by Eva Lyra
That was nuts. He didn’t have a relationship with Reese. It wasn’t as if they’d ever slept together. So why the fuck did Tiberius miss him so damn much? It made no sense.
He did his best to focus on studying. And drinking. And forgetting.
And trying not to run into Reese.
Something in which he failed again and again. It seemed Reese was everywhere at once. Every corner he turned, every classroom he entered, Reese was there.
And he wasn’t the only one so aware of the pretty omega.
Other alphas had been eyeing him from the start. It wasn’t as if Tiberius hadn’t been aware of it. Ever since he’d taken Reese as his Boi, he’d seen the hungry looks thrown his Boi’s way. He’d trusted the unspoken rule that nobody touched one’s Boi to keep them away from Reese.
Now, though... Now Reese was free of the deal, a free agent, an open buffet for anyone interested, and oh boy, were there interested parties. Sooner or later, the other alphas would find out that Reese was now free for the taking.
Normally an omega using suppressants shouldn’t have that big a problem on his hands, but with the strong scent his omega... Reese, damn it, just Reese, was giving off, the mouthwatering, dizzying sweet caramel scent of his heat, Tiberius was worried.
Which he shouldn’t be. Reese wasn’t his Boi. Or his Mate. He didn’t belong to Tiberius. It wasn’t Tiberius’s task to protect him.
But the urge was there, the need, just as if Reese were his Mate. He knew that part of it was due to Reese’s heat. It wasn’t everything, though, was it?
No, Tiberius couldn’t lie to himself like that.
Though he damn well tried.
As if all that wasn’t bad enough, the clans’ President, Ambrosius, had sent him a message—nay, an official letter giving him a time and place to meet with his “betrothed” before the wedding.
Well, gee, how nice. He had no desire to meet this omega, or marry him. In fact, he had no desire to get close and personal with anyone except...
Except for Reese.
Damn it!
Tiberius had to get out of the Academy, shift and run, and Nero was with him, quiet and closed off, his gaze kind of blank as they took off their clothes and folded them, leaving them in the bushes at the entrance of the grand city park where shifters often went for runs.
Tiberius was kinda worried about Nero. He seemed more brooding than ever, but he wouldn’t tell him what had happened. He’d never told him about his past, about the faint scar on his face, the old scars on his back and chest.
And Marcus was in the worst drinking bout Tiberius had ever seen him in, and he was also mum about whatever it was that had triggered it.
Tiberius would be worried as hell about them both if his brain was in working order. As it was, he was torn between calling Reese back to him and bashing his own head against a wall to stop thinking about him. He’d rubbed his cock raw, jacking off endlessly every night to thoughts of him, but it wasn’t enough.
No, nothing was enough when it came to Reese, and Tiberius was so fucking concerned that the other alphas might hurt him, assault him.
Even worse, Claim him.
Fuck...
Shifting was a relief. Tiberius groaned as bones shifted and broke to reform, as muscles stretched and rearranged themselves, but at least his wolf brain was simpler than the human one. It was still his brain, his thoughts were still there, but the worries and fears were shoved aside in favor of instincts and the pure simple joys of running and hunting. He welcomed the change, and turned to see Nero shifting into his huge black wolf form, a shock of pale hair over his wolf eyes.
He growled at Tiberius.
Tiberius growled back. He wondered what Reese’s wolf form was like. Smaller, most definitely. He wondered if his fur would be pale like his skin, or dark like his hair. How he would sound yipping and growling and howling as a wolf.
He wished he could run with him, play with him among the trees, roll him in the grass, mount him...
And now Tiberius was panting, tongue lolling, his cock hard like a rock.
Nero was off running, and he followed him awkwardly. His wolf cock was even bigger than his human one, and it was stiff and painful between his hind legs.
This madness had to stop. He had to stop lusting after Reese. Reese wasn’t his concern anymore, wasn’t his problem. Let him find another alpha to Bite and Mark him, fill his belly with pups. Tiberius wasn’t ready for any of that. He had enough resting on his shoulders already...
***
Speaking of which...
