Alex Masterson walked into the bar, the neon lights casting a seductive glow on the polished wood floors. He scanned the crowd, his amber eyes darting between groups of people, each one lost in their own conversations, laughter, and desires. He wasn't here for casual talk or mingling—he was here for a very specific reason. His heat and the gnawing need to satisfy it.
But Alex didn't look like an omega. Not after years of carefully manipulating his body with the pills he'd been taking since his manifestation into an omega at seventeen. Those pills had stopped his body from developing the usual omega traits—the delicate frame, the soft, alluring scent of pheromones. In fact, the only trace of his true nature was the internal rhythm of his body, his heat that came only twice a year. His body was taller, leaner, not fragile, but strong. He didn't have the softness or elegance that most omegas possessed. With his brown hair, amber eyes, and lean frame, Alex resembled a beta more than anything else.
But it worked to his advantage tonight. There were always alphas who were more than happy to spend time with a beta, and Alex needed that. He needed the connection, the physicality, to get through his heat.
As Alex wove his way through the crowded room, his gaze snagged on a man seated in the corner, nursing a glass of dark liquor. His hair was raven-black, tousled yet somehow still controlled, falling over a sharp, chiseled jawline. His black eyes were piercing beneath the dim lighting, and the quiet intensity in them made Alex shiver, in a good way. There was something magnetic about the man's presence—an effortless dominance that reached across the space between them and curled tight in Alex's chest.
Alpha. Definitely.
From the breadth of his shoulders to the powerful set of his body, everything about him screamed dominance. Alex's pulse quickened, a low thrum of instinct responding to the presence of a dominant alpha. They were rare, after all. And Alex had never been with one before.
He felt lucky.
Since his first heat at eighteen, Alex had been with exactly eleven partners over the past six years. This alpha would make number twelve. He'd never craved intimacy outside of his heats, so he'd never bothered with dating or forming deeper connections. His heats were short—barely lasting a day—an uncommon mercy, considering some omegas were stuck in that vulnerable haze for an entire week every few months.
The pills helped with that. They kept his secondary gender under control, stabilizing his heat cycle. They dulled the edges of his instincts—but not entirely. Because right now, as the alpha's dark gaze swept over him with quiet hunger, Alex felt something stir deep inside him.
A low pull. A simmering ache. Alex swallowed, feeling a rush of heat flood his body. Without thinking, he approached him, the words coming easily as if his feet were being guided by something other than his own will.
"Hey," Alex said, offering a half-smile. "Mind if I join you?"
The man didn't hesitate. "Not at all. I'm Damien." His voice was deep and smooth, carrying an undercurrent of authority.
"Alex," he replied, taking the seat across from Damien.
They fell into conversation effortlessly. Alex was drawn to Damien's confidence, the way he carried himself, the way his every word seemed to command attention. And Damien seemed equally intrigued by Alex—his questions were direct, but there was a curiosity behind his dark eyes that kept Alex hooked. They spoke about everything and nothing at the same time, the distance between them growing shorter with each passing moment.
As the night wore on, the chemistry between them became undeniable. The attraction, the heat of the conversation, the subtle touches that lingered just a little too long, the way Damien's gaze softened when Alex smiled—it all built up to something more.
Before Alex knew it, they were leaving the bar, stepping out into the cool night air. Damien took his hand, a gesture so simple yet filled with promise, and led him to a nearby hotel. Inside, the room felt like it was closing in around them. Every breath, every movement was charged with electricity. Alex felt his heart pounding in his chest, his body aching for release, for connection. Damien's presence was overwhelming in the best way.
Their bodies collided with breathless urgency, words falling away as desire swept through them like fire. Their mouths met in desperate kisses, tongues tangling, tasting, claiming. Damien's hands roamed over Alex's body with confident precision, fingers gliding beneath fabric and stripping it away until Alex lay bare beneath him.
Damien's mouth trailed down his throat, leaving a path of wet heat against his skin. His pulse hammered in his ears, each touch heightening the ache coiling low in his belly. Damien's hand slid over his hip, wrapping around his growing hardness, stroking with maddening skill. A low moan escaped Alex's lips as Damien's own arousal pressed insistently against his thigh, hot and hard.
"Relax," Damien whispered against his ear, his voice low and rough. His lips curled into a smile as Alex shivered beneath him.
Alex's head fell back, eyes fluttering shut as Damien's hand moved in a slow, sinful rhythm, coaxing him toward release. The tension built unbearably fast until Alex's body arched and his release spilled over his stomach in a sharp, shuddering gasp. His breath came in ragged pulls as Damien kissed the corner of his mouth, his dark eyes glittering with dangerous hunger.
"You're a beta," Damien murmured, his voice silk and steel, "so I have to prepare you well."
Alex's lashes fluttered open, his gaze dark and unfocused as Damien reached toward the nightstand. The cool touch of the lubricant made him shiver, and when Damien's finger slid inside, his breath hitched sharply. His muscles tightened involuntarily around the slow intrusion, but Damien's other arm curled around his shoulders, holding him steady.
"Let me take care of you," Damien said, his lips brushing against Alex's temple. His finger moved with measured care, seeking that perfect spot. Alex gasped when Damien found it, his whole body jerking with sudden, liquid pleasure.
Another finger followed, stretching him open with deliberate slowness. Damien turned Alex's face toward him, claiming his mouth in a deep kiss as his hand worked him open, coaxing him into surrender. A third finger pushed inside, and Alex's body trembled as heat flared along his spine, his hips instinctively pressing toward the sensation.
Damien's mouth left his, his dark eyes glittering with dangerous intent. He shifted, positioning himself between Alex's legs. The blunt press of his arousal against Alex's entrance made him tense, but Damien's hand slid down his side, grounding him.
"Breathe," Damien whispered, his mouth brushing against Alex's ear. He pushed in slowly, inch by inch, until Alex's breath broke into a ragged gasp.
"You're… bigger than I expected," Alex panted, his hands fisting in the sheets.
Damien's lips curled into a dark smile. "You can take me."
He began to move, slow and controlled at first, until Alex's hips lifted instinctively to meet him. Damien's pace quickened, thrusts driving deeper, until Alex's moans broke into helpless sounds.
"You feel so good," Damien growled, his voice rough and strained. He thrust harder, faster, his mouth capturing Alex's moaning sounds.
Pleasure ignited low in Alex's core, and his release struck him with breathless force. Damien followed with a low groan, his warmth spilling deep inside Alex as they trembled against each other. Damien's hands slid up Alex's sides, pulling him closer as the aftershocks rolled through them.
They didn't stop. The hunger between them was insatiable, and Damien took Alex again—and again—until exhaustion claimed them both, leaving Alex boneless and sated in Damien's arms. Darkness tugged at the edges of his mind as Damien pressed a lingering kiss to his cheek.
The next morning, Alex woke up alone. The bed beside him was empty, the sheets still tangled from their passionate night. His heart sank for a moment but as he pushed himself up, his eyes landed on a note on the nightstand.
The handwriting was elegant and neat: Call me when you wake up. Damien.
Alex smiled, a warm flutter in his chest. It wasn't what he had expected, but it was more than he had hoped for. There was something different about Damien, something that made Alex's heart race.
He reached for his phone, his fingers trembling slightly as he typed in Damien's number. Maybe this wasn't just about his heat. Maybe there was something more here—something real.