3. Chapter 3 #2
Tarymn’s golden eyes narrowed slightly, the pupils sharpening.
For a second, Ludiin could’ve sworn they glowed but then he blinked, and the look vanished as if it had never been there.
Tarymn stood, his movements unhurried as he walked around the desk.
With every step, his presence seemed to grow larger, imposing and magnetic.
And his scent…
Now that Ludiin had inhaled it during his heat, he couldn’t not notice it. Earthy, dark, with a quiet strength that wrapped around him. Ludiin nearly whimpered. Every instinct screamed at him to step back when Tarymn stopped just a breath away.
He couldn’t give away the fact that he affected him.
“I know, Ludiin,” Tarymn said. “You were in heat. You didn’t do anything wrong. Next time, you should find yourself an alpha. You can’t go through your heats alone.”
The thought of another alpha touching him, made Ludiin’s stomach twist uncomfortably. His expression must have given him away.
“Don’t look like that,” Tarymn murmured, suddenly stepping forward and pulling Ludiin into his arms without warning. Ludiin stiffened, breath caught in his throat.
Don’t react, don’t move, he told himself. But the warmth of Tarymn’s body, the steady thrum of his heartbeat, his intoxicating scent—he lasted only seconds before his resolve cracked, and he leaned into him.
“Last night was scary, wasn’t it?” Tarymn said softly, his voice vibrating against Ludiin’s temple. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I was a rough with you. I lost control. That wasn’t fair to you.”
What?
He’d thought everything was amazing. He’d loved every second of it. The way he’d held him down as he pounded into… Ludiin squeezed his eyes shut, drawing in a slow breath as he silently counted to five, trying to steady the flutter in his chest.
“You don’t have to apologize,” Ludiin forced out. “I should be the one saying sorry. I promise it won’t happen again.” The words he didn’t say burned his tongue— I won’t be a burden.
Tarymn pulled away then, the absence of his arms sudden and cold. He looked at Ludiin for a moment, his gaze unreadable, then shoved his hands deep into his pockets. “Let’s forget it ever happened then.”
“Yes,” Ludiin replied, the word bursting out of him.
Smooth, he winced inwardly.
Silence stretched between them, thick and awkward.
Now what? he wondered, glancing at Tarymn, unsure if he should speak or just bolt for the door.
That would be more awkward.
“Thank you again,” Ludiin said, then stepped out of the office, fighting the urge to bolt. His heart still thudded from their conversation. Back in the den, he sat quietly against one wall and watched the betas work, their quiet presence a balm to his frayed nerves.
Luci arrived a few minutes later, balancing a tray of food. He set it down in the center of the den with a flourish.
“I brought some refreshments,” he announced.
“Thank you,” Ludiin said, pulling his brother into a quick hug. “You can be surprisingly sweet, you know that?” He smiled as Luci rolled his eyes but didn’t pull away.
They found a spot on the floor and ate in comfortable silence, surrounded by the quiet chatter and the distant hum of traffic.
“So, what gives?” Luci asked after a while.
Ludiin blinked. “What?”
“Tarymn,” Luci said with a mouthful of vegetables. “Why is he suddenly being…nice? I saw him downstairs, and he actually greeted me. Like, with words and eye contact.”
Ludiin squirmed, heat rising up his neck.
“I don’t know,” he muttered.
Luci gave him a look but didn’t press. Instead, he sighed. “If Dad hadn’t made him our guardian, we could’ve just lived on our own.”
“On what? We’re still in school, remember?”
“Dad left us something. Not a fortune, but it’s something…”
“A lot of places don't allow omegas to live alone. Besides, dad wanted us here,” Ludiin said, already getting to his feet and gathering the empty plates. “And I want to stay.”
He walked them down to the cooking station. Luci followed, not letting it go.
“Dad didn’t know we’d be this unwanted,” he said. “This place doesn’t feel like home.”
“You’re never here,” Ludiin said, turning back to his brother.
“How would you even know what it feels like?” Ludiin didn’t know why he was advocating to stay.
He missed his old home too, but… only because his dad was there.
Now, that he was gone… he couldn’t imagine living with just Luci.
Luci had his own life, and he preferred to go out on his dates with his alphas, Ludiin couldn’t ask him to stay home with him. At least here Hym was around…sometimes.
He reached for Luci’s hands and held them gently. “Let’s just try, okay? Dad must’ve had his reasons.”
Luci rolled his eyes, but his voice softened. “He felt sorry for us, Ludiin. We’re alone in the world now.”
“I know,” Ludiin murmured, the words catching in his throat as tears burned hot at the corners of his eyes. He reached for Luci, pulling him into his arms. “I miss him.”
“Me too,” Luci whispered. “It’s just you and me now.”
“Not anymore.” A deep voice cut through the air. Ludiin turned to see Hym standing in the doorway, arms crossed, a big grin on his lips. “You’ve got me now.”
Ludiin laughed, amused by Hym’s blend of macho swagger and boyish immaturity. He was the wild card between the two brothers. The fun twin, unpredictable and loud in the best way. Tarymn, on the other hand, was distant, polished, and always a little too serious.
“We do?” Ludiin asked, a spark of mischief curling at the corners of his lips.
“Yes.” Hym said as he strode toward them, his presence filling the space.
Ludiin tipped his head back to meet the large alpha’s gaze.
