"How's school, how's everything?" she grinned and watched Adira winch from her payback.
"You know, just normal, doing great in school, and will be finished next year."
"ahh... Will you come back home then? It's so lonely without you here." She whined and gave her the biggest puppy eyes she could make.
Adira hadn't thought of what she wanted to do after she finished college. Maybe find a job in the city or move back here to find a job here. She would see what the next few months would bring her. She still wasn't sure what she wanted; that's why she also came back here to maybe find some answers and make a life plan.
Adira wrapped her arms around her sisters' shoulders and laid her head on them.
"hmm... I don't know yet; maybe I'll move back. But just for you then," she winked and grinned at her jokingly.
"you sap. Find a mate already!"
She slapped her on the head and stood up to jump back on her to fight her before they heard their mother calling them for dinner.
Adira was relieved; her sister was petite but could fight her well! She jumped up and sneaked past her to run downstairs before she would catch up to her.
As they stumbled down the stairs, with them both trying to be the first, their mother stopped them before someone would get seriously hurt.
"Come on, it's still the same after all these years! Next time, you'll both get hospitalized if you keep this up! Sit down," she said with a stern look, but they both knew she didn't mean it but still sat down obediently.
Dinner went by without a hitch, and they talked about all the things they had missed out on from Adira and her family. She ate a ton of her favorite food as her father still piled her plate up, constantly saying she was too thin, and she should eat.
With a heavy groan, Adira plopped down on her bed, wiping her hair after a much-needed shower. Her stomach was stuffed, and her eyes were droopy from dinner, and she wanted nothing more than to sleep now.
As she had dried her hair, she wanted to go lay down, but her phone rang. She saw, who could this be this late as she picked up?
"Adira, you're back!" Sam said on the other side of the line.
Sam was Adom's childhood friend, as they had grown up together in this little town.
"Sam! I haven't heard from you in a long time." Adira grinned and laid down on her bed.
"Yeah, sorry, I was really busy with work."
Sam worked at his father's shop here in town; he never really wanted to study, so this was the best way for him, and he loved it. He was going to take over his father's business later, so why "waste away those college years when you could learn from the best?" he had said.
"Let's catch up tomorrow and play some soccer with the other boys. They talked about you last time about wanting to see you again, so let play."
"Okay, that sounds good. Afternoon?"
"Yeah, I can ask dad if I can get off earlier."
"Okay, see you tomorrow! Goodnight." Adira said, and after Sam also wished her a goodnight, she hung up. She dropped her phone next to her pillow and connected it to the charger she had pulled out of her back. She dropped back down and pulled the covers over her before falling into a deep sleep soon after, exhausted from the long journey home.
The next day, she woke up early to go for a walk. She had always enjoyed nature, and here in town, it was easier to just go out and walk into the woods a few miles behind their house. She pulled on her sweatpants and a hoody before leaving the house and chewing on an apple.
She sniffed in the fresh smell and walked for a while, enjoying the rising sun and the chirping of the birds.
She was in her own words as she walked for an hour and suddenly saw a person approaching with a super cute dog.
The owner seemed to be some kind of elite because he was wearing a suit. Weird, who let their dog out in a suit.
She just shrugged, not her problem with how people like to dress. She greeted the alpha and squatted down to pet the dog. She barked and wiggled at her before sniffing her hand and leaning into her touch.
"He seems to like you. Not that usual," the man chuckled as he saw the dog enjoying Adira's caress.
"Haha, well, first, I like dogs, but dogs don't seem to always like me too." She smiled up at the man and stood back up.
"Sorry, I'm a bit rude. My name is Adira." She reached out her hand and greeted the man.
"I'm Seth." The suited man said, greeted her with a smile, and shook her hand.
"You live around here?" Seth said this and squinted his eyes.
"ah! Well, my parents live here; I'm back home for the holidays." Adira said it with a smile.
She had never seen this man here before, but she hadn't been home for a long time, so maybe she had moved here in the meantime.
"You live around here too?" she asked out of curiosity.
"Yes, we moved here six months ago."
"Ah, okay, well, nice meeting you. And the cute dog!" She said this and looked at her watch. She saw that it was almost 9 a.m. and she had agreed to eat breakfast together with the family, so she need to hurry.
"I'm sorry I have to hurry; I'll be leaving now. See you around!"
