Thursday arrived, and nothing changed. The town continued its routine as usual, whether there were more or fewer tourists. Just like time never stops, and despite the circumstances, everything went on as if nothing had happened.
Andrea's Rut never came. No matter how excited they might have been, how many orgasms they shared, or how many times they did it, it never showed up.
Lucas grew worried. He didn't understand what could have happened, and even more so, he noticed it in Andrea: in every pause or every time they started again, he could see the tension and desperation in his eyes and body.
He, being a beta, was the result of an inter-caste relationship. Not only that, but he had a "recessive" omega sister, so he knew what could happen when an alpha or omega didn't release their urges.
It was then that Lucas thought about using the toys he had brought with him, but something in his mind stopped him. Something told him that, no matter how much they tried, even if they kept doing it for days, nothing would change.
"My Rut should've come days ago. The week is almost over, and you'll be leaving," said Andrea, sitting in a corner of the bed.
Andrea blamed himself. He began to tense his hands on his thighs because too many thoughts were running through his head. He just wanted to spend time with Lucas, didn't know when the Rut would come, and feared facing it alone.
They looked at each other intently, held hands, and that's when Lucas proposed they go back together. He knew his job was flexible, and thanks to that, they wouldn't have to be apart.
Lucas knew it was a crazy proposal—practically asking to move in together—but he didn't want to leave him alone. To him, Andrea was a little lamb who could be attacked by any wolf that sensed his essence.
"We'll be fine, and you know I can close the shop if something happens. Besides, you already know my routine," said Lucas, touching Andrea's cheek.
Andrea's heart began to pound with the proposal. He felt like jumping or dancing; he didn't know how to explain what was happening inside him, because living with Lucas was something that, despite the short time, he deeply longed for.
He moved Lucas's arms to jump on him, to hug him and cover him with kisses, to tell him he was grateful to life for having met him, and that he was all he needed to be happy: warmth, but more than anything, attention.
Lucas hugged Andrea with all his strength and returned every kiss he was given. They behaved like children discovering first love for the first time. It was something indescribable: a mix of anxiety, madness, and an instinctive need to protect each other.
"Oh, I need to talk to Valentina. When will she be back?" said Andrea, curled up in Lucas's arms.
Lucas had completely forgotten about Valentina. His full focus had been on satisfying Andrea, which made him forget to respond. As he checked his phone, a thousand thoughts and excuses ran through his mind, and he knew his best friend must be worried about him.
Nothing. Not a single missed call, and even less so, a reply to his last message. She wasn't like that; she was the type of person who answered messages immediately, even if others took days.
Lucas considered calling her, so he told Andrea about his concern, and he told him not to worry so much, since she knew he was there for his Rut, and surely didn't want to interrupt.
"Relax. I actually need to organize a few things before traveling. Do you think we could go on Saturday?" said Andrea, putting Lucas's phone aside.
The afternoon came, and the couple focused on enjoying normalcy: chats, shared silences, and small gestures. Andrea, meanwhile, started organizing his things, preparing to give the news to his family.
No one had any complaints. They knew Andrea was someone who often traveled in search of inspiration, and his parents were more than happy. As they said during dinner, they trusted that Lucas was a good person.
That night, a couple showed up: Bastian and Valentina. But by then, everyone in the family had already gone to bed early. It was only 9 p.m., but as they had mentioned, the next day some would be going fishing, so they couldn't stay up late.
"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? Andrea and I have been worried, right babe?" said Lucas, running to hug Valentina.
Andrea wasn't there. When Lucas turned around, he was gone, so he thought he had probably gone to the bathroom, since he had seemed a bit anxious when the others arrived.
Valentina hugged Lucas tightly, grabbed his hands, and looked at him intently while rubbing the top of his hand. But he let go as soon as he heard Andrea calling him, so he had to excuse himself.
"Come on, it's been a long day, and I think we should stay here tonight. Also, it hasn't been long since you took the pills," said Bastian, hugging Valentina.
Bastian showed her his small apartment, which was on the other side of the family villa. It had two floors and an ocean view.
When Valentina approached to admire the view, Bastian stood behind her, moved her hair, and kissed her neck. She reacted with surprise, her arm hairs standing on end, and she tensed her hands from the strangeness of it.
"What's wrong? Don't tell me you're still tired," said Bastian, touching her waist.
"No. I just got surprised, that's all," said Valentina, admiring the sea.
Just like Bastian's Rut, it had caught her by surprise. She let herself go. Like that time. Not knowing whether this time would hurt less or more. She surrendered to the caresses of her new lover, with whom she still hadn't defined what kind of relationship they had, but she could sense it was stronger now, since they had gone through the Rut together, and she survived despite the initial pain.
The next day, they both woke up at 9 a.m. Valentina's body didn't hurt as much as before, and it no longer burned when she peed, but she still felt somewhat anxious. Just by looking at Bastian, she could feel mixed emotions, but her rational mind told her it was the hormones from the morning-after pill. Since it was her first time taking it, she had to think logically that her body would go through changes she didn't understand.
No one from the family was there to greet her. According to what Bastian had told her, his family worked in the fishing and seafood trade, so they went to bed early and left at dawn, only returning after the workday ended.
Valentina felt a bit sad that she couldn't meet them. She wanted to know more about Bastian—who surrounded him, what they were like, their customs, and so on. But she didn't dwell on it, since she had to return to her city as soon as possible. She had to get everything ready for Monday, was behind on the bidding process, and had lost the entire week.
"I'll go back today. You coming? I have to return, or... what should we do?" said Valentina with uncertainty.
"You're such a forgetful woman, haha. I'll go next week and stay with you," said Bastian, tugging at her ears.
So before leaving the villa, Valentina went looking for Lucas. But she couldn't find him anywhere. She called him a couple of times, but he never answered.
She started to feel anxious. The muscles in her wrist tensed up because he always answered her phone calls quickly. But Bastian surprised her from behind and told her that he had probably gone out to eat with Andrea or something like that and that she shouldn't worry so much—they'd reconnect later.
Valentina agreed, so they returned so she could pack her bags. She bought the ticket on her app, and when they arrived at the hotel, she approached the concierge for the key, but Bastian went ahead and led the way to the room.
She was tired, so she took an energy drink to get everything ready on time. She took advantage of the fact that the train wouldn't leave for a couple more hours and checked some emails while Bastian slept peacefully in the bed.
Since there were no buses or trains at that time to get to the main city where Valentina would catch her train, Bastian drove her there, an hour away.
At the station, holding hands, she could feel people staring. She could feel the heavy atmosphere and the judging glances, but she didn't understand why.
Before she left, Bastian decided to take her to a small corner and kiss her as passionately as possible, telling her they would see each other soon and thanking her for going through the Rut with him. When he left, she stayed in that corner to avoid the strangers' intrusive gazes.
Valentina boarded the train slowly, scanning the platform as she found her car. She checked her seat, arranged her luggage, and sat down. She could finally relax and return home, but she still felt uncomfortable because she kept sensing that people were looking at her. She turned on her phone camera to see if she had something on her face. Then one of the train workers arrived.
She saw the train employee walking directly toward her, and her stomach twisted in response. Her body reacted before her mind could catch up. She didn't understand what she had done wrong.
"Miss, I'm sorry… but I have to ask you to leave the train. The environment is affected, and some passengers are feeling discomfort due to your presence."