Strangely, there was no instinctive prickle of fear, or the urge to step back, only a sense of calm, of safety.
A first for him. “I promise to be there for you two. We’re a family now. That’s what Dad wanted.”
“Tell that to your evil twin,” Luci muttered under his breath.
Hym chuckled, the sound rumbling around them. “Here I thought I was the evil one.”
“No,” Luci said, leaning against the counter with a smirk. “You’re all loud and hotheaded. It’s the quiet ones you should be worried about, you never know what they’re planning.”
“Luci!” Ludiin hissed, heat flaring in his cheeks as he shot his brother a warning look. They really shouldn’t be badmouthing their host. And besides, he wouldn’t call Tarymn evil.
“Tarymn is kind,” Hym said. “He just takes time to warm up to people.”
Kind? The word stuck in Ludiin’s mind. He wasn’t entirely sure it fit, but Tarymn had helped him through his heat, and even gave him his den. Maybe that was his way of… warming up to them. Ludiin hoped so.
“Here,” Hym said, thrusting a lumpy, oddly wrapped package into his hands. “I tried to wrap it, but… yeah, I’m terrible at it. I left without giving it to you. Happy birthday.”
Ludiin bit down on a laugh, but it bubbled out anyway as he accepted the gift. “Thank you,” he murmured, peeling away the wrinkled paper. The wrapping came apart easily, revealing a bundle of brightly colored hair ties. He blinked up at Hym, caught off guard.
“It’s for your hair,” Hym added quickly. His cheeks flushed pink. “I thought… you could use them.”
Ludiin’s chest warmed. “Thank you,” he said softly. Hym stepped forward to hug him. Ludiin stiffened at the sudden contact.
The door to the cooking station creaked open. Tarymn walked in, and Ludiin’s stomach flipped in a strange, fluttering dance. Hym pulled back, glancing down at him just as Tarymn passed by without a word, moving straight to the counter.
“We should have a party this weekend,” Hym said suddenly, his voice bright with excitement.
“I… don’t… my birthday was… days ago,” Ludiin said, but no one seemed to be listening.
“That’s a great idea,” Luci cut in, clapping his hands, his eyes sparkling.
Ludiin’s gaze slid toward Tarymn, searching, but the alpha didn’t even look their way. He was busy preparing his food, silent, detached, as if the entire conversation didn’t concern him. Ludiin’s chest tightened.
Shouldn’t he say something? It was his house after all. Just a word from him would ease the awkward knot twisting in his stomach.
“It’s settled then,” Hym declared. “You should invite your friends.”
“I don’t have any friends,” Ludiin admitted quietly.
“What?” Hym gave him a look of disbelief, eyebrows shooting up. “No friends at school?”
“Ludiin attends classes online,” Luci announced far too casually.
Heat rushed to Ludiin’s cheeks, and he winced, glancing instinctively toward Tarymn. The alpha’s gaze was fixed on him, sharp and unblinking.
Fuck. Now he was interested.
“Why?” Hym asked, leaning forward curiously.
“It’s nothing,” Ludiin said quickly, cutting off Luci before he could dig the hole deeper. “I just… feel more comfortable at home. It’s no big deal. The classes are offered online anyway, for long-distance students. I go when I have to submit a project.”
“He gets nervous around strangers. Especially alphas,” Luci added anyway, as if the words weren’t slicing into Ludiin’s skin. “This one time he…”
“I don’t like strangers, that’s all,” Ludiin snapped, his voice sharper than he intended, every nerve aware of Tarymn’s golden stare burning into him. “Luci, can you please come help me with those boxes?”
Before his brother could protest, he grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the cooking station, heart hammering.
“Why would you tell them that?” Ludiin hissed the second they were out of earshot, his chest tightening. “I don’t want them to think I’m… weird.”
“You’re not weird, Ludiin,” Luci said, looping an arm around his shoulders as they climbed the stairs.
“You’re just too much in your own head. Opening up helps.
You were so relaxed around Hym, didn’t you notice?
People want to know you. Sharing things about yourself makes them want to be closer. I wasn’t trying to embarrass you.”
“But with Hym it’s different.”
“How?” Luci shot back, folding his arms. “He’s an alpha. And he was a stranger not that long ago.”
“I don’t know,” Ludiin said, frustration lacing his voice. He toyed with the hem of his sleeve, gaze dropping to the floor. “Maybe because Dad used to talk about him and Tarymn so much. It feels like… I already know him.”
“My point exactly,” Luci said firmly, leaning closer. “You know him. That’s why it’s easier. Do you see what I mean now?”
“Yes,” Ludiin nodded. His shoulders sagged as a sigh slipped out. “But… why does being around people feel so hard?”
“It’ll get better,” Luci said, giving him a gentle squeeze. “We’ll take it one step at a time. And this weekend, it’s the perfect chance to try. I’ll invite some of my friends. It’ll be fun.”
“Okay,” Ludiin mumbled, though dread coiled in his stomach.
“Are you going to school tomorrow?”
“Yes,” he said. “I’ve got a project to submit.” His mind already turning to his project. “I should go finish it in my new den,” he added, the last part tumbling out with a spark of excitement.
“Yeah, yeah… go to your den,” Luci said, shaking his head.
Ludiin giggled as he bounced down the hallway the tension from earlier ebbing away.