Vengeful Bonds S2 - Chapter 34 - Seth (Patreon)

Here it is, the final chapter to season 2. We are already working on ARC's, paperbacks, hardcovers and special editions so look for that post sometime this week with all the details. There shouldn't be too much of a delay before I kick off Season 3. As always, unbeta'd/unedited.

The pain started two hours after he swallowed the medication. It started as a faint twinge but rapidly grew so intense he could see his abdominal muscles cramping with his own eyes, like some kind of Charlie horse. He groaned, trying to push past the pain enough to think straight. He opened his drawer, grabbing the painkillers he kept there, swallowing double the recommended dose. 

Saint stirred, but didn’t awaken. His expression was pinched into a permanent grimace, one arm on the pillow above his head, the other flung outward from where Seth had fallen asleep on it. He sat there on the edge of the bed, looking down at his alpha. Should he try to go back to sleep? When they both woke, they’d both be on the same page. 

If Saint woke now, he might ask questions, or at least one question: Why had Seth’s heat come on out of nowhere? And Seth would have to tell him. He’d planned to tell him…at some point, like when they had gotten back to the room. 

But the moment the door had closed behind them, Saint had stripped him naked and fucked him up against the door, his back plastered against the cold wood and his knees over Saint’s elbows. When they’d finished, he’d been too knot-drunk to think straight. They’d passed out tied together. 

He should sleep. That was the smart thing to do. Before he could lie back down, another cramp had him doubling over, biting back a whimper as he tried to breathe through it. He stayed like that until the knife-sharp pain dulled enough for him to think again. 

He sat there, breathing heavy, drenched in a cold sweat, the frigid air conditioning making his skin clammy. He glanced down at the bed and the pool of slick there. Something was missing. He gasped, shooting to his feet. His nest. He needed a nest. He couldn’t go through his whole heat without one. Saint probably already thought he was a subpar omega just from his last attempt at building one. 

The thought lanced through him, making it hard to breathe. Saint would never tell Seth he thought he was inferior even if it were true. He was good to him like that. His eyes filled with tears as he stared down at the alpha. He wasn’t faring much better than Seth. The sheets beneath him were soaked in sweat, the room was thick with buttered rum and alpha pheromones. 

When Saint woke up, he’d be in full rut. 

They needed a nest now. Seth rushed to the laundry basket in the corner, carefully pulling each item out and placing it just so, building his nest around their bed and his sleeping alpha as quietly as possible. Each time he placed a piece of fabric on the bed, he stepped back and studied it, then huffed, moving it again and again until it felt…right. But something was still off. 

His pack. 

He needed the others' scent, not just their own. How could he forget something like that? He hurried to his phone, sliding to unlock it then opening his messaging app. Fen was right at the top. He clicked open their private chat. 

Seth: I need clothes for my nest. It doesn’t look right. Saint’s going to think I’m incompetent.

Fenny: Shut up. He’s obsessed with you. But look outside your door. 💗

Seth’s heart squeezed. He wished he could believe that was true in his core. He shook the thought away, carefully opening the door. Outside was a basket of laundry. He made a happy sound, dragging it inside then locking them inside their room once more. 

Seth: Thanks. You’re the best. 

Fenny: So it’s working? The meds? You’re in heat?

Why was it on the tip of Seth’s tongue to lie? Fen had given him the meds. Why would he lie about them working? But something in him was screaming at him to hide it, a voice whispering that the pack might stop him if things went to far. Seth shook his head. Things weren’t going to go too far. He’d had heats before. He’d had heats with Saint before. He was just being paranoid. 

Seth: Yeah. It’s working. 

Fenny: Are you okay?

Seth hesitated before answering truthfully. 

Seth: The cramping is more intense than usual but other than that I feel fine. If I wasn’t so fucking horny it would feel like I’d just eaten a bad burrito. Nothing I can’t handle. 

Fenny: How did Saint take the news? 

Seth: What do you mean?

