"Okay class, your final this year will be on May 12th. I want everyone to be there. No exceptions."


    The professor had told the classroom on the first day of school back in January. He had meant it; several moths had gone by, and the finals were but a week away. The only problem Talon had when he had put this final his calendar was that his rut wasn''t clockwork. It showed up whenever his body felt ready. They could be every month to once every six months. But he did have a knack for knowing when it was coming a few days beforehand, or on a worse occasion, a few hours beforehand.


    On early Friday morning,he had taken a shower before going to class. He washed his body, making sure he didn''tsmell overwhelminglylike an Alpha. He could feelhisknotatthe base of his dick was sore, despite not getting any action in quite some time. That was usually an indicator that his rut would come about soon. He would probably find himself accidentally stalking and following around Omegas, trying to get a whiff of their scent.


    He was dreadfully bad at beinganAlpha, he always tended to lean more towards Beta, but when his rut came for the first time, he had surprised many people including himself. He had spent his first rut with anOmeganfriend who offered. ButTalonhad yet to understand how to control theWolfand it turned out that he wasveryaggressive in rut,heended up having to leave halfway through because he, the Omega,couldn''t handleTalon. After that he decided to spend his ruts alone, it had been years now since he spent it withanyone orwas with someone outside.


    Talon raised a hand to thread it shakily through his blond hair, walking over to throw on his school''s white button-up dress shirt and black khakis, pulling on a deep green tie to complete their uniform. Uniforms held significant importance within the school, created not only for comfort but also for safety. Alpha and Omega uniforms were designed with special fibers to effectively block scents, allowing both to focus on material and not the scents lingering around them. It was also useful for when one enters their mating cycle unexpectedly, and needs to keep their scent blocked long enough to leave campus without an uproar. In contrast, Omegan uniforms were engineered specifically to be bite and scratch-proof, helping create a safer environment for for them should anything happen. Each uniform required a display of their corresponding secondary gender symbol stitched into the fabric, helping with identification.


    Walking outside he got into his black Nissan Versa and began the short drive to school. Before pulling out of his apartment, he called his mate Oliver and put his phone on the stand he had clipped to the vent as the phone rang.


    He could hear the phone being picked up,"HeyTal, what''s up mate?"


    "''M not actually doing too well."He said, pulling out onto the road.


    "What''s wrong?"heasked, concernevident.


    "You know how my rut randomly shows up?"The car goes silent for a second before Talon spoke up again,"It''s probably going to start soon, we have around a week until the final. I don''t know what to do! I''ll fail the class if I''m not there."He stressed.


    "I don''t know. How long do you think you have?"


    "A few days at most."


    "Oh boy..."He could hear a long sigh from the other end,"Have you thought about maybe spending it with a-"


    "No! Absolutely not!"He cut him off,"I''m aggressive, I''ll hurt the poor thing."


    "It''s been years! You''re probably better now. You know how to control yourWolfmore; it was one time. Your first time!"


    “That doesn’t make it any better! Besides, where would I even find someone tohelp with‘that’on such short notice?”


    Oliver laughed in the background.“I can''t really offer up my Omega, but I know I can find one you like, so either you give menames,orI figure it out myself.”There was some rustling in the background and a low humming sound.“Hey man, I need to do something. I’ll talk to you later.”


    Talon huffed, turning the corner onto Payne Road leading to the school parking lot,"We can talk about this later. I''ll see youinclass."


    "Alright,mate. Hang in there, yeah?"


    Talon half-smiled, despite Oliver not being able to see him,"Yeah. Bye."


    "Bye,"Oliver said before the call ended. Talon put his head on the steering wheel for a moment, taking a deep breath and carding his hands through his hair shakily before grabbing his schoolbag. He left the car and clicked the lock button, walking to hischemistryclass. The class beforehiswas a medicalstudyand practice class, the class wasjust about toend. Talon always liked to be earlytohis classes, especially this one. His professordidn’tlike the idea of assigned seats; the first ones there got the best equipment and the seats they wanted, so naturally, Talon showed up as early as possible to reserve seats for his friends. Oliver, Jacob, andRorkewere always a little late, or just showing up just barely on time.


