“Safe from everyone but you two,” I muttered, noting how both men were clearly struggling.
“We would never hurt you,” Kenai said, his voice rougher now. “But you need to understand. Your scent is triggering a rut response in me. My body is responding to yours.”
So it was literally just like those nature documentaries.
“It’s the alpha equivalent of heat,” Taimyr clarified. “A biological drive to mate with a compatible omega.”
“And I’m an omega,” I said flatly.
“Yes. You’re human, but you might have some dormant shifter genes from way back in your lineage. It was enough that the accelerant could awaken your omega traits.”
Alright, I was just going to ignorethatrevelation for now. “And you’re an alpha,” I muttered to Kenai.
He nodded.
“And you?” I asked Taimyr, somewhat accusatorily.
“Also an alpha.”
Another wave of heat rolled through me, and I gripped the chair arms. “This is insane. This whole thing is insane.”
“I know,” Kenai replied quietly. “But it’s real. And we need to figure out how to manage it.”
I took a deep breath, forcing my lawyer brain to cut through the haze. “Manage it how? What stops this? What makes the heat end?”
Kenai and Taimyr exchanged a glance.
“Don’t do that!” I snapped. “I’m not fragile. Just tell me.”
“An alpha’s…presence. Their pheromones help regulate the heat. Physical contact. And…” Kenai trailed off.
“Sex,” I finished flatly. “Sex with an alpha makes it stop.”
“It’s not that simple—” Taimyr started.
“But it would help. It would make this bearable.” I gestured at myself, at the way I was practically vibrating out of my skin. “Right?”
“Yes,” Kenai admitted, his voice pained. “It would help significantly.”
I nodded once, decision made. “Okay. So let’s do that.”
Both of them went very still.
“Sylvie—” Kenai began.
“I’m a grown woman. I can make decisions about my own body, even in this state.” The words came out sharp, businesslike—like I was negotiating. I was always negotiating. “You said it yourself—three to five days of this. I can’t function like this. I canbarely think—it…it hurts. So if sex makes it stop, then that’s the logical solution.”
“It’s not just sex,” Taimyr said carefully. “Not for shifters. There are…emotional components. Bonding instincts. It’s intense.”
I waved that away. “I understand there might be some biochemical attachment—oxytocin, endorphins, whatever the shifter equivalent is. I can handle that.” I’d been divorcing sex from feelings for a long time.
Kenai moved closer, his expression almost heartbroken. “Sylvie, this isn’t just sex. When an alpha and omega come together during heat—especially a first heat—the connection runs deep. It changes things.”
“Then it changes things.” The need within me flared again, my vision tunneling as my breath hitched. “It’s still better than feeling like I need to crawl out of my skin.”
“I just want you to understand—” Kenai tried again, reaching for my hand.
I pulled back. “I understand just fine. You’re worried I’ll get attached or expect something beyond this situation. I won’t. I’m very good at compartmentalizing.”
