Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Phukan sat down in front of the makeshift altar. He looked at the photograph of his father and tried to smile. “Hello Pa. I know it’s too early for your anniversary day. But I wanted to talk to you today.” He pulled out a letter from his bag and placed it in front of the picture. His eyes were teary but he tried to hold back the tears. “I presented. I’m a little scared to tell Mama. But I think she already knows. And is sad about it. She’s still gone, you know? She still won’t come home. And now I feel like she never will. I know it’s my fault. I’m keeping her here. I’m keeping her away from you. Even though it must hurt her. But I also can’t tell her that it’s…okay.”

Pulling his legs up, Phukan wrapped his arms around them and rested his forehead against his knees. “Why is love like this, Pa? Why is it so terrible? And yet so great? At the same time.” He sniffled softly. “I want to fall in love, too. Just like you and Mama. But I’m also scared.”

What if the same fate awaited him? Finding his mate only to lose them early?

Having witnessed what his parents had gone through, Phukan couldn’t help but feel these conflicting emotions. He’d always wanted a love like the one his parents had. It had been so warm. And so incredibly happy. While his parents had told him that they didn’t have a ‘true bond’, there was no denying that the bond they did have had been very deep. And strong.

The fact that it hadn’t been a ‘true bond’ was probably the reason why his mother was still around and had not followed her mate immediately. Even though Phukan wondered whether he could still call his mother’s life such. It was more like an ‘existence’. She was still there. But he was wondering if she was really and truly still alive.

And that scared him. Phukan knew that if he were to fall in love, if he were to find ‘the one’, he would go all in on them as well. He would love with all of his heart and soul and no less.

“Sorry for talking about such sad things. I didn’t mean to,” Phukan wiped his tears away. “Watch over me, okay, Pa? Tomorrow will be my first day at school with-” He touched the collar around his neck. “They keep telling us it doesn’t matter what our secondary gender is but I know people still talk about it, even now. Maybe not as much as when you were younger but still.”

He straightened up. “But I’ll be okay. So don’t worry, na? I won’t let people bully me or anything.”

His father had been strong, too. He hadn’t let anyone bully him or talk badly about him. And even if someone had, he had ignored it. ‘Let people talk.’ He had always said. And Phukan was determined to do the same. He shouldn’t care about what others thought about him.

Going outside, Phukan was about to call a Grab to pick him up, when he spotted a familiar white Audi parked in the driveway. “P’Tharn?”

“Hey there,” his older cousin greeted him with a smile. “Mae sent me. She knew you’d be getting the results today and that you’d probably want to tell uncle about them.”

“Oh,” Phukan blinked, “I see.” He smiled, “She shouldn’t have worried. I can-”

“She’d still worry, Phu. You know her,” Tharn shrugged. “Now, let me drop you off, okay? I also have food for you in the back of the car. You can take it up to your dorm room with you.”

Phukan followed his cousin and got into the car. “If you’re here that means P’Type is visiting home?” He grinned. “Or it would be P’Thorn here instead of you.”

“You little!” Tharn tried to poke Phukan, who avoided him but then he huffed. “Yeah. Type went home to visit his parents for a few days. It’s semester break after all.”

Deciding to go easy on his cousin and not tease him, Phukan changed the topic to Tharn’s music projects and then listened to what the other had to say about them. He was invited to a band performance at a cafe downtown and agreed to go and check it out.

They passed the time until they reached Phukan’s dorm like that.

He had asked to live by himself once he had turned 16, considering that his aunt had been going back and forth between her own home and Phukan’s parents’ house for the past few years in order to keep him company and take care of him. But now that he was ‘old enough’, he didn’t want to burden her with that any longer.

His other aunt, Tharn’s mother, had invited him to stay with her and her family but as much as Phukan loved his cousins and his aunt and uncle, he had declined that as well, citing that their house was too far from his school. His aunt, who worked in the real estate business, had gotten him this room in the dorm then. Phukan had insisted on paying her back once he earned money but she had declined, saying that his parents had left enough money to cover it. And Phukan’s mother had told him that she had made an arrangement with his aunt.

It still made him feel a little bad but he wasn’t going to argue.

He waved goodbye to his cousin in the parking lot and then carried the bags with several containers full of food up to his room, storing whatever he could in the fridge or freezer.

The final container sat on his table and Phukan went to open it and eat it before he got ready for the night, taking a shower and changing into pyjamas. He put the sweaty school uniform he’d worn into the washing machine and turned it on, before he went to pull out a clean one for the next day. Then he looked at the bag on his living room table, which he had placed there when he had come in. The inconspicuous white plastic bag he had gotten from the hospital.

Sitting down on the sofa, Phukan reached into the bag and pulled its contents out.

Scent blockers. Scent gland patches. Suppressants. Blocker shots.

His eyes wandered over to the collar that he had also placed onto the table before going to take a shower. There was no reason for him to wear it while he was alone in his dorm room after all.

Phukan was sure that people wouldn’t be surprised about this outcome. He himself hadn’t been. He had always known deep down. He had always known that he would be an omega.

Just like his father.

Placing some of the things on the table into his school bag, Phukan checked his notebooks - had he finished all of his homework? - and then got up and shuffled over to his bedroom.

Before he got into his bed, his eyes lingered on his shelf. There, next to the little chest he kept his father’s flute in, sat a pair of paper cups with a string attached to them. Lifting one of the cups, he revealed the little good luck charm he had found in the same place, when he had gone to the downstairs classroom to get the paper cup phone back the other day.

He smiled when a pleasant scent hit his senses a moment later. Phukan breathed in and then placed the cup back over the charm. Or too much of the scent would escape.

A part of him didn’t want the scent to ever go away. It was so calming. Phukan felt that if he still had that scent in his nose, he’d be able to sleep well and things would be okay. It gave him strength and comfort. Other people used a yadom - an inhaler - but Phukan had this.

Unfortunately it would be harder to replace this, unlike with a regular yadom. But Phukan didn’t want to think about that now. For now the scent was still there.

With the scent still in his nose, Phukan crawled under the covers and curled up after setting his alarms for the next morning. Then he closed his eyes and tried to drift off into dreamland.

It seemed like he had only just closed his eyes when his alarm went off. Phukan grumbled and hit snooze, before turning around. He repeated it a few times but then rolled over with a bit too much momentum and off his bed. Whining softly, he sat up and made a grab for his phone, turning off the alarm before grudgingly making his way into the bathroom to get ready.

He went through his routine as usual and was about to run out of the door, when he stopped by the living room table. Phukan bit his lip. That had been close. He’d almost forgotten.

Snapping the collar around his neck after putting on the patches and scent blockers, Phukan checked himself in the mirror before he went out of the door. He made it just in time, already seeing his Grab driver pulling up in front of the dorm complex.

“To school please, phi. As usual.” He smiled and climbed on behind the man.

“You got it, son.” The man flashed him a smile and then pulled down the visor of his helmet again before they sped off.

The streets were busy as usual but the motorbike weaved through the cars and got up front, giving it a bit of a head start, along with the other bikes on the street. Phukan was used to it, he did this every morning and the drivers in his area already knew him and his route.

Things would change once Phukan got his driver’s license once he turned 18. Even though he would have to get up earlier to avoid the morning traffic, having a car would mean more flexibility. But also safety. He’d talked about it with his cousin Tharn’s boyfriend Type before, who was also an omega. Type had told him that a car could be a safe haven in times of need.

Hopefully Phukan wouldn’t be needing something like that for a while. Male omegas’ pheromones were usually weaker than those of their female counterparts. And their heats would also start later. It was aligned with their puberty and general maturity.

Phukan knew the school had several ‘heat rooms’ for emergencies, though, so if things ever came down to that, he knew where to go. Or run.

School was business as usual, although Phukan felt that his life seemed a bit easier than before. He seemed to be luckier than he had been before - things he forgot would turn up at his desk, or somewhere where they were easy to find for him, his favourite restaurants would always have the dishes he liked, even the motorcycle taxi drivers were suddenly charging him less. All of them. Saying that he was such a loyal customer and well, a student, who was probably looking to save money or spend it somewhere else.

Maybe stopping by at the little neighbourhood temple before going to talk to his father the other day had been a good thing. Phukan had made a note to go back to make merit there again.

He had also received other little trinkets - lucky charms, he considered them - that had the same scent as the one he had found with the paper cup phone the other day. So he didn’t have to worry about the scent going away. Life was great.

On top of it, his mid-term results came back better than he had expected. All the studying had paid off. Phukan was going over his results when he heard some of his classmates talking behind him. They were people Phukan usually didn’t associate with and listening to them was reminding Phukan once again of the reason why that was.

“Hey, do you know that senior from Year 12, P’Cir?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I fucking hate that guy.”

“Is that the one all the girls are crazy about? Alpha, beta and omega?”

“He looks like a total asshole. How can they like someone like him?” A huff. “And me, I just got yelled at by the teacher. And you know what she said? ‘You should try harder in class. Look at Rames from Year 12. He can get into any university. He has a bright future ahead of him.’” Another huff. “That damn alpha bastard. What am I supposed to do, huh? As a Beta, it’s natural that I’m not as good as him. And will never be. So why even compare? What a joke.”

The sound of a ball getting kicked around stopped.

“What’s up?”

“Despite being such a cold asshole, how many do you think he’s fucked?”

“Probably tons. Everyone’s throwing themselves at him after all.”

“Yeah, you’re damn right.”

“Helps that I heard his family’s rich, too.”

“Really? Ha, you think they bribed the teacher? There’s no way a rich kid would be that good. Alpha or not. There’s no way someone could get a perfect score otherwise, right?”

Phukan put his pencil down. “I think you are spouting nonsense.” He turned around to look at the other two boys, who looked straight back at him - mildly surprised. It was unusual for Phukan to speak up. So they were probably taken aback by that.

“You just keep going ‘because he’s an alpha, because he’s rich, he’s rich because he is an alpha’ bla bla bla,” Phukan huffed, “You blame your own shortcomings on the secondary gender or on money. But you know what, being an alpha doesn’t mean that your life is free of problems. Nor is having money. They’re not an automatic pass to success and happiness. There are plenty of alphas out there, who have to work really hard for what they want. Genetics are one thing but they aren’t the only thing that matters in life. And there are plenty of betas or omegas out there who have more money than some alphas. Just saying.”

The two boys jeered. “You’re just saying that to make yourself feel better, omega boy.”

“Yeah because you’ll never get somewhere, omega boy. Because omegas are-”

“So what if I’m an omega, huh? Does that make me any less human? And what if P’Cir is an alpha and genuinely good in school, huh? You don’t know if he’s had to work hard to achieve those perfect grades, or just how much work he’s had to put into it. Don’t cheapen his achievements by saying it’s just genetics or it’s just money. Nobody was born perfect.”

“Look at that. An omega trying to talk tough. As if your only purpose of being born wasn’t to-”

A new voice cut in before they could continue, “Shut the hell up, you two. If genetics were all it took, then why aren’t you outperforming him, huh? Look at your grades and then his. And if you’d like to know, Phukan is more popular with the girls, and a lot of boys, than either of you as well. Among all, alphas, betas and omegas.” The two boys were then hit over the head with a textbook - none too gently - and scurried off.

The girl, still holding the book, turned around to look at Phukan. Her features and voice softened into a smile. “Don’t let them bother you again, okay? If they do, tell me and I’ll kick their asses.”

“Thank you.” Phukan smiled. “Uhm-”

“Tee. I’m from the class next door and couldn’t help but listen in on this garbage. And I couldn’t just let them keep at it. I know you probably didn’t need my help but I just couldn’t-” Tee squeezed the book angrily. “Guys like that just make me so mad.”

“I appreciate it,” Phukan smiled at Tee. “You’re very kind.”

And that’s how Phukan had met Tee and made friends with the alpha girl.

Unbeknownst to Phukan at that moment, Tee hadn’t been the only one who had listened to the exchange. Another person, another alpha, had been listening from around the corner.

Time passed and before Phukan noticed, it was almost time for the seniors to graduate. He didn’t know many of them well but it was always a little sad to see people go. A lot of his friends were sad to see Wim go especially, the quirky student council president and social butterfly. Wim was without a doubt the most popular senior, always treating his juniors well but also disciplining them and being strict with them when needed.

On the day of the graduation ceremony, Phukan had just separated from his friends - Tee and Achi, who had walked to the bus stop bickering with each other as usual - when he suddenly stopped near the assembly hall.

And that’s where his memory kind of stopped.

The next thing he knew was waking up in his bed the next morning and going through his morning routine sluggishly. His body was aching, so he stayed in bed a bit longer but it wasn’t a problem. He didn’t have school after all.

When he finally made it to the bathroom, his bladder winning over his aching body, he stared at his reflection in the mirror in horror as he washed his hands.

There was-

Running back out and looking for his phone, Phukan went back into the bathroom. He took a picture and then looked at it, zoomed in, to make absolutely sure he wasn’t seeing things.

But he wasn’t. It was there.

There was a mark on him. An alpha had marked and claimed him.

An alpha, Phukan could not remember.

Phukan quickly threw on some clothes, put on his collar, and bolted from the dorm. He called a Grab taxi and asked the driver to take him to his family home.

He crumbled onto his knees in front of the altar.

“Pa,” Phukan trembled. “Pa, I- Something happened to me- I- I’m sorry I-” He couldn’t form any coherent sentence. There were too many things going through his mind. His thoughts had been racing for the entire ride but he’d tried to keep things in as not to cause a scene. But now everything just came crashing down on him.

The thing that shocked him the most was that he couldn’t feel any tears in his eyes. As if a part of him didn’t want to cry. As if a part of him wasn’t scared and horrified.

But why?

Once the trembling subsided and Phukan calmed down - remembering how his father had always soothed and reassured him, told him to breathe in and out slowly - he went about the proper rituals in front of the altar, as not to anger the gods and make his father look bad.

Then he walked around the house. He tried not to think of anything. Being in a familiar environment helped with that. He didn’t have to think about where he was going. His body knew this place inside and out and could just move on its own.

Phukan passed by a shelf in the living room. His eyes wandered over the familiar pictures of his younger self. His parents. His family. His cousins and his aunt-

Suddenly, he pulled out his phone again and pulled up the picture he had taken of the mark on his neck. His eyes widened. In his panic, he hadn’t noticed until now. But his subconsciousness must have picked it up or he wouldn’t have realised it when seeing the picture of his aunt.

The mark on his neck wasn’t just a bite mark. It wasn’t just a claim.

Instead of having just the two rows of teeth marks forming somewhat of an imperfect oval, Phukan’s mark had a second mark, that was framed by the bite mark. It was lighter than the bites, not angry red and irritated, but instead as if Phukan’s skin had tanned in that shape for some reason. It looked like a circular chain that had been twisted in the middle to form something that looked like the number 8 or an infinity symbol.

The one on his aunt’s neck in the photo was just a regular circular chain but the resemblance was there. It was the same chain pattern. And the same colour.

Phukan’s heart was racing.

His aunt and her husband had a ‘true bond’. Thanya had often talked about it, about how romantic it was and how she hoped that she would find a ‘true mate’ as well.

True bonds were rare. If Phukan remembered the statistics correctly, a true bond would only occur a handful of times in every generation. What were the chances of a true bond occurring twice in his family?

But Phukan was glad for that. Because now he’d have someone to ask and confide in.

About this whole…situation.

Pulling out his phone, Phukan tapped one of his contacts. His aunt picked up after a few rings.

“Auntie, I need your help. I need to talk to you. Alone. Please.” Phukan’s voice trembled slightly, as his inner turmoil hadn’t quite settled down yet and this had just thrown him into a whole new chaos. “And please keep it a secret from everyone else. Promise me.”

His aunt was there in record time. Alone.

When she saw the state he was in, she ushered him over to the sofa and sat down with him, pulling him into a hug. “Phukan, my sweet little boy, what happened to you?”

She stroked his hair. “Who did this to you?”

“I don’t know.” Phukan shook his head.

“You don’t know?” His aunt pushed him away a little. “You bonded with someone and you-”

“You can tell?” Phukan sounded panicked.

“You’re not wearing any scent blockers or patches, so I can scent it on you. And as someone who knows the scent of a bonded omega, I could tell.” She replied simply.

Phukan then told her what had happened and then took off his collar to show her the mark. After that his aunt helped him to put on scent blockers and patches before he put his collar back on again. Once it snapped into place, his aunt sighed softly.

“It is as you said. It’s a true bond.”

“What does that mean for me? And for all of this?” Phukan asked.

“It is said that alphas and omegas, especially young ones, can go feral, meaning that the inner wolves act on their own. You said you don’t remember, right? So that’s probably the reason why. Your omega reacted to your fated mate, it reacted to your alpha.”

His alpha.

Something inside of him felt warm upon hearing that. Another part of him felt insecurity and fear.

“I’ve never heard of a bonded couple not knowing the other half. But all the records say that if a bond is real and true, it will lead the alpha and omega together again. Because you’re meant to be together. If your alpha remembers, I’m sure they’ll step forward. And then you can get to know each other. And it’ll be the best thing that’ll ever happen to you.” His aunt smiled. “Meeting my alpha was the best thing that ever happened to me. So I wish the same for you.”

Unfortunately, nobody stepped forward.

Not after a year.

Not after two.

And not after Phukan had entered university either.

A part of him had almost forgotten about it. While another part of him kept being plagued by a feeling of emptiness and loneliness. Especially during his heats, which had started to hit him just before his high school graduation.

The omega inside of him would long for its mate. Longed to be claimed and fulfilled. Longed for physical contact. Longed for- While Phukan knew what it was that his inner wolf was longing for, it was still hard to wrap his head around it. He was still a virgin. When he and his ‘true mate’ had bonded, it had only been that and nothing else. The examination at the hospital that his aunt had taken him to after their heart-to-heart talk, had proven that.

So his body had been untouched. Which only made the heats worse, really.

It was the most miserable he’d feel aside from the time around his father’s anniversary day.

Although he had his friends and family to keep him company then at least.

His friends were the best. Phukan didn’t know what he’d do without them at times.

They had formed a little ‘pack’, with another omega, Nalin, joining Phukan, Tee and Achi during their last year of high school and then Jin, a somewhat quirky beta - joining them when they had all gotten accepted into the same university. Despite being a beta (officially), Jin didn’t seem like one. He was more observant than others and could run circles around most alphas. Which was why he had been somewhat ostracized. He’d been wary when he’d first met Phukan and the others but had warmed up to them after a while and now he was an essential part of the group.

Phukan spotted Jin on his way to the lecture hall. He smiled. “Ai’Jin! How are the clouds today?”

Jin snapped another picture of the sky and then turned around to look at Phukan, a smile tugging on his lips. “I think something good will happen today.”

“Really? That’s great! If you’re saying it, it must be true.” Phukan beamed and then waited for Jin to walk over to him. They made their way to the lecture hall together and took their seats behind Tee and surprisingly also Achi.

“Yeah I know, look who’s here,” Nalin shot her fellow alpha and childhood friend a look. “I thought his latest fling finally murdered him and dumped his body in the river.”

“Hey, don’t be like that!” Achi made a face. “I’m sure you missed my handsome fa-” He blocked a whack from Tee with her textbook. “Ow!”

“The day was going great and you walked through that door. It’s a bad omen for sure,” Tee huffed. “Also damn it, didn’t you take a shower or at least put on some scent blockers? You reek of an omega in heat. Ugh.” She shuddered.

Achi’s grin turned a little stupid, “Oh, you know that heat sex is the be- Ow!!” He blocked another hit. “You keep trying to hit my face! Don’t hit my face, it’s my best asset!”

“The professor will come in soon.” Jin spoke up from behind the pair.

And just then, the door opened and the familiar figure of the lecturer became visible. Tee and Achi straightened up and focused on what went on in the front. Jin just smiled and shook his head, while Phukan smiled as well. Just another day.

Unfortunately, the day had only just started. And he had made the mistake of counting his chicken before they had hatched properly.

The feeling of discomfort started after lunch. Phukan had initially blamed it on eating something funny but when the feeling turned into a more familiar one, a dreaded one, Phukan excused himself from his friends, saying he needed to get home.

Nalin sensed that something was wrong and nodded. “I’ll make sure everyone sends you notes later. If you’re not able to contact the university, I’ll tell the teachers.”

“Thank you!” Phukan managed to smile and then grabbed his bag.

“Do you want me to walk you to your car?” Jin asked.

Phukan shook his head, “No, it’s okay. It’s still early enough, so I’ll be fine.” And with that he left.

Despite what he had said, he tried to avoid the more crowded route to the parking lot. Better be safe than sorry after all. And the closer he got to his car, the less he regretted that decision.

His heat had never hit so suddenly. And so strongly!

As an already bonded omega, his body didn’t see the need to attract any suitors. It had already found ‘the one’, so while his heats were still terrible, they never came with inconveniences like a heightened pheromone production. But Phukan could feel his scent glands aching.

He almost jumped out of his skin, when he heard growling somewhere behind him.

Alphas.

Phukan broke into a run. He had to get to his car. He would be safe in his car. It couldn’t be opened from the outside. And the doors would block out the pheromones as well.

Rounding the next corner, he could already see the white colour of his car peeking out behind some of the bushes. Almost there. He could do this. Phukan bit his lip, refused to let the heat fog his brain too much and tried to ignore the discomfort of the slick starting to drip out of him, staining his slacks and running down his thighs.

Out of breath, he reached his car and fumbled for his keys.

They had to be in his bag! But where-

Alpha.

Too close.

Phukan turned around and saw two guys approaching.

No. No! NO!

Where were his keys?

One of the alphas looked ready to pounce on him. But he stopped suddenly. Someone else was blocking his way. Phukan was looking at a strong back, a shock of dark hair.

Another alpha.

“Get into the car. Quickly!” The unknown alpha told him and Phukan frantically continued to look for his keys. He flinched when he heard the sound of a fist connecting with-

Were the alphas fighting?

Looking up, he saw how the two alphas that had been tailing him were being fought 2-on-1 by the unknown alpha, who had stepped in to help him. And that alpha was keeping them at bay.

So cool. So strong.

Phukan shook the thoughts off. He finally found his keys - they had slipped all the way to the bottom of his bag. Of course. He unlocked his car and then looked back to the fight, just in time to see one of the attacking alphas raising what looked like a steel pipe, ready to hit Phukan’s savior over the head.

“Behind you!” Phukan called out.

The alpha whirled around and blocked the pipe and then sent the other alpha staggering back.

Phukan could hear a menacing growl from the alpha that finally sent the other two scrambling.

Then the alpha turned to look at Phukan. He was roughened up and there was some blood on him but overall, he didn’t look badly injured. Phukan was glad-

“Get into your car. Quickly. I-” the alpha took a shuddering breath and averted his gaze. “I don’t know if I will be able to control myself much longer.” His breathing was laboured and Phukan’s eyes widened. He opened the door and crawled onto the backseat of his car. He turned around to close the door but the alpha had already slammed it shut, leaning against the door heavily.

Phukan could see the ‘hunger’ in the other’s eyes. Could see how the alpha’s hand twitched, as if considering to yank the door open and having his way with Phukan.

He quickly locked the door from the inside and watched as the alpha proceeded to bite his own arm as he leaned his head against Phukan’s car. The pain seemed to bring him back to his senses. Long enough to give Phukan a gentle smile and then he turned around and disappeared from Phukan’s line of sight.

