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Tiberius was going crazy. He thought of Reese night and day. Couldn’t sleep. Couldn’t eat. And he was stuck away from the Academy, at Marcus’s family home.
He felt bad for wanting to be elsewhere. Marcus was his best buddy, an asshole though he was most of the time. Marcus would’ve done the same for him.
Only if the timing hadn’t sucked so fucking much, god damn it. Why did he have to go and shift alone in a park outside town, on the border with the human lands, and get his leg caught in a trap?
Only if Tiberius had thought to take down Reese’s number... He’d one a couple of searches online with no results. He didn’t know if Reese had any friends at the Academy. Why the hell hadn’t he thought of that before jumping in his car and speeding away?
He’d been worried about Marcus.
That asshole.
“You’re pining,” Marcus muttered, shifting with a wince on the bed. His bandaged leg was propped on a stack of velvet cushions.
“Shut up.”
“And being grumpy about it.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake... What the hell were you thinking? Why were you out there alone? You fucking know it’s dangerous.”
Marcus sighed. “Haven’t we been over this?”
“I have. It was a one-sided thing. A monologue. And you never replied.”
“Well, there you go. We have been over it. Besides, you don’t reply to monologues. You should have paid more attention in lit class.”
“God damn.” Tiberius raked his fingers through his hair. “You’re one annoying fucker.”
“Said the pot to the kettle.”
“Were you chasing someone? Were you following an omega? Was there any good damn reason for you to put your life in such danger?”
“None of your business, pup.”
“Oh god, just... shut up and get better, you hear? I’ve got things to do.”
“You’re so generous and kind,” Marcus said drily. “I’m so fucking moved.”
“Yeah, you know me. I’m all sugar and honey.”
“Go back to the Academy, Ty. I can’t fucking stand to see you like that anymore.”
“Like what? Fuck you.”
“Go away.”
“And who’s gonna take care of you?”
Marcus pressed his lips together. “There’s James. See? It’s all good.”
James was the family butler. Tiberius was mainly there to keep Marcus company and help with James wasn’t around. But of course, the main issue was that Marcus’s alpha father was absent. Somewhere, probably at his club, drunk off his ass, as he usually was. His omega father had died when Marcus had been a baby and his two older brothers from another omega were married and living in the capital.
Knowing Marcus, he hadn’t even told them about this incident.
“Fuck... Look, man. You know I don’t mind,” Tiberius said.
“Is that why you can’t sit still for two seconds or talk about anything? Because you don’t mind?”
Tiberius grunted, rubbed at the ache between his brows. “That’s not fair. I drove over here the moment you called me.”
“I’m all better now. So why don’t you run along home.”
“Marcus...”
“I know, dude. You’re worried about Reese. It’s more than lust, isn’t it?”
Tiberius wanted to deny it but found himself nodding.
“Good. Listen, I’m really okay. I can walk now. Gimme a couple of days and I’ll be back, good as new. All right? And keep an eye on Nero. That dude’s a hot mess.”
Tiberius shot his friend a sharp look. “Why? What do you know?”
“Nothing. It’s just a hunch.”
“Marcus. You can talk to me.” Tiberius let his hands hang between his knees and fixed the other alpha with a stern look. “About him. And about you.”
“Oh, I’m fine.” Marcus waved a hand airily. “You know me. Always getting back on my feet. Nothing can keep me down.”
“Hm...” Not convinced, Tiberius leaned back in his chair. Marcus certainly seemed indestructible most of the time.
“Now... what do you know about the witches’ intentions?” Marcus asked, a little too casually.
“What?” Tiberius blinked. “You seriously wanna talk politics right now?”
“Why wouldn’t I? It’s my leg that’s banged up, man, not my head.”
“You could have fooled me... Why the sudden interest? What aren’t you telling me?”
“It’s just...” Marcus looked uncomfortable, looking away. “Look, I always say I hate politics but I’ve been following what’s happening. Politics is important. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“What about it, then?”
“Well, I find it strange that it’s all just so vague and hush-hush. The witches. The vampires. The Fae.”
“Hush-hush? It’s all my father ever talks about. He’s making me marry because of it.”
“He’s making you marry? When?”
“Fuck...” Tiberius hadn’t meant to let that slip out, but it was all he could think about.
That and Reese.
