"T-thank you," Teru said nervously, clutching the ring under his shirt. "And...I'm sorry."

Kieran, sitting opposite from him on the L-shaped sofa, put down the book he was reading.

In addition to watching movies, the vampire had suggested doing reading sessions for an hour a day. They didn't have to talk to each other, just read in silence. Teru, not wanting to admit he couldn't read, agreed. After they chose their books from the small library, Kieran gave him the larger side of the couch while he took the smaller half.

Fast forward ten minutes with no sounds except the clock ticking away. When someone with a guilty conscience was surrounded by stifling quietness, their thoughts tended to wander to some dark places. The old saying goes that silence was golden, but for Teru, he couldn't take the remorse that was eating at him anymore, so he ended up blurting out the admission.

"Tell me why you're thanking me and apologizing. I'm not a mind reader," Kieran said with puzzlement.

Teru concealed his face within the pages. The smell of the old paper reminded him of his dad's stacks of novels in their cave. "I'm thanking you for not taking advantage of me while I was doing that thing."

"That thing?"

So humiliating! "The...nesting. It must've been hard to hold back because of my gender. I'm also sorry for hitting you without knowing the situation."

Kieran's eyebrows almost disappeared into his hairline, completely stunned. "I shouldn't be thanked. A proper alpha can control themselves during an omega's difficult time. There's no need to be sorry. You were scared and confused. It's understandable. Besides, it's not like I didn't like touching you."

Was that last part even necessary?

Teru never uncovered his hot face. He couldn't handle seeing him right now.

The remaining time consisted of studying those little black squiggles. The letters taunted him for being illiterate. Teru would glimpse at the other man and how he would read. Kieran would occasionally lick his pointer finger before turning the page.

To not be suspicious, he copied the movements.

By the end, Teru was bored, making him daydream about his family. How were they doing? Did they hold a funeral for him already? Was Lucas in another city? This place seemed pretty far from where they were captured. Would it take weeks to walk back? Months?

The clock chimed four times. The noise startled him, snapping him out of his thoughts.

He noticed Kieran staring at him. How long has he been watching? Did he catch on that Teru couldn't read? "I was surprised you chose that topic."

Think, think.

"I, er, enjoy this subject."

Kieran was unconvinced. "Advanced Guide to the United States' Economic Wealth. You find it interesting?"

Oh, shit. "Uh, yes. Yes, it is." He needed to change the topic before being quizzed about it, pronto. "By the way, there's someone I was hoping you could find for me."

"...I'm listening." The vampire was already hesitant.

"One of my pack members was with me at the auction. He was sold before I was. His name is Lucas and he has wavy, brown hair and blue eyes."

"Hmm." Kieran tapped his fingers on the book. "If he was in the same room as you, he must've been an alpha, correct?"

Teru didn't deny it. "He's my best friend. I miss him."

Kieran abandoned the novel and went to the kitchen. He opened a cabinet high above the fridge and pulled out a small bottle to pour himself a glass of brown liquid. The nose-curling odor of the drink traveled over to Teru. It almost made him cough.

"You should forget about him. He's most likely long gone by now. Most vampires are not like me."

Wow, that stung. "I just need to know what happened to him."

"Have you two slept together?"

"What? No!" Teru exasperated.

Kieran downed the entire glass.

"Please."

"We'll see." Kieran placed his glass in the sink and wrote something down on a piece of paper before shoving it in his vest pocket. He put on his long coat from the closet near the entrance.

"You're going? Now?" Teru wanted an answer. Would he help or not?

"Just for a few hours. There's somewhere I need to go." His tone was laced with ice. "I prepared a video for you to watch. Click the buttons like I showed you."

The door slammed shut, rattling the black and white pictures on the walls. Teru's bottom lips trembled. The hot and cold treatment was messing with him. The way he left after getting angry each time was tiring. He's never met anyone with such a terrible personality!

Scratch that. Nolan was the worst.

Well, since he was alone now...

He stripped off his clothes except his underwear; even the necklace came off since everything was too sensitive against his skin. His body was unusually hot during the last two days. Although he wanted to be completely nude, that would probably be risky while outside of the bedroom. Even keeping his window open overnight to let in the cool winter air didn't help, either.

He pressed the red 'play' button on the DVD remote, just like Kieran instructed him before. The film was a two-hour long learning program about omegas. A little jingle played at the beginning followed by a narrator who introduced himself to the viewers.

