6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Wayden

T he silence in the shuttle was suffocating. Wayden tried his best to ignore it, but it was getting to him. And he couldn't take it anymore. For three days they'd been travelling south, away from civilisation. It was just them, a few pods on the airway, and the thick, dreadful cloud of tension above them. Wayden looked up, as if he would see the imaginary cloud hanging over him, but of course there was nothing there.

Soon there'd be nothing on the airway. There wouldn't be anything to take Wayden's mind off the heavy tension in the shuttle. He'd be stuck with the hellion for days before they reached their destination.

What was Wayden thinking? He was already stuck with Blaine.

Wayden glanced at Blaine and sighed. He should be glad Blaine wasn't talking. The omega could be rude, his words cutting deep... but… fuck, why did he even care that he wasn't talking to him? Wayden rubbed his face and focused on the airway.

As night fell, Blaine excused himself to go to bed. Wayden breathed a little easier once the omega was gone. The tension and prickling sensation along his shoulders and neck melted away, leaving his muscles loose and pliant.

Wayden set the shuttle on auto-drift and walked to the cooking station to make himself something to eat. Picking up his plate, he returned to the operator's chair and sat down. He sunk into his chair, groaning as he finally relaxed for the day.

Being in Blaine's presence was draining.

The sound of his connector going off filled the silence. Wayden pressed a button on the dashboard and Matews voice echoed all around him. Wayden winced and reduced the volume.

"I guess everything is going well, since I haven't heard from either one of you," Matews said.

"I wouldn't say that," Wayden said.

"What now?" Matews asked with a groan. Wayden explained to the beta how it had been for the past three days.

"You know I'm not one to complain. But a healthy work relationship is important for my research. Blaine and I don't have that. In fact, it's getting worse. I feel tense. My body feels tight. I haven't been able to relax when we're in the same space and the damn shuttle is too small. It's draining. I need to concentrate on my research. I haven't been able to do that since we left Luka's pack. What's going to happen when we reach our destination?"

"You're going to have to make this work, Wayden."

"I know. Let's hope we don't kill each other." Wayden laughed.

"What? That's not funny. Why would you say that?"

Well… the last time Blaine had challenged him, Wayden had bit him. There was no telling what was going to happen in the future. The tension between them was enormous – Wayden was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Blaine and he shouldn't have met, that's all that Wayden knew.

"Don't worry. I'm just kidding around."

"Okay. Keep me updated," Matews said, and then coughed, mumbling something Wayden couldn't make out.

"What did you just say?" Wayden asked, turning up the volume.

"I said, perhaps a good fuck would help," Matews' voice blasted through the speaker just as Blaine's bedroom door opened. Wayden heard Blaine's shocked gasp. Wayden dived for the button to cut the connection on the dashboard, but he couldn't fucking hit the button and Matews went on. "You know, release some tension. I'm sure you'll feel better."

"Stop," Wayden shouted.

"Not until you listen to me. I pray you'll stop this self-torture bullshit. You need to have sex with someone. Pleasuring bots are not the same as having someone there to hold you and kiss you. You wouldn't be such a grouchy motherfucker if you had someone to hold you. It's a pity you've already drifted further south. You could have hired a service om…"

"Matews!" Wayden said pressing every button on the dashboard.

"Wayden, seriously. You can't pine for your ex for the rest of your life."

"Shut up… shut up… shut up…" Wayden slammed his fist on the dashboard, cutting off the connection. He buried his face in his hands for a second, waiting for Blaine to go away. But the omega just stood there. Wayden could hear Blaine breathing.

Fuck Matews for embarrassing him like this.

"Here," Blaine said behind him. "You should clean that. The food is going to ruin the seat."

What? Wayden wheeled around and saw the mess he'd made.

"Thank you," Wayden said, taking the cleaning cloth from Blaine and quickly turning away. He couldn't fucking look him in the eye. He was going to kill Matews for doing this to him. Things were already tense between him and Blaine; they didn't need to add another thing in the mix. The sound of a door closing filled the silence, making Wayden sigh.

Things are going to get worse, aren't they? Wayden asked himself as he gingerly cleaned the spilled food. Done, he checked that the shuttle was still on the right course. He might as well call it a night.

