Enar was out of his fucking mind. Lidon could draw no other conclusion after the phone call he’d received from his friend. How the hell else could he explain this request? It was insane. Dammit, he was a cop, not some money-grabbing alpha-whore.

And yet he found himself driving to the address Enar had given him. As an alpha and a cop, being able to say no constituted one of his key strengths, yet one that seemed to fail him with his best friend. Enar had an uncanny way of making him do things he was determined not to—not that he’d ever outright regretted them afterward. Somehow, Enar managed to change Lidon’s mind, even his views. It was a talent as much as an annoyance. 

“Just come see him,” Enar had said. “He needs you. And dammit, Lidon, you need him, too, even if you’re too fucking stubborn to admit it.”

The latter was absurd, of course. He needed no one, let alone some sex-starved omega who probably wanted to get pregnant and then sue him for paternity payments. Well, that would only work if he gave birth to an alpha, but the alpha gene ran strong in Lidon’s family. Unlike Enar, who had been an aberration in his family of predominantly betas and omegas, Lidon’s family boasted a fifty percent alpha rate. If he fucked this omega during his heat, he had a high chance of impregnating him with an alpha. Another reason he was so not doing this.

Sure, Enar had a point it had been a while since Lidon had had sex. Not for a lack of willing partners, but because he didn’t want to. And no matter what Enar claimed, Lidon was fine. 

He checked the address again. Damn south side of town. Most of it consisted of high rises thirty floors tall, buildings once occupied by working class families but now many of them had left, searching for more family friendly neighborhoods. Lidon couldn’t blame them. Half the drug dealers he arrested resided here, if not more, and this neighborhood was a hot bed of criminal activities. For fuck’s sake, Enar had no business being in this neighborhood at three in the morning. It looked like he needed another stern reprimand. Not that it would help, but at least Lidon could console himself he’d tried.

He parked his car in the lot surrounding the apartment complex next to Enar’s and stalked inside. Luckily, the elevator button was sturdy enough to withstand his rather strong punch to make it come down. He’d do the polite thing out of respect for the lifelong friendship with Enar and spend the five minutes inside this omega’s place to convince Enar he refused the offer, and then he was out of there. This time, Enar would not convince him to change his mind with whatever sneaky tactics he usually employed. 

The scent hit him even before he rang the bell. 

Oh, god. 

It sucker-punched his stomach. His balls and dick, more accurately. They filled instantly, swelling and throbbing, demanding release. Why the hell did this omega possess such a unique aroma?

A beta opened the door, a fit-looking young guy with short cropped, dark hair and piercing brown eyes. He looked familiar. “Who are you?” Lidon asked.

The beta hesitated for only a second before answering, but long enough to trigger Lidon’s suspicions he had met him before. He just didn’t know from what. Had he ever arrested him? 

“Palani.”

It took Lidon less than a second to place him with that uncommon first name. “Palani Hightower. You’re the reporter.”

“Yes.”

“The one who won a prize for his exposé on dirty cops.”

“Yes.”

He didn’t back down and Lidon had to respect that. “You wanna let me in?”

Another slight hesitation. “Yeah.”

He opened the door and more of that delicious scent assaulted Lidon’s senses. Fucking hell, if he set foot inside there, he’d never make it out again. Before he could make the rational decision to walk away, his instincts took over and he stepped inside.

“They’re in the bedroom,” Palani said quietly.

That made sense, considering why they'd invited Lidon over. Sweat broke out on Lidon’s forehead as he followed the smell, straight into a bedroom where a pale, cute-as-fuck omega lay rubbing his cheek against Enar’s rock-hard cock. Enar still wore pants, but not for long if that little omega had his way.

“He’s getting desperate,” Enar said by way of greeting, his eyes unapologetic. 

No shit, the pheromones coming off of him would attract every alpha in a ten-mile radius. Hot damn, what was with this kid that he was this high? Had he taken something? If so, Lidon wanted no part of it. Looking the other way while Enar did what he did to help those who needed him was one thing, but Lidon wouldn't risk his career over some druggie.

“What the fuck is he on?” he asked.

