It had been two long weeks since that fateful argument in the garden, and things between Aleron and me had not improved. He had been distant, using the turmoil in the western territories as an excuse to avoid me. I could hardly blame him, his duties as Crown Prince were pressing, and the revolts there needed handling. Yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t just his work keeping him away. We hadn’t exchanged more than a few cold words since that day, and now we hardly shared a room anymore.
The tension was unbearable, but there was another problem creeping up on me. I could feel my heat coming, my body slowly betraying me with the telltale signs. It was something I had been dreading, and I found myself constantly on edge. My pheromones had grown stronger, noticeable to anyone who came close, and although Aleron pretended not to notice, I saw the brief flickers of recognition in his eyes. Yet, he said nothing, did nothing, choosing instead to bury himself deeper into his royal duties.
I sighed, resting on the edge of the bed, lost in thought as Ben entered the room, his eyes filled with concern. He knew, of course. He could tell I was nearing my heat.
“Your Highness,” Ben said softly, “it’s almost time, isn’t it? What are your plans?”
“I’ll spend it as far away from Aleron as possible,” I replied sharply, my frustration slipping through. I couldn’t imagine sharing such an intimate moment with him, not after everything that had happened between us. The very thought made my skin crawl, not out of disgust, but out of the deep fear of vulnerability.
Ben frowned, clearly uncomfortable with my answer. “But Your Highness… it’s an Omega’s and Alpha’s duty to spend their heat and rut together. It strengthens the bond between you. The Crown Prince—”
“I know what the expectations are, Ben,” I interrupted, my voice a bit harsher than I intended. “But I can’t… I can’t bear the thought of that kind of intimacy with him right now. I won’t be that vulnerable with him. Not after all of this.”
I hadn’t realized how loudly I’d spoken until I heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps at the doorway. My heart sank as I turned slowly to see Aleron standing there, his face set in a hard line, his presence a sudden and jarring reminder that I hadn’t been alone.
Aleron stormed in, dressed in his royal attire, an aura of urgency and frustration radiating from him.
“Lucian, we need to talk,” he snapped, his eyes narrowing at me and Ben that stood beside me. Ben excused himself by bowing curtly before giving us our privacy.
I looked up, my irritation bubbling to the surface.I decided to play it off and not talk about the fact that he heard me until he decided to talk about it. “What now? Is it another council meeting? I thought we agreed that I wouldn’t have to attend those.”
“Yes, but circumstances have changed,” he replied, the irritation in his voice palpable. “There’s been unrest in the western territories, and the council wants us both present. It’s part of our duties as a married couple.”
I felt anger rise within me, a mix of helplessness and frustration. “I didn’t sign up for this, Aleron! I didn’t want to be a pawn in your royal games. I thought marriage would at least give me some semblance of freedom!”
“Freedom?” he scoffed, stepping closer, his jaw tight. “Do you think I want to deal with this nonsense? I’m trying to do my job, to protect the empire, and you’re acting like a spoiled brat! We have responsibilities, Lucian. You can’t just hide away and ignore them!”
“Responsibilities?” I shot back, rising from my seat in anger. “You mean the same responsibilities you’ve always had and now want to shove down my throat? I thought we would be partners, but it feels like I’m just a trophy for you to show off!”
Aleron’s eyes flashed with irritation. “You think this is easy for me? I didn’t ask for this marriage either! I’m trying to bring you into this world, and you keep resisting! I’m not your enemy!”
“Then stop treating me like one!” I yelled, the frustration pouring out of me. “Maybe if you weren’t so focused on your precious empire and your duties, you’d understand that I’m just trying to find my place in this chaos!”
“Chaos?” he sneered. “You think this is chaos? You have no idea what it means to lead, to make decisions that impact thousands of lives. I’m doing my best to try and connect with you, but you act like I’m dragging you through this against your will!”
“Because I don’t belong here!” I shouted, my voice cracking. “I wanted to be a husband, not a political tool! I just wanted to find happiness, but you’re constantly reminding me of your duties, like I’m nothing more than a burden to you!”
Aleron’s face contorted in frustration. “You think I want this marriage to be a burden? You’re not the only one struggling! I’m trying to make this work, but every time I reach out, you shut me down!”
His words stung, cutting deeper than I wanted to admit. “Maybe you should try to understand my perspective instead of assuming I’ll just fall in line. This isn’t easy for me either! You’re so wrapped up in your responsibilities that you can’t see how suffocating this all feels!”
