Page 8 of Sweet Omega
Chapter 2
Tarymn
Why is it so dark in here?Tarymn wondered as he stepped into the house, his boots echoing against the wooden floor. The shadows clung to the high ceilings, shrouding the entryway in darkness until Pitra, trailing behind him with his bags, flicked on the lights. Warm golden light flooded the space, chasing the darkness away.
“Where is everyone?” Tarymn asked, more to himself than to Pitra. Not that he expected a welcome parade of smiling faces and open arms, he just…the emptiness unnerved him.
What did he fucking expect?
He’d bolted the moment his schedule gave him the smallest excuse, dumping Luci and Ludiin in Hym’s lap without a second thought.
He’d run. Fast. And far.
“I’m sure Hym’s at work. Luci and Ludiin should be somewhere inside,” Pitra offered.
Tarymn nodded distantly.
“I’ll take these to your room. Will you be needing anything else?”
“No. Just leave them there. You must be tired. Go home and get some rest. It’s been a long trip,” he said, already turning toward the stairs, a small knot of guilt tightening in his chest.
They were probably fine. They didn’t need him to hold their hands like fragile cubs.
Well, apparently, they did.
Tarymn halted, his eyes narrowing at the sight ahead. Boxes. Dozens of them, crowded the hallway like a barricade, nearly blocking the path to his bedroom.
What the fuck is this?His irritated huff came out sharp and ragged, guilt rapidly mutating into irritation. The house was massive. There was no reason for their shit to be dumped right in front of his door.
Tarymn stormed down the hallway, every step fueled with anger to tear into them, only to stop mid-stride. His nostrils flared, chest rising as a scent curled through the air.
Sweet. Thick. Heady and cloying, it twined around him like invisible silk, burrowing into his bones, dragging on his instincts and short-circuiting his brain. Heat. Someone was in heat.
Who…?His mind barely formed the question before the door across from his room creaked open.
A soft shuffle of feet. And then…Ludiin.
Standing there. Eyes unfocused. Cheeks flushed. Looking like something out of a fever dream.
Tarymn blinked. But the image didn’t go away. Ludiin stood frozen in the doorway, bathed in dim hallway light. His face was streaked with tears, his eyes wide and glassy. His hair spilled in wild, tangled waves around his pale face, and the oversized shirthe wore looked like it was swallowing him whole, hanging off one delicate shoulder, brushing against his knees.
“Ludiin…” Tarymn took a single cautious step forward.
“Tary?” came his voice, soft and needy.
The sound made something inside him lurch.
"Tary?" Was that what he called him?Tarymn blinked, a frown tugging at his brow. Ludiin stumbled toward him, like his body no longer belonged to him, moving only toward the sound of Tarymn’s voice.
“What’s wrong?” Tarymn asked, the air thinning around him.
“Help me,” Ludiin whimpered, the words barely making it out before his knees buckled. He pitched sideways, hitting the stacked boxes with a dull thud before crumpling to the floor like a marionette with cut strings.
“Oh shit, Ludiin!” Tarymn lunged, catching him before his head hit the floor.
From the first touch, heat blazed through his palms.
Shit. The omega was burning up. Shaking. Hard. Like his body was trying to come apart.