    The students trickled out of the classroom; Talon walked in after there were only a few students left in the room. He walked in proudly, attempting to keep his Alpha in line. He wasn’t looking down; only at the professor at the head desk of the classroom, in doing so he accidentally slammed into something – or someone. He looked down, he had accidentally knockeddowna girl, but not just any girl. The Omega he’s had his eyes on for the last year of Uni, Lillian. She immediately scrambled to her feet, bowing her head andapologizingto the Alpha, fingers clutching tightly tothesmall purple binder that sheassumedlyusedfor the class. Her voice was so soft and gentle, the voice of a well in-tune Omega. He got lost in her for a moment, she was so small and perfect and adorable. Her long blonde hair was up in a sleek, straight ponytail,thelittle curlsandfluffaround her head fell down her forehead and hung around her ears. Being this close to rut certainly gave him some ideas of what to do with – no –tothat hair.


    She looked up, expecting him to be upset, but instead,he was looking at her with a fond, goofysmile. She smiled back,“It’s fine, I wasn’t looking where I was going.”he said, snapping himself out of his trance. They stood in the doorway for a moment, both taking a slow deep breath and smiling.“I’m Talon.”He said, breaking the silence and extendinghishand towards her.


    “I’m Lillian.”She replied, though he already knew that, and extended her trembling hand to shake hisin return. His hands were so much bigger, he was so much taller than her, she barely went up to hischest. Talon pulled away from her hand quickly, his cheeks flushing slightly at the metaphorical sparks that he could feel just from her warm, softhands. It certainly wasn’t helping that his rut was coming up. She smiled, the typicalOmeganblush spreading across her freckled cheeks and kissing the tips of her ears.“I- Ishould get going...”She said with sad eyes. He nodded, stepping to the side to let her pass.


    He smiled again, he seemed to be doing that a lot lately, and let his eyes trace her movements as she walkedaway, even her skirt looked petite, seeing as it showed off the sensual curves she possessed. He tore his eyes away from her, walking into the classroom and taking a seat at Lab Table“6”. He needed to get this girl out of his head, and what better way to do that then to check up on thecelebrity gossip.


    “Henry BeauStalker Told to Leavethe Star Alone”


    “MikeyCybalClarifies Instagram Remarks About BeinganAlpha”


    “PrinceJacobsWants to‘Protect’SonjaMablefrom Intense Media Scrutiny”


    The minutes passed, Talon fiddled with his black pen and scrolled through Twitter to distract himself as his professor silently walked around the classroom getting things set up for hisnextclass. Jacob walked in, his short brown hair messy,clearly not brushed,and his light brown eyes lighting up at the sight of his friend.“Hey,Talon!”He waved over, smiling at him.


    “Hey,Jake. You’re here early.”He teased, nodding toward the stool next to him.


    “Yeah, thought I was going to be late, so I kind of hurried out the door.”He laughed sheepishly, sitting down and dropping his backpack on the floor.“Why are you always here so early?”


    Talon shrugged,“Get the best seats.”he replied.


    “Oh, okay...”He trailed off,“Where’s Oliver andRorke?”Jacob asked.


    “Should be here at some point, unlessRougot distracted by a cat. Or a baby.”Talon smirked.


    “Yeah, that Omega has issues.”Jacob laughed,“I’m glad Betas don’t get distracted by that stuff!”He proudly smiled.


    “Can I please remind you that most of your friend group is either an Alpha or Omega? There aren’t really any Betas except for Shaun and Cindy.”


    “Okay, okay. That’s fair.”He replied, throwing his hands in defeat.


    “Don’t act like you don’t get distracted by babies sometimes too.”


    “Whatever!”Jacobyelled, face tinting red on hispuffed-outcheeksas he pivoted his body to turn away in a huffed fury, his arms crossed tightly.


