Landon

"Yo, Lewis, what's your ten-twenty?”

I stood behind a stack of boxes in the dark, abandoned building. I couldn't see a thing other than a dim blue light that filtered in through the grimy warehouse windows that lined the top of the wall near the ceiling.

“Second floor, right next to the stairwell. Where you at?" I heard from my cell phone. Mark and I used an app that allowed us to use our phones as walkie-talkies when we were on out in the field.

"I'm on my way up. I don't think they’re down here. I haven't heard anything for a couple minutes."

"Okay. Watch your back. I’ll cover you from the second floor."

I crept out from behind a metal shelf that was lined with boxes and quickly crossed over to a staircase that disappeared into a dark stairwell. I scanned the cavernous room for any sign of movement, and when it looked like the coast was clear, I started up the stairs. I kept my eyes moving constantly, and my back to the wall, as I slowly made my way up to the landing, then turned the corner to head up to the second floor.

Suddenly a barrage of shots rang out around me, hitting the metal banister and the walls, and sending a rain of concrete chunks down on my head. I heard Mark yell for me to hit the floor and I didn’t think twice. I trusted him more than anyone I’d ever worked with. No matter how much shit I gave him—and I dished out plenty—I knew that he was the best cop on the force and was always thankful he had my back.

The minute I hit the ground I heard a thud behind me. Then some yelling and footsteps from somewhere below me on the first floor. Within seconds, Mark was right there next to me, rolling me on my back with his face right in mine.

"You okay, Landon? Did you get hit?”

"No, I’m good.” I sat up and looked at a motionless body on the cold concrete landing down below me. There was a growing pool of blood seeping out around the head that was starting to trickle down to the first floor. "How did you even know he was there?" I asked Mark.

"I don't know, man. I just had a feeling. When you told me you hadn't seen anything for a while and were on your way up I thought I'd watch your back and make sure you got up here okay. I'm glad I did."

“I’m getting to really appreciate those feelings of yours. They’re usually right.” I pushed myself up and grabbed onto the railing for support, then stepped around the blood and made my way back down the stairs. "You think anyone is still in the building?"

"No, there was no one up there. I think they were still on the main floor and took off when they heard the gunshots. Better get on the horn and have someone pick this one up,” Mark said as he nudged the body. “Maybe they’ll find some evidence that links him to those arsonists.”

"Those guys are really getting out of hand. We need to find them before someone is killed in one of those blazes. I can’t believe they’re targeting fertility clinics. How low can you get?” I said as I headed to the cruiser.

"Well, it seems like a lot of people have that ‘us and them’ mentality these days—that if you don’t believe what they believe, you’re one of them.”

"Yeah, but the sane ones don't usually kill people over a difference of opinion."

Mark slid into the car next to me and grabbed the radio. After he called dispatch we sat there in silence and waited for the cleanup crew to show up. I’d been trying to figure out a way to break the tension I'd been feeling between us all morning and decided being direct was the best option.

"So, you doing okay?" We'd already been on the shift for four hours and Mark hadn’t brought anything up about last night. I didn’t particularly want to be the one to do it, but I felt like we couldn’t just ignore what happened, considering the implications.

"Yeah, sure, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?’” I could tell by the tone of his voice that what he was saying and what he was actually feeling were not the same thing. His body language was also telling me a completely different story. As soon as I asked that question, his entire body stiffened up and he turned his head, so I couldn’t see his expression. His eyes were always a dead giveaway to what he was feeling, and I was pretty sure he knew it.

I could see I was going to have to be the adult in this situation and say it out loud, even though I was just as nervous to talk as he was. “I think maybe we should talk about what happened. You know … last night."

"I don't know what you're talking about." He may have thought he was being convincing, but I could see his hand curling up into a fist next to his thigh. He knew exactly what I was talking about, but he was going to make me take all the responsibility, as usual. Of course, always the Alpha. Always in charge. What I wouldn't give to relax for once and not have to worry about being the responsible one. But it wasn’t in me to ignore a problem, to pretend I didn’t know how important it was that we get things out in the open.

"Okay, so I guess I'm the one that's going to have to say it out loud. Is that how this is going to go?"

Mark was silent for a moment, but then mumbled a response to the window. "I don't know what happened last night, Landon. I really don't remember."

I wanted him to turn his head and look at me. I wanted to see his eyes when he said those words. I had a hard time believing they were true. “You don’t remember anything? Anything at all? You didn't feel any different this morning?"

"Well, I was pretty sore. Maybe I caught something. You know there's lots of flu going around—”

“Come on, Mark. Where were you sore? Tell me that."

