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Days passed. Classes and shifting for runs in the park helped pass the time, taking his mind off Reese. But then there were the nights, dark and empty without him.
That was nuts. He didn’t have a relationship with Reese. It wasn’t as if they’d ever slept together. So why the fuck did Tiberius miss him so damn much? It made no sense.
He did his best to focus on studying. And drinking. And forgetting.
And trying not to run into Reese.
Something in which he failed again and again. It seemed Reese was everywhere at once. Every corner he turned, every classroom he entered, Reese was there.
And he wasn’t the only one so aware of the pretty omega.
Other alphas had been eyeing him from the start. It wasn’t as if Tiberius hadn’t been aware of it. Ever since he’d taken Reese as his Boi, he’d seen the hungry looks thrown his Boi’s way. He’d trusted the unspoken rule that nobody touched one’s Boi to keep them away from Reese.
Now, though... Now Reese was free of the deal, a free agent, an open buffet for anyone interested, and oh boy, were there interested parties. Sooner or later, the other alphas would find out that Reese was now free for the taking.
Normally an omega using suppressants shouldn’t have that big a problem on his hands, but with the strong scent his omega... Reese, damn it, just Reese, was giving off, the mouthwatering, dizzying sweet caramel scent of his heat, Tiberius was worried.
Which he shouldn’t be. Reese wasn’t his Boi. Or his Mate. He didn’t belong to Tiberius. It wasn’t Tiberius’s task to protect him.
But the urge was there, the need, just as if Reese were his Mate. He knew that part of it was due to Reese’s heat. It wasn’t everything, though, was it?
No, Tiberius couldn’t lie to himself like that.
Though he damn well tried.
As if all that wasn’t bad enough, the clans’ President, Ambrosius, had sent him a message—nay, an official letter giving him a time and place to meet with his “betrothed” before the wedding.
Well, gee, how nice. He had no desire to meet this omega, or marry him. In fact, he had no desire to get close and personal with anyone except...
Except for Reese.
Damn it!
Tiberius had to get out of the Academy, shift and run, and Nero was with him, quiet and closed off, his gaze kind of blank as they took off their clothes and folded them, leaving them in the bushes at the entrance of the grand city park where shifters often went for runs.
Tiberius was kinda worried about Nero. He seemed more brooding than ever, but he wouldn’t tell him what had happened. He’d never told him about his past, about the faint scar on his face, the old scars on his back and chest.
And Marcus was in the worst drinking bout Tiberius had ever seen him in, and he was also mum about whatever it was that had triggered it.
Tiberius would be worried as hell about them both if his brain was in working order. As it was, he was torn between calling Reese back to him and bashing his own head against a wall to stop thinking about him. He’d rubbed his cock raw, jacking off endlessly every night to thoughts of him, but it wasn’t enough.
No, nothing was enough when it came to Reese, and Tiberius was so fucking concerned that the other alphas might hurt him, assault him.
Even worse, Claim him.
Fuck...
Shifting was a relief. Tiberius groaned as bones shifted and broke to reform, as muscles stretched and rearranged themselves, but at least his wolf brain was simpler than the human one. It was still his brain, his thoughts were still there, but the worries and fears were shoved aside in favor of instincts and the pure simple joys of running and hunting. He welcomed the change, and turned to see Nero shifting into his huge black wolf form, a shock of pale hair over his wolf eyes.
He growled at Tiberius.
Tiberius growled back. He wondered what Reese’s wolf form was like. Smaller, most definitely. He wondered if his fur would be pale like his skin, or dark like his hair. How he would sound yipping and growling and howling as a wolf.
He wished he could run with him, play with him among the trees, roll him in the grass, mount him...
And now Tiberius was panting, tongue lolling, his cock hard like a rock.
Nero was off running, and he followed him awkwardly. His wolf cock was even bigger than his human one, and it was stiff and painful between his hind legs.
This madness had to stop. He had to stop lusting after Reese. Reese wasn’t his concern anymore, wasn’t his problem. Let him find another alpha to Bite and Mark him, fill his belly with pups. Tiberius wasn’t ready for any of that. He had enough resting on his shoulders already...
***
Speaking of which...
The clans’ president got up from his seat in the restaurant’s private alcove to shake his hand. “Glad you could make it, Tiberius.”
Dressed in an expensive suit, his long whiskers glinting silver and his long canines glinting gold, Ambrosius Greywolf of the Sword Clan looked intimidating as all hell.
His father had all but held a knife to Tiberius’s back to force him to make the meeting, but Tiberius only nodded and took his seat. He glanced around. “Where’s Fennix?”
“My son is on his way. Should be here any minute. Drink?”
Without waiting for a reply, Ambrosius snapped his fingers and a waiter ran to fetch a bottle of Scotch. He poured Tiberius a good measure, then left the bottle, bowed and left as if chased by demons. The waiter was an omega, Tiberius realized.
Yeah, if Tiberius felt intimidated by the old gray wolf, he couldn’t imagine how omegas might feel around him.
Not that Tiberius was about to show any weakness in front of the clans’ president and potential father-in-law.
Fuck. He suppressed a shudder. But who knew? Maybe this Fennix was great, maybe Tiberius would fall instantly in lust with him, want him like he wanted Reese.
