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Squandered it, like the rest of his life. If he didn’t shape up, Theo was going to leave him. Honestly, Royce should be used to people leaving him at this point. In many ways he was. He never got close enough to anyone for their absence to hurt him again. But this was his fated mate. This was supposed to be different. This time Royce was supposed to be accepted for forever, as he accepted his omega. And yet it was exactly the same.

He let his guard down, got his hopes up, and all it was going to do was clobber him. He’d be nothing but a husk by the time Theo left, a cautionary tale of rejected alpha insanity.

His nostrils flared, and his heart skipped a beat.

Mint, chocolate, berries, and Theo’s omega musk were amplified.

Fates help him, was Theo going into heat? So soon after getting off the pills, was that normal? Should he call Dr. Shera?

His thoughts went blank.

Theo adjusted his sleeping position, a sleepy moan escaping his lips.

Oh, someone save Royce from himself. Theo was going to go into heat at any time. Then what was Royce going to do? His composure was hanging by a thread as it was.

His wolf whined.

After Theo got sick, his wolf had been subdued, his constant diatribe trickling into silent worry. Royce had an inkling the furry bastard knew they were at a precipice, their current position precariously standing on the edge of a knife. If they fell to one side, endless bliss with their fated mate. If they fell to the other, despair they would never recover from. Either way, they were going to fall and fall hard.

In the midst of these spiraling notions, Royce’s body had been responding to the raw scent of omega filling the cabin. His skin, which he thought was sweaty and flushed from chopping wood, was now positively feverish. His hands trembled, and his erection throbbed, leaking through his boxer briefs into his jeans.

He was a disgrace to behold.

Instead of falling atop Theo and doing something he’d regret for the rest of his miserable life, Royce ran to the bathroom. He clicked the little knob lock into place, then turned the water on. Peeling off his clothes, he doubled over. His knuckles brushing his nipples sent him over the edge as Theo’s scent was flooding his senses. Next, he shucked his pants and then briefs; he practically doubled over screaming when his erection was grazed.

Braced against the sink, he panted. He was harder than he remembered ever being in the past. The tip coated in thick pre-cum, he watched in shock as it dripped onto the floor. Despite not having penetrated anything, his knot was swelling.

Well, desperate times called for desperate measures, he thought as he fisted himself. Running his fingers over the tip, his cum coated his fingers, squelching under his grip as he moved his palm up and down. Squeezing at the tip, he yanked.

Royce bit his lip to stifle his scream as his hips bucked forward of their own volition. Thick, hot cum poured from him. Royce stood there, utterly shell-shocked, watching the pool of cum coat the bathroom floor and drip from his hand. He hadn’t stroked himself more than twice, and he’d jizzed that much?

Boner still raging, Royce used his dirty shirt to mop up the floor, then rinsed it out in the shower.

Finally under the streaming water, he scrubbed the dirt and sweat away. Only problem was his erection was nowhere near subsiding. If anything, it had gotten harder and more uncomfortable, his knot now throbbing to the point of pain.

Deciding there was nothing for it, he fisted himself again. Maybe if he went slower this time it would have the desired effects. His calloused fingers grazed his tip, teasing his foreskin before dragging up and down the length.

His thick fingers stroked across the underside. Theo’s fingers were smaller than his, but with his line of work, Royce bet they were strong and dexterous. He imagined they would move expertly over Royce as he worked him to the edge, teasing his foreskin as he played with him.

Royce’s body thrummed. Instead of a slow leaking, a steady stream of cum was flowing from him. His breath came in shallow gasps, his body tingled, and his balls tightened. Squeezing his knot with one hand, he pumped his length ruthlessly with his other. Water beating against his back and running down his face, he released again, and again. Doubled over, he ground his teeth to keep himself from shouting.

He lost count of how many times he released. By the time his erection subsided, taking his knot with it, he was lightheaded, and the shower was spinning around him. Of course he knew it wouldn’t get better until he was able to knot his mate, but he had to do something to keep himself in check. He’d jerk off until he fainted three times a day if that’s what he needed to do to keep himself from mauling Theo.

When he held composure over himself once more, Royce turned off the water and dried himself off. Pulling on clean sweats, he stumbled to the living room and collapsed in his spot in front of the sofa, where he’d made his bed for the last four nights. He pulled the pillows close to his head, the scent of Theo consuming him. Closing his eyes, he knew he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep; at least he’d be able to relax his muscles for a few hours.

“Royce,” Theodore whispered in the dark. Royce startled. In his masturbation induced haze, he hadn’t realized the omega was awake.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” he mumbled into his pillow.

“You didn’t.” Theo’s voice was hoarse. “I-I’m sorry I yelled. Earlier. None of this is your fault.”

“With everything you’ve been through, what’s happening, I think yelling a bit is the least of your worries. Some might even say it’s understandable.”

“You’ve been here for days, watching over me while I was sick.” Theo sniffed. “And you stuck up for me. You’ve been … that’s more than most have ever done for me. You don’t deserve to be yelled at.”

Royce stared at the floor, studying the grains in the old wood, tracing them with his eyes to the dust bunnies under the sofa. “Why are you saying all this? Isn’t this what people are supposed to do? Be there for their mates; understanding and patient.”

“Maybe, but it’s not what actually happens. At least not what I’ve seen,” Theodore said before going quiet for some time. “What happened to your family? You mentioned being an orphan.”