Mark was silent again and I was afraid that I'd been too harsh. It wouldn’t have been the first time. I wasn’t exactly known for being diplomatic or subtle. If I had something to say, I said it. If I had a question, I asked it. If I was pissed off at you, you better believe you’d know it.

But I also knew that this was a very sensitive subject and I didn’t want things to go bad between us. “Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I just wanted to make sure you had at least a little fun last night. And that you didn’t think I was taking advantage of you.”

Mark finally turned and looked at me but he wasn't smiling. In fact, he looked scared. "What the hell do you mean? Taking advantage of me?”

"Look," I said putting my hands up to show that I was trying to keep the peace. "You were the one that started it. I was surprised as hell that you were going into heat. I mean, you were pawing at me like a goddamned puppy dog.”

“What are you talking about?” Mark asked, the stunned look on his face quickly turning to anger. “I might have been drunk. But in heat? That’s not even possible!”

“Hey, you were drunk, I get that, but I also know what I saw … and what I felt. You were in heat, Mark. Didn’t you have any idea?”

“I was not in … come on, you’ve known me for five years, Landon! Have I ever gone into heat in all that time? Have I ever even smelled like an omega to you?”

“No, but you sure as hell did last night.”

“When? How? We were in an omega bar for chrissakes. One of them was probably in heat or something. Jesus,” Mark said as he hit the dashboard with his hand. “Don’t put this off on me.”

I was pretty sure that was probably the reason it had taken me so long to figure it out. That and the fact that Mark and I were so close that, with him, I couldn’t see my nose in front of my face. But I know what I smelled. It was him. The incredible scent that had been calling to me all night and hit me like a ton of bricks when we got in my car was Mark. It wasn’t until that moment that my alpha senses kicked in and zeroed in on the last person in the world I thought would be trying to seduce me. “Mark … you showed me your ass. You presented right in front of me. I’m guessing it was your first heat.”

Mark looked like he was about to have a stroke and it suddenly hit me that he had absolutely no idea what was going on. “At twenty-four years old? Landon, I’ve been a beta since … well, since forever. That’s what the blood test I got in high school said—”

“No, your blood test just didn’t show alpha or omega status at that point. That doesn’t mean anything, and you know it, especially with the way things have changed in the last decade. You also know that twenty-four isn’t too old to present. Not anymore. It’s happened to plenty of people.”

“Not to anyone I ever knew.” He looked out the side window again and by the way his voice cracked I wondered if maybe he was going to cry.

“Look,” I said calmly, trying to bring the tension down a notch and put a positive spin on things. Especially since I was really excited about this new development. I had been thrilled all morning with the possibility of Mark being pregnant with my baby. But looking at the way he was reacting now, I realized he was far less than thrilled. “There’s nothing wrong with being an omega. There are some in government positions now, and—”

“I’m not a freaking omega, Landon. I’m a goddamned beta!” He turned back to me and in his eyes was a heartbreaking mix of anger and fear. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and comfort him, but I got the very distinct feeling he didn’t want me anywhere near him.

I honestly had no idea Mark was so oblivious to what was happening. Or more precisely, to what had already happened. But, then again, I’d had no idea either. Not until he practically stuck his ass in my face last night.

Mark had been my partner for five years—my best friend for four of them. And even though I’d fantasized about something happening between the two of us, that’s all it ever was to me … a fantasy that had no place in real life. I never wanted to do or say anything to jeopardize our friendship or make him uncomfortable. He always told me he wasn’t into alphas and I wasn’t going to pull any dominance bullshit with him when he clearly wasn’t interested. I had too much respect for him.

So, when I started to notice the intoxicating heat scent permeating the air around me, I figured it had to be one of the omegas at the bar. I was pretty pissed off at first because it was incredibly distracting. I hardly ever reacted that way to a random omega scent. As a cop, I prided myself on being in control in just about any situation. But while we were in that club, I swear I almost lost it.

But I didn’t say anything to Mark because, being a beta, I figured he wouldn’t have been as affected as I was. But when we got outside and the scent didn’t go away, I was in shock. I couldn’t believe it was him. I’d heard about omegas presenting very late, but up until last night, I’d pretty much thought it was an urban legend.

I kept telling myself that there was no way it was happening, but when we got in my car and Mark started coming on to me—when I was surrounded by his intoxicating scent, and those beautiful eyes of his were begging me to fuck him—the uncontrollable alpha in me was unleashed. There was no way I could hold myself back after all these years.

But I would never in a million years have taken advantage of him if I’d known he was blacked out. The thought made me sick to my stomach. I wasn’t that kind of alpha, and I was suddenly terrified that I had done something very wrong. But I knew what I saw and smelled … and what I felt. It wasn’t just me that was desperate for it last night.

