4. Fen
Fen was exhausted when Binnie finally pulled up to his apartment. They’d chatted when they’d first left Loch’s house but had soon fallen into comfortable silence. Once Loch had agreed to help, there wasn’t much to discuss until they had a team. The two alphas had decided they would divide and conquer, with Loch retrieving Saint and Binnie finding Ollie.
Leaving was hard, like walking away from someone attached to him with a bungee cord; Fen kept waiting to spring back to Loch. It was a stupid analogy. He huffed, annoyed that Loch had popped into his head again. He’d tried not to think of him the entire way home but, instead, had thought of nothing but.
Fen’s hand was on the car door handle when Binnie tapped his arm. “Hey, let me walk you to the door.”
Fen frowned, giving him a confused look, but Binnie wasn’t looking at him anymore. He was peering out the windshield, eyes narrowed, like he could see something Fen couldn’t. His stillness sent a shiver down Fen’s spine. He gave a nervous laugh. “What? Why? It’s fine. It’s a safe neighborhood.”
Binnie finally looked at him, giving him a smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes. “Yeah, I”m sure. But it’s the gentlemanly thing to do.”
He was lying—they both knew it—but it was pointless to argue. He could see Binnie wouldn’t take no for an answer. After the way he’d peered into the darkness, Fen wasn’t sure he wanted to refuse anyway. He gave a stilted nod then waited for Binnie to park.
Once they were at his apartment door, Fen pulled his keycard from his pocket and swiped it across the lock. He had his hand on the knob when Binnie cleared his throat. “Can I…come in for a minute?”
The concern in Binnie’s voice alarmed him. Fen nodded, opening the door, letting Binnie walk in ahead of him. He should have warned his roommates there was a stranger in the house—an alpha, no less—but there was really no time.
San stood in the kitchen, cooking, his blond hair pulled up into a half-pony. He was dressed for sleep in sweatpants and a sleeveless black t-shirt he’d slit down the sides, revealing his sleek, toned physique. He glanced over, mouth open like he was about to greet Fen, then stilled as he sniffed the air, body rigid as he glowered at Binnie. If he had hackles, they would have been raised.
Fen sent San a pleading look that he hoped screamed, Don’t freak out. Fen needed Binnie’s help. And, truthfully, Binnie seemed like a good guy.
So far, anyway.
San ignored Fen’s look, clearly angry at the intrusion into their home. Binnie, on the other hand, looked thunderstruck by San, standing still as a statue, his mouth hanging open. Fen watched, mildly amused as Binnie swallowed audibly, blinking rapidly like his brain was rebooting.
Fen couldn’t stop his smirk. Many alphas had this reaction to San—at least until they realized he was also an alpha. But Binnie had to know San’s secondary gender at this distance; not even food could hide that scent. Still, he continued to stare.
San gave Binnie a look Fen could only describe as catty. “Can I help you?” He put one hand on his hip, a wooden spoon waving in the other.
Binnie seemed to snap out of whatever spell he’d fallen under, shaking his head. “I—Um, yeah, uh, sorry. I’m Corbin, uh—Binnie. Nice to meet you.”
San gave him a thorough once-over, then dismissed him entirely to return to his food. Jesus. This was not how Fen had seen this night going. He had planned to part from the other alpha in the parking lot.
Fen gave Binnie a pained smile. “That’s Lysander. His friends call him San.”
San flicked his gaze to Binnie. “You can call me Lysander. Or, better yet, don’t call me at all.”
Fen shot San another dark look, trying to tell him telepathically to rein it in. San clearly understood the message but simply rolled his eyes and returned to the large pot on the stove.
Fen sighed. “Ignore him. He’s a dick if he hasn’t eaten.” After a second, he added, “And also if he has, to be honest. He’s…not a fan of alphas.”
Binnie’s brows pinched together. He looked like he was trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube, glancing back and forth between them. “But…he is an alpha?”
San pretended not to hear their conversation, but Fen knew he heard every word.
Fen wasn’t prepared to have this conversation. There was no official protocol for two alphas meeting for the first time, but there was an…etiquette of sorts. Given the time, Fen would have given each alpha a brief background on the other before introducing them outside of the apartment. Seth thought of it as introducing two really territorial dogs to each other on neutral ground. Though, now that he thought on it, Fen had never had to introduce San to another alpha before.
Fen sighed. “Technically, yes, but he’s not exactly happy about it.”