    Talon laughed, the other students started trickling in as well as Oliver andRorke. They walked over to where Talon and Jake were sitting,Rorkesmiled brightlyas the two.Rorke’susual fixed curlsweretussled;and his cheeks seemed a little more flushed than usual, his glittering green eyes glossy.Rorkehid tiny behind Oliver, who’s fringe was messy(he hated anyone messing up his hair) and his bright blue eyes seethed with something mysterious, mischievous even.The corners of his mouth quirked up into a smirk as he nudged the Omega behind him to go sit down at the table.


    Talon watched in silent amusement asRorkewinced slightlyas he sat down. Jacobdidn’ttake noticeofthepheromonesthat stilllingered slightly around the Alpha and Omega. Talon raised an eyebrow,“Good time,guys?”


    Rorkeflushed deeply and looked at his hands bunched up under the tableon his lap,Olivergave a sick grin before pulling a small translucent purple bottle out of his backpack andpoureda little on his hands. He put the blocking gel on his neck and inside his forearmsfollowed by passing the bottle toRorke.“Better, my Lord?”he quirked at Talon.


    Talon rolled his eyes and nodded, turning to the front of the class as more students trickled into the classroom, fillingthe remaining seats. A few minuteslater the Professor sighed and walked to the front of the classroom, beginning the lesson.Today they got to study Recrystallization,which is atechniqueused to purify chemicals.


    They had been giventwosolvents; hydrocarbonand ethanol.Oliver hadbranchedoff with Talon to talk about his rutwhilst working on hydrocarbon andhe had sentRorketo go workonethanolwith Jacob. They were nearly done with the filtering of the solution (the last step) when Oliver finally spoke up.“So,Talon... Names.”Talon lookedup;white lab coat curving around his form, hands clad in blue gloves, andclear lab goggles. He tilted his head to the side, a silent ask for what Olivermeant.“Itold you this morning thatI’d need some names of your crushes or someone you can spend your rut with.“


    Talon threw himaglare.“Keep it down!”hewhisper-yelled. Oliver rolled his eyes.“And I told you,I can''t spend it with someone, I’ll hurt her...”Talon sighedbegrudgingly.


    “Hmm. ‘Her’. So,youprefer afemalepartner? Got it.”He smirked,“Names?”


    Talon sighed heavily, knowing Oliverwouldn''tlet up. They’ve been best friendssince Talon’ssecond year ofsecondary school, it was just pure luck that theywere both acceptedbyAriesPrometheusUniversity,a proudschool of Manchester, England.They were now in their second year of university and Oliver had been in quite a few of Talon’s classes.Though Oliver wanted to go intoBioengineering, Talonjust needed a degree before he went into something less ‘high demand’ and more ‘dream job’. He decidedhe wanted to become a coach athis old secondary school.Many laughed at him, but he wanted to be there for the wayward kids, kind of like he was when he attended.


    He could still remember getting teased by all dynamics,“You’re the apotome ofall Alphas andLeadership.”or“You''re just a Beta bitch!”How clever. He remembered spending a significant amount of time with hisfootball coach, Mr. Ward. Everyone else would pack up theirblack and white pentagon balls andsportsbags before heading out, Talon would sit with the coach talkingorgo on walks. The Alpha taught himeverything he didn’t learn in his Junior High heath class, even the embarrassing parts. When it felt like the world came down andeveryone hated that he wasn’t a “proper” Alpha,Griffincame in to hold him. Something specialtheyshared,Talonreceivedpermission to refer to him asGriffin, rather that Coach Ward or simply Ward.


    Talon snapped his head back to realityafter shaking his head a few times, which earned an amused look from his best friend.“Oliver...”he groaned out lowly, “You know that’snot what I meant.”Oliver snorted once before comparing both crystalized substances they had in the end, one turning to look like wet chalkdustandtheir ownlike powdered sugar and regular sugar mixed.


    “Still, we both know you can’t fail this class. You’re too smartforthat. Nowc’mon. Help me out here? We need to find someone.”Talon huffed, pulling off hislab coat with ‘TK’ written in red sharpie on thetag andset the folded cloakinto his bag.“If you can’t choose then I’ll just hire someone. I don’t have an issue.”


