The gifts didn’t stop but I didn’t bother fighting it anymore. The closer the time came for my heat, the less time I spent outside. Instead, I was stuck inside with the compulsory need to den. 

            All the items they had gifted were perfectly placed around the sea of clothing I had stolen and the blankets. I didn’t care that they wouldn’t have anything to sleep with tonight, what I needed it for was more important. Besides, I left them a towel…they could share. 

            The den was safely tucked into the back corner of the room and while the door didn’t exactly lock, I pulled one of the chairs inside so I could stick it underneath the knob to keep it closed and any unwanted visitors out. 

            I wasn’t completely unaware of the fact that that would do nothing to keep anyone out who used even the tiniest bit of force to get inside, but the anxiety of not doing anything at all had kept me from progressing in building the den. 

            The den had to be perfect. It had to. 

            There was a knock on the wall next to the door. Most likely an attempt not to destroy the half-rotted wood. As I said before, if anyone really wanted to get in they certainly could, with little to no effort at all.

            I hesitated to open it, not wanting to smell the Alpha I knew would likely be on the other side. 

            It wasn’t that the smell would be unpleasant. I just didn’t want it to push me further into denbrain. I had to keep some level of sanity or I’d end up going into heat early without a complete den. That would be…catastrophic. And I’m not exaggerating. Some Omegas went batshit if they didn’t finish denning before the heat came on. Not even an Alpha could calm them. 

            I’d experienced it once before when I was away at school and wasn’t able to prepare because of the Holy Day of Trinity. The Betas wouldn’t allow any of the Omegas to leave until all the decorations were put up around campus. Typical selfish Betas. Their lack of understanding is always outshined by their utter lack of care.

            I had fought it as long as I could, trying to manipulate myself into believing the den was complete and once I finished this task I could go to it. I could be safe within it. 

            But that only worked for so long. My body knew as well as I did that there was no safety back in the dorms. I would be exposed and without the protection of an Alpha.

            By the time my heat hit, I had gone feral. It was nothing like I had ever experienced before. A mix of flighty instinct with adrenaline overload. It had taken several sedatives to calm me down and after that, I spent my heat in a drug-induced haze. It wasn’t something I ever wanted to experience again.

            Not even for the lack of safety, but the utter loss of control. I had no control of my surroundings let alone my own bodily functions. It was like being a prisoner in my own skin. 

            After a few moments of silence, curiosity got the best of me. The desire to add to my den ultimately won any battle of hesitation as I opened the door a crack scanning the floors in front. 

            The gift wasn’t on the ground and the Alpha hadn’t walked away. Instead, a brown hand held out a bunched-up ball of clothes. 

            Glancing up at the bright green eyes that watched me, I quickly snatched the clothes and slammed the door shut. 

            My fingers trembled as I leaned my back against the door, slowly untangling the heap to stare at the thermal and undershorts that smelled so potent my knees buckled. 

            Shivering, I brought the fabric up to my nose and inhaled the woodsy musk that was so uniquely Leo. 

            He’d given me his clothes, fresh off his back if the strength of the scent was any indication. 

            It should be gross. I should be pissed at him for forcing his scent in my den when I hadn’t officially requested it. Just another tactic to make me crave him while in the throes of heat. He was trying to trick my instincts. I knew that. 

            And yet…it was perfect.

            Whimpering mewls left my throat as I nearly suffocated myself in the fabric, inhaling it more than the oxygen I needed to properly breathe. 

            “Micah?” his voice was muffled by the wood, but not by much. There was concern in his tone. I tried to ignore it, and focus more on breathing in every little trace of him left on his clothes, but his voice came again. “Are you okay? Do you need anything?” 

            He never spoke to me much before this assignment. Even when it started. Now, all he did was talk. More than I ever thought I would hear from him. 

            How could I possibly be with an Alpha who never fucking talked? Why did it take a fucking heat to get this far? Especially since he’s been so interested? 

            “I’m fine,” I gritted out, begrudgingly pulling the clothes away from my face. 

            “Can I come in?”

            No.

            “Fine,” I grumbled, making quick work of placing the items of clothing down in the den, arranging them so they didn’t get overpowered by any of the other scents. 

            The door creaked behind me. My back immediately stiffened, instincts alerting me that there was an intruder, but then I took a deep breath and relaxed. 

            I wasn’t far gone enough that I’d go feral at the intrusion, even if I did worry he’d send me into an early heat with a careless inflection of his pheromones. Thankfully, he kept it under wraps and remained close to the entrance, careful not to disturb anything I’d placed down. 

            Standing, I turned to him, a scowl finding its home on my face. 

            “What?” I demanded. He knew better than to interrupt a denning Omega. It was basic fucking courtesy.

            I saw him glancing around, green eyes wide, taking in the den, absorbing every detail I put painstaking effort into with the little I’d had to work with. 

            It wasn’t much, but it looked cozy and it smelled amazing. The ratty mattress was completely covered with clothes, blankets, towels, and anything else that was soft. I was proud of it. 

            Even more so at the look of approval in his eyes. One that didn’t belong there. That didn’t have a right to be there. And yet, I was proud all the same. 

            It meant nothing. 

            I wasn’t out here begging for his knot, so he can keep fucking dreaming.

He stepped in a little further, looking at a corner I had composed of Anders’s things. That particular corner was potent with his scent. 

Studying him cautiously, I watched as his head tilted, studying the arrangement. He didn’t appear particularly bothered by the other Alpha’s scent. It was strange, another reason why I couldn’t possibly be a destined partner for them. They weren’t tearing at each others’ throats for dominance. 

“Isn’t it strange?” I asked, wondering if he had come to the same conclusion I had, or if it had even crossed his mind the absurdity of it all.

His gaze flitted back to me, a silent request to elaborate. 

Except, I was momentarily caught by his lips. Had they always looked like that? Full and flushed? Like he had spent the whole afternoon kissing? And his jaw…had it always been that square? Or was it the light beard starting to come in that enhanced it?

Why had I never really noticed him?

“Micah?” 

My teeth clenched as I tried to reel all those weird observations back in. It was getting too close now if it only took that little to put me in a haze. 

“You’re not bothered by his scent? His proximity?” I asked, trying to ignore all the heat-inducing thoughts that made me study him in a way that was completely inappropriate. 

Leo thought about it for a moment, glancing around again at all Anders’s things in my den, then shrugged and shook his head.

“And yet, you think I’m your destined partner? Shouldn’t you be getting all knotheaded about another Alpha in your ‘territory’?” 

Leo bit his lip, something on his face that was too difficult to decipher. 

“I was bothered at first…not anymore,” he finally answered, voice quiet. 

I frowned. “What changed?”

Leo shrugged again. 

But as I studied him, and traced every twitch in his expression, I could tell he was hiding the truth. He knew why, but for some odd reason, he didn’t want me to know. Why?

“You know,” I pushed, glaring at him.

He stared at me for a moment longer, expression carefully unreadable before he turned on his heel and left without answering. 

Fine, if he wanted to play it that way, let’s dance. 

One way or another, I was going to find out what he knew.