With the heat tugging on his consciousness, Phukan reached for his phone and sent a message to his aunt. She would help him. And was the last somewhat coherent thought Phukan had before his heat took over and his mind got lost in a sea of pleasure and misery.

The next thing he knew was how he woke up in a hospital bed.

“Phu!” That was his aunt’s voice. He spotted her when he turned his head to the side. “Are you with me? How are you feeling?” She felt her cool hand on his forehead.

He was still feeling too uncomfortably hot - his heat hadn’t completely subsided - but he was lucid enough to form coherent thoughts and words. For now.

“Okay. What-”

“I rushed over when you sent me the message. Good thing I have a spare key for your car.” Her family had all of Phukan’s spare keys - except the one spare keycard for his dorm room that he kept at the reception desk downstairs. For emergencies. “And then I took the two of you here.”

“Two?”

“There was a boy sitting by your car. He said his name was Cirrus. And that he was your senior. Said he had protected you and that you had gone into heat and needed help. He was bleeding so I insisted on him getting checked up as well when I called the ambulance. He only asked about you and didn’t care about himself. So it took a bit of ‘negotiating’.” His aunt told him. “I could tell he wasn’t lying. His scent showed his distress.”

“Phi...okay?”

“Yeah, he’s fine. Just some bruises and then what he did to his arm. But it’ll heal.” She stroked Phukan’s hair gently. “My sweet little boy, the doctor said your pheromone levels were out of this world when you were brought in. I sensed them when I opened the door and thought it was because of the small, closed quarters but apparently the quantity of pheromones you were giving off was off the charts. If you hadn’t made it to your car, you might have attracted alphas from the entire faculty or more.”

She frowned. “And the question is why. Because this shouldn’t be happening.”

Phukan nodded. Yeah. It shouldn’t be happening. It had never happened before. His body had never felt the need to ‘attract alphas’, considering he was already bonded. So then why?

Was it because he hadn’t been with his alpha properly yet?

So maybe his inner wolf had gotten sick of waiting around, of nothing happening, and was trying to get a replacement? Could a bond that hadn’t been ‘consumed’ actually become void?

There were too many questions.

And Phukan wasn’t feeling well enough to really think about them any more.

“I’ll tell the doctor you woke up and then I’ll take you to your dorm. A heat is best spent in your nest. I’ll come and check on you, though. Just in case. Okay?”

“...’kay.”

When Phukan crawled into his nest, his body instinctively relaxed. He was safe here. He could let his guard down, could relax. Could sleep.

And so he passed out for a few more hours. Until the suppressants the doctor at the hospital had given him worse off and his heat returned full force. Phukan almost ripped off all of his clothes - the fabric feeling too suffocating and irritating on him - and then opened the drawer next to his bed. His ‘heat drawer’.

Feeling around a little, Phukan’s fingers closed around what he had been looking for. He didn’t even have to look at the toy - it was his biggest one - and proceeded to position it at his leaking hole before pushing up. It slid in so easily, almost straight to the artificial knot.

Phukan whined softly, both in pleasure and yet- in frustration. Because it wasn’t enough. It was never enough but he told his inner omega that it would have to do.

It would have to be enough until-

Until he could be reunited with his true mate.

Even though Phukan had mostly given up, there was a stubborn little glimmer of hope inside of him. Maybe it was his inner wolf. His omega had always been a bit more optimistic about this whole thing than Phukan himself. After all, his omega knew who its mate was.

Somewhere in his heat-clouded brain, a thought formed. Or more than a thought, it was a question directed at his omega.

Were you calling out to your mate? Is that why my heat is so strong this time?

Phukan moaned wantonly.

Does that mean they’re close?

Chapter Text

When his heat finally subsided after a few days, Phukan woke up unusually early and decided to go to the store before heading to university to make good use of the extra time. After all, he had some catching up to do. His friends had sent him notes and everything else he needed for classes but he hadn’t been able to go over most of it yet.

While he had been lucid in between waves of heat and he had tried to use those little breaks for a bit of studying aside from keeping himself fed and hydrated, those periods of reprieve never lasted long enough to really retain anything from what he was reading. Phukan did it more out of duty - and maybe also as a way to distract himself - than because he was a good student.

He looked up as the elevator doors opened one floor below his and was surprised to see a familiar face. It was the face of his saviour. The alpha, who had come to his rescue.

When his mind had been clearer, it had hit him just who it was. It had been none other than the Prince of his university. One of the most sought after alphas on campus. A person people of all genders, first and secondary, were drooling over left and right.

“P’Cirrus!” He made a polite wai. “Thank you so much for-”

“Are you okay? Is your heat over?” Cirrus stepped into the elevator and went straight towards where Phukan was standing but then seemed to stop himself, before he could crowd the omega against the elevator wall. He then gave Phukan a once-over. His eyes showed genuine concern and worry. “How are you feeling?”

It was…endearing? How much the other seemed to care for him. And that gentle and soft expression in Cirrus’s eyes was making Phukan’s heart beat faster. And people called this guy an ‘Ice Prince’? There was so much warmth in his eyes, so that nickname was nonsense.

“I’m okay. I’m sorry I made you worry.” Phukan replied. Then his eyes wandered to the bandage on Cirrus’s arm. A memory flashed in front of his inner eyes. Cirrus biting his own arm in order to keep himself from jumping Phukan. Using the last shreds of his sanity and the pain to make sure that Phukan got into his car and into safety.

“Phi! You shouldn’t worry about me, what about you? I- This is my fault, I-”

“No. This wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t help it. You had no control over that situation.” Cirrus interrupted him again - gently. Before Phukan could fret. “I did that to myself on purpose. So don’t blame yourself for it, Phukan.” Ah, he liked it when the senior called him by his name. It sounded…good? “And please call me ‘Cir’. It’s okay.”

“P’Cir,” Phukan nodded. “Well, let me thank you again then. From the bottom of my heart, for saving me that day.” He made a deep wai. “I am in your debt. If there’s any way I can make this up to you, please let me know.” It would be more than rude not to do something for the other.

Cirrus looked at Phukan. There was an unreadable expression on his face for a moment.

Then he smiled and asked, “I can ask for anything I want?”

“Anything. As long as it’s within my means or abilities.” Phukan nodded. He felt a little nervous, though. If he remembered correctly, Cirrus’s family was quite wealthy. Would someone like him have an expensive taste? Phukan wondered what someone like the senior would ask of him.

Hopefully it wouldn't be something that needed to be paid with money. He prayed silently.

Well, it seemed like his prayers had been heard.

“Well, then how about,” Phukan felt how Cirrus took one of his hands and then lifted it up. And up. All the way to his lips. “How about letting me be your boyfriend then?”

Huh?

Phukan stared at the senior - dumbfounded.

The elevator doors opened and more people filed in. But Phukan didn’t quite register that. His mind was still stuck on what Cirrus had just asked him.

“B-Boyfriend?” He spluttered.

Cirrus kissed his hand again and Phukan could feel him rather than see him smiling. “Yes. Please let me be your boyfriend, Phu.”

There were gasps and whispers around them but Phukan didn’t notice them at that moment because there was only static in his head as he tried to make sense of what had just happened.

Of what was still happening.

He only snapped out of his stupor when he found himself in front of his car in the dorm parking lot. A paper bag was being handed to him and Phukan looked down to find his favourite breads and a bottle of green tea inside. He blinked and looked up.

“Study hard, okay?” Cirrus gently patted the top of his head. “Phu.”

Then the senior walked away, probably to his own car.

Phukan was frozen in his spot. What had just happened? It had to be a dream. Some kind of post-heat hallucination. There was no way this was happening!

Slapping his own cheeks, Phukan told himself to snap out of it. He got into his car, placed his bag and the paper bag onto the passenger seat, and then drove to campus. Traffic wasn’t as bad at this time of the day, so it didn’t take him too long to arrive and park his car. Grabbing his things, he went to sit at one of the tables around the faculty and opened his books and notes.

One of his hands reached into the bag and pulled out one of the breads to munch on while he read over the notes and made some of his own.

His friends arrived about an hour later. Nalin and Tee fussed about him for a bit, asking him how he was and if it was okay for him to come back to class already, while Jin shot him a strange look. Achi went for the paper bag next to Phukan.

“Did you bring these for us? You’re not eating all of this by yourself, right?”

“Oh, uhm, yeah help yourself. It’s not from me but it’s from one of the seniors at my dorm. He was worried about me.” Phukan replied and offered his friends to take the remaining treats. It would be better to give them to others before they could go stale after all. And Phukan wouldn’t be able to eat them all by himself. Despite them being his favourite kinds.

All of his favourite kinds.

At that moment, Phukan got distracted by talks and discussions with his friends but the thought hit him again later on, when he was on his way to the cafeteria after his morning classes had finished. His friends had already gone ahead because Phukan had stayed behind to talk to the professor about the classes he had missed.

So he was left to his own devices on the way to the cafeteria.

How had Cirrus known that those breads were his favourite?

Not to mention the tea.

The breads he could have chalked up to chance - considering the senior had grabbed all the kinds Phukan liked, it could have been by chance, Cirrus had just gotten all the kinds available at the store near the dorm. Nothing weird there.

But the tea?

There were so many other drinks available at the store. And this kind of tea didn’t stand out much. It was one of many choices. Even among the green teas. And Phukan usually didn’t drink it at university, considering they had their reusable cups or bottles here (courtesy of the student council’s sustainability drive).

And then-

“How about letting me be your boyfriend then?”

Phukan stopped right at the entrance to the cafeteria, a dark blush colouring his cheeks.

“It has to be a joke. He’s just teasing me. There’s no way. I mean I don’t even know-” Phukan stopped mid-rant when he noticed a commotion somewhere ahead of him.

“Phu!” Cirrus stepped forward and then Phukan felt how something was handed to him. A bottle of his favourite green tea. As if the other had read his earlier thoughts.

“I noticed that you were late coming out. You must have had to talk to the professor. I told the lady to save you a plate of your favourite food and paid for it, too. So don’t be surprised if she doesn’t charge you. Enjoy your meal, okay? I need to go to class.”

The senior flashed him a smile and then walked past, leaving Phukan behind, blinking in confusion about what had just happened.

And then all hell broke loose around him.

“Did you see that?”

“P’Cir smiled!”

“No, no, no, it can’t be true!”

“I guess the rumours about P’Cir having a boyfriend are true then.”

Phukan felt eyes on him. Too many eyes. He quickly made his way over to the lunch lady and she handed him a plate of his favourite food, which he set onto a tray. Once he’d grabbed some utensils, Phukan made his way over to his regular table.

And his waiting friends. Who shielded him from the chaos he’d left behind.

“Phu!”

“Help me. Something strange is going on,” Phukan whined. “Please.”

“Something strange is going on alright,” Achi nodded and then his eyes narrowed as he looked at Phukan, “When the hell did you and that P’Cir get so close? And didn’t you say you weren’t interested in dating or anything like that? You little li- OW!”

Tee had smacked the back of Achi’s head. “Shut up, idiot.”

“But don’t you want to know, too?” Achi whined.

“Oh, we do want to know,” Nalin leaned in closer. “Phu! How did you bag the most sought after alpha on the entire campus?” Achi let out an offended, “Hey!” next to her. Tee snorted in amusement. “Don’t tell me you’ve kept this hidden since high school?” She gasped.

Right. Cirrus had attended the same high school as them. Phukan had almost forgotten.

But that was beside the point right now.

“No!” He squeaked and then shook his head. “I- I honestly don’t know what is happening!”

“Phu,” Tee looked at him now. “You can’t tell us that. Not after what we witnessed just now.”

“What did you witness?” Phukan blinked.

“Look at your bottle. Touch it,” Tee pointed at the bottle in front of Phukan. “It’s still cold, right? Despite P’Cir having waited for you for quite a while.”

Frowning, Phukan asked, “So what?”

“He didn’t just buy that tea once. Or twice. Or even three or four times. No. He bought it five times, just to make sure it would be cold when he handed it to you.” Tee crossed her arms. “You wouldn’t do that for just anyone.”

“I hope he didn’t just throw the other bottles away,” Phukan muttered.

“No, he didn’t,” Nalin held up a bottle and so did the others. “P’Cir would come by our table and ask whether he’d heard from you. And then he’d just leave the old bottle here on his way.”

Phukan’s phone vibrated with a new LINE message.

He pulled it out and blinked at his screen.

CIRRUS: Study hard, my cute boy.

“Huh?? How did he-”

“We might have traded in one of the bottles for your LINE ID,” Achi laughed softly. Then he lifted his hands, “Don’t look at me, though. It was Ai’Jin who did it.”

Tee snorted. “The one time it wasn’t you, huh?”

“Hey!”

Nalin turned to look at Jin. “Why did you give P’Cir Phu’s LINE ID, though? It’s not like you,” she asked, a curious little twinkle in her eyes. Everyone knew that Jin never did anything without reason. And his reasons were often quite unexpected.

Looking at his friends, Jin smiled. “I trust him.” Was his simple reply and then he went back to gazing at the sky outside the cafeteria.

“Coming from Jin that’s actually a statement with some weight behind it,” Tee noted. She looked at Phukan. “You’re really not going to tell us?”

“What is there to tell?” Phukan whined. “I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t understand. Why would someone be interested in me out of all people?” His friends all looked at each other, including Jin, and then looked back at Phukan. “Don’t give me those looks. I’m not smart, not good looking, have nothing to my name, no achievements or money, and on top of that I am a male omega, who doesn’t even give off any pheromones. You’ve seen it before. People never stay interested in me. They’ll be more interested in any of you. And rightfully so.”

Phukan pouted. “Jin’s handsome and kind, Achi is the prince of the faculty, Nalin is the most beautiful and cutest girl of the faculty and Tee is just a whole package, strong, smart, drop dead gorgeous, with great upbringing and an alpha as well.”

“Hey, hey, wait a minute here, I think you’re selling all of us a little above value here. And-”

“No, Tee. Don’t say anything,” Phukan shook his head. “Because it just wouldn’t be true.” There was no way an alpha like Cirrus could seriously be interested in him. Phukan was ‘damaged goods’ after all. It had probably been his weird heat. That’s it. Cirrus was probably still suffering from some kind of side effect of having been affected by Phukan’s pheromones.

He left it at that and then ate his food before it could get cold.

Once afternoon classes had finished and Phukan and his friends had finished their homework together, he walked outside, only to stop when he heard the roaring thunder overhead. No two seconds later, the sky opened its floodgates and rain came pouring down.

“I didn’t bring an umbre-”

The sky above him disappeared and something dark blue came into view instead.

“Would you like to share mine then?” A voice asked.

A familiar voice at this point.

“P’Cir? Why are you here? Your faculty is-”

“I had something to do nearby. And I think I parked near your car as well. So I wouldn’t be going out of my way to walk you to it,” Cirrus added, as if predicting Phukan’s next question.

Not one to trample on someone else’s kindness, Phukan agreed then. “Okay.”

When they arrived at the parking lot, Phukan looked for his car key. Just when he was starting to panic about being unable to find it, a message popped up on his LINE.

Achi: I am soooo sorry Phu! I think I accidentally grabbed your car key in class.

Achi: Don’t tell Tee, she’s going to kill me.

Achi: Do you think you can get home by Grab or something? I’ll pay you back, promise!

Achi: I’ll return the keys tomorrow. I can’t move from where I am right now.

Achi: You’re the best! Love you!

For one moment, Phukan did contemplate telling Tee about it. But his thoughts were interrupted by Cirrus. “I can give you a ride back. We live in the same building, so it’s no trouble.”

Right. They did live in the same building. Otherwise Cirrus wouldn’t have been in the elevator with Phukan in the morning.

“If…If it really is no trouble?”

“Come on, let’s get out of the rain.”

He followed Cirrus to the senior’s car and got in. Phukan got into the passenger seat and fastened his seatbelt. Ah. Cirrus’s car smelled nice. And the seats were so comfortable.

Phukan must have nodded off because the next thing he knew was Cirrus gently shaking him awake. “We’re here.” The senior smiled at him and Phukan blushed.

“Ah, I’m sorry phi, I didn’t mean to-”

“You must have been tired from classes. It’s okay. And it’s easy to fall asleep on a rainy day.” Cirrus smiled and then motioned for Phukan to get out and back under the umbrella, which he did. They walked the few metres to the entrance of their building and then to the elevator.

Phukan blinked when Cirrus walked him all the way to his door.

“P’Cir, you didn’t have to come all the way up. You live on a lower floor, right?”

“But I wanted to. I wanted to make sure you got home safely.” Cirrus replied.

Laughing, Phukan commented, “Phi! What could possibly happen to me on the way up with the elevator and then the few metres from over there to my door?”

“Many things,” Cirrus replied - completely serious - and then reached up. Phukan blinked when the senior gently patted his head affectionately. Phukan wondered whether this protectiveness was an alpha instinct. It would certainly seem like one. Tee and Achi had it, too, as did his cousins. So he didn’t feel strange about it.

He appreciated it.

“Thank you for looking out for me, phi.” He smiled. “You’re a good person.”

“I’m not.” Cirrus replied. “I’m a big, bad wolf.”

Phukan’s eyes widened at first when he suddenly felt lips on his own. Cirrus had closed the gap between them, had swooped in and- he let his eyelids drop.

Who knew a kiss felt this good?

Not Phukan because this was his first. After this one, he wouldn’t mind getting kissed more often, though. It was very nice. It almost made him want to-

Purr?

Blinking his eyes open again, Phukan took a step back, effectively breaking the kiss. “Phi-”

“See you, Phu,” Cirrus smiled and leaned in again but instead of stealing another kiss, he moved to the side and rubbed his own cheek against Phukan’s and then further down along the side of Phukan’s neck. He scented Phukan gently and then pulled away. “See you again soon.”

And then he walked off, leaving Phukan, who staggered back into his room. When his back hit the wall, he let himself slide down onto the floor - his legs unable to hold him up anymore - and watched as the door slowly fell shut.

His heart was racing.

Cirrus had scented him. And it had felt oh so very good. His inner wolf was elated. But Phukan was confused. What was happening? Why so suddenly? And why Cirrus?

He turned his head and looked over to his balcony door, at the little ‘teru teru bouzu’ doll that hung from the curtain rack. Had his guardian angel sent Cirrus to him? Was it no longer enough to send him back the things he had lost or forgotten? Was there something else that needed a little bit more of a ‘hands on’ kind of approach? Like the incident with the alphas in the parking lot and Phukan’s sudden explosive heat.

Once his racing heart had calmed down again and Phukan felt like his legs weren’t going to give out underneath him if he stood up, he got off the floor and padded into his bedroom to change.

Before he could put his cardigan into the hamper, he stopped and brought it up to his nose.

It smelled so nice.

Phukan placed the article of clothing onto his bed instead. It wouldn’t be the first time for him to snuggle with clothes. Maybe it was some kind of omega instinct. It was comforting sometimes.

Once he had changed into different clothes, Phukan went over to his fridge. He sighed softly when he found it pretty much empty. “I guess I’ll order something.” Pulling out his phone, he placed an order and checked the time. He still had a bit of time until he needed to go downstairs to accept the delivery, so he went to flop down onto his sofa and played a game on his phone.

When his phone vibrated with the notification, Phukan made his way downstairs.

It came as no surprise that he wasn’t the only one who had ordered food. The weather was bad and so most people chose to order in, instead of going to the store. Phukan blinked when he spotted a familiar face among the people in the lobby.

“P’Cir?”

The senior had told him ‘see you soon’ not too long ago. Maybe not even an hour ago. But Phukan hadn’t quite thought that it would be this soon.

“Phu,” Cirrus looked over. “Did you order food as well?”

“Ah, yeah,” Phukan nodded. “You, too?” He didn’t see any bags of food with Cirrus. His order must not have arrived yet.

Nor had Phukan’s.

“Khun Rames and Khun Sisira?” A delivery driver chose that moment to come on.

“Yes.” Phukan and Cirrus replied at the same time.

They accepted their orders and then made a wai towards the driver as they saw him off.

Laughing softly, Phukan looked at Cirrus. “We ordered from the same shop. What a funny coincidence. But they really do make the best chicken rice in this area, don’t they?”

“I quite like it, too,” Cirrus nodded and smiled back at Phukan.

“Khun Rames?” Another voice called out and a second deliveryman handed Cirrus a bag of something before he left again. Phukan’s eyes widened when he recognized the packaging.

“P’Cir! That’s the egg tart place that was all over the socials. It’s so popular it sells out every single day. They said they don’t accept delivery orders. How did you-” He stopped himself and slapped a hand in front of his mouth. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to be rude.”

Cirrus chuckled softly. “You weren’t.” He lifted the bag. “Let’s just say somebody owed me a favour. I won’t be able to eat all of these by myself, so would you like to share them?”

“Ah but are you sure? Wouldn’t you rather share them with someone else?” Phukan asked.

“Like who?” Cirrus shot back.

Phukan wanted to say ‘your friends’ but then he remembered that Cirrus was quite infamous for having pretty much no friends. The only person who came to mind was Wim but Wim got along with pretty much everyone so Phukan wasn’t sure.

And well, Wim didn’t live in this building.

“Oh uhm, sorry, I-”

“It’s okay,” Cirrus shook his head. “So, want to share?”

“Sure.” Phukan wouldn’t want food to go to waste. “Ah but let me invite you to my room? You’re offering me food. The least I can offer you is at least a drink and to clean up later.”

“Is that really okay with you? We could use the common space?” Cirrus asked.

“It’s okay, really!” Phukan nodded and then led Cirrus up to his floor.

Before they stepped into his room, Phukan stopped. His thoughts finally catching up to his actions. His mind had still been so jumbled up from before. He shouldn’t have-

Would the other kiss him again? Scent him again?

The memory was still so fresh in his mind. And a treacherous part of him was hoping…

Also, was it a good idea to be alone with an alpha?

“Having second thoughts after all?” Cirrus must have noticed.

“Ah, no, no please come in,” Phukan activated the keypad and pushed in his code to unlock the door. He offered Cirrus to step in first and then followed, closing the door behind himself.

Phukan offered Cirrus a seat at the table and went to get them some drinks, while Cirrus took out the food from the plastic bags. They ate in companionable silence until they reached the dessert part. Phukan’s eyes widened a little bit when he saw the luxurious egg tarts.

He had seen them all over social media and everyone lucky enough to have tried them had raved about them and hoped to eat them again soon. But it was almost impossible to get them, unless you stood in line for hours even after getting to the shop well before opening time! And while Phukan had been curious, he hadn’t been that desperate to try them.

“These look really good! We’re so lucky,” Phukan smiled and then made a small, grateful wai.

“Let’s split them so we can both try all the flavours?” Cirrus suggested.

“Oh, good idea, I’ll get a knife.”

They cut the first egg tart and tried it, both complimenting on it and saying that the reviews weren’t lying. Phukan told Cirrus about some of the reviews he had watched and also what people at university had said about the tarts before he went off on a bit of a tangent, telling Cirrus a story about his friends and finally ending up talking about class.

Cirrus listened to him intently and only threw in a soft hum for a reaction here and there.

Phukan was mid-story when he cut the last egg tart and failed, making it squirt its soft filling all over Phukan’s shirt and also Cirrus’s lap.

“Oh no! I am sorry, P’Cir,” Phukan used a tissue and tried to rub the stain out of Cirrus’s jeans.

“Phu,” Cirrus tried.

“I’m almost done,” Phukan rubbed a bit more vigorously.