“Oh, right,” Binnie said, as if that made perfect sense. To San, he added, “If it helps at all, I’m not really like most alphas.”
San leaned forward to taste whatever was in the pot, taking his time to really savor it before scoffing. “Yeah, right.”
If Fen rolled his eyes one more time, he was going to sprain something. He grabbed Binnie’s wrist, dragging him deeper into the apartment, away from San, into the small living room. Seth was stretched out on the sofa. When he saw them, he jerked into a sitting position, covering up with the blanket from the back of the sofa. Why was he acting so scandalized? He was wearing basketball shorts and a hoodie, not lingerie. What was with those two? Why were they both acting so weird?
“What the fuck?” Seth said eloquently, gaping at the strange alpha.
Fen took a moment to pray for patience then said, “Seth, this is Binnie. Binnie, Seth.”
Binnie gave a little wave. “Hi.”
Seth frowned, his confusion evident, but returned the gesture easily enough. He looked at Fen. “Why is there a strange alpha in our apartment two days after my heat?”
Fen felt the blood drain from his face. His gaze jerked to Binnie, studying the alpha for any signs of irritability around his still slightly hormonal roommate, but Binnie’s expression was borderline serene. Still, bringing an alpha into an omega’s home so close to a heat would usually have that alpha agitated and posturing, even pacing. But Binnie was fine. Perfectly comfortable.
Fen shook his head at Seth. “Don’t be rude.”
“No.” Binnie smiled at his roommate. “It’s fine. I get it. I wouldn’t want an alpha I didn’t know in my space either. I just needed to talk to Fen for a few minutes. But, honestly, this affects you as well.”
Seth shot a startled look to Fen, who was equally perplexed. “What does that mean?”
“I’m not trying to freak you out—” Binnie started only for Seth to cut him off.
“Well, too late. You’re acting kinda sketch,” he told him, sitting up a little straighter.
Fen gave Seth another wide-eyed look. Both his roommates were acting so out of character.
“I think you’re being watched,” Binnie blurted.
Fen’s breath left him in a rush. “What?”
Binnie nodded. “Well, more to the point, I think we’re being watched.”
“Uh, what?” Seth asked again but louder and with bigger hand movements.
“There’s a cable truck outside your apartment. I’m pretty sure it’s a surveillance vehicle,” Binnie said.
“That’s kind of a big leap, no?” Fen asked.
San was in the doorway now, still holding his wooden spoon. “No, that’s a huge leap. You could be an Olympic hurdler with the conclusions you’re jumping to.”
Binnie studied San for a long moment then turned to Fen. “That van was there when I picked you up earlier.”
Seth shot a nervous look at Fen. “Maybe they’re just doing work here?”
Binnie shook his head. “I saw that same cable truck outside my office two days in a row. Maybe it’s a coincidence, but in all my time here, I’ve never once spotted a cable company with that name, so to see that company’s vehicle four days in a row? That doesn’t seem like a coincidence.”
“Maybe they’re a new company?” San asked, feigning boredom, but Fen could hear the worry creeping into his tone.
Binnie shrugged. “Maybe. But let me ask you, Fenny, how deeply have you dug into Cerberus? Did you hack them? Maybe ask questions to the wrong people?”
Fen scowled. “I work in intelligence. Do you think I don’t know how to cover my tracks?”
Binnie shifted, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “I’m sure you’re great. Your brother bragged about you all the time. But Cerberus is next level. If they’re onto you, it isn’t safe for you to stay here.” He looked at the others. “It’s not safe for any of you.”
“Wouldn’t they have followed us to Loch’s house?” Fen asked, ignoring the part where Binnie thought they were unsafe.
Binnie shook his head. “I took a car from the motor pool. Even if they had managed to get a tracker on my personal car, it would have looked like I never left the office garage.”
“But if I’m also being watched, wouldn’t they have followed us when you picked me up?” Fen asked, head spinning.
Binnie nodded. “They probably tried. But I always take countermeasures when driving. You didn’t notice how many times I circled back before we hit the highway. They could have realized I was onto them and cut bait. Came back here to wait until you returned.”
“Or maybe you’re just paranoid,” San said.
“Yeah, bro. This all just sounds like speculation,” Seth said, hugging a throw pillow tightly.
Binnie shrugged. “Maybe. But if I’m right, it’s unsafe here.”
