8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Wayden

N o… no… no. This couldn't be happening.

Wayden stared at the destroyed hut in horror. A hut he'd hoped Blaine would use during their stay in the pack, while he remained in the shuttle.

"We had a terrible storm last night. I wouldn't be surprised if it starts to snow tonight," Escala said. He looked up at the sky as if he could predict the weather by just staring at it. Well, he was the alpha of the pack, so he probably knew everything about the land. "We could try to rebuild, but it won't be possible once it starts to snow. I hope the shuttle will be comfortable until we can figure out what to do."

Comfortable? That was the last thing he'd call the shuttle.

Wayden silently groaned. He wasn't looking forward to tonight. He'd barely slept the last time he was in his bed because Blaine's scent was everywhere, and he couldn't help but react to it. Wayden had been so hard; sleep was the last thing on his mind. And he couldn't even do anything about it in case Blaine heard him. The damn shuttle was too small.

Fuck. He couldn't do this for months on end. There had to be another way.

"We have a heating malfunction in one of the rooms. Do you perhaps have a technician who can look at it?" Wayden asked hopefully, even though they were far away from civilization. The pack was largely living off the grid without a lot of the amenities Wayden was used to in the capital.

"No," Escala said. "I'm sorry. We try not to change our land or introduce anything that will be harmful to the environment in the future. The airway and an outdated connector are the only things we allowed the council of alphas to install here because it benefits us. We don't want anything else."

"Of course," Wayden said. He tried not to show his disappointment as he turned away from the ruined hut. Blaine and he could co-exist. They were adults after all. "We'll manage in the shuttle," Wayden forced out.

"I'm glad to hear that," Escala said. "And let's hope it doesn't snow in the meantime so we can try to rebuild the hut."

Wayden nodded. He stared up at the sky and silently prayed. He needed a moment away from that omega.

"Let me introduce you to everyone," Escala said, turning towards a large hut in the distance. "They've been anticipating your arrival. We never have visitors from the capital."

"I'm sure you have a good reason for that," Wayden said.

Escala nodded, looking around him with a satisfied grin on his face. "Our way of life is precious to me. And we've protected it from the council of alphas' influence for a very long time. The smallest thing can change everything."

"Yes, that's true."

"You don't seem to be doing so well out there," Escala said.

"That's why I'm here. I can't wait to experience your way of life," Wayden said. "I hope I can find the answers to some of our troubles."

"Do you mind if I ask what your research is about? I know we connected a few times, but I can't say that I understand much of what you said."

"Oh, certainly," Wayden said, going into detail about his research. They walked past the lake where a few omegas had gathered. Blaine was amongst them, chatting and laughing. Wayden's heart gave a little jolt at the sight.

Fucking hell, Wayden grumbled. He had no business developing any feelings for the little devil. He'd sworn off omegas anyway. After his ex… Wayden had sworn never to fall in love again. The pain Ambrose had caused him had been too much to bear. His heart couldn't take any more. Even if his heart could take it, Wayden refused to put himself in that position. Because, no matter how hard you try, love hurts.

Wayden had been obsessed with Ambrose. He'd loved him beyond words, beyond everything in his life. Wayden would have given up everything if the omega asked him to. But Wayden's love was not enough.

Fuck. He should stop thinking about the past. It was depressing. And he was already feeling down because of the destroyed hut. Wayden had hoped he'd get a full night's sleep. But it would seem it wasn't going to happen any time soon.

Escala led the way to the main hut where Wayden got to meet the rest of the pack. Their happy smiles and warm welcome were enough to make Wayden forget about his dilemma with Blaine.

Well, until Blaine walked into the hut a few minutes later with the other omegas Wayden had seen him with. The omegas looked enchanted by him. They stared at Blaine with awe, probably because they'd never seen an omega from the capital before.

Wayden was glad Blaine was being nice to them and not being his usual rude and unpleasant self. Blaine looked relaxed, a tiny smile gracing his lips. Wayden's eyes dropped to Blaine's lips before he could stop himself. He quickly looked away, irritated with himself.

What the hell was wrong with him?