    Talon snapped his head over from the sinks where he was scrubbing his hands down, enjoying the cool water.“No! I would never accept that. I- I do... like someone that is...”He shied away, muttering the last bit under his breath.


    Rorkelooked at his boyfriendwhoseeyes had suddenly lit up, accidentally releasing happypheromones.“You do!Oh,my goodness!What''stheir name? Isit a girl or a boy? Are theyan Omega?No judgment if theyaren’t. What’s their name?”Talon rushed over to the eager Alpha and pressed a palm to his mouth, effectively shutting him up.“Sorry, I’m just excited. Youhaven''tshown interest in anyone in a long time... Notas long asI’veknown you.I was starting to think you were Ace.”


    Talon shot him a glare. So nosy.“She is an Omega, a female one. AndI''mnot Ace! I just like to... stay cautious.”Oliver sighed deeply;hecould tell that he wasstilla tad bit traumatized fromwhen he presented.They had shared a dorm room intheirfreshman yearand would occasionally have togo to Talon’s bed and comfort him when he had nightmares. Talon would tense his entire body, flashesofthe Omega crying out in pain, the scratches and teeth marks, bruises from where he had gripped his hips and forced himself as deep into the boy as he could. HisWolfwas desperatelyrestless, nothing butfireinitsveins.


    After a particularly rough round, Talon’s second round with him,Talon had fallen asleep for a few minutes to recharge. Meanwhile the Omega riffled through the tote he brought with him and found a little blue capsule. He pulled out twopills and crushed them into fine powder, which he put into a glass of orange juice for the Alpha to drink once he awoke. He did. And in a moment of clear headedness and munching on an energy bar, he blacked out. The Omega ran and called for help, desperate anddishevelled. Talon was brought to a confined area for situations like that, turns out he had a double dose of Alpha Quell, a special medication that can be taken in rut or in anger to calm theAlpha dynamic. Too much will knock someone out.


    Once it was all over, the Omega filed a restraining order, and Talon was burdened with the visions of being a vicious beast. He never forgave himself forit andhad nightmares every night until a few yearslater when it was reserved for every month or so.Oliver was the only one he could be vulnerablearound, so the other Alpha would end up coddling him until heeitherfell asleepagain orstoppedshaking.Usually,hewouldjust get behind him andbig spoon him, which was always a comfort. On particularly bad days Oliver would callRorketo come and make a nest for them all to lay in and watchThe Office reruns on either someone''s laptop or thetelly.Talon appreciated that he had such good close friends,Olivernevercriticizedhim for being the way he was, andRorkewas always there to keep him true to his heart.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    “How about this,you headdown toBlueFoxwithRorke? I have another class inhalf an hour, but he’sfreethe rest of the day.” Oliver offered, silently hoping he’d take the bait.Throwing the fishing line and hoping for a bite.


    He did.“Yeah. A cuppa sounds brilliant right now. Thanks.”Talon was just gladOliver had dropped it.Or so he thought. Talon trudged off to go collect his things, seeing as the Professor had dismissed class. Meanwhile, Oliver was sending a few quick texts toRorketo keep him up to dateand inform him that he was heading to the Fox after he packed up.


    Talon walked up to the Omega after class, loosening his tie around his neck.“Ready to go Rou?”heasked, shrugging on his greymessenger bag.


    “One second!”He rushed out, bounding over to Oliver to give him a quick kiss.“I love you Oli.I’ll see you back at the flat!”Oliverreturned his kiss with an ‘I love you too’ before they walked out of the classroom to head to theBlueFoxCafé.


    <hr>


    Rorke’s lips were still tingling from the kiss he gave Oliver before they left, Talon could tell. He kept reaching his hands up to his lips and biting them slightly.Occasionally, he would hear a deep rumble, or a low humming sound, the Omega waspurring.“What was it like to meet Oliver?”Talon suddenly blurted out, catchinghis friend off-guard.


