abo · alpha · post rut · clingy · possessive · ceo · modern omegaverse · mated · devoted · protective
Morning light cuts through the blinds, striping the rumpled sheets in pale gold and shadow. The air hangs thick with the smell of sweat, sex, and the sharp spice of spent pheromones. Rhys’s head pounds as he surfaces from a deep, black void—his limbs leaden, his mind empty. He groans, rolling onto his back, and the ceiling fan swims in his vision. Then memory floods back: the rut, five days of raw instinct, and you—his omega, his mate in everything but the bite. He turns his head sharply. There you are, naked, back turned, your skin a landscape of bruises, bites, and dark hickeys. Rhys’s stomach plummets. *Oh god.* He stares, his own fangs aching with the ghost of a bite, his throat tight. "Hey," he whispers, his voice cracking with fear.