“Nothing!” the beta reacted before Enar could say anything. 

“Impossible. I’ve never detected anything like him.”

Palani’s eyes narrowed. “Vieno is not a thing.”

“That’s not what I meant. How the fuck can he smell like this unless he took something?”

“Lidon,” Enar said, his voice calm and reasonable as always. “Palani is right. He’s clean, just in terrible shape.”

The omega—Vieno, the beta-reporter had called him—turned to watch him with glazed eyes, still rubbing his cheek against Enar’s cock. His friend looked about ready to blow his load. Even with the constant dose of suppressants he was taking, a direct stimulation from an omega who smelled like that was impossible to resist. Fuck, Lidon’s own body was tight as a drum, every nerve screaming to throw everyone out and take that little omega until they both screamed with pleasure.

“Start talking and make it fast,” Lidon snapped at Enar.

“He has the Melloni gene. Hasn’t been knotted in three years. He’s in bad shape and he needs you, Lidon. You need to fuck the shit out of him or he may die from complications of suppressed heat.”

As usual, Enar was blunt, something Lidon appreciated under the circumstances. His raging erection made it hard to think, even more with that scent assaulting his every nerve. The Melloni gene…what was that again? Oh, right, that mutation that affected some omegas and made them sex-crazy. 

“He needs your knot, Lidon. And you, my friend, need to fuck testosterone out of your system before it drives you mad.”

“Bullshit.” Lidon’s reaction came automatically, his temper flaring.

“Really, Lidon? You need me to point it out to you? You’ve had trouble sleeping ‘cause you’re too jacked up. You’re tense, stressed, prickly as fuck, and you blow up every time someone so much as looks at you the wrong way. And dammit, you walk around with a permanent boner.”

Lidon wanted to deny it, but he couldn’t. Enar was a doctor and he’d spotted the signs weeks ago, probably. Lidon should be thankful the man hadn’t called him out on it sooner. But here in this room, he couldn't contradict it, no matter how much he wanted to. The need to fuck thundered through his veins, threatening to overtake him. 

The little omega unbuttoned the top button of Enar’s jeans, letting out a soft moan. God, he had it bad. “Please…” It was all he said to Enar, who gently rebuffed his attempt to undress him, but the soft words brought Lidon to his knees. 

Palani let out an audible gasp. What was he to the omega, Lidon wondered. His lover? Not that it interested Lidon right now. His head buzzed with want. Was he doing this? Like he still had a choice, he scoffed at himself. His body screamed at him to get this party started, but he forced himself to use his brain. Was there any reason he shouldn’t do this?

“What about pregnancy?” he checked.

“I’ll make sure that’s covered,” Enar answered. “Don’t ask.”

He wouldn’t. He never did, not when half of what Enar did was illegal. Besides, his brain was about to surrender to his dick. 

“You have thirty seconds for further instructions,” he bit out at Enar.

“Knot him long and often and let him suck you off at least once and swallow your load. He needs as much of your hormones and proteins as he can get.”

“Do I need to be gentle?” He looked at Palani, who watched the exchange with a mix of relief and anger. Lidon understood both, but he had no emotional energy left to say anything to the beta right now. Fighting off what he so desperately craved took all his energy.

“No. He can take it. Just…” Lidon watched the man shoot one last desperate look at the trembling omega on the bed. “Be kind to him. He’s not himself during a heat, and he’s vulnerable.”

Lidon didn’t understand what he referred to, but he’d find out soon enough, he reasoned. “You’ll stay?” he checked with Enar, who nodded.

“I’ll be in the living room.”

Enar lifted the omega’s head off his lap and kissed his forehead. “He’ll take care of you, little one. You’ll feel much better after.”

Lidon was amazed Enar could walk away. Even with the suppressants in his system, how did he manage to overcome his urges? It had to be because Enar’s alpha-drive was low to begin with. Lidon would fight anyone who tried to keep him from claiming Vieno right now.

Enar got up and signaled Palani to leave, but the beta hesitated. “Palani, now.” 