Fenny: Is he mad that you took the medication?

Seth chewed on his lip. Did he tell Fen he never told Saint? Did it really matter? Fen would be checking on him anyway, right? 

Seth: He’s not mad.

It wasn’t exactly a lie. He wasn’t mad. He was sleeping. The fact that he didn’t know was irrelevant. Kind of. He put his phone down before he could see Fen’s response. If he didn’t see the message, it didn’t count as ignoring it. 

He pushed down the guilt trying to claw its way up his throat, grunting as he was hit with another breathtaking cramp. When it passed, he set about redoing his nest. He pressed each piece of fabric to his nose, making an embarrassing chirping sound whenever he set just the right piece in the right place. 

Still, when he reached the bottom of the laundry basket, something still wasn’t right. He whined, trying to ignore the void growing in his lower abdomen, then went to dive back into their closet, only to return empty handed. Before his disappointment set in, he sucked in an excited breath. There was a laundry basket in the bathroom as well. 

The benefit of Saint’s OCD was that their room had a predictability about it. His alpha needed everything in its place, though he was far more lenient with Seth then he was with any of the others. Because of that, Seth tried twice as hard not to forget how much it distressed his alpha to have things moved. While Seth believed in his core that they were soulmates, ADHD and OCD were two very different diagnoses for one couple. 

He managed to make it to the bathroom before the next cramp hit, taking him to his knees on the cold floor. He wrapped his arms around his stomach, counting his way through the pain, doing his best to keep his breathing even and measured. When would the stupid meds kick in? When he could move again, he upended the hamper on the bathroom floor, distressed sounds falling from his lips as his unease built. 

He’d almost given up when he found it at the bottom of the hamper. Saint’s black t-shirt. The one he’d worn on his eight mile run a couple of days ago. It wreaked of his alpha’s sweat and pheromones. 

Seth pressed the fabric to his face and inhaled a lungful, mouth pooling with saliva at the pungent scent of his alpha. Slick pooled onto the floor beneath him, his cock throbbing as he shuddered. 

He laid back on the pile of discarded clothing, clutching the shirt to his nose. His hand closed around his leaking cock, a low desperate moan escaping as he stroked himself, pleasure building within him with every jerk of his fist. He must look ridiculous, writhing on the ground, thrusting up into his own fist, pitiful sounds falling from his lips like prayer. 

He pressed the fabric closer, using it to try to muffle the sounds. The taste of his alpha exploded on his tongue. He worked himself faster, sucking on the t-shirt like it was a pacifier, far too gone to care about humiliation. It took barely thirty seconds for his orgasm to rip through him, painting his belly and chest white. 

He stayed there on the floor, clutching his alpha’s shirt as he stared up at the ceiling. Despite the blissful orgasm, he was still rock hard and he’d stay that way until his alpha bred him. 

Fuck. He needed his alpha now. He needed him to knot him, breed him, fill him up. He dragged himself from the floor, stumbling back into the bedroom, before crawling up the bed to hover over his mate. 

Should he wake him? Saint had to be in rut. He was panting, sweat pooling at the dip in his throat, plastering his dark hair to his forehead. Even without touching him, Seth could feel the heat radiating off him like summer asphalt. He smelled so good. Seth dipped his head to Saint’s crotch pressing his nose there before licking at whatever skin he found. 

His alpha was hard, the thick length of his cock lying heavy against his stomach. He was leaking precum onto his stomach, enough that it had settled in his belly button. Seth dipped his tongue into it, more slick drenching his ass and thighs as he let the pearly fluid sit on the tip of his tongue before swallowing it down, eyes rolling blissfully. 

He smelled so good everywhere. Seth couldn’t get enough. He surged forward, nosing his head to the side to lick over his scent gland, earning an inhuman rumble from his mate. Seth rubbed his cheek against him, then bit him gently, whining when he didn’t wake immediately. He needed Saint inside…now. Right now. His cock was the only thing that could fill this chasm between his hip bones. He needed his knot, his cum, needed him to fill him up until it took. 

