Chapter 12
Ehlian had no appetite.
Well, he never had any appetite for this bland mess, but usually he ignored the taste and forced it down. Now it made him slightly nauseous. He couldn’t quite pinpoint why. He was fine, as fine as anyone could be in a prison, yet frustration was building steadily under his skin.
After only one bite, he pushed the tray away.
Hayce nudged it back. “Eat more.”
“Not hungry,” Ehlian said, catching an alpha at another table staring at them, a curious glint in his eyes. A moment later, the alpha’s gaze wavered, slipping out of focus as a tremor ran through him. He looked ill. Pale. His tray was pushed aside as well, food untouched.
Maybe there was something wrong with the food, besides everything already wrong with it.
Then Ehlian recognised the alpha at once. He was always attached to his omega—the only couple in prison. But something in his aura made him appear oddly unfamiliar. The place beside him was empty, his omega nowhere in sight.
Ehlian leaned closer to Hayce. “Where’s his omega?”
“He’ll be back in a few days,” Hayce said, pressing the spoon into Ehlian’s hand. “Eat.”
Sighing, Ehlian dug in and took a bite. “Is he in solitary?”
“No. He was released.”
Ehlian’s hand froze mid-air before another spoonful. “So why would he be back?”
“I don’t call them mates for nothing.” Hayce’s glanced briefly toward the alpha. “They’re bondmates.”
Lowering the spoon, Ehlian studied the alpha properly.
He tried to hold himself together, careful not to show too much weakness, but there were cracks in his composure.
He must have gone through a severe craving, so intense it had begun to manifest as pain.
Bondmates could be apart for as long as a month without trouble, so his omega must have been released for a while now.
“Is he always back?” Ehlian asked.
“He is,” Hayce replied. “Usually for a year. But I give it little time before he does something that earns him a life sentence here. His bondmate is never getting out.”
That sounded like a cruel fate, turning eventually into a vicious killer, throwing your entire life away for your bondmate.
“There has to be some kind of law to help bondmates,” Ehlian said.
“There is,” Hayes said. “Extended visits and occasionally a night.”
“That’s it?”
“If a bondmate granted amnesty, there wouldn’t be a single adult on Arox without one.”
Ehlian cast a pitying look at the alpha, then turned away quickly when he caught him staring back. They must have bonded before their arrest. No one would be mad enough to bond in prison.
He pushed away his tray for good, scratching at an itching spot under his shirt. He felt increasingly restless and impatient, wanting nothing more than to return to the cell and curl up under the soft blanket.
When he stepped into the dressing room of the showers a few hours later, he could barely tolerate the rough material of his uniform against his skin. The itch was unbearable.
He only felt relief when he was pressed close, tucked into the shadows of Hayce’s body.
Bubbles burst against Hayce’s skin as Ehlian soaped his chest, his hands gliding down the firm planes of his stomach before stopping at his hips.
His fingers itched to wander lower, but he reminded himself they weren’t alone.
He sighed softly as Hayce’s palm slid down his back, tracing the curve of his round cheeks. Almost instinctively, he stepped closer, their cocks brushing. A quiet, disapproving whine escaped his lips when Hayce’s hands moved back to his waist, settling there with maddening control.
The hot water stung, even though he usually loved letting it warm him to the bone in the cold prison. Now, his skin and core radiated heat like—
Low murmurs swept across the shower room, and Ehlian felt the alphas’ eyes strained on him. He could sense their hunger, their lust.
Oh, shit.
His heat must have been only a week away, gaining steady strength in throttled, weak power waves. A call for an alpha.
Hayce’s jaw clenched, and his fingertips dug into Ehlian’s waist almost to the point of pain. His commanding voice thundered through the room. “Everyone out.”
Most of the alphas shuffled away, but a few lingered, practically foaming at the mouth.
“You heard him,” Aric stepped forward, his sharp eyes slicing through the lingering crowd. “Out, unless you all want to end up like 665.”
That did the trick. Moments later, the room was empty, save for the two of them.
Ehlian cautiously raised his eyes to meet Hayce’s thunderous glare.
“You didn’t use a Block Seal?”
Ehlian shifted uncomfortably on his feet. “I—I forgot.”
