That meddling alpha's footsteps faded away and thank heavens he left when he did. Kieran was this close to crossing over a line that he had never crossed before.

Guarding.

Since Kieran never had a mate before, the feeling to protect someone other than himself at all costs was new for him after a thousand years of solitary life; not just protect, but to do so while under a feral haze that made an alpha act on pure instincts. It wasn't unheard of for people to die at the hands of a guarding alpha, and then that alpha not remembering once out of the savage spell. Guarding usually occurred if their omega dropped into a lethal coma that required their mate to guide them out of it, but not always.

This was one of those occasions that would fall under the 'not always' category.

Kieran's inner alpha was eager to remain close to its partner who was carrying his pups; his other half that was taken away from him for a month by another bastard. It was a sensitive time for the both of them, and it was a shame that their reunion was deep in the Pennsylvanian wilderness in a prior lakeside park. Blaise had told him to come here if they were ever split up during Abaddon's chaos, so it was the first place Kieran raced to without thinking. Until they arrived in Los Angeles, Teru wasn't safe.

As soon as Lucas was out of sight, Teru's quickening purrs slowed into a gentler rhythm. It was pleasing to Kieran's ears. He continued what he was doing earlier, feeling a swollen nipple between his thumb and pointer finger.

Teru shuddered, muttering, "Ow."

Kieran let go, assuming his nipples were painful from the hormones. He reached down until he had a good grip on Teru's hips, happy to feel that the area was a little meatier than before. If there was one thing he could give Abaddon credit for, it was whatever meals were provided for Teru to eat. Then again, if his damned stepfather had just let them be, they wouldn't be in this situation. This environment wasn't ideal for an expecting mother.

He pulled Teru closer until the belly bump touched Kieran's stomach. The scent of slick was teasing him, making him sit up straighter with anticipation.

A voice in the back of his mind nagged at him, sounding like Charles when in doctor mode. Ten weeks. It's too early. We can't take any risks without medical help nearby.

It was common knowledge that sex during the first trimester was fine...if the pregnancy was healthy without any complications. Kieran believed Teru was high risk. Having triplets would be a good reason to think so, but it was also the third pup that concerned him the most.

The dominant omega on his lap grew impatient, flaunting his ass out to beckon the alpha to smell it, taste it, do anything with it. Teru pressed harder into Kieran and leaned down to get a good inhale of his minty scent gland, extended canines scrapping over the skin. The blood on his lips smeared over the area.

A sudden fantasy of Teru lapping blood above his gland played out in Kieran's head.

This is dangerous, he thought, releasing a wave of mint pheromones. It was alarming how easily an alpha could be swayed by this foxy omega. Anyone would give in without a fight. They'd probably already have their cocks out, begging Teru to sit on it and ride them like there was no tomorrow.

But not Kieran. He was much stronger than other alphas, the strongest actually. Though so tempting to let Teru have his way with his dick, he could sense through their connection exactly what the dominant omega wanted. Needed.

It actually wished to be conquered, not the other way around. Teru's fierce gender was testing him, to see if Kieran had the capability to tame it. To the vampire, it was like questioning if they were a destined pair...or if it was a mistake. If they were a mistake.

Kieran sneered and chuckled sinisterly. Didn't they already go through this back on the couch when he drank Teru's blood for the first time? He already knew of this omega's tricking intentions. This little shit; but Humility was Pride's little shit.

While his left hand remained where it was, kneading Teru's hip, his right hand with the mock marking gripped the omega's nape. His long nails pinched into the sides of Teru's neck. It wasn't hard enough for it to hurt, like a mother cat biting the napes of their kittens. Kieran pulled. They looked at each other, studying their eyes. Brown and gold versus crimson red.

"You can't hide from me," the alpha growled, his breath brushing Teru's lips. "This is mine," Kieran told him. He wasn't referring to Humility's symbol. No, it was about the scarred ring around it. He felt the slight indentations where his teeth had bitten there to leave a forever mark. "You are mine."

Teru only stared, inner dominant gender soaking up the words. One by one, the golden slivers were disappearing. It had realized that it couldn't fool him anymore, content that Kieran was actually worthy to be his mate.

"Don't ever challenge our fate. When I can after you give birth to my pups, I'm going to hold you down beneath me and take you. I'll make sure you smell like my seed for weeks. I don't even care who notices anymore. Let them know," Kieran's purr rumbled deeply. His lips skimmed over Teru's pouting mouth, listening intently to the dirty talk of being subdued. "I know what you need, my omega. You don't want me to beg. No, you want to be submissive and be told what to do. I will make sure your desires are met. Do you understand me?"

It did. The gold fragments in his irises vanished. Teru blinked rapidly, coming back to his senses almost immediately. He touched his long canines, feeling them recede into his gumline.

His reaction time has improved. That would normally leave someone dazed for minutes, maybe longer. He'll get better as time goes on, as well. I suppose that's not a surprise, given who his mother is. The purer the bloodline, the easier it is to control their gender.

And not just gender...