Silence filled the room, the tension thick enough to cut. We were both breathing heavily, realizing our argument stemmed from fear and misunderstanding.
“Maybe we can find a way to compromise,” Aleron said, his voice softer now but still laced with frustration. “Let’s talk about how we can manage our duties without losing sight of each other.”
I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of his hurtful words still lingering in the air. “I’d like that… if you’re willing to actually listen.”
“I heard what you talked about with Ben, concerning your heat”
My heart thumped in my chest as guilt took me.
“Lucian.” His voice was low, carrying a sharp edge . His gaze was piercing, a mixture of anger and something else, something raw and hurt that I hadn’t expected to see.
I froze, caught between defiance and guilt, but I refused to show weakness. “Aleron,” I replied, my voice tight, keeping my posture rigid.
He crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing. “So, you think you’ll just run away when your heat comes? You don’t get to make that decision on your own.”
My breath caught at the sudden intensity in his words. “I can make decisions for myself. You don’t control me. Not like this.”
Aleron’s jaw clenched, his gaze hardening further. “This isn’t about control. This is about what we are to each other, Lucian. You’re my Omega. We are supposed to share that time together. It’s not something you can just avoid because of your stubborn pride.”
His words stung, cutting deeper than I wanted to admit. “I won’t be forced into something I’m not ready for. You think after everything, I want to just—” I stopped myself, not wanting to admit the truth of my own fears.
Aleron took a step closer, the air between us thick with tension. “You think I haven’t noticed, Lucian? I can smell your heat approaching every time I walk into the room. You think I’ve been avoiding you because I’m too busy with the western territories?” His voice dropped lower, more dangerous. “No, I’ve stayed away because I didn’t want to hurt you. But hearing you now… You think I want this any less than you?”
His words hung between us, heavy and charged. My heart pounded in my chest, and I could feel my emotions spiraling out of control. “You don’t get to decide what I want or what I need, Aleron,” I said, my voice barely holding steady. “This is my body. My heat. You don’t get to dictate when or how I share it with you.”
He laughed bitterly, the sound sending a chill down my spine. “So that’s it? You’ll just lock me out, pretend I don’t exist, and handle it on your own? You think that’s how this works?”
“I think it’s better than pretending everything is fine when it’s not,” I snapped, stepping closer to him. “You can’t fix us by forcing something like this.”
His eyes flashed with anger, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “Fine,” he bit out. “If that’s how you want it, Lucian. But remember this, when your heat finally hits, and you’re overwhelmed by it, don’t expect me to come running. You’ll be on your own.”
With that, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. The sound echoed through the silence that followed, leaving me standing there, shaking, my heart pounding in my chest.
I sank back onto the bed, feeling the weight of his words crashing down on me. I hated how he made me feel conflicted, angry, hurt, and something else I couldn’t quite name. But more than anything, I hated the way my heart ached for something I couldn’t bring myself to accept.
Maybe I’d made a mistake. But it was too late to take it back now
—
The night seemed endless, my body thrumming with the overwhelming need that surged through me in waves. My heat had fully taken hold, leaving me raw, vulnerable, and exposed. I couldn’t breathe without feeling Aleron’s scent in the air strong and intoxicating, even from across the room where he tried to keep his distance.
But it wasn’t enough. It would never be enough.
My heart pounded, the ache between my thighs growing more insistent as every nerve in my body begged for relief. I hated it, how much I needed him, how much I craved his touch. I’d spent the last few hours fighting it, trying to keep myself together, but every moment was like torture. My skin burned with the desire to be touched, to be held, to feel the strength of Aleron’s arms around me. But I couldn’t bring myself to admit it.
Not when he was so distant, so cold.
I sat up in bed, my breath coming in short, shallow bursts as I pressed my knees together, trying to stave off the worst of the heat. But it was no use. I could feel the slick between my legs, my body already preparing itself, betraying me with every passing second. The air felt thick, and Aleron’s scent was like a drug, making me light-headed, making it impossible to think of anything else but him.
I hated this. I hated how much control my heat had over me. I wanted to be stronger than this, to resist the pull of my instincts, but it was getting harder to think straight. All I could focus on was the empty ache inside me, the growing need that refused to be ignored.
A low whimper escaped my lips before I could stop it, and I knew, deep down, I couldn’t do this on my own.
