Night pressed soft against the windows of the den.Moonlight spilled across the floor, pale and silver, catching on the faint movement of breath — one steady, one uneven.
Aiden slept curled toward the wall, his hair loose around his face, one hand tucked beneath Theron's pillow. His breathing was slow, gentle. Peaceful.
Theron wasn't.
He sat half in shadow, bare-chested, hair disheveled, every muscle drawn tight as a bowstring. His heart hammered too fast, his lungs dragged air too shallow, and the scent in the air—Gods, the scent.
It wasn't heat, not anymore. It was him.Aiden.
Warm, subtle, threaded through every inch of the den. A mixture of pine, rain, and something faintly sweet that wrapped around Theron's wolf like a chain. It made his skin prickle, his fangs ache, his pulse thrum low in his chest.
He rubbed a hand down his face, jaw tight. The edges of his vision shimmered faint gold — the first sign. The one he'd been trying to ignore for hours.
Rut.
He could feel it crawling beneath his skin, rising with every heartbeat. The bond pulsed, begging him to move closer, to scent, to touch, to claim.
He pushed to his feet instead. The motion was unsteady, too heavy with restrained energy. His wolf stirred beneath his skin, pacing, frustrated.
She's sleeping.Leave her be.Don't scare her.
He told himself that, over and over.But when he looked back—
Aiden shifted, the blanket sliding down one shoulder. A sliver of skin caught the moonlight — the pale line of his neck.
Theron froze.
The bond thrummed. Hot. Demanding.
He stepped closer before he realized he'd moved. Each breath he took was a war between instinct and control.
Just one breath. One.
He knelt beside the bed, the scent stronger now — dizzying. His hand hovered just above Aiden's shoulder, trembling.
Aiden murmured something in his sleep, a soft sound that broke through the static in Theron's head. His wolf stilled. Then—He pressed his nose to Aiden's hair, drawing in a shaky breath. The scent flooded him, sharp and perfect and too much.
A growl slipped out.
Low. Rough. Need tangled with it — possessive, dangerous.
Theron jerked back, fangs bared against his own lip, the taste of blood grounding him for a heartbeat. His claws half-formed, the tips catching moonlight as his body trembled with restraint.
"Not now…" he rasped, voice hoarse. "Not like this."
He stumbled to the other side of the den, dragging in air, each breath a battle. He needed cold water, distance, anything to break the haze creeping up his spine. But even when he turned his back—He could feel Aiden's warmth behind him.Could hear the soft heartbeat that matched his own.Could smell the bond flaring, hungry and alive.
His tail lashed once, even though he stood in human form, and his pupils narrowed to a wolf's slit.
The rut had started.And Aiden, sleeping and unaware, was the only thing holding him together.
heron braced both hands against the cool stone wall, bowing his head as another wave hit him — hot, sharp, sliding through his veins like wildfire. His breath stuttered. His wolf pushed harder, claws scratching at the inside of his skin.
Behind him, Aiden shifted again.
A soft rustle.
A quiet sigh.
A heartbeat quickening just slightly as dreams changed.
Theron's ears twitched toward the sound before he could stop himself. His wolf focused instantly, obsessively.
Aiden.Aiden.Aiden.
His name became a pulse instead of a thought.
Theron squeezed his eyes shut.This wasn't normal.This wasn't the gentle heat he usually suppressed.This was a storm.
He pushed himself away from the wall, muscles trembling with the effort it took just to move without lunging toward the bed.
Aiden's POV
Something warm pulled him from sleep.Not a sound, not fully—more like a flicker of heat brushing against the edge of a dream.
Aiden frowned, lids heavy, brain fogged. His body felt too warm, like someone had draped a blanket of heat over him. The air in the den was thick, charged, almost humming.
He blinked blearily, trying to pull himself awake.
…Theron.
He didn't see him yet, but he could feel him. A prickling awareness dancing across his skin, the way it always did when Theron's emotions ran too intense.
Aiden shifted on the bed, pushing himself up on an elbow.The moonlight washed over the room in pale silver, and that's when he spotted him—Theron's silhouette near the far wall.
Chest bare.Hands clenched.Shoulders shaking.
Something was wrong.
"Theron…?" Aiden's voice came out groggy, soft.
The reaction was immediate.
