Page 76 of The Drama King

ThetextfromCorvusarrived as I was finishing my evening workout, sweat still cooling on my skin:Pharmaceutical supply problem resolved. Target will be isolated within 24 hours.

A surge of dark satisfaction shot through me, followed immediately by something hotter, more primal. It was done. Robbie Gao would be gone by tomorrow, taking with him Vespera's access to military-grade suppressants and industrial scent blockers. The chemical barriers that had allowed her to hide from us during her last heat would be stripped away, leaving her vulnerable to biological imperative.

And to us.

I forwarded the message to Oakley with a single word:My place. Now.

Twentyminuteslater,wewere gathered in my living room—Oakley sprawled in one of my leather chairs, cedar scent sharp with barely contained energy, while Corvus stood by the window, still wearing his expensive suit from the day's character assassination but with his tie loosened and top button undone.

"Details," I said without preamble, pouring three glasses of bourbon with hands that weren't entirely steady.

"Complete capitulation," Corvus replied, accepting his drink with a satisfied smile. "Signed indefinite medical leave citing family health concerns. He'll be off campus by morning, pharmaceutical access permanently revoked."

"How'd you break him?" Oakley asked, leaning forward with obvious hunger.

Corvus's smile turned predatory. "Made him relive every second of me knotting him in that lighting booth. Reminded him how he begged for my cock while still reeking of her heat scent. By the end, he was shaking so hard he could barely hold the pen."

"Fuck," I breathed, my cock already hardening at the mental image. "You destroyed him."

"Completely. The male Omega was providing her with resources we couldn't counter—suppressants that made her heat cycle invisible, scent blockers that neutered her natural pheromone production. Now she'll have to rely on campus health services."

I took a long drink, letting the implications sink in. "Which means next time..."

"We'll smell every fucking second of it," Corvus finished. "Every wave of need, every desperate hour when her biology screams for Alpha cock. No more hiding behind chemistry."

The crude assessment sent heat straight to my groin. Vespera in heat, vulnerable and exposed, her sweet jasmine scent thick with desperation while we circled like wolves. No barriers, no artificial suppressants, just pure biological need demanding she spread her legs for Alpha dominance.

"How long do we have?" I asked, my voice rougher than intended.

"Based on stress patterns and her previous cycle timing, her next heat should come early," Corvus replied, settling into the remaining chair with fluid grace. "The elimination of her support network will accelerate the process. Isolation and anxiety are known heat triggers."

Oakley was already hard, I could see it straining against his jeans. "Fuck, I keep thinking about her last heat. Standing outside her building for hours, trying to catch even a trace of her scent. Knowing she was burning just floors above us, probably fingering herself with those pathetic toys, needing cock and getting nothing."

"Next time will be different," Corvus said, his analytical mask slipping to reveal the predator underneath. "No suppressants. No blockers. No fake knots. Just her, her biology, and three Alphas who've been denied too fucking long."

I was rock hard now, the crude imagery hitting exactly right. "She'll try to hide. Lock herself away, tough it out with whatever shit the health center gives her."

"Let her try," Corvus replied. "Campus supplies are garbage—basic suppositories, mild pain relievers. Nothing that'll mask her scent when she's dripping slick and begging for a real knot."

"Christ," Oakley muttered, palming himself through his jeans. "How do we play it? Pin her down the second she goes into heat, or let her suffer first?"

I noted the hardness in his tone—this was the Oakley that few people saw, the one whose normally gentle nature evaporated completely when Alpha instincts took over. For all his medical interests and compassionate facade, he became just as predatory as the rest of us when rut biology kicked in.

The question sent my pulse racing. There was something to be said for letting her understand exactly how fucked she was. How completely we'd stripped away her defenses.

"We let her cycle start," I decided, my voice rough with need. "Let her realize her fancy suppressants are gone. Let her understand that this time, there's nowhere to hide." I set down my bourbon, no longer needing it when my blood was already burning. "And then we show her what a real Alpha knot feels like."

The words sent visible shudders through both my packmates. All that buildup, all that waiting, and soon we'd have our Omega exactly where we wanted her—desperate, needy, and completely fucking ours.

"Jesus," Oakley groaned, his hand moving to his crotch. "I need to get off before I lose my mind."

The blunt honesty cut through the charged air. We were all wound tight as springs, three Alphas at peak hunting instinct who'd just eliminated their prey's last defense. The anticipation was making us feral.

"I know what you need," I said, standing with purpose. "What we all need."

They looked up at me with dilated pupils and parted lips, already knowing where this was heading. If we couldn't have our Omega yet, we could at least work out some of this dangerous energy.

"Close the blinds," I ordered.