"Yes, see you around..." Seth said that and waved her goodbye.
Adira hurried home and was just in time for breakfast when she slipped into her seat. Her sister had just woken up and yawned as she ate her breakfast, her hair sticking out from all sides. Her parents chatted away, and Adira could only think about the strange man with the dog. Good thing the man hadn't mentioned her scent because she forgot to put on her scent neutralizers this morning. She didn't mind much here because her family was used to her cinnamon apple scent and her heat was nowhere near, so most alphas wouldn't be able to smell it.
"Mom? Have there been new people moving to town in the last months?" Adira asked as they were seated around the table.
"Not that I know of, but people come and go here. What about it?"
"Nothing, just thinking," Adira mumbled, but found it strange.
So, the man wasn't known here, but he said he lived around here.
She let it go and ate her breakfast before she helped her dad clean out the garage.
When lunchtime hit, mom made them sandwiches, and Adira left right after that to meet up with her friends.
She took her old bike out of the garage and sprinted away. The court was only 5 minutes away, and as she arrived, she could already see some familiar faces. Her face lit up as she approached them after she had locked her bike.
"Hey!" they yelled in union as Adira hugged them and laughed.
"Hello to you too. It's been a while," Adira said, approaching Sam.
"Well, you left us! We meet up here every week to play; we have to become just as good as you," Sam joked and slapped Adira back.
"Okay, if you practiced so hard, let's play then! Show me if you've improved."Adira challenged them with a glint in her eyes as she grabbed the ball and walked to the middle of the field.
They made teams and started the game. Adira had missed this as she was passing the ball around. In college, she didn't have time to play, and most people she knew didn't play soccer either. They played around for some time, and just as Adira was about to score, she smelled it.
This scent. so enticing and so good. It smelled like sandalwood.
She completely forgot about the game as her mind drifted off. She had never really smelled other people, and this made her confused. If she smelled other alphas, it was never this strong. How was she able to smell something now? And who was it?
She passed the ball and looked around. She didn't register her friends calling her name as she was sniffing the air and trying to find out who this amazing smell belonged to. She felt her heart flutter and beat loudly in her chest. She had never felt something like this, and it made her scared. Her Omega yipped inside of her, something she had never registered before. How was this possible?
Adira had never been connecting with her omega side, and now it came out as if it were the first time she had presented. She had tried to hide the voices away, but now they were purring in her head as they smelled the air.
She felt her ears turn red and her knees weaken as she tried to follow the scent. Her omega had taken over, and she wanted nothing more than to follow it and wrap herself inside that person's arms.
Person! Adira came back to her senses when she registered what she had just done! She let her omega out! This can't be happening!
"Are you okay?" Sam touched Adira's shoulder.
Startled, Adira turned around as her friends looked at her with concern.
"ah... Yeah. It's nothing. I felt a little dizzy, that's it." She lied and smiled reassuringly at them after swallowing hard. She could feel her omega yipping and jump in hee, happy with the smell.
What could that mean?
She had never experienced something like this, and she had never learned about omegas, as she didn't plan on being one.
She shook her head. She could deal with this.
"Come one, let's play. You still haven't won from me." She said it jokingly and kicked the ball away.
As they were sweating and breathing hard after playing a few more rounds, they called it a day.
"You know what we should do!" Sam said it excitedly. "We should go out tonight to the bar to celebrate Adira's return!"
Everyone cheered, and Adira thought, Why not? It's been a while since she let loose, so she agreed, and they decided to meet up tonight at the local bar.
A few drinks would surely help calm her nerves and the unsettling feeling inside her.
She needed to calm her omega down, or things could get worse.
