Chapter 3 #2
Even having one or two alphas around would be risky for an omega in heat.
Glyphs might not be animals, but baser instincts quickly took control whenever an omega went into heat or an alpha entered a rut.
The pheromones their bodies emitted acted like an aphrodisiac bordering on a drug.
Too much of it could turn even the most self-controlled Glyph into a horny nightmare, one willing to do anything and everything it took to mate.
Glyphians liked to think they were better than Syns, citing their stricter laws and equal access to blockers as proof they were more civilized, but toss an omega in heat or an alpha in rut to the crowd, and the truth would quickly become apparent.
Everyone was a slave to their desires.
Kian was no exception.
He took off after Sky before the dimwitted alpha who’d been standing less than a foot away from the omega reacted at all.
He lost sight of Sky several times, using his nose to keep track of him as he bobbed and weaved through what little was left of the crowd, the rain starting to come down harder.
Fortunately, Sky’s heat had only just started, which meant he still had his wits about him and knew better than to remain out in the open, but that also meant it was taking Kian longer to find him with the scent getting washed away.
It wasn’t long before his trail took a sharp left, exiting the marketplace to travel down a narrow alley toward another side street that would have less foot traffic.
Kian had to give pause twice, twisting in circles with his nose in the air like a fucking mutt before he could latch onto it again.
Logically, a part of him noted that it was a good thing.
It was too early to expose himself to Sky.
Too early to make his claim known. He wasn’t a good person, but he wanted to go into this with honesty and—
There. He’d gone that way.
The alpha part of him forced him into motion, boots splashing through puddles as he made his way down one alley, across a street, and into another. He had no sense of where he was going, just that he needed to follow that sweet scent.
The further they moved from the city's center, the quieter it became.
Everyone out here was holed up in their homes, preparing to wait out the storm in the warmth.
Those who had risked attending the parade were rushing to their cars to avoid getting drenched.
He needed to find Sky fast, in the off chance that one of those travelers would catch his scent and stumble upon him.
Kian turned one last corner and gave an actual sigh of relief when he finally spotted Sky again.
The younger male was struggling with something, his hands shaking as he mumbled under his breath, utterly unaware of Kian’s presence.
Or that of the alpha currently creeping up on the other end of the alley.
“Hey!” the sharp yell was out before he could think better of it, and Kian saw Sky jump out of the corner of his eye as he rushed forward to block the path of Avi.
Avi’s eyes were glowing, but he paused to take in the scene and what was no doubt the pissed-off expression Kian was wearing.
“Back off,” Kian ordered in a clipped tone.
Avi’s brow rose in mild surprise as well, but before he could comment, his brother appeared at the other mouth of the alley where Kian had just been.
He swore under his breath, annoyed with himself that he hadn’t been paying enough attention to note the twins were following him.
Or had they been tracking Sky the same way he had? That idea sent waves of anger spiking through him, and Kian clenched his hands into tight fists to keep himself from doing something rash.
Arbor glanced between him and Sky.
“I said,” Kian repeated, “back off. That was addressed to both of you.”
“The omega is letting off a lot of pheromones,” Avi said. “He’s practically begging for it.”
“Not from you,” Kian sneered, only to have Arbor laugh at him.
“Please. Don’t act all high and mighty. You hunted him down, same as we did.”
Sky reached out and grabbed onto the sleeve of Kian’s coat. He was shaking, squatting down against a rusty red door. A set of keys was on the ground at his feet, no doubt what he’d been fiddling with when he’d been found a moment ago. “Kian.”
“Oh.” Arbor looked past Kian to his brother. “They know each other.”
“K doesn’t know any omegas,” Avi disagreed, though there was doubt in his voice.
“Stay down, Sky,” Kian instructed, still glaring daggers at the people he’d considered his best friends up until a moment ago. If either of them took another step closer, that friendship would end.
“Sky,” Arbor repeated, pulling back.