Before I even realized what I was doing, I was on my feet, moving toward Aleron, who lay on the sofa across the room. He had his back to me, his broad shoulders rising and falling with every breath he took, and I could see the tension in the way he lay still, unmoving. He was trying to keep his distance, trying not to give in to his own instincts, but I knew he could feel it too. The pull between us was undeniable, the heat in the air thick and palpable.
I crept closer, my steps silent as I approached him. The scent of him was overwhelming now, filling my lungs, making me dizzy with want. My body trembled, my hands shaking as I reached out, unable to stop myself. I needed him. I needed the closeness, the comfort of his presence.
“Aleron…” My voice was barely a whisper, rough and broken as I knelt beside him, my fingers brushing against his arm.
He stirred, his breathing uneven as he turned to face me. His eyes were dark, filled with the same need I felt coursing through my veins, but there was something else there too—restraint. He was fighting it, holding himself back even as his instincts screamed for him to act.
“Lucian,” he said, his voice low and strained. “You shouldn’t…”
But I couldn’t stop. My body moved on its own, my hands shaking as I reached for him, my lips brushing against the edge of his jaw, desperate for the connection I craved. “Please…”
His grip on my wrist tightened, his body tense as he pulled away slightly, his eyes locking with mine. “I won’t do this, not like this.”
I whimpered, the rejection stinging more than I wanted to admit. “I need you.”
Aleron’s jaw clenched, his body visibly straining with the effort to hold himself back. “I know,” he said, his voice rough, almost pained. “But I won’t let you do something you’ll regret. Not when you’re like this.”
The words hit me hard, cutting through the fog of my heat, and for a moment, I could see the truth in them. He was right. This wasn’t a decision I could make clearly, not when my body
was ruled by instincts beyond my control. But the truth didn’t make the need any less unbearable.
The ache between my legs only intensified, and the longing for his touch was overwhelming, consuming every rational thought I had left.
I collapsed onto the floor beside him, trembling as tears of frustration burned at the corners of my eyes. The rejection was like a knife to the gut, and Thated how much it hurt. I hated that I couldn’t just push this away, couldn’t just be strong enough to fight my own body’s needs.
“Please, Aleron,” I begged, my voice cracking as I looked up at him, my vision blurred by unshed tears. “I can’t do this alone.”
His expression softened, and for a moment, I saw the struggle in his eyes the battle between his own desire and the restraint he clung to so tightly.
He wanted me. I could see it in the way his jaw tightened, the way his breath came quicker, and the way his eyes lingered on me with an intensity that made my heart race.
But he wouldn’t give in.
With a sigh, Aleron sat up, pulling me up with him.
His grip on my wrist loosened, but he didn’t let go.
Instead, he held me there, close enough that I could feel the heat of his body, could hear the steady thrum of his heartbeat. It was maddeningly close, and yet so far from what I wanted.
“You don’t need to do this to get through it,
Lucian,” he murmured, his voice softer now, as if he could sense how fragile I was. “We can handle this. Together. But not like this.”
I shook my head, my body aching with a need that words couldn’t express. “But I-“
He silenced me with a firm look, his eyes hard but not unkind. “No,” he said, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Not when you’re in heat. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us.”
His words stung, but deep down, I knew he was right. Even if I didn’t want to admit it, this wasn’t how I wanted things to happen. Not out of desperation or a biological urge I couldn’t control.
I wanted more. I wanted something real.
But in this moment, the pain of wanting him was all could feel.
I choked back a sob, my body shaking as I buried my face in his chest, clutching onto him as if he were the only thing keeping me grounded. I could feel the warmth of his skin, could hear the steady rise and fall of his breath, and for a brief moment, it was enough. It had to be enough. His pheromones comforting me yet making my heat harder to bare.
Aleron’s arms wrapped around me then, holding me tightly, his touch gentle but firm. He didn’t push me away, didn’t leave me to suffer alone.
Instead, he stayed, his presence a comfort in the storm of emotions raging inside me.
He proceeded to carry me onto the bed to get more comfortable, his warmth was doing more bad than good, I was erect and I could feel Aleron’s hard and bulging cock when he carried me towards the bed.
Aleron’s arms tightened around me, the steady rise and fall of his chest grounding me as I clung to him, desperate for something solid amidst the chaos my body was forcing on me. He was strong, unyielding, but there was a tenderness in his embrace that I hadn’t expected, a gentleness that made my heart ache even more.
The tension in the room was still thick, and despite the warmth of his arms around me, the gnawing need hadn’t lessened. My heat continued to pulse through me, sending waves of desire that made my muscles tense and my breath uneven. I could feel my body fighting itself, begging for more contact, more intimacy, but I knew it was a battle I couldn’t win.