    The boy looked up at him where the Alpha was averting his eyes,his lips pursed together nervously,andhis knuckles turning white where they clutched the strap of his grey messenger bag.“Maybe I remember it differently, because it feels like a scene from‘Jaws and Jewels’,”Jawsand Jewelsis a widely-known old children''s fairy tale about the first Alpha and Omega meeting.“But it did feel like that. Like my nerves were alltingling,and my heart was beating super-fast,andI couldn’t take my eyes away.”


    Talon pondered the way he looked,Rorke’seyes glazing over and sparking with happiness at the memory,‘Like aflowergrowing in darkness and only blooms when it sees the sun...’Talon mused to himself.“I want that someday...”He trailed off sadly, turning the cornerto the street where the Caféwas.


    “I wasn’t expecting it to happen either.” Rorke laugheda little, pulling down the collar of his dress shirt to show off his mating bite.“Then I ended up with this! Hurt like a bitch!”Talon laughed at the Omega, always good atlighteningthe mood.Talon could remember it like it was yesterday, Oliver had called him an hour beforehand asking for his help in spreading roses and candles around their flat. Talontended to the chicken noodle soup on the stove,Rorke’s favourite, while Oliver prepped the bed and everything else. Then, afterRorkegot home from a friend’s house, they mated officially. From what he had been told, they had been talking about it for around ayear butteetered on the edge until two months ago.Rorkewas glowing for weeks after.


    Talon noticed a few people staring atRorke’s mating bite until he pulledhis shirt back to cover it. Talon could feel his rut seeping through again, a rumble rising in his chest before he let out a low growl.Rorkesnapped his eyes over to the Alpha,eyeswide open. Talon stopped almost as soon he started.“Fuck! I’m sorry,I''mhaving troublecontrollingit. Sorry. I saw people staring at you – I''m– fuck, sorry. Don’t be scared.Please.”Talon andRorkecontinued walking, Talon with his head buried in his hands, andRorkewith his hands in the pockets of his tankhakis.


    “I - It’s okay. Just startling is all. Glad you''re protective of your best friend''s mate.”He smiled, brushing it off. Talon still had his head in his hands, so Rorke reached up and pulled them away, giving him a reassuring smile.“You''re okay.”


    “Thanks, Rou.”He mumbled, pulling thedoor open forRorketo walk into thebustlingCafé/Bakery.TheBlueFoxwas a little coffeeshop on campus that they usually went to when they wanted to do study sessionsor hang out.


    The store wason the corner of the street, windows lining the edge and fadedmaroon walls. The windows had colourful cursive writing, whichchangedevery week. Things like“Create your own sunshine!” and“Don’t forget where you belong” in pretty pastels with little flower designs and swirls. Thedual tableswere positioned by the storefront windows, with a few coupleseatingand some students typing on their computers. Once youwalkthrough chipped white doors andwalkdeeper into the shopyou''regreeted bythe friendlyfacesof the employees. More than half of the medium-sized shop was sleek wooden tables and silver chairs, save for a smallsection where there was a worn-in leather couch and somearmchairs arranged in a circle, in thecentrewas a large coffee table under a baby blue rug, which matched the walls.


    They walked in and took a seat at a table with an extra chair, until a child walked up from the tablenearbyand asked for it. They both set their belongings beneath the table before Talon stood up on his way to thecashier.“Cappucc-”


    “Cappuccino with the littlehearts, extra shot of espresso?”Talon cut himoff, smiling.


    Rorkenodded.“Thanks!”Rorkeshouted back as Talon walked to the front. On his way up to the glass displayof baked goodsand themarblecounter topshe heard a small commotion from the ‘Fox Den’ as they called it. Talon stopped and looked over at thelong-curved couch that seemed to have atrioof rowdy Alphas surrounding something. Everyone else didn’t seem to pay any mind, but with Talon being dipped into the soft glow of his rut, he could smell something. Something strongandalluring, but also somethingworrisome. Something that left an empty pit in his chestand left him sinkingtohis knees.


