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Damon was embarrassed to admit that he had choked on his sandwich for the second time, turned beet red, and forgot to breathe properly until Jun became concerned and made him lie down. The worst part is that Jun didn't realize that what he'd said had been the catalyst for Damon's reaction. He kept asking 'what's wrong?' over and over.

Damon couldn't do this. Is this what it's like to be mated to Jun? Never a moment's rest? The man is lethal.

Damon had just caught his breath and sat up, Jun still patting his back as if he were still choking, lips pursed, with eyes that rivalled the pitiful glisten of a puppy who'd done something wrong. Damon studiously avoided looking at him because he knew Jun regretted nothing. His ears and neck still felt too warm and Jun's big hand rubbing over his back did nothing to help the situation.

He was also mentally chanting prayers that Jun would be too worried that he'd almost choked to death to smell the sweet scent of Damon's slick soaking through his pants. In his defense, only Jun would have been capable of making such cheesy flirting sexy. It was something in the way he said it, as if he was completely certain he would be able to fuck Damon better than anyone else. There was also the fact that Jun was almost as incapable of flirting as he was of lying. He didn't consider what he'd said to be flirtatious; he considered it fact, and he was simply telling Damon as much. He didn't say it to get Damon into bed, he said because he believed it.

In short, if anyone else had said that to Damon, Malachi for example, he would have laughed in their face. Coming from Jun, it was a different story.

So there Damon was, embarrassed, wet, and avoiding Jun's gaze like he'd just confessed to murder rather than his prowess in bed. And, as Damon was not very religious, his prayers went unanswered. He could tell when Jun had noticed his arousal when he stiffened beside Damon, a low rumbling coming from his thick chest. The rumbling was basically like a cat's purr, but for wolves. Alphas usually made the noise when they were extremely happy. Omegas, on the other hand, made the same kind of purring for many different reasons – if they were hurt or distressed, happy, or simply really horny. Damon had to force his own answering rumble deep down so that Jun wouldn't take it as a positive signal and try to breed him in public.

Something told Damon Jun was very much at the mercy of his preheat hormones right now, so it was best not to get his hopes up.

Speaking of preheat, Damon really had to have a talk with Jun. The Season was only a week and a half away, and full heat could hit Jun anytime between then and now. All alphas varied in exactly when full heat came upon them, so it was best to be careful around this time of year. However, Jun hadn't made any mention of what his plans were once his own heat hit. There were moments of lucidity during heats, which last anywhere from five hours to three days, so Jun might attempt to visit Damon during one of those lucid moments. Damon had to gently tell him that he would like it very much if Jun would keep his distance as much as possible during those times.

It wasn't as if he wanted to cheat Jun out of time during their courting claim, because that would be really unfair. However, Damon wanted to be able to make a rational decision when it came time to accept or reject Jun. If Damon thought the preheat pheromones were bad, full heat pheromones are even worse. He didn't want to accidentally choose Jun in the throes of passion because that wouldn't be a healthy way to begin a relationship for either of them.

The method of accepting a courting claim was very specific. Jun issuing his claim in the town square had settled the legal part of it – Damon was off limits until his six months were over. However, to accept the claim, the omega has to bite the alpha first on the scent gland at the back of the neck and then the alpha will receive the signal to go ahead and bite the omega as well. This usually happened during intercourse, but it didn't have to.

Once mating bites have been exchanged, the new couple will tell the leader of the pack, have the pack doctor examine the bites to prove that they were really bonded, and then it would be settled. Some mates went through human wedding rituals afterwards, but it made no difference in the eyes of the pack whether there was a ring on your finger or not. Once you're bonded, you're bonded for life.

Damon could feel Jun holding himself back from rubbing all over Damon to scent mark him, or perhaps to 'taste' him again, he wasn't sure. He casually scooted to the edge of the picnic blanket and Jun stopped. He pulled away, getting the message, and the happy rumbling stopped, but Jun didn't seem too put-out. If anything, there was still a hint of something smug in his expression.

Damon was about to pick up another sandwich and cram it down his throat to escape the awkwardness when a shadow covered his on the blanket. He looked up and wondered if he could actually make himself choke on the sandwich and die this time.

It was Maria. Of course. Creepy, stalkery, glass-throwing Maria with her hair done up, her makeup perfect and bewitching, and a pink sundress that complemented her olive-toned skin. She was a knock-out, of course, and a much-desired omega throughout the pack. Too bad she was mindlessly in love with an alpha currently in a courtship with someone else.

Jun also was forced to look away from Damon for a second to see who had come. He stared blankly, not a hint of recognition in his gaze, and something in Damon that he didn't want to acknowledge wriggled in pleasure.

"Jun!" Maria called out, voice like a songbird. Strange, whenever she talked to Damon her voice was low and furious and rough like a Disney villain. "You look great! Can I join you?"

Damon blinked slowly, dumbfounded. She was clearly ignoring Damon like he wasn't there, which, fine, whatever, but she knew he and Jun were in a courtship claim. Pursuing Jun openly like this was technically illegal. Even under the excuse of 'friendship,' interrupting something that was clearly a date without being a designated chaperone was walking a very thin line.

Well, fine. Let her push the boundaries. Damon had no qualms with reporting her. He waited for Jun's response, thinking that Jun would either very nicely inform her that he was on a date, or remain silent like usual, forcing Damon to do the dirty work.

Damon was certainly not expecting Jun to suddenly paste himself to Damon's back, wrap his arms around Damon's middle, and growl at her while burying his nose in Damon's hair.