“Phu,” Cirrus’s breathing was laboured and Phukan could feel the alpha trembling slightly underneath him. “You- You should get away from me. Now.”

Suddenly Phukan realised just where he had been trying to clean Cirrus. A furious blush rose to his cheeks and he jumped away. “Oh my god, I am so sorry!” He jumped up and bolted for the bathroom, leaving Cirrus behind in his living room.

He had accidentally ‘awakened the sleeping alpha’.

And by what he had been able to see, Cirrus’s alpha wasn’t a ‘small animal’.

Oh god, what was he even thinking? He tried to push the thoughts away again.

Phukan stripped off his shirt and was about to put on a new one, when he noticed how his own body was feeling rather hot and bothered. So he stripped down and stepped into the shower. When he stood under the running water Phukan willed his body to calm down again.

He washed off the slick that was now dripping out of him for some unfathomable reason and sighed softly. Cirrus hadn’t been the only one affected it seemed.

But why?

Why are you being like this?

Phukan asked his omega but of course he didn’t really receive a reply. So he turned off the water, dried himself off and applied his scent blockers before he put on his patches and applied even more scent blockers for good measure. Snapping his collar into place, Phukan got dressed again and left the bathroom, peeking around the corner to check whether Cirrus had left or whether he was still there. What he saw surprised him.

“P’Cir??”

The senior appeared to be washing the dishes. And the garbage from their little order-in dinner had also disappeared. “I- oh I am such a terrible host, I am sorry-” After he had promised Cirrus to do this in return for him being treated to dessert. “I will finish this, please go and si-”

“It’s okay, Phu. I don’t mind. Let me do this for you?”

He wanted to protest but looking into Cirrus’s eyes, Phukan found himself unable to. So he went to sit on the sofa and waited for Cirrus to finish. The senior joined him a few moments later - sitting down in the armchair to Phukan’s left.

“P’Cir,” Phukan started and avoided looking at the other, “what is all of this? You-”

“I want to court you. Please let me?” Cirrus spoke up before Phukan could even ask his question. It made Phukan look up at the senior. When he looked into those eyes, Phukan could feel his resolve crumbling. Ever since Cirrus had asked him in the elevator, Phukan had thought about how to turn the other down - actively or subconsciously - because he knew that it would be for the best. That saying ‘yes’ would just mean for him or Cirrus or both of them to get hurt.

Because-

But he just couldn’t say no. Something inside of him wanted this. A selfish part of him wanted to experience it. Wanted to experience courtship. Wanted to experience love.

Even if it would only be an illusion, as they wouldn’t be able to fully consume this relationship. But considering that Phukan had been alone for so long, despite having a mate out there somewhere who was supposed to be with him, the temptation was too strong to resist.

And so, despite better judgement, Phukan replied, “Okay.”

Chapter Text

He had said ‘okay’. Against all better judgement, he had agreed to let Cirrus court him. Phukan was so doomed. When he saw the smile on Cirrus’s face, he knew he was done for.

Then the senior’s smile turned into a bit of a grin as he leaned in closer to Phukan and whispered directly into his ear, voice dark and full of promise, “Brace yourself.”

“Phi!” Phukan squawked indignantly and scrambled back. Cirrus laughed softly and pulled back.

“I should take my leave. Sleep well, Phu. And I’ll come and pick you up tomorrow morning.” Cirrus got up and left Phukan’s room. Which only registered with Phukan when he heard the door clicking shut again. The sound pulled him out of his frozen stupor.

“Ai’Phu! What did you get yourself into?” He grabbed one of the sofa cushions and pulled it over his head, curling up into a little ball as he did so. “You shouldn’t have done that. Stupid!”

But it was too late now. There would be no take backs.

When he got off the sofa and put the cushion away, he stopped. Something was-

Phukan grabbed the blanket that he’d thrown over the armchair. The scent. Before he knew it, the blanket had gone onto his own bed. He’d have to find something else for the chair.

“What are you doing?” Phukan asked his inner omega. “We’ve only just agreed to letting them court us and you’re already-” He nosed at the blanket and then looked at the cardigan that still had Cirrus’s scent on it from earlier in the day, which he had also put close to his pillow. “...I already want to surround myself with his scent.”

Was this normal? This couldn’t be normal, right?

Heat crawled up Phukan’s skin for the second time this evening. And this time, Phukan couldn’t just ignore it. And thus he came with a soft mewl a few minutes later, nose in the blanket and one of his large heat toys buried deep inside of him.

Coming down from the desperate orgasm, Phukan scolded his omega inwardly.

We can’t just jump P’Cir and have our way with him. We can’t. So stop being so needy!

It seemed to work because the next morning, when Cirrus came to pick him up, as promised, Phukan managed to look at the senior and not panic inwardly - or get incredibly turned on. He gave the other a shy smile and let Cirrus take his bag as the older student led him to his car - a sleek white Porsche, parked not too far away from Phukan’s own white Honda.

Cirrus drove them to campus and they had a quick breakfast together before they parted ways to go to their respective faculties.

He saw his friends and walked up to them, about to greet them as usual, when they came over to him. “Phu, what was that all about?” Nalin asked.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Phukan blinked.

“P’Cir drove you home and then back here today, didn’t he? And then you also had breakfast together in the cafeteria.” Word sure got around fast. Phukan himself never followed the gossip and whatever on the socials but he knew Nalin and Achi did. Tee would only care whenever it concerned any of her friends.

Phukan bit his lip - Jin looked over at him in amusement for a moment, as if he already knew what Phukan was about to say, and well, considering it was Jin, maybe he did. “Well, Achi grabbed my car key yesterday, so I had no way of getting home…”

Tee’s eyes narrowed. “I’m going to kill him.”

“P’Cir was kind enough to offer me a ride. We live close, so I accepted.” And well that hadn’t been the only thing he had accepted from Cirrus the day before. Phukan looked down and added quietly, “I also agreed to let P’Cir court me.”

“P’Cir is courting you?” Nalin looked at Phukan. “And you’re letting him!! Why the change of heart all of a sudden? You’ve never been interested in another alpha before.”

Tee mused, “Well, maybe I was right and you’re just a late bloomer after all?”

“That’s not quite it,” Phukan shook his head. “It’s…I guess I’m just curious.”

He couldn’t just admit to the truth. As much as it pained him, he hadn’t told his friends about the mark on his neck. Only his closest family knew.

A hand on his shoulder made him jump. He looked up to find Jin there.

“The sky’s beautiful today, Phu. I think something good will happen.”

“Are you talking about me? Because why yes, looking at me is a very fortunate- OW!” Achi looked at Tee. “What was that for? And it was harder than usual, too!”

“Did you at least bring Phu’s car key with you? Then I won’t hit you a second time,” Tee crossed her arms. She watched as Achi handed over the key with an apology. “There we go, Mr. Cupid.”

“Cupid?” Achi looked up.

“Well, it’s all thanks to you that Phu has gotten himself a courting alpha now.” Tee continued.

“What? Who? How did this happen? Ai’Phu, I let you out of my sight for ONE night and- OW!”

“He’s not you, okay?” Tee glared at Achi. “I said courting. But I guess that’s something someone like you wouldn’t understand because you’ve never even done that.”

Nalin agreed, “Yeah. You skip that step and just go straight to bed.”

“What is it with you today? You’re being mean!” Achi whined. “Who is the alpha courting you an-”

Just then the professor came into the classroom and everyone sat down and faced forward. Achi tried to talk to the rest of them during class but was quickly reprimanded by the professor, as they were supposed to be doing an individual assignment.

When class finished, Phukan stretched. He’d hopefully done okay on the assignment.

Achi was being kept back by the professor - probably for a scolding - so Phukan moved to the next classroom with the others. When he checked his phone, he blushed slightly.

Cirrus: Study hard, my good boy. I’ll see you for lunch.

He sent a sticker back to Cirrus, a little teddy bear going ‘khuuub’ (yes I will/okay) and then pocketed his phone again. Lunch would be after the next class. He was looking forward to it. Maybe more than he was willing to admit.

When class ended, Phukan and his friend left the lecture hall and were about to make their way to the cafeteria when they ran straight into a commotion.

“What’s going on?” Achi wondered.

Phukan was curious but not extremely interested. He wanted to-

He blinked when he picked up a scent. And sure enough, the crowd in front of them parted a moment later and Cirrus came into view. “Phu.”

“P’Cir?” Phukan blinked. “You didn’t have to come all the way here. We-”

“But I wanted to,” Cirrus gave Phukan a look and then extended his hand. It took Phukan a moment to understand that Cirrus was waiting for him to hand over his bag. He thought about protesting for a moment but then decided against it. It would probably be useless to.

“You’re being courted by P’Cir?” Achi’s indignant outburst was followed by a slap. “Ow!”

“Say it even louder, won’t you? So that the entire campus can hear it.” Tee growled.

Several eyes turned towards Cirrus and then inadvertently Phukan. He shrunk a little bit but then blinked when Cirrus seemed to be shielding him from all the gazes.

“Might as well. I’m not making a secret out of it.” Cirrus stated, tone and voice cold and flat, before he turned back to Phukan. Immediately there was warmth in his expression again. “Let’s go and get something to eat?”

“Un,” Phukan nodded and then bit his lip when Cirrus took his hand and led him away.

His heart skipped a beat. This was so…it seemed like it was straight out of one of those romance stories that Thanya liked. It seemed so unreal. Almost too good to be true.

But reality could be stranger than fiction, so Phukan wanted to believe that things were true.

Cirrus bought them lunch and they ate it while trading bites here and there - both of them having gotten different dishes. Phukan did most of the talking, just telling Cirrus about his classes and things he had been reading about.

“Oh, that reminds me, I need to get a new binder for one of my glasses,” Phukan frowned. “I’ll have to remember to get one on the weekend.”

“Want to go to the shopping center on the weekend then?” Cirrus offered. “We can buy your things and maybe get something to eat…?”

“That sounds good!” Then Phukan blinked. “Ah…Are you asking me out on a date?”

Averting his eyes, Cirrus replied, “Maybe.”

That bashful side of the senior was cute. Phukan couldn’t help but smile. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yes,” Phukan nodded, “Let’s go.”

And wow, now he knew what people talked about when they said that someone’s face could light up with a smile. The one Cirrus was giving him was making his tummy do weird things and his heart beat against his chest. Oh, that smile was dangerous.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

They finished lunch and then parted for their remaining classes of the day. Phukan told Cirrus to go ahead and go home, though, if he was finished because he had gotten his car key back from Achi now and could go home by himself. Plus, he had to go and work on a group assignment with his friends after classes for a while. And he didn’t want Cirrus to wait.

“Message me when you’re on your way home and I’ll get dinner.” Cirrus had told Phukan then and kissed his forehead before he made his way back to his own faculty.

Touching his forehead, Phukan felt warmth creeping up into his cheeks.

“You’re so lucky. You found yourself an alpha who’s doing the whole courting process properly,” Nalin suddenly appeared next to him, almost making Phukan jump. “They’re becoming more and more rare in this day and age. Just look at Ai’Chi. I don’t think he even knows what courting even means. And he’s most certainly never done it in his life.”

Tee, who had been one step behind Nalin, snorted, “You can say that again.”

“Why has everyone been dunking on me all day? I already said sorry to Phu, didn’t I?” Achi looked at the girls as he approached with Jin. “What am I guilty of?”

“Existing.” Tee deadpanned.

Nalin and Tee walked into the classroom, while Achi stayed behind with Phukan and Jin.

“Why is she so mean??” Achi asked.

Phukan wanted to chance a guess but Jin spoke up before he did.

“I think she’s still mad at you for using Nalin as an excuse to break up with that clingy omega.”

“Damn right I am. What if those crazy fans of yours do something to Lin, huh? What then? You’re too much of a chickenshit to protect her.” Her alpha aura flared up, which made the others take a step back. “If anything were to happen to her because of you, I swear to everything that is holy that I will end you.”

Jin, Nalin and Phukan went towards the class room, leaving Tee and Achi to duke it out in the hallway. It wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.

The two alphas were childhood friends. They were practically siblings. Tee, the reliable and strong older sister and Achi the somewhat useless but good looking younger brother. Even though they were the same age. So well, maybe fraternal twins?

“Are Tee and Achi having a lover’s spat again?” One of their classmates asked.

“Don’t let them hear you say that,” Phukan shook his head, “if you value your life.”

“I appreciate your concern. I won’t.”

When he was done with classes and assignments, Phukan stretched languidly before he said his goodbyes to his friends and made his way to the parking lot and his car. Once he was sitting behind the steering wheel and had locked the doors securely, Phukan grabbed his phone.

He messaged his Cirrus and was about to just put his phone down again and drive when he received an answer. Reading it, Phukan blinked.

Cirrus: May I go into your room to set up for dinner then?

Phukan: How will you get in?

Cirrus: I memorized the code when you unlocked your door. So no need to tell me.

Cirrus: If it makes you feel uncomfortable, though, please change it.

Phukan looked at the messages for a few moments. He should feel scared or at least uneasy about something like this. And yet. Part of him liked the idea of coming home to find Cirrus in his - nest - room. The intrusive thought gave Phukan pause.

“We’re not letting him into the nest!” He said out loud. His omega seemed to add ‘At least not yet’ in his mind but Phukan pushed that thought aside.

Why was he so horny? Or well, his omega. But well, he and his omega were one person, so…

He wondered idly whether it was the alpha pheromones or something. There had to be something about that after all. Or else how did Achi get laid all the time? And he’d seen it in Tee as well. Alphas just had something about them that could make some omegas react in certain ways. Usually making them swoon or all hot and bothered.

Phukan didn’t want to think about it too much. He had to focus on the road. On driving.

But first he had to reply to Cirrus.

Phukan: You can go into my room.

Cirrus: Okay. Drive safely, my cute boy.

How was he supposed to focus now? But he had to.

The evening traffic was horrible as usual but Phukan somehow made it home in a decent amount of time. He felt drained and a little whiny by the time he unlocked the door to his room.

He was greeted by the smell of food and the sight of Cirrus in his little kitchen corner.

“P’Cir!”

Had Cirrus been cooking? The food didn’t look bought.

“Welcome back,” Cirrus turned off the stove before he walked over to Phukan. He frowned a little and leaned in closer, lifting a hand to cup Phukan’s cheek. “Are you okay?”

Leaning into the caress, Phukan sighed softly and nodded. “I’m okay. Just a little tired.”

“Do you want to rest? Dinner is almost ready,” Cirrus asked softly.

“You were cooking?” This confirmed Phukan’s suspicion. He was surprised because Cirrus didn’t seem like someone who would know how to cook. Although maybe that was just a stereotype. Phukan himself was an example as well. He didn’t grow up rich, nor poor, but he’d always had someone around him to cook for him or had just gone to buy food for himself as it was a lot easier and cheaper to do so than to cook for himself.

“Cooking is relaxing,” Cirrus said, as if guessing Phukan’s thoughts. “I like doing chores. They’re easy and I don’t need to think much when I do them.”

Phukan blinked, then he looked around. “Don’t tell me-” He saw the fresh laundry hanging outside to dry. “P’Cir!” He tried to find words for a moment and then just looked down. “Thank you.” He appreciated it, he really did. Especially today, when he was so tired.

“Get freshened up? I’ll have dinner ready and then you can go to bed early,” Cirrus scented him gently and Phukan whined softly, leaning into the caress. “My cute boy.”

He didn’t want to let go of Cirrus. Not quite yet.

Phukan buried his face in the senior’s shirt. He was afraid to let go of Cirrus. Afraid to let go of this person who was taking care of him and cherishing him. A person who wasn’t part of his family or his ‘pack’. A person just for him.

At least. For now.

It was that thought that had Phukan pulling away slowly. “I’ll be right back.” He went to his bedroom and changed into more comfortable clothes before he splashed some water into his face in the bathroom. Looking at his reflection, Phukan willed the sad expression away.

This was only temporary. This wasn’t forever.

But he would still enjoy it as long as it lasted.

Dinner was being served when he stepped out and his stomach growled at the sight. The dishes were simple but they smelled great and Phukan hadn’t had a home cooked meal in so long. His aunts would cook for him whenever he went to visit them but since he had been quite busy with classes in his second year, it had been a while since he’d been with either of them.

“What are you thinking about?” Cirrus asked, pulling Phukan out of his thoughts.

“Oh, well, just that I haven’t seen my family in a while. My aunts and my uncle and cousins.” Phukan replied truthfully. “I’ve been so busy. And well, I don’t want to be a burden either. Since they have their lives and all. My father passed away and my mother moved overseas.”

Cirrus set down his utensils and looked at Phukan. “Why…didn’t you go with your mother?”

“I didn’t want to move away from here. From where my father…is…I guess,” Phukan looked down. “It’s not like I have a bad relationship with my mother. But we’ve never had the same bond I shared with my father. So I guess there’s some kind of distance between us. I miss her sometimes of course, because she IS still my mother but it’s-” he hated to admit it but it was the truth, “I don’t miss her as much as I miss my father.”

He looked up when he felt Cirrus’s hand around his, squeezing gently.

“It’s okay for you to think that way. I know society wants us to respect and love our parents but sometimes that just…doesn’t work out.” Cirrus told Phukan and something in the alpha’s eyes made Phukan think that Cirrus really understood. That Cirrus knew how he felt.

“My parents got divorced when I was 8 years old.” Cirrus continued then. “My mother only sees me as a tool for revenge on her ex-husband. She knows that making my life miserable will hurt my father. While he is indeed suffering, he isn’t exactly doing anything against it either.”

Phukan frowned, “That’s terrible, P’Cir!”

“I’m used to it,” Cirrus shrugged. “Don’t worry about it, please.” He looked at Phukan. “I don’t want you to be sad for me. I want you to be happy.”

“What about you, though?” Phukan asked.

“Being with you makes me happy, Phu. That’s enough for me.”

The words made Phukan blush. He pulled his hand out of Cirrus’s loosened grasp and continued to eat in silence.

They cleaned up together afterwards this time. Phukan had insisted on doing some of it this time. Although he was regretting that decision somewhat as he now had Cirrus’s arms around him while he put the dishes onto the drying rack and the alpha’s head resting on his shoulder.

He could feel the alpha’s body pressed against his back, could feel certain parts rubbing…

“I’m glad,” Cirrus purred softly and nuzzled Phukan’s neck. “That you’re reacting to me, too.”

“Phi!” Phukan whined, turned around in Cirrus’s arms and grabbed the senior’s shoulders in an attempt to push him away. But there was no strength behind it. Rather than pushing, he fisted Cirrus’s shirt and seemed to be pulling the alpha closer instead. “...your fault…”

“Mh?”

“Yes. It’s your fault I’m like this. How will you fix it?” Phukan could hear himself whine.

Cirrus smirked, “You want me to fix it?”

Phukan just looked up at the senior through his bangs, a silent ‘challenge’.

“Okay.” And Cirrus lifted him up unceremoniously. He was about to carry Phukan over to the sofa, but the omega stopped him.

“Bedroom.” Phukan muttered softly. “Nest.”

The alpha froze. “C-Can I?” Cirrus asked.

“Yes.” Phukan nodded. “Yes you can.”

A little bit of the heat was taken out of the moment when Cirrus carried him into his bedroom and gently laid him down onto the mattress. However the arousal was still there, still burning just underneath Phukan’s skin. It was back at full force when Cirrus leaned down to kiss him.

The kiss made Phukan feel dizzy. Why did sucking on someone else’s lips and tongue or just sliding your own tongue against theirs feel so good? He didn’t want to stop.

But Cirrus had other plans. The lips moved away and wandered down Phulan’s neck and then chest - Cirrus was unbuttoning his top as he went - all the way to his hips. Then Cirrus lifted his legs up a bit before he started to slide off Phukan’s sweatpants and briefs in one go. The cool air against his skin made Phukan shiver but not as much as Cirrus’s lips on his leg and then thigh.

“Aah!” The moan fell from his lips when he felt Cirrus’s lips around his most sensitive part.

Phukan reached down with both hands, threading his fingers into the dark locks of the alpha. He wasn’t pushing or pulling but merely following the movements of Cirrus’s head - up and down.

Slick was starting to ooze out of his hole and Phukan whimpered at the sensation in combination with Cirrus’s hot mouth around his cock. Apparently the alpha had noticed as well because the next thing Phukan knew was how Cirrus pushed a finger inside of him. It moved in and out as Cirrus’s head bobbed up and down and it was driving Phukan absolutely crazy.

He’d never experienced something like this.

And so it wasn’t surprising for him to reach his climax before long. He spilled himself and to his utter shock, into Cirrus’s mouth!

Phukan was still lying on his sheets, body twitching slightly from the fading orgasm, as Cirrus let his softening cock slide of his mouth and then proceeded to lick some of the slick off Phukan’s thighs and dangerously close to his dripping hole.

“Phi-!”

That seemed to snap Cirrus out of whatever trance he’d been in.

“I’ll clean you up. Give me a moment.” Cirrus rose and then made his way over to the bathroom.

Phukan caught a glimpse of the alpha’s nether regions in passing. And of-

He swallowed.

Cirrus’s cock had been straining against his jeans. Even more than the day when Phukan had accidentally brushed his hand against it while trying to clean up a stain.

Rolling over, Phukan blushed, when he realised what the alpha must be doing in his bathroom right now. Aside from most likely getting a blocker shot as well.

His ears picked up the sound of running water soon after and a few moments later, Cirrus was next to him again with a warm washcloth. He cleaned up the mess on Phukan’s lower body before he said, “Go and take a shower? I’ll change your bedsheets. If you tell me which ones-”

“Closet. T-Top right,” Phukan pointed behind Cirrus and then crawled off the bed. His legs felt a little wobbly but he made it into the bathroom and then got into the shower stall.

He shivered when he sensed the alpha pheromones still lingering in the air and Cirrus’s faint scent. Or not so faint. He could still feel the alpha on his body.

So Phukan turned the shower cold first, before he gradually turned the temperature up again.

When he stepped out in his pajamas - which Cirrus must have snuck in for him, along with new underwear - his bed had been made and he could hear the washing machine going again.

He found Cirrus in the living room, taking in the now dried laundry from outside and folding it.

The other had only been in his life for a few days and yet this already felt so domestic and comfortable. And it was scary how much Phukan liked it.

“Thank you P’Cir. I think you should go back to your own room for tonight? Phu wants to sleep.”

“Okay.” Cirrus nodded and closed the balcony door again.

He walked over to Phukan and kissed his forehead gently. “Sleep well, my sweet boy.”

“Good night, P’Cir.” Phukan whispered back.

Once he’d seen Cirrus off at the door, Phukan went back to his bed. He re-arranged a few things, re-did some of the parts of his nest to make it more comfortable, and then curled up under his blanket. He blushed at the memory of what had happened on this very bed a few moments prior. But his body was tired and somewhat satiated, so the arousal didn’t return.

And so Phukan fell asleep, surrounded by his own scent mixed with Cirrus’s.

The next two days were pretty similar - Cirrus would pick him up in the morning and they’d go to university together. Instead of driving home himself, Cirrus would come and pick Phukan up at his faculty. Phukan had told the senior that he didn’t have to but Cirrus said that he could get his work done on campus or at home, so it didn’t matter to him.

Phukan hadn’t argued and had merely settled into this new routine.

On Friday, Phukan had felt sleepy from the moment he had gotten into Cirrus’s car and had nodded off during the ride. Cirrus had let him sleep, even carrying Phukan back up to the other’s room once they had arrived. Phukan didn’t wake up and so Cirrus had just tucked him into bed before going to prepare a light dinner - in case Phukan woke up hungry later.