The clans’ president got up from his seat in the restaurant’s private alcove to shake his hand. “Glad you could make it, Tiberius.”
Dressed in an expensive suit, his long whiskers glinting silver and his long canines glinting gold, Ambrosius Greywolf of the Sword Clan looked intimidating as all hell.
His father had all but held a knife to Tiberius’s back to force him to make the meeting, but Tiberius only nodded and took his seat. He glanced around. “Where’s Fennix?”
“My son is on his way. Should be here any minute. Drink?”
Without waiting for a reply, Ambrosius snapped his fingers and a waiter ran to fetch a bottle of Scotch. He poured Tiberius a good measure, then left the bottle, bowed and left as if chased by demons. The waiter was an omega, Tiberius realized.
Yeah, if Tiberius felt intimidated by the old gray wolf, he couldn’t imagine how omegas might feel around him.
Not that Tiberius was about to show any weakness in front of the clans’ president and potential father-in-law.
Fuck. He suppressed a shudder. But who knew? Maybe this Fennix was great, maybe Tiberius would fall instantly in lust with him, want him like he wanted Reese.
It was a possibility, right? Don’t knock it till you try it, and he had to keep an open mind. Besides, he was curious. He’d heard a lot of rumors about Lotus Academy but never met any omega attending it. Most omegas there, so the rumor went, were picked from the street and given scholarships they had to pay back before given leave to go and be Mated. It was a preparatory school, teaching pretty omegas to cook and clean and keep a household running, but also to entertain with music and dance. During their apprenticeships, Lotus omegas would be called out to entertain or take care of alphas and be paid for their presence, which money would then go to pay back their studies and stay at the Lotus Academy.
And some of those omegas, obviously, attended with daddy’s money.
Though Tiberius himself was one to talk, he thought grimly. He’d never given much thought to his own father paying the fees for Howl Academy.
Then again, he’d been forced to join. Another family tradition.
Were you forced, really? he thought. Did the old wolf hold a gun to your head to make you join? Couldn’t you run away and get a job like most shifters?
He’d always tried to follow tradition. Please his father.
Suddenly, he wondered how Reese paid the fees. How he paid for his room and food at Howl Academy, notoriously one of the most expensive in the land.
He was still frowning over this when someone approached their table with even, quiet steps.
“Revered alpha father,” the omega said. “And Tiberius de Crescent.”
“Fennix.” Ambrosius emptied his glass and smirked at Tiberius. “So, here he is. Look at him. What do you think?”
It disturbed Tiberius beyond words that the clans’ president so blatantly discussed his son with him. Again, the image of luxury items being auctioned off came to mind.
“Please, have a seat,” Tiberius said, getting up to pull a chair for the omega. “Pleased to meet you, Fennix.”
The omega blushed, and nodded, taking the seat. “Thank you.”
He sure was pretty, Ambrosius was right about that. Refined, elegant. His reddish-gold hair was long and gathered in a long ponytail, his loose tunic, favored by most omegas, was white and embroidered with red flowers, matching his loose pants. He was taller than Reese, b
ut just as slender, moving with the grace of a dancer.
And he did nothing for Tiberius, nothing at all. Where he’d been hard for Reese day in and day out, his cock suddenly lost all interest and deflated.
God... It was a relief. Being hard all the time was awkward and painful. But it just drove the point home: other omegas didn’t do for him what Reese did.
Why the hell was that?
And what was he supposed to do about it?
***
“We should meet again,” Fennix offered shyly, lashes lowered, as Tiberius took his leave. “Get to know each other better.”
Under Ambrosius’s hard gaze, Tiberius said, “We should.”
He felt bad for leading the boy on, but he had no intention of marrying him.
Did he?
Wait, when had he decided that? Sure, he was pissed off at his father for arranging this marriage behind his back, but Fennix really was nice. And pretty. Was he making a mistake? Should he give this a try?
The thought buzzed in his mind as he made his way back to the Academy. Was he being a bad son—too headstrong, too spoilt, too selfish? Maybe Emanuel was right after all. Maybe Tiberius was used to having it his way, to having it all. Would it be so bad to give it—give Fennix a try?