He sobbed against Saint’s throat. A ninety-two percent success rate. That’s what Win had said. There was no way he wouldn’t get pregnant this time. Seth’s heat was worse than his presentation heat and the others swore Saint went feral in rut. There’s no way they’d fail at this. Not this time. 

This time Seth would be a good omega. This time it would take. This time he could give Saint the babies he wanted. He didn’t care how rough it got, how crazed Saint grew. Seth would endure anything if it meant he got a baby. Saint’s baby. Babies. Saint’s babies. 

Tears slipped from Seth’s eyes at the thought. Saint made a noise of distress beneath him, grimacing, his hands blindly reaching for Seth. He climbed off his alpha, rolling to face away from him. He needed to get a grip. He could wait until Saint woke up. He would need all his strength for the two of them to get through this. 

He shoved a pillow between his thighs, bringing the soiled t-shirt to his face once more as he ground down against the dense fibers. It was hard but it wasn’t enough to even take the edge off. The more he worked his hips against the pillow, the more frustrated he grew, slick pouring from him so fast it almost overpowered Saint’s buttered rum scent entirely. 

The sheets were soaked with sweat and slick, the pillow between his thighs wet with Seth’s precum, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t get off. The fabric was starting to chafe. Why had he thrown away all his knotting toys when they’d moved in there? Oh, right. Pride. The idea of anyone hearing him begging for a knot while riding a latex imitation of an alpha cock had been too humiliating for words. He’d also been optimistic about his chances of even needing one in a house full of horny alphas. 

He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply, high on Saint’s pheromones. The tang of his alpha’s sweat was ripe on his tongue as he nursed on the fabric, grinding his hips against despite his discomfort, imagining his alpha filling him, giving him what he needed. He finally came a second time, muffling his cry with the t-shirt. 

He sobbed when he felt his cock still hard and throbbing, but now also sore. It wasn’t enough. He needed Saint. He rolled over, looking at his mate, mouth watering at the sight of his still rigid cock standing at attention. It would be so easy to just climb onto his lap and sink down on him. He’d fill him up so well. 

Saint wouldn’t mind. Right? 

He’d fucked Seth through his last heat even after he’d fallen asleep. He’d brought him to orgasm a dozen times, whispering filthy things in Seth’s ears that had flooded his dreams with pornographic scenarios. Seth had loved every second of it. He’d loved knowing he was satisfying his alpha even in his sleep. 

They were soulmates, fated. 

They both needed it, needed this. 

They both wanted a baby. 

There was no deception. 

Right? 

Seth shuffled over to his mate, climbing over him to settle on his hips, waiting to see if he stirred at all. When he nestled his head deeper into the pillow, Seth let himself look his fill, sliding a fingertip through the sheen of sweat just below his left nipple. 

Seth couldn’t believe all that the alpha belonged to him. Saint was far more beautiful than any one person should be. He was strong and calm and he settled his fears in a way he couldn’t ever put into words. Seth leaned over enough to run his fingers over the scars on his cheek. They only enhanced his sexiness. He looked dangerous. Seth supposed he probably was to outsiders. But never Seth. Never their pack. Never their future children. 

He’d never really had a chance to look at his alpha like this. The moment they were both naked, Saint usually took over, using him however he liked. Now Seth could look his fill…he could touch too. He ran his palms over the slippery planes of Saint’s chest, shuddering at the muscles beneath his hands. He couldn’t stop himself from leaning closer, running the flat of his tongue along his alpha’s sternum, moaning as he gathered his sweat on the tip of his tongue. 

Saint shifted beneath him with a harsh sound that went straight to Seth’s core, this low animalistic rumble that only deepened the ache in his core. He was so hot inside, so empty. He needed to be full. He needed his alpha. 