San sneered at Binnie, his body language mirroring the other alpha’s, arms crossed over his chest. “What exactly do you suggest we do? Move out? Rentals aren’t easy or affordable in this area, you know.”
“Come stay with me,” Binnie suggested, then his eyes went wide. “N-Not with me, like with all of us. Loch, Saint, and Ollie will be staying at my house outside the city. There’s plenty of room, enough for ten people or more. Hell, more than ten. And it’s built like a fortress. There’s safety in numbers.”
San’s look was caught somewhere between condescending and irritated. “You want us to drop our whole lives and move into your house because you saw…a cable truck?”
Binnie’s smoke and cherry scent grew sour, his frustration now evident. “I trust my instincts. Something is telling me you’re not safe here. I don’t know why. Maybe you tripped some kind of internal security while snooping around online, and maybe they started watching me after you came to my office. I don’t know, but I’m telling you, something isn’t right.”
“I’m not moving into a strange house,” San said to Fen. “Especially not with some unknown alpha.”
“Two unknown alphas, actually,” Fen muttered.
“Three,” Binnie corrected. “Saint is also an alpha. But Ollie is a beta,” he added hastily, as if that somehow softened the blow of four alphas under one roof with two unmated omegas.
“You want us”—Seth gestured between him and Fen—“to live in your house…with three unmated alphas? Do you know how insane that sounds?”
“You’d be perfectly safe,” Binnie assured them. “You’ve met Loch, and I would never do anything out of line. Saint is…okay, well, to be fair, Saint is a little…weird, but not in a violent or creepy way. He would never do anything to make you uncomfortable. Not intentionally, anyway.”
“I’m not moving into your house with your…scent everywhere,” San said, sounding flustered.
“It’s not my house,” Binnie shot back. “Well, I own it, but it’s not my main house. It was my grandmother’s before she died. Now, I use it as a rental property. Like an Airbnb but with the security of a fortress.”
“Main house?” Seth repeated, sounding a little awed. “How many houses do you own?”
Binnie dropped his gaze to stare at his shoes, now covered in a fine layer of dust from Loch’s place. “Me, personally? Only, like, three.”
“Three?” Seth cried.
Binnie nodded earnestly, as if three was a perfectly normal amount of houses for the average person. “Yes, just the three.” He flushed, rubbing the back of his neck. “But, there’s also property left in a trust that will be mine when I turn forty.” He locked eyes with San. “That’s when I get my full inheritance.”
San flinched but seemed pinned in place by Binnie’s stare. Fen and Seth exchanged looks. Was Binnie trying to impress San?
Seth stared at the alpha, wide-eyed, digging a little deeper. “As opposed to now, where you just have…”
“Part of my inheritance?” Binnie said meekly, like he wasn’t sure he should tell the truth.
“How much is that?” Seth asked, leaning forward like he was about to hear a delicious tidbit of gossip.
“Seth!” Fen snapped. “Don’t ask him that!”
Seth threw his hands in the air, exasperated. “He’s the one who thinks owning three houses is a totally normal thing people do. Why am I rude for wanting to know more?”
Binnie chuckled, waving a hand at Fen. “He’s fine.” To Seth, he said, “When my mom died, she left me a lot of money…like eight figures. It’s currently just chilling in an investment account. When my grandmother died, she also left me an extremely large inheritance, mostly just to spite my father, which I’m pretty sure is why she made it so I can’t access it until I’m forty.”
San gave an over-exaggerated pout. “Aww, stuck living off your mom’s meager millions?” He whined mockingly. “Poor baby.”
Fen’s eyes went wide, his gaze snapping to Binnie, wondering if he was going to have to try to stop a fight between two alphas. Instead, Binnie was blushing like a schoolgirl. Holy fuck. Either the alpha really didn’t know how to read the room, or he was kind of getting off on San’s abuse. Fen wasn’t sure which was more disturbing.
“I-I don’t actually use any of that money,” Binnie finally stuttered. “Some of it goes to charity, but most of it just sits there. I don’t need to live off my family’s money.”
“Yet, you’re not exactly giving it away, are you?” San countered, tone scathing.
Binnie looked properly ashamed. “No, I guess not. But I do just fine as a political consultant.”
“Of course, you’re a politician,” San grumbled, his disgust so obvious that even Seth looked like he felt sorry for Binnie, and he was terrified of alphas.
“I’m not,” Binnie assured him. “And I never asked for any of that money. I just want to help people. I want to be the opposite of my father.”