Consciousness arrives gently, letting Win's awareness spread in tiny increments.The first thing he realizes is that he is not stuck inside an ancient magical entrapment anymore. The suffocating presence of the twin is gone. He can breathe easily, and the air is cool and fresh, with hints of herbs and mint.His mind is functional enough to remember that only the smells like this; of old scent and sanctuary... the safe and welcoming parts of it, at least.It's also wonderful to feel that he's lying on a bed instead of kneeling on the hard stone floor. His weary body is much appreciative of its softness and warmth. He is content to lay there for the moment, accepting that even though he still feels drained and exhausted, he is alive. Against all insurmountable odds, he is somehow alive.Alex.Even as the thought slams into him, something flares in his chest, bright and vibrant and vital. It catches all of his attention instantly, this new feeling that seems to have lodged deep inside hi
Win drops his gaze, letting the flickering flames on the seal go blurry in his vision. Despite the almost melting temperatures in the chamber, he feels cold inside, as if his own life force is fading along with his husbands'. The manifestation of the final dying throes is watching above them, hovering like a carrion bird, eager to witness the birth of the new realm - the one that is being born out of the scattered, buried energies of its own recent annihilation.He blinks at the way the flames on the stone floor lick at his knees, feeling detached, almost numb. A tiny part of his scattering mind wonders why he hasn't been set ablaze by the fire surrounding him. He's not completely aware of what he's doing when he slowly gets back to his feet again. Win watches from the center of the floor, his expression a blend of exhaustion, sorrow and relief. He thinks Win is leaving, having finally seen his point, and is relieved.The time slows and stretches. They are both caught in a monumental
"I need to see him." There is nothing else in this goddamn world Win wants to do right now."Win, please–""You said so yourself," Win cuts off Mike softly, feeling strangely calm, as if he's trapped in the eye of his own storm of mounting agony, terror and grief, "He walked inside a trap and shut himself in, he's not walking out. I need to see him... please," his voice breaks at the end."It–it might not be a good idea, Win," Mike tries again to plead with him. "It won't be pleasant to experience the emergence, especially for someone like you with your Omega.""Alex and I and my Alpha and I'm already feeling my skin crawl with what's happening right now," Type mutters, almost to himself. A faint shudder runs down his entire body."I will see him if that is the last thing I do. Do you understand me?" Win asks, simply because that's the truth. He doesn't care if this will end him too. If Alex is the last thing he sees when he leaves the world, he's more than ready to accept it. What he
Win glances around, taking his first-ever look at the base as the door shut behind them.He's surprised by how normal everything looks. Well, the entire area exudes an extremely luxurious and wealthy aura, of course, but it is all very un-welcome-like, in Win's somewhat frazzled opinion. Whatever he's been expecting, this lavishly appointed, massive lounge area that seems to belong in a parlor of some ancient mansion, is definitely not it.Whenever the subject of the hardly-ever-discussed topic of main base came up, Win used to imagine a large, stone structure built in the shape of a complicated maze. It would always be dimly lit with fires blazing in the braziers hanging on the stone walls along the long, twisting corridors. They would be dotted with big, imposing wooden and metal doors at unpredictable intervals, always closed and warded with hissing men, and invisible deathly scent in others. There would be all kinds of gun's, machine's and otherwise, lurking in these endless dark
Win swims back to consciousness with all the strength and aplomb of a man who's been wading aimlessly through an unforgiving bog for hours. Everything around him is quiet. The first cautious lungful of air he breathes in is free of the cloying scents and the static of the sullied scent. It's a small relief after being saturated in it for longer than he cared to find out.His eyes are still closed, and he knows he's lying on his side on the floor. The carpet beneath him is thick enough that the hardwood is not digging into the bones on his shoulders, hips or knees. But it's not nearly as comfortable as lying on the disgustingly luxurious bed in the main room.A faint sensation on the shoulder he's not lying on, the right one, draws his attention. He flinches and opens his eyes the moment his sluggish brain informs him that what feels like a feather brushing over his skin is healing."Hey, hey, take it easy, Win."He knows that voice. His blurry vision finds the owner after a few blink
Alex is on the balcony; clad only in the loose black pants he puts on during his meditation. He has erected a shield around the balcony to stay dry as the rain continues to fall outside. The raindrops hit the transparent forcefield nonstop, only to dissolve into a sparkling display akin to silent, white fireworks, distorting the view of city night into something whimsical in the backdrop.The Alpha is moving slowly, unhurriedly as he always does when he is practicing his control... his powers. His arms and legs move in delicate, graceful twists, turns and swirls as he flows through the familiar routines.He has been at it for a while, Win can tell by the way the sweat runs down the expanse of his tanned back in rivulets. They glisten, caught in the candlelight, drawing attention to the alluring ripples of his well-muscled torso.Win has to wrench his distracted mind back to the present to focus on greeting his husband and apologizing properly."Alex..." the call comes out softly, almo