He braced himself on his hands, circling his tongue around one stiff nipple, clamping his teeth down on the taut peak until Saint growled, his hands fisting at his sides. Seth licked over the teeth marks there, then sucked it into his mouth. This time his alpha moaned, his hips shifting restlessly beneath Seth. He repeated the ritual on the other side, his insides twisting painfully. 

He couldn’t wait anymore. “Saint?” Saint twitched but didn’t wake. “Alpha?” he whined. 

He gave another frustrated sob when Saint still didn’t stir. He slid from his lap, only to return facing away from him, too embarrassed to face Saint if he were to wake up while Seth was riding him. At least this way he wouldn’t have to see his expression if he was angry. 

He rose up on his knees, taking his alpha’s cock in hand, marveling at the velvety feel of it. How could something so hard feel so soft? He swiped his thumb over the head, gathering the wetness there, another excited whimper leaving him as he brought the fluid to his lips. 

He needed to be full. Now. He moaned as he brought the blunt tip of Saint’s cock to his abused rim, letting gravity do the hard work. He bit back a pained cry as he impaled himself on his alpha’s cock inch by inch, not stopping until he was buried as deep as he could go. 

Saint groaned as Seth ground his hips, his omega desperately trying to get his alpha impossibly deep. When that didn’t fill the ache, he rose up, then dropped back down, both of them moaning in tandem. Seth hesitated, expecting to feel rough hands on his hips or hear Saint’s sleep-soaked rasp…but it just didn’t happen. 

Seth couldn’t wait any longer. He rolled his hips, finding a rhythm that had heat shocking through him every time his alpha’s cock glanced over his prostate. It was good, he was full—so full. But it still wasn’t enough. He tried everything, swiveling his hips, bouncing, even just rocking forward and back, but nothing was satisfying his omega. 

He didn’t want to do the work himself. He wanted to be taken. Used. 

His thighs were burning, the base of Saint’s cock swelling too quickly for Seth to bully it past his entrance. Tears of frustration rolled down his cheeks. How was he so bad at even this? He’d just wanted a knot, a baby, now he had nothing. He sucked at this. 

He was a terrible omega. 

He tried to quell his sobs. He couldn’t wake his alpha. He couldn’t let him see him like this. He didn’t want to try to explain what he’d been thinking. He stroked his cock even though it hurt. Maybe if he could come, his body might let Saint in. 

He startled as hands closed around his hips, fingers digging in hard enough to bruise, pulling him down until Saint’s knot ground against his hole. A broken breath escaped as the searing heat of Saint’s chest pressed against Seth’s back. 

“What do you think you’re doing, omega?” Saint all but purred in his ear, the near inhuman voice shaking him to his core like an earthquake. 

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” he babbled, choking on his own tears. “I couldn’t wait. I needed your knot. I still need it. Need you. It hurts so bad. I’m so empty.” 

Saint’s fingers buried in Seth’s hair, dragging his head back so he could bury his face against his scent gland, a snarl erupting. “You’re in heat.” 

“Yes, it hurts so much,” Seth sobbed, another cramp overtaking him as if to prove his point, the muscles of his belly clenching until he wanted to die. “I just need it to stop…hurts so bad.” He tugged Saint’s hand from his hip pressing his palm just below his belly button. “Please, alpha. Need you here.” 

Saint shuddered, saliva dripping down Seth’s neck as he rasped out harsh, panting breaths against Seth’s skin. For a moment Seth thought he might bite him again, but instead he found himself shoved forward, his face in the mattress and his hole clenching on nothing. 

Panic overtook him. “No! Don’t leave me like this. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” he blurted, feeling like someone had ripped his heart from his chest. 

His alpha was mad. His alpha didn’t want him. 

He was failing as an omega. 

Again. 

He gasped as Saint’s palm pressed between his shoulder blades, his tongue sliding up the knobs of his spine, leaving spit drying on his skin. He forced Seth’s chest to the mattress, holding him there and shaking him a bit as if telling him to stay. 