“You forgot,” Hayce echoed flatly, but his dark expression betrayed his calm tone. “You want to be torn apart by a pack of feral alphas? I thought you’d understood by now that the word ‘no’ means nothing in here. Quite the opposite. It’s an encouragement.”
“I did. I do!” Ehlian snapped. “Aren’t you here to protect me?”
“It’s cute that you think so highly of me,” Hayce replied, his tone tinged with dry amusement.
“But I can’t protect you from over a hundred feral alphas.
I’m a Low-Class telepath like most Aroxans, just using my power a bit smarter.
Not to mention, I have full access to it, while the rest here don’t.
That gives the false illusion that I’m stronger than any of them. ”
Hayce did feel stronger, at least to Ehlian, maybe because Ehlian’s own power was throttled, making everything he did feel more intense too. If he had to guess, he’d have said Hayce was a High-Class telepath.
“Alright,” Ehlian said finally. “I’ll do a Block Seal.”
“It’s already too late for that. Your heat has started.”
It wasn’t like he didn’t know that. He knew he’d screwed it up. He had just been… distracted. It was all Hayce’s fault. Ehlian had grown too relaxed and laid-back recently, letting himself believe he was safe at Hayce’s side. Which was ridiculous. And dangerously naive.
“I’m fine,” Ehlian grunted. “Ask the guards to prepare me a separate cell and make sure no alphas wander nearby.”
“Most of the guards are alphas too.” Hayce reminded him, a disapproving edge in his voice.
“I can’t be the first omega this has happened to,” Ehlian said. “There has to be protocols, safety measures… I know there are.”
“Not safe enough,” Hayce practically growled.
“Then,” Ehlian cleared his throat, “what do you suggest?”
Hayce said nothing, jaw clenched tight, frustration radiating from him.
“I mean,” Ehlian pressed, still avoiding his gaze. “We could… you could stay with me…” He shifted closer. “If a Block Seal is already too late.”
Hayce’s fingers dug sharply into his waist, an unmistakable warning. “That’s a step too far, Ehlian.”
Ehlian froze, mouth falling open in stunned disbelief. A step too far? That was rich, coming from the same alpha who had made it clear from the very first moment that he wanted Ehlian as his fuck toy. Now Hayce was saying no? Now he didn’t want him anymore?
Not that Ehlian minded. Really, it was fine. Perfectly fine. He didn’t actually want to spend his heat with him either. Not now. Not ever.
But the stupid, instinct-driven omega in him felt crushed. The sweet, hypnotic waves of his heat radiating from his core had turned sour, leaving him cold. His—an alpha didn’t want him.
“Damn you,” Hayce cursed. His grip eased on Ehlian’s waist, one hand sliding up the length of his spine, fingers threading through his hair.
He pulled Ehlian closer, pressing his face into the curve of his neck in a soothing, almost chiding gesture.
Then gentle waves wrapped around Ehlian’s body, enchanting, charming him.
A warm telepathic pull. A pulse of safety.
Hayce’s alpha allure.
Ehlian sighed as the omega in him began to bloom again, the sourness draining away.
Gods, Hayce’s allure was addictive as it pulsed through his body, a spark sinking deep into his core, so intimate it was almost frightening.
“Stop doing that,” Ehlian mumbled against Hayce’s neck.
Hayce grew stiff and cursed under his breath. His allure started fading suddenly, closing behind a thick mental shield once again. Gone. It was primal instinct, nothing more. Most likely, Hayce hadn’t even been aware he was doing it.
The silence stretched between them, Hayce’s other hand coming to rest at Ehlian’s nape.
“You’re burning up,” he said, reaching behind himself to turn off the hot water.
It helped, but only a little. The steam in the room still made Ehlian feel suffocated.
Yet nothing was more suffocating than being pressed against an alpha at the start of his heat, especially an alpha he was sinfully attracted to.
He nuzzled deeper into Hayce’s neck, breathing in his scent—soap and something so intensely masculine.
Hayce’s palms slid down Ehlian’s back, grabbing his ass cheeks, fingertips digging deep. Ehlian welcomed it with a gasp, pushing into the touch. His core emitted the softest, sweetest waves of allure, designed to enchant any alpha… but he only wanted to enchant one.
“Damn you,” Hayce growled again. Two of his fingers found Ehlian’s wet entrance with near urgency, pushing inside.
