Page 8

Xander

A s he reached for Ersa’s sleeping shirt, Xander murmured, “One night. That’s all I can give you.”

“I know, I’m not asking for more,” Ersa said, lifting his arms to help slip the shirt off. His nipples hardened to stiff points right before Xander’s eyes.

Was he that turned on?

Fascinated, Xander reached for Ersa’s left nipple and rolled it between his fingers before he closed his lips around the hard nub. Xander moaned, loving the taste of Ersa’s skin and the glide of his nipple against his tongue. Fuck, he could do this all day long. Xander flicked his tongue against Ersa’s nipple over and over before he sucked it deep into his mouth.

“Ahhh… Uhh…” Ersa moaned, tugging on his hair until Xander lifted his head to stare down at him.

“What?”

“Can you do that while you fuck me? I can’t… I can’t take it any longer.”

“Don’t say things like that, or I’ll lose control,” Xander said in a strained voice. Needing a moment to get himself under control, he dropped his head on Ersa’s shoulder and took deep, slow breaths. When Ersa writhed beneath him impatiently, Xander rolled to his back and dragged the omega on top of him. He grasped Ersa’s rocking hips to keep him still as he said, “Give me a second, Ersa.”

“No… please. I’m going crazy.” As soon as the words slipped out of Ersa’s mouth, he went to his knees and reached for Xander’s sleeping pants. With a frustrated growl, he yanked the pants off, sending them sailing through the air before they landed on the floor with a heavy plop. Seconds later, Xander gritted his teeth as Ersa slid over his naked thighs to straddle his waist.

Dazed, Xander watched as Ersa lifted slightly to his knees, his fingers closed around Xander’s throbbing cock, and he aimed for his quivering hole. When Ersa rolled his hips, taking him deep in one smooth motion, Xander fisted the sheets. A sharp, tearing sound split the silence as the material gave way to his claws. His chest heaved, each breath labored as he fought to keep control.

“Fuck,” Xander groaned as Ersa rolled his hip up and slammed them back down in hard snaps that drove him crazy. He squeezed his eyes shut, praying that he would be able to hold out until Ersa found his release. But when Ersa’s hole convulsed around his cock, Xander’s mouth fell open on a silent scream as his knot thickened and slid into place. His hips moved all on their own in jerky and uncoordinated thrusts that sank his knot deeper.

“Oh, fuck… oh, fuck,” Xander mumbled, his voice rough and broken as his world spun wildly out of control. It was just like that first time, his mind a haze of sensation, his body on fire. He couldn’t believe how good it felt. The pleasure was dizzying, almost too much to take, and yet not nearly enough.

The need to touch the omega consumed him, clawing at his restraint until it shattered. He grasped Ersa’s hips. His thoughts blurred as instinct surged to the surface, taking control. His body moved on autopilot, driven by something primal.

Ersa threw his head back and softly moaned as come shot from his cock.

“Oh fuck…oh fuck…” Ersa moaned above him as his body folded like a rag doll. Xander caught him before he fell. Wrapping his arms around him, Xander turned them onto their sides. His knot pulsed deliciously, keeping them locked together.

Ersa lay back against the pillow, his blond hair a tousled mess, spilling across the fabric in soft, unruly waves. The gentle curve of his lips hinted at something playful—a secret. “I can feel you coming inside me. It feels so good, especially when I do this.” Ersa’s ass squeezed around him, his muscles milking his cock.

“Fuck,” Xander groaned. He dug his nails into Ersa’s ass as he came so hard all his strength left his body, and he drifted away on a wave of bliss. The softest, most delicate whisper of lips grazed his chest, sending a shiver skittering across his skin. Slowly, Xander cracked one eye open, and his breath hitched at the sight that greeted him—Ersa’s face tilted up, a satisfied, almost wicked grin curving his mouth.

“Thank you,” Ersa whispered drowsily against his skin.

“You don’t have to thank me.”

“I know,” Ersa yawned as he turned away. A moment later, the omega’s breaths became slow and even. Xander fell asleep to the sound of Ersa’s soft snores and the soft hum of the evening traffic.