Seth yelped, his skin catching fire as Saint’s hand cracked across his wet ass cheek, the sound embarrassingly loud in the silence. “Is that how you present for your alpha?” he taunted. “I thought he taught you better than that.” 

‘He.’ 

This wasn’t his Saint. This was Saint’s alpha. Seth suddenly wished his own omega would overtake him so he could stop feeling worthless. 

“Come on, little one. Show me how good you can be for alpha.” 

Seth’s cock throbbed, this desperate ache pulsing in his core even as he cried harder, forcing his hips upwards and spreading his legs wider. The alpha slapped his ass again hard. Seth’s hips rolled back instinctively, trying to grind back on him but finding nothing. 

Saint tsked, sinking a finger into Seth’s needy hole, then pulling it out, laughing when Seth whined, rocking back once again. He couldn’t help it. He needed to be filled. 

“Please, alpha,” he begged. 

“That’s so cute,” he crooned. “You’re so eager to please. No wonder he can’t get enough of you.” 

Seth gave another pathetic whine, earning two more sharp slaps, one on each ass cheek. 

“Fuck, you sound so pitiful. Will you stay this needy while you’re underneath me.” 

Seth shivered at his words, not sure if he wanted him to answer or not. Was it a compliment? Did he care? “I’ll do whatever alpha wants.” 

“Whatever I want?” he asked, amusement dripping into his tone. “What if what I want is to devour you whole. Will you let me do that, too?” 

Before he could answer, the alpha crawled over him. Goosebumps erupted along his skin as more saliva dripped onto his neck. It was like being pinned by a rabid dog. He nipped at Seth’s skin, pulling another startled cry from him. 

Saint’s alpha chuckled. “You cry and whimper like a wounded animal. A cute little chipmunk with a broken leg, too weak to run.” He placed his lips over Seth’s pulse. “Your heart is racing. Are you…afraid of me?” 

Excitement dripped from every syllable. He wanted Seth to be afraid. Seth’s painfully neglected cock leaked onto the mattress below, his head swimming as the alpha flooded the room with his pheromones, ratcheting up both his fear and desire. 

“You like that, huh, little one,” he said, breath hot on his neck. “You’re dripping at the thought of being my prey.” 

He tried to shake his head, but Saint’s teeth sank into his skin just enough to remind him who was in charge. “Alpha…” 

“You love to play pretend. I hear your silly little games.” His voice took on a mocking tone. “‘It hurts, alpha.’ ‘Please don’t, alpha’. ‘I’m scared, alpha.” 

Seth burned with humiliation. 

“Tell me…will you love it just as much when it's for real? Will you love it when I pin you down and force you to take it for real?” he taunted. 

Seth moaned, pulling a raspy laugh from the alpha that made him shiver. 

“I find it adorable how much you like being weak.” 

Seth could feel himself slipping, could feel his omega taking over, desperate to submit to his alpha’s demands. 

He yelped as Saint’s nails dug into his skin, dragging painfully along his sides, leaving a burning sting in their wake. The smell of blood filled his nose, making him woozy. 

“You gonna let alpha use you, little one?” his alpha crooned. “Or are you gonna make me hold you down and fuck my pups into you?” 

Seth started to nod, then changed his mind, shaking his head. He was so confused. He couldn’t think straight. Saint’s alpha chuckled once more, Seth’s whole body in flames at his condescension. 

The weight draped over him disappeared, leaving him cold. “Go ahead, little one. Show alpha how empty you are.” 

Seth’s hole gushed slick but he didn’t even have it in him to be embarrassed anymore. He was already too far gone. He reached back, spreading himself open, his fingers slipping on his slick-soaked skin. “Here…please…it hurts so bad.” 

“It wouldn’t hurt if you had waited for alpha,” his mate chastised, his voice cold. “Did you really think you could do it on your own? Hmm?” 

“I-I didn’t want to bother you,” he said faintly, realizing how stupid that sounded the moment the words were out there hanging between them. 

The alpha scoffed. “You would be split open on alpha’s knot right now, my cum filling you up. Now you have to wait.” 

