Sebastian stepped into the command room, his gaze sweeping over the scientists gathered inside.
"Alright. Where are we?"
The lead scientist stood first.
"We've secured the facility. The storage wing is stable, and none of the preserved specimens were affected."
Sebastian nodded.
"The harvesting lab?"
The extraction supervisor looked down at the tablet in his hands.
"All five extraction pods went offline during the emergency. We've accounted for four subjects."
"And Subject 03?"
The supervisor hesitated.
"...He's gone."
Silence settled over the room.
Kael spoke before anyone else could.
"The alarms hit a little after five. Until the surveillance archive is restored, we're working with guesses. We don't know if Subject 03 got out... or if he's still inside."
Sebastian turned to Pete.
"How long before you can pull everything back?"
Pete didn't look away from his monitors.
"The emergency protocol pushed every camera feed and access log into archive storage. It'll take around two to three hours to rebuild the timeline."
Sebastian let out a slow breath.
"...Alright."
He looked around the room.
"I want every camera feed, access log, emergency record, and personnel movement from the moment those alarms went off. Don't leave any gaps."
Pete nodded.
"Got it."
Sebastian shifted his attention to the Head of Security.
"Lock the place down. Nobody comes in. Nobody leaves until we know what happened."
"Yes, sir."
The room immediately came alive as everyone returned to work.
Sebastian glanced at Kael.
"I'll handle the Chairman."
——
"You weren't imagining anything, Vyn," Elio said, his voice rough.
Another wave crashed through him without warning.
Heat tore through every nerve, forcing a sharp breath from Elio's lungs. His glands pulsed painfully beneath his skin as the fever climbed even higher, far more violent than it had been earlier. His grip tightened around the edge of the sink until his knuckles turned white.
Oh, fuck me... not now.
The counteragent had worn off.
The crisp scent of frozen mint and white lilies dissolved into the air, fading so completely that not a trace remained.
The timing couldn't have been worse.
He wasn't supposed to be here. By now, he should've been long gone, back before the surge reached this point.
Elio's pheromones unfurled like a fragrance with nowhere to escape. Smoked cardamom ignited the first breath, warm and intoxicating. Sun-warmed amber followed, lingering against the senses until dark oud settled over everything—deep, smoky, and unmistakably primal.
He finally faced Vyn.
Something inside Elio snapped.
He crossed the distance in two quick strides. His hands caught Vyn by the shoulders and drove him backward, forcing him out of the doorway.
"Hey—!"
Vyn stumbled until the backs of his knees struck the mattress, sending him down onto the bed.
Elio followed without hesitation.
He caged Vyn beneath his body, surrounding him with that intoxicating scent.
Vyn drew a sharp, unsteady breath. His heartbeat kicked hard against his ribs.
His Alpha roared awake with a force he hadn't felt in weeks. Heat rippled beneath his skin, every nerve suddenly aware of the man above him.
Elio's breathing had turned rough and uneven, as though he was fighting to hold on to the last of his restraint.
For a long second, he simply looked at Vyn before slowly lowering his head.
His nose brushed beneath Vyn's jaw before slowly tracing the line of his neck. He inhaled once, slow and deep.
Then again.
And again.
Vyn's scent filled his lungs, quieting the relentless ache inside him for only a heartbeat before the hunger returned twice as fierce.
Elio closed his eyes.
"You have no idea what your scent is doing to me..."
The words barely escaped him.
His fingers closed around Vyn's wrists, pinning them to the mattress without realizing how much strength he was using.
Beneath him, Vyn fought for another breath.
It wasn't only the pheromones.
It was Elio.
Alive.
Close enough to touch.
Close enough to breathe.
Relief struck first.
Then desire.
Then the terrifying instinct that eclipsed them both.
To keep him.
Every instinct inside him demanded that the man above him never leave his reach again.
"Oh, god..." The word tore from him.
His jaw tightened.
Elio leaned closer until only a breath remained between them.
His voice came out raw.
"I want you."
Vyn's vision blurred.
Whatever was happening to him went far beyond lust. Elio's scent flooded the room, thick and unfamiliar, wrapping around him until every breath burned in his lungs. Heat spread through him so fast he couldn't think.
"I fucking want you too," Vyn groaned, the words torn out of him before he could stop them.
Elio didn't wait.
He crashed into him, claiming his mouth with a rough, desperate kiss. Vyn met the aggression without thinking, his hands burying themselves in Elio's hair.
Elio bit down on his lower lip, dragged his teeth along his jaw, then caught his earlobe between his teeth.
A shiver ripped through Vyn.
"Let me complete the bond," Elio whispered, his voice raw with need.
His lips drifted lower until they brushed the side of Vyn's neck. Every slow breath against his skin sent another wave of heat crashing through him.