When he went to check on the omega, Cirrus frowned when he found Phukan whimpering miserably as he tossed and turned on the mattress.

Worried, Cirrus stepped closer and gently called out, “Phu? Phu, what’s wrong?”

But the omega remained asleep, trapped in his nightmare, it looked like. Cirrus noticed a tang of sadness and pain in Phukan’s scent.

“Phu?” He shook the omega gently and finally, Phukan opened his eyes. They were wide and full of tears. The look in them made Cirrus’s heart ache.

The next moment, Phukan had thrown himself into Cirrus’s arms and was crying softly into his shirt, the sobs rocking his slender body. Cirrus held him, wrapped him into a tight embrace and gently rubbed his back as he whispered soothing sweet nothings into Phukan’s ear.

When Phukan calmed down and the tears dried up, Cirrus carried the omega out to the sofa and gently sat him down there. He fetched a cup of Phukan’s favourite sweet tea and offered it to the other to drink. Phukan did so obediently and then Cirrus set the cup down onto the table. Reaching up, he brushed the last remains of tears from Phukan’s eyes.

“Are you okay?”

“I think so,” Phukan replied softly. “I- I was dreaming of my father.” He sniffed. “It usually happens when the anniversary of his death rolls around.” He looked at Cirrus. There were so many unspoken things in those eyes. So many feelings Cirrus couldn’t quite place.

Considering he wasn’t one to show many emotions, Cirrus wasn’t the best at reading others.

“I’ll dream about him. Wake up and cry and be consumed by agonizing grief and loneliness,” Phukan grabbed Cirrus’s shirt and fisted it. “But this time is more bearable. Because you’re here.” He looked into Cirrus’s eyes. “Thank you for being here.”

More tears seemed to be threatening to fall and Phukan raised his hand to wipe at his eyes but Cirrus stopped him. “Phi, let me- I want to wipe my eyes.”

“They’re all red already.” Cirrus shook his head. Then he leaned in and gently kissed the tears away. “You have me now. There’s no need to thank me. Because I want to be here. I want to be with you. Take care of you.” And never let you go again. But Cirrus kept that part to himself.

“P’Cir,” Phukan whispered softly and they stared into each other’s eyes for another long moment before - Cirrus didn’t remember who had leaned in first, maybe they had both done it at the same time and then met half-way.

The kiss was gentle, full of emotions, soft and yet anything but chaste. And as it went on, it only became deeper and more desperate as other feelings started to bleed into it.

Cirrus pushed Phukan down onto the sofa. Their legs got tangled and Cirrus felt Phukans knee and thigh brushing against his nether regions. It sent sparks down his spine and he found himself trying not to rut against the omega’s leg. At least not too obviously. After a few moments of indulging himself, of letting the alpha inside of him come close to taking over, Cirrus pulled away with a shuddering breath. He had to stop now. His cock was starting to strain against his underwear and uniform slacks painfully at this point. And if this went on-

“Phu,” he sucked in his breath. “You should- You should go and get changed. I’ll go and do the same and then we can eat. If you’re hungry that is.”

“P’Cir,” Phukan whispered softly, voice and breath ghosting over Cirrus’s skin, making him shiver. “Why are you telling me to go away?”

“Because,” Cirrus took a shuddering breath, “I might not be able to hold myself back.”

The omega looked at him, eyes blown wide with pleasure and showing nothing but desire. Phukan pulled his leg up - purposely - and let his thigh rub against Cirrus’s hardening cock, agonizingly slow, making him groan softly.

He could feel Phukan nuzzling his neck, scenting him, and Cirrus swallowed hard, trying to gather the last shreds of his self-control. “I’ll let you go now. When I do, please get away from me, okay?” Cirrus told Phukan and felt the other nod.

And then, before he could lose control over himself, over his alpha, Cirrus pulled back.

Slumping back against the backrest of the sofa, he closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. He’d have to go back to his room - get away for a bit, take a cold shower-

His eyes flew open when he felt a weight on his lap and then he felt Phukan grinding against him, making him moan helplessly. “Phukan!”

“Let me take care of you, phi.”

Phukan repeated his actions and then climbed off Cirrus’s lap and got onto his knees between Cirrus’s legs. Nimble fingers started to undo Cirrus’s belt and button and were about to pull down the zipper when Cirrus stopped them.

“I’m warning you, Phu.” This was dangerous. If this continued-

“I want to do this for you. Please?” Phukan looked up at Cirrus. “Don’t suffer alone. I can help you. I want to help you.” Who could resist those eyes?

Not Cirrus.

“Okay,” he found himself giving in.

They shared another kiss, one that was even more heated than the others before and this time it was Phukan, who pulled away. The fingers that had been undoing his pants were not unbuttoning his uniform shirt before the lips followed their path, kissing a trail down Cirrus’s chest. Then Phukan undid the zipper before using both of his hands to pull down both Cirrus’s slacks and underwear, freeing what had been trapped by them until then.

The omega’s eyes widened.

“Can you handle it?” Cirrus asked and cupped Phukan’s cheek gently.

He knew he wasn’t exactly small. He’d understand if-

“Uuuh,” his thoughts were cut off when Phukan leaned down and licked a stripe from bottom to top, tongue swirling around the tip and lapping up a first drop of pre-cum that had formed there.

When the wet heat of Phukan’s mouth engulfed him, Cirrus’s brain went offline completely. He could no longer think, could only feel. The pleasure mounted - interrupted only for a brief moment when Phukan’s teeth accidentally grazed him - and eventually peaked.

“Phu, get off! I’m about to-”

But the omega wouldn’t budge.

And so Cirrus had to watch as his beautiful little omega swallowed all he had to give. Afterwards, Phukan made a face but didn’t say anything, just breathed heavily as he let Cirrus slide out of his mouth again and then leaned his head against Cirrus’s knee.

It was driving Cirrus to the brink of insanity and back.

Once he had calmed down again, Cirrus made sure Phukan was okay and then saw to it that Phukan went to the bathroom to rinse his mouth and get changed. Once he had assured himself that Phukan would be fine, he went back to his own room quickly to get changed into something more comfortable, before coming back to Phukan’s room.

They had a very light dinner and after he had cleaned things up again, Cirrus had been about to leave when he was stopped by Phukan.

“Can you stay the night, phi?” Phukan asked, eyes big and hopeful. “Please?”

How could he say no?

“Okay. I can sleep on the-”

Before he could finish that thought, that sentence, Phukan had pulled him into the bedroom.

“I want you to sleep here. With me.”

He’d gotten permission to enter the nest but he’d kind of ‘destroyed’ it right after, so his presence or scent hadn’t lingered for long, hopefully. It was still so early in their relationship - they were still only in the courting phase after all - that he hadn’t wanted to force himself too far into the omega’s safe space. And yet here Phukan was, inviting him in once more. Cirrus was shocked to hear that he would be allowed in again. And for longer this time.

This meant that his omega wanted his scent around him. And the thought elated his alpha.

“Are you su-”

“Yes.” Phukan flipped back the blanket and patted the spot next to him. Cirrus sat down and then watched as Phukan got comfortable before he turned off the lights and slipped under the blanket as well. It smelled like Phukan. And-

And Phukan was right there.

Of course the other’s scent wasn’t as strong as it could be - or as Cirrus’s own - considering the other was wearing a protective collar and all - but it was still there.

Indulging himself once again that night, Cirrus put an arm around Phukan and pulled the omega closer against his chest, pressing his nose to the back of Phukan’s neck.

“Sweet dreams.”

“Sleep well, P’Cir.”

No nightmares haunted Phukan that night and they slept until a little later than their usual wake-up time the next day. It was the weekend after all.

Cirrus was the first to wake up and he smiled when Phukan grumbled and asked for five more minutes when Cirrus got up. He ruffled Phukan’s hair and then went to the bathroom before moving to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

After he’d gotten Phukan out of bed and they had eaten a little bit, Cirrus left Phukan to get ready and went to his own room to shower and change before meeting the omega downstairs in the lobby at the agreed time.

They went to the mall and quickly bought what Phukan had needed. Afterwards, Cirrus found himself at a bit of a loss. He’d thought that things would be fine, they’d go shopping and then have lunch and- well, then what?

“P’Cir? What’s wrong?”

“Ah, nothing. I was just wondering if you wanted to do anything else?” Cirrus asked.

Phukan shook his head, “Not really. I was going to see what you wanted to do. It’s- It’s our first date after all?” Yeah. First date. Cirrus had thought about it more than he would like to admit. And yet he hadn’t really come up with anything.

So he was going to be honest about it.

“I don’t really have a plan. I don’t really know what people do…for fun,” he told Phukan.

The other must have noticed the expression on his face, which was probably a complicated one.

“What do you mean?” Phukan frowned.

“I’ve never been allowed to just go out and have fun. So this is new to me. And I don’t know-”

Phukan took both of his hands into his and squeezed them gently. “Then I will show you! I will teach you,” the omega smiled at him and Cirrus felt warmth flooding him. Phukan’s omega scent wafted around him and wrapped itself around him like a gentle embrace. “Let’s go!”

And Cirrus let himself be pulled this way and that.

The other hadn’t asked him for further explanation. Hadn’t pried. And had just accepted it. Cirrus appreciated that. Of course he wanted to tell Phukan eventually. About himself. About his past. About his life. But not now. He’d already shared some of it and it had made the omega so sad. He didn’t want Phukan to be sad. Especially not today.

Together, they went from one shop to the next and then to an arcade. Phukan taught him how to play some of the games and Cirrus even managed to get a prize from one of the crane machines. He gave the little teddy bear holding a paint brush to Phukan. Something cute like that suited the omega more than Cirrus himself.

But Cirrus got himself a little prize as well. He used the little privacy of the photo booth to steal a kiss from his beautiful omega. And he’d treasure that memory and the photostrip forever.

After lunch, they returned to their dorm. Before they could go inside, a voice stopped them.

“Khun Rames. Khun Sisira.”

Cirrus froze. That voice belonged to none other than that woman’s secretary.

“Your mother sends me. You are to come and see her.”

Chapter Text

Phukan looked at the man dressed in black warily. His unease grew when Cirrus stepped in front of him protectively, expression instantly growing cold.

“Why? There is no reason for me to see her.”

“You know better than to ask questions. You are expected to follow her orders.”

Cirrus seemed to be holding himself back from snarling at the man. “We had an agreement. If she breaks it first I do not see why I shouldn’t be able to as well. Go and tell your mistress that.”

A few moments of tense silence followed and then the man walked away. Phukan peeked past Cirrus and followed the man’s retreating back with his eyes warily. He was getting bad vibes from the guy to say the least. It was rare for someone to make him feel so uncomfortable.

“Who was that, P’Cir?”

It wasn’t Cirrus who answered the question.

“That’s the old hag’s secretary and most loyal servant,” a voice came from behind one of the nearby parked cars and a moment later a male stepped out. A male Phukan recognized.

“P’Wim?” Phukan blinked.

“Hey there, Phu,” the other senior greeted him. Phukan wasn’t close to Wim but he’d known the other since high school. Wim was a social butterfly and had always taken on roles that allowed him to interact with students from all grades. He’d been the student council president during Phukan’s high school years and he was the current student council president at university as well. And suddenly Phukan remembered that Wim was also close friends with Cirrus.

Which probably explained why he was here now.

“The fact that the dog servant was here means that this is serious. And here I was thinking people at university were just spouting nonsense,” Wim crossed his arms. “So it’s true, huh?”

“What is?” Cirrus asked.

“You and Phukan.” Wim nodded towards them.

Cirrus took Phukan’s hand and they laced their fingers together. “Yeah. So what?”

“You might not think much about it but it’s the talk of town. How else do you think that woman got wind of it and sent her servant to summon you?” A different voice spoke up.

Phukan spotted a second male behind Wim. And apparently Cirrus had as well. Unlike Phukan, though, Cirrus seemed to recognize the other.

“Zone! What are you doing here?” Cirrus hissed. “What if he’s-”

“He’s gone, no worries. I checked.” The male addressed as Zone smiled. “Hey there phi. I just had to come and meet the omega who stole my brother’s heart. Can you blame me?”

Cirrus grumbled, “Why do people care so much?”

“Why would they not care, Ai’Cir?” Wim shook his head, “You’re just one of the most desirable alphas on campus. The news of you courting an omega hit like a fucking bomb!” He crossed his arms. “Do you have any idea how annoying it was for me to have my phone going off every damn second? Not to mention all the people who came to talk to me. Although I guess I can’t just blame you because that dumbass Rome was telling people the wildest stories. I think one of them was that you knocked the omega up and now you guys had to have a shotgun wedding.”

Wim turned to look at Phukan. “You’re not actually pregnant, though, right?”

Phukan blinked, “N-No, phi.”

“But you’re in the process of courting him and you’re getting courted,” Wim nodded. “Nice. That old hag must be fuming. Not only is Cir with an omega, it’s a male one, too.”

“Can-” Phukan spoke up, “Could someone tell me what is going on?”

“Let’s not talk here.” Cirrus sighed. “Let’s go upstairs.”

Phukan didn’t think much and just invited all of them to his room. They sat around the living room, Phukan next to Cirrus on the sofa, Wim on the armchair (sans blanket) and Zone pulled up one of the dining room table’s chairs to sit on.

“I’m not sure how much you know about Cirrus’s fucked up family life at this point, Phu,” Wim started, “So let me give you a short run-down. Unless Ai’Cir wants to do that.”

“I’ve heard some of it,” Phukan admitted. “But not too much…?” He had a basic idea and he could probably imagine the rest. Unless of course there was still some kind of deep dark secret that he hadn’t been told yet. “P’Cir doesn’t have to tell me anything he doesn’t want to.” They hadn’t been together for that long. He had no right to know everything about the other.

“Okay let me just tell you this then. A really abridged version,” Wim crossed his arms, “Since that dog servant appeared today, this is definitely about the deal Cirrus made with the old hag.”

Phukan nodded. Cirrus had mentioned something like that earlier.

“The reason why he’s living here by himself and not at that woman’s house and the reason why he has a little bit of freedom and was able to choose his university himself is because he made that deal. He had to trade something very valuable for it all but he did it anyway.” Wim said.

“Something very valuable?” Phukan frowned.

Cirrus looked down and sighed. “The rest of my life.”

“What?” Phukan’s head snapped over to look at Cirrus.

“My brother had to trade the rest of his life starting from the day he graduates university for his four years of freedom.” Zone nodded. “So once he leaves university, he has to do what she tells him to do and cannot oppose any of it. But until that day, he’s free. At least that’s the deal.”

“That’s crazy, P’Cir!” Phukan grabbed Cirrus’s hands. “And you’re just going to accept-”

“Of course not,” Cirrus shook his head and squeezed Phukan’s hands back. “I’m trying to break free. There’s nothing I want less than to be under that woman’s control again.”

“Yeah, we’re working on it.” Zone nodded. “It just takes time because we need to tiptoe around that woman. She’s powerful after all. And she has eyes and ears everywhere.”

“But graduation is-” Phukan looked at his calendar. “It’s so soon.” Less than a year. They were already a few months into the university semester.

“I know,” Cirrus said and sighed. “I know.”

“Hey, we’ll get you out of there, Ai’Cir. Don’t worry, Phu. This guy won’t disappear on the day of graduation. He’ll stay with you. We’ll see to it!” Wim declared.

Cirrus seemed to be shooting Wim a look that seemed to say that he wished he could be as confident as Wim. Phukan squeezed Cirrus’s hands more. “I’ll help. If I can.”

Zone smiled, “I think you already are. I know my brother here will be a real pain in the ass for you in all senses of that expression-”

“Zone!”

“-but I hope you’ll stick with him and take care of him.” The younger alpha ignored his older brother’s outburst. “I think you’re good for him. I can already tell. Just by looking at him now. Dad will be happy to hear about it. He’s been worrying about you. He’s always worried about you.”

“I don’t care.” Cirrus grumbled.

“You might not but he does.” Zone rose from his chair. “Anyway, I think we should go, P’Wim.”

Once they’d said goodbye to Wim and Zone, Cirrus leaned his forehead against the door once it had fallen shut behind them with a heavy sigh. Phukan frowned and walked over to the alpha, wrapping his arms around him from behind.

“P’Cir?”

The alpha took a shuddering breath before he turned his head slightly to look at Phukan.

“I’m so-”

“Why are you apologising? You did nothing wrong,” Phukan stopped Cirrus before the other could finish his apology. “You told me your family situation was…complicated…so I’m not shocked or anything. I won’t change the way I see you or think of you because of this.” Phukan leaned his head against Cirrus’s back. “Well, actually I’m hoping that I can help you out somehow. I don’t know if or how I will be able to. But I’ll be damned if I don’t try.”

“Phu,” Cirrus’s hand came up to cover one of Phukan’s own. “Thank you. That means a lot.”

Phukan hummed and then sighed softly, breathing in Cirrus’s scent. “...will you stay over? I’m afraid I’ll think that you’ll get kidnapped from your room or something if you don’t.”

“I’ll stay if you want me to.”

“Then stay.”

They spent as much time together as possible but of course they couldn’t be together all the time. At university they were forced to go separate ways. Albeit only temporarily.

Phukan was in the middle of discussing an assignment with Tee and Jin when Achi waltzed over. He flopped down onto the seat next to Phukan and grinned from ear to ear.

“I approve of your relationship with P’Cir. I hope you will stay happily together for the rest of your lives,” Achi declared and put his arm around Phukan in a playful manner. “Be blessed, my man!”

“Take your filthy paws off him,” Tee glared. “Or Phu might catch something from you.”

She sighed when Achi obediently withdrew. “Don’t listen to that idiot, Phu. He’s not giving you his blessings from the heart. He only likes the fact that quite a few people have moved on from P’Cir now because he’s courting you. And so Ai’Chi’s ‘hunting grounds’ have become larger.”

“I’ve been having a bountiful harvest,” Achi nodded. “Thanks to you.” He made a wai.

“You’re disgusting.” Tee looked green.

“Monogamy isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. There have to be exceptions to the rule, you know?”

Phukan laughed softly. “Well, thanks Ai’Chi.”

“You’re not breaking up with P’Cir anytime soon, right?” Achi kept going.

“Uhm, well, it’s not my intention to-”

“Awesome! You really are the best friend one could ever hope fo- OW!”

Tee glared, book still in hand, “That’s enough.”

Nalin looked over at Phukan. “Phu, you look like you’re worried about something. Is everything okay? Your scent has a bit of a worried or troubled note as well.”

“Ah, you can tell?” Phukan sighed. “It’s about P’Cir’s family. It’s a bit of a messy situation.”

“What, don’t tell me they’re not willing to accept you?” Achi suddenly turned serious.

Phukan nodded. “Well, I guess you could say it’s something like that.” He had talked with Cirrus more after Wim and Zone had left. About how Cirrus’s mother - on top of everything else - would not be tolerating an omega as Cirrus’s partner, not to mention a male one. And that it might put Phukan at risk - Cirrus was afraid his mother would try and pull something now that her servant had confirmed the whereabouts and existence of Phukan.

And they had decided to stay with each other for the time being to make sure nothing would happen to the other. “It’s because I’m an omega.”

“Don’t tell me his family is all about alpha pride and all that?” Tee made a face. “That is so old fashioned and outdated it hurts. Alphas and omegas make perfect pairs. The majority of ‘true mates’ are alpha and omega couples.”

“Not to mention that alpha-alpha couples have a bigger difficulty when it comes to bearing offspring.” Achi added. “It’s great if you’re like me and are just in it for the fun but if you’re actually trying to have kids a lot of alpha-alpha couples actually need to surrogate. Womb fertility treatment for alphas, while available, can come with complications and a low success rate.”

Everyone at the table turned to look at Achi.

“What?” He looked back.

“I wasn’t expecting you to say something…intelligent,” Tee replied.

“Hey!”

“Well, if P’Cir and I can help it, we won’t let that stand in our way.” Phukan tried to end the discussion. “So please don’t worry about us right now.”

“You say right now as if there’ll be a reason for us to do so later.” Jin pointed out.

Phukan brushed that aside and tried to get things back on track, back on task.

The group finished their assignment just about when Cirrus walked over to their table. He nodded a court greeting to the group before he smiled at Phukan.

“Done? Are you ready to go home?”

“Yes!” Phukan smiled and then said goodbye to his friends before he followed Cirrus outside.

Their hands found each other and they laced their fingers together without thinking as they walked towards the university parking lot and Cirrus’s pristine white Porsche.

It was strange, Phukan found himself thinking on the way back to the dorm, how quickly he and Cirrus had ‘clicked’ and how they had already settled into a domestic routine and everything. At first Phukan had thought that his omega had just been horny and desperate but that wasn’t it.

He felt more than just physical attraction when it came to Cirrus.

They hadn’t known each other for a long time and yet, Phukan felt like he had known the other for much much longer. And so he was able to tell that something was bothering Cirrus when he came out of the bathroom again after taking a shower and found Cirrus cleaning up after dinner.

“Something’s bothering you, P’Cir.” It wasn’t a question.

“I got a message telling me to ‘come home’,” Cirrus sighed and looked over to where his phone lay on the dining table. “That woman is being more persistent than usual. Something’s up.”

“Will it be bad if you do not go?” Phukan frowned unhappily.

“It’ll be bad if I go and it will be bad if I do not go.” Cirrus sighed and ran a hand through his hair, pushing the black tresses back before releasing them again. “She’ll make sure of that.”

Phukan looked at the alpha. “I think I get it. Because…you’ll be within her ‘territory’, right?”

“Yeah.” Cirrus nodded. “It’s oppressive. It’s like a prison, even though it’s huge and open.” He began to describe the house to Phukan and then ended with, “It doesn’t feel like a home at all. It’s like a glorified storage closet where she keeps her ‘belongings’ and ‘trophies’ locked up.”

While Phukan’s own family home was but a storage closet for the time being, he would be able to breathe life into it again once he graduated and moved back in. He would be able to turn it into a home once more. But for Cirrus’s home, he didn’t feel like that would be possible. As an omega, who needed a place to call home and a place for a nest, it made his heart ache.

“Do you want to come to my home then?” Phukan asked before his mind could really catch up with his words. “It’ll be the anniversary of my father’s passing in a few days.”

He’d never taken anyone else to his home on this day. Not even other members of his family.

“Phu,” Cirrus looked at him and his entire being seemed to soften again. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” Phukan nodded. “I want you to be with me that day.”

Cirrus pulled him into a warm hug and Phukan leaned against the alpha, closing his eyes and letting both Cirrus’s calming scent and presence wash over him and comfort him.

This time of the year was usually very hard on him but this year felt like it wouldn’t be so bad.

When the day of the anniversary rolled around, Phukan woke up in Cirrus’s arms to the sound of his phone buzzing with a multitude of messages. They were from his friends of course, as well as his family. The people who had taken care of him on this day in the past. From afar.

But this year would be different.

“Let’s get ready.”

They had a simple and quick breakfast before they went to gather the offerings for Phukan’s father. Phukan actually found himself able to smile for a brief moment, as he rode a Tuk Tuk with Cirrus, something the alpha had clearly never done before.

Once they had gotten everything, Cirrus drove them to Phukan’s family home. It wasn’t a small house by any means but it wasn’t one of Bangkok’s lavish villas either. It paled in comparison to the places his aunts lived in for example. Compared to them, his father had married into a middle-class family. Which didn’t mean that Phukan and his parents had ever lacked anything. They had been well off but they hadn’t been rich.