Why did he lust after him so much? They’d fucked and yet it wasn’t out of his system yet. He needed to be with Reese, naked, he needed to fuck Reese until he screamed with pleasure, again and again, and—
“Dude, you want me to talk to you, and you don’t even tell me about being forced into marriage. Are you nuts? You have to tell me about that. Is the omega the old wolf chose for you hot? Don’t tell me he attends the Lotus Academy. I’ll be so fucking jealous. I heard the omegas there are just delicious. I—”
“Marcus.”
“What?”
“I’d rather talk about the witches and Fae and politics than that.”
So much better than talking about himself and the end of his world.
***
“War?” Tiberius shook his head. “I seriously doubt that. The Fae are half-mad, the witches have been a pain in the ass for centuries, and sure, their new leader is ambitious, but...”
“They are recruiting shifters.”
“Shifters wouldn’t ally themselves with witches.”
“You don’t remember the bewitched werewolf that almost won the Royal Tournament ten years ago?”
“The one Reese’s uncle ended up winning?”
“There you go. By the way, did you notice? You even managed to insert Reese into a discussion about politics. You, my friend, are besotted.”
“What? I’m not.”
“Fucking nuts about that omega. He did smell good, I’ll grant you that, but—”
Before he knew it, Tiberius had the front of Marcus’s shirt bunched up in his fist. “You stay away from him, do you hear?”
“Whoa. Calm your tits, dude. What’s the matter with you?”
Panting hard, blinking, Tiberius stared at his own fist. He slowly opened his fingers, releasing the soft material. “Fuck...”
“Yeah. I guess that’s what you need. To fuck Reese.”
Tiberius couldn’t deny it. It was what he needed, down to the marrow of his bones.
Marcus shook his head and sighed. “Like I said: nuts. Anyway, back to the tournament.”
“That wolf was bewitched against his will.”
“Was he, though?” Marcus straightened his shirt, almost absent-mindedly.
“What are you implying?”
“I thought that was clear, even for someone thinking with his dick right now, like you. He went willingly, siding with the witches, to get an advantage that in the end didn’t serve its purpose.”
“And so what if one idiot did that? What’s the big deal?”
“You’re not seeing the bigger picture, dick-brain.”
“Careful, Marcus. My patience with you is running low. Better not use what’s left of it up all at once.”
“Touché.” Marcus lifted his hands and bowed his head. “Just hear me out.”
“What did you overhear exactly?”
“Rumors are that the witches recruiting shifters. Offering them the power to win over the clans, become clan leaders. Then they’ll control them, and rule over the shifters.”
“That’s fucking nonsense. There’s always been peace between us. Tenuous at times, but peace nonetheless. Why would they seek to change that now?”
“It’s been going on for a while, Ty. The new witch king is ambitious. He wants control of the entire country. The shifter clans are too powerful, controlling commerce and sports, and our political presence is strong. If the witches are to control the country, they first have to control us.”
“No way...” Tiberius shook his head in disbelief. He was born into peace. His fathers, too. There hadn’t been a war in over a hundred years. “This has to be a mistake.”
“It’s no mistake and mark my words.”
“And what are we supposed to do? Attack them based on a rumor? Are you crazy?”
“No, Ty, that’s not what I’m saying. We just have to be careful. Vigilant. The balance is about to shift, I just feel it.”
“Now you’re imagining things.”
“The humans and us, we’ve been the dominant races for too long. It was bound to change at some point.”
“I seem to remember that you didn’t believe all this shit. You said that everything thrown against the witches was propaganda.”
“But what if I’m wrong. Something is brewing, for sure. If it’s not the witches, then who is behind it all?”
“Stop with these depressing thoughts,” Tiberius said. “Focus on getting well. Leave these worries to the clan leaders, and the president of the shifters. They should know what to do about it.”
Marcus grunted, closed his eyes and shifted on the bed. No matter what he said, he still wasn’t well. That wound on his leg was nasty, and shifting hadn’t healed it, which was weird. It probably meant Marcus was weak, sick. It made no sense. Marcus was one of the strongest alphas his age Tiberius knew.
But Tiberius had to get back to Reese. He felt it in his bones that he’d stayed away too long, that Reese might be in danger. Reese needed him, and he needed Reese just as much.
Whatever the reason.
***
The moment he left Wolfclaw Manor, the seat of Marcus’s clan, Tiberius drove like a madman back to Howl Academy. He’d told himself he would be calm about it, would have control over this strange urge he’d never had before to be with someone, but it was no use.
He arrived late in the day. The sun was setting far over the mountains, the natural frontier between shifter and witch land. Howl Academy rose like a castle, with watchtowers and bastions, hiding the more modern buildings inside its walls.