Vyn let out a broken sound.
His thoughts were falling apart. Then, for one brief second, the haze lifted.
Complete the bond?
His heart stumbled.
How was that even possible?
He shoved weakly at Elio's shoulders now that his hands were finally free, creating just enough space to look at him.
Their gazes locked.
Vyn felt like he was drowning.
"Fuck... Elio." He struggled to catch his breath. "What are you asking me?"
Elio never looked away.
His pupils had swallowed almost all the icy blue in his left eye.
"Will you let me mark you, Vyn?"
His voice came low and unhurried, roughened by hunger. It settled deep inside Vyn, warm enough to invite, certain enough to make refusal feel impossible.
Vyn stared at him.
"You..." His voice cracked. "What are you, Elio?"
Elio didn't answer. He gripped Vyn's jaw before claiming his mouth.
Hard. Hungry. Fiercely possessive.
The kiss swallowed every unfinished question before Vyn could give it a voice. When Vyn could no longer keep up, Elio slowed, his lips lingering just long enough to draw him in before pulling away again.
"No?"
The single word fell between them, deep and inviting.
Elio's pheromones rolled through the room in heavy waves, swallowing everything else—even the ugly truth that Vyn was the son of a murderer.
Vyn's pheromones met the surge without hesitation. The scents collided, then wrapped around each other as though they had been searching for one another all along.
"Y-Yes," Vyn breathed.
If it was Elio asking...
There had never really been another answer.
Fuck whatever was happening.
Elio moved before the last word had even faded.
With frightening certainty, he lowered his head to the curve of Vyn's neck, finding the scent gland without hesitation.
Then he bit down.
Pain tore through Vyn.
Sharp enough to steal the air from his lungs.
It lasted only a heartbeat.
Something shifted.
The pain dissolved into a warmth unlike anything he had ever known. It spread slowly through him, slipping beneath his skin, settling into his bones, until every beat of his heart carried it farther.
The warmth didn't overwhelm him.
It settled where it had always belonged.
For an instant, fine silver-blue lines bloomed beneath the skin surrounding the fresh bite on Vyn's neck. At the same moment, the old mark on Elio's neck answered, delicate filaments branching outward in perfect symmetry like veins catching moonlight.
They shimmered once.
Then disappeared.
The bond no longer needed proof.
Vyn's breath caught.
For the first time since the bond had broken, the silence inside him disappeared.
He felt Elio.
Not through scent.
Not through instinct.
Something deeper answered him—steady, quiet, unmistakable.
His Alpha didn't fight it.
It accepted it as though it had always known.
Some forgotten part of him had been searching all this time. Only now did it realize what had been missing.
Elio didn't pull away.
He stayed there for a long moment, his forehead resting against Vyn's shoulder as his own breathing slowly steadied.
The restless ache that had followed him since his awakening finally began to ease. His body no longer felt like something he had to restrain or force into place.
For the first time in years, nothing inside him was fighting itself.
Everything was simply... still.
Vyn's hands remained wrapped around Elio's shoulders, trembling.
Slowly, Elio lifted his head.
Their eyes met.
Words no longer mattered.
They both knew something had changed.
Elio leaned in once more, pressing a gentle kiss against the fresh mark before his lips brushed Vyn's ear.
"You okay?"
Vyn couldn't answer right away.
The warmth beneath his skin continued to pulse with every heartbeat, grounding him in a way he hadn't thought possible.
He looked at Elio, his vision blurred by something dangerously close to relief.
"The tether..." he whispered, his voice breaking.
A shaky laugh escaped him.
"I can feel you again."
Elio said nothing. He remained there for another heartbeat, taking in the sound of Vyn's voice before his attention drifted back to him.
The quiet between them didn't last.
Elio started tracing his lips over the mark again, his touch turning hungry, demanding. His grip on Vyn shifted, becoming aggressive, his hands moving to Vyn's shirt and shoving it up until he was bare.
Before Vyn could catch his breath, Elio's mouth was back on his, devouring him, pulling him into a rhythm that made his head spin.
Vyn was still reeling, his mind struggling to make sense of the impossible heat, the mark, and the way Elio's pheromones had awakened something far deeper than rut.
He pushed Elio back, just a little.
"Wait," Vyn gasped, his eyes wide and overwhelmed.
"Elio, stop. I need... just a second."
"Are we fucking doing this or not?" Elio's voice was strained, thick with desire and frustration.
He was past the point of control.
Vyn felt Elio's bulge pressing against him. He groaned, the friction through their clothes setting him on fire. He was just as hard. Just as desperate.
"Fuck, yeah. Talking can wait."
Vyn pushed Elio's shirt up, lust darkening his eyes. He pulled him down, meeting his lips in a kiss that was tender and searching, like he was afraid he'd wake up and find none of this was real.