Stepping into the familiar house, Phukan led Cirrus to the living room and the makeshift altar for his father. He already saw offerings and flowers there - his aunt must have been there in the morning - as well as a chilled box with food. For him.

“I need to tell her thank you later.” Phukan thought out loud and then gestured for Cirrus to kneel down with him so that they could put their offerings onto the altar as well.

They paid their respects and then Phukan asked Cirrus to leave him alone for a bit to talk to his father by himself. Cirrus nodded and told Phukan to call him once he was done.

When the door fell shut behind Cirrus, Phukan heaved a sigh and then looked at his father’s photograph. “I brought someone along this year, Pa.” He started. And then he felt the sting of tears in his eyes. “Did you send him to me, Pa? Did you want me to not be alone anymore? To suffer like Mama is in Australia? And maybe like you are in heaven?”

He reached up to touch his neck. “...even though it’s just a lie?”

A sob fell from his lips. “What should I do, Pa? I…I think I’m in love with P’Cir. It’s not just my omega that wants him. I do, too. But I know I can’t have him.” He wiped away his tears with one of his sleeves. “I know I’m selfish. But I…Would it be so wrong to live in this dream just a little longer? Just a little bit?” Phukan knew it would be harder to break it all off the longer he let things continue. But he was willing to pay that price. For a tiny fake piece of happiness.

Of course he didn’t get an answer from his father but well, in his heart, Phukan had already made up his mind. When he went outside to look for Cirrus, the alpha wrapped him into a warm hug before they got back into the car and drove back to their dorm.

Phukan remained slightly out of it for another day, the grief always stayed with him for a while, but he found it a bit easier to get out of that bad headspace whenever Cirrus was with him and he was even able to muster a smile here and there when the alpha showered him with love and affection - how could he not?

Cirrus’s ultimate blow came at night, though, when he came out of the shower to find Phukan cleaning his father’s heirloom - a flute - at the living room table.

“This is the only thing I have left of my late father.” Everything else had been burned along with his body, according to his father’s last wish. And well, his father hadn’t been a materialistic person, so he hadn’t owned that many things. “I can’t play it. My father had always wanted to teach me but I hadn’t wanted to learn back then.” Phukan admitted sadly.

“So now all I can do is to clean it. And look at it.” He looked at the instrument in his hands. “My parents met through music. And my father would play love songs for my mother all the time. And when I was still a little pup, he would play lullabies for me on it, too.”

“May I?” Cirrus held out his hands.

“Sure,” Phukan handed the flute to Cirrus and then his eyes widened when the alpha lifted it up to his lips. It took everything in Phukan not to gasp and break down crying when he heard the sound filling his room. The familiar sound he thought he’d never hear again in his life.

When Phukan listened to the flute, he felt his heart aching. But not because of grief. Not because the melody was bringing back memories. Why did it seem like his father was telling him that ‘this is the one’? Even though Phukan knew that…he couldn’t be?

Maybe it was the grief making him imagine things. Or overthink things rather. So he pushed those thoughts away. At least for now. Because Cirrus had finished playing.

“Thank you so much, P’Cir. This meant a lot to me.” Phukan smiled through the tears that threatened to fall. He quickly reached up and wiped them away with his sleeve.

“I’ll play it for you as many times as you want from now on.” Cirrus promised and then grabbed Phukan’s hand and kept him from rubbing at his eyes. “Don’t.” And then the alpha leaned in to kiss the tears away once again. To kiss away the pain inside of Phukan.

Phukan could only nod.

The following day, Cirrus and Phukan had driven to university independently, due to their different schedules, but had met at the cafeteria during lunch time and since Cirrus didn’t have afternoon classes, the other was walking Phukan to his faculty once they had finished eating.

It was on the way that they bumped into a familiar figure dressed in black.

Phukan resisted the urge to growl at the man.

“K’Ratri wants you to come home.”

“I have no business with her.” Cirrus narrowed his eyes.

“Then she might extend the invitation to K’Sisira over here.”

Cirrus tensed.

Phukan understood. If Cirrus didn’t go, the woman was threatening to do something to him. He hated the thought of being used like that but couldn’t really do anything at this point.

“I’ll go.” Cirrus sighed. But then he looked at Khanpai, eyes hard. “In my own car. And only after I make sure Phukan gets to his classroom safely.”

“Certainly, young master.”

Chapter Text

He hugged Cirrus tightly before they had to part and Phukan watched from the window of the classroom as Cirrus drove off, following after an expensive, silver car.

“What’s wrong, Phu?” Tee came over, her protective instincts probably activated by the scent Phukan was giving off. A scent that spoke of worry and unease.

“P’Cir was told to go ‘home’ by his mother.” Phukan replied. “Remember how I told you that his family situation is pretty…difficult?” He looked at his friend. “I hope nothing happens.”

Tee placed her hand onto Phukan’s shoulder. “If you need to go and save him, we’ll go with you. You can always count on us. Well. Minus Ai’Chi.”

Smiling, Phukan nodded. “Thank you, Tee.”

“Sure thing, Phu. You’re my dear friend. And I’ve never seen you like this before. I mean that in a good way. Ever you and P’Cir started dating you’ve changed. And I like that change in you.” Tee looked at him, expression soft but serious. “There’s more light in your eyes. A sweeter note in your scent. And your smile is just a little brighter than before, too.”

“Tee…”

“And this year, you didn’t need any of us to be around during this time.” A new voice spoke up. Jin had joined them by the window. “And you seem okay.”

His friends had messaged him of course but when Cirrus had sent a message reading ‘I’m taking care of him’, the chat had gone silent. It had amused Phukan a little bit but at the same time it had made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside because it had also meant that his friends trusted Cirrus. Trusted him with Phukan.

“I wish for your happiness, Phu.” Jin smiled and then - without Phukan noticing - shot Tee a meaningful look, which the alpha girl returned with a small nod.

They all went to their seats as class was about to start. Tee kicked Achi’s chair when the playboy came in late, looking a bit rumpled but with a huge grin on his face. He’d probably ‘gotten lucky’ during lunch. Phukan thought he saw Jin’s eyes twitch a little bit when Achi came closer. He hoped that wasn’t a bad omen for their friend. Jin could ‘sense’ these things.

Phukan then turned to face the front and focused on the class. He tried not to think about other things for now. If he didn’t think about it, maybe time would pass faster.

And Cirrus would come back more quickly.

However, there was no sign of the alpha when Phukan got home later that night. There’d been a message that Cirrus had reached his ‘home’ safely but nothing else.

Worry gnawed at him but Phukan distracted himself once more. He’d already eaten out with his friends, so he went to take a shower and then got changed for the night.

When he came back out, he saw several messages and missed calls on his phone. So he quickly opened the message app and pressed the call button. The call was picked up almost immediately and Phukan suppressed a smile at that.

“Phu. Is everything okay with you?” Cirrus’s voice came from the other end of the line. The senior sounded worried. Then the tone turned bashful. “I miss you. So I called. If you’re busy-”

“I’m sorry I didn’t pick up your calls, P’Cir. I was in the shower,” Phukan cut off Cirrus’s apology before the senior could finish it. “I’m glad you called. I miss you, too.”

They started to talk about everything and nothing really. Phukan just felt so much more settled when he heard the other’s voice, even if it was through the phone. It grounded him and comforted him. It pushed away the grief and the loneliness that still lingered somewhere at the edge of his mind.

A yawn interrupted Phukan’s next sentence. He looked at the clock. “Oh, we’ve been talking for so long. I didn’t realise that it was so late already.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you up. You should go to sleep.” Cirrus apologised. “Things will probably still take a while here. I’ll sleep on the couch or in my own room if I come back really late. I don’t want to wake you up or anything.”

“Okay,” Phukan pouted a little. “I hope you’ll come back soon.”

“I hope so, too.” Cirrus replied. “Good night, Phu. Sweet dreams.”

“Good night, P’Cir.”

Cirrus still wasn’t back the next morning. That realization didn’t help at all when Phukan dragged himself out of bed first and then out of his room to university.

Phukan had been feeling out of it since he had woken up. At first he had blamed it on the after-effects of mourning, it wouldn’t be the first time, coupled with a little bit of separation anxiety. However by lunch time it had gotten to the point where his friends had sent him home because he seemed to be too miserable to pay attention in class. Since Cirrus wasn’t around, they had even called one of the driving services to take him home in his car, afraid that he wasn’t in any condition to get himself home safely on his own.

He accepted the keys back from the driver and saw the friendly beta off as he was picked up by a colleague on a motorcycle before making his way upstairs to his room.

Changing into his pajamas, Phukan just collapsed onto his bed. He felt so sluggish and hot.

Hot?

Suddenly Phukan felt the familiar signs all hitting him at once. He wasn’t getting sick. This was-

It was too early for this heat! He had just had it not too long ago. Although, that one had also been somewhat out of the ordinary. So Phukan no longer knew what was going on with his body.

He remembered the doctor’s saying how heats could be triggered suddenly by other things. Hormonal imbalances due to the weather or stress for example.

Or one’s mate or potential mate. Especially when couples were young.

Considering it had been the anniversary of his father’s passing not too long ago, Phukan could chalk it up to the stress and emotional turmoil that came with it but…

Maybe it had been because he had-

Phukan swallowed at the memory.

Because he had gotten a taste of Cirrus. And vice versa. In more ways than one.

His omega had been going crazy for the alpha for a while now, so maybe it had finally come down to this. And well, he was a male omega at his prime. His body was probably reacting to being around the alpha so much. Plus, they had already moved past the ‘chaste and innovent’ phase of courting. Phukan wasn’t opposed to taking the relationship to a more physical level, however he would have wanted to do it while he was in better possession of his wits.

And less needy.

However life didn’t always go according to plan. And this was one of those instances where it didn’t. Yet Phukan refused to reach for his phone and call Cirrus. He didn’t want to be a burden. He didn’t want to cause trouble for anyone. Most of all those he cared about.

So he’d never asked for something from his family.

He’d never complained to his mother.

Even if he had wanted to, deep inside.

But he’d already been selfish enough. He couldn’t possibly ask for more. He’d get through this heat by himself. He’d done it for the others, he would do it for this one. Phukan could do it.

When his phone rang, he almost jumped.

When he saw the name on the display, his heart almost jumped out of his chest.

“P’Cir,” he answered the call.

“Phu,” Cirrus sounded worried, “I received a message that you had to be taken home from-”

“P’Cir,” Phukan whimpered softly, “I need you.”

“Phu? Are you okay?”

“I need you alpha,” Phukan was no longer thinking. He was moving on autopilot. And that included speaking. Maybe it hadn’t been him saying that. It had been his omega. His omega was calling out to the alpha - his alpha.

On the other end of the line, Cirrus went quiet for a moment. And then he announced, “I’m coming back home.” Before the call ended. Phugan whined into his pillow and dropped his phone somewhere next to his bed.

“Please come home quickly, P’Cir.” He whispered.

Cirrus made his way down the stairs and was about to leave the mansion when someone blocked his way. He glared at Khanpai. “Get out of my way.”

“You will stay here. Those are your mother’s orders.”

“I will NOT.” Cirrus glared at the man and his inner wolf snarled. His alpha must have intimidated the woman’s servant - for the first time in his life but Cirrus wouldn’t notice that little detail right now - as the beta instinctively took a step back, clearing the way. “This is a waste of my time. I am leaving.” And so he did.

He would not be kept away from his omega. Not when his omega had called for him. Not when Phukan needed him to be there. If there had been any resistance, Cirrus wasn’t sure if he wouldn’t have committed a serious crime then and there.

Less serious crimes were fair game however. At least right now. He made it back to the dorm in record time. Cirrus may or may not have broken some traffic rules along the way but nobody had stopped him, so he hadn’t really cared. He’d deal with potential fines later. Not now.

Pressing the button for the elevator, Cirrus felt a strange nervous energy taking over his body. The elevator was taking too long. He had to get upstairs as fast as possible. He had to get to Phukan. He had to get to his omega right now! So he gave up on the elevator and took the stairs, taking several at once, so he made it to the upper floors in record time.

Unlocking the door, he stepped into the by now very familiar room. The air inside was thick with pheromones and Cirrus barely made it to the bed with his sanity intact. His body was heating up and his jaw ached as his inner wolf grew ‘hungry’.

He found Phukan curled up on the bed - in the nest - clutching at one of Cirrus’s tshirts.

When their eyes met, Cirrus almost lost it completely but he still clung to the last shreds of his sanity, his self control. He couldn’t just jump the omega.

Cirrus crawled onto the bed, covering Phukan’s petite body with his own broader one. “Phu.”

“P’Cir,” Phukan looked up at him. At first there was an expression of joy, of relief but then it changed to one of guilt. “I shouldn’t have called you. I’m sorry. I- My omega did that on its own. You- You should leave, P’Cir. You don’t have to do this.” Phukan tried to push Cirrus away weakly. “I can’t…It would be wrong to ask this of you.”

His omega had been so honest. But Phukan still had second thoughts. Cirrus didn’t hold it against Phukan. They hadn’t been together for that long. They hadn’t even had all the ‘important conversations’ yet, that one should have as a couple - needless to say an alpha and omega one. But then again, their relationship had started and developed so much differently than one would expect a ‘normal’ one to go, really.

So what was one more thing to add to that list?

“But I want to do this for you, Phu. Please,” Cirrus cupped Phukan’s cheek with one hand. “Just think of me as one of your toys. Use me.” He knew Phukan wasn’t like the other people around him, who viewed him as merely some kind of ‘thing’ or ‘possession’. But if the omega was afraid of the emotional bond that might be created by sharing a heat together, Cirrus wouldn’t mind becoming ‘just a thing’ if it meant that Phukan would feel more comfortable about it.

“No!” Phukan shook his head vehemently. “I could never think of you like that, P’Cir! You’re not a thing. You’re a person. And you’re important to me.” His voice was quivering slightly when he spoke those last words. “Please don’t think of yourself like that, phi. It makes me sad.”

Phukan’s words tugged on Cirrus’s heartstrings.

His little omega. Even now, going half-crazy with heat, Phukan was still the warm ray of sunshine thawing at Cirrus’s practically frozen heart.

For a few long moments, they looked into each other’s eyes. Then Cirrus leaned down.

“Phu,” Cirrus nosed at Phukan’s neck and then tried again softly. “Phukan. Will you- Will you let me share this heat with you?” It sounded so formal. More of a confession and declaration of love than a request for permission. “Will you let alpha take care of you, little omega?”

The questions hung between them for a few moments as pregnant silence spread.

But then Phukan replied simply, “Yes.” However that simple word held so much more meaning.

He had now given Cirrus permission. No, he had asked Cirrus for this. And Cirrus would give him anything he asked for. Phukan could feel it. Could feel the arousal that was now taking hold of both of their bodies, the heat jumping from his own to Cirrus’s.

Soon, the alpha was grinding against him, their clothed cocks rubbing against each other and eliciting moans from both of them that were muffled by their lips.

Aside from both of their pheromones the sweet smell of slick hung in the air heavily as it started to soak through Phukan’s underwear and pyjama bottoms, staining the bedsheets. The thick scent of ‘sex’ was all around them, clawing at their sanity and self control.

Clawing at Cirrus’s shirt weakly, Phukan tried to get it off, get the barrier of clothes out of his way but failed as his fingers wouldn’t quite cooperate anymore. But he still had enough presence of mind to not just tug at the shirt and possibly rip it. He didn’t want to accidentally hurt Cirrus.

Luckily his alpha handled it, stripping both of them and tossing their clothes onto the ground somewhere. They wouldn’t need them for a while.

The moment he felt Cirrus’s bare skin against his, Phukan whined and pulled Cirrus closer.

More. More. He needed more. He wanted everything! He-

“Please, P’Cir!” He couldn’t take it anymore. He was going crazy.

“Anything, my beautiful Phu.”

“Please!” Phukan repeated. And that was his last coherent word before his mind and body were clouded by desire and subsequently drowned in pleasure.

He had a brief moment of clarity when Cirrus pushed his knot into him for the first time a few minutes later. Feeling the alpha’s knot inside of him felt like salvation. It didn’t feel like a ‘dirty’ sexual act in the midst of lust but rather like reaching a new state of being. Maybe Phukan was being overly dramatic but he felt like this was one of the reasons why he had been born. To have Cirrus’s knot inside of him filling him up in the best possible way.

Phukan didn’t remember how many times the alpha had made him come and how many times he’d felt Cirrus come inside of him. He also barely remembered how Cirrus had carried him into the bathroom afterwards and washed him gently, leaving him in the bathtub only for long enough to change the bedsheets and put on new ones.

They hadn’t bothered with clothes and after Phukan had haphazardly restored the nest somewhat, the two of them had just curled up in each other’s arms.

When Phukan opened his eyes again, his hand immediately flew up to his neck.

His collar was still there. He hadn’t taken it off. He-

Glazing over to the mirror next to the bed, Phukan felt tears stinging in his eyes. There were bites and bruises. On his shoulders, on his collarbones.

Cirrus had wanted to. Of course the alpha had wanted to. It lay in his nature.

But Phukan hadn’t let him.

Couldn’t let him.

The back of his neck burned painfully. A warning.

Phukan couldn’t be selfish anymore. He couldn’t hurt Cirrus. Well, he wouldn’t get around to hurting the other either way but at least this way wouldn’t hurt as much. It would only get worse as time went by. He had to get out of this before they would both be ‘in too deep’.

He sat up slowly and tried to get out of the bed. To prepare himself. To steep himself in order to-

“Phu,” too late.

Cirrus had stopped him and had turned him around. The alpha’s eyes were worried as they roamed over Phukan’s body, undoubtedly taking in his handiwork. And sensing -something- from Phukan right now. Something that made him uneasy.

So Phukan decided not to beat around the bush.

“We should end it here, P’Cir.” Phukan pushed Cirrus away from him - gently. “We shouldn’t have done this. We can’t do this anymore.”

“Phu? Did I do something wrong? Why-”

He could smell the distress on Cirrus now. It was making his stomach churn unpleasantly but Phukan fought it down. He had to do this. “No. It’s not your fault or anything. It’s because of me.”

“Phu?”

“P’Cir. I need to tell you something.” Phukan undid his collar with trembling hands - much to Cirrus’s shock - and then bared his neck. “I’m…I will never be able to belong to you.”

Cirrus stared at the mark on Phukan’s neck. There were so many emotions visible in his eyes and each one felt like it stabbed Phukan’s heart with a cold needle.

“Phu…” Hurt. Cirrus sounded hurt.

“Please let me explain!” Phukan grabbed Cirrus’s arm before the other could possibly move away. “...it’s not what you might think. The truth is a crazy story and I would understand if you do not believe me. But please listen to me?”

When Cirrus didn’t move, Phukan continued. He told Cirrus about what had happened to him in high school. And then the years of agony and loneliness that had followed.

“I didn’t think I’d ever be able to experience something like this, a relationship and maybe even something akin to love. So when you asked me out, I selfishly said yes. Because a part of me wanted to know what it’s like. Because a part of me had always longed for it. Had always been curious about it.” Phukan looked down, “I’m sorry, P’Cir. I was just being selfish. I shouldn’t have used you like this. I even had you spend a heat with me. I took something so important away from you. I really should have sent you away. I-”

“Phu.” The soft tone had Phukan looking up and he was surprised to see that the hurt had disappeared from Cirrus’s eyes. And yet, he could still see pain there. A different kind of pain.

He didn’t understand. But it looked like the senior was about to explain.

Cirrus shook his head. “I should apologise as well. You’re not the only one who was selfish.” He took Phukan’s hands into his. “Can you come to my room with me?”

“Okay.” Phukan nodded.

They both got dressed and then walked down the stairs to Cirrus’s room. Once there, Cirrus handed Phukan a book. Phukan blinked when he recognised it as his high school yearbook. The one of his year and not Cirrus’s. “Why do you-”

“Open it.”

And so he did. And suddenly he found notes and pictures all across the pages or stuck in between. They were all of him. About him.

“It might seem very weird and like I’m some kind of stalker but that’s not what it is,” Cirrus told Phukan, his voice trembling slightly. He sounded so insecure and afraid, something that seemed very strange for an alpha. Especially one of the calibre of Cirrus. “It’s just that in the darkness of my life you were the only ray of light that could break through it.”

They sat down on Cirrus’s couch.

“It was all just in my head. And I’m sorry if that makes you feel uncomfortable. But I- I imagined a future with you and somehow that got me through things. I dreamed of you, too. Of being with you. Loving you. Taking care of you. And being happy with you. And it helped me to face the harsh reality whenever I woke up again in the mornings.”

He looked at the book in Phukan’s lap. “I swear my thoughts and imaginations never turned sexual. Not until- until that day in the parking lot.”

Phukan looked at Cirrus. The day the other had protected him.

“Your pheromones were so strong. I could barely think straight. But I knew I had to. I knew I had to protect you and to keep you safe.” Cirrus looked down.

“When the thought hit me that I could have lost you that day or that something terrible could have happened to you with me being unable to help, I just felt so much regret. I felt so scared. Especially when I was reminded about how the days of my freedom were limited.”

He heaved a shuddering sigh.

“Just like you, I had yearned for it for so long. And I wanted to experience it before I would potentially have to give up my freedom for the rest of my life. So when the opportunity presented itself to me, I grabbed it.” Cirrus looked up at Phukan again.

“And I don’t regret it.”

Phukan felt the same. He didn’t regret it. He didn’t regret a single thing he had done with Cirrus.

“Even though Zone and I are trying our hardest to stop things from happening, to stop that woman, there is no guarantee that we will be able to do so.” Cirrus sounded dejected. “So, I know it’s selfish to ask this of you, but would you- could we stay together until then at least? So that I may gather up a lifetime worth of happiness before I have to…leave?”

His heart was aching. The pain inside of his chest was so strong Phukam almost couldn’t bear it.

“If your mate shows up, then I’ll disappear immediately. I promise. But until that happens…may I please stay with you? May I please stay by your side?”

If only time would stop right at this moment. Phukan desperately wished for it to do so. So that he and Cirrus could just stay here forever. And not have to worry about anything or anyone else.

Phukan closed the book again and placed it onto the coffee table in front of him.

Cirrus’s story had sounded so familiar. Phukan had often imagined and dreamed of having someone by his side as well. That unknown alpha, that unknown person, that mate, who was meant just for him. They had never had a face.

Although when Phukan thought back now, the person would have Cirrus’s face.

Because right now, Phukan was unable to imagine anyone but Cirrus with him, by his side.

Their relationship wasn’t ‘real’. It couldn’t be. And yet, Phukan still wanted to keep fooling himself into believing that it could be. Even though it was with no small amount of guilt. Or rather than guilt, it was despair. Maybe even fear.

Fear that might be unfounded - everyone who had met their true mate had been happy with them - but Phukan couldn’t help but think of the ‘what ifs’.

What if he didn’t like his true mate?

What if the other didn’t like him?

What if they were doomed to be in a forced relationship without love?

And the thought of being separated from Cirrus alone was enough to plunge Phukan into a state of distress. One that was akin to the time when he’d been told about his father’s sickness and the prospect of losing him.

He didn’t want to go through that.

The thought from earlier, of ‘ending things’ and ‘breaking up’ with Cirrus seemed so laughably stupid to him now. Because it was impossible.

“Please stay with Phu.”

