He lied.

He wasn't hungry at all.

Teru dropped the pencil from his shaky hands and released a long breath. If he wouldn't have said anything about wanting food...

It seemed Kieran didn't notice that Teru was very aware of how close the vampire was to biting him. When he realized what was about to happen, he almost kicked into his fight-or-flight gear, a natural reaction while in the presence of a predator. Thankfully, Teru was able to overcome it and blurt out the first thing that came to mind.

Although Kieran was being kind these days, the almost-bite was a painful reminder that the man was still a bloodsucker in the end. And since Teru's blood apparently didn't affect Kieran's 'allergy', it was only a matter of time before the inevitable occurred.

He touched the area on his neck where vampires tended to bite, imagining them on the bed with Kieran kissing his way up the omega's bare chest before reaching his throat. The fangs inched closer, making Teru fidget with need.

But instead of Kieran biting his jugular, he daydreamed what it would feel like to be officially marked as the alpha sunk his canines into Teru's nape...

He shook his head to get rid of the wet fantasy, brushing away the sweat beading his forehead. He was hot again.

Is my heat coming back?

Wanting to avoid thinking about it, Teru focused on holding the pencil like Kieran showed him. It was easier said than done as sweat continued to moisten his shirt. He moved his neck from side to side to crack his spine, hoping to shake it off through the loud popping sounds.

The entrance door unlocked. Teru didn't worry based on Kieran's pace outside of the door, recognizing whose footsteps belonged to who.

He first saw the food cart roll in, followed by Kieran's arm soaked in blood. Kieran had a disturbed expression in his green eyes that only Teru noticed.

Wait. Green? Did he drink blood? What happened during the last hour to be stained with it?

Teru went to step closer, wanting to see if there were any wounds. "Are you hurt?" he asked.

"Stop." Kieran's voice was cold, his irises gleaming like green plants covered in glistening raindrops from the rising sun. There was no commanding tone to force him to pause – it was the minty pheromones. The scent was stronger than usual. Teru gulped and bit his lower lip to suppress the moan that desired to call out to Kieran.

The alpha's nose flared, noting the pre-heat pheromones.

Kieran's skin turned a few shades paler. "Just...stay. I mean it. Don't follow me."

He watched him disappear into his bedroom before returning to the table, listening to every sound in the other room. He heard the shower water, followed by someone throwing up.

Eventually, Kieran emerged, now clean with damp hair and red eyes. His pants hung dangerously low around his hips. Teru ogled at the white t-shirt that was a little too tight around his shoulders. Kieran's chiseled muscles were more defined than they were an hour ago and his demeanor demanded all the omegas' attention, if there were any besides him. He smelled heavily of soap from the numerous washes, but not even a million showers could conceal the abnormally strong minty pheromones, practically causing the air to sparkle.

Basically, Kieran was walking sex.

He roughly placed the food platter in front of Teru, clearly holding back. They both were. This was just a distraction.

Today's course was a big slab of meat, potatoes, and a salad. Teru's nose bunched up when he saw the leafy greens, reminding him of the times when they had nothing to eat but grass during periods of famine.

After Kieran sat in the chair next to him, keeping a safe distance between them to avoid skin contact, he gave him a fork and a knife with jagged edges. "Do you know how to cut steak with these?"

"Um..." Teru took the knife and held it in the air above his head, ready to stab the living daylights out of the beef.

Kieran grabbed his wrist before he could strike. A tiny shock zapped them. Their pheromones became thicker, making them gasp. They ignored it.

"That's dangerous, little one. Watch." Kieran placed the fork's tines into the cooked flesh to hold it in place and used his other hand to slice a piece into a perfect square. Easy-peasy.

"You try," returning the utensils to Teru. He tried his best to copy, but he struggled to put pressure on his grip. Did he have to cut with his right hand? After all, it wasn't the one he used to skin the animals he killed for his pack.

Teru switched by placing the knife in his left hand and the fork in the other. He cut a square more perfect than Kieran's.

Kieran witnessed the exchange. "Do you prefer using your left hand?"

"Yeah, why?"

The vampire took everything away, food and all, and replaced it with the tracing worksheets. "Try writing with that hand, then."

Teru followed the dotted lines to make the letter 'G'. His writing was much faster and straighter than before.

Kieran smiled warmly. "You're left-handed."

"Is that bad?"

"No, it's just less common. Good job." He leaned down to inspect the neater handwriting, practically touching him. Teru couldn't help but smell Kieran's neck gland. There was a weird scent. Unfamiliar. A beta. Male.

The thought of his alpha being with another person set him off inside.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kieran didn't move as Teru investigated his scent gland, obviously detecting the donor's scent. He thought he scrubbed it all off in the shower, but he should've known it would be pointless. Omegas had a keen sense of smell, almost as good as a vampire's.

Every time Teru exhaled, his chest gave off little growls. He rubbed Kieran's gland with his own, trying to mask the foreign scent. "I don't like this. I don't like this," he said quietly, not to anyone in particular.

Teru's temperature warmed while Kieran's turned colder.

He pulled the omega onto his lap. The pencil fell to the ground. Kieran nibbled on Teru's ears. The smaller person groaned.

Kieran breathed in the spicy cinnamon pheromones, knowing this must be the last half of his heat. It was his duty as an alpha to comfort him, be inside him to subdue the raging horniness that would cause physical pain if he wasn't nearby.

Which was all fine and dandy.

Except, the problem here was Kieran. He wanted to eat him. Bond with him for life. Make him his. Teru's nape was right there. Jesus, he wanted to bite that spot to leave a permanent ring, then drink from the mark. Bite it everyday to freshen up the scar to let everyone know his mate wasn't available anymore.

Coldness seeped through his bones.

The prince's rut was starting.

And a dominant's rut was more aggressive, more animalistic, compared to the average alpha. The last human he spent his rut with died from exhaustion. Literally.

Why now? My season ended months ago. I didn't even buy him a collar yet.

His inner alpha was all too aware that there was an omega in heat in the same room.

Before he lost his last bit of rationality, he stood up, holding onto Teru who wrapped his legs around Kieran's waist. With every step, the vampire felt his own bulge rubbing against Teru's ass. He could feel slick soaking through their pants.

If his cock didn't get relief soon, he'd knot the air again. Who knows what this lustful omega would do to him while he was out of commission for half an hour.

"Alpha, your clothes are covering your dick," Teru complained into Kieran's neck, licking the area that produced the most pheromones. "Aren't you going to put it in?"

Kieran growled from sexual frustration. Before he would give into his rut, there was one last thing he needed to do. He finally reached the home phone and called the only person he somewhat trusted to help him in this situation.

Dr. Charles picked up immediately. "This is a surprise—"

"Collar. Bring one here. Hurry."

Teru's hands reached under Kieran's shirt and left trails of scratches on his back.

"Unfortunately, I'm on my way to do a surgery on the other side of town, but I can send someone else. I don't have a black collar, but a yellow one should withstand a bite or two."

This guy talked too much. "Shut up. Just bring a bunch then. Now." He hung up.

"Ah!!" Suddenly, Teru moaned loudly in his ear as he continued to rub his soaked ass against Kieran's concealed cock, using the motion as a form of masturbation. Their clothes couldn't hold the slick anymore. It dripped on his bare feet below.

Kieran's fangs extended. It was an ancient, rut characteristic of dominant alphas who came from pure bloodlines. And because he was a vampire with already-long canines, he truly resembled a monster.

A monster that was about to pound this omega's libido out of existence.

Fuck.

How was he supposed to last until the collars arrived?