Dan
Dan sat opposite Ira while she went through his reports. His headache had worsened in the last 24 hours. HIs cock had entered itself into the situation, semi erect, and aching for something that Dan had no way to give it. There was no doubt what it was and why it was happening. The reports would just confirm his suspicion. Dan felt equally shocked and amazed that something like this could happen. Now it made sense why his grandfather was so excited when he heard Dan was going to New Earth. He must have foreseen this.
"Interesting," Ira murmured, flipping through the pages of the report. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she scanned the data. The soft rustle of the paper was the only sound in the room.
Dan sat straight, shoulders tense, hands clasped into fists on the table. His heart pounded in his chest, a frantic rhythm that refused to settle. Every inch of his body buzzed with restless energy, the effects of Priming gnawing at his control. He kept his voice calm, though his restraint was hanging by a thread. "What does it say?"
Ira didn't look up. "HCl levels are nil. Ethyl alcohol is at 95%, and 2% is made up of a compound I couldn't identify. The remaining 3% is a mix of Somnote and valium." She paused, glancing at him with confusion. "Is this normal? It's not venomous at all—it's anesthetic in nature if anything."
Dan cursed under his breath, his jaw tightening. "No, it's not normal." His voice dropped into a growl. "Of course, it's not venom. I shouldn't be changing unless..." He trailed off, unwilling to finish the thought.
Ira's eyes narrowed. "Is it what I think it is?"
Dan clenched his jaw. "Yes," he concluded softly, his voice sharp as a whip. "I'm Priming."
Ira blinked, taken aback. "What?"
"Priming," he repeated with a sharp edge, more to himself than to her. "And apparently humans have enough biological similarity to Grosh to trigger it."
Ira's mouth parted, a mixture of surprise and disbelief flickering across her face. "Wait, what are you saying? A human triggered it?"
"Not just any human," Dan snapped, his claws curling against the metal table, leaving faint scratch marks. "Nick. It's him. He triggered it."
The weight of his admission settled heavily between them. Ira stared at him for a moment, processing the implications. "Nick?" she said finally, incredulous. "The intern? The guy you've been avoiding?"
Dan growled low in his throat, his frustration spilling over. "Yes, Nick," he admitted. "I tried to ignore it, push it down, but it's him. The universe has chosen him, and there's no point in denying it anymore."
Ira leaned back in her chair, stunned. "But... how? He's a human. This isn't supposed to happen. Humans don't..."
Dan interrupted her with a sharp wave of his hand. "I know, Ira. Nature doesn't care about our rules or expectations. This has been set in motion by forces bigger than us. The Grosh have survived for billions of years because we adapt. We evolve. If I'm priming for a human, there's a reason. A purpose."
He paused, his tone softening slightly. "Our elders have foreseen things we can't even begin to comprehend. Perhaps this is a step to prevent a future disaster, something crucial to our survival. I don't know. What I do know is that this... this bond is real."
Ira's gaze softened with understanding, though her brows still knit with concern. "Does he know? Are you going to tell him about any of this?"
Dan let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "Of course, I have to tell him. Nick has no idea what he's dealing with. But I don't know how."
He leaned back in his chair, his muscles taut like a coiled spring. "And Nick... he's so fragile, so human. I'll break him if I'm not careful."
"But you won't hurt him though right," Ira said firmly.
Dan met her gaze, his eyes flickering with a mix of determination and turmoil. "I won't," he echoed, his voice barely above a whisper. "But that doesn't mean I'm not terrified of what's coming."
"What are you going to do now?" Ira asked, her tone laced with concern as she set the report down.
Dan sighed heavily, running a hand through his dark hair, his fingers tugging at the strands in frustration. "I don't know," he admitted, his voice low and strained. "But I'll have to deal with it."
He leaned back, resting his head against the chair as memories of his brothers during their Priming ruts flickered through his mind. He had seen how uncontrollable they became, how they were consumed by raw instinct and need. Their Omegas had known how to handle them, how to channel that primal energy. But Nick? Nick was human…fragile, and unprepared of what he was about to face.