Chapter Text

They hugged each other on Cirrus’s sofa for a while after their talk - after their confessions - until Phukan’s stomach rumbling had them moving again.

“We should get some br- lunch I guess,” Cirrus's eyes fell onto the clock. It was past noon. Then he leaned down and nosed at Phukan’s neck. “I think you’ll be okay. Your pheromones are normal. It shouldn’t attract any alphas.”

Phukan had almost forgotten that he’d gone into heat the previous day. Had it only been a fluke? He should go to see the doctor again. These irregularities might not be a good sign.

“I should still-” he reached for his collar.

“Let me,” Cirrus took it from him and then gently placed it around Phukan’s neck, snapping it securely into place. Phukan felt a soft blush rising to his cheeks. Having someone else putting the collar on for him felt so intimate somehow.

A soft whimper fell from his lips when Cirrus leaned in and scented him, arms wrapping around Phukan to pull him back against Cirrus’s body.

He could almost hear the alpha whispering, “My beautiful omega.” But Cirrus remained silent.

Phukan knew why. And his heart ached slightly at the thought but he chose to push it away.

Instead he just placed a hand over Cirrus’s and squeezed gently, telling the alpha without speaking a word, that it was okay, that he felt the same way.

They went out and got something to eat before going back to the dorm complex. At the reception, they ran into two familiar faces. “Ai’Cir! Why didn’t you pick up your phone?”

“P’Wim, P’Zone,” Phukan greeted the two.

“Hey Phu. You okay?” Zone greeted him back. “I heard you weren’t feeling well.”

“I’m okay. I’m sorry if I made you worry,” Phukan smiled apologetically. He then felt Zone’s eyes wander down from his face. Phukan knew where. He had tried to wear something with a higher neck but unless he went out with a full on turtleneck or scarf, some of the marks Cirrus had left on him would be impossible to cover.

“Let’s go and talk upstairs,” Cirrus said and tugged Phukan towards the elevator, without even waiting for Zone or Wim to follow.

They went up to Cirrus’s room and sat around the living room area.

Wim didn’t wait long until he started to ask questions again, “Cir, I heard from Phu’s friends you were summoned home? What did the old hag want?”

“I didn’t talk to her. I left.” Cirrus replied.

Zone grinned, “Nice.”

“She had a displeased message sent to me of course.” Cirrus crossed his arms. “I replied that she was the disrespectful one in this, letting a business partner wait unnecessarily long and waste valuable time. After all she had asked for the meeting and she had something she wanted. There is no return for the investment of my time, so I decided not to give her more or I would just make myself a fool. Those were her own teachings.”

“That’s my brother for you,” Zone cackled. “Man, part of me would have loved to see her face.”

“And then I turned off my phone,” Cirrus placed it onto the coffee table.

“She’s up to something, that’s for sure,” Wim leaned back and crossed his arms. “The question is what. Or she wouldn’t be so damn persistent.”

Zone sighed, “Probably the fact that Phu’s an omega. He could have the best family background there is AND be a girl and she would oppose it simply because Phu’s an omega. Don’t ask me why she hates omegas so much.” He shook his head. “Maybe it’s a family thing. Father says our grandparents on that side were the same way. He said grandfather mentioned it to him once, while drunk. How glad and proud he was to have an all alpha family. Including P’Cir and me. And that he didn’t have to get rid of any ‘duds’ in the family line in our generation.”

“That’s so cruel!” Phukan gasped.

“Hey, you two should bond,” Zone looked at Cirrus. “And you know you should. Even that woman can’t go against that. She might not care about rules and laws but even she cannot erase a bond-mark. And going against that particular law could actually land her in a whole lot of trouble. Not to mention the bad publicity for her company if it were made public.”

“Zone-” Cirrus started but it was Phukan who replied.

“We can’t,” Phukan looked down. “Even if we wanted to.”

Wim and Zone frowned.

“Why not?” The latter asked.

“Phu is already bonded. Even though he has no memory of who it was.” Cirrus told his brother.

Phukan nodded and then told a short version of his story to Wim and Zone. It was funny, how it had been a secret between him and his aunt for so long and now he’d already told three people within the span of just a few hours. Which was something that Wim actually asked about next.

“But nobody knows that, right?” Wim asked. “I don’t remember anything about that being said at our old school. Or at university. And you know how information makes its way to me, always.”

Yeah, it would be rare for Wim to not know about something that was going on on campus.

“Nobody knows. Well, except you three and my aunt and the doctor at the hospital.” Phukan replied. “Even the rest of my family doesn’t know about it. Not even mama.” He had never told her about it. He hadn’t wanted to worry her. Or maybe he had been scared of how she would have reacted to the news. So Phukan had kept quiet about it.

Zone nodded. “So nobody would be able to prove anything if P’Cir stepped forward and claimed the bite as his. And people would believe it because you two did go to the same school before.”

“Although Cir here never told anyone that he liked Phu. It hit me out of the blue.” Wim raised an eyebrow. “And damn that stupid Jin kid was right.”

“Jin?” Phukan blinked.

Wim waved it off. “Nevermind.” He crossed his arms. “But well, considering that you did go to the same school and all, it’ll be easy enough to make the story believable. Leave it to me.”

“Only if that’s okay with Phu,” Cirrus insisted. He looked at Phukan. “I don’t want to do anything that would make you uncomfortable. Or put you into harm’s way unnecessarily.”

Phukan smiled and took Cirrus’s hands. “I’m not a weak little thing, P’Cir. I can take it.”

So they decided to make the relationship between Cirrus and Phukan ‘public’ once Zone got the clear from his ‘contacts’ that it would help their cause along to do so. After all, the ultimate goal of the whole mission was to free Cirrus from the clutches of his biological mother. If for nothing else - his own feelings for Cirrus for one - Phukan was happy to help with that as much as he could. He wasn’t scared. He told Cirrus again and again, as the alpha kept worrying about him.

That worry alone showed Phukan that nothing would ever happen to him. Cirrus wouldn’t let anything happen to him. He was sure of that.

“Phu, I have to go and meet one of my professors this weekend for a graduation related project,” Cirrus told Phukan on Friday morning. “I-”

“Oh that works out well,” Phukan smiled, “My aunt invited me over for dinner. She said I haven’t been with my family in so long, I should show my face again. Especially since it hasn’t been that long since, well, the anniversary.” He smiled. “Drop me off there and just come and pick me up again whenever you’re done with the professor? Take as little or long as you need.”

It was his way of telling Cirrus that he’d be safe at his family’s place and that Cirrus wouldn’t need to worry about him. After all, the alpha had a life to live as well.

“That sounds good. As much as I’d like to meet your family, maybe now isn’t the time.”

“I will introduce you at another time.” Phukan promised.

So Saturday Phukan found himself walking up to the quite impressive villa of the Kirigun family. Other people would probably feel a little nervous about walking into such an expensive looking place but not Phukan. He’d come to the place many times and had gotten used to it.

Just like he had gotten used to the enthusiastic welcome he always received from his cousins.

Especially Thanya. “I haven’t seen you in so long, Phu! I’m so glad I’m here this weekend. I almost didn’t make it back from my overseas shoot.”

“I’m happy to see you, too, Thanya,” Phukan smiled. “I missed you, too.”

“You only missed Thanya? What about your other cousins?”

“Well, you’re too busy thinking about P’Type to miss me, aren’t you, P’Tharn?” Phukan shot back, making Thorn laugh behind him. But then his oldest cousin looked at him.

“Phu, isn’t it about time you introduced us to someone?”

“What do you mean by that, P’Thorn?” Phukan blinked.

Thorn crossed his arms, “Don’t think I didn’t see you getting dropped off just now by a tall, handsome alpha. The same alpha I happened to see you with before. At uncle’s place.”

Thanya gasped, “Phu! You’ve never-”

Phukan looked down, “I…Yeah I didn’t go alone this year.”

“Oh, you have to introduce him to us!! And why didn’t you tell me??” Thanya whined.

“Well, a lot happened and-”

“Children, give Phukan some space, won’t you?” His aunt appeared and shook her head, laughing at the scene. “Let him breathe. And make yourself presentable, we have another guest. In case you forgot about that.”

The siblings scurried off to get ready - Thorn and Thanya had looked like they had just come from the gym and Tharn had worn rumpled looking street clothes - leaving Phukan with his aunt.

“Another guest? Did I come at a bad time?” Phukan frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me-”

“Oh don’t worry about the other guest,” his aunt laughed. “She’s here to see you, too. I ran into her earlier today when I was visiting the temple to make merit for your father.”

“Who?” Phukan blinked.

“You’ll be happy to see her. It’s been a while.” His aunt led him to a different room.

Phukan’s face lit up. “Auntie!” It would be a proper family day for him then.

A family day, that of course wouldn’t come without its own drama. After food had been served and people had left - the family was busy as usual but Phukan was still glad they managed to gather sometimes and spend some time together - he sat down in a quiet room with his aunt.

“So Thorn tells me he saw you with a handsome alpha.” She started. “Is he-”

“It’s…It’s a long story.” Phukan sighed. “Of course it is. I guess.”

“We have time,” his hand placed a hand over his. “Tell me.” She must have sensed that he wanted to talk to her about things. Phukan had always confided in her. After his late father, his aunt was probably the person he trusted the most. Even more than his own mother.

“His name is P’Cir. He’s my senior by two years.” Phukan started. He worried the hem of his shirt with his hands. “I guess you could say we started…dating…a while back.”

His aunt didn’t say anything, she just sat next to him and listened.

“Like P’Thorn said, he’s an alpha. And he’s very kind and gentle. He takes good care of me. My omega likes him, too.” Tears welled up in his eyes. “But he’s not-....I wish- I wish it was him. I wish…but he hasn’t claimed the bite. It’s not his.” Phukan sobbed into his aunt’s shoulder. “I wish I could erase this. I- I want P’Cir’s mark on me. And not some stranger’s.” He added in a quieter tone, “I love him, bpaa. I love him so much.”

He cried in his aunt’s arms for a while, until he’d gotten it all out of his system. It felt reminiscent of the day when he had first discovered the mark on his neck. The pain. The agony.

The despair.

It all stood in stark contrast with everything that a mate should bring to one’s life.

This wasn’t what Phukan wanted at all. The loving relationship his parents had had. The emotional bond he’d seen between his aunt and his uncle and even his cousins.

“Sometimes,” his aunt finally spoke, “you have to love against all odds. I can’t tell you what to do, Phu. I can only tell you what your father would have told you if he were still here.” She gently caressed his cheek and then tilted his face over so look him in the eyes.

“Follow your heart. And it’ll lead you to the right place.”

Phukan’s heart felt light and heavy at the same time when he saw Cirrus’s car pull up and he gave the alpha a little smile and wave.

“Phu, you should’ve waited inside-”

“I only just came out, I swear,” Phukan defended himself and then lifted two big bags. “Since I got lots of food that would have spoiled had I waited for you out here for a long time. My family insisted because you couldn’t join me today. My aunts are good cooks. My cousins…aren’t. But well, I guess that might be the reason why none of us are.”

Cirrus took the bags from him and put them in the trunk.

“Did you finish everything at school?” Phukan asked as they drove off.

“Yeah.” Cirrus nodded. He glanced at Phukan. “Did you have a good time with your family?”

Phukan knew Cirrus must have noticed his slightly red eyes. “I did. We talked about pa.”

“Ah.” Cirrus acknowledged that and then dropped the subject.

It wasn’t a lie, really. However Phukan didn’t want to worry the alpha or make him feel guilty. He knew that this wasn’t just hard on him but that Cirrus was going through a lot as well. Maybe that was another reason why they had clicked from the beginning.

They spent the evening cuddling on the sofa and watching a movie. Phukan didn’t register much of it as his mind went comfortably blank when he was nestled against the alpha and was surrounded by his scent. His omega was happy. He envied it a little. He wished he could allow himself to be happy as well.

“Phu?”

“Mh?”

“Let’s move this to bed? You look like you’re about to fall asleep on me any moment now.” Before Phukan even got the chance to reply, Cirrus had already picked him up in a princess carry and was walking towards the bedroom.

“Mh.” Phukan hummed in reply, not really feeling like forming a coherent answer.

When he drifted off to sleep that night, he found himself in a different world. A world where the mark on his neck didn’t exist. A world where he and Cirrus had met back in high school and fallen in love as students. A world where Cirrus was happy and lived with both his parents and Zone. They would come over sometimes to visit Phukan and his parents at their house.

It was such a happy dream.

But Phukan knew that it was only a dream. And that he would have to wake up from it.

Opening his eyes, he found Cirrus looking back at him.

“Morning, Phu.”

“Morning,” he replied sleepily.

“Zone sent the okay.” Cirrus stated simply and Phukan gave a small nod.

Sitting up - followed by Cirrus - he looked at the alpha and then bared his neck, his collar. He unlocked it and then closed his eyes. “Take it off for me then, P’Cir.”

The collar came off and Phukan’s eyes flew open when he felt lips on the bite mark, along with hot breath ghosting over the skin of his neck.

“If that mate of yours doesn’t show up, then I will just take their place. They don’t deserve you.”

“P’Cir,” Phukan whined helplessly as the alpha ‘attacked’ all of his weak spots and then even bit a spot on Phukan’s collarbone and sucked on it none too gently, something that sent spikes of arousal through Phukan’s body. The bite would leave a mark. But only a temporary one that would disappear again in no time. Oh how Phukan wished that it would be permanent.

And a part of him wished for that nebulous ‘true mate’ of his to never show up. So that he and Cirrus could stay together. Maybe if he wished hard enough it would come true.

His ‘true mate’ didn’t show up. But someone else did, a few days later.

Someone else, Phukan could have done without meeting in his life.

It happened after classes had finished.

Phukan was walking towards the parking lot to meet Cirrus, so that they could go home together as usual. He had finished earlier than the alpha for a change, so Phukan had told Cirrus that he’d go and wait by the car. The weather wasn’t too hot, so it wouldn’t be so bad to stay outside for a bit. Plus, after sitting most of the day, Phukan felt like stretching his legs a bit.

He made his way down the sidewalk when a voice called out from behind him, “Hey you. You omega boy.” Phukan didn’t like the tone of the person at all. They were making the word ‘omega’ sound like an insult almost, as if it was something dirty they didn’t want to put in their mouth.

Turning around, he found himself looking at a girl, who looked to be around his age. She was tall and slender, and her clothes looked like they cost more than Phukan’s car.

A rich kid. And an alpha on top of that.

Maintaining a polite smile, Phukan replied, “Yes? Is there anything you want?”

“Yes, there is something I want. It’s for you to keep those filthy omega paws away from my P’Cir.” The alpha girl growled at Phukan but he didn’t flinch. Her aura didn’t intimidate him at all. Which just seemed to make her even angrier. “Get out of his life. He will not associate with the likes of you any longer. An alpha like P’Cir needs to have someone more worthy by his side. A lowly omega could never. That’s why his mother chose me to be his bride.”

Bride? Phukan frowned.

“Who are you?”

“If you must know, I’m Lukprae. I’m P’Cir’s fiancée.” She replied haughtily.

“I do not have a fiancée.” A new voice cut in. Phukan looked over to find Cirrus standing there.

“P’Cir!” Lukprae smiled at Cirrus, even though he was glaring at her coldly. “Your mother must not have told you yet? But she agreed when I asked her to become your wife. And that she’d organize a wedding for us after your graduation.”

“I will not marry you.” Cirrus said. And then grabbed Phukan’s hand and pulled him over to his car, leaving the alpha girl behind on the sidewalk. People around them, who had witnessed the exchange, started talking and whispering with each other.

Once they were inside the car, Cirrus locked the doors and sighed as he let his head fall back against the seat. “I’m sorry, Phu.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for?” Phukan blinked. Then he asked, “Who was that?”

Cirrus pinched the bridge of his nose. “Lukprae. We went to the same elementary school and she just…became obsessed with me or something. To the point where she had her father do business with my parents at all costs to get closer to me. And she’s been going on and on about how she would marry me and become my mate.”

He heaved a sigh. “She’s a spoiled princess who’s never been told no. She always got what she wanted. And I think the fact that she hasn’t been able to get me is just egging her on.”

“She said your mother chose her to be your bride. And she’s your fiancée.”

“I heard that,” Cirrus started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. “But I will never marry her.”

As they drove home, Phukan sent a message to Zone, telling her about his run in with the alpha girl. The reply came soon after: a puking emoji, followed by an ‘I’m so sorry’ as well as a ‘thanks for telling me’ and then finally a ‘please stay safe’.

After dinner, Phukan helped Cirrus to put fresh sheets onto the bed and re-did the nest for them.

“Say, P’Cir,” Phukan looked at Cirrus and then lifted up the paper cup phone he’d found while looking for something to place near the nest. “Was this…you?” He showed Cirrus the paper cups and then the little good luck charm. “I didn’t notice until now but- it has your scent on it.”

Which meant all the other things had also been from Cirrus.

“Yeah,” Cirrus nodded. And took one of the cups from Phukan. “That was me.” He reached up with one hand and touched Phukan’s bite mark idly, a complicated expression on his face. “I should have answered you that day. Maybe then I could have been the one to…”

But they couldn’t turn back time anymore.

“Thank you,” Phukan placed a hand over Cirrus’s. “For taking care of me for all these years. I’d always wanted to thank whoever it was that was watching over me.” He showed Cirrus a box, next to the one the flute was stored in. “I kept everything.” Phukan smiled. “I guess I’ve always liked your scent. Back then and even now. It was comforting.”

“I’m glad that I was of use to you.” Cirrus took Phukan’s hand and kissed it.

“Well, I’m glad I finally got to meet my secret guardian angel.” Phukan smiled. “You know, for a while I thought it was some kind of higher power. Or even my pa watching over me from above. But I know things aren’t that ‘easy’ or mystical. I knew there had to be someone out there, who was doing these things for me. I’d suspected friends or family but…just like with the bite, nobody had ever stepped forward to say anything. Well, until now.”

“I’m so glad you don’t think it’s disgusting or disturbing that I did all that,” Cirrus looked down.

Phukan smiled, “It made you happy, didn’t it? And you never harmed me or were thinking of anything that would harm me.”

“Harming or hurting you are the furthest things on my mind.”

“Then it’s okay. It was something that brought you happiness. And it made me happy, too. So it’s a good thing,” Phukan cupped Cirrus’s face with both of his hands. “So, thank you, P’Cir.”

“Phu,” Cirrus sounded a little choked up and at a loss for words, he just pulled Phukan in for a kiss. The kiss was chaste and meant to satisfy their emotional needs more than physical ones.

The kiss gave Phukan strength. It gave him strength to keep going.

And to face whatever the next day would be throwing at him.

Chapter Text

Tee walked up to Phukan the next day during lunch. They hadn’t had morning classes but Phukan had gone in to study with Jin and Achi, who had stepped away to get them food and drinks as the time to eat rolled around. “Phu. Tell me why your boyfriend has a fiancée?”

“What do you mean?” Phukan blinked at his friend.

“Tee! You need to tell him the full story,” Nalin appeared behind the alpha girl. “Hey there, Phu.”

“Hey Lin,” Phukan waved back. “What happened? What story?”

The two girls sat down opposite Phukan and Tee huffed. “Well, the entire campus is of course abuzz about you not wearing your collar anymore and…” She gestured at Phukan’s neck - a variety of colourful spots and bruises were visible even with Phukan’s collar hiding some of them. “That.” She crossed her arms. “But there are rumours going around. About someone claiming to be P’Cir’s fiancée. A rich female alpha. And she’s accusing you of home wrecking and stealing what’s hers and all of that.”

Phukan made a face. The girl must have gone around to tell people on campus after he and Cirrus had left. Of course people would talk.

“But a lot of people are taking your side,” Nalin threw in then. “Saying Cirrus was courting you and not the other way around, so it couldn’t have been you that approached him.” She made a face. “But of course there are also those that believe the girl.”

“She’s being forced on him. But P’Cir won’t accept that.”

“Obviously,” Nalin nodded. “Since he already has you! And we know that a bite is binding.”

Tee seemed a bit more apprehensive about it. “It’s a bit worrisome that she’s still going around trying to claim him even though he has so obviously claimed you. Unless she has reason to believe that she can somehow break you guys up.”

Her words made Phukan tense.

That Lukprae girl couldn’t possibly know. There was no way she had found out, was there?

Before he could keep worrying, there was a commotion by the entrance. They spotted Achi and Jin in the midst of it and decided to make their way over to their friends.

Jin and Achi had been in line to get food when Achi had noticed something - or someone. Following his friend’s line of sight, Jin’s eyes had narrowed.

“That guy’s trouble,” Jin looked at Achi. “He’s looking for Phu.”

They shared a nod and then left the line. Food could wait a little longer.

“Hey, you,” Achi stepped out and blocked the way of the arrogant looking male alpha walking up towards the cafeteria - and Phukan. He was wearing jeans, a t-shirt as well as a black leather jacket and had his hair slicked back. “If you’re here to cause trouble, you should leave.”

“I am looking for someone,” the alpha replied, “someone very important to me. Maybe you guys can help me. His name is Phukan and he’s my omega.”

“I saw you hitting on plenty of girls on your way here, so don’t give me that shit. You also reek of other alpha and omega girls. So don’t give me the ‘but I’m his true mate’ crap either because aside from it being impossible for you to be with others as a true mate, we’ve never seen you anywhere near Phu. Not to mention our old school.” Achi crossed his arms. “And it would be way too convenient and strange for Phu’s true mate to show up now out of all times.”

An uncharacteristic snarl came from Achi next. “And don’t you call him ‘your omega’ like that.”

Jin spoke up next, “You were paid by your cousin Lukprae to do this. You needed money because you got in trouble with your father after pissing off someone in a high position.”

The alpha flinched.

“Surprised we know so much about you, Khun Stop?” Jin came to stand next to Achi. “If you would like to avoid causing a scene and getting into trouble with your father again, we would suggest that you leave now.”

The alpha threw curses at them but did turn around and left.

“Ai’Jin! Ai’Chi!” Phukan looked at his two friends when they turned around once the ‘intruder’ was gone. “You-You did this for me?”

“You can always count on us, Phu. We’re here for you and we’ll protect you.” Jin nodded. “We know you’re strong on your own and don’t need us to do it but we want to. Because we know you’d do the same for us, too, should we be in a sticky situation.”

“Ai’Jin,” Phukan felt warmth spread in his chest.

“I’m one of your best friends. Of course I will protect you, man,” Achi looked at Phukan as well. “I am not going to let a sleazebag like that anywhere near you.”

“Ai’Chi!” Phukan hugged Jin and Achi. “Thank you.”

Tee sighed softly. “I guess letting you stick around for all these years wasn’t actually all that bad after all.” She gave him a small smile. “You did well, Achi.” She then turned around and walked back over to their table with Nalin.

“Di-Did you see that? Tee smiled at me. And she said I did well.” Achi grabbed and shook Jin.

“Yeah, I did.”

Achi was still completely and utterly in shock and disbelief, “She’s never…”

Jin smirked, “Dude, if you keep that up, one would think you have feelings for her.”

“What? No! Ew…” Achi shuddered. “I could never. Besides, she already has Lin.”

“Uhm, do you two need help getting food? Since we’re all here now, maybe you need an extra set of hands?” Phukan spoke up.

“Ah, no, it’s okay, you go and sit with them, we’ll be right there.”

Phukan spent lunch with his friends until about fifteen minutes before the end, Cirrus and Wim joined them - the seniors had lunch later today, so they couldn’t meet for more than that.