    Talon strode over to the slight commotion and picked up what he was smelling,distresspheromones.Ablondeheaded girlwassittingon the couch, her hands bunched at the edges of her tan skirt with her head down.“C’mon sexy.We know your kindaredesperate to be touched. Let us take you out of here, we’ll show you a good time.”A tall black-hairedAlpha urged.


    “N - No... I don’t want to...P -Please leave me alone...”Talon could see her sink into the couch further, a shudder racking her body as she released stronger distressedpheromones.Talon walked over quicker now, about to come up behind the group.


    “Is that any way to speak to an Alpha, Omega?”He nudged her shoulder, she pulled away, whimpering softly.


    Talon rushed up behind them.“Damn right it is!”He growled. The trio all turned to look at him.So did the girl.Lillian.His eyes softened, her eyes glossed over and her eyes a pleading look for help. His eyes snapped backtothe Alpha’seyes in rage.“Leave her alone.Just becauseshe’san Omegadoesn''tmean that shemustobey you, and itcertainlydoesn’t mean she’sa whore like you’re makingher out to be.”Talon’s eyesflicked to hers again, sincerity and compassion.“Now leavemy mate alone.”The words slipped; hecouldn’tstop them. Her eyes widened with confusion before she gave a knowing smile.


    The front Alpha grumbled.“Whatever, Knot-head.”He said before walking away with his group, not before bumping into his shoulder with another grumbled insult. Talon sighed deeply,no trouble this time, thankfully. Talon shot her a quick smile before turning heel to go order he andRorke’s drinks, until -


    “Thank you.”He turnedaround againatthegentle voice.


    “Excuse me?”Talonasked,turning around to face her.“Did you say something, Lillian?”


    She nodded her head, the click of her laptop shuttingand pushed onto the circulartable before shestood up.She cleared her throat and spoke up.“Erm...Isaid thank you. For getting them to go away... A – And the things yousaid...”Lillain bumbled on,blush spreading up her freckled cheeks and kissing the tip of her nose and ears with pink.


    “Of course. No-one should treatan Omegalike that. Especially if that Omega is you.”He mumbled the last part, but she caught it.


    Lillian smiled back, he was so sweet and made her heart jump.“You’re the boy I bumped into this morning, right? Tal – on?”She questioned, hoping she gothis name right.


    Talongrinned, she remembered!“That is my given name.”He sent her a wink.


    She giggled a bit, not startled by his hint.Her eyeslingeredonthe red-stitchedα printed on his button-up.“So,you’re an Alpha?”sheasked,gesturing tohis Alpha insignia.


    “Yeah, since seventh grade.”She nodded.“I would ask if you were an Omega, but judging by circumstances and your thick pheromones, I don’t have to ask.”He smirked, cocking a hip out and slipping a hand into his pocket. For once he was glad to have the confidence of asecondary schoolgridiron player.


    Her leafy eyes widened, freaking out, she rushed and pulled some blocking gel out to rub over her scent glands. Talon was bittersweet with it, though hedidn’thave to be tortured by the alluringscentof vanilla and orange peels,the smell slowly drifted away until it was replaced with the homey smell of baked goods, coffee, and sandalwood. Much to his disappointment.“Sorry. My scent isreally potent. I try my best, but it seeps out sometimes.”


    “It’s okay. It smells good.”he sighed, shrugging his shoulders.“Though your reaction was priceless.”He said, beforeburstingout laughing.


    She looked hurt for a second before joining him, laughing along with him. The rest of the world could fuck off for all he cared, right now, he had the cutest little girl in front of him and she wasn’t afraid.Rorkehad watched the entire exchange from his spot atthe table, using his phone’s camera to zoom in on the two and snap a quick picture to send to Oliver.“Female, and anOmega. Check.”Hetypedout, sendingamessage to Oliver.


    They stopped laughingand smiled at each other. Talon could tell his eyes were lighting up, the same way hers were twinkling, little green burstsbehind her eyelidswith each heartbeat.“I should go order for my friend...”Talon trailed off sadly.“Sorry. I’d love to talk more, Lillian.”