Seth wailed at the thought of staying empty any longer, unable to stop the sobs racking through him as he twisted his fingers in the sheets. He jolted forward as sharp teeth sank into his ass cheek deep enough to break the skin. He shivered as Saint’s warm tongue licked over the wound. 

A moment later, the alpha did it again, biting down hard on his flank, only stopping when he broke the skin. Each time, Seth would cry out sharply, only for the alpha to lick at the wound in a way that felt almost like an apology. 

Almost. 

“What are you doing?” Seth whispered. 

Saint bit him again. Then again. He ignored him for so long, Seth thought he wouldn’t answer. 

Finally, he said, “Marking what’s mine.” 

“You’ve claimed me,” Seth reminded him, breathless at the raw possession in his tone. 

Saint scoffed. “You’re so desperate for a knot your pheromones are calling out to every alpha in this house,” he said, his words dripping with disdain, like Seth was bad.

“They know who I belong to.” 

Saint growled. “Nobody is breeding you but me. Nobody’s putting their pups in you but me. I don’t care if I have to sink my teeth into every inch of flesh on your body until every fucking alpha in this house knows you’re mine.” 

Seth moaned even as he shook his head. “I just want you. Only you, alpha.” 

“Don’t act like you don’t love our pack alpha knotting your greedy little cunt. I still remember the way you nursed my cock so desperately while he fucked your sloppy hole, the way you whined on his knot while you looked up at me with those big doe eyes.” 

“Are you…jealous?” Seth asked.

Saint ignored him, opting instead to maim more of his skin with his teeth and claws. Seth choked on another sob, his whole body throbbing with pleasure and pain. 

“So what if I do love it?” he finally cried. “You fucking love it, too. But its your pups I want. It’s you who I let claim me.” If he didn’t knot him soon, Seth was certain he was going to go insane. “I need you inside me. I need your knot. Your cum. I don’t care if it hurts. I don’t care if it kills me. Do whatever you have to do. I can’t take it. Just fuck me, please, alpha.” 

Saint snarled, his weight heavy on Seth’s back once more. “Don’t. Fucking. Move.” 

Seth opened his mouth in a silent scream as Saint’s teeth sank into the back of his neck, burying his cock as deep as it could go. 

Seth’s fingers spasmed in the sheets, his brain short-circuiting as the alpha’s teeth clamped down harder. Seth went limp beneath him, collapsing beneath his weight like a puppet with his strings cut. He was completely at his alpha’s mercy. 

His mouth hung slack, drool pooling onto the mattress beneath his cheek as Saint fucked him like he was some kennel bitch that needed breeding. He was frantic, his growls mixing with Seth’s pathetic whimpers and the slick sounds of his alpha pounding into him. 

Saint had scruffed him, rendering him helpless. He couldn’t move, couldn’t think, could barely form words. This was breeding in the truest sense of the word. The alpha had him pinned to the mattress, his hips pistoning, his knot battering against his entrance as he fucked into him at an animalistic pace. 

Seth’s omega loved it, his whole body flooded with heat, pleasure whiting out his vision every time Saint’s hips met his ass. “Please,” he slurred. “Give me your pup s’alpha. Breed m-me. Wan’ your babies. ‘s good. ‘s so good.” 

He had no idea what he was saying, but Saint was snapping his hips harder, faster, his breathing ragged. Seth cried as Saint’s knot battered against his hole. He knew there was no way for him to get inside unless Seth came but it was impossible. No matter how good it felt, he was at Saint’s mercy. 

Then Saint uttered one word right against his ear. “Come.” 

His alpha voice. 

Pleasure lit up Seth’s whole body, his climax crashing over him like a tidel wave, dragging him down into the depths. A sharp pain lanced through him as Saint forced his knot inside. It was quickly replaced by a dull ache every time it tugged him from the inside as Saint kept using him. 

