Rihan and Taeryn didn't leave the hospital right away. They lingered in the parking lot for a while because Rihan had changed his mind about letting Taeryn drive. He realized Taeryn would probably be too focused on staring at his face instead of the road.
Taeryn stared at him. "The key, please?"
Rihan looked at the Alpha for a moment. "I changed my mind."
Taeryn didn't argue. He just shrugged, and they both got into the car.
**
Rihan parked the car at the grocery store, pulling out his keys as he reached for the door handle. But before he could pull it, Taeryn was there, grabbing his wrist and pulling his attention back to him.
The Alpha's grin stretched wide as he looked Rihan up and down, taking in the tension rolling off him. The Enigma, deep in his rut, just shot him a flat look.
"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice low. "I need to get groceries."
"You can't go out there, Detective." Taeryn's tone was calm, almost amused, as he held Rihan's wrist tightly in place.
Rihan didn't struggle. "I don't care about the people. I want food, and you're staying, that means double."
Taeryn chuckled, shaking his head. "Oh, I'm definitely staying. But it's not about the people or the peppers. I care about you enough to grab the groceries so no one ogles you."
Rihan scoffed, his hazel eyes narrowing. "What are you? A guard dog?"
Taeryn's grin only widened. "Give me the list, please?"
Rihan stared at him, weariness in his gaze as he pulled out the grocery list from his pocket. "Fine." He pushed the list into Taeryn's hand, and Taeryn winked at him before releasing his wrist and leaving the car.
Rihan watched him walk into the store before he let out a heavy, strained sigh. Pulling at his collar, he could feel his pheromones seeping into the car like a thick cloud, his body trying desperately to hold them in but failing.
"Fuck, this is a bad idea," he groaned.
Rihan reached for his phone, scrolling through his contacts until he stopped on the one with his siblings' names. Three of them, all staring back at him. He could almost hear their voices in his head.
Call us, call us, call us, you asshole!
He groaned again, slumping his forehead against the steering wheel. His rut was triggered by Taeryn. The same Alpha who wanted to stay with him, in the same house. And Rihan was damn sure something would happen if Taeryn stuck around.
He knew how his body worked in this state. He was like a ravenous beast locked in hunger, so much that he had to sometimes chain himself to the bed.
But....
Taeryn was undeniably attractive. Adorable even. Those grey eyes of his, seemingly innocent but with a lifeless emptiness that spoke volumes when they weren't on Rihan. That eyebrow piercing, the lip ring... he was undeniably beautiful with an edgy charm that made it hard for Rihan to ignore.
Rihan's mind briefly flickered to the profile he'd dug up on Taeryn a few days ago.
Grim Reaper. Age: 28. 521 kills. 45 assaults. Evidence of kidnapping.
The age was obviously a lie. But the kills, assaults, the kidnapping? Has he ever been arrested?
"Hello, Rihan?" A familiar voice suddenly came through his phone, making his body jolt upright. He stared at his screen, realizing he had accidentally dialed his brother's number.
"Hi, Eun-Woo," Rihan said with a strained voice.
"Wow! This is a pleasant surprise." Eun-Woo laughed, making Rihan roll his eyes.
"It was a mistake, Eun-Woo. Don't get ahead of yourself," he said flatly.
"We haven't spoken to each other for two years, Rihan, and we're quadruplets," Eun-Woo said, his tone matter-of-fact.
Rihan grimaced. Growing up with three siblings, all the same age, all the dominant genders, he'd always been the distant and last one of his quad. Eun-Woo was the first, the smallest, and the most pampered, an Omega. The other two were both Alphas.
"So, should I hang up?" Rihan asked.
Eun-Woo let out a heavy sigh. He was used to Rihan's distance, even after two years of not seeing or talking to each other. "What's going on?"
"I met someone. And I..." Rihan hesitated, unsure of how to put it.
"You met someone?" Eun-Woo's voice rose an octave.
Rihan cleared his throat. "Yeah, and he sort of... triggered my rut, but he's also strange and obsessive."
"Sounds like your perfect match. I'm guessing he's not an Omega?" Eun-Woo cleared his throat.
"He's an Alpha."
"You sound interested. You should go for it," Eun-Woo said, his tone playful but knowing. "Come on, spend your rut with someone. Stop torturing yourself and filling your days with ogling at corpses like the creep you are."
Rihan rolled his eyes. "He's going to end up leaving, Hyung."
"He won't. Go for it," Eun-Woo groaned, as if exhausted by Rihan's resistance. "You deserve more than being stuck in your own head. Just... go for it."
At that moment, Taeryn walked out of the grocery shop.
Rihan's eyes followed him as he walked toward the car, the grocery bags swinging loosely in his hands. There was an emptiness in Taeryn's eyes, but it didn't bother Rihan like it should have. In fact, it drew him in, compelled him to watch as the Alpha moved closer.
Rihan cocked his head to the side, taking in the way he moved. The way his brown curls bounced with every step, how his clothes hugged his broad frame just right. Rihan caught himself staring longer than necessary.
He was few inches taller than Rihan, but the difference in their builds was noticeable. Taeryn's body was solid, defined. He obviously spent more time at the gym, while Rihan, though fit and toned, had a more slender, lean build.
He swallowed, imagining the Alpha down on his knees, choking on his cock while he dug his fingers into those curls pushing him past his limits.
It was such a perfect picture in his head and he actually smiled before Eun-Woo's voice cut into his thoughts.
"Are you still there, Rihan?"
Rihan blinked, coming back to reality. "Yeah. Bye." Without another word, he ended the call, stuffing his phone into his pocket with a sharp exhale.
Taeryn was at the window now, grinning like a kid who'd just seen his favorite snack. And Rihan couldn't stop the involuntary clench of his jaw.
With a sigh, he pressed the button to open the trunk, then gestured at it, his voice dry. "Put the bags in."
Taeryn slid the grocery bags into the trunk and closed it with a soft click before hopping back into the car. As he settled in, he took a deep breath, his smile returning as he inhaled the scent of Rihan's pheromones that lingered in the air.
"Now I understand why you take blockers," Taeryn mused, his voice low and teasing. But then, he leaned in closer, his face inches from Rihan's, watching for a reaction.
Rihan didn't flinch or pull away. He simply stared, his eyes flickering down to Taeryn's pillowy pink lips and finally back to his grey eyes.
"Are you aroused, Detective?"
"Rut. Remember?" Rihan's brow quirked, his voice flat, but there was no denying the thick tension between them.
Taeryn grinned wider, clearly enjoying the effect he was having on Rihan. "Let's go back to your condo, and you can do whatever you want to me."
Rihan licked his lips, inhaling sharply. "I'm not an alpha, or a beta, or an omega, Tae."
"That's very much obvious, Detective," Taeryn chuckled, his voice rich with satisfaction as he let his aroused pheromones spill into the air.
Rihan didn't respond right away. His hand instinctively went to Taeryn's neck, his fingers grazing the sensitive gland beneath his skin before his palm settled there, pressing harder than necessary. He let his fingers slip into his hair, his breath becoming shallow.
"Mmmh." Taeryn's breath hitched, his eyes closing shut in response.
Rihan's lips curled into a slow smile. "What a perfect response," he murmured, brushing his nose lightly against Taeryn's before pulling back, starting the car.
As the engine roared to life, Taeryn opened his eyes, watching Rihan intensely. His face flushed, his body trembling with anticipation. A reaction Rihan could practically taste in the air, but he did nothing but smile as he drove out of the parking lot.