章節 12: Fated mates are nothing but an urban legend

"You're late," Damon scolds him from the red sofa, wearing nothing but a black, silk robe. A glass of something dark sits lonesome at the coffee table.

Kaiden looks down at his fuzzy slippers, stuck in the open doorway, not knowing what to say. Should he admit to falling asleep? Will he be forgiven once the Alpha learns of his mistake?

"Come over and lock the door." The coldness in his voice reaches Kaiden even from several feet away.

Kaiden follows the command without a word. Making his way to the sofa, he sits down on the nearest surface, which also happens to be on the edge of the soft padding.

He can feel Damon stare at him, silently asking why he's sitting far away, but Kaiden doesn't have the courage to meet those eyes. He keeps his hands clenched on his lap to stop the nervousness in his body from leaking out.

When he hears the Alpha sigh, Kaiden takes a peak. With his legs crossed and one hand massaging his temple, Damon's whole body displays his irritation.

"Come here." Damon beckons Kaiden with a curl of his finger, making Kaiden scooch by an inch.

Kaiden yelps in surprise when a strong grip drags him by the arm over the Alpha's lap. Damon's right arm is on his back while the other is behind his knees, cradling him in a princess hold. This is only the second time he is held in this position and it is not enough for the Omega to get used to the closeness of their breaths.

He flushes red upon seeing his robe come undone, although he is somewhat relieved he made the decision to put on the black boxer shorts. Damon's eyes are glued to his bare chest, making Kaiden squirm under the intense gaze.

Kaiden's pheromones come out thick now that he's practically naked, so he tries to close his open front to save some of his modesty. Being this exposed won't do any good for his poor heart.

He tries to sit up, to adjust their position so that they're at least at eye level with each other, but he is still at a disadvantage with his smaller stature. The top of his pink hair barely reaches the Alpha's nose.

Tilting his head to meet those violet eyes, he pleads in a shaky voice, "P-please be gentle with me."

Kaiden hears a laugh, cold and dry. It runs a shiver down his spine.

"Who are you acting coy for?" Damon's tone is light but his eyes hold no amusement, full of mocking and derision instead.

Kaiden knows those eyes, all too familiar with them. Still, being fated mates must mean something, right? So he tries again, hoping to make himself clear this time. "I don't have any experience."

The Alpha raises an eyebrow at his soft proclamation, clearly disbelieving that an Omega he met at a nightclub is a little virgin.

Kaiden pushes himself off the big guy to sit next to him. He braces himself for his next words, trying to conjure courage out of thin air. "It's true. D-don't look at me l-like that," he says with his body trembling under the older man's scrutinizing gaze.

The air grows even thicker with Kaiden's scent, but instead of being sweet and enticing, the pheromones are sharp and defensive. He can't hide his feelings, even if he wanted to, not with no scent patches, so even if there is a hint of anxiety somewhere in that strawberry smell, he does his best to keep it hidden.

Damon says nothing, but from the way the Alpha's nose twitches, Kaiden knows his message is heard loud and clear. Having strong pheromones may have been a curse for most of his life, but right now it's his only weapon. It's a weapon strong enough to overwhelm the Alpha who's pretending to be nonchalant.

The said Alpha reaches for the glass on the table, perhaps to delay the impending conversation; Kaiden doesn't know. The liquid is dark, nothing like whiskey, and when Damon lifts it to his lips, even Kaiden can smell something /potent/ in it. One whiff is enough for Kaiden to be repulsed, instantly leaning his body away. Whatever is in there is definitely not alcohol, but no one will be able to tell from the way Damon leisurely drank the liquid, cold eyes turning hazy with every gulp.

Kaiden lets the man finish his disgusting drink. The earlier bout of unexpected courage has vanished, leaving him to stew in his regrets and unhappy pheromones.

Maybe he shouldn't have said that.

Talking back to the man who is technically his boss on the first day of work is not a good look, even if that man is his supposed fated mate.

He squirms in his seat at the thought of getting reprimanded, but what is supposed to do? He already swallowed everything unpleasant during that suffocating dinner earlier, he can't take anymore at this point.

Kaiden flinches when Damon moves to place his empty glass on the table.

Trying not to be distracted at how those strong legs uncrossed from each other, he squeaks out, "I'm not lying. I d-don't care if you don't believe me, but I'm not lying."

He mentally curses himself at his lame attempt at a defense. He should say more, tell Damon that just because he worked at a nightclub doesn't make him dirty—that just because he's an omega doesn't make him any less. He needs to tell the other man how hard he worked to survive alone and that a single dinner conversation is not enough to dismantle that. It's what he owes himself for enduring all those hardships silently.

He knows he should do that, but when he sees the Alpha's glazed eyes full of hunger unbridled, all thoughts disappear from his mind.

Damon sighs.

He's been sighing a lot this past week, but this newfound knowledge is his biggest headache so far. What can he do to an inexperienced Omega when they need to be intimate to make this arrangement work?

"I'm sorry," the trembling Omega apologizes from right next to him.

"What are you sorry for?" His head feels heavy, something akin to a headache but not as painful as one. Damon can also feel his vigilance slipping, unsure if it's the drink or the pheromones that are doing /something/ to him.

"Because I'm your fated mate but I can't help you when you need me," Kaiden mutters with teary eyes.

His tone drops a degree colder upon hearing those two revolting words. "I need you, yes, but don't be mistaken. Fated mates are nothing but an urban legend."

Kaiden flinches, a small movement but the Alpha still catches it. Why is this Omega so timid?

He sighs again. With narrowed eyes and a voice full of surrender, Damon relents. "I'm not here to take advantage of you."

The Omega slowly blinks at him, carmine eyes full of confusion.

"I won't do anything you don't like," he promises like a gentleman. Sure, he may have a particular dislike for all omegas and everything that has to do with them, but he's not some monster that will exploit a kid that just turned nineteen a week ago. "Understood?"

The timid man nods although he doesn't reply. Damon starts pumping out his own scent, weak at first. It gradually fills the room with the scent of comfort and safety, but when the Omega relaxes, the Alpha slowly changes it to need and desire.

The sharp omega pheromones in the room are quickly overwhelmed by the Alpha's heavy honey scent. Kaiden's skin is filled with goosebumps after a single inhale. The sight of the Omega shivering not from fear but from lust swirls something dark inside the Alpha.

He still finds omegas repugnant but he can't deny the pink-haired Omega in front of him is a pretty little thing. With his long, soft hair and innocent face, he even looks adorable. He reminds Damon of those plush stuffed toys on storefronts he used to see as a child, though he won't ever admit that out loud.

"Do you want to do this?" he asks although it doesn't really seem like a question, not when the younger man already looks intoxicated, lids half-closed, and mouth slack.

"Okay." The words came out slurred but it's all the consent Damon needs. The Omega already signed the contract days ago anyway.

"I'll be gentle." The Alpha pats his lap, "Now come back here."

Kaiden moves with no further prompting, swinging his legs next to the bigger man on each side. With the Omega straddling Damon's hips, their position mimics that of one week ago when they first met.

Damon grabs the legs on top of him and pushes his nose to the other's slender neck, filling his lungs with the scent of arousal and … affection.

Did this little fool already fall in love with him?

Damon silently chuckles to himself.

Well, it's not like it's his problem.