Chapter 4 Spike
SPIKE
A few hours ago, it was just another night. The calendar said Christmas Eve, but that didn’t mean anything to me. As far as I was concerned, it was just another random night.
But now my mate was sitting beside me, biting his lower lip as he typed an email to his family. His sweet omega scent would have gotten my attention regardless, but recognizing he was my mate made the obsession even stronger.
When he looked up to ask me if the wording sounded okay, something tugged at my chest. My omega wanted my opinion. It was a simple thing but meant the world to me.
"I don't want them to worry, but I also don't want to lie too much."
I leaned over his shoulder, careful not to get too close.
I'd been fighting my instincts to mate him, but it was getting harder as the minutes ticked by. That wasn’t the only thing getting harder.
I couldn’t remember the last time I had blue balls, but my dick and my beast were equally on board with dragging him to the bedroom.
The alpha in me was tempted but trying to behave.
"You're not exactly lying." I scanned the email, touched by how thoughtful he was. "You do have a safe room to ride out the storm."
Tyler sighed, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. "I just think if I tell them I'm staying in a stranger’s cabin in the middle of nowhere, they might panic."
"You’re probably right." I chuckled and ran my fingers over his shoulder before I could stop myself. The contact sent a jolt through my system, and I watched as Tyler's eyes widened slightly and his pupils dilated.
He felt it too. He had to.
"My mom would probably call the FBI and report me kidnapped," Tyler said with a small laugh that made my chest tighten. "My sister’s even worse. She'd probably try to drive up here herself."
I scooted back to give him space. "You should add my address and phone number to that email. That way they can get in touch if they need to. In fact, ask them to call so you can get their numbers."
Tyler looked up at me in surprise. "Really? I don't want to impose any more than I already have."
"Tyler." My voice came out firmer than I intended as my alpha side slipped through.
He instinctively straightened in response.
"Sorry. I just mean…I want them to know you're safe. Really safe. Put my contact info in the email."
He nodded and turned back to the laptop. "Okay...if you're sure."
"I am." I was sure about a lot of things. Like the fact that that finding Tyler wasn't an accident. And the way his scent called to me was definitely magical.
I rattled off my address, email, and phone numbers, then he turned the screen for me to double check. “Is that all right?”
I confirmed he entered my details correctly, and a lump grew in my throat when I saw that he ended his letter by saying he wished he could be there for Christmas morning, but he’d call when the roads were clear. And that he loved them. “It’s perfect.”
He looked up at me, his eyes a little sad. "This is the first Christmas I've ever spent away from them."
The guilt hit me like a punch to the gut. My cabin was warm and safe, but there wasn't a single Christmas decoration in sight. No tree, no lights, no presents. Nothing that would make tomorrow special for him. "I'm sorry. I know this isn't what you planned."
Tyler hit send on the email and turned to me.
"No, I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, Spike.
Really. If you hadn't found me, I'd probably be a popsicle by now.
" He closed the laptop and wrapped his arms around himself.
"I've just always loved Christmas morning.
Having my family around and the presents.
" He laughed and glanced shyly at me. “But being here is its own kind of present.”
I nodded, trying not to let him see how deeply his words were affecting me. This beautiful omega was missing his family traditions, and I had nothing to offer him but a roof and a fire. "You'll be with them next year." It was a promise I shouldn’t have made, but it was all I could think to say.
"Yeah." Tyler yawned and then a shiver rocked through him.
"Are you cold?" My cabin was well-insulated, and with the fire roaring in the stone fireplace, it felt sweltering to me, but I had reindeer blood in my veins. Tyler was a precious human. He had different needs.
"No, I'm actually a little warm." He ran a hand through his hair, and I noticed the light sheen of sweat on his forehead.
Something inside me stirred and my nostrils flared, catching a hint of something new in his scent. Something sweet and alluring. Fuck. I knew that scent.
"It's getting late." I stood up and stepped away, putting some distance between us. "You should get some sleep. You take the bed."
Tyler stood up too but swayed slightly on his feet.
I reached out to steady him with my hand on his upper arm, and that was a mistake. The contact felt electric, and my control was slipping.
"I can't take your bed." There was something off about his voice, and I knew he needed to get into my bedroom fast. Where he’d be safely tucked away…from me.
"You can and you will." I guided him toward the bedroom, careful to keep my touch to a minimum. "I’ll be right out here if you need anything.”
Me. If you need me.
"Where will you sleep?" His eyes were unfocused as he gazed up at me.
"The couch." It was becoming more difficult to ignore how those brown eyes were making my heart race. "It’s cushy. I fall asleep on it all the time." That wasn’t entirely true, but I didn’t want Tyler to worry about me.
