's research. It had been boring as fuck, but it had opened his eyes.

A few seconds later it was clear to Blaine why Aidyn was allowed. It looked like Aidyn was the go-between. The bridge that connected the alphas and betas to the omegas. It was interesting, but Blaine didn't have the energy or the patience to observe their interactions. He was too pissed to care.

Blaine sat there regretting his decision to become Wayden's assistant for the millionth time. He should have stayed home. Except, he didn't have a home. Fuck. He wanted to bury his face in his hands and cry.

Later, Aidyn came back to him. To take him to the douche alphas' circle? Blaine's stomach fluttered in spite of himself.

"Your alpha is going to fetch his things from the shuttle. I thought you might need something before we go to bed," he told him.

What?

Blaine's of bubble excitement burst in his face. So, Aidyn hadn't come back to fetch him, but to tell him that Wayden was going to the shuttle without finding out if Blaine needed anything. Blaine shouldn't feel hurt, but he did. Professor Douche wasn't his alpha. He wasn't supposed to take care of Blaine. But they were in a strange place. The least he could do was to make sure Blaine was okay.

"Do you need anything?" Aidyn asked, waiting.

"Yeah, but I'll fetch it myself," Blaine said, making his way through the house to the front door. Wayden was already at the shuttle. All kinds of emotions bubbled inside Blaine. He felt abandoned and rejected. It didn't help that no one but Aidyn had spoken to him all night long. And Professor Douche had just… he'd let them. Wayden had let them ignore him.

He's not my alpha. He's not supposed to protect me, Blaine told himself. But that didn't make him feel better. Blaine didn't even know what he wanted from Wayden. His feelings were a jumbled mess where the alpha was concerned. Blaine didn't even understand them. They were weird.

One minute he found the alpha infuriating, and the next he found him fascinating and handsome, which irritated Blaine even more. It was a vicious cycle of emotions that went round and round inside him. What was even more shocking was the fact that Blaine didn't like it when Wayden ignored him. It made him feel like a loser.

Anger burned through Blaine at that thought. He wasn't a loser. And he wasn't going to allow some alpha to make him feel like one.

Blaine walked to the shuttle and barged through the door just as Wayden opened it.

"Hey," Wayden said as they collided. Wayden wrapped his arms around him to keep them from falling. Wayden's warmth enveloped Blaine, seeping into his skin, his muscles, his bones… his everywhere. Blaine felt it so deep, and his body went into overdrive. Goosebumps dotted his skin, and a shiver went through him.

Fuck, Blaine gasped.

He pushed Wayden away so fast that he lost his balance again. Wayden reached for him again. Blaine slapped Wayden's hand away.

"I'm fine," Blaine shouted, leaning against the shuttle. He pulled air into his lungs, groaning as he dragged Professor Douche's scent in with every breath. Wayden smelled so good to Blaine that it made his toes curl. The desire to bury his face in the alpha's chest and just breathe it in filled him. It was as if something inside him snapped.

Fuck… fuck… fuck… Blaine gritted his teeth as heat pooled in his groin, tugging on his cock and causing his hole to throb needily.

Was he growing wet?

No. But Blaine couldn't deny the wet warmth sliding down his thighs.

What the fuck? What was happening to him?

Blaine stared at Professor Douche, confused. His body wasn't supposed to react like that. He drank an herb that prevented that. He didn't go into heat, and Blaine never, ever had any sexual urges.

Why was he…? Blaine cringed at the sticky feeling in his pants.

He needed to get away from Wayden, get away from his scent before things got worse. And he needed his damn tea.

Blaine rushed into the shuttle. But Wayden followed him inside.

"Blaine?"

"What?" Blaine growled. He fucking needed a minute to breathe. Could he please give him some space?

Wayden moved into his space, bringing his douchey self and his delicious scent with him. Wayden's face was hard as stone, and he looked murderous.

Blaine opened his mouth to say something, but Wayden closed his right hand around his neck. He pulled him close until they were nose to nose. Blaine tried to pull away, but Wayden held on, growling in warning. The sound reverberated through Blaine, sending shivers down his spine. Blaine hated the feeling, hated his body's reaction. He didn't want to feel anything for any alpha.

"Let go, you filthy…"

Wayden's eyes narrowed at him, dark and full of anger.

Oh shit, what have I done? Blaine opened his mouth to apologise, but it was too late.

One minute they were staring at each other, and the next Wayden's teeth were sinking into his skin. Time seemed to stop. Everything disappeared. They were the only two beings on the planet, pressed together, Wayden's teeth clamped where Blaine shoulder met his neck – right where an alpha would leave a claiming mark if Blaine was to be claimed.

Blaine froze, shocked out of his mind. He stared at Wayden's bedroom door unseeingly as tingles cascaded down his spine from where Wayden bit him to his cock. The skin at the bite site throbbed as if Blaine were accepting Wayden. Accepting his claim. Accepting him as Blaine's alpha.

Blaine frowned, wanting to push Wayden away, but it felt so good… he fucking didn't want to. Pain and pleasure mingled inside him, causing sparks to erupt all over his skin, catching fire. Blaine's body burned. Liquid dripped from his hole to soak his underclothes.

No, not again.

Blaine tried to move away, but his legs were weak from the desire rushing through his veins. He wanted… Blaine whined. He arched into Wayden, needing more.

"Please… please…" he begged.

Wayden jerked away from Blaine. The sudden movement rattled Blaine to the core. Blaine blinked, feeling disoriented and unsteady on his feet. He reached for the counter to steady himself. The fire that had burned like an inferno a few minutes ago cooled, leaving Blaine cold and needy.

Fucking needy. He was never needy. Ever.

This is not me.

Blaine brought his shaking hands together. Air sawed in and out of his lungs as he tried to bring his body under control.

"Blaine," Wayden said, reaching for him.