His mate was more than a dominant omega, and that was amazing by itself. The black werewolf. Kieran was itching to see it, surprised Teru hadn't brought it up yet. Perhaps he wanted to on his own terms, not ready to discuss it and what occurred with Abaddon.

But tell me soon. I'm not a patient man.

Teru furrowed his eyebrows. "Kieran?"

"Hmm?" the prince mumbled, kissing him lightly.

"What's...that hard thing pressing under me?"

"Nothing. Just ignore it."

They kissed for a while longer, not using tongue. The tiny pecks were fine for now. Otherwise, his boner would never go away if it became any steamier. Just being here, finally holding the human that turned his world upside down, was enough. Knowing more about Teru's horrid ordeal while Kieran was in a silver-poisoned coma could wait. He moved on to lick some of the fading bruises on Teru's forearm.

The sun was almost gone, getting chillier. He needed to prepare the backseat of the car and make it into a temporary bed with blankets. Kieran rubbed his cheeks over Teru's head to ensure he was freshly covered with his scent. While sleeping away the exhaustion, Kieran had washed Teru's body with lake water before changing his clothes. His skin had a more earthy smell because of it, when it should be minty instead.

"Are you okay with fish again tomorrow morning?" Kieran asked.

"Yeah, it's fine."

"I'll find you a better meal for lunch. It depends on where we are at that time. If you crave blood, I'll be fine enough to give you that, too."

Teru chuckled, resting his forehead on Kieran's. "Alpha, please. I said it's okay."

'Alpha.' Being called that wasn't so bad if it came from Teru. Some liked to be called by their gender as status, a kink, or a term of endearment in some cases. It was never his thing unless to be recognized in a challenge. But, hearing Teru say it so sweetly warmed his proud heart-

Kieran abruptly turned his head to the side, his ear facing the dark forest to listen.

Arousal. Desire. Stirred. Excited. Conniving. Immoral.

"What's wrong?" Teru whispered, alarmed by his wary behavior.

Teru was too far away to feel this sinful concoction. Pride could tell from this distance, for he and Lust shared the same blood; a familial bond. It was programmed into their DNA to sense a shifting of a deadly sin. There had to be a serious reason to transform into their true self.

And Kieran had thrown Blaise in the trunk because he was still under the influence of their mother's pheromones. The bashing in his skull must've healed from when Kieran smashed his brain in to steal him away from Lilith's control. Given that he felt Lust, his younger brother was still rampaging to eliminate the souls who smelled of sweat and plums.

But, the way Lust rampaged was unique. It was a master of deception, to reveal your darkest secrets that shouldn't come to light. Toying and playing with a lustful soul to insanity was its talent, not destroying buildings and societies through brute force. You could say many of the scripts and quotes for possessed humans in horror films were inspired by him, witnessed by humans over the years.

It wasn't a mystery why Lust didn't disappear yet. Blaise may be the youngest and least experienced, but he had the heaviest burden of the bunch. Yes, pride was the worst sin that would send a condemned soul straight to the fires of Hell, but at least the smell of decay was far in between.

Lust, well, it was the most common sin.

Blaise smelled it daily.

In every city.

In every town.

On every street.

In every building.

In every room.

As a child, Lilith could barely control him, who constantly went berserk to kill dozens of people a day. It was worse as a teenager during his angsty hormonal period, eliminating up to a hundred an hour:

"There are too many, Kieran! Too many! Make it stop! I don't want to feel them anymore!" a fourteen-year-old Blaise cried loudly in the rain, shaking after massacring a majority of the city's red-light district. Bodies were piled on the road, most of them were men since they were clients seeking a prostitute for the night.

Kieran wrapped him in his cloak to hide his brother's shifted form. He quickly guided him away from the bloody scene. This was cruel, to make a child be born like this.

He always felt it was his responsibility to help his siblings when they lost control. They wouldn't be alone, unlike himself when he was that age. Lilith was absent, which was the usual behavior for vampire parents. As Blaise hiccuped and wiped his blood tears into the thick coat, Kieran cursed everyone-their mother, the heavens, and humans for feeling these sins in the first place.

Lust was everywhere. He couldn't escape it. Cities were his biggest trigger, while small towns were easier to cope with. Isolation worked best, but Blaise was too extroverted for that. Kieran's constant watch over Blaise's actions as the eldest had somehow made them closer as brothers, much to his annoyance.

Together, Blaise eventually discovered ways to manage Lust as he grew older into his 20s and stopped aging.

He had found that being the bottom during intercourse kept his sin at bay, similar to how Teru's dominant omega would fade once subdued. The others didn't approve, thinking it was not how a dominant alpha should act. Kieran didn't give a shit. It wasn't his business. Whatever helped him not return to that sharp-tongued demon again and give Kieran a headache, then anything was fine. Unfortunately, his openness about his preferences in the bedroom gave Blaise an unfavorable image to others. It seemed Blaise wasn't bothered by the toxic whispers, but who knew what really went on inside his head?

"Hey," Teru said. Apparently, Kieran's silence was alarming him, as it should.