And then there was the other problem: Nick probably hated him. Dan winced at the thought, a pang of guilt stabbing through his chest. He hadn't exactly been kind to him. Well he hadn't been kind to anyone on Earth. And that boy always made him feel uncomfortable, now he knew why.
"Can you find out what it is in Nick's DNA that triggered me to Prime to him?" Dan didn't expect an answer to fix everything, there was no undoing biology but he needed something, some semblance of logic to ground himself in the chaos.
Ira tilted her head, studying him with a mixture of curiosity and sympathy. "I can look into it, but you know it's probably more than just DNA, Dan. These things are rarely so simple."
Dan grunted, rubbing a hand over his face. "I know," he muttered. "But I need to try. I need to understand why this is happening, even if it doesn't change anything."
Ira hesitated for a moment before asking, "Do you want me to tell him?"
The question sent a jolt of panic through him. "No!" he barked, the word echoing in the room. He clenched his fists, trying to calm the storm brewing inside him. "He would freak out and do something impulsive…you humans are fickle like that. I can't have that. Not now. I need to..." He trailed off, staring up at the ceiling as if the answer were hidden in the metal panels. "I need to make things right with him."
Ira arched a brow. "And how do you plan to do that? Grosh courtship isn't exactly subtle, and human relationships are... delicate. One misstep, and you could hurt him emotionally. You don't exactly have the best track record with him."
Dan scowled, her words hitting too close to home. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Ira," he snapped.
"I'm just being realistic," she countered, crossing her arms. "You've been cold, dismissive, and outright rude to him since the day he started. You can't just flip a switch and expect him to trust you."
"I know I've screwed up," Dan admitted, his voice quieter now, tinged with regret. "But I'll figure it out. I have to."
Ira's skepticism didn't waver. "You think he's going to be receptive to your sudden 'goodwill' after everything?"
Dan shot her a glare. "Can you encourage me for once?" He gritted. "Yes, I've dug myself into a hole, but I'll climb out of it."
A small, rueful smile tugged at his lips as a memory flashed in his mind. He'd seen the way Nick looked at him curious, nervous, but not entirely indifferent. It wasn't any different from how humans, particularly women, often looked at him. He knew he was good-looking for human standards.
"He finds me attractive," Dan said as an afterthought.
Ira snorted.
"I am being serious," Dan insisted, a glimmer of hope sparking in his chest. "I've seen it in his eyes, even when he tries to hide it. He's drawn to me. That's a start, isn't it?"
Ira rolled her eyes but didn't argue. "Maybe. But if you think you can charm your way into his good graces without addressing how much of an ass you've been, you're in for a rude awakening."
Dan's jaw tightened, but he nodded. "I'll apologize," he said firmly. "And I'll make him see I'm not the monster he probably thinks I am."
"Good luck," Ira said dryly. "You're going to need it."
Dan didn't respond. His mind was already racing, formulating a plan. Winning Nick's trust wouldn't be easy, but for the first time in a long while, Dan felt a spark of determination that went beyond his primal instincts. This wasn't just about satisfying his rut, this was about Nick. About them. Whatever "them" might become.
"A human mate huh?" Ira said. "Who would have thought?"
Dan mulled over the concept of a mate, a cornerstone of Grosh culture he'd never given much thought to before. Mating was sacred among his kind, a bond of both practicality and passion that defined a Grosh's life. Most of his friends and family had found their mates, started families, and fulfilled what was considered a natural path for their species. Yet, Dan had never felt that yearning, the pull that others spoke of.
Now that he had one, a mate destined by biology rather than choice, he wasn't disappointed, though it was unexpected. Nick was not what he might have imagined for himself, but Dan couldn't deny his admiration for the man. Beneath the human's nervous demeanor was a core of resilience, a strength of will that reminded Dan of the Grosh themselves.
