"How come I'm the only one who ever seems to get in my way? Lately, I've been fucking up a good thing any chance I can get."
~Lewis Capaldi, 'Maybe'
~~~
*Tharn's POV*
"Hey, Tharn!"
I turn around to see Techno bounding down the university hall towards me. I'm a little surprised to see him in the business faculty, considering the law faculty is on the other side of campus. He's sporting his typical wide grin, which makes his dark brown eyes sparkle.
"Hey, No," I greet him. "You seem really chipper today. What's up?"
Techno shrugs as he walks along side me. "Nothing in particular. Just glad to see you."
"Me?" I narrow my eyes in suspicion. I stop walking and face him. "What do you want?"
Techno's jaw drops in false shock, and he places a hand on his chest. "That's hurtful, Tharn. Can't I just be happy to see my future alpha?"
His future alpha? He's kissing up to me... Yup, he's definitely up to something.
I roll my eyes. "Sure, I'll play along. How are you today, No?"
"I'm good, I'm good," he nods. "Kinda hungry..."
Aaaaand, there it is.
"You want me to buy you lunch," I deadpan.
Techno tries to appear offended at my accusation, but he can't help the mischievous smile spreading across his lips. "I was just going to see if you needed a lunch buddy. Our future alpha shouldn't be eating alone."
"Hmmm... I don't have a problem with eating alone," I say, making Techno stick his bottom lip put in a pout. I chuckle at his childish behavior and lightly hit his shoulder. "Come on, I'll buy you some food."
Techno instantly brightens. He skips next to me the entire way to my faculty's cafeteria. As soon as we arrive, Techno hops in line and starts ordering enough food to feed three people. I hold back an eye roll. My position in the pack puts plenty of funds at my disposal. It's not an issue for me to pay for Techno's food, but it does get a little annoying that he only wants to hang out when he wants me to buy him something.
The only person who hasn't taken advantage of my money is Type. Then again, Type isn't one to be dependent on anyone. It took a while for his own parents to convince him to let them pay for his tuition. He agreed, but only on the condition that he could move into a dorm on campus and be more independent that way.
Part of me wonders if it's because he's an omega, and he wants to prove he's independent and can do things on his own. An omega is considered the lowest position of the pack. And to make things even more uncomfortable for him, Type is the only male omega in our pack. I've heard of guys being omegas, but it's really rare. In fact, Type is the only male omega I've met, and I've met a lot of other packs. The other omegas have all been women who are responsible for providing children for the pack.
I've never seen Type as just an omega, though. He's always been so much more to me than his status in our pack. He's my best friend, my lover, my mate. Although, Type would surely punch me in the mouth if he heard me calling him my lover.
Speaking of... it's been another month since we've had sex. We should be reaching our heats any day now, and the thought has my nether regions stirring. I clear my throat and shake my head, not wanting to get hard in the middle of the cafeteria.
Once we have our food, we pick an empty table and set our trays down. Techno sits across from me, happily diving into his insanely large meal.
"Techno!" A voice calls out. We both turn our heads in the direction of the voice. A tall guy with bleach blonde hair and a few ear piercings approaches our table. I recognize him as Tum, a beta from Lhong's pack.
"Hey, Tum!" Techno chirps. "What brings you here?"
"I came here looking for Lhong, but it seems like he ditched me," Tum chuckles, rubbing his chin.
"While you're here, how about you eat with us? It's been a while since we've caught up," Techno offers. Tum smiles and nods, setting his bag down and sliding into the seat next to Techno.
Tum glances over at me and shifts in his seat. "Hello, Tharn."
I smile warmly at him. "You don't have to be so formal around me, Tum. We may be in different packs, but we're cool." Tum visible relaxes and grins.
"So..." Techno starts up again, eyeing Tum with a smirk. "How's your mate?"
My eyes bulge out of my head. "You found a mate?"
Tum's cheeks pinken, and he nods shyly. "I found him six months ago."
"That's great!" I exclaim excitedly, attracting a few odd looks from the other students around us. "I've heard of people getting a second mate, but I've never seen it happen before. This is amazing!"
"Yeah..." Tum trails off, looking down at the table.
I frown and tilt my head in confusion. "What?"
"It's... complicated," Tum sighs.
"What's so complicated about it? You're mates. I'm sure they feel the same bond that you do."
"That's just the thing," Tum shakes his head, speaking in a low voice. "He's... human."
My jaw drops. A human mate? Jesus, this guy is getting hit with all the rare occurrences. A human mate is about as rare as a second mate, and Tum seems to have gotten a two-in-one deal from the Moon.
"Human," I repeat, and Tum nods his head. "Okay... well, does he know?"
