Lord Jethro reached the bathroom, gathered his wet clothes, and began to dress with hands that shook slightly.
And no matter how hard he tried to push the memories away, he couldn't.
He remembered Grey knocking on the bathroom door, saying he needed to use it, and his heart skipping a beat.
For a second, he was not sure why his heart skipped a beat. Was it because he had heard Grey's voice, and it sounded like it was asking for more than just the bathroom, maybe for him?
Or was it because he had been running from him, and now he would have to face him once he stepped out, even if it was only to pass each other?
Was it because he was so out of control and feared he would not be able to stop himself this time when he saw him?
Or was it because he looked a mess, wet all over, his clothes scattered on the floor, the kind of mess he did not want Grey to see, or anyone else?
He was not sure.
He had hesitated before finally dressing into those wet clothes and opened the door.
He had told himself that he needed to leave the bathroom, that it was not afair that he had left Grey alone out there while he obviously needed this kind of cool environment.
But again he told himself that Grey was not his responsibility, and he was not the one who had drugged him. So what if he left him out there to deal with himself?
He hardened himself, though he felt weak, and when he held the handle his heart raced harder. When he finally opened it, a very strong scent hit him and he staggered back a little, holding himself on the door like a lifeline.
The scent was sweet and intoxicating, and it swept away even the small control he had left. All he wanted was to close the distance between them. He wanted to hold him, kiss him, press him under himself, and just feel him.
But something else distracted him for a second.
Usually, an Omega's heat scent or any other rank scent would only affect someone this strongly if they were mates. If they were not mates, the scent might be smelled faintly, even when it was this strong, and it would not affect them in any way.
But since the moon goddess stopped giving people specific mates, it now turned out that only when you were attracted to that person, and even desired them even just a little, would the scent affect you the same way it affected people who were mates.
Lord Jethro was stunned, and even more confused by the thought instantly. He walked out and stood aside as he wondered why he was overthinking everything in the moment.
The fact that Grey's heat scent hit him that much did not have to mean anything. They were drugged, and since the drug was so strong, it could be opening many senses in him, making him affected by the scent so strongly.
With that thought, he decided to let it go and walk away from the bathroom. But he could not take any steps forward. Instead, stepping back into the bathroom was easier. So he went for it.
He opened the door hesitantly.
Grey was already standing under the shower. He did not have a shirt, and the beauty of water dripping over his bare flawless skin pushed Jethro forward, despite himself, touching him, moving closer and closer to Grey.
The feeling was like nothing he had ever felt. It was a new feeling that made his whole body alive and even more needy.
He had never felt that all those years he had lived, and all those things he had done before.
Before he became an enigma, he had a girlfriend, Victoria, who was now his second wife. Aria, Leo's sister, and then Victoria, Aria's best friend from the second largest pack in the empire.
He had loved her, or so he thought. They had done a lot of things together, and they had slept together, not just once or twice. But one day she woke up and asked him, if he had not been adopted by Alpha Norman, or maybe sent away by him now, who would he be?
What would he have? She told him that she wanted someone like Leo, whose background was clear, and who would definitely take over after his father and be an Alpha.
Only later did he realize that she and Leo had been seeing each other way before.
And after he was chosen to be an enigma, Victoria had started dragging herself back to him.
And the reason he had taken her in, even after that, was the same reason he had taken Aria in.
They were among people he needed to teach a lesson.
The reason he remembered her in that moment in the bathroom was because just being that close to Grey, and just touching him, made him feel in a way that even sleeping with Victoria did not.
And no matter how much he did not want to question why he was feeling so strongly toward Grey, he could not stop himself.
He had tried to convince himself that it was only the drug, and the situation. But the truth was that he doubted that himself. He doubted that it was just the drug at work in that moment.
He remembered taking a step closer, the scent growing stronger, his thoughts becoming louder and more demanding.
His memories rushed too fast as he dressed, and by the time he finished, he felt like undressing again. His body was heating up all over again, triggered only by the memory of what they had done and how it had felt.
He remembered the kisses, the touches, the way it felt to be inside him, his body started shaking slightly. He cursed under his breath and stormed out of the bathroom.
It was obvious that the drug had done its work and faded. He was certain there was no trace of it left. So why was his body reacting again?
He ignored the question.
He told himself he had more important things to deal with.
Important things like,.. stopping the word from spreading through the empire, finding the person who had done this, even though he already knew who it was, controlling himself so he would not kill that person. He had never killed, and he did not wish to.
He listed other issues in his mind, focusing on them and leaving one that might have been just as important.
He had marked Grey, and even now, in his conscious state, he did not remember that he had done it.
Maybe it was because he was intentionally avoiding thinking about Grey, or avoiding thinking about what came next now that they had crossed that line.
Would they still be able to work together as if nothing had happened?