17. Chapter 17
Ludiin
" I don’t know why I let you drag me into this," Ludiin muttered through clenched teeth, his eyes fixed on Baron waving enthusiastically from across the dimly lit eatery. A whole table of alphas and omegas turned to look like they were about to watch a show. His show.
Heat rushed to his cheeks. Great. Humiliation, round two.
Fuck.
The atmosphere was far too romantic for his liking. Low lighting, soft instrumental music floating through hidden speakers, and some kind of calming scent diffused in the air like they were trying to lull him into submission.
It only made his skin itch.
He shot a murderous glare at his brother. Luci smiled like he hadn’t just sentenced him to social execution. Ludiin debated strangling him right there. But there were witnesses. Hym. Jamue. A whole crowd of well-dressed strangers.
Baron finally rose from the table, all confidence and swagger, and started walking toward them. Ludiin watched helplessly.
He needed a drink. Maybe ten. Or a teleportation device.
Panic clawed up his throat, and he made to bolt, but Luci grabbed his wrist, holding him in place.
“You should let your hair down,” Luci whispered, already reaching for the messy bun Ludiin had thrown together in a moment of post-Tarymn despair. “You look better with it down.”
Ludiin flinched. Tarymn. That name alone made the air feel tight in his lungs. He hadn’t even processed what had happened earlier. That touch still clung to his skin like heat from a burn.
“No. Leave my hair alone,” Ludiin hissed, slapping Luci’s hand away.
“I’m trying to help you,” Luci said innocently.
“You’re trying to kill me. Slowly. In public.”
Luci laughed, then not-so-subtly dragged him forward like he was delivering a prize.
“You arrived just in time,” Baron said smoothly, reaching for Ludiin’s arm. “We were about to order.”
Ludiin tensed.
Luci winked. “See you later. Have fun,” he murmured, then strolled off with Jamue and Hym.
And just like that, he was gone. Gone.
He really left me here with him again, Ludiin silently cursed, a tremor of panic crawling up his spine.
His pulse skittered as his body screamed to yank his arm free, to bolt for the door , but the room was full of eyes.
He could feel them. Curious. Assessing. So instead, he let Baron guide him to the table.
Baron was attentive, annoyingly so, even pulling out Ludiin’s chair with a soft “Here,” as if that would earn him points. Ludiin sat stiffly, hyper-aware of every gaze trained on him as he tried not to trip over his own thoughts.
“What would you like?” Baron asked.
Before Ludiin could answer, a bright-eyed omega leaned forward. “They call you the Great Joy Inventor.”
“The great joy inventor?” Ludiin blinked. “Not genius inventor?”
Laughter erupted around the table. Ludiin stiffened again, unsure what he’d said that was funny.
“The Joy part,” the omega explained, giggling. “Because your inventions… you know… tend to leave people very satisfied.”
Oh. That kind of joy. Ludiin flushed, muttering a dry, “right.”
A serving bot glided toward them with a soft mechanical hum, and Baron took the lead, fingers dancing across the console as if he did this often, courting omegas.
“What would you like?” Baron asked again.
Ludiin barely heard him, his mind spinning off in a hundred directions as he tried to catch the fast-paced voices that seemed to all speak at once. He blinked, caught between overthinking and shutting down.
“Anything,” he mumbled, too distracted to care.
The bot beeped once and rolled away, disappearing behind a large door.
Lucky bastard, Ludiin thought. I wish I had wheels.
“How do you come up with your pleasuring bots?” the omega pressed, a sly glint dancing in his eyes.
“I think of what I like,” Ludiin said simply.
“Like ? ” the omega echoed, dragging the word out like it meant something salacious.
He glanced around the table, clearly playing to his audience.
“Baron said you’re…” he rolled his eyes as if that lazy gesture could finish the sentence.
When Ludiin said nothing, he continued. “Off, you know… not normal.” He winced, then hurried to correct himself.
“Mentally challenged. Wait…shit, is that rude?”
"What?" Ludiin blinked at the omega, his mind scrambling to catch up. The words hung in the air for a beat before they finally sank in, then it felt like all the air had been knocked out of his lungs. His chest tightened, stunned.
Baron told them. He fucking told them…about their disastrous date. Ludiin had suspected it the moment he stepped into the eatery, felt it in the way their eyes focused on him as if he was some fascinating creature.
“Henri,” Baron said, his voice low with warning.
“What?” Henri replied with a mock-innocent shrug. “It’s a valid question. I wanted to know how he can create some of the best pleasuring bots when he’s mentally challenged.”
“Don’t say that,” Baron ground out, his jaw tight.