    She looked down sadly before rushing behind her and grabbing a small to-go cupfrom offthe coffee table.“I finished mine earlier and was going to go getanother onebeforethose guys showed up and you so bravely fought them off.”


    Heturned,a silent invitation for her to go with him up to the counter.“I’m your knight in shining khakis, and don’t you forget it!”Testingthewater, he jokingly nudgedherside. She tossed her (clearly half-full) cup oftea into the bin.Shecame back, and nudged him back, a typical tell-tale sign that she was interested.


    “I won’t.”She replied. They both approached thecashier, Justine, and nudged her forward.


    “You can go first.”Talon urged, to which she smiled gratefullyandputin her order.


    “Can I please have a small lemon-ginger tea?”The cashier nodded before Talon stepped forward, putting a hand on his chin.


    “Can I have another tea, this time spearmint?”Justine nodded.“And aCappuccinowith an extra shot of espresso?”


    “You have the option for foam, what design would you like?”sheasked, typing the orders into thesilver handheld tablet.


    “The hearts please.”Lillian shot himalook.“For my friend’s mate.”Talon whispered.He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to explain himself, but she shrugged and smiled anyway.Talon pulled out his card, about to give it to Justine, until something light and warm grasped around his wrist.Big green eyes looked up at him, he understood what she was trying to say.“It’s fine, Lillian. My treat.”


    Before she could open her mouth and say any form of protest, Justine took his card and swiped it.Lillian attempted to pout, but soon gave up the act andlet out a small‘Thankyou, Talon.’She wasn’t sure why she felt tingly when she said his name, andTalon wasn’t sure why he felt tingly when she spoke his name. It just looked perfect on her watermelon-colouredlips, that''swhat she was. Perfect.


    Talon’s drinks came out before hers did, the two chatted until Justine called out his order.“ByeLillian, I do hope to see you later. Will I?”he asked, silently hoping she was still interested and wasn’t going to scurry off and change her classes to avoid him.What a ridiculous thought.


    “Definitely.”She smiled, moreblushgracing her cheeks and nose.Watching himwalk away left cold blood rushing to her head, and an empty feeling in her chest. She decided to approach him and ask for his number when her tea came out,she’dpack up her things and walk over casually. If itwasa no, she was already on her way out of the coffeeshop and could save herself theembarrassment. Which was then followed by curling up in a nest andwatchingmovies until she felt better.If it did go well, however,she’dhave his number.


    Talon walked over to a beamingRorke, face glowing with a wide grin stretched across his face.“You guysgonnasuck face later?”He asked shamelessly.


    “RorkeWilliamElliot-Bloome! Have you no shame?”heasked, setting his drink down and pullinghis chair up. At the sametimethe girl from earlier with little curly black pigtails came over tugging a chair behind her.


    “Thank you, misters!”She chirped. Both went silent as she left the chair. They looked at each other and laughed.She turned back around and looked at Rorke .“Are you an Omega?”sheasked, tilting her head to the side.


    Rorkestuttered for a second.“I - I... um... Yeah! I am an Omega.”She smiled up at him with twinkling hazel eyes.


    “You’re so pretty! If I’m an Omega, Iwannabe as pretty as you!” She said, bunching her fists up in front of her in excitement.“Bye!”She said,skippingoff.Rorkespent the next minute beaming and smiling from ear-to-ear and gushing before he remembered why Oliver sent him here.


    “So,haveyou found anyone to spend your rut with...?”Rorkeasked, keeping his voice at a lower volume to avoidan outburst. Talon was always so conservative when talking about these things.


    Talon sighed deeply.“Rou... You’ve been there for the bad days; you know I can’t.”He trailed off.“Evenif I was looking for someone they aren’t going to fall into my lap. And I don’t want to risk it.”


    Rorkesighed.“Look man, I’m all for sensitivity and letting you take this stuff lightly, but you need to get over it this time.”Talon nodded; Oliver was right earlier; hecouldn’tafford to fail this class. “If the biggest issue is finding someone who can handle you, I have a few people I can set you up with.”