The stretch was familiar now—no ache, just blissful pleasure.
Ehlian canted his hips, gasping at the way Hayce’s hard cock aligned with his, brushing, stroking it. He wanted it inside him so badly.
A third finger entered him, sliding in and out, opening him with long strokes. He bit down on Hayce’s shoulder as the pace increased, heat sparking at the small of his back and spreading everywhere.
“Enough?” Hayce asked, as though his only purpose was to take the edge off Ehlian’s heat.
“No,” Ehlian replied breathlessly against Hayce’s shoulder. “Not enough.”
The world spun suddenly, and Ehlian found himself pushed against the cold tiles of the shower. Hayce’s palms stroked the curve of his arched back, like he was addicted to the soft, trembling skin beneath his hands.
“I wasn’t…” Ehlian began, voice shaky, relishing the possessive caresses. “I didn’t try to trick you,” he said, as if the lack of a Block Seal needed explanation after months of resisting Hayce. “I wasn’t doing it because—”
“I know,” Hayce cut him off. “Still, Ehlian, do you expect me to leave you unguarded in some cell while you’re high on your heat? Or worse, guarded? I’m not a monster.”
“I didn’t want this,” Ehlian tried, desperate to convince himself it was true. “You don’t—why don’t you want it?”
Hayce didn’t respond. His hands spread Ehlian’s cheeks apart, the head of his cock pressing against his hole.
When Hayce sank into him with a slow, measured push, Ehlian’s legs nearly gave out.
The sensitive nerves inside his channel flared to life, sending another wave of sparks across his spine and down to his cock.
His palm slipped helplessly against the tiles as Hayce began a relentless, crazed pace.
The water droplets on Ehlian’s skin felt like they were boiling, evaporating into the steamy air.
Sobs and moans spilled from his mouth, only to be abruptly cut off when Hayce wrapped a hand around his chest and pulled him flush against himself.
Hayce sucked on his bond point, rough and possessive and claiming.
Ehlian’s eyes rolled back from the way it tugged perfectly at the strings of his telepathic core.
Hayce pulled away from his bond point just before it became overwhelming. The biting, harsh kisses softened as he neared the corner of Ehlian’s mouth, lingering there—an almost kiss—but he didn’t cross the line, retreating instead to leave a mark on the delicate skin just below Ehlian’s ear.
Ehlian rarely had sex at the start of his heat. Some omegas claimed it helped reduce the fog, while others said it made no difference. For Ehlian, though, it felt soothing, the momentary fear of being left alone in the prison vanishing.
Hayce’s hand trailed down to Ehlian’s cock, the glide of his palm matching the rhythm of his thrusts. Head falling back on Hayce’s shoulder, Ehlian revelled in every movement—quick or slow, hard or soft—and in the rapid rise and fall of Hayce’s chest against his back, each breath laboured.
Ehlian’s climax built steadily. He was so close, so close—
He came with a silent cry, spilling over Hayce’s fingers. His orgasm was intensified by Hayce’s quickening thrusts and quiet grunts. Hayce’s arm tightened around Ehlian’s chest as he came too.
Minutes later, the water started running above his head again, washing away the mess. His skin felt cooler, less sensitive, but he knew it wouldn’t be long before the torturous cycle started again.
Strangely, there was no fear.
He wasn’t alone.
*
Ehlian’s heat hit him with full force less than a week later.
Hayce made sure no one set foot in their cell between the waves; the only three omega guards in the prison were stationed outside their door. Damn, it really felt like Hayce was running the place, and that only made the stupid, reckless omega in Ehlian more pleased. Obsessed.
Between the sizzling waves and toe-curling sex, Hayce made sure Ehlian was well-fed. He wouldn’t budge until Ehlian ate enough, until he drank water, gulp by slow gulp, Hayce holding the glass for him.
It touched Ehlian in a delicate spot, and he hated how it made his heart flutter.
He didn’t want flutters or warm feelings.
Yes, he was stupidly attracted to Hayce.
He wanted him, and he wasn’t ashamed to admit it.
He’d be a fool to deny it at this point.
But there was nothing more there. He didn’t want more.
It was a deal, a convenience, an illusion.
It was just the heat, throwing his hormones and thoughts into chaos.
He just didn’t know anymore how to untangle the chaos.