21. Chapter 21
Ludiin
L udiin’s knees buckled, nearly giving out beneath him. He staggered to the workbench, fingers clutching the wood, the only thing keeping him upright. His chest rose and fell in uneven breaths as tremors rippled across his body.
He couldn’t believe it. Couldn’t wrap his mind around what had just happened or what Tarymn had just done.
This was a dream, right?
Right?
Desperate to wake up, Ludiin pinched his arm hard. “Ouch.” The sting tore a soft moan from his lips. Not a dream.
Tarymn was his mate. His fucking mate.
Ludiin pressed a trembling hand to his chest, his heart pounding wildly, as though it might burst free.
This was too much , Ludiin thought with a shake of his head.
He turned toward the half-dismantled bot, fingers fumbling the parts and wires as he began to slot the pieces together without really thinking, letting the simple work calm him.
He lost himself in the quiet of the den and the clatter of metal.
Hours slipped by unnoticed until the ache of hunger grew impossible to ignore.
With a reluctant sigh, Ludiin pushed away from the workbench and stretched his arms above his head, his muscles stiff from standing for too long.
“Damn, Tarymn for doing this to me,” he mumbled as he made his way down the narrow stairs. The hallway was dim and still as though the house had settled down for the night.
Ludiin stifled a yawn as he padded softly downstairs, his mind already on food. He stepped into the cooking station, then stopped short when he saw Tarymn sitting at the table, an e-reader open in front of him.
The alpha looked up at once, his lips curving into a warm, welcoming smile.
“You finally came down,” he said, rising. “I was about to bring your dinner up.”
“I…” Ludiin faltered, caught off guard.
“Come sit.” Tarymn pulled a plate from the warmer and set it on the table. When Ludiin stayed frozen where he was, Tarymn walked over to him and his hand gently closed around his arm. His scent filled Ludiin’s nose, deliciously familiar and intoxicating.
Ludiin longed to lean into the alpha, to surrender to the wildfire racing through his veins.
Fuck. Even with anger burning through him, he still wanted him.
He stepped back, but Tarymn’s grip on his arm tightened as he easily guided him to the table and helped him into the chair. Leaning down until their eyes met, he said, “Eat your dinner and then get some rest. No more work tonight.”
Then he pressed a light kiss to Ludiin’s cheek. Ludiin stared at him as he picked up his e-reader and left, the urge to ask him to stay bubbling inside him.
Scowling at himself, Ludiin dragged the plate closer and stabbed at his food. He wasn’t eating because Tarymn had told him to. Absolutely not. He was eating because he was starving. He needed the food if he was going to survive whatever game Tarymn was playing.
He crammed food into his mouth, chewing without tasting. Once he was done, he trudged to his room. The sight of his bed only deepened his irritation. Of course, Tarymn had told him to sleep too.
“Ughh…I hate him,” Ludiin grumbled into the silence, flopping down on the bed. But he didn’t hate him. Not even close. He was just furious…and aching, wanting Tarymn so badly it hurt.
“What am I supposed to do?” he whispered to the ceiling. There was no other alpha for him but Tarymn, and that truth terrified him. But how could he trust him after this? Desire pulled one way, doubt pulled the other.
The frustration lit a fresh spark of anger within him. With a sharp breath, Ludiin kicked the covers off and stormed out. He didn’t even think to knock when he reached Tarymn’s room, he simply shoved the door open.
And then he froze. Again. It seemed to be becoming a habit lately, standing there, unable to do anything but stare at the alpha.
Tarymn stood in the doorway leading to the washroom, shirtless, his powerful frame silhouetted by the dim light. Muscles coiled beneath skin, a sheen of moisture still clinging to him from his bath.
Ludiin's breath hitched. His pulse thundered in his ears. He tried to avert his gaze, to focus on the wall or the floor, anything else, but it was useless. His eyes kept pulling back to the alpha like a moth to a flame.