    It was now that Lillian chose to walk over, had you not been tuning into the discussion like she was, no-one would bat an eye. But she heardeverybit of it and decided to make a proposal.“H - Hey again Talon...”Talon straightened in his chair from where he and Rorke had been leaning over to talk quietly abouthis upcoming rut.“I know it’s a bad time to enter the discussion, but if you want Ican...Erm...”She mumbled something and trailedoff;the last part being lost toembarrassment.


    Rorke’s eyes widened, already figuring out what she was going to offer.“What was that last part?”Rorkeasked, just to be sure Talon heard.


    “I - I said that if you want, you can say no, I couldoffer tosp-spend it withyou...”She said, face burning up and breath being held captive in her chest. Talon sat there dumbfounded, mouth open slightly, and from the looks of it, holding his breath like she was.“But you can say no! If you already have someone else in mind.”She said, sadness edging into the last sentence.


    Talon still hadn’t uttered a word, was barely breathing, his breath was just short shallow inhales. Like if asquirrel was hyperventilating. He finally snapped out of it and released the breath building in his chest. “Um... no...”She looked at him sadly.“I mean, I don’t have anyone in mind!”Except you, he thought.“I would love to spend it with you, Lillian. Thank you. You have no idea howmuch this means to me.”


    She beamed, smiling.“Brilliant!”shesaid, glowing slightly. She realised that she was too enthusiastic about being takenup on the offer of such apromiscuousthing as being present during someone’smatingcycle.“I mean... Okay.Erm... I guess we should trade numbers so we can work out all the details?”She couldfeel herself growingmore embarrassed by the second. She had to get out before herface could be camouflaged in a strawberry patch.“I have to go. Um... I wrote my number on this slip of paper. So just sendme your first and last name so I can put itinmyphone?Then we can talk?”


    “Yeah,yeahsure. That works, looking forward to it.”he said, reachingout to take the slip of paperlightlyto avoidshowing how truly nervous he was. His heart clenchedtight and made his chest hurt withevery rapid beat, his palms were beginning to heat up alongside the pit of his stomach, but worst of all, the arousal.He willed his body to stop releasing the pheromones, willed his body not to betray him, willed himself not to fall into rut.


    A few deep breathsand his body temperature loweredby afew degrees, effectively calming down. His hands shook a slight bit, onlynoticeableif you reallylooked.He looked up and gave a shy smile, she responded back with big eyes glowing back, and a beaming smile.“Okay, I have to go. Bye,Talon! And friend!”Theywaved to her as she left out the door, then watched her stop outside the door, contemplating something. She said something, the noise blocked by the windows andbustleof everyday life. She listened to something before burying her head in her hands, obviously trying to get something out of her head. Talon and Rorke turned back to talking after she pulled out her phone and walked away with someone on the line.


    “You should get out of here too, T. Clean up and get everything ready, yeah?”Rorke said standing upand taking his cappuccino in hand, slinging his bag on his shoulder with the other.


    “That would make sense, make sure there is a spot for her things in the guest room and the additional bathroom.”He said,looking up and making a mental checklist.


    “The guestroom?Mate,she’sgoing to be staying with you! Once it hits,you two will be tied together forall but an hour or so of the day.”Rorke laughed.


    “D - Don’t remind me! And I''m going to set up the guest room just in case she doesn’t want to be with me for that ‘hour or so’. And if- no-when I get out of control, she’ll need a place to hide and call theauthorities.” Talon rambled on, Rorke rolled his eyes and placed a hand on his muscular shoulder.


    “You’re overthinking it. You’ll be fine. She’ll be fine.”


    Talon smiled sadly,“Yeah, maybe.”


    “Okay! I have to get back to Oliver, he’s already back at the flat.”Rorkesaid, making his way towards the door.


    “Okay, wish me luck.Bye Rou.”He said, collecting his stuffto walk to his car back in the school parking lot.


    “Oh. And Talon?”Talon turned to look at Rorke with his handonthe exit door.“Be sure tohave fun!”Then he left the coffeeshop, pep in his stepand a smirk on his face.


    Mission accomplished.