Avi cursed.
The two of them weren’t great at paying attention to others. They must not have recognized Sky. Probably hadn’t cared to bother.
“Kian,” Sky’s voice came out shaky, imploring.
“If you’re interested in them, tough luck,” he growled before he could help it. An omega in heat would eventually put out for anyone with a dick and a knot to give. “Why the hell aren’t you on blockers?”
“I am,” Sky said.
Avi shifted on his feet, and Kian took a threatening step toward him.
“Don’t!” Sky sprang up, wobbling a little, either due to the sudden movement, his heat, or both.
His grip tightened on the material of Kian’s coat as he moved in close enough to seal himself practically against Kian’s side, more of that sweet, tantalizing smell making its way to Kian’s nose. “Please.”
There was a moment when everyone was frozen, but then Arbor broke the stillness, taking a pointed step in retreat.
“How boring,” Avi said, mirroring his brother.
“This is Glyph,” Arbor reminded. “Everyone has a choice here.”
“Stupid laws.”
Sky flinched and huddled in even closer.
“Stop it,” Kian ordered. “You’re scaring him.”
“Interesting that you care.” Avi rolled his eyes and then motioned to Arbor with his hand. “Let’s get out of here. Storm’s rolling in, and clearly K has better things to do now than hang out with us.”
“We’ll tell Pike you miss him,” Arbor teased, making a kissy face and chuckling when that had Sky noticeably frowning.
Kian didn’t bother responding to that, waiting rigidly until the twins were out of sight and the sound of their footsteps had faded. Then he sighed and reached down to snatch up the keys. “These yours?”
Sky nodded wordlessly.
“Is this your place?” Kian motioned to the red door.
Another nod.
It was his turn to frown, but considering Sky’s heat hadn’t lessened any during the altercation with the Imperials, and they were still standing out in the open, there wasn’t any time to ask why he was suddenly going mute on him.
“Is it this one?” Kian made a guess from the four keys on the ring, vaguely wondering why Sky even had them and what they could all be for.
For the most part, locks were now electronic, with scanpads that could be accessed by code or multi-slate.
It was odd to see someone carry even one old-fashioned metal key, let alone a whole collection of them.
Sky shook his head and then pointed with his free hand at the smallest key on the ring.
Kian stuck it in the lock and twisted. There was a click, and when he tested the knob, it turned easily, the door opening inward to expose a dark, medium-sized space. He eased Sky through the entranceway but hesitated just outside the threshold himself.
If he went in there, there’d be no going back. Did he risk it? Toss aside his thought-out plans? It wouldn’t be fair, Sky didn’t know who he was yet, but…
Kian, the real Kian, wasn’t a good person.
Sky would be safe here so long as he locked the door behind him. Once a heat started, it was too late to do much about it, which meant they only had a few more minutes before he would lose the ability to make decisions and would be reduced to his baser instincts.
The point of heats and ruts was to induce mating. If Kian stuck around, Sky would throw himself at him whether he wanted to or not.
He could have him.
He could have him, and he could blame the heat.
Kian grappled with what little morality he had in him, but it really wasn’t much. He’d learned to fake having a conscience from early on, to trick those around him into thinking he was normal. Safe.
But he wasn’t normal.
He was a prime alpha and the new Dominus of the Eumia. There was no need to fall back on old habits. Sky was going to have to learn who he was eventually. Why not now?
“The alpha you were with before.” He rested his hands against the doorframe, trapping Sky within the building.
Not that he’d tried to leave. Sky was clearly under the impression he’d found safety within those walls. That there was nothing to fear from Kian.
As if to prove it, Sky nodded even though Kian hadn’t finished his sentence. “I can call him. He’ll come. Thank you.”
Kian saw red, and that decided it for him.
With one hand, he shoved Sky deeper into the room, then stepped over the threshold and slammed the door behind him.
The sound of the lock snicking into place was like music to his ears.