A marriage isn’t a try, he reminded himself. Sure, a marriage contract could be broken, but not easily. And not without bringing dishonor on the family, exactly the thing he was trying to avoid.
Shit, what did it all seem so complicated? Why couldn’t he just obey? Sure, he was young for marriage, but it happened. There were reasons. Besides, he was an alpha. He wouldn’t be the one going through the five-month pregnancy, or staying home with the brats.
Babies.
For some annoying reason, every time he thought of babies, Reese’s face flashed in his mind, and his chest went tight and his cock hard.
Jesus, Tiberius. This is such nonsense. Get it together. Get—
Someone was shouting, and the voice was familiar. There was panic in it, making it high and thin, and Tiberius was running before his conscious brain had even realized what he was doing.
Reese. It was Reese. Reese was in danger.
“Hey!” he yelled. “Hey!” His shoes pounding on the floor, he rounded the corner of the Academy hallway, his hackles already up, his canines bared. “Get off him!”
Two alphas had cornered Reese and were ripping off his clothes. Reese fought them, kicking and punching and biting, but the alphas were of course much bigger and stronger and driven by lust.
Tiberius barreled into them like a hurricane, hauling the alphas off Reese, hurtling them back. They turned on him, so overtaken by rut that their faces were already shifting, twisting into muzzles, their ears lengthening. They snarled at Tiberius, came at him.
They went down in a flurry of fists, and Tiberius found himself looking up, dazed, the wind knocked out of him.
No.
Reese.
Somewhere he found the strength to shove the alphas back and punched them so hard they went flying backward. One of them lay wheezing. The other backed away, growling, blood dripping from his nose.
Damn.
Tiberius wiped blood from his own mouth and licked his lips, tasting copper. He took two steps and found himself back on the floor, this time on his knees.
Damn!
“Tiberius!” Reese was somehow right beside him, on the floor, an arm around Tiberius, and it felt so good. And his scent...
Fuck, his scent was stronger than ever, filling Tiberius’s senses, making him damn dizzy. Damn hard.
“Thanks for this,” Reese was saying breathlessly. He had a scratch on one cheek, and as if in a dream, Tiberius raised his hand to stroke it. “You okay? Did they hit you hard? Come on, let me help you to your room.”
Tiberius didn’t need help. He needed to kiss Reese, but he let the boy get him up. Probably a good idea to leave now, let the two alphas calm down, get out of the rut.
Even if he could see no way of getting out of his own, with Reese by his side.
Chapter Eight: Reese
Reese’s heart was pounding. He couldn’t catch his breath. He’d never been so terrified in his life. Those two alphas were about to rape him, he had no doubt about that. They’d already half-ripped his clothes off and pawed him all over when Tiberius had come to his rescue.
He owed Tiberius big time.
And Reese’s suppressants obviously weren’t working. He’d told the Academy nurse as much, and the nurse had told Reese that it didn’t seem possible.
Well, life did the impossible sometimes, and now, his arm wrapped around Tiberius’s hips, he knew it was coming on for real. He couldn’t think straight, his head throbbing, his back aching, his hole clenching and burning.
He stumbled as they went, holding on to Tiberius as much as Tiberius was holding on to him for balance. He’d leave the alpha in his rooms and then flee. Go somewhere, hide, lock the door and jack off until he felt better.
It had worked in the past, and if it hadn’t worked in the past week, well, what choice did he have?
They made it to the alpha building and up to Tiberius’s room. Tiberius unlocked the door and they burst inside, staggering to the sofa and falling on it in a tangle of limbs.
“Reese, you—”
“Ow, just—”
Tiberius twisted them around, and suddenly Reese found himself perched on top, staring down at Tiberius, nose to nose.
Tiberius had very pretty dark eyes.
They were filled with heat.
And right between Reese’s legs was nestled a very large, very hard erection.
Reese moaned, rocking, unable to help himself as the alpha’s cock pressed right where he needed him.
God, Reese was warm, so warm. He was burning up. His blood burned in his veins. The alpha smelled right, delicious, the feel of him, so big and strong underneath Reese felt perfect. When those large hands landed on Reese’s hips, he gasped, rocking harder.