San narrowed his gaze, the barest hint of a smile playing at his lips. “Your father?”
Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no, no, no.
Fuck.
Fen may have forgotten—on purpose—to tell his roommates exactly who Binnie was. At the time, it hadn’t felt relevant.
“Corbin Raider,” Binnie spat, his hatred for the man on full display.
Seth gasped like Binnie had just said he was sired by Thanos himself. “Your father is Corbin Raider?”
“Unfortunately,” Binnie muttered.
That was all San needed to hear. He smelled blood in the water, and now, he was on the attack. “Do you have any idea of the damage he’s done to this town? To this country?” San snarled.
“Of course, I do,” Binnie snapped back, his alpha—finally—roaring to life. “Why do you think I work so hard for the other side?”
“That man is the devil,” Seth whispered, clutching his pillow tighter.
Binnie met Seth’s gaze. “Imagine being raised by him.”
“Are we supposed to feel sor?—”
Fen stepped between Binnie and San, slapping a hand over San’s mouth. “Okay, I think we’ve gotten way off track.” To Binnie, he said, “I—We—appreciate the offer, but we’re fine. I can see how you’d be paranoid, but I think we’re okay.”
Binnie sighed, still appearing uncertain. “Fine, but promise me if you feel unsafe, you’ll call. And if you need a place to stay, you’ll take my offer?”
“We’ll be fine,” Fen assured, leading Binnie to the door. San stormed back into the kitchen without another look.
Binnie gave Fen a pleading look from the threshold.
Before he could ask again, Fen cut him off. “If something happens, we’ll go stay at your grandma’s house. Okay?”
Binnie hesitated then nodded. “Promise?”
Fen shook his head, exasperated.“Oh, my God, yes,” he said with a laugh, pushing Binnie out the door. “Go home.”
Binnie licked his lips, gaze shifting to something over Fen’s shoulder. He didn’t need to look to know it was San.
“I’m serious,” Binnie said, distracted. “Call me if you need me. Anytime. Uh, make sure your roommates have my number, too. You know, just in case.”
Fen bit back a smile. Right, just in case. “Sure. Night, Bin.”
Fen shut the door in his face before the man did something stupid, like propose to his rage ball of a roommate. Once the door was triple locked, he leaned against it.
Seth appeared. “What the fuck was that all about?”
“Just some stupid alpha trying to assert his dominance.” San sneered.
Seth cackled then walked to San, wrapping his arms around him from behind, resting his head between his shoulder blades. “San, I love you, but the only stupid alpha trying to assert his dominance was you.”
San gasped, scandalized. “That’s the meanest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“I know, baby. But it’s true,” Seth teased.
Seth zeroed in on Fen, grabbing the boy and dragging him to the sofa, leaving San to finish dinner. Fen somehow found himself on his back with Seth draped over him like a blanket, nose buried in his throat, inhaling deeply.
Fen’s eyes widened when he realized what was about to happen.
Seth sat up gasping. “Oh, my God.”
“What?” Fen asked innocently, avoiding the other omega’s eyes.
“Why do you smell like rain?” Seth asked.
“I don’t know,” Fen shot back, tone defensive.
Fen didn’t know why he was afraid to tell Seth what had happened. He’d never been shy.
Seth scoffed. “You dirty liar. That is an alpha’s scent and not that alpha,” he said, pointing in the direction of the front door. “Is that Lochlan’s scent? Is he an alpha?”
“What else would he be?” Fen asked, suddenly grumpy.
With distance between them, the whole scenario seemed surreal. Fen had never imagined just melting into a stranger like that. But when he’d dragged Fen to him—when he’d buried his nose against his sensitive and very private scent gland, practically purring—Fen had lost all grip on reality. His higher thought processes had completely shut down, leaving him with only his most—what had Binnie called it? Oh, right—primitive thoughts. He’d wanted to submit. He’d wanted to be fucked and bred. And he didn’t even have his heat as an excuse.
Seth side-eyed him. “Um, a beta? Both alphas and betas can serve in combat, you know.”
Fen knew. He just didn’t want to talk about Lochlan Cafferty. It had all been so…confusing. “Just let it go. Please?”
It had been a moment of temporary insanity. An adverse reaction to an alpha’s scent. So what if he’d felt drugged? Sated? That wasn’t normal, was it? It didn’t matter. What mattered was that Loch had agreed to help. He probably would have helped even if Fen hadn’t shamed him into it.