He lingered for a moment before nipping gently at Elio's lower lip.
Elio pulled back just enough to watch every flicker of emotion pass across Vyn's face. Then he lowered his head again, brushing slow kisses along Vyn's throat before trailing down his chest. He traced a slow path along the side of Vyn's ribs, alternating lingering kisses with gentle nips.
Small crimson marks bloomed across the pale skin, a trail only Elio could have left behind.
Elio lingered there for another moment before slowly making his way back up, leaving another trail of kisses over the marks he'd just claimed. When he reached Vyn again, he hovered above him, their breaths mingling.
His fingers drifted across Vyn's chest until they settled on one of his nipples. He swirled his thumb over the sensitive peak, teasing it with slow, deliberate strokes.
"Oh, fuck."
A loud, ragged moan escaped Vyn's lips.
He reached up, his own hand tracing the defined muscles of Elio's chest.
Elio caught his wrist before he could go any farther, pinning it gently above Vyn's head. Without breaking eye contact, he turned Vyn's hand over and guided it back to his own face, pressing the warm palm against his cheek.
He buried his nose into the center of Vyn's palm, his lips brushing against the skin as he took deep, greedy drags of Vyn's scent.
It was obsessive.
He was breathing Vyn in, his mouth ghosting over the pulse in Vyn's wrist, his stubble grazing the sensitive skin, savoring the way Vyn shivered under the contact.
"Vyn..." he rasped against the palm of his hand, his voice a vibration against Vyn's skin.
"Hmmm..."
The sensation sent a violent shiver down Vyn's spine. Goosebumps erupted across his skin.
Elio looked up, his gaze unwavering.
"Will you let me top you?"
Vyn slipped his fingers between Elio's, lacing their hands together as though they had always belonged there.
"Yes," he answered without hesitation.
Elio held his gaze for one lingering moment before his hand drifted lower.
His fingers paused at the waistband, almost as though giving Vyn one final chance to stop him.
When Vyn didn't move, Elio slowly hooked his fingers beneath the fabric.
His eyes never left Vyn's.
With measured patience, he eased the shorts down just enough before guiding them the rest of the way, his movements steady and unhurried.
When the last of the fabric slipped away, Elio tossed it aside without looking.
His attention returned entirely to Vyn.
Elio moved lower, taking his time, his lips leaving a trail of heat from Vyn's navel to the inside of his thigh.
At the same time, his free hand wrapped around Vyn's hardening cock, every measured stroke slow and deliberate, keeping Vyn suspended somewhere between anticipation and surrender.
Vyn could only watch.
His lower lip caught between his teeth as his gaze followed every movement of Elio's hand. Each slow, deliberate stroke drew another shaky breath from him, his stomach tightening as his hips instinctively tried to rise from the mattress before he forced himself to stay still.
He couldn't look away. His eyes remained fixed on Elio's hands, as though committing every movement to memory. When Elio finally lifted his gaze, their eyes met.
God… I've missed you.
As Elio's rhythm grew steadier, Vyn's head tipped back. His fingers tightened around the sheets beneath him, a ragged breath slipping past his parted lips.
"Oh... fuck, Elio..."
The rhythm slowed.
Not enough to stop—just enough to leave Vyn reaching for what had been there a heartbeat before. As they slowed, a sheen of pre-cum slicked the friction between them, making Elio's hands glide smoothly over Vyn's damp skin as he adjusted his grip.
Elio looked up, holding Vyn's gaze. When he spoke, his voice was low, almost coaxing.
"Does this feel good?"
Vyn could only manage a shaky sound.
"Mmh..."
Without breaking eye contact for long, Elio shifted him just enough to slide a plush pillow beneath his hips, every movement calm and deliberate.
Elio didn't stop there. He dipped his head, his lips grazing Vyn's inner thigh before he moved between his legs. He spent agonizing minutes teasing Vyn, his tongue swirling and flicking against him until Vyn was practically clawing at the sheets.
"Elio—fuck, please," Vyn gasped, his head lolling back as a shudder ripped through him.
"Ahh... you're killing me." He was breathless, his voice high and wrecked.
Elio eventually pulled back, his eyes dark and hungry as he watched Vyn struggle to catch his breath.
"Do you have lube?"
His tone was low, deep enough to settle beneath Vyn's skin, every word wrapped in temptation.
Vyn hesitated for only a heartbeat before reaching toward the bedside table.
He'd left it there long ago, almost out of habit. Some part of him had always hoped this day would come.
He just never imagined he'd be on the receiving end.
Fuck it. As long as it's Elio.
He picked up the bottle and tossed it over.
Elio slicked his fingers with the lube, his touch slow and steady. He inserted one finger, then two, his movements guided by the frantic, hitching rhythm of Vyn's breathing.