Still, if it had been up to him, he might not have chosen Nick not because he wasn't attractive, but because Dan feared what his presence might do to someone unprepared for the intensity of a Grosh bond. Humans were fragile in ways the Grosh were not, not just physically but emotionally. Many carried a warped sense of ego that made them resistant to submitting to their basic nature.
Grosh relationships were inherently unequal, though not in a way most humans would understand. One partner always took on the Alpha role—the protector, the provider, the driving force. The other, while no less vital, embodied calmness, submission, and balance. Humans once used terms like "masculine" and "feminine energy" to describe such dynamics, but New Earth society had largely rejected those notions.
No wonder so few humans bonded for life anymore. Marriage had become a relic, something clung to by the poor who lacked the means to embrace New Earth's increasingly individualized culture. The wealthy, on the other hand, had abandoned it altogether, opting for fleeting connections that demanded less commitment.
Dan couldn't help but wonder where Nick fit into this. He wasn't sure how much of the human world Nick subscribed to, but one thing was certain—Nick's humanity added layers of complexity to their bond. Grosh courtship could be raw and instinctual, but this would require finesse. Nick wasn't just some Grosh Omega who instinctively knew his place in the bond. He was human, independent, untrained in the nuances of Grosh relationships, and, perhaps most challenging of all, completely unaware of what it meant to be someone's mate.
For the first time, Dan felt the weight of what lay ahead. He didn't just have to win Nick's trust—he had to navigate an entirely different species' understanding of partnership. The thought didn't discourage him, though. If anything, it intrigued him. Nick might not be what he expected, but maybe that was exactly what he needed.
Dan's entire body burned with an unbearable ache, a primal need coursing through his veins. His avath pulsed with urgency, demanding release. He shuddered, his tongue grazing his elongated canines, hypersensitive.
"I need to see Nick," Dan admitted, his voice raw and desperate, as though uttering the words would somehow relieve the pressure building within him.
"Dan," Ira said softly, staring at him with wide eyes. "Your eyes... they're glowing."
He squeezed his own temples in frustration, fully aware of the phenomenon. The iridescent glow wasn't just a sign of his transformation—it was a feature of Grosh biology designed to locate and protect their mate in low light. On Earth, however, glowing eyes weren't exactly subtle.
"Of course they are," Dan muttered, exhaling sharply. "They're mutating to find Nick, to track him in the dark, in case I need to protect him." His hands curled into fists. "Fuck, this planet is the worst place for a Primed male. I can't just..." He broke off, rubbing his face as the hormonal surge grew stronger, clouding his thoughts.
"You can't just what?" Ira interjected, one eyebrow raised. "Blame Earth for everything? Maybe try blaming your lack of self-control for a change."
Dan shot her a glare, but she wasn't wrong. "I just need to—" He stopped, taking a deep, grounding breath. "Never mind. Call him. Please."
Her lips twitched into a smirk at his rare display of humility. "I'll call him, but only if you promise to be nice for once." She grabbed her communication device, her fingers expertly inputting Nick's code.
Dan closed his eyes the moment he heard Nick's voice crackle through the intercom. The sound sent a shockwave through him, heightening every nerve in his body. His breathing quickened as his senses honed in on the familiar pitch and rhythm of Nick's speech.
The transformation within him accelerated. His body was preparing itself for bonding, whether he was ready for it or not. His muscles coiled with anticipation, his pulse raced, and the venom in his avath felt like it was about to boil over. He clenched his fists tighter, his claws beginning to extend involuntarily.
Nick was his. Soon, there would be no barriers, no hesitation, no misunderstandings.
"I hope you're ready for this," Ira said dryly, watching Dan with a mixture of amusement and concern.
Dan didn't reply. He couldn't. All he could think about was the fact that Nick—his mate—was out there, so close yet so far. The only thing left to do was to close the distance between them. For better or worse, nature had already set its course.
****
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