In the morning, Xander woke up to an empty bed. He stared at the rumpled sheets, the only evidence that Ersa was ever there, a strange feeling churning his stomach. Shoving the feeling away, Xander stretched his arms over his head, the ever-present knots around his shoulders and neck loosening with an ease he’d never felt before as he made his way to the washroom. His steps slowed when a gentle humming reached his ears, the sound soft and melodic. He turned to the nursery, his feet carrying him there before he could think about it. Through the slightly open door, Xander spied Ersa seated on the settee, Benjn balanced on his one arm and a bottle of milk in the other. Rocking from side to side, Ersa hummed as he playfully brought the bottle closer and closer to Benjn’s mouth.

“You’re not going to fight, right? You’re a good little alpha, aren’t you. Oh yes, you are.” Much to Xander’s surprise, Benjn opened his mouth, his arm flailing impatiently as he tried to grasp the bottle. “Oh, there’s a good boy,” Ersa cooed softly. Moments later, the gentle, melodic humming floated back into the air. Xander watched the pair for a few minutes before he turned away and continued to the washroom.

He moved through his morning routine with practiced ease: a quick bath in the bathing bot to wash away sweat and the smell of sex from his skin, followed by dressing in a crisp white shirt and black pants and a few seconds in the front of the mirror, where he ran a comb through his long hair before he twisted his it into a messy bun atop his head. As always, breakfast was a scrumptious affair of sausages, steamed vegetables, and freshly baked bread.

“Thank you, Vina,” Xander said as he pushed away from the counter.

“You’re welcome, Master.” She inclined her head and then moved forward to clear the dishes away. Leaving her to her work, Xander made his way to his office.

The familiar creak of the chair greeted him as he pulled it out and sat down, his gaze immediately drawn to the faint, flickering light on the workstation. Xander’s fingers glided over the smooth surface of the screen, clicking on the message icon. As Fury’s face appeared on the screen, Xander swiveled his chair to face the workbench and activated the simulation model bot as he listened to his brother’s growly voice.

“Hey, Xander. I thought you would be awake by now. I guess you’re finally getting some sleep. Anyway. I saw the bot. We’ll go to production as soon as you finalize the designs. It’s going to be a hit, brother.” The excitement in Fury’s voice made Xander smile. But his smile slipped when Fury’s voice went low as he said, “Our mother told me to tell you that you should visit. If you don’t visit in the next three weeks, she’s threatening to come to your house and never leave. Take my advice, bro—you don’t want her to come to your house. She’s not fun.”

“I heard that!” their mother screamed in the background.

“Damn, she still hears everything. You’d swear she wasn’t a grandmother now.” Fury giggled affectionately. “Come visit and put me out of my misery, please.” Their mother shouted something else again, but the message came to an end before Xander could make out what she’d said. A heavy silence fell in the room, its weight weighing down on Xander.

“Fuck,” he murmured as he buried his face in his hands, his fingers pressing hard against his temples. Maybe he’d been too selfish. After Nath had broken their bond, Xander withdrew from everyone, convinced that he was unworthy. He’d prowled the house, trying to figure out where he went wrong, drowning in a suffocating tide of failure, worthlessness, and crushing loneliness. Though his family had made repeated attempts to reach out to him, their efforts were met with silence. Over time, their persistence waned, and on their last visit, his dad had taken him aside and pressed a piece of paper into his hand.

“If you continue like this, you’ll go crazy. Go and see him. They say he’s good,” he’d said as he patted his back. The jagged edges of the crumbled paper digging into his palm had felt like a lifeline. And two months later, Xander was grateful that his dad had brought Shiva Maynard into his life, or he wouldn’t have survived otherwise.

Sighing, Xander leaned close to the screen as he pressed the record button. “Tell Mother I’ll visit soon. I still need to finalize the designs and make sure the bot is ready to go to production. I…” Xander paused, his chest tightening from raw emotion. “I love you guys,” he said, dropping back in his chair.