He really needed to get laid because this was getting out of control.

Betas carrying large trays of food walked into the hut. They set the trays on large tables on one side of the room, and everyone converged there to get food.

Wayden noticed that there was no separation based on designation within the pack. They sat and ate together. From the outside it looked like their designations didn't matter. But it did matter. Their society was built on their designations.

It was fascinating.

Wayden observed their interactions throughout lunch. When they were done, everyone went back to whatever they'd been doing before Wayden and Blaine had arrived. And it seemed they were all preparing for the coming winter. The omegas gathered firewood while the alphas and betas went around repairing the huts. Wayden joined in to help. As much as he was there to observe, he was going to live with the pack for fifteen months. It was only fair that he helped.

The air got chilly as the day went by. And by nighttime it was freezing. It was definitely going to snow tonight.

Fuck. Wayden rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes landing on the shuttle a few paces away. He'd thought he could risk sleeping in the small room if it was warmer. But at this rate, he'd be risking hypothermia.

What was he going to do?

"What has you thinking so hard?" Blaine asked, suddenly next to him. They hadn't spoken all day long, but Wayden had been aware of the omega even though Blaine had been on the other side of the lake.

Wayden was too fucking aware of Blaine. And that was the problem.

"You seem to like it here," Wayden said, ignoring Blaine's question.

Blaine gave him a questioning look before he nodded. "Yes. It's nice. I've never seen anything like it before. It's so calm and peaceful."

It was. And Wayden couldn't enjoy any of it. He was too stressed out about what would happen tonight. He couldn't stay up all night, not if he wanted to get any work done.

"Tonight, we…" Wayden began. His throat closed, cutting him off. Fuck. Why was this so hard to say?

"I know," Blaine said. "The omegas showed me the destroyed hut earlier. I figured..."

"If there was another way… I would…" Wayden said, feeling awkward and uncomfortable. You'd swear he'd never slept in the same bed with an omega before. He had. Albeit a long time ago.

"Don't worry. I'm sure we'll be fine. Sharing a bed shouldn't be difficult," Blaine said awkwardly.

"Right," Wayden said, glancing at the omega. Blaine quickly looked away. How were they going to share a bed if they could barely look at each other? "I … need to go and aah…" Wayden pointed to somewhere in the distance and shuffled that way.

"Yes, of course," Blaine said. The omega turned and walked in the opposite direction.

Damn, this was awkward, Wayden thought, walking away. He found something to keep him busy until it was time to go to bed. The pack went to bed early because of the cold and the fact that there wasn't much to do at night. Without any devices or electricity, it was hard to stay awake all night long, though Wayden wished that he could.

He dragged himself to the shuttle. Blaine came out of the tiny room just as Wayden walked in. He was dressed in his sleeping clothes, ready for bed. Wayden tried not to stare at the way Blaine's clothes hung loosely on his body. It wasn't sexy or anything, but it made Wayden think of the body beneath the clothes – what it looked like, how it would feel against him. Wayden's cock jerked in his pants.

Fuck.

"I need to…" he mumbled, rushing to his room. He closed the door behind him and leaned on it for a second. Though he didn't know why he bothered closing it. Blaine was going to come in there soon enough.

Shit. He was in trouble.

Wayden moved to the washroom and turned on the bathing bot, filling it up with cold water again. There was an easier and more pleasurable way to take the edge off, but Blaine would hear him, and he didn't exactly have the luxury of time. Blaine would be in the room soon.

Wayden hissed as he cupped his cock through his pants. He should just do it.

No. The shuttle was too damn small for what he needed. And Wayden wasn't sure he could be silent. He was that turned on. His cock was so hard it could rip a hole in his pants. Wayden closed his eyes and prayed for mercy.

He'd forgotten how needy he got.

After Ambrose had broken his heart, Wayden had been determined to stay away from omegas and he'd shut down that part of himself. Now, it was fucking awake.

He fucking needed to get laid.

Wayden roughly pulled off his clothes and stepped close to the bathing bot. The cold water swirled around in the bot. Wayden's skin shrivelled up from just staring at it, but he knew he needed to cool down. Or he was going to suffer all night long, sleeping next to that little demon.

