He tried to explain this to Christopher, but he was out of time. They pulled up to their building, and Christopher rushed him inside. They made it about halfway across the lobby before Emory’s legs gave out. He collapsed against a table that held a large, breakable-looking vase of flowers, and Jefferson rushed forward to grab him by his other arm.
Emory’s lion snarled in confusion and panic, but his muscles weren’t cooperating, seizing in his midsection and going almost jelly-like in his feet and legs.
“You’re okay, sir. We’re going to get you in the elevator, and Mr. Cameron will be here shortly,” Jefferson said.
“Nooo,” Emory moaned, but both men ignored him as they manhandled him into the elevator.
“Are you going to go up with him, sir?” Jefferson asked Christopher, who was trying to push Emory into the elevator without being dragged inside.
“No, there can’t be the smell of another alpha in his apartment when his full rut sets in, or he’ll go feral. Especially not when Cameron gets there.”
Emory groaned and collapsed into the elevator, barely managing to hold himself up against the wall. “Just let me do this alone. Don’t send Cameron up when he arrives. Tell him…tell him I’m fine.”
“We will tell him exactly how you’re doing, and he can make the decision for himself,” Christopher said, stepping back from the elevator right as the doors slid shut.
Emory’s lion roared dismally. Christopher was correct, though. He couldn’t have another alpha’s smell in his space, so he quickly shucked off his clothes and tossed them into a crumpled heap in the corner of the entryway. He stumbled into his apartment and looked down the hall to his bedroom. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to make it that far. He kept one toy in the office for late nights when he would collapse on the couch and want to get off before passing out. It would be easier if he was closer to the bathroom, but maybe after a round or two with the toy, he’d have enough energy to crawl across the apartment.
His last coherent act was to lock the office door behind him before he dove for the toy and slammed it onto his achingly hard cock.
Time spooled out, and he lost all sense of himself, his lion, and anything that wasn’t his cock in his beautiful omega’s ass.
Except that wasn’t quite right.
He couldn’t smell Cameron or feel his lovely warmth. But his cock was in something soft and tight, and it feltsogood. He kept moving his hand and his hips, and he came once, then a second time, and finally, his knot inflated, sliding up and into the special slot in the toy designed to hold it.
As he came down from his third orgasm, he found himself lying on the floor, cum coating his belly and running down his sides onto the floor. The knot kept the toy in place, so he slowly spread his arms out to the side, snow angel style. He had no idea where his phone was, so he couldn’t text Christopher to see if Cameron was coming, not coming, or had come and gone home, as he really should have.
Instead, he waited a few more minutes for his knot to deflate and then groggily crawled onto his couch. He might be able to get in a quick nap before his next round if?—
The ding of his elevator door opening had him on his feet and rushing for the office door. Thank the gods his human brain kicked in right in time for him to slam his palms into the door instead of grabbing the doorknob to unlock it.
“Emory?” a soft voice called, and Emory’s lion bellowed in triumph.
Emory groaned quietly and balled his hands into fists where they were resting on the door. It was nowhere near as substantial as the bedroom door, which was solid oak. This was much thinner wood, which allowed him to hear the elevator ding for deliveries when he was working long hours at his desk.
While very practical on a regular day, it was less than ideal right now.
“Emory? Are you here?” Cameron called again.
Emory barely stifled a groan as his lion roared and jolted him toward the door handle. He managed to avoid this by falling to his knees and pressing his forehead against the door in anguish. Did he have the right words to send Cameron home without hurting his feelings? Did he have any words at all?
“Are you in the office? Did you…fall?” Cameron’s voice was getting closer, and a moment later, the doorknob rattled.
“Don’t!” Emory cried out hoarsely, and the rattling stopped immediately. “Don’t come in, Cameron. Please,” Emory said, hoping maybe politeness would gloss over his shout.
“Are you okay?” Cameron asked from the other side of the door. Emory heard a soft shuffling, and when Cameron spoke again, his voice came from much lower down. “Christopher was waiting for me in the lobby, and he told me you were insisting I not come up but that he thought that was ‘stupid and self-sacrificing as always, so please, for the love of the gods, go upstairs.’”
Emory groaned and shifted so he was off his sore knees and instead sitting on his butt, facing the door.
“Was he right? Is the door locked because you’re being self-sacrificing and don’t want to accept any help?” Cameron pressed.
Emory huffed, and his lion made a noise that was somehow both admonishing and desperate. “Help… You say it like you’ve come to assist me in hanging a painting, not to suffer through a ten-hour rut with me. Have you ever even been through a rut before?”
He wished he could take the question back the second it left his mouth. Cameron had been open that he’d only had one long-term partner.
Cameron let out his own huff. “I have, yes. With my shitty ex.”
The one Cameron said was abusive. Emory let out an actual growl, which was nothing compared to the resounding roar his lion made. The only thing his lion wanted as much as sex was to avenge their fated mate. It was a dreadfully toxic-alpha thing to want, but the thought of bringing justice raining down on one of the people who had hurt Cameron was almost too good to ignore. Especially if he had ever hurt Cameron in the bedroom. Emory would rip his dick off and shove it so far down his throat, he’d?—