Tarymn was devastatingly beautiful. So hot.
I want him. The thought pulsed through Ludiin’s mind. His body betrayed him, moving before his mind could catch up, until he was suddenly standing in front of Tarymn.
“Ludiin?” Tarymn growled, the sound vibrating through the air and sending shivers down Ludiin’s spine.
Ludiin squeezed his eyes shut, telling himself to turn back, to retreat to the safety of his room. But his body refused to obey. Instead, he stepped closer, breath hitching in shallow, uneven gasps as heat licked its way down his spine.
The air between them thickened, charged with something intense and unspoken.
“What are you doing?” Tarymn asked, his voice taut.
Ludiin didn’t answer. His feet carried him until there was no space left between them, until Tarymn’s chest pressed against his.
Tarymn’s scent wrapped around him in a heady wave, leaving him dizzy.
He’d never been given the chance to feel this outside of the fevered haze of his heat, to know what Tarymn’s touch might feel like without the burn of desire clouding everything.
Now, he wanted to know. Needed to know. Ludiin’s fingers trembled as they traced along Tarymn’s arm, the heat of the alpha’s skin sparking against his own.
“Ludiin,” Tarymn bit out, his voice rough with restraint. “If you touch me like that, I won’t be held responsible for what happens next.”
But Ludiin didn’t stop. His fingers glided higher along the curve of Tarymn’s arm. Deliberate. Defiant.
A low growl rumbled from the Tarymn's chest before he snapped and hauled Ludiin flush against him. The sudden strength of his embrace stole Ludiin’s breath.
“Fuck,” Tarymn muttered, burying his face into the curve of Ludiin’s neck. His words came out broken, almost desperate. “I missed having you this close.”
He lifted Ludiin off the floor as though he weighed nothing, carrying him with ease to the bed. He sat, holding Ludiin on his lap like something he’d been starved of. His voice softened, almost pleading. “I miss hearing your voice too.”
“You’re the one who didn’t claim me when you found out I was your mate,” Ludiin hissed back, his tone laced with hurt. His hand balled into a fist, and he punched Tarymn’s chest.
Tarymn caught his hand and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. The simple brush of lips made Ludiin’s stomach flutter violently, an ache blooming deep inside hole. “Would you have… accepted me?” Tarymn asked. “Even though you hated how I made you feel? Would you have stopped drinking that damn tea?”
“For you… yes.” The words slipped from Ludiin’s mouth before he could stop them. His voice cracked as tears welled, blurring his vision. They spilled over, warm trails streaking down his cheeks, and once they started, they didn’t stop.
“Shit… I’m sorry, baby.” Tarymn’s arms tightened around him as he murmured low, soothing words against his skin. Ludiin buried his face into Tarymn’s shoulder and sobbed out every shard of hurt, confusion, and longing until his body trembled with exhaustion.
When he finally tried to pull away, Tarymn held him fast, refusing to let go. “Shhh… just sleep,” he whispered against Ludiin’s temple. “Everything will be better in the morning.”
“I can’t sleep here,” Ludiin mumbled weakly, though his body betrayed him, already sinking deeper into Tarymn’s warmth.
“Why not?” Tarymn asked. “You’re mine.”
The words sank into Ludiin, melting him from the inside out. They struck something deep, something that had always belonged to Tarymn no matter how hard he’d tried to deny it. He liked the way it felt.
With a shuddering breath, Ludiin settled against Tarymn’s chest, letting the steady rhythm of the alpha’s heartbeat carry him away. Sleep claimed him before he could think twice.
***
Tarymn
Tarymn reached out blindly, his hand dragging across rumpled sheets as the haze of sleep slowly lifted.
Ludiin’s scent clung to the sheets, curling around him like invisible fingers, making his head spin and his body stir with aching need.
Desire surged through him, hot and insistent, shocking in its intensity.
“Fuck, I need you,” Tarymn moaned sleepily as he reached for Ludiin. His brow furrowed when his searching hand met only cool sheets. His eyes blinked open, then narrowed as he took in the empty space beside him.
Ludiin was gone.
He scrubbed a hand down his face, jaw tightening. Last night he’d thought…
“Fuck,” Tarymn spat, flinging the covers aside with frustration and stomped toward the washroom, disappointment burning in his chest.
Last night, Tarymn had truly believed Ludiin had accepted him. That the fragile wall between them had finally crumbled, letting him in when the omega came to him of his own will. He’d dared to hope it meant something. That maybe Ludiin wouldn’t make him wait.
Patience, he told himself as he went through his morning routine, though it tasted bitter in his mouth.
He hated the thought of leaving, of going to work when all he wanted was to spend the day with Ludiin.
But clearly, Ludiin still needed time to breathe, to get used to the fact that he was his mate.
And if Tarymn was being honest, maybe he needed the distance too.
Because if he stayed too close, he knew he’d break, drop to his knees, and beg Ludiin or worse claim him before he got used to everything.
He was already hanging by a thread, and it had only been a single fucking day since he confessed everything. Another day felt impossible.
“You can do it. You can wait,” Tarymn muttered under his breath, forcing his feet to carry him out of his room.
His steps slowed as he reached the hallway, his gaze already drifting toward the narrow stairs that led up to Ludiin.
The pull was relentless, his chest tight with the urge to see him, touch him.
He clenched his jaw and forced himself to walk away. He had to leave.
“Damn it,” he groaned, every muscle screaming as he dragged himself out of the house and into the waiting pod.
“Good morning, Master,” Pitra greeted, bowing slightly as he approached.
Tarymn grunted in reply, sliding inside and sinking into the seat. The pod drifted in silence for a few minutes before Pitra glanced at him.
“Is everything okay?” he asked.
“Yes,” Tarymn forced out. He wasn’t ready to talk about Ludiin. Hell, he didn’t even know how to explain the storm inside him. All he knew was that waiting was fucking tearing him apart.
He prayed Ludiin wouldn’t make him wait too long. But the more he prayed, the more it seemed the omega was determined to test his patience. Three days later, Tarymn was crawling out of his skin. And fucking Ford was still there.
Tarymn’s jaw tightened as he stepped into the den, his eyes immediately locking on the other alpha lounging comfortably on his couch, looking far too at ease. Every instinct in Tarymn screamed to rip him apart, to tear him away from Ludiin and claim the omega, fuck waiting.
“He’s here again,” Tarymn bit out as he stalked further inside.
Ludiin barely looked up, fingers moving deftly across his e-reader as he sketched, as if Tarymn’s presence meant nothing.
His long hair framed his face in dark waves, his soft loungewear draping over his lean frame, making him look infuriatingly beautiful.
Tarymn’s chest clenched . He wanted to be the only one who saw him like this—unguarded, serene.
Lethal heat burned in Tarymn’s stare as he turned it back on Ford, silently daring him to explain what the hell he was still doing there.
“He’s my model,” Ludiin said at last, his voice calm.
Tarymn’s teeth ground together. “I thought I was your model.”
“I never agreed to that,” Ludiin replied, finally meeting his gaze.
Something in Tarymn cracked open. The casual defiance in his mate’s tone slammed into him like a blade to the gut. Was this it? Was he too late? Was Ludiin too angry to forgive him?
The silence stretched, heavy and suffocating. Tarymn’s pulse pounded as the tension inside him coiled tighter. Then someone cleared their throat.
Tarymn’s head whipped toward the sound, and it took every ounce of control not to lunge at the bastard. Ford raised his hands slightly in surrender, eyes flicking between them. “I’ll… give you two a minute to talk,” he said quickly before making a hasty retreat.
The instant the echo of the alpha’s footsteps faded, Tarymn turned back to Ludiin. “Is he the one you want?”