Wayden made his way to his room, took off his clothes and got under the covers. He tried hard not to think about what just happened, but Matews' words played in his mind like a really bad song. Even though Matews was irritating, there was some truth in what the beta had said. Wayden had been alone for too fucking long. He didn't even remember what it felt like to be held by an omega. Wayden turned over on his side, his heart aching a little. It had been hard to watch Luka and Aidyn together. They made a beautiful couple and the way Aidyn stared at Luka… it had fucking taken his breath away.

Wayden hadn't allowed himself to feel the longing that had sliced through him at the sight of them, but now he couldn't seem to fight it. He wanted love and everything that went with it. He wanted…

"No," Wayden whispered to the darkness. Love came with pain, mortification and a vulnerability he'd vowed never to feel again. He wasn't going back there. He just needed sex. That's all he needed. Wayden's eyes drifted to the small clothing cubicle in the corner where he'd packed his clothes and two pleasuring bots he'd brought with him. His body lit up at the thought of getting off.

As if on cue, Matews' words filtered into his mind, dampening his mood.

‘"Pleasuring bots are not the same as having someone there to hold you and kiss you."'

Shit. Wayden looked away from the clothing cubicle. Matews and his big mouth were ruining his mood. Why had he planted such thoughts in his mind? Now he won't stop thinking about it until he found someone.

Blaine's frowny face filtered into his mind.

Why was he thinking about that hellion right when he was thinking about fucking someone? He wasn't going to fuck Blaine.

Hell. No. Blaine was the worst omega to even think about. Not that the omega wasn't attractive. He was gorgeous, in fact. Caleb thought so too. Wayden had seen how the alpha had looked at Blaine. It was obvious Caleb was into Blaine. It was just that Blaine was too damn prickly. The omega would be stunning if he stopped frowning so much. And that tongue… fuck there was no cure for that. Wayden would probably hurt himself if he tried to go to bed with the omega. The very thought gave him hives.

I would choose my pleasuring bots every time , Wayden thought as he drifted off to sleep, only to plunge into a weird erotic dream about him and Blaine where the moment of the bite was amplified, and he could feel everything on a fucking high. It was like he was back in that moment, reliving every second. The taste of Blaine's skin exploded in his mouth, enticing him to sink his teeth deeper until he tasted blood.

Wayden clutched Blaine close, loving the omega's weight and warmth as he leaned into him as if he was accepting his bite. Blaine's scent sweetened – a clear sign of how turned on he was. If Wayden tunnelled his fingers into his pants, would he find him wet… ready for him? The thought caused Wayden's heart to pound.

"Please… please…" Blaine begged.

Wayden woke up with a start. The dream faded away, leaving him hard and wanting. Wayden stared down at the tented sheets and cursed Matews. He was the one who'd put such ridiculous ideas into Wayden's mind. Now he was dreaming of strange shit. He didn't even like Blaine. He would rather die than have that hellion in his bed.

Wayden got out of bed and made his way to the washroom. There, he turned on the bathing bot, selected cold water and stepped inside.

"Fuck, it's cold." Wayden gritted his teeth as he forced himself to sit down. His cock deflated as soon as he submerged himself in water. Wayden sat in there until his skin became all wrinkly and his sex dream was a distant memory.

By the time he got out of his room, Blaine was already seated at the cooking station drinking his tea. Wayden's nose twitched as he picked up the scent from his tea. It was an unusual smell, and Wayden wondered what it was for. Normal teas usually smelled flowery, sweet and earthy. Blaine's tea smelled weird, almost medicinal.

"Morning," Wayden mumbled as he made his way to the front of the shuttle. He sat in the operator's seat and took hold of the controls. Blaine came and sat in his seat a few minutes later. The omega's scent drifted all around him, filling the space, enticing him, reminding Wayden of the dream. Wayden rubbed his nose, irritably.

It wasn't like he hadn't noticed Blaine's scent before. He had. It was nice, but now it smelled more than nice. It was doing things to him – things that left Wayden needy.

He couldn't fucking stop thinking about sex. And the silence wasn't helping. He needed something to stop him from thinking. The airway was all clear; the land was flat with nothing to see for miles. And they still had close to two days of this to go.