With no small amount of curiosity, Phukan noticed that Wim was sitting next to Jin.

Interesting?

His friend - as if hearing his thoughts - shot him a look and Phukan just looked away. Phukan’s attention was taken away anyways as Achi brought up the alpha from earlier.

“Hey P’Cir, that crazy wannabe fiancée of yours tried to send some alpha in to pose as Phu’s mate or something like that. Which seems pretty crazy to me if you already put your mark on Phu,” Achi pointed at the bite mark on Phukan’s neck. “Just saying.”

“She did what?” Cirrus’s eyes narrowed.

He had probably thought the same as Phukan had earlier. How could Lukprae know?

That thought didn’t leave Phukan for the rest of the day. Just like the new shadow he seemed to have gained ever since classes had ended. Apparently the strange alpha hadn’t left after receiving the warning from Jin and Achi. Contrary to his name, he was clearly someone who didn’t know when to stop. The guy wasn’t making a move yet, probably because Phukan was walking with Wim. However Phukan had the feeling that the alpha would grow impatient soon and well, the opponents right now were ‘just a beta and a lowly omega’ in his eyes probably.

Phukan was right of course. The moment he and Wim walked out into an area with few people around, the alpha tried to jump him.

“P’Wim!” He called out to the senior as the alpha lunged forward. Wim made it out of harm’s way, stumbling against a parked car. Phukan didn’t give the alpha a chance to recover and ran towards him before landing a flying kick to the guy’s middle, sending him backwards.

“You damn omega bitch! I’m going to show you-” He didn’t get any further than that as Phukan landed a punch square in the alpha’s face, sending him to the ground.

Taking a deep breath, Phukan straightened up again and then shook out his hand. “Ow.”

“Phu, are you okay?” Wim was blinking quite rapidly but was somehow holding himself together it seemed. “Also that just now-”

“Ah uhm my cousin’s mate taught me how to fight?” Phukan admitted sheepishly. But he did thank Type inwardly for teaching him some stuff. It came in handy at times like these. People often underestimated Phukan due to him being an omega and thus presenting as more petite and maybe even weak. However, looks could be deceiving.

“Phu!” Cirrus came rushing over to them, along with some members of the campus security.

The security guards took the fallen alpha away and then talked to Wim and Phukan about the incident. Other students had reported the alpha and well, Phukan wouldn’t be punished as he had been acting in self-defense. Wim was vouching for this of course.

Since they needed a proper testimony and everything for the records, the campus security took Phukan aside for a bit to talk to him. So Wim joined Cirrus.

Wim whispered to his friend, “Remind me to never get onto Phu’s bad side, okay? And you probably shouldn’t either. He knocked that alpha down with a single punch!”

“Phu’s strong,” Cirrus said fondly. “Way stronger than me. And he has a pretty sixpack.”

“Uhm, I did not need to know that,” Wim made a face.

Cirrus frowned then. “This doesn’t seem like something that woman would do. It’s too sloppy for her. But I have the feeling that she told Lukprae to do what she wants to bother me.” His expression darkened. “I don’t care if she wants to bother me. But if she’s putting Phu in danger I can’t just let it slide. And I feel like THAT is what that woman wants.”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to talk to her? It’s not going to be of any use!” Wim grabbed Cirrus.

“I don’t want her to cause any more trouble for Phu.” Cirrus looked across the parking lot and spotted a familiar figure dressed in black. “And I don’t want her to cause a scene at uni.”

“That guy was there all the time and didn’t even lift a finger. Typical.” Wim made a face. “That old hag’s damn lapdog. Why can’t we sick campus security on him?”

“We can’t.”

After Cirrus had made sure Phukan was okay and had taken his omega home - and asked the dorm security to keep an eye out for anything fishy, as well as telling Zone to ‘send help’ if Cirrus should be gone for longer than one night - he drove out to a familiar large mansion.

Khanpai greeted him at the door and led him to the room, where dinner was in the process of being served for two. Cirrus took his seat and then stared at the empty chair on the other end of the long table. The long physical distance felt like a mirror of the emotional distance between the two people that would be sitting at it.

“I heard you finally grew into a decent alpha. One with an aura worthy of your blood line.” There was no greeting, no small talk. The woman just walked in and threw the statements at him.

As usual.

“Was that all you wanted to tell me?” Cirrus shot back coolly. “It’s not like you to waste another person’s time like that.” It was a small jab and probably ineffective but Cirrus did it anyway.

“Count your days with that omega boy. There won’t be many of them left.” She said it with so much confidence that had Cirrus thinking that she must have had people do a lot of digging into Phukan and the bite mark. But since she wasn’t taking any actions yet, the information must still be incomplete. So he still had time.

“You will marry Lukprae, an alpha, and continue your pack’s alpha family line.”

“You destroyed your own pack, so don’t you lecture me on putting the pack first or anything high and mighty like that. There is no more pack. You’re a lone wolf. You’re not meant to be with anyone but yourself. I will create my own pack. And I will have the person I chose by my side.” Cirrus countered, tone sharper and angrier than he would have liked but his inner alpha was lashing out at the one on the other side of the table.

The woman’s eyes flashed dangerously. “You will not be with that omega!”

“That is no longer for you to decide, I’m afraid.” Cirrus short back. “I have chosen him. I will not marry Lukprae. And you should tell her to get that out of her head as well. Before she does something that might ruin your reputation in the process as well.”

Cirrus glanced over to where he could feel Khanpai’s presence rather than see the man. “Your assistant will be able to tell you what she’s been doing. I would highly recommend you to distance yourself from her.” He threw down the napkin and rose to his feet.

“Rames!”

“I have nothing else to tell you.” Cirrus declared and then walked out.

He tried to calm down during his drive back to the dorm but didn’t quite succeed. It wasn’t until he breathed in Phukan’s scent - sweet, warm and laced with worry - that he finally found himself able to relax. “I’m back.” He said quietly and then proceeded to rub his nose against Phukan’s bare neck, across the omega’s scent gland. “I’m home.” He corrected himself.

“Welcome back, P’Cir.” Phukan wrapped his arms around him and let him do as he pleased, which was to scent Phukan to his heart’s content.

The note of worry disappeared gradually - not completely - but it lost in strength as Cirrus held Phukan in his arms. But then Cirrus frowned when he detected a sour and bitter hint of sadness and despair in the scent. He pulled away and looked into Phukan’s eyes. “Phu?”

“P’Cir,” Phukan’s grip on his shirt tightened slightly. “I think she knows.”

“Knows what?”

“That the bite isn’t yours.” Phukan sounded scared.

“I’m not going down without a fight,” Cirrus tightened his hold on Phukan. “Until someone can well and truly prove that we cannot be together, I’m not going to let you go. Unless they’re able to find your real true mate, I am not going to let you go.”

And Cirrus knew that they hadn’t been able to find that person yet. Otherwise the woman wouldn’t have told him to count the days. She would have straight up told him that she’d be taking Phukan away from him.

However, with that threat looming above them, Cirrus felt the need to make every moment, every second he still had with Phukan count.

He wasn’t surprised when Phukan’s lips met his half-way and with an equally strong sense of desperation as well. They both felt it. They both felt the same. And Cirrus cursed their fates once again because they were trying to pull them apart.

But not now. For now they were together. And Cirrus would be damned if he didn’t make the most out of it. He would cherish and love Phukan enough to last him for a lifetime.

He growled softly into the kiss when Phukan jumped up when Cirrus got his hands onto those soft ass cheeks, his omega reading his mind perfectly. Hoisting Phukan up, he carried him the short distance into the bedroom. With a swipe of his hand, he threw everything on Phukan’s table down, sending a number of items clattering onto the floor. He’d clean up later.

Gently lowering Phukan down, Cirrus freed up his hands again and got to work on his omega’s clothes. Cirrus noticed with an amused smile that Phukan had already undone his belt and unzipped his slacks. Such nimble little fingers.

“Hurry up, P’Cir.”

Phukan was feeling just as impatient as Cirrus himself.

“On it, my little omega.” He whispered in between kisses. He groaned when Phukan wrapped his legs around his hips and pulled him closer, rubbing their netherregions together. “Phu!”

Phukan wrapped his arms around Cirrus. “I expect to barely be able to walk tomorrow.”

Cirrus let out a soft moan. “You drive me insane.”

But of course he would give Phukan what he had asked for. Gladly.

There were no classes until the afternoon the next day, so instead of meeting before classes started, the pack of friends had agreed to just meet upstairs in the classroom. Tee found Achi looking out of the window, eyes following a pretty alpha girl down in the courtyard.

Tee rolled her eyes next to him. “Go on, hop down there and make your move.”

“Hey! I have standards, you know? Contrary to popular belief I won’t just bed anyone who hasn’t run for the hills by the count of three.” Achi huffed indignantly. He crossed his arms. “She might be pretty but there’s something about her that seems off. That’s why I was looking at her.”

She noticed that Achi hadn’t said ‘checking her out’. Tee sensed that Achi was being honest and then followed her childhood friend’s eyes once again, following the alpha girl’s movements. “I hate to agree with you but you’re right. Something about her does seem off.”

“See?”

Jin then joined them. “Is there something interesting out there?” He frowned. “The sky looks strange.” He then looked away from the sky and down at the ground.

“That’s the crazy alpha girl P’Cir and Phu were talking about. The one who thinks she’s P’Cir’s fiancée. She’s going after Phu.” Jin tensed suddenly and ran out of the room. Tee and Achi looked at each other and gave chase, following their friend downstairs.

They split up along the way. Jin would get Cirrus. Tee and Achi would go to Phukan.

A slightly worried but also somewhat smug and satisfied Cirrus had dropped Phukan off in front of his faculty and then walked him over to the doors as well. Phukan was limping slightly but holding it together. After all it was (partially) his own fault that he was like this.

Cirrus had then left Phukan with Nalin as they bumped into the omega girl on their way to Phukan’s faculty. After saying goodbye to Cirrus, they had made their way towards the others.

Nalin and Phukan had just made it down the corridor when Phukan felt eyes on him and a few moments later, a familiar stench filled his nose.

Before he or Nalin could really react, Phukan felt a palm connecting with his cheek and his head spun around from the sheer force of the impact. The sound of the slap seemed to echo around them - or maybe it was just in his head.

“You lying omega bitch! I will get you away from my P’Cir and I will kill you if I ever have to lay eyes on you again!” Lukprae shrieked at him, making his ears ring even more.

“What is wrong with you?” Nalin got between them, shielding Phukan with her own body. “Who do you think you are, walking up to Phu like that and doing that to him? Not to mention insulting him on top of it.” Usually cute and petite, Nalin was none of that at this moment. Instead she seemed fierce and angry, her protective instincts at full force.

“Out of my way, you dirty omega girl.” Lukprae grabbed Nalin none too gently and shoved her out of the way roughly. Nalin would have taken a bad fall if it hadn’t been for someone catching her before she could do so.

Achi looked at his friend. “You okay, Lin?”

“Yeah. Thanks, Ai’Chi.” Nalin nodded and then both of them looked up to where Tee was now growling menacingly at Lukprae.

“The boys might not be able to go after you but if it’s alpha girl vs. alpha girl it’s fair game.” It was quite clear that Tee was barely able to hold herself back and was ready to throw hands.

After all, Lukprae had attacked not only her friend but also her mate. And that was unforgivable. Tee’s alpha was out for blood but she knew she couldn’t just attack Lukprae.

“It’s because he’s had to be around the likes of you that P’Cir started acting so strange. But I’ll fix him again. I’ll make things right.” Lukprae snarled and sneered at Tee. “Someone like P’Cir needs to be around someone who fits him. Someone of equal status and with pure alpha genes like himself. Only someone like that will be able to satisfy him!”

“And you think that you’re able to satisfy someone like P’Cir? You don’t even know what you’re talking about.” Achi threw in. When Lukprae glared at him he shrugged. “Hey, I know an alpha virgin when I see one. Or smell one, really.” He pinched his nose to drive home his point.

“If even this guy doesn’t want you, there is no way in hell P’Cir would ever be interested in you,” Tee crossed her arms. “Get it through your thick skull. Besides, you cannot go against the law. You cannot break an existing bond. It’s forbidden.”

“It’s not the law if it’s a lie.” Lukprae countered.

“That omega slut was already bonded before he met P’Cir! He’s a dirty liar! He doesn’t belong to P’Cir. He’s just using him to cover up his shameful past of letting some wild alpha fuck him!” Lukprae screeched. “The private investigator hired by P’Cir’s mother told me!”

Phukan’s blood ran cold.

She knew.

She knew about his past.

She knew the truth.

Chapter Text

“What the hell is going on here?” Cirrus appeared at the scene with Jin in tow. He didn’t even look at Lukprae, his eyes immediately went over to Phukan, who was holding his cheek.

Worried, he made his way over to the omega and gently pried Phukan’s hand away. The redness of the cheek told him everything he needed to know. He leaned his forehead against Phukan’s for a brief moment before he glared at Lukprae.

It was a glare so cold, it would have probably made hell freeze over.

“P’Cir!” Lukprae’s tone changed as she addressed Cirrus, putting on a softer voice, playing up the ‘I’m just a cute innocent girl’ act. “That omega is lying to you! That bite isn’t yours. You have no reason to stay with him. And Khun Mae knows, too. The private investigator’s report said that the bite was made long ago. Whatever that omega is telling you to keep you around is wrong!”

“You’ve got your facts all wrong. But I think it would be a waste of my breath to try and explain things to you. You wouldn’t get it, no matter what I said or did.” Cirrus pulled Phukan closer against him. “I will stay with Phu. And that’s the end of that.”

“That lying bitch of an omega is not worthy of someone like you!” Lukprae huffed. “That slap earlier wasn’t what he deserved either. He deserves so much worse!”

“Watch what you’re saying,” Tee cut in and then tossed an envelope at Lukprae that she produced from her purse. “This information will have reached that mother of yours as well, P’Cir. That private investigator’s report was still incomplete.” She crossed her arms. “Forensics matched the mark on Phu’s neck to Cir’s dental records. And there’s surveillance footage of our old school as well that shows them being together on the day it happened.”

Phukan’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

“It means…that you two have been bonded since high school,” Tee looked at Cirrus and Phukan. “And as true mates, P’Cir should have a mark on his body as well. To prove it.”

Both Cirrus and Phukan stared at Tee first and then at each other before they looked back at Phukan’s friend once again. “Is that true?” Cirrus asked, his hold on Phukan tightening ever so slightly. His body language clearly showed that the flame of hope was still burning in him.

“It’s true.” Tee nodded. “And…shouldn’t you have noticed sooner?” Tee looked at Phukan. “A bonded and mated omega will feel repulsed when they are with someone, who isn’t their mate. Physically and mentally. But you felt happy around P’Cir, right?”

“Well, I mean, what am I supposed to compare it to? I have never slept with anyone else!” Phukan defended himself.

“Remember what happened to me when a ‘true mate’ omega girl tried to get with me?” Achi spoke up. “I couldn’t even get close to her without her throwing up.”

Phukan remembered Achi’s story. It had been about half-way through their first year at uni.

“That omega girl tried to use me to take revenge on her alpha boyfriend. But damn the moment I so much as scented her she started to throw up.” Achi sighed dramatically. “It killed the mood and everything.”

“Maybe she just realized how terrible of a person you are,” Tee commented.

Instead of reacting to Tee’s jab, Achi continued, “She told me to keep going once she’d emptied out all the contents of her stomach. I was reluctant but she wasn’t having any of it. It ended with me having to call an ambulance for her.” His expression had turned dark.

The group fell silent.

“And that’s when you found out that she was someone else’s ‘true mate’,” Jin spoke up.

Achi looked up and nodded. “The doctors said that she was fine. They asked me a lot of questions, but the girl had told them that it had been consensual. That she had wanted to test something. And that she had received the answers she had been looking for. She went back to her alpha and they’ll now live happily ever after.”

It was like Tee had said. Phukan had never felt bad or uncomfortable around Cirrus. On the contrary. The senior had always made him feel safe. Loved and cherished.

Cirrus scenting him had been bliss. And their first time in bed- it had scared Phukan just how good it had felt and how much more he had wanted then. And still did now. Just that now, it looked like he didn’t have to feel scared or guilty anymore every time he allowed himself to indulge in all the affection Cirrus had been showering him with.

He glanced at the alpha next to him.

Because he hadn’t betrayed anyone. He hadn’t betrayed his ‘true mate’. Because he had been with his ‘true mate’ all along. Nothing he, they, had done had been wrong.

Everything had been right.

And he would no longer have to be afraid of an unknown true mate taking him away from Cirrus. Nobody would be able to take the senior away from him anymore.

“I always feel happy with P’Cir,” Phukan nodded. “I like it when he holds me. Kisses me. Scents me. And when his knot is inside of me.”

“Oh shit, too much information,” Achi looked a bit green.

Tee turned to look at Cirrus. “So, is there a mark on your body, phi?”

“There is.” Cirrus replied with a nod. “Or at least I think there is.”

“Lies! Lies! These are all lies!” Lukprae shrieked as he looked at the papers inside the envelope. “This is not real. It’s fake! You made this all up to humiliate me!”

“If you don’t believe it, we’ll see you in court, bitch.” Tee snarled.

By now, a quite sizable group of students had gathered around them and people were pulling their heads together to whisper to each other and point at Lukprae. The alpha girl made an indignant sound and then fled the scene.

Phukan looked at his friends. “...what would I do without you?”

“Be in more trouble, that’s for sure,” Tee sighed softly and then put an arm around Nalin when the omega girl stepped closer to her. Her mate’s scent calmed Tee down again.

“How come you were looking into Phu’s bite mark?” Cirrus asked then.

Tee looked behind Cirrus, where Jin and Wim had been watching everything, “Jin had a hunch. He told me to use my family’s connections to look into it. Said it would be important.”

Wim looked at Jin. “Now you can also see the future?”

“I can’t,” Jin smiled at Wim. “It was just a lucky guess.”

Shaking his head, Wim moved towards Cirrus, “Hey, that’s good news, isn’t it? You’ve now found your way out. That old hag can’t do anything against this. You’re legally bonded. And unless she wants to challenge one of the most sacred laws of the country, she can’t separate you two anymore. You’ve won. You’re free.”

“It’s too early to say that.” Cirrus was still cautious. He didn’t want to count the chickens before they had hatched. “But I guess it’s a step in the right direction.”

Achi crossed his arms. “Go home you two. P’Cir, you should take care of Phu. That slap looked nasty. And don’t worry, Phu. We’ll handle things in class.”

Jin nodded. “We will.”

“I will, too,” Wim nodded. “So yeah, go home.”

Their friends knew that Cirrus and Phukan would want to be alone now. And talk. Phukan appreciated that. He nodded his thanks to everyone before he let Cirrus lead him away.

The drive back to the dorm was quiet and it wasn’t until the door had fallen shut behind them that Phukan dared to speak up again. “So…you’re my mate. My true mate.”

It still didn’t feel real. It still felt too good to be true. It felt like one of his dreams. The dreams Phukan had been so reluctant to wake up from. Because they had only been that - dreams.

But this wasn’t a dream. This was real.

Or was it?

His friends didn’t have a reason to lie to them, though. Right? This wasn’t just part of Zone and Cirrus and Wim’s big plan to get Cirrus his freedom.

“Can you show me your mark?” There was no better way to prove it than to look at the ‘facts’.

“I…it might be here,” Cirrus placed a hand over his chest. “People thought it was a birthmark or just a blemish on my skin. Since it wasn’t harmful it wasn’t removed.”

Phukan reached up to undo the buttons of Cirrus’s shirt and flipped one side back once he was done. His fingers ghosted over his mate’s skin and then he saw the faint lines. They formed the same shape as the one inside of his bite mark. Something that looked like the number 8 or an infinity mark, depending on how you looked at it. A perfect match.

How had he not seen them before? But then again, whenever Cirrus had gotten undressed, Phukan’s thoughts had been elsewhere.

Leaning in, Phukan kissed the mark gently, making Cirrus suck in his breath sharply.

“Phu!”

Looking up, Phukan gave Cirrus a smile. “I like that the mark is right where I can feel your heartbeat, P’Cir.” He nuzzled Cirrus’s chest. “Means this belongs to me.”

Pulling Phukan up and kissing him gently, Cirrus whispered, “Would never want to belong to anyone else, Phu.” Another kiss. “Only to you.”

Swallowing, Phukan nervously licked his lips before he whispered, “My alpha.”

“My omega.”

They could finally say it.

Phukan smiled but Cirrus was frowning.

“What’s wrong, P’Cir?”

“I’m jealous,” Cirrus grumbled.

“Of whom??” Phukan blinked.

“Of my past self. Or my other self, my alpha,” Cirrus brushed his fingers over Phukan’s mark, making him whimper softly. “For taking this away from me.”

Phukan laughed softly and wrapped his arms around Cirrus. “Just make a new mark then? Do it many, many times over. So it’ll be burned into both my body and my memory.” He stole a kiss that started out chaste but quickly turned anything but. His voice dropped to a dark and husky tone when he whispered, “Because I want to feel it, too. I want to be claimed by you, P’Cir.”

“Phu,” Cirrus looked him in the eyes. “Aren’t you still sore from last night?”

“This is different. This is special.” Phukan smiled. “Don’t worry about me. I can take it.” He chuckled softly. “And I know I’ll have a very caring alpha to look after me afterwards.”

“Spoiled.” Cirrus smiled and then pushed Phukan back towards the bedroom.

They went slow. Savouring each other’s presence in sensual touches and kisses first, before joining their bodies in the most intimate way possible.

When Cirrus renewed the mating bite on his neck, Phukan was overwhelmed by a feeling of incredible…it wasn’t just mere pleasure. There was more to it. So much more. He suddenly became hyper aware of himself, his entire body and maybe even his entire being. And then he felt Cirrus. In him. Around him. With him. A part of him.

And then there was his omega. It was wrapping itself around him like a warm, gentle presence.

Everything felt so good. And everything felt so right. Phukan almost wished he could remain in this soft bubble for longer but then the feeling of pleasure took the upper hand and yanked him back into reality, back into his body and straight into a mindblowing orgasm.

The next thing he knew was lying in Cirrus’s arms, happier and more at peace than he had been in months. The dark shadow of uncertainty was finally gone and Phukan could allow himself to be well and truly happy. And could allow himself to love freely.

“I love you, P’Cir.”

“Love you, too, Phukan.”

Nobody would be able to separate them. Nobody would be able to destroy their happiness.

Not even that crazy alpha girl.

When Tee had said they would be seeing Lukprae in court, Phukan hadn’t thought that the alpha girl would actually go quite that far. Well, he had still underestimated her it seemed. Which was how he found himself sitting in a courtroom a few weeks later.

Phukan’s heart was thundering in his chest. He sat next to Cirrus and was berating himself because he should be the one providing moral support to the other. And yet he was sitting here feeling so nervous he was about ready to jump out of his skin.

“K’Rames and K’Sisira are indeed true mates and have formed a true bond. As it stands, their bond has been officially entered into the registry and is legally binding.” The judge announced.

All the tension seemed to leave Cirrus’s body and he closed his eyes and heaved a soft sigh.

Phukan gently hugged his mate. Yes. His mate. Officially now. And forever. And nothing and nobody would be able to change that.

Even if they wanted to. Glancing over to the other side of the room, Phukan could see how the wretched girl was about to open her mouth, undoubtedly to protest. But no words came out.

