I groggily sat up in bed and stared at the door. Who's knocking on my door at this time of morning? I looked at the clock Ronak insisted upon putting in my room, and groaned. He said it was weird that I only used the bells and the sun to know what time of day it was. I said he was a big meanie for teasing me… Classes didn't start for another two hours, huh? The knocking continued, becoming louder, so I grumpily crawled over Ronak, who apparently wasn't bothered in the slightest.
"Whaaaat? It's so early, what could be the emergency?" I angrily opened my door to see Terra. Her brown eyes were wide and panicked. From her labored breathing, it seemed like she ran here from her extra morning class. Even her light green twin-tails looked a bit messy, which was completely unlike her. For an earl's daughter, she usually cared more about keeping up appearances.
"Micha! Everyone knows!" She was talking so loud she might as well have yelled. Somehow, the knocking didn't disturb him, but hearing Terra's voice made Ronak stir in his sleep. "W-why is he in your dorm?!?!" She gasped and stared at me suspiciously. You're acting like we've done something naughty… W-we were just sleeping th-this time…
I quickly closed the door, not even realizing in my frustration that she would be able to see him. "He just s-sleeps here at night. N-nothing else." I grumbled while trying to free my hand from this shirt's ridiculously long sleeves so I could rub the sleep from my eyes. She definitely didn't need to know the whole truth. "What were you shouting about?" I yawned and groggily stared at her.
"A-are you wearing his sweater?" She stared down at my attire, and I remembered that I was indeed wearing Ronak's oversized shirt a-and no pants. It had been super comfortable to sleep in, and the light smell of his pheromones on it was a bonus. Maybe I'll have to take him up on his offer of taking all his older sleep shirts that he doesn't wear. Terra's voice brought me back from my distracted thoughts. "Micha, had anyone else been at your door, you would be getting expelled from the academy right now!" She snapped.
I managed to free my hand and rubbed my tired eyes. Because of Ronak goofing off, we didn't get much sleep. He said he'd leave me alone, but the moment we were lying in my bed, he started teasing me again. By the time we fell asleep, it was late into the night. I let out a little yawn and smacked my lips while looking at Terra's flustered face. "I had a feeling it was you. Very few people know where my dorm is located, and they wouldn't bother me at this time of morning. Did you just come here to yell at me? Couldn't you wait until a more reasonable time of day?" I wasn't trying to be rude, but being woken up in such a manner and then having her shout at my face wasn't exactly pleasant.
"Micha! This is serious!" Terra complained.
The door to my room cracked open, and Ronak's red eyes glared out of it. "Could you two pick a different time of day to shout?" His arm darted out of the door gap and grabbed hold of my arm, dragging me back inside.
"M-Micha!" Terra grabbed hold of my other arm, causing Ronak to pause. "Your secret is out of the bag! All anyone wanted to talk about this morning during class is how you've been keeping your relationship a secret." I had a bad feeling that would happen… There was no way the omegas at the party would keep their mouths shut. Too many of them were able to identify me.
"And?" Ronak responded before I could.
"W-well, I thought I would warn Micha before all the omegas swarm him. They were already after me, asking me all sorts of questions-"
"Tell them to mind their fucking business." Ronak resumed pulling me back inside the room, and I tried to squirm away, but there was no stopping him. Terra released my arm and stepped back away from the door as Ronak pushed it closed.
"Ronak! That was really rude!" I complained as he picked me up and hauled me back over to the bed.
"So was waking us up over something so trivial." Ronak sat me down on the bed and nestled down next to me. He pulled the blankets up, and within seconds, he had his arms wrapped around me.
"Wh-what am I going to do?" I ducked under the blanket in a panic, and Ronak grunted angrily.
"Stop stressing about it. You're making it hard to fall back asleep." He growled and pulled me against him in a hug.
"You make everything sound so easy!"
"It is easy. You tell them to mind their business." Ronak's voice was low and gravely from just waking up, and it was clear how tired he was. I was tired too, but my stress was quickly overwhelming me.
"I can't say that to my friends!"
"If they were your friends, they would have been informed like Terra was." He had me there… The whole reason I was in this mess was that I didn't want others to know. I was close to them, but I guess they weren't the same type of friend I considered Terra to be.
Ronak closed his eyes, but eventually opened them, and glared down at me. "You're too tense and nervous."
"I-I can't help it! I'm worried about what they're going to say. Terra looked incredibly frazzled from her morning class, and Terra is like, never frazzled." Ronak rubbed my head, which only managed to mess up my hair. Ack! That's my face!
"Calm down, I'll be with you most of the day. Half of our classes are shared, and we can have breakfast, lunch, and dinner together. That will keep most of the prying vultures away. During other times, you need to be strong and not answer questions you're not comfortable with. Worst case scenario, use your shiny platforms to run away, you're good at that." I flinched as he referred to me running away from him. That's not fair, you're legit scary, I ran away for my own safety.
"O-okay…" Ronak's pheromones helped me calm down, and my emotions must have stopped annoying Ronak because he seemed to have fallen back to sleep. Despite relaxing a little bit, my mind was still a mess. I tried to ignore it and savor Ronak's embrace, but it was hard knowing the day I was facing…
I stared at the ring on my finger that I didn't want to take off last night. He slid it onto my left-hand ring finger almost as if it were an… engagement ring…. I-I guess it sort of is an engagement ring. He did say he would like to get married, probably after we finish our time at the academy, and when we're ready… My face burned with embarrassment. How did he have the courage to say those words?! Just admitting I liked him made me feel terribly embarrassed.
Had someone told me before falling into the dungeon that Ronak would become my bonded alpha, I would have thought they had lost their sanity. Ronak, be caring to anyone? Impossible! Yet here he was being so clingy, holding me tightly in his arms every night. I couldn't help but giggle. Even his confession to me was cute and honest. I didn't know Ronak could say such words.
I squirmed around, making Ronak grumble in his sleep. Oops! I-I better not wake him up again, otherwise he'll be extra grumpy.
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When we entered the dining hall together, there were mixed reactions. The omegas burst into excited whispers, and most of the alphas, probably the ones not invited to Ronak's birthday, looked around, confused by all the excitement. My face had to be the same shade of red as Ronak's eyes. Not only were we admitting that we had a relationship, but I was basically shouting to everyone that I was an omega. I was frozen in place when Ronak grabbed my hand. "Come on. We need to eat before classes." That got everyone going. The omegas went crazy as he laced his fingers through mine and tugged me along with him. I wanted nothing but to flee at this moment. It was too much. Ronak leaned towards me as he handed me a plate and whispered into my ear. "Just breathe."