When Enar wanted, he could be a full alpha, and despite his worry over his friend, Palani had no choice but to obey. They closed the door behind him and left Lidon with the trembling man on the bed, who looked at him with big, blue eyes. 

“You sure you want this?” Lidon asked. He was far gone, this little omega, but not past the point of consent. 

He nodded.

“I need words, Vieno. I want to make sure this is what you want.”

“Yes. Oh, fuck, please. I’m… You smell so good.”

Lidon smiled. “Nowhere near as good as you.”

Vieno licked his lips. “Are you sure you want this?”

An omega checking consent with an alpha. Lidon wasn’t sure he’d ever heard of that before, but damn if he didn’t appreciate it. “Yes.”

They had a minute at most before the hormones raging through their systems would overtake them both. Maybe he could give the little omega a little sense of security and safety? “I haven’t fucked anyone in months, which is why Enar asked me. My hormone and pheromone levels are sky high which will help you…and in return, fucking you will help me as well.”

“Why?”

That was the question, wasn’t it? Even Lidon himself didn’t fully understand. “Personal choice,” he said. 

Vieno closed his eyes and let out a moan, his ass shifting again on the bed. Yeah, time was up. 

“Last chance, Vieno. If you want me to walk out, you have to tell me now because in a few seconds I won’t be able to anymore.”

Vieno opened his eyes again. “I’m surprised you held out this long.”

“You and me both.”

“Take me. Please, please, take me.”

Vieno wriggled out of his dark-stained underwear. When he turned around and positioned himself on his knees, Lidon spotted the lubrication dripping from his hole. His perfectly pink, quivering hole that drew Lidon in, like helpless prey being seduced by a predator. As the alpha, he was supposed to be the strong one, but right now, he was helpless.

Lidon let go of the impossibly tight grip he had on his self-control. The alpha roar he let out came from his toes, rattling glasses in the kitchen cabinets. He stripped in seconds, his cock jutting free with a painful jolt. 

His blood roared and before he knew it, he was on the bed behind Vieno, grabbing the slender hips with both hands. There was no time for foreplay, for kissing, or any tenderness. This hole was desperate to be filled and neither of them could wait any longer.

He lined up, then surged in with one powerful thrust. Vieno cried out, but not in pain or distress. It was lust. Pure, unadulterated lust. The same lust that thundered through Lidon’s veins, through his cock. It only took seconds for the first load to release, but it didn’t bring either of them what they craved.

Vieno lowered his head on his forearms, pushing his ass back. “More. Harder. Fuck me harder.”

Lidon intensified his grip on the bony hips, yanked him an inch or two closer and plunged back in. Vieno was slick and warm and tight and fucking perfect. For the first time in years, Lidon allowed himself to surrender to the alpha lust rolling through his body. He fucked Vieno exactly the way he asked to, hard. Then even harder, until he had to brace the lithe body with both of his strong arms to provide counterforce. 

“You fuck me so good, alpha…your cock is so perfect…”

“Lidon,” he managed between deep thrusts that took his breath away. “My name is Lidon, not alpha.”

“Lidon,” Vieno repeated. “Fuck me, Lidon…your big alpha cock fills me up so good.”

Lidon’s balls pulled up as he came again, harder this time. He let out another roar, throwing his head back. Damn, this felt so good. His body was on fire. He could fuck for hours now, fueled by how own released lust and the hormones Vieno triggered in him. 

“The next time will be my knot,” he promised as he pulled out and pushed Vieno on his back to change positions, then slammed back in again. Vieno wrapped his legs around him, pulling him in. 

“I can’t wait… Your cock feels so good already inside me… You’re so hard for me, so fucking big.”

Hmm, he was a little firecracker in bed, wasn’t he? Lidon growled as he slid in deep, the omega’s own slick providing the perfect lubrication. He was so fucking perfect around his cock, so tight. 

“I want to ride you…fuck myself senseless on your big, fat dick.”

For an omega, he was surprisingly vocal in bed. Most of them didn’t provide more than grunts and whimpers. 

Then it hit Lidon. This was what Palani had hinted at. The gene, it made Vieno lose all his inhibitions. This was probably just the beginning of how vocal Vieno would get.

Damn.