After sex

Julian flushed. “It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing, after…”

After sex.

Devlin gave a clipped nod, clasping his hands behind his back. His fingers and his jawline itched, as they did when he was on the verge of transforming. Through sheer willpower, he managed to keep his claws in.

It was a normal enough reaction, to feel protective of a young omega he cared about.

It was.

“But the bond took?” he said, his voice very neutral.

Julian nodded, not looking at him. “We were naturally compatible.”

Devlin’s claws dug into his palm. He turned away and walked to the window.

He took a deep breath, staring at Dainiri’s nearly full disk, and then another, until he had his claws under control.

“I see,” he heard himself say. “The risk still exists, then. Medical intervention might be needed.”

“What do you mean?” Julian said. “More suppressants?”

“Increasing the dose again might do more harm than good,” Devlin said stiffly. “I’m hardly a doctor, but even I know that you can’t keep changing yo