Not with him holding back. Not with me trying to force something that wasn’t right.
For a while, neither of us said anything. The silence stretched between us, broken only by the sound of my labored breathing and the occasional crackle of the fire in the hearth. Aleron shifted slightly, adjusting his grip so that I could rest more comfortably against him, but he didn’t pull away. He just held me, letting me lean on him as I rode out the worst of the storm.
After what felt like hours, I finally managed to speak. “Why are you doing this?” My voice was hoarse, raw from the emotion and exhaustion that weighed heavily on me. “Why won’t you just… take me?”
Aleron’s breath hitched at my words, and I could feel the tension ripple through him. For a moment, I thought he might give in that his resolve would crumble under the weight of what I was asking for. But then, he let out a heavy sigh, his hand brushing through my hair in a soothing gesture.
“Because I care about you, Lucian,” he said quietly, his voice steady but strained. “I care too much to hurt you like that.”
I frowned, pulling back just enough to look up at him. “Hurt me? You wouldn’t—”
“It’s not about physical pain,” he interrupted, his eyes dark and intense as they met mine. “It’s about what this means. I want us to be something real, Lucian. Not just two people thrown together because of duty or biology. I want more than that for us. And I refuse to take advantage of you while you’re like this.”
His words hit me like a punch to the gut, knocking the breath from my lungs. I had expected rejection, expected distance, but this? This was something different. Something I hadn’t prepared myself for.
Aleron wanted more. He wanted something real, something meaningful between us. And he wasn’t willing to let my heat or his own desires get in the way of that.
“I don’t want to hurt you either,” he continued, his voice softer now. “But if I gave in to this… if I let myself take you while you’re in heat, it wouldn’t be right. It wouldn’t be fair. You deserve more than that.”
I stared at him, my heart pounding in my chest as his words sank in. It was overwhelming, the weight of everything he was saying. The desire I had been feeling, the need for his touch, had clouded my thoughts, made me think that giving in was the only way. But now, hearing him speak like this hearing the raw emotion in his voice, it made me see things differently.
He didn’t just want me. He wanted us.
My throat tightened, a wave of emotion crashing over me as I realized just how much I had been avoiding that truth. I had been so focused on fighting my instincts, on keeping myself from being vulnerable, that I hadn’t stopped to consider what Aleron really wanted or what I wanted from him.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, my voice breaking as I buried my face in his chest again. “I didn’t mean to… I just—”
“Shh,” Aleron murmured, his hand continuing its slow, comforting strokes through my hair. “You don’t have to apologize, Lucian. I understand.”
But did he? Could he really understand the confusion, the fear, the intense pressure I felt every time I looked at him and thought about what we were supposed to be? I wasn’t sure if I even understood it myself.
“I just don’t know how to do this,” I admitted, my voice small and vulnerable. “Everything between us is so complicated. And with my heat… it feels like everything is spiraling out of control.”
“I know,” he said quietly. “But we don’t have to figure it all out right now. We can take this one step at a time.”
One step at a time. It seemed like such a simple concept, and yet, in the middle of my heat, it felt impossible. My body wanted everything now. It wanted him now. But Aleron’s patience, his restraint, was a reminder that this was about more than just the heat. It was about us. About something bigger, something worth waiting for.
“I’ll be here for you, Lucian,” Aleron said, his voice steady and sure. “No matter what. I won’t leave you to face this alone.”
His words sent a fresh wave of emotion washing over me, and I tightened my grip on him, holding on as if he were the only thing keeping me anchored to the earth. In a way, he was. I had never felt this vulnerable, this exposed, and yet, Aleron was here. He wasn’t running from me, wasn’t treating me like a burden or a problem to be solved. He was staying with me, even when I was at my weakest.
It was terrifying. And yet, it was exactly what I needed.
Slowly, I let out a shaky breath, trying to calm the storm of emotions swirling inside me. I didn’t know how long this heat would last, or how I would get through it without losing myself completely, but with Aleron by my side, it seemed just a little more bearable.
“I’ll be okay,” I whispered, more to myself than to him.
Aleron didn’t respond with words. Instead, he pressed a gentle kiss to the top of my head, his arms tightening around me as if to say ‘I know you will be.’ And in that moment, as the warmth of his embrace surrounded me, I allowed myself to believe it.
Maybe we would figure this out after all.
Together.
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