“Tiberius!” he breathed, seeing the alpha’s look of concentration as he slid Reese back and forth over his fabric-clothed cock. “Need...”
“You feel fucking good... Reese...”
He needed more. Skin to skin. Needed Tiberius inside him. He fumbled with Tiberius’s belt buckle, his zipper. Needed to taste his alpha’s cock.
Tiberius groaned when the head of his cock pushed out of his pants, then cried out hoarsely when Reese swallowed it, licking at the underside, the head. He tasted bitter and salty, so sexy. Reese couldn’t get enough. He took him in deeper, choking a little, but not caring one bit. Finally, he was touching and tasting, and he whimpered as the ache between his own legs intensified.
“Reese...” Tiberius was saying something, but nothing registered until rough hands cupped Reese’s face and made him pull back, releasing the heavy cock from his mouth. “Reese, are you sure you want this?”
“Please.” Reese swallowed hard, his eyes hot. So much need. He couldn’t contain it, couldn’t help himself anymore. He was quickly losing all control. “Please, alpha. Tiberius...”
“Call me Ty.”
“Ty. Please.”
“Oh fuck...” Tiberius was moving, pushing down his pants, then laying Reese on the sofa. “Need you now. Can’t fucking stop. Reese...”
His pants were yanked down, his legs spread, and they were kissing as Tiberius pushed two fingers inside Reese, stroking him. He needn’t worry, needn’t prepare him. Reese was dripping wet, wetter than ever. He moaned in Tiberius’s mouth as those long, callused fingers fucked him, only making the ache worse.
Just when he thought he’d go insane, the fingers withdrew, replaced by something hot and much, much bigger.
“Yesssss...” Frantic, Reese rocked his hips, trying to impale himself on it, but Tiberius held him still with apparent ease. Damn alphas and their superior strength. He had to...feel him... “Ooh god,” Reese hissed as Tiberius pushed into him, at long last.
Yeah, that cock was huge
, so much bigger than Reese imagined it would feel. And it felt so good Reese started to come, moaning Tiberius’s name.
“Christ,” the alpha wheezed. “What are you—”
“Ooh,” Reese moaned as Tiberius slipped deeper. “Can’t...”
“You feel... Fuck, so tight. So hot...”
Another spasm of pleasure, and Tiberius shoved deeper, both of them gasping as that enormous cock went in all the way.
Nose to nose again, or not exactly since Tiberius was taller, but... oh god. Tiberius was moving, in and out, rocking into Reese, fucking him in slow, shallow thrusts, small grunts escaping him. He seemed to have lost control just as badly as Reese had.
And Reese didn’t fucking care. Couldn’t think. Couldn’t feel anything but need. The need to be knotted. The need to come. The ancient need to be bred by an alpha.
Tiberius’s thrusts turned deeper, harder. He was pounding into Reese, panting, groaning, arms braced against the back of the sofa, his breath washing over Reese’s brow, the slapping of flesh on flesh the loudest sound. And Reese felt it—the knot swelling in Tiberius’s cock, bigger and bigger, making Reese gasp and cry out.
“Oh fuck, oh fuck!” Tiberius was shuddering, still fucking Reese, and Reese was coming, unable to stop the freight-train of pleasure crashing into him.
“Tiberius!”
Locked together, they rocked, and then Tiberius was coming, too, cursing, the heat of his cum so deep inside making Reese shout, shaking on the sofa, the pleasure buffeting him, tearing him apart.
Oh shit... Dark edged Reese’s vision, and then it all bled to black.
***
He dreamed of a warm den, with rushes under his feet and a fire merrily burning in the hearth. Someone was waiting for him there, seated in a huge armchair. The air was scented with spices and sugar, and he knew he belonged there. That was home.
Then he woke up on a stranger’s bed, where he certainly didn’t belong.
Tiberius’s bed. Oh, hell.
“Call me Ty...”
Had the alpha really said that? And, wait a sec... had they really done it? Had they fucked? Reese remembered sex. Wild, hot, screaming sex.