Seth was too far gone to care. He was barely conscious when Saint’s hips ground against his ass, heat flooding his core. He vaguely acknowledged Saint rolling them on their sides, wrapping himself around Seth’s much smaller frame, whining as he licked over his wounds. 

Seth wanted to comfort him, to tell him he was fine, that he’d liked it, but he couldn’t get his brain and mouth to work in tandem. He could feel himself losing the fight with consciousness. 

He thought he heard Saint whisper, “I love you,” but his world went black before it truly registered. 

He resurfaced slowly, registering things in stages. The heavy weight of his alpha’s pheromones still flooded the air. He had a headache. He was on his stomach. Something tugged hard at his wrist, then released. His alpha grunted from somewhere beside him like he was putting in a great deal of effort. 

“Alpha?” His voice was raw. 

He cracked his lids open to see Saint on his knees beside him. The alpha’s head snapped to his, pinning him in place with a strange look. Something about it filled Seth with an eerie feeling. He’d never seen his mate look this hazy or unfocused. He broke his gaze suddenly then disappeared from his line of sight. 

“Saint?” he called, voice trembling. 

He hissed as something pulled taut around his ankle. He tried to get his arms beneath him to raise himself up, but nothing happened. Dread pooled heavy in his belly as his eyes fell to the red fabric wrapped around his wrist…and the bedpost. 

“Alpha…what are you doing? What’s wrong?” 

He tugged on the rope, just to feel if there was even a little give. There wasn’t. Saint appeared in front of him once more, kneeling on the floor beside the bed, draping himself across it to rest his chin on his folded arms. They were almost nose to nose. Alarm bells were coming to life in Seth’s head. Saint smelled…wrong…like scorched butter. 

“Nothing’s wrong, little one. Everything’s fine.” 

“Fine?” Seth echoed. 

Saint caressed his cheek. “It’s clear I can’t trust you to stay put. Now you have no choice.” 

“What?” Seth gasped even though he’d heard him just fine. 

Saint gave him a patient smile that made him look insane given the glint in his unfocused gaze. “You have no idea how you smell, right now. Do you?” he muttered, agitation rolling off him in waves. “Every alpha in this house can smell how fertile you are. They all want to fuck you. I can’t trust that you won’t do something stupid, that they won’t do something stupid.” 

“Saint-” 

“Don’t worry,” he cooed, petting Seth’s hair off his forehead. “You don’t need them. You have me. I’ll give you what you need.” 

“What I need?” 

“Our pups. That’s what you want, right? Our baby. My baby. I’ll knot you over and over until it takes. No matter how long it takes. And you’ll just lie there and be good for me. Right? You can do that. Right, little one? You’re always so good for me.” 

Was Seth dreaming? Was he caught in some kind of nightmare? No. This was happening. But it was fine. They had protocols in place for that reason. 

“Don’t forget…I-I have to check in with the others or they’ll think there’s something wrong.” He gave him what he hoped looked like a genuine smile. “Remember?” 

The smile Saint gave him in return was like an anvil in Seth’s stomach. “I already did.” 

“Did what?” 

Saint gave him a look like he was silly. “I checked in with Fen. I told him I was fine…well, that you were fine.” 

Seth frowned. “What do you mean?” 

“I used your phone to text him…to let him know you were perfectly fine.” He leaned in close and kissed his lips. “And you are…right?” Seth started to shake as the warmth bled from his mate’s eyes, replaced by a darkness he didn’t think him capable of. “Right?” he ground out. 

Seth gave a stilted nod. “Y-Yeah, of course, baby. Why wouldn’t I be?” 

Saint’s smile returned. “That’s what I thought. Are you hungry?” 

Seth would rather swallow broken glass than eat. “Sure,” he said faintly. “Starving.” 

Questions swirled in Seth’s head as he watched Saint go to the bag with their provisions. Was this the drug? Was this Saint gone feral? Had some combination of the two, Frankenstein’d Seth’s perfect alpha into a fucking monster? More importantly…

What the fuck was he supposed to do about it?