(ZEVRAN)
My chest ached oddly, and all my protective alpha instincts flared to life. It was impossible for my body not to respond to the sensation of his warm skin pressed to mine.
I hoped he couldn't tell I was hard through my underwear. This wasn't a moment I wanted to blow by being aroused. He needed comfort. That was all I planned on giving him, contrary to what my cock hoped for.
If he noticed my erection, he didn't seem to care. He stayed where he was, nestled against my chest.
When his breathing deepened again, I smiled. He'd fallen asleep.
I felt a nudge of pride that he trusted me enough to fall asleep in my arms. I guess his nightmare had overridden his earlier anger at me. I lightly fluttered my fingers over his shoulders, soothing him.
I hadn't held another person since Lukas had died. I'd forgotten how good it felt to have a warm body in my arms. Feeling his heartbeat against mine, the soft puffs of his breath on my skin gave me goosebumps. I'd denied my natural alpha needs and instincts for so long, they were almost alien to me now.
Yet, the desire to protect Asa throbbed through me.
We barely knew each other, but I again felt that push to keep him safe. It was what I'd felt at The Auction. An overwhelming need to do whatever it took to shield him. Whether it was spending money or using my bare fists. I was compelled to protect Asa from harm.
Originally, I'd told myself it was his youth that sparked that in me. But I wasn't so sure now. The way I'd chased him when he ran. I could easily have let him go, or just had Ronin bring him back home.
But I hadn't been able to stay away. I hadn't been able to trust the entire operation to Ronin. I'd had an overwhelming need to be there when he was found. I wasn't sure what any of that meant, but it wasn't normal for me to behave that way.
Now we were in bed together. I was holding him. Caring for him. There was an ache in my gut that I couldn't name. But it felt so right to have him in my arms. It seemed he'd forgiven me. I couldn't even describe how pleased that made me. I'd scared him to death when I'd made those stupid threats, but it appeared he'd let that go. Why else would he have fallen asleep again? He trusted me enough to lie defenseless in my arms.
I inhaled his scent, feeling almost drunk on it. I closed my eyes, allowing myself to relax. I hadn't felt such peace since Lukas. His love had tethered me to the world. His affection had comforted me and given me a reason to live. When he'd died, I'd lost that reason. But as I held Asa, that old feeling seemed to ebb and flow through my soul once more.
I tried not to examine it too closely because I was happy. If I thought about it too much, guilt might come, and I didn't want that to spoil the moment.
It was cozy with Asa in my arms, and I too must have fallen asleep.
I suddenly woke to the sweetest scent I'd ever experienced. The odor was so beautifully pungent, it was as if I was buried in a pile of honeysuckle. I opened my eyes and realized Asa was no longer in my arms.
The sun had risen, and the room had a hazy early morning light. I turned my head and found Asa sitting beside me. His cheeks were flushed, and his eyes glittered. He was still naked, and his knees were pulled up to his chin.
I was confused to see that beneath his ass, there was a large, damp spot on the sheets. It suddenly hit me that the scent that I was smelling was slick.
Asa was breathing quickly as he held my gaze. My dick immediately throbbed as I realized he was in heat.
Shit.
He gave a strange whimper, clutching the sheets in his hands. "Oh, God," he whispered. "I… I…" As he finished speaking, more slick dribbled from his hole, and he shuddered.
My nostrils flared as his alluring scent swirled around us. I hadn't expected this at all. There had been no sign that he was about to go into heat. Was that because he'd been on the suppression pills for so long? Had he realized he was about to go into heat? Was that why he'd run? I didn't think so because he looked too startled at what was happening to him.
Before I could think of what to say, he reached out to me. His lips were plump, and his eyes dark with need. "Help me," he mumbled, shifting his body as if he were in pain.
I quickly moved off the bed, trying to control my natural instinct to oblige him. My dick was hard and tenting my underwear, but I stayed as far from him as possible.
"You'll be okay, Asa. I… I'll send Ronin to fetch some suppression pills."
"It's too late," he moaned, shuddering.
He was right. Even if he took a pill right this second, it would take at least a day for the drug to work and the heat to subside. How the hell was I going to resist him on the drive home?
On the way back, Ronin might even be affected by his scent. That was a disturbing thought. Ronin might be tempted to try and mate Asa because of the delicious scent he was giving off. Was I going to have to go to war with Ronin to keep him away from Asa?
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I'd really dropped the ball. When he'd said he was taking suppressants until recently, why the hell hadn't I immediately put him back on those damn pills?
Since I hadn't planned on breeding him, obviously, he should have gone back on those suppressants. Lukas had always been so good about handling those things. I'd forgotten that a young, inexperienced omega like Asa might not be as savvy.
He rolled onto his stomach and then lifted his ass in the air.
My mouth went dry as I took in his pink hole. He was presenting to me. Trying to tempt me to take what I instinctively wanted to take. Slick slipped out of him, dripping down his thigh and pooling on the cotton sheets, and a groan escaped my lips.
It would be so easy to give him what he wanted. My dick was painfully hard, and all I could think about was his scent and how much I needed to be inside him.
Gritting my teeth, I tried to think straight. Which would be worse, trying to avoid fucking him while in the car or in this room?
That was the painful choice I had before me. I couldn't give him what he wanted. What I wanted. That just wouldn't be right.
One other option was to let him out of the room. He'd be pounced on by any alpha within two miles. They'd give him what he craved, and he'd stop trying to seduce me. But he'd end up pregnant. And the very thought of another alpha breeding him didn't sit right with me. In fact, the very idea infuriated me. Sickened me.
Hands shaking, I grabbed my phone and dialed Ronin. "Change of plans," I said when he answered.
"Yes, Sir. Whatever you say."
"Asa is in heat."
There was a strained silence, and then, "Aww, Hell."
Indeed.
"I need you to go get some suppressants."
"But Sir—"
"I know." My voice wobbled. "But at least we'll only be stuck here one day. Go get them and leave them outside the door." I didn't bother saying I didn't trust him to enter the room where Asa was. He knew perfectly well why I was making him stay away.
"Yes, Sir. I'll go right now."
"Thanks." I hung up.
When I turned back to Asa, he was writhing on the bed, humping the mattress. His pale skin was flushed, and his muscles strained.
From the desperate sounds coming from his mouth, I knew he was trying to climax. But coming like that wouldn't help him. It wouldn't satiate his hunger. He needed an alpha to fuck him. Knot in him. That was the only way he'd get relief. That and when the suppressants kicked in within a day.
Unfortunately, a day felt like a year with my nostrils filled with his pheromones.
I pulled on my jeans, barely able to zip them because I was so hard. I buttoned my shirt with trembling fingers and then strode to the door. I opened it and heard Asa cry out as he came. But then the whimpering began again, almost immediately.
Turn around. Just go give him what he wants. Fuck him. Fuck him.
Fuck him.
Clenching my jaw, I stepped outside the room and shut the door firmly behind me.