"I'm already suffering," Wayden mumbled to himself. He gingerly stepped into the bathing bot, hissing at the first touch of the cold water. His body turned cold instantly. Wayden took the quickest bath of his life. When he was done, his teeth were chattering. He went to the bedroom and put on his sleeping clothes. He stared at the bed, feeling a little weird.

The door to the room opened just then. Blaine's head peeped into the room. "Are you decent?" he asked.

"Yeah." Wayden walked to the bed and then stopped. "Do you have a preference?" he asked pointing to the bed. "I mean, I can sleep on any side. I don't know if you…"

Blaine laughed.

He fucking laughed.

Did he think this was a joke?

"You look like you've never shared a bed with an omega before," Blaine said, walking to the bed. He got under the covers and scooted closer to the wall of the shuttle.

"I've shared a bed with an omega. But never one I wasn't fucking," Wayden said. Blaine gasped and stared at him. "Don't look so shocked. I'm sure you've slept with an alpha before."

Blaine continued to stare at him, an innocent look in his eyes. Too fucking innocent.

Fuck.

"Never?"

"Yes, never."

"But you've had sex with one, right?"

"And if I haven't?"

"You… you…" Wayden stared at Blaine lost for words. Was Blaine a virgin? No. That couldn't be right. "I can't be the first…"

"We're only sharing a bed, Professor Mephis. Nothing more. Can we go to sleep now?" Blaine turned over to face the wall. He pulled the covers over his head, effectively ending their conversation.

Wayden walked to the bed, his mind stuck on the fact that Blaine was a virgin. Even though Blaine hadn't confirmed it, Wayden could tell that he was the fucking first alpha to be this close to the omega.

It shouldn't matter either way, because nothing was going to happen between them. But somehow, it did matter. And it was making an already tense situation worse.

If Wayden had thought he was tense before… now he was wound so tight he couldn't fucking breathe.

Why had he let Matews talk him into this?

Wayden cursed the beta a thousand times as he got into bed. He pulled the covers over him and prayed for sleep but, like before, no one answered his prayer. It would seem he was in this alone. He wasn't going to get any help or rest. Tomorrow was going to be another long day. Maybe he could take a nap once he was done with work. That decided, Wayden wrapped his arms around his chest and tried his best to fall asleep.

Blaine shifted around behind him, getting comfortable. With every movement, Blaine brushed against Wayden's back, causing tingles to rush down his spine to his cock.

"Blaine…" Wayden growled, his alpha voice slipping through. Blaine froze. Wayden winced, waiting for the little shit to say something.

Minutes ticked by, and Blaine said nothing.

Wayden looked over his shoulder at him.

"What?" Blaine asked innocently. "I'm not allowed to get comfortable?"

"Please go to sleep," Wayden begged. Blaine pushed to his elbows and moved closer. Wayden felt Blaine's breath hit his face. Heat pooled in his groin, igniting a yearning so deep, Wayden had a hard time resisting it. "Blaine, I'm warning you. Go to sleep," Wayden said.

"Fine," the little devil snapped. He moved around roughly, shoving his elbow into Wayden's back. Wayden gritted his teeth, forcing himself not to react. Blaine was trying to get a rise out of him, trying get Wayden to leave the bed.

Not going to happen.

Wayden wasn't going to let Blaine chase him out of his room this time. He needed sleep.

Blaine settled down.

Finally, Wayden silently thought. He waited for a few seconds before he let himself relax and drift away into the sweetest dream ever. He was wrapped around soft flesh and toasty warmth that made his toes curl. He never wanted the dream to end.

But it did. And when he woke up, he was alone in bed, which was a good thing because he was fucking hard as steel.

Wayden groaned, shifting to his side. His hand glided down his body to grasp his cock. He hissed already feeling on edge. His cock pulsed in his hand, his hips rocking forward involuntarily.

Oh shit… Wayden moaned into his pillow ready to come.

Was this how it was going to be? With him sexually frustrated all the time?

He hoped not, because he'd fucking go crazy.