Fuck. No. Something had to change. Wayden couldn't be horny and tense at the same time.

"What did you observe from the pack?" Wayden blurted out, not caring what Blaine thought. Wayden couldn't stand the silence anymore.

Blaine turned and stared at him. Wayden waited, not sure if the omega would answer him or not. The few seconds of silence were torture. Wayden's skin literally broke out in goosebumps, as if he'd been electrocuted.

Damn.

Wayden cleared his throat. "I mean. It helps to hear different opinions."

"Is that what you did with your other assistants? You listened to their opinions?" Blaine asked.

The way Blaine asked the question felt different from the other times, somehow. Like he really wanted to know, and it was important to him. Blaine wasn't playing with Wayden or trying to get a rise out of him. Wayden stared at him for a second before he answered, because the answer to Blaine's question was no. Wayden's assistants recorded the information he needed and, to avoid external influences, they didn't discuss his work.

But Wayden wanted a damn break from his thoughts and the tense energy between them. And – Wayden couldn't believe he felt this way about the hellion – he kind of missed Blaine's constant chatter, even though he insulted him half the time. It had made their trip from the capital to Beon short and entertaining. Nothing like the past three days.

"Yes," Wayden lied just to get the omega to talk.

"Hmmm," Blaine hummed thoughtfully. He looked like he was thinking about his next words. "Aidyn and Luka's relationship is interesting," Blaine said shyly.

Wayden stared at Blaine, stunned. Blaine looked so different in that moment – endearing almost. Wayden couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Was it weird that he found him hot at that moment?

Yes, definitely, weird.

He shouldn't find Blaine anything. He shouldn't even be thinking about him in that way. The omega spelled disaster. He fucking needed to get laid, that's all, Wayden told himself as he focused on the airway. He prayed there would be single omegas in the pack they were going to.

"The fact that Aidyn has power within the pack is intriguing," Blaine said. "He said some interesting things that I think could benefit a lot of omegas out there. We need omegas in power who will listen to our problems. Right now, the council of alphas will never listen. They like the situation the way it is. They'll never allow an omega into the council of alphas."

That was true. There had never been an omega in that position of power in their planet's history. But that didn't mean they were incapable. Their society just didn't allow for omegas in high positions.

"Yeah. But things need to change," Wayden said.

"You agree with me?" Blaine asked. The shock in his voice wasn't hard to miss. Wayden hid a smile, feeling giddy for the first time since they left. He felt like he'd won the most coveted prize in their field. It was an accomplishment to shock the little minx. Blaine always had a scathing remark for everything.

"I do. You and I are actually on the same page, though you believe otherwise," Wayden said.

Blaine stared at him for a few minutes, then looked away with a huff.

Wayden laughed. "What? Nothing to say?"

"Shut up!" Blaine growled. "You're always trying to make me look stupid."

"That was never my intention," Wayden said.

"I'm going to shut up now," Blaine said.

Please don't. Wayden wanted to beg. He finally felt relaxed and the tension between them had lessened and Wayden could finally breathe again.

Fuck.

He couldn't force the omega to talk to him. And Wayden couldn't blame Blaine for how he was reacting to his silences either. It was all Wayden's problem. He would deal with it. He just had to relax. He could do it.

Wayden gripped the controllers, and actively ignored Blaine. The silence continued and a thousand miles later they were in the southern part of the planet, but nowhere near their destination. The pack Wayden was visiting lived in the less developed part of the planet.

Primitive didn't even begin to describe them. They literally lived in the forest and had been practising their olden way of living for a hundred years. Wayden was intrigued by that. He couldn't wait to see how they survived without much help from the council of alphas and how their way of life could offer solutions to their current problems.

Wayden set the shuttle on auto-drift as he decided to call it a night. He turned to Blaine, who'd remained in his seat until now, something he'd never done before.

"Are you hungry?" Wayden heard himself ask. He shut his mouth, wishing he could take his words back. Why had he said that?

"Yes," Blaine said, getting to his feet.

Wayden stepped back. The front of the shuttle was too small for both of them to be standing at the same time.

"We should eat and get some rest. We still have a long day of travelling tomorrow," Wayden blurted out, rushing to the cooking station.

"Really?" Blaine asked sulkily. "How far south are we going?"