“You have no right to object. This is the law.” The female alpha judge leveled Lukprae with a gaze before the arrogant alpha girl could even speak. “You cannot go against the law.”

If Phukan hadn’t been intimidated by the judge’s aura (and if it wasn’t absolutely against all the rules and etiquette of the court) he would have cheered. Witnessing someone putting that girl into her place was beyond awesome after all.

And with this ruling, as well as the public humiliation, Phukan could only hope that she’d give up. That she would finally realise that there were in fact things in this world that could not be bought with money or by her family pulling some strings. That even she could be told ‘no’.

Cirrus and Phukan left the court hand in hand, with their friends in tow.

“I’m shocked the old hag wasn’t here,” Wim looked around. “You’d think she would’ve wanted to fight this. But I guess despite everything she’s done, even she has to follow this law.”

“She only sent an official statement of acknowledgement.” Cirrus said. “Which means she accepted the court’s decision.” Phukan knew that Cirrus hadn’t shown it but that the alpha had felt quite shocked upon receiving the letter from the judge.

“Zone is meeting us at a restaurant nearby. We’re going to celebrate,” Wim grinned. “Let’s go!”

It was strange to think that he’d ‘made it’. That he had found a way to oppose that woman and free himself from her influence - at least in that one aspect of his life. But since he’d now torn a hole into her wall, Cirrus was confident that he would be able to destroy the rest as well.

Sooner or later.

Everything had been going so well for him. For them. A part of Cirrus couldn’t help but think that things were going a little too well. And that they shouldn’t let their guard down just yet.

That strange, foreboding feeling followed him even into his sleep and his dreams.

When Cirrus opened his eyes, he found himself in a black space. He was lying on a leaf covered forest floor and there were tall trees surrounding him. The pale light of a moon illuminated the small space he was in. Something was strange, though.

And it wasn’t the large wolf next to him, who circled him - protectively - guarding him from something (or someone) in the shadows. The presence of the wolf was warm and familiar. A part of him. Suddenly the wolf stopped and growled menacingly.

Taking up a combat stance instinctively, Cirrus followed his wolf’s line of sight and tried to make out what his alpha had sensed. Or whom.

Then the growling stopped and his wolf became docile, lying down by Cirrus’s feet. That confused Cirrus. He looked at his wolf, as if asking him a silent question. When he looked up again, he almost jumped when he came face to face with-

Himself?

“It’s rare for me to come into play this late in the game,” the other him, dressed in a black shirt and dark grey slacks, mused but then his expression fell. “I don’t think I have to tell you to keep your Phukan safe. Because I know you will.”

“I will not let anyone hurt him.” Cirrus growled and his wolf snarled dangerously.

They both took it as a personal insult that someone could even imply that he would not do his utmost to keep his omega, his Phukan, safe.

“Good. That takes care of that,” the other Cirrus crossed his arms. “I will tell you this then: do not let your heart waver and just trust him. No matter what happens.”

Then he stepped forward. “There is still doubt in your heart. You should get rid of that.” He poked Cirrus’s chest, making him stumble backwards and suddenly Cirrus found himself back in bed, with Phukan curled up against his side. The omega made a soft sound, maybe subconsciously sensing the confused and distressed pheromones from Cirrus.

Kissing Phukan’s forehead, Cirrus tried to relax and sort the thoughts racing in his mind again.

Of course he trusted Phu. Why wouldn’t he?

What was the meaning of that strange dream just now?

Cirrus had almost forgotten about it until a few days later, when Cirrus came out from an interview with a potential internship place. His eyes narrowed when he saw a familiar figure dressed in black standing not too far away.

“What do you want? Or what does your mistress want?”

“Actually it’s not her sending me this time, Khun Rames.” Khanpai replied. “I just thought I’d share something interesting with you, though. Your mother is welcoming a rather special guest at her home today. One I didn’t think would ever set foot into that house.”

Cirrus frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“Never has an omega walked through the doors of that house. You should know that.”

There wouldn’t be any reason for Khanpai to tell him about some random omega visiting that woman. Cirrus almost ran over to his car and got inside, starting the engine.

There was only one omega that could be meant by that.

“Phu!”

What was that woman planning? And why had Phukan even agreed to go and meet her? Alone on top of it all. And behind Cirrus’s back.

He felt a pang of hurt on his chest.

Phukan had told him he’d be spending the day with his family again, while Cirrus was out.

Why had the other lied to him?

Cirrus pulled up in front of his childhood home and ran up the stairs. He heard voices from the living room and made his way over, heart thundering in his chest.

What he saw when he reached the living room however, wasn’t anything he could have expected. And it wasn’t just that Phukan was with the woman.

It was the fact the woman looked unlike anything Cirrus had seen her look like before. Her hair was down and she wasn’t wearing a business suit but a more casual dress.

However the most shocking sight was her face as she wrapped Phukan in a warm hug.

She was smiling.

Cirrus didn’t think he had ever seen her smile before - at least not like this. Not like-

A mother. Someone capable of feeling love.

No, the only smile he had ever seen on her face was the cold one, bordering a self-satisfied smirk. The one that showed to other people ‘I won’.

And Phukan had willingly moved into her arms. He even looked happy. It even resembled the way the omega looked whenever he hugged Cirrus or was being hugged by Cirrus. How did that woman get Phukan to hug her so warmly and welcomingly?

What was she planning? What was she doing with Phukan?

And why was Phukan hugging her back like that?

Chapter Text

Cirrus was shocked to see Phukan with the woman. What shocked him even more was that Phukan seemed to be comfortable around her. But the most shocking thing out of all was that the woman was acting unlike she usually did. She was smiling warmly, an expression Cirrus hadn’t even been able to imagine on her face. Ever. What was happening?

He watched as the two of them continued their conversation and by the end of it, the woman wrapped Phukan into another careful hug. She showed more emotion in a mere five to ten minutes than Cirrus had ever seen her show in his entire life up until now.

Was she trying to trick Phukan? Or was there more?

A voice inside of his head whispered to him. About how this all might have just been a dream after all. How it had just been a lie. And that the woman had tricked him into believing it just to yank him back into the harsh and cold reality again.

She was going to reveal to him that Phukan had been under her control all along. That he had paid him to do this all to Cirrus. To show him that he would never ever be with an omega.

Or that being with an omega would never lead to happiness.

Another voice spoke up, arguing against the first one. Phukan was his true mate. Phukan wouldn’t do something like that to him. Ever.

Doubt ate at his heart as the two voices fought for dominance in his head. Until he remembered the words of his ‘other self’ that he had been told in his dreams.

“Do not let your heart waver and trust him. No matter what happens.”

The first voice, the one full of doubt and darkness, went quiet.

Suddenly Phukan turned to look at him - up until now the two occupants of the room had been sitting in a way that wouldn’t have allowed to spot him easily - and his eyes showed surprise. But then he figured that Phukan might have picked up his scent.

“P’Cir! How come you’re here?” He got up and walked over to Cirrus but then stopped when he noticed that something seemed off. “P’Cir?”

“Rames.” The woman rose to her feet as well. “How long have you been here?”

“Long enough to have questions.” Cirrus replied coldly. “What is the meaning of this?”

Looking back between them, Phukan frowned in confusion, “P’Cir, you know Auntie Tri?”

Cirrus looked at Phukan. “Auntie Tri?”

“She’s…She’s my godmother. But I call her auntie because she’s just as much family to me as my aunts are. I think I mentioned her to you before?” Phukan nodded.

“What-”

“Sisira,” Ratri looked at Phukan. “Don’t tell me Rames is your-”

“Yeah,” Phukan nodded. “P’Cir is my mate. I finally found him, Auntie Tri! That’s the happy news I wanted to share with you today.”

“...what a twist of fate,” Ratri averted her gaze. “Tell him Rames. Tell him who I am to you.”

There were too many thoughts racing through Cirrus’s head. And he couldn’t grasp any of them.

So he replied on autopilot. “That woman is my biological mother.”

Phukan stared up at Cirrus with wide eyes. “What? Auntie Tri is-” He looked at Ratri. “How come- but- I don’t remember pa saying that you had a family?”

“I don’t,” Ratri said and Cirrus could have sworn that there was a hint of sadness in her voice. “Not anymore at least. And maybe I never really did. Not since I lost your father.”

“...he was your best friend, right?” Phukan asked.

“He was more than that, Sisira.” Ratri said softly. “I was your father’s first love. As he was mine.”

Her words hit both Cirrus and Phukan like a bucket of cold water.

“Huh?”

Ratri continued, “We were childhood friends. And fell in love. We dreamed of a happy relationship, alpha and omega, with a warm pack and pups. But it wasn’t meant to be.” Her expression darkened. “My family wouldn’t allow an omega mate. So they separated us. After my parents took me away, our lives went down very different paths. Siwat found love again. A love that brought him happiness, that lasted until the moment when he took his last breath. A love that brought forward more love.” She looked at Phukan. “As for myself, I knew I would never be allowed to ‘love’. I would only be allowed to ‘have’, to ‘own’. And to control.”

Her eyes fell onto Cirrus.

“Your grandfather found out that there was an omega in K’Aisoon’s family. I knew I should have sent all of you away but when I was faced with losing everything once again, I just couldn’t let go this time. So I held onto you. I knew it was wrong. I knew it was a mistake. Because I didn’t know how to be a mother. In any other way than the one in which I had been brought up. And even though I told K’Aisoon to take you all and to not listen to me, his heart wavered. And he took pity on me for a second time in our lives.”

She closed her eyes briefly.

“You were right when you told me that I should be a lone wolf. I should be indeed. So that the madness can end with me. The madness that will befall all ‘pure alpha clans’ at one point.” Her laugh sounded hollow and it made Phukan shiver slightly.

“...Siwat would be happy, knowing that our children could have the love and happiness we never did. And that fate brought and bound you two together. So that nobody would be able to separate you from one another.” She looked out of the window. “Maybe it was his doing. Maybe he was able to get the heavens to grant him that wish in return for his life.”

Then she turned away.

“Sisira will tell you the rest.” Ratri stated, changing back to the usual tone she used when talking to others. The one Cirrus was used to. “You shouldn’t be here. Leave.”

Before she walked away, she stopped and said one last thing. “Be happy with him, Rames.”

“Auntie Tri-”

“Take care of him for me, Sisira.”

It was as if she had given them her blessings. Cirrus didn’t know what to think anymore. Especially not with all the information that had just been dumped on him.

“Auntie Tri-”

“Leave, Sisira.” Ratri shook her head. “And maybe you shouldn’t come back.”

And with that she disappeared from the room, leaving Cirrus and Phukan behind. The latter turned towards the alpha. “P’Cir-”

“I-” Cirrus cut him off, “I need a little bit of time to think.” He walked out of the room as well, leaving Phukan standing there alone.

Cirrus drove to the other side of the city, to a house he didn’t think he’d ever set foot into again - he had dared to once and his mother’s servants had beaten him until he had passed out.

“Phi! What are you doing here?” Zone opened the door, a delighted expression on his face at first which made way for a worried one soon after. “P’Cir?”

“Where is he?”

“Upstairs in his study.” Zone replied.

He brushed past his younger brother and went upstairs. Once there, he came face to face with the man he had once upon a time called ‘father’.

“Did grandfather force you out?”

“You found out, didn’t you?” It wasn’t really a question. “I wonder how you did. Because I doubt she would have told you so herself. Unless there were extraordinary circumstances.”

“I asked you a question.” Cirrus said coolly.

Aisoon looked at his sons - both of them standing in the door to his study now.

“I knew I was but an imperfect replacement. I knew that deep down, your mother still loved someone else. Someone she could never have. But both of us had to live with this arrangement. And we tried to make the most out of it. It was hard on her, both physically and mentally.” Aisoon sighed softly. “Of course she wouldn’t admit it, but I knew. I’d known her long enough.”

Zone raised an eyebrow, “How did you end up marrying her?”

“Well, as you might have been able to put together, it was an arrangement by our families. The two most valued alpha children from both packs to continue the blood lines. And a business alliance that would benefit everyone involved.” Aisoon leaned back. “We’d known each other before that, of course. We met at school, when your grandparents took her away from her old one, her old life. After discovering she had been associating with an omega for years.”

His eyes turned sad. “At first it was just an arrangement by our families. But with some time, we also came to terms with it and each other in the process. And we tried to make the best out of it. But your mother had already been broken, maybe beyond repair. Her warped heart sent her protective instincts into overdrive to the point of extreme possessiveness. She didn’t want to lose another person she held dear. That’s why she did some of the things she did. Even though she knew they were crazy and reckless. But it was that inner desperation driving her. So she wasn’t thinking. Wasn’t using that ice cold logic she displays in her boardroom meetings.”

Cirrus knew what Aisoon meant with that. That had been the woman he had grown up with.

“You’ve probably heard about what is called the ‘madness of pure alphas’. It’s the nice way of saying that inbreeding alphas all the time leads to nothing good. There’s no real proof of that being true but many people believe in it. Maybe because the mindset of keeping your pack and bloodline ‘pure’ is just…madness in itself.” Aisoon continued.

“I knew the moment I looked into her face one day that things were about to be over. I saw the last flicker of light disappear from her eyes when she returned from her parents’ house. I saw how the ‘madness’ was threatening to take over for good. She told me to leave. To get out and never come back. To take everything and run before it was too late.” He looked at both of his sons. “Including the two of you.”

“Then why didn’t you-”

“At the end of the day, I had come to love her. Despite all her flaws. And in a way that might be different than other people might love their partners.” Aisoon admitted. “She couldn’t stand losing everything once again. And I wasn’t able to let her suffer through that a second time. I did it at your expense. It might have been a mistake. And I know you haven’t forgiven me for it. And I do not expect you to. I did what I did. And I have to take responsibility for those decisions.”

“With all due respect,” Zone spoke up, “that’s fucked up.”

Cirrus felt inclined to agree.

“Let me guess how you found out,” Aisoon then looked at Cirrus. “You must have learned the truth about her relationship to your omega, Phukan, am I right?”

The words made Cirrus tense.

“You knew?”

“Of course I did.” Aisoon replied. “I care about you and what goes on in your life. I knew the moment Zone showed me a picture of you and Phukan. Unlike your mother, who had probably remained in the dark about it because all she cared about was the fact that Phukan is an omega. She never took any interest in who he was.”

It would make sense. Otherwise she would have known about Phukan before. And maybe that had been the reason why Lukprae had been waving around the report of the private investigator and made a fuss about it instead of that woman.

“How unlike her. She’s usually so thorough.” Zone commented.

“Maybe she did know. Who knows?” Aisoon shrugged. “Maybe she had reasons to ignore it.”

”Be happy with him, Rames.”

Had she done it all on purpose? Cirrus found that hard to believe. But after everything he had learned today, he didn’t really know what to believe anymore.

Cirrus turned around to leave again. He had heard enough. For now.

Before he could leave the house, Zone stopped him.

“Wait a damn second here, big bro,” his younger brother looked at him. “I am missing something here. What did father mean by that woman’s relationship with Phukan?”

“She’s Phu’s godmother.” Cirrus replied. “The omega that woman was in love with before she was forced away from him was Phu’s father.”

Zone’s mouth fell open in shock. “Holy shit.”

Phukan sat in front of his father’s makeshift altar, legs pulled to his chest and head resting against his knees. Closing his eyes, he thought back to the times his late father and the rest of his family had talked about his ‘Auntie Tri’ - or Ratri.

His father had always talked about her fondly. Not unlike he had talked about his sisters. He had talked about her like family. A person he held dear. A person he had lost.

The first time Phukan had met Ratri had been when his father had already been on his deathbed. She had come into the hospital room, looking distraught and as if her world was about to end. It had made Phukan think of how he himself felt. And maybe that’s why he had felt some kind of connection to the alpha woman right away.

“I made you his godmother, Tri.” His father had smiled at her weakly. “Wish you could have spent more time with him. Please watch over him for me from now on, okay?”

Thinking back to it all, Phukan realised that she had never been around when Phukan’s mother had been. Probably on purpose. But that had led to her being there for Phukan when his mother had left for Australia. Along of course, with the rest of Phukan’s family.

Phukan remembered the sadness in her eyes more clearly now. How it hadn’t just been mourning for his father. But also looking at him with a subtle hint of ‘you could have been mine’. And now his aunt’s expression also made sense. When Phukan had asked her to decline any offer from his Auntie Tri, if she were to ask to adopt him and take care of him. Which had been what Phukan had thought that sadness in her eyes had meant.

His aunt had looked at him with a complicated expression and had told him with a sad smile that his auntie probably wasn’t looking at him so sadly because of that.

But that it wasn’t her story to tell to Phukan.

Well. Now he understood why.

It was hard, if not impossible, to think of his godmother as the same person from Cirrus’s stories - the cold and unfeeling woman, who had made Cirrus’s life a living hell.

That she was in fact the same person his father had always talked about with such warmth and love. The person he had missed with a part of his heart. Even though Phukan knew that his parents had well and truly loved one another, he could understand that what had happened had probably left a gaping hole inside of his father’s very soul.

Phukan had had nightmares about being separated from Cirrus. Just like he still hadn’t completely gotten over his father’s passing. Actually having someone you loved deeply ripped away from you by some cruel fate, Phukan could understand the emptiness that left inside of you. And maybe even the things it would make you do as a result.

Just like Phukan himself, his father had probably kept those things locked up inside, only to show them in very rare moments and only to the people he trusted the most.

Ratri didn’t have anyone to confide in. She hadn’t had an outlet for those feelings. And so the wounds in her heart had never properly healed but festered, turning into ugly scars that had warped her into the ‘monster’ that she was now.

Phukan’s head shot up when he heard a sound. His eyes widened slightly when he found Cirrus standing by the door all of a sudden. “P’Cir? How did you-”

“You forgot to lock the door.” Cirrus replied.

“Oh,” Phukan blushed. “I guess I might have.” His thoughts had been all over the place after all.

“May I join you?” The alpha asked.

Nodding, Phukan sat up in a straighter position again. He didn’t pick up any strange notes in Cirrus’s scent, so at least that made him feel a bit more at ease but not completely. He knew and he understood that Cirrus must also be going through an emotional turmoil right now.

Just like himself.

The information, the truth they had both been confronted with today, wasn’t something either of them could just brush aside. They couldn’t just acknowledge it and move on.

So he hadn’t thought much when Cirrus had run off.

Phukan had done the same. He had needed to be alone for a bit, to sort out his thoughts.

Cirrus sat down next to him and made a wai towards the picture on the altar, before he turned to look at Phukan. “I figured you’d be here.”

“P’Cir…”

“This isn’t between us. This goes way beyond.” Cirrus said softly. “So I’m not letting it come between us in any way.” He pulled Phukan against himself and Phukan let him.

“I know.” Phukan said softly. “Don’t worry.”

Leaning against his alpha, Phukan closed his eyes, “You know, P’Cir, it is said that true mates is just a different way of saying soulmates. And soulmates are said to be two halves of a whole.” He opened his eyes again to look at his father’s picture. “If things had gone differently, neither of us would be here right now. Pa and Auntie Tri would have had one child. Because that’s all my Pa could bear due to his sickness.”

He craned his head up to look at Cirrus. “I kept thinking that maybe the soul of that child that never was, was then split in half. Just like Pa and Auntie Tri, who were ripped apart. And now there’s you and me. And each of us has half of that child’s soul.”

“Phu…”

“We shouldn’t be forced to be scared of and live in the shadows of our parents. We have to step out there and show them how to do things better. We have to set things right. So that the star crossed lovers of this tale will be able to get a happy ending. Even if it’s not perfect.”

Cirrus remained silent for a moment before he agreed softly. “Yeah.”

~Epilogue~

Phukan let his eyes roam around the chapel-like set up of the wedding venue, finding many familiar faces in the process. Aside from the ones sitting next to him.

“I still can’t believe that Ai’Chi out of all people is the first one of our group to get married.” Tee crossed her arms. “Life sure works in mysterious ways sometimes.”

Nalin laughed softly and leaned against her mate. “Well, I guess when you find the right person you just gotta make them yours right away?”

“Well, that’s how P’Cir and Phukan saw things as well, didn’t they?” Tee mused and made Phukan blush and clamp a hand over his neck. “Men always act so rashly.”

“Aren’t you just bitter that he beat you to it?” Jin threw in. “And the fact that Ai’Chi will dangle the fact that he managed to propose to his mate before you did in front of you until the end of time.”

“Don’t remind me!”

“Everyone, please, we’re at a wedding!” Phukan laughed. He turned away from his friends when he felt someone sit down next to him on the other side. “P’Cir, you made it!”

“You picked the suit for me. I couldn’t not wear it for you.” Cirrus replied with a smile and then kissed Phukan’s forehead gently. “You look great.”

“Not as good as you. Ai’Chi is going to whine at me later saying that I made you look more handsome than the groom.” Phukan’s cheeks flushed lightly. Before he could say anything else, the ceremony started, so Phukan sat up straight to watch things unfold.

He smiled when he felt Cirrus taking his hand and intertwining their fingers.

The ceremony and festivities proceeded and Phukan laughed and clapped as Tee was hit in the face by the bouquet at the toss, which had her chasing after Achi for a few minutes, accusing him of doing it on purpose or having lousy ass aim.

It changed with every lap they did around the venue.

“So you’ll be next, huh?” Wim looked at Nalin and then over at Cirrus and Phukan. “You guys better get in line because the spot after that is already booked.” He flicked back some of his hair, showing off a ring on his finger.

“Oh, congratulations,” Phukan smiled at Jin.

While Cirrus just shrugged. “Go ahead.”

“Boo, you’re no fun.” Wim huffed.

Nalin chuckled. “Well, Phu and P’Cir aren’t in a hurry. They already know they’ll be together for better or worse and until death does them part. All without needing a bite. Or a ring to prove it.”

“I feel like that would’ve saved them a lot of pain, though,” Achi came to stand next to Phukan, slightly out of breath. “Don’t you think?”

“Mh, maybe,” Phukan smiled. “But well, things worked out in the end, didn’t they?”

Cirrus nodded.

“Don’t you ever wonder, though? How things would have been if things had gone differently?”

Phukan shrugged. “Not really. Because they didn’t. And we can’t change the past anymore. Maybe in another world things would have gone differently, who knows.”

“Yeah, maybe in another world P’Cir and Phu found each other in high school already.”

“In another world, huh?” Cirrus murmured. The image of that other version of himself, dressed in a black shirt and grey slacks, suddenly appeared in his mind. He’d forgotten all about it until now. How strange.

“What was that, P’Cir?” Phukan looked up.

“Nothing.” Cirrus shook his head.

At night, when they got back to their house, Cirrus raised an eyebrow when Phukan pulled off his necktie and then stripped him off his suit jacket as well.

“What does my little omega want?”

Phukan flashed him a smile.

“You know, we might be last when it comes to getting married but we could get first when it comes to other things.” Phukan stripped out of his own suit jacket and undid the buttons of his shirt. The scent hit Cirrus and he growled softly.

His omega was going into heat.

“Phu…”

“Our pups will grow up in a healthy pack, loved and happy.” Phukan pushed Cirrus down and climbed into his lap. “That’s a promise.”

“Promise.” Cirrus echoed and then smirked. “How many pups do you want?”

“How many will you give me?”

They would not make the same ‘mistakes’ as their own parents had. They would do things differently. That was another promise they had made. And one they vowed to keep.

- FIN -