There were so many things about his own gender that he didn't know. For example, some omegas could use their pheromones to overpower an alpha under certain circumstances. Did he have that ability? Teru always assumed alphas were dominant every time, which apparently wasn't the case.

It covered the few vocabulary he already knew, but guarding, remarking, mock marking, slick, hibernation, scent glands, scent marking, and presenting were new.

Hibernation, huh? Omegas were evidently sensitive to the heat since it could affect their fertility. That would explain why he preferred autumn and winter. If their bodies overheated, they'd go into hibernation for two or three days to preserve their bodily condition. Unlike dropping, it wasn't dangerous since he could wake up from it by himself without a mate.

He watched the following part about presenting closely. It was the same position from the book he found in that abandoned house while scavenging. Watching the actor move into a downward position with their butt in the air to give an alpha full access made him feel tingly inside. "Hmm."

The ending finished off with scenes of real-life mates. They looked so happy with their pups.

Pups...

Teru sensed the mint around him. He pushed out his own scent. It felt right, somehow. The pheromones mixed and swirled together. It coated everything in the room, consuming him as he laid on the couch, feeling hotter and slightly irritated.

The door unlocked. Was Kieran back already? He was practically naked! He hurried to wrap himself with a blanket, covering his entire frame.

But the person who entered the big apartment wasn't Kieran or the new maid.

A handsome man casually walked in, glancing around while brushing his dark brown, almost black, hair from his face. His nostrils flared, smelling the blend of pheromones.

His striking grey eyes found the smaller human. "So, it's true. My brother did find an omega."

The intruder approached him, studying Teru's face and the blanket covering his nakedness. Out of instinct, Teru looked down at the floor. The intimidating person released his fruity scent to cover Kieran's.

This was another dominant alpha.

The tart lemon smelled...dangerous. There was bad intent. In a matter of seconds, Teru's effort to create the perfect combination was destroyed. It was distressing!

Wait. He said 'brother.' Kieran had a brother? They didn't look alike.

Teru bravely glanced up, ignoring his instincts to cower. The energy from this vampire was malicious. Pure cruelty.

It scared him. He couldn't help but return his gaze to the ground in fear.

"Tell me your name, omega," he commanded with his pheromones, already using them to force him into his will.

"T-Teru."

A hand roughly grabbed his jaw to force their eyes to meet. "I'm Tristan."

"H-hello. How do you do?" he muttered in Tristan's grip. Even in this situation, he couldn't shake off his politeness.

"Aw, how cute." Kieran's brother, not letting go of his squeezing hold, tilted Teru's head to the side. Tristan rested his face in the crook of the omega's neck and rubbed his mouth against that spot, inhaling deeply.

Thanks to the TV program, he now knew that alphas and omegas had scent glands there. When Tristan pulled back, Teru could smell lemon all over himself. It was nauseating.

I want to run. Why can't I move?

That was because the alpha was still using his authoritative pheromones to subdue him.

Tristan lifted Teru's deadweight arm to his mouth. The vampire's scratchy tongue licked the thin, inner wrist to leave more of his smell. That area was one of the few places on the body that could hold someone else's scent the longest, including the throat and an omega's hole...

When he was satisfied with his scent marking, Tristan pushed him onto the couch.

Teru landed on his back, the wind knocked out of him. The blanket hitched up which exposed his bare legs from feet to upper thighs.

Tristan noticed the soft skin and crawled above him. "Live with me instead. I can give you more pleasure. My big brother can't drink blood, so that makes me the top alpha," he groaned, totally turned on by the view below him. He was attempting to court by showing off.

Teru lost his voice, shaking his head 'no.'

This pissed off Tristan, who wasn't used to his courtships being denied. "You'll learn to love me. I noticed you haven't been marked yet, and he foolishly didn't put a collar on you. Don't mind if I do?" His mouth opened to showcase his sharp canines. He moved closer to Teru's nape...

Until the assaulter went flying across the room.

There was an intense wave of musk, freezing Teru into place. He didn't dare move a muscle as Kieran dove at Tristan, their fangs snapping at each other for supremacy. Glass broke. Blood splattered the walls. Tuffs of hair fell. Their snarls and deep chest growls were aggressive, like two wolves fighting over territory.

Teru covered his ears with the blanket and released more bitter pheromones.

Make it stop!