Page 56 of Sweet Omega
Ludiin closed his eyes and gave himself to the pleasure, the moment.
For the first time since his heat started, his body wasn’t screaming. He wasn’t fucking losing his mind. He felt amazing.
He must have drifted off, because when he opened his eyes again, the room was bathed in soft morning light. Tarymn lay beside him, turned on his side, breathing slow and even in sleep.
Ludiin’s gaze lingered on his face. His chest ached with the longing to lean in and press his lips gently to Tarymn’s. Before he could let the temptation take root, he slipped out of bed, his heart pounding, and hurried to his room.
That didn’t happen.He pressed his back against the door, whispering the lie to himself as shame coiled tight around his chest. His pulse roared in his ears. Ludiin rushed to the washroom and scrubbed every inch of his skin until it was red and raw, until he couldn’t smell any trace of Tarymn’s scent clinging to him. Then he got dressed and threw himself into cleaning his room, trying to erase the memory. Ludiin’s eyes landed on the pleasuring bot resting on the bed, a flicker of disappointment tugging at his chest.
It had started so well. Then something had gone wrong.
He sighed as he picked up his connector, thumb grazing its smooth surface, his mind already racing through possible waysto fix the bot. Then his gaze flicked to the clock. A sharp gasp escaped him. Last night had been the final night of his heat. All this time, he’d believed the first wave had been the beginning. If he’d just held out a little longer, he could’ve made it on his own. A spark of excitement surged through him, banishing the last traces of shame clinging to his skin. He bolted up to his den, his heart hammering, fingers itching to start again. The pleasuring bot was close to being perfect. He could feel it. If he just adjusted a few things, he wouldn’t need Tarymn or any other alpha.
He got to work, stylus flying over the screen of his e-reader as he modified the bot. Time slipped by, hunger gnawed at his stomach, yet Ludiin ignored it too absorbed in his work to care.
A while later, hurried footsteps echoed up the stairs, growing louder with each passing second.
Someone was coming up.
Ludiin stiffened, forcing in a breath as he turned toward the sound. His heart pounded violently in his chest. He wished he could delay this moment indefinitely, but deep down, he knew it was inevitable. He couldn’t avoid Tarymn forever. He had to face him.
Was he going to apologize again? Swear it wouldn’t happen again?
He didn’t know. He just…Fuck.
“Ludiin?” a familiar voice called.
Ludiin’s shoulders sagged the moment Luci came up the stairs. Relief went through him, even though he knew it was temporary. Tarymn would come eventually.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, noting how exhausted Luci looked. His oversized lounge top hung loosely, slipping off one shoulder, and his hair was a chaotic mess like he’d spent the night yanking his fingers through it.
“It’s getting worse,” Luci muttered, making his way to the workbench and leaning against it, as if his legs could no longer hold him upright.
“What is?”
“Oh, I forgot you were in heat while the fucking planet was falling apart,” Luci snapped, his voice heavy with sarcasm and panic. “Shit. What the hell are we going to do now?” He began pacing, his bare feet thudding against the floor with every step, arms flailing in frustration.
Ludiin said nothing. He turned away and stared at the sketch on his e-reader.
“Do you think everything will be fine?” Luci asked, his voice a little quieter now.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ludiin replied, not looking up.
“What?” Luci froze. “Ludiin, you haven’t checked the news?”
“No,” Ludiin said flatly. “What happened?”
Without another word, Luci snatched the e-reader from the workbench. His eyebrows shot up when he saw the design Ludiin had been working on. “Are you seriously making another one?”
“I’m thinking about it,” Ludiin mumbled.
“You might want to think a lot harder, because there’s no way you’re getting that job now or graduating.” Luci shook his head and flipped the e-reader around, holding it up for Ludiin to see.
A breaking news headline scrolled across the screen in bold, blaring letters. Behind it, footage played of crowds flooding the walkways in every major town, their chants rising in unison.
CALL FOR REMOVAL OF OMEGAS FROM PUBLIC SPACES.
Ludiin’s stomach dropped. “What happened?” he whispered, his voice barely audible.
