Before I can respond, the front door opens downstairs.
Vespera's home.
I know it immediately—that sixth sense that's developed since the bonds formed. Corvus knows it too, his posture shifting, attention sharpening.
Then the scent hits.
Jasmine. Sweet and thick and absolutely devastating.
But different. Richer. Deeper. Layered with something that makes every Alpha instinct I have roar to immediate, overwhelming life.
Pre-heat.
"Fuck." The word comes out strangled. My cock goes from zero to painfully hard in seconds. The room feels too small, too hot, the air too thick to breathe.
Corvus is on his feet, nostrils flaring. "That's—"
"I know what it is." I'm moving before conscious thought, out of the chair and across the room. My hands are shaking. My vision is edged with red. The rut that's been simmering for days surges forward with vicious intensity.
She's going into heat.
And I've been avoiding her for three fucking days.
The self-loathing is immediate and crushing. While I've been hiding in here feeling sorry for myself, her body's been building toward this. The stress I've caused her, the rejection, the emotional turmoil—it's probably what triggered it early.
I yank open the door. Corvus is right behind me, moving with that predatory grace that means his control is equally shredded.
The hallway is saturated with her scent. It coats my throat, fills my lungs, goes straight to my hindbrain and obliterates everything civilized. I can taste her arousal, her fear, her confusion.
Downstairs, Oakley's voice: "Vespera? Are you—oh, fuck."
I take the stairs three at a time.
She's standing in the entryway, dropped her bag by the door, one hand braced against the wall. Even from here she'strembling. Flushed. Her uniform is wrinkled, her hair escaping its ponytail in dark waves that make my fingers itch.
She looks up as I hit the bottom step.
Our eyes meet.
The bond slams into me with physical force. Not the constant background pull I've been living with for days, but a roaring demand that nearly drives me to my knees.Mine. Mate. Need. Claim. Now.
Her pupils are blown wide, gray eyes nearly black. "Dorian—"
"How long?" My voice comes out more growl than words. I'm moving toward her without conscious decision, drawn by invisible strings I can't fight. "How long have you been feeling this?"
"Since this morning." She's breathing hard, fighting it. Always fighting. "Didn't realize what it was until I was walking home and—" She cuts off, swaying slightly.
Oakley is already there, catching her elbow. His cedar scent spikes with arousal so thick I can smell it from across the room. "We need to get her upstairs. Now."
"No." She tries to pull away, tries to stand on her own. "I can manage. I'll call the campus health center, get the suppressants—"
"They won't work." Corvus has reached us, circling around behind her with predatory focus. The three of us are surrounding her now, three Alphas and one Omega in pre-heat. "Not once it's started this strong. You need a nest. You need—"
"I don't need anything from you." The defiance in her voice would be admirable if it wasn't so fucking stupid. "From any of you. Especially not from him."
The words are aimed at me like bullets.
"Vespera—" I start, but she cuts me off.