"No," Tum admits softly. "We've met, and I've managed to convince him to hang out with me a few times, but that's it. He doesn't know I'm a werewolf, and he certainly doesn't know we're mates. I want more than anything to claim him and mark him, but I can't. I don't want to scare him off. I can't lose another mate, Tharn, I just can't."
My heart aches for Tum. Type might not be thrilled that he's my mate, but at least he knows we're mates. At least I get to enjoy his delectable body every month. All Tum can do is love his mate from afar.
"How do you know you'll scare him off?" Techno interjects. "What if he's totally into you, and he would be stoked that he's your mate?"
"He's right," I point out. "You'll never know until you say something. Do you really want to go your life not knowing whether or not he would have loved you back?"
Tum groans and buries his face in his hands. "I'm just scared."
"And that's understandable," I tell him, making him look up at me. "Because... love is scary. You could get hurt. You could end up feeling lost and broken. But having the chance to love and be loved should outweigh the fear. Love is amazing. You don't want to miss out on anything simply because you were too scared to take a chance."
Tum stares at me with an unreadable expression. Techno looks back and forth between us, as if trying to figure out what's going on inside Tum's mind.
I hope he's not offended by what I said. But, even so, I wouldn't change anything I said. I don't think there was anything wrong with what I said to him.
"Thank you," Tum finally speaks. "That was... really nice of you to say." I nod at him with a grin, feeling relieved. "You're really nice, Tharn," he says slowly.
I look at him quizzically, not knowing where he's going with that. Tum's eyes dart around the room before he leans forward, dropping his voice to nearly a whisper.
"And because you're so nice, I feel like there's something I should tell you," he says lowly. Techno and I exchange looks before Tum continues. "You need to be careful around Lhong."
"Lhong?" My eyebrows shoot up at the mention of his alpha. As his future beta, it's practically Tum's job to stand by Lhong. And yet, here he is, warning me about Moon knows what. If he's willing to go behind Lhong's back, it must be something bad. "What did Lhong do?"
Tum shakes his head. "Nothing yet. But..."
"But?"
"...He's trying to find a way to break your bond with your mate."
My face pales. "He's... what?"
Tum nods. "That's why you need to be careful. Lhong's been pretty obsessive about this recently. I have no clue how far he's willing to go to break that bond."
"Why would Lhong want to break Tharn's bond with Type?" Techno questions, making me jump a little. I forgot he was sitting here with us.
"Wait, your mate is Type?" Tum asks in disbelief.
I look back and forth between the two, too stunned to answer either of their questions. "I have to go," I grumble, grabbing my bag and storming away from the table. I hear Techno and Tum calling after me, but I ignore them.
Pulling out my phone, I quickly dial Lhong's number. The line rings for a few seconds before he picks up.
"We need to talk," I growl.
***
Lhong sits across from me in a coffee shop on campus. My arms are crossed over my chest as I stare him down, making him squirm.
"What's going on?" Lhong asks nervously. I nearly laugh at that.
"What's going on?" I repeat, narrowing my eyes angrily. "You're trying to break my mate bond."
The color drains from Lhong's face. "W-What? Why would you say that?"
"Save it," I snap. "Don't bother lying to me. I only called you here to warn you to back off."
Lhong's timid demeanor vanishes as annoyance takes its place. "Warn me? Or what? You'll tell your daddy, and risk the alliance between our packs?"
"Lhong, enough," I run a hand through my hair in frustration. "What do you think you'll accomplish by breaking my mate bond? We still won't be mates. The Moon already gave you a mate, and I have mine."
"I don't have a mate," Lhong hisses, clenching his fists. "It's been over two years, and I still haven't found my mate. I don't have one."
"You do!" I insist. "You just haven't found them yet."
"Yeah, well, maybe I don't want to find them," he mumbles, sitting back in his seat.
I stare at him in disbelief. "Why not?"
"Because I don't want them! I want you! I don't want anyone else! Why can't you understand that?"
I shake my head. "You only feel that way because you haven't found your mate yet. Once you see them, you'll—"
"No!" Lhong covers his ears with his hands like a bratty child. "I don't want to hear it."
"Lhong," I say softly this time. "You don't really love me. You love that I was the first friend you ever made. You love that we've known each other for years. You love the idea of me being your mate, but you don't really love me. If you did, you wouldn't be trying to break my mate bond, the one thing you know hurts wolves beyond repair."
"Don't tell me know I feel," Lhong says through clenched teeth, tears prickling in his eyes. "You don't get to do that. You don't get to decide how I feel about you. I don't know who your mate is — and frankly, I don't give a fuck — but whoever it is can't be as good for you as me. And you know it."
I open my mouth to argue further, but my phone starts ringing, effectively stopping me in my tracks. I cast Lhong a quick glance before answering the call.