He stopped at the gate, flashed the guard his ID, and rolled inside, through the gardens of the Academy. Trees bloomed and birds chirped and students strolled, going from class to class. Small groups stood at building corners, talking animatedly.
Marcus’s fears seemed a million miles away here. Here was everything Tiberius knew, and everything he desired.
Reese.
Parking the Jaguar in his designated spot, he hurried out, glancing around, hoping Reese would materialize in front of him. If wishes were horses...
But no Reese.
Then again, what did he expect? That Reese would be sitting at Tiberius’s parking spot for a week, waiting for him?
Or outside his room?
Yeah, no. Wake up, Ty. This is real life, not a fantasy. You have to look for Reese, find him. Talk.
Or better still, kiss and fuck.
The memory of doing it with Reese, though hazy through layers of rutting dizziness, alcohol and overwhelming excitement, never failed to get him hard, and grinning like a lunatic.
“Hey.” He stopped a beta, a classmate from Military History class that he knew the omega attended. “Have you seen Reese today?”
“Reese?”
“You know him. Cute omega, short dark hair, big blue eyes?”
The beta blinked slowly. “Right... Yeah, I think I saw him at the cafeteria earlier today.”
“Five hours ago, half an hour ago... when?”
“Maybe one hour ago. He might still be there. He was working at the counter.”
Tiberius frowned. “He what?”
“Uh-oh. Not good?” The beta backed away. “Sorry, alpha. Gotta run now.”
Why...? But of course. He’d fired Reese. That had been before they’d spent the night together, and like the idiot Tiberius was, he hadn’t set things right. Reese probably needed the money, something Tiberius never had to think about.
Growling deep in his throat, he set out to find Reese and bring him back to his room where he could show him how things stood.
But when he burst into the omega-beta cafeteria, he realized that things were infinitely worse.
There was Reese, silky dark hair stuck to his forehead with sweat, those lovely eyes wide. And a large alpha was beside him, looming over him, lifting a hand to touch him.
“You!” Tiberius started to run. “Get away from him. Fuck off!”
Reese yelped, stepping back, eyes huge. “Tiberius?”
“In the flesh.” Tiberius Grabbed the alpha’s arm and flung him aside, so angry he felt he could lift cars one-handed. “I said, move the hell away. This is my omega.”
“What are you doing?” Reese whispered.
“He doesn’t work for you,” Tiberius told the alpha whose face was darkening with fury. “So fuck off.”
“He does now. I just hired him. He said yes.”
“Tiberius.” Reese swallowed hard. “Leave it be.”
“Fuck, no. You’re done here.”
“But—”
“You’re my Boi.”
“But you said you didn’t want—”
“You’re mine, Reese.” He grabbed the omega’s hand, his body jolting at the contact of skin on skin. “Mine.”
Reese’s mouth had dropped open. “Are you serious?”
“You don’t know what you’re doing,” the other alpha called out. “All the alphas are after him. He needs protection.”
“Fuck off. He’s mine to protect. Any alpha wanting him will have to go through me.”
The other alpha lifted his hands. “In that case... be my guest.”
Damn right.
***
“What are you doing?” Reese hissed. “What’s this all about?”
“You’re mine,” Tiberius said again, hauling Reese into the elevator and punching the button for his floor.
“Since when?”
“Since I fucked you.”
Reese shoved at Tiberius, wrenched his arm free when Tiberius let go. “You think we’ll fuck whenever you feel like dropping back, is that it?”
“You were the one who begged for it.”
“What? I was in heat.”
“So, what, are you saying you’ve regretted it?”
“I...” Reese’s eyes were huge, a deer caught in the headlights. “I don’t...”
“You don’t, what?”
“I don’t know.”
Were they going to pretend nothing had happened between them?
Shouldn’t he want it? Wasn’t that what he wanted? Reese was doing what Tiberius should have done. Break this up. Let it go.
Why did it seem wrong, and painful? He wanted Reese, damn it, and not just in bed. He wanted to hold him close, and scent him, bite him. Make him his.
Holy shit.
“You didn’t like it?” Tiberius asked, going for the kill.
Reese’s face was red. “I didn’t say that.”
“So you liked it.”
“Fuck you, Tiberius.”
“I prefer to do the fucking. So, wanna try once more, see if it’s as good as you remember?”
“Tiberius...”
“I told you to call me Ty. Now let’s fuck.”