Seth cackled, tackling him onto the couch, securing his wrists above his head. “Now, I’m definitely not letting it go.” He studied Fen’s face, expression delighted. “What did you do, you little slut?”
Fen gasped, struggling beneath him half-heartedly. “Shut up.”
Seth buried his face in his neck again. Fen bit back the growl bubbling up inside him. He had no idea why he felt so possessive of the stranger’s scent. But he did.
“I will not shut up. How did you disappear with one alpha but come home smelling like another?” Seth asked.
“It’s—” Fen cut himself off. It’s what? “Complicated.”
“I don’t see how. You’re dripping in his scent. You couldn’t smell more like him if you’d let him breed you.” A dirty smile spread across Seth’s face. “You didn’t, did you?”
Fen gaped at him. “You think I would meet some random alpha and just…what? Present myself to him with Binnie right there?”
“I don’t know, maybe? But you didn’t, right?” Seth added hesitantly.
Fen felt like a furnace. “We both know that if I had, I’d smell like more than just rain,” Fen muttered. “He…I don’t know. When we met, it was…”
“It was…” Seth prompted.
Fen couldn’t help his wistful sigh. “It just sort of happened. He grabbed me and dragged me to him, buried his face in my neck like he owned me.” He groaned. “And he smelled so, so good, Seth.”
Seth’s mouth fell open. “You like him.”
“What?” Fen yelped. “No I don’t.”
Seth gave another maniacal laugh. “Oh, you really like him.”
“I don’t even know him,” Fen said, bewildered.
“Your omega knows him. He was ready to get down on all fours,” Seth taunted.
Fen rolled his eyes. “Now, you’re just making shit up in your own head.”
“What’s he look like?”
Instantly, a picture of the alpha filled his mind. “Are you going to hold me prisoner or can I sit up?”
“Tell us over dinner,” San said, shoving bowls toward them.
When they were all sitting around the coffee table eating, San said, “So, what did he look like? Must have been hot to have you submitting so quickly.”
“Why are you both so sure I submitted?” Fen grumbled. They both fixed him with identical flat stares. “Fine. I may have…scented him back. Just a little. But you had to be there. It was just…the right thing to do.”
They grinned.
“Well,” San prompted, “out with it. What does this magical alpha look like?”
Fen sighed. “He’s tall. Well, taller than me?—”
“Everyone’s taller than you. You could fit in my pocket,” San interjected.
Fen gave him the finger. “Do you want to hear this or not?”
San gave a long-suffering sigh. “Go on.”
“He’s, like, six foot? I had to stand on my tiptoes to reach his neck. He’s blond, but not pale like mine, sort of golden blond, like sun-bleached. He has pretty eyes and a nice jawline. His nose is kind of broad but totally fits his face. And his mouth…” Fen closed his eyes, picturing those lips. “His mouth is criminal. If I had his lips, I’d look like a sucker fish, but on him, they were perfection.” When no further questions followed, he glanced at his roommates, who were just staring at him, slack-jawed. “What?”
“You’re really into him,” San said, his shock evident. “You hate alphas.”
He didn’t hate alphas. He just didn’t trust them. Or, more to the point, he didn’t trust their feelings were genuine and not just biology. That was why he dated betas. They were more neutral.
With betas, it was easier to feel like feelings—should any arise—were real and not just hard-wired. Fen hated the thought of falling for someone only to find out they didn’t love him, they were just drawn to him because he was an omega.
“I don’t hate you,” Fen countered. “And I don’t hate Binnie. Not every alpha is a monster.”
This topic came up far too often, especially in the current political climate. Fen didn’t understand how so many people could think that secondary gender made one person better than another. Over the last fifty years, they’d made so much progress, but now, the country was backsliding.
Why couldn’t people agree that all secondary genders were equal and valid, even if their gifts were wildly different? Sure, alphas had the benefit of being bigger, broader, more assertive. They had an intimidating presence and the ability to heal faster. But did that make them more important or more qualified to lead?
Omegas were smaller in stature, but they had a much better sense of smell and the ability to calm others. They were far more emotionally intelligent. They were creative problem solvers and had better endurance long-term than any alpha. Oh, and they could literally create other humans. But society saw all their strengths as weaknesses and decided they needed to be subjugated for it.
“I’ve never heard you defend alphas before,” Seth said.
“I’m not. But if we write off all alphas as the same, how are we any different than all those people trying to strip us of our rights because all omegas are the same?”