Henri flinched, his shoulders jerking back as if Baron had struck him. His eyes narrowed, hurt flashing across his face. “You said it yourself,” he shot back. “I’m not making this up.”
The laughter and conversation died a sudden, violent death.
“You’re being rude,” Baron said flatly. The omega’s head whipped toward Ludiin, eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
“Was that rude? I…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I was just curious, that’s all. You’re brilliant, and at the same time you’re…” His voice trailed off.
Ludiin’s hands curled into trembling fists on his lap as he forced a shaky breath into his lungs.
He knew this would happen. It always happened.
Every time he tried to be social or interact with people.
He ended up being humiliated. Every instinct screamed at him to run, but running would be worse… so much worse.
Ludiin stood up slowly with every dignity he could master.
“Henri, was it? I know I might come off as weird, maybe even awkward since I don’t always know what to say, but I’d never go out of my way to be cruel to anyone,” he said calmly, but the fury crackling beneath it was unmistakable.
“And Baron…” he turned to the alpha. “Why the hell did you invite me if you thought I was mentally challenged?”
“Ludiin, I don’t think you’re mentally challenged. I…”
“Answer me.” His eyes narrowed, his chest heaving.
Baron shifted in his seat, his gaze darting nervously around the table, avoiding Ludiin’s glare. “I told them I went on a date with you, but they didn’t believe me. So…”
“So, you invited me here to laugh at me,” Ludiin said, his voice tight with hurt. He pushed back his chair. He turned to leave…
And then he heard it.
“Ludiin?”
That voice. Deep. Familiar.
Ludiin froze, stomach sinking like a stone.
No. No… no no.
He slowly turned, eyes lifting to find Tarymn standing a table away, gaze locked on him. His expression unreadable, but the tension in his shoulders and the heat behind his eyes said enough.
Fuck.
Had he heard what Henri said?
Mortification surged through Ludiin’s chest like acid.
“Excuse me,” he choked out, bolting for the door.
He pushed through the entrance and onto the walkway, blinking against the glare of neon signs pulsing overhead. Tall buildings loomed on either side, the press of the crowd surging around him like a wave.
He just needed to get away.
“Ludiin!” Tarymn’s voice cut through the noise, but Ludiin didn’t stop.
He couldn’t.
Until a strong hand closed around his arm and pulled him to a halt.
His body jolted violently. Electricity surged through his nerves. His knees buckled. Air abandoned his lungs.
Ludiin hated how his body reacted to him. Hated that this was the touch he’d craved for years, the one he had dreamed of, only to be forced to bury it deep inside because Tarymn didn’t want him. He rejected him.
A hot flare of rage swept through him.
Ludiin yanked his arm free and stormed down the walkway. He didn’t care where he went. He just needed to put distance between himself and Tarymn. From the mess of it all. From the heat burning in his chest and the shame crawling up his spine.
But of course, Tarymn followed.
“Ludiin,” Tarymn snapped as his hand wrapped around his arm again.
That feeling returned, like lightning threading under his skin. Ludiin’s breath hitched. He stared at where they touched.
He hated it.
“Let go,” he hissed, yanking his arm back again.
“You can’t just wander around out here alone, you know that,” Tarymn said, voice taut with concern.
“Fuck your stupid law.” Ludiin shot him a glare and scanned the walkway, then spotted a leisure room up ahead, glowing in low blue light. A bunch of alphas were headed inside.
Just what he needed.
Without another word, he stalked toward it, his heart pounding.
The beta at the entrance gave Ludiin a once-over and grinned like he liked what he saw. “Welcome,” he said, pressing a button.
The door slid open with a soft hiss, warm air curling out to meet him.
Ludiin stepped inside, his pulse pounding against his skull.
Soft lighting spilled over the tables, cloaking them in a warm golden glow. Everything about the space was intimate and cozy, making Ludiin feel like he’d stepped into a forbidden world.
Where are the alphas? He thought, a flicker of disappointment curling in his gut. He’d expected them to be lined up and waiting for him.
He turned, ready to leave, but there he was. Tarymn.
Ludiin froze.
His heart slammed against his ribs. The sight of the alpha hit him like a punch to the gut. Tarymn looked larger than life, unsettlingly handsome in a dangerous way.
A hidden panel at the far side of the room slid open.
Two alphas stumbled out, their feet unsteady, clearly drunk. Ludiin didn’t wait. He bolted toward the door.
He didn’t know what he was doing, only that he couldn’t stay anywhere near Tarymn. His chest felt open, raw. Every emotion he’d fought so hard to bury clawing its way violently to the surface. If he didn’t run now, he’d shatter.