"Hello?" I say without checking the caller ID.
"Tharn..." There's a light moan that I recognize immediately as Type's.
"Type?" I say worriedly. "Are you okay?"
"Tharn, I— fuck! Tharn, I need you. Now."
Realization dawns on me, and I smile slowly. My mate is in heat, and needs me to come fuck the life out of him.
"I'll be there soon," I promise before hanging up. I look at Lhong and grab my bag. "I have to go. My mate needs me."
"Type is your mate?" Lhong whispers, staring at me with wide eyes.
I wince, remembering that Lhong didn't know that part. I shake it off and return to glaring at him.
"Remember what I said. Back off, Lhong," I warn a final time, standing to leave. His face contorts in anger and he stands up.
"Does he know you fucked me?"
I freeze in my spot. "That was a long time ago," I growl lowly.
Lhong steps towards me with an arrogant sneer. "That doesn't change the fact that it did happen. How do you think your precious mate would feel knowing you didn't save yourself for him? That you were so horny during your first heat that you fucked your friend? Hm?"
Lhong looks me dead in the eye, a coy smile plastered on his face. "Just admit it. You slept with me because you wanted me. And you can have me again. Just... reject your mate," he adds with a shrug.
I step closer to Lhong until we're a mere inches apart. Lhong's gaze flickers down to my lips, letting his angry facade slip as lust shines through. I smirk, moving in until I'm just a breath away.
"Fuck. Off." I whisper. Lhong's eyes flash, and I step away from him. Without waiting for his retort, I head out of the coffee shop and towards Type's dorm.
I feel anger pulsating throughout my entire body. Who does he think he is to threaten me like that? He's not the Lhong I met all those years ago, that's for sure. The old Lhong would never stoop that low.
I should never have slept with him. I know that. And not a day has gone by that I haven't regretted it.
During my first heat, the cravings were so intense that I thought I was going insane. I knew Type was my mate, but he didn't know I was his, and that drove my wolf crazy. I couldn't call and ask him to help relieve me. Especially considering Type still thought his mate was going to be a girl. Yeah, I doubted he would be willing to suck off his male friend as a favor. Type and I were good friends, but not that good of friends.
To try and escape my heat, I did the exact same thing Type did, which is why I freaked out on him. I let my wolf take over and ran into the woods, not thinking about how my scent would attract other wolves. Luckily for me, I wasn't attacked like Type was. Only one wolf stumbled upon me in the woods.
Lhong.
I still kick myself for running into the woods in neutral territory, and not the forest on our land. Lhong picked up my scent and found me. My heightened scent affected him, and when we shifted, I allowed him to touch me. Everything in my brain was screaming for me to stop, but I couldn't. I couldn't find it in myself to resist giving into the heat.
I slept with my friend.
Every touch felt so good, so tempting. Although, now I know nothing will ever feel as good as Type's touch. But in the moment, it was hard to think clearly. If I was able to, I would've thought about the repercussions — aside from the fact that our mates would feel betrayed that we didn't wait for them.
We didn't stop to think about how it would affect our friendship. Our alliance. Two alphas of different packs hooking up? Especially when they aren't mates?
Yeah. I don't even want to think about what would happen if our fathers found out.
And now here we are; two former friends who can't stay in the same room without fighting. And I don't blame Lhong. He was affected by my heat as much as I was. I used him. I had sex with him, knowing Type was my mate.
And the fact that Lhong now knows Type is my mate scares the hell out of me. Type can't find out about me and Lhong. He just can't. Type and I are finally in a place where we can act as friends again and hang out... among other things. If he knew... everything would be ruined.
As I approach the Type's dorm, I can smell his scent, heightened by his heat-induced arousal. I raise my hand to knock on the door when it suddenly swings open. Type is standing there, red cheeks and a very prominent bulge in his sweats. His black hair is disheveled, and his eyes are shining with desire.
I take this moment to really appreciate how gorgeous my mate looks. All strung out and horny... fuck, I can't get enough of him.
No one is going to take him from me. I don't give a fuck what Lhong says, he doesn't have the power to take Type away.
"Tharn," Type mewls needily. I growl low in my chest, making Type shiver. Stepping inside the room, I kick the door shut behind us and wrap my arms around Type's waist. Type gasps from the sudden embrace, but begins to melt into my hold. Being in heat makes Type putty in my hands, and I fucking love it. I bury my head in the crook of his neck, deeply inhaling his scent.
No one's going to take Type from me.
No one.
Type's lips find mine and I groan into his mouth, feeling very eager to bury all my frustrations deep inside of him.
~~~
awww you guys have to wait until the next chapter for sexy times
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-Gumbie