He’d have enough to worry about in a few hours when his heat fully kicked in.
Tyler looked like he wanted to argue, but he just nodded like the exhaustion was setting in. "Thank you, Spike. For everything."
I closed the door behind him before I did something stupid, like tell him that the alpha in me wanted to break down that door and claim what I already knew was mine.
Instead, I settled onto the couch and listened to the sounds of the weather outside.
For the next few hours, I laid there in the dark and stared at the ceiling, trying to ignore the wafts of Tyler’s scent that would occasionally seep under the door.
The fire had died down to embers, casting the room in a warm glow, but it was still warm enough for my omega to be comfortable.
I was finally starting to drift off when I heard him call out. "Please…" It was faint at first, and I wondered if I'd imagined it until I heard him again. "Spike, please..."
I was on my feet in an instant, crossing to the bedroom door in three long strides.
My mate’s voice was strained, desperate. Needy.
"Tyler?" I knocked on the door and pressed my ear to it. "Everything okay, Tyler?"
A whimper was my only answer. Something was wrong.
I opened the door, and the scent hit me like a physical force. Sweet and heady, it was intoxicating. My entire body reacted to the wall of pheromones that I’d walked into. My muscles tensed as blood rushed south, and my vision sharpened to focus on the figure writhing on my bed. “I’m here.”
Tyler was tangled in the sheets. Sweat glistened off his chest, and even in the moonlight, I could see his face was flushed.
He looked up when I entered, and the need in his eyes nearly brought me to my knees.
"Something's wrong." He gasped and scratched at his arms. "I'm burning up. I don't understand what's happening."
But I did.
The heavy and unmistakable scent of slick confirmed he was in the thick of it.
Tyler was in heat. His first heat, based on his confusion.
And I was an alpha. His alpha. The only one who could help him.
Standing in the doorway in nothing but boxers, I tried to deny every instinct I had to claim him. To mate him. To breed him.
"You're in heat." My voice was barely recognizable as I gripped the doorframe. "Tyler, tell me what you need."
His eyes widened as fear and confusion warred with the unmistakable arousal he couldn’t hide from me. "Are you sure? I mean, it's never happened before. I'm twenty-four. If I was going to have heats, wouldn't I have had one by now?"
I took a careful step into the room, my self-control hanging on by a thread. "Maybe you’ve never been around a compatible alpha." I swallowed hard. "Or your fated mate."
"Fated mate?" The words slurred slightly as another wave of anguish seemed to wash through him. He arched on the bed, and a small moan escaped his lips.
The sound of his need went straight to my balls. He needed my knot.
"That’s right." I moved closer despite my better judgment.
"From the moment I found you on the road, I knew you were meant for me.
You're mine, Tyler. My omega. My mate." I kneeled beside the bed, close enough to see the sweat beading on his upper lip, but I didn’t touch him.
Not yet. "And right now, your body is calling for an alpha. For your alpha. Me."
Tyler reached out a trembling hand, and his fingers brushed my cheek. The simple contact made me groan with my own desperate need. "Is that why it feels like I'm dying without your touch?" he whispered. "Like there's something empty inside me that only you can fill?"
My resolve crumbled a little more. "Yes." I growled and turned my face to press my lips against his palm. "I feel it too."
"Will it stop? This pain. How do I make it go away?" His eyes were pleading with me to help him.
I shook my head slowly. "Not without help. It'll get worse before it gets better, Tyler. Your first heat can last days without a knot."
A whimper escaped him, and another wave of desire rolled through his body. His legs shifted restlessly beneath the sheets, and the scent of his slick grew stronger, calling to me. "Yes, alpha." He gasped and reached for me. "Please, Spike. Make it stop. Make me yours."
I was on the bed a moment later, hovering over him with my hands on either side of his head. "Are you sure?" I searched his eyes for any doubt and saw nothing but desire. "Once I start, I won't be able to stop. Not until you’ve taken my knot as many times as you need it."
Tyler reached up and wrapped his arms around my neck, pulling me closer.
"I've never been more sure of anything," he whispered against my lips.
"I didn't understand why I felt so drawn to you, but I do now.
" He pressed his forehead to mine. "You're my alpha.
I'm your omega. And I need you, Spike. Right now. "
That was all I needed to hear.
The restraint I'd been maintaining snapped like a twig, and I captured his mouth with mine, kissing him deeply. Without stopping for air, I claimed his mouth in the same way I was about to claim the rest of him.
"I'll take care of you, omega." I nipped at his lips, not wanting to put any space between us. "Whatever you need, I’m here." I pulled back to look into his eyes and cupped his face in my hand.
And I meant it. Whatever he needed in that moment or for the rest of his life. I was his alpha and would always give him anything he needed.