"Mark … listen. I don't know what to tell you, but it’s not in my nature to react the way I did last night, especially to a beta. I’ll let one of them suck my cock or if I’m really horny I’ll go to town on them, but just to get off. I’ve never been driven to mate with a beta because, well … because there’s no point as far as I’m concerned. But last night? Mark, that was the most intense experience I’ve ever had in my life. I couldn’t keep my hands off of you. I couldn’t even form a coherent thought when we got in the car … and I thought you felt the same way. Don't you remember any of it?"

Mark had turned back to the window again and I couldn’t see his eyes. But I noticed his fists. They were balled up against his thighs so tight that his fingers were turning white.

“No, I don't remember what happened last night. And I don't believe you. I didn’t turn into an omega all of a sudden and I didn’t throw myself at you. You’re my fucking partner, and my friend,” he said, looking back at me with tears in his eyes. "And that means a lot to me. This job, and our relationship … it's my whole life. I don’t know what you’re trying to do to me, but—.”

"I'm not trying to do anything. You presented right in front of me last night. You don’t think I know what that smells like? I’m a fucking single alpha. Every cell in my body knows that smell, Mark. Fucking craves it. When we got in the car, you told me to take my cock out and started sucking it. You begged me to fuck you, Mark. Don’t you remember any of it? Anything at all?”

Mark’s eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped open. I could almost see the gears turning inside his head like he was starting to remember. “But that can't be right,” he said, dropping his head down into his hands. “I’m a beta, Landon. I’m a beta.”

“Well, you better tell that to your body. The minute we left the club last night I could smell omega pheromones all over you. You were oozing them like nothing I'd ever experienced before in my life. Then when we got to the car you didn't go around your side right away. You stumbled into me, pressing your body against mine, and I could feel your cock through your jeans. At first, I thought it was that you were drunk. But then you grabbed my hand and pressed it into your bulge and whispered into my ear that it was for me.

“I didn't know what to say or do. My body was suddenly on fire and all I could think about was how incredibly good you smelled, and how desperately I wanted to mount you. I literally couldn’t see or hear or feel anything but you. I had the worst case of mating-tunnel-vision I’d ever experienced in my life. Finally, I managed to come to my senses and I pushed you away—told you to get into the car. But the only thing that did was intensify everything—your scent and the burning desire inside me to have you.”

Mark's eyes didn't leave mine the entire time I was talking. He didn’t blink or move once and almost seemed like he was going into shock—like his brain had stopped working.

"So, once we got in the car I reached up to start the engine and you grabbed my hand. You told me to stop, that you wanted me to take out my cock. My head was spinning like crazy by then. I was so fucking worked up at that point, even though there was this voice in the back of my head that kept screaming ‘No, you can’t do this. This is Mark. He’s your partner. He’s your best friend.’ I just couldn't stop. I didn't want to stop. And I thought you … I really believed you wanted it too. I would never have done anything if I’d known you were blacked-out drunk and didn’t want it, Mark. I swear to God.”

He was still staring at me like he was in shock, but I could see in his eyes that his expression was softening and melting into what looked more like sadness. I wanted to grab him and put my arms around him, but instead, I pushed my hand through my hair and continued.

“So, I took my cock out, and you sat there and stared at it for a few seconds. We both watched a bead of pre-come drip down the head and when it reached the shaft, you leaned forward and caught it with your tongue.” The words were coming out slower now as I remembered what happened with every cell of my body. I closed my eyes and swallowed, then continued. “I watched as you licked it up in one long movement, all the way back up to the tip. Then you put your lips around my whole head and sucked me into your mouth.”

I was starting to get hard again as I heard my voice say the words out loud, so I decided not to recount every single moment blow by blow.

“After you sucked my cock for a few minutes, you looked up at me and told me you couldn't wait another second. You sat up, put your seat back, and turned around, pulling your pants down in the process. Then you arched your back and stuck your ass up and told me to fuck you. But you didn’t tell me … you begged me.”

"You're fucking kidding." Those were the first words that Mark had said in over ten minutes, and the sound of his voice almost startled me.

“No, I'm not. I'm telling you exactly what happened. You’re saying you don’t remember a single moment of this? Nothing I’m telling you sounds familiar at all?”

Mark stared at me for a long time but didn’t say a word.

“You were so freaking wet,” I continued. “Like, wetter than any omega I've ever been with in my entire life. You kept telling me that it was just for me, that you’d never wanted anyone like you wanted me. You told me that I was your first, that it was perfect because I would be the first to ever come inside you.”

After a long pause, Mark spoke. “So did you?” His voice was shaking, and his words came out barely above a whisper. “Did you come inside me?"

“Yes.”

“So that means …” Mark said slowly like he was finally putting all the images in his head together and could see them clearly for the first time.

“That means you’re probably pregnant with my baby.”