It was a possibility, right? Don’t knock it till you try it, and he had to keep an open mind. Besides, he was curious. He’d heard a lot of rumors about Lotus Academy but never met any omega attending it. Most omegas there, so the rumor went, were picked from the street and given scholarships they had to pay back before given leave to go and be Mated. It was a preparatory school, teaching pretty omegas to cook and clean and keep a household running, but also to entertain with music and dance. During their apprenticeships, Lotus omegas would be called out to entertain or take care of alphas and be paid for their presence, which money would then go to pay back their studies and stay at the Lotus Academy.
And some of those omegas, obviously, attended with daddy’s money.
Though Tiberius himself was one to talk, he thought grimly. He’d never given much thought to his own father paying the fees for Howl Academy.
Then again, he’d been forced to join. Another family tradition.
Were you forced, really? he thought. Did the old wolf hold a gun to your head to make you join? Couldn’t you run away and get a job like most shifters?
He’d always tried to follow tradition. Please his father.
Suddenly, he wondered how Reese paid the fees. How he paid for his room and food at Howl Academy, notoriously one of the most expensive in the land.
He was still frowning over this when someone approached their table with even, quiet steps.
“Revered alpha father,” the omega said. “And Tiberius de Crescent.”
“Fennix.” Ambrosius emptied his glass and smirked at Tiberius. “So, here he is. Look at him. What do you think?”
It disturbed Tiberius beyond words that the clans’ president so blatantly discussed his son with him. Again, the image of luxury items being auctioned off came to mind.
“Please, have a seat,” Tiberius said, getting up to pull a chair for the omega. “Pleased to meet you, Fennix.”
The omega blushed, and nodded, taking the seat. “Thank you.”
He sure was pretty, Ambrosius was right about that. Refined, elegant. His reddish-gold hair was long and gathered in a long ponytail, his loose tunic, favored by most omegas, was white and embroidered with red flowers, matching his loose pants. He was taller than Reese, but just as slender, moving with the grace of a dancer.
And he did nothing for Tiberius, nothing at all. Where he’d been hard for Reese day in and day out, his cock suddenly lost all interest and deflated.
God... It was a relief. Being hard all the time was awkward and painful. But it just drove the point home: other omegas didn’t do for him what Reese did.
Why the hell was that?
And what was he supposed to do about it?
***
“We should meet again,” Fennix offered shyly, lashes lowered, as Tiberius took his leave. “Get to know each other better.”
Under Ambrosius’s hard gaze, Tiberius said, “We should.”
He felt bad for leading the boy on, but he had no intention of marrying him.
Did he?
Wait, when had he decided that? Sure, he was pissed off at his father for arranging this marriage behind his back, but Fennix really was nice. And pretty. Was he making a mistake? Should he give this a try?
The thought buzzed in his mind as he made his way back to the Academy. Was he being a bad son—too headstrong, too spoilt, too selfish? Maybe Emanuel was right after all. Maybe Tiberius was used to having it his way, to having it all. Would it be so bad to give it—give Fennix a try?
A marriage isn’t a try, he reminded himself. Sure, a marriage contract could be broken, but not easily. And not without bringing dishonor on the family, exactly the thing he was trying to avoid.
Shit, what did it all seem so complicated? Why couldn’t he just obey? Sure, he was young for marriage, but it happened. There were reasons. Besides, he was an alpha. He wouldn’t be the one going through the five-month pregnancy, or staying home with the brats.
Babies.
For some annoying reason, every time he thought of babies, Reese’s face flashed in his mind, and his chest went tight and his cock hard.
Jesus, Tiberius. This is such nonsense. Get it together. Get—
Someone was shouting, and the voice was familiar. There was panic in it, making it high and thin, and Tiberius was running before his conscious brain had even realized what he was doing.
Reese. It was Reese. Reese was in danger.
“Hey!” he yelled. “Hey!” His shoes pounding on the floor, he rounded the corner of the Academy hallway, his hackles already up, his canines bared. “Get off him!”
Two alphas had cornered Reese and were ripping off his clothes. Reese fought them, kicking and punching and biting, but the alphas were of course much bigger and stronger and driven by lust.
Tiberius barreled into them like a hurricane, hauling the alphas off Reese, hurtling them back. They turned on him, so overtaken by rut that their faces were already shifting, twisting into muzzles, their ears lengthening. They snarled at Tiberius, came at him.
They went down in a flurry of fists, and Tiberius found himself looking up, dazed, the wind knocked out of him.
No.
Reese.
Somewhere he found the strength to shove the alphas back and punched them so hard they went flying backward. One of them lay wheezing. The other backed away, growling, blood dripping from his nose.
Damn.
Tiberius wiped blood from his own mouth and licked his lips, tasting copper. He took two steps and found himself back on the floor, this time on his knees.
Damn!
“Tiberius!” Reese was somehow right beside him, on the floor, an arm around Tiberius, and it felt so good. And his scent...
Fuck, his scent was stronger than ever, filling Tiberius’s senses, making him damn dizzy. Damn hard.
“Thanks for this,” Reese was saying breathlessly. He had a scratch on one cheek, and as if in a dream, Tiberius raised his hand to stroke it. “You okay? Did they hit you hard? Come on, let me help you to your room.”
Tiberius didn’t need help. He needed to kiss Reese, but he let the boy get him up. Probably a good idea to leave now, let the two alphas calm down, get out of the rut.
Even if he could see no way of getting out of his own, with Reese by his side.