"Far. I warned you about this, remember?" Wayden said. He opened cupboards, trying to think of what to make. Blaine sat at the counter and stared at him. "Are you going to sit there and watch me?"

"Yes," Blaine said without hesitation. "Cook for me."

Wayden froze as his body heated. His cock jerked in his pants. Blaine's words shouldn't sound suggestive, but… fuck… in his sex-deprived mind they did. Wayden snatched whatever was in front of him and slammed it in front of Blaine.

"Get up and chop this," Wayden said to hide his reaction to the omega. Blaine looked down and grimaced.

Wayden looked down and grimaced too. Shit. Why did he have to pick up that fruit of all things? Wayden's cheeks turned warm.

"Peel it," Wayden commanded, unwilling to take it back. He turned away and got the meat out of the chilling compartment.

"This is making me question whatever you're making over there," Blaine said from behind him. Wayden turned to watch him pick up the fruit gingerly. "I can stomach almost anything, but sour fruit and meat is not one of those things."

"Shut up!" Wayden said, holding back laughter. He quickly made their meal, sans the sour fruit. Done, he placed a plate in front of Blaine.

The little shit gave it a suspicious stare. "Is it safe?" Blaine asked.

"Just eat."

"Are you sure?"

"You watched me make the food the whole time," Wayden said, going around the counter to sit next to the omega. They sat at the counter and silently ate. Weirdly enough, the silence didn't bother Wayden. It was strange. Maybe he was getting used to Blaine.

"Not bad," Blaine commented when they were done. He got up from his chair and turned towards his room. Wayden reached out and grabbed Blaine's arm without thinking. He paused, confused by his own action. He shrugged, refusing to think too deeply about it.

"Where do you think you're going?" Wayden asked, ignoring the warmth that seeped into his skin.

"To bed. You said we should eat and rest," Blaine said smugly, as if he knew what Wayden wanted to say. "I'm only following your instructions."

"You little…" Wayden said getting to his feet, but Blaine snatched his arm out of his grasp and ran. "Come back here and do the dishes. I cooked. You clean."

"No, I don't," Blaine called, his laughter echoing all around Wayden.

He was back. The little devil Wayden had met at the Covus mansion was back. Wayden was shocked to realise that he was smiling, and he didn't seem to mind it.

"Blaine!"

"I didn't make that mess. You did."

"A mess you ate up," Wayden said. He winced when he realised how filthy that sounded. Blaine's head popped into the hallway; his eyes wide. Wayden scrambled to gather the dishes and ran to the sink as if his ass was on fire. He opened the tap. The sound of water running filled the awkward silence. Wayden prayed the little hellion wouldn't say anything to mock him.

Wayden stared up at the shuttle ceiling and waited. The wait seemed to make the moment more awkward. Just fucking say it, Wayden thought.

"You're so gross. I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Blaine shouted. The door slammed shut a few seconds later.

"You're gross," Wayden mumbled. He paused surprised at himself. What was wrong with him? Was he five?

Fuck that omega.

Wayden shook his head. He cleaned up the cooking station and made sure everything was running smoothly for the night. Done, he went to his room. He took off his clothes as he walked to the bed. He'd hardly slept a wink last night because of his dream, Matews' stupid advice and the tension in the shuttle. Wayden hoped tonight would be different. He yawned, dragging the covers up to his nose.

The shuttle's steady rocking lulled Wayden to sleep, but he came instantly awake a few minutes later. Wayden frowned not sure what had woken him. And then he felt it.

There was something warm against him. What? Wayden stared into the darkness confused. And then Blaine's scent hit his nose. It was everywhere in his room, which meant…

The lump of warmth moved against Wayden, snuggling close to his naked body.

"Blaine?" Wayden coughed out, shifting away. "What are you doing?"

A hissy sound filled the room as Blaine shivered against him. "What does it look like? I'm trying not to die."

"What?" Wayden looked over his shoulder at Blaine, trying his best to keep the covers around his body as Blaine pulled on them. "Go back to your room," Wayden growled using, his alpha voice on him.

Blaine ignored him and got closer, his moan reverberating through Wayden. "You're so warm."