He wasn't just prepping him; he was claiming the space, his fingers stretching Vyn out with a hypnotic, deliberate patience.
Every circular motion was a promise. He watched Vyn's face, tracing the way his brows furrowed in pleasure and the way his lips parted to catch the air.
When Vyn was finally ready, Elio positioned himself, teasing the entrance. He hooked his hands behind Vyn's thighs, pulling them wider, and thrust inward slowly.
Vyn moaned, his knuckles white as he gripped the mattress.
Elio went deeper. Then faster, his rhythm turning aggressive and hungry.
"Oh my fucking god, Elio!"
The room thickened with scent.
Elio's pheromones bloomed slowly, the quiet spice of smoked cardamom melting into the dark richness of oud before settling into the lingering warmth of sun-warmed amber.
It settled around Vyn, sinking beneath his skin until each breath grew slower than the last.
Vyn inhaled once, slow and deep. Another followed. Then another, until Elio's scent filled every corner of his lungs.
On the bedside table, Vyn's phone began to vibrate.
Kael.
The screen lit once... then again... and again, each call ending unanswered before another immediately followed. Neither of them noticed.
"Look at me," Elio murmured, a low, gravelly vibration that sent a jolt of electricity down Vyn's spine.
Vyn's eyes fluttered open, glassy and unfocused, drowning in the scent and the heavy, filling sensation of Elio inside him. He was still clenching, swallowing every inch of him.
Elio leaned in, pressing his forehead against Vyn's, their breaths mingling in the thick, perfumed haze.
"Vyn, kiss me," he whispered, his voice raw.
Vyn stared up at Elio, his gaze dropping to those beautiful mismatched eyes. He pulled Elio's face to his for a deep, lingering kiss that tasted like pure surrender.
With a low grunt, Elio pulled out of him, the sudden emptiness sharp before he rolled Vyn onto his side and pushed his cock back in, sliding deep with slow, steady strokes as he drew him tightly against his chest.
A breathless gasp caught in Vyn's throat, his hips pressing back into the warmth of Elio's body.
Elio kissed him, lingering on his lips before catching his earlobe gently between his teeth. His mouth wandered lower, leaving warm kisses along the curve of his neck and across his shoulder.
Needing something to hold onto, Vyn reached down until he found the hand wrapped around his waist and intertwined their fingers.
As the knot continued to swell, the friction became almost unbearable.
Elio stopped holding back, his breathing growing ragged against Vyn's skin. They moved together with desperate urgency, each thrust drawing a broken groan from Elio and a breathless moan from Vyn as they chased the edge.
A ragged groan slipped from Elio as he buried his face in the crook of Vyn's shoulder, his arms tightening around him as though he never wanted to let go.
"Fuck... Vyn... I'm cumming."
"I'm... cumming too," Vyn cried, his body trembling as the knot and Elio's release pushed him over the edge.
They crested the peak together—a simultaneous explosion of sensation that left them gasping, locked together, and bathed in the scent of sandalwood and dark oud, anchored by the knot that bound them in the silence of the room.
As the intensity slowly faded, Elio released a long, uneven breath and relaxed behind Vyn, his weight settling against Vyn's back.
Neither of them spoke.
They stayed wrapped around each other, panting hard as the silence settled over the room. Little by little, their heartbeats slowed until they found the same rhythm.
Slowly, Vyn turned toward him.
He lifted a hand and gently brushed the damp strands away from Elio's forehead before resting a tender kiss against it.
Elio leaned into the touch for a moment before lifting his eyes to meet Vyn's.
"Are you sore?"
A breath of laughter escaped Vyn.
His fingers drifted back into Elio's hair, combing through it absentmindedly.
"No," he whispered.
He reached for Elio's hand instead, guiding it gently to the center of his chest.
Beneath his palm, Vyn's heartbeat was slow and steady.
"I don't know what you're going through," Vyn murmured. "And I won't ask until you're ready to tell me."
His hand covered Elio's, holding it against his heart.
"But no matter what it is... my heart only knows you."
Elio closed his eyes. He rested his forehead against Vyn's as the last of the tension quietly left his body.
His hand remained over Vyn's chest, feeling the steady rhythm beneath his palm.
The surge that had consumed them both finally eased. Their pheromones no longer crashed together in restless waves, leaving only the warmth of the true bond and the familiar comfort of each other's scent.
Vyn's phone vibrated against the bedside table.
He glanced toward it.
Kael.
His brows drew together.
Twelve missed calls.
The calm they'd just found vanished instantly.
He reached for the phone and answered immediately.
"Bro?"
"Finally." Kael's voice was tight. "Listen to me. Onyx is looking for Elio."
Vyn's expression changed instantly.
"Get out of there. Now."
********