A sudden burst of laughter spilled through the open window, light and carefree. Xander smiled as Benjn’s screams followed. Xander turned back to the simulator model and started work to the sound of Benjn’s and Ersa’s lively laughter and gleeful screams echoing from below.

When a knock sounded on the door, Xander lifted his head and checked the time on the screen. When he noticed that it was lunchtime already, Xander shoved away from his desk and stretched his arms over his head as he said, “Come in.”

The door slid open seconds later, and Vina walked in with a serving bot.

“Damn, I should have told you that I was going to come down for lunch.”

“I thought you might, but Ersa has guests. I know how new scents unsettle you, so I thought it’d be better to bring the food to you instead.”

Xander nodded, though a wave of disappointment swelled in his chest, catching him off guard. He frowned, eyes fixed on his desk as the feeling curled around him.

“Where is Benjn?” Xander asked, trying to shake off the feeling.

“Taking a nap. Ersa put him down before his guests arrived,” Vina said, guiding the serving bot closer to the desk to take out the food. Xander stopped her with a lift of his hand.

“You don’t have to do that, Vina. I’ll eat later. Thank you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, thank you,” Xander said. Vina bowed slightly and silently made her way out of the room. Xander turned back to his workstation, his fingers brushing over his tools as he tried to refocus, but his thoughts kept drifting back to Ersa, to the strange ache of disappointment he’d felt earlier. The feeling unsettled him.

Was he getting fixated on the omega? Xander asked himself, confused. When a cacophony of voices spilled through the window, Xander shoved to his feet, drawn to Ersa’s melodious voice.

“What the fuck?” he growled at the sight that met him below. His hands rolled into fists, the possessive beast inside him rising unbidden as he watched Ersa and a strange alpha rolling on the grass, with the alpha trying his best to pin Ersa down.

“Let go, Erle!” Ersa snapped as he wiggled and tried to dislodge the alpha off him in vain. The alpha laughed at Ersa’s efforts. The sound of his laughter echoed around the backyard and swirled up to slip through the window like an uninvited guest.

When Ersa screamed and swatted at the alpha, Xander saw red. He rushed out of his office, took the stairs two at a time, and crossed the yard to where Ersa and the alpha were. He wrapped his hand around Ersa’s arm to yank him away from the alpha before he had a chance to think it through.

“Master Quin,” Ersa said, quickly brushing leaves and twigs from his clothes, his expression a mixture of surprise and sheepish apology. “Were we too loud?” he asked, wincing slightly. “I’m sorry. We didn’t mean to disturb you. They were just leaving.”

“What do you mean we’re leaving? We just got here,” came a strained voice.

Xander looked over the alpha’s shoulder and saw an omega standing just inside the house. His arms were folded on his chest, a hurt look in his grey eyes. Xander was surprised he hadn’t noticed him there. So caught up in Ersa and the alpha, he hadn’t sensed another presence. His instincts had taken over. All he could think about was getting to Ersa and tearing him away from the alpha.

Damn it , Xander silently groaned, looking around him. Tension hung in the air, the silence deafening.

Fuck, what was he doing? He awkwardly unclenched his fingers from Ersa’s wrist and took a step back.

“I’m sorry about this. I’ll get back to work,” Ersa murmured, his voice barely above a whisper as he pulled down the sleeve of his shirt. And that’s when Xander saw it—the crescent-moon-shaped bruise. “Jun, Erle… come.”

“No, it’s fine,” Xander said, forcing his gaze away. “Spend some time with your friends. Just… next time, let me know if you’re expecting company.”

Xander excused himself and returned to his office.

He sank into his chair and buried his face in his hands. He couldn’t believe what he’d just done. Ersa must think he was unhinged—feral. He’d acted like a mindless, territorial beast, the kind of alpha people whispered about in fear and disgust.

“Fuck,” Xander groaned, wishing he could turn back time. But even if he could, he knew he’d still react the same way because he’d just realized that something in him was hopelessly drawn to Ersa, fixated in a way he couldn’t quite control.