Theron's head snapped toward him, eyes catching the moonlight—glowing, not fully gold but close. His breath hitched, sharp, almost pained. Aiden could see the tension in every line of him, a tight coil ready to spring.
Aiden pushed the blanket aside and sat up straighter, rubbing the sleep from his eyes."What's going on? Are you okay?"
Theron didn't answer.
He just stood there, staring at him like Aiden was both salvation and danger.Like he was fighting something Aiden couldn't see.
Aiden swallowed, heart beginning to thump with unease—not fear, exactly, but something close to it. Something instinctive.
He slid his legs over the edge of the bed."Theron, talk to me."
Instead of answering, Theron took a step closer.And Aiden felt it—felt it—like a wave of heat rolling off him. The air shifted, thickened. Aiden's breath caught in his chest.
The scent hit him next.
Not Theron's usual grounding warmth.This was sharper.Richer.Wild.
It made Aiden's pulse stutter and his skin prickle with confusing electricity.
Theron's voice, when it finally came, was rough. Strained."Stay… there."
Aiden froze.
Not because of the words—but because of the way they sounded.
Like Theron was holding back a storm by sheer will alone.
His glowing eyes locked on Aiden's throat for one long, heated second before he tore his gaze away with visible effort, jaw tight enough to crack.
Aiden's breath trembled as the realization hit him.The instinct.The scent.The intensity.
"…Theron," he whispered, "is this—your rut?"
Theron's claws slid from his fingers with a soft, unmistakable sound.
And he closed his eyes like he wished he could deny it.
Aiden's heartbeat thudded hard against his ribs. Ruts were rare, hard, overwhelming. Most alphas locked themselves away before it hit them.
Theron didn't get the chance.
Aiden slid off the bed, slowly, careful not to startle him.
"Hey," Aiden murmured, "look at me."
Theron's breath dragged in, rough.He lifted his head.
Their eyes met.And everything inside Aiden stopped.
Theron looked at him like prey—but also like something sacred.Something he needed to protect and devour all at the same time.
His voice broke as he spoke."Aiden… don't come closer."
But Aiden's wolf pushed forward, whining softly.Theron looked hurt, shaking, desperate, and Aiden couldn't ignore it.
He stepped closer.
Theron's breath hitched, chest rising sharply."Aiden—"His voice cracked."I can smell your fear."
Aiden stopped.Not because he was scared of Theron—but because suddenly the air shifted again, thick with something unbearably hot.
Theron moved.
Not a lunge.Not an attack.Just—movement—too fast for Aiden to track.
Suddenly he was right there.In front of him.
Aiden's back hit the edge of the bed with a soft thud.Theron stood inches away, chest heaving, pupils blown wide.
"Aiden…" he breathed, voice wrecked. "Don't—don't smell like that near me."
Aiden's throat tightened.Even he could feel it now—his own scent reacting to Theron's, his omega instincts curling, confused, unsure whether to flee or lean in.
Theron's hand lifted—slow, shaking—and cupped the side of Aiden's neck.
Aiden sucked in a breath.
The heat of that touch burned.
Theron's thumb brushed the spot just under Aiden's jaw—where a mark would go.Where a bond would seal.
A shiver raced down Aiden's spine.
Theron moved closer, breath hot against Aiden's skin.He wasn't kissing him.Wasn't marking him.
But he was too close.
Too close for an alpha in rut.
Aiden's pulse fluttered under Theron's touch, and that—that was the mistake.
Theron inhaled sharply, a sound torn from deep inside.His hand tightened.His lips brushed Aiden's jaw—barely, just a graze of heat—
A near-mark.
A whisper of teeth grazed the place where a claim would go—
Aiden's breath caught— he tried to push the alpha away, growling low"Theron, get away from me, you sick mutt"
And that single, trembling fire in Aiden shattered whatever control Theron had left.
He jerked back like he'd been burned.
"No—no, I—"His voice cracked, breaking apart."I won't touch you like this."
Aiden's wolf whimpered, reaching—conflicted, aching, confused.
Theron stumbled away from him, claws leaving deep grooves in the wooden wall as he fought for control.
"I need—"He choked on the words."I need to get away from you."
He didn't wait for permission.
He didn't wait for sense.
He turned—
And ran.
Out of the den, into the forest, the night swallowing him whole.
Leaving Aiden standing there, breathless, shaking, throat tingling where almost—just almost—Theron had marked him.