Blaine's hands slid over Wayden's back. Wayden wasn't sure if Blaine meant to touch him or not. But for whatever reason, Wayden's body reacted. His cock hardened in seconds. Heat slithered down his back, following Blaine's hands.

Fuck.

What the fuck was Blaine doing?

"Blaine…" Wayden warned.

"Why are you naked?" the omega asked sleepily.

Did Blaine even realise what he was doing? Wayden doubted it. The omega was an odd one. He could be sleepwalking, for all he knew.

Wayden sighed. He turned over, which brought him face to face with Blaine. Wayden groaned as his hard cock pressed into Blaine's hip. It was too dark for him to see Blaine's face, but he could tell the second Blaine realised what he'd done. Blaine froze beneath him, his breath audibly catching in his throat.

Blaine tried to shimmy away, but Wayden held on to him, his arms automatically tightening around him.

He felt so good under him.

How long has it been since I've held an omega in my arms? Wayden asked himself.

Too long, he thought, tingles cascading down his spine. Desire thrummed through his veins. And he wanted to fuck… sink his cock into a wet hole. He'd never felt the need as acutely as he did right then. His body shook with it.

Wayden dropped his head onto his pillow and willed his body to cool down. He took deep breaths. That didn't fucking help because he could smell Blaine's scent with every breath. Wayden recited every research paper he'd ever written by title, year and volume. And they were many. When he felt like he could speak again, he raised his head and stared down at Blaine.

"Do you want to tell me what you're doing in my bed?" he forced out.

"I'm not here for that monster digging into my thigh. Move." Blaine snapped. Wayden hovered above him for a few seconds before he shifted away impatiently. "That thing you call a room is freezing. I nearly died in there."

"And coming to my bed was your brightest idea."

"It was either this or die in there. And I still want to live. Even if it means I have to share a bed with you."

"You could have used the extra blankets Matews put in there," Wayden said.

"I wouldn't be in here if your measly blankets worked," Blaine said, snuggling into the covers. "I don't want to sleep with you either. You can go sleep in there if you don't believe me."

Wayden pinched the bridge of his nose and prayed for divine intervention. Please take him out of my bed , Wayden silently prayed. But fucking no one answered. The little hellion was still there.

Wayden forced himself out of the bed. He heard Blaine make a weird sound. Wayden didn't stop to ask him what was wrong. He moved to the clothing cubicle and pulled out his sleeping clothes. He roughly put them on, wondering why he was giving in to the little minx. Blaine was literally kicking him out of bed, and he was letting him.

Wayden shook his head as he walked out of his room. He stepped into Blaine's room and stared at the pile of blankets on the bed. Cold air swirled around him, seeping into his skin. Blaine hadn't been kidding. It was freezing in there.

Wayden slid his hand along the wall for the heating switch. He turned it on and waited for a few minutes, but nothing happened. It was still freezing.

Fuck. Matews must have not done a thorough check of the shuttle.

Fuck… fuck… fuck… Wayden gritted his teeth to keep from screaming. Then again, the beta wouldn't have thought of it since the capital was still warm. The southern part of the planet was another thing. It was colder than the north and it was probably going to get colder the further they went.

Fuck. This was going to be a problem. He should have remembered this. But Wayden had been too preoccupied with getting everything ready for his journey to check the heating system.

Now, what was he going to do? He couldn't sleep in the freezing cold or go back to his room. Not with his fucking cock hardening at the slightest touch from the sly omega.

Wayden moaned as he remembered Blaine's hands running down his back. Blaine had fucking done that on purpose to get him out of that bed. There was no other reason for the omega to touch him like that. Wayden walked into the hallway and stared at his bedroom door.

That little devil.

He should go back in there and see if Blaine would continue to sleep in his bed with Wayden there. He should fucking do it. He should. He shouldn't let him win.

Wayden stood there for a few minutes, willing himself to move, but he didn't. The very thought of sleeping next to Blaine had his body vibrating from the anticipation thrumming through his veins. His cock jerked liking the idea.

Fucking hell.

I need to get laid as soon as possible, Wayden thought, turning away. He made his way to the front of the shuttle. Dropping into the operator's chair, he flipped the auto-drift switch to manual. There was no way he was going to sleep after that.

Fuck. He was doomed.