“Except, it’s alphas trying to declare supremacy over us. They think they’re better than us and people are backing them. Even betas,” Seth reminded him, voice soaked in sadness.
It was about power. That’s all. Alphas had been in power so long that any voices other than their own scared them. They were terrified they would lose the stranglehold they’d had for centuries. But if history had proven anything, it was that having alphas in charge only led to war and bloodshed, something they tended to overlook in their rally speeches.
If you asked Fen who should be top tier, it was betas. They got all the benefits of alphas and omegas, but their heats and ruts happened just once a year and didn’t make them crazy.
The only downside was reproduction. Betas had little success breeding with anyone but other betas. It wasn’t impossible, but it was rare. But if someone wasn’t interested in kids, being a beta was definitely the way to go.
If only people got to choose.
Seth shook his head. “You won’t even spend your heats with alphas.”
“I don’t spend my heats with anyone,” Fen corrected, pointing his spoon at him. “You don’t spend your heats with anyone either.”
“I haven’t spent my anything with anyone,” Seth shot back.
Fen opened his mouth, then froze, absorbing his friend”s words. “Wait, what?”
Seth suddenly became very interested in his stew. “Nothing.”
Fen looked to San, who pointedly looked away. “Seth, are you saying you’re…a virgin?”
Seth’s cheeks turned pink. “So?”
“So…nothing. Why didn’t you tell me?” Fen asked.
“‘Cause it’s not exactly something I’m proud of. I’m not saving it or anything,” he managed. “I just have…trust issues.”
Fen’s heart squeezed. Seth hadn’t exactly had an easy childhood either. “I know, baby. I wasn’t judging.”
“Can we not talk about my virginity?” Seth asked.
San nodded. “Sure, what should we talk about?”
Fen grinned, turning on San. “Let’s talk about Binnie practically tripping over his own tongue when he saw you.”
“He did not.” San stabbed at his empty bowl.
Seth’s eyes bulged. “Wait, really?”
Fen nodded. “Really. He was a smitten kitten.”
“It hardly matters. Alphas like him are too macho. He’d never let me top. And I don’t bottom. He’s the living embodiment of the stereotypical alpha. Military guy. Fancy job. Money. Super buff. Hot.”
“You think he’s hot?” Seth cooed.
San glowered. “I have eyes, Seth. Anyone can see he’s hot. That doesn’t change the fact that we’re both alphas.”
“But in the presence of two unmated omegas, one of whom just came off his heat, Binnie still didn’t look at us twice. Even talking to me, he was always…aware of you,” Fen told San. “He likes you.”
San looked flustered. “As if I care.”
Seth sighed, clasping his hands together. “Both my babies have potential suitors. Swoon,” he said dreamily, though there was something sharper beneath his words.
“Shut up,” they both snapped at the same time.
They all fell silent, staring at each other, then burst out laughing.
Seth jumped to his feet. “Who wants to have a sleepover in the nest? I haven’t disassembled it yet. We can Netflix and chill.”
“You know that means hook up, right?” San asked, amused.
“Duh. What, you don’t want to make out with me? Am I not pretty enough for you, alpha?”
Fen got to his feet. “Don’t worry, I’ll make out with you and San can just watch,” he said, smacking a kiss on Seth’s plush, pink lips.
“See? Fenny loves me,” Seth taunted.
“Good luck finding an alpha who’s okay with you making out with each other,” San retorted. “Since alphas are apparently something you two do now.”
Fen wrapped his arms around Seth from behind, hooking his chin over his shoulder to look at San. “Neither of us are ‘doing’ any alphas. And if we were, they would just have to deal with the fact that, sometimes, my best friend is so pretty, I have to kiss him…just a little.”
San rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”
“Does that mean you’re not coming?” Seth asked.
San gave another of his long-suffering sighs. “I’ll be there in a minute. Don’t start without me.”
Seth clapped his hands, delighted. “No promises.”
Fen and Seth curled up on the bed, waiting for San. Only then did Fen realize he was still wearing Loch’s flannel. He grabbed the collar and pulled it to his nose, inhaling, biting back the moan that tried to break free. Fuck. How was he going to work with this man when he went weak in the knees at just the hint of his scent?
“Death Note?” Seth asked, remote in hand.
“Mm,” Fen finally answered.
He needed to pull it together. Loch was just another alpha. This was just some bullshit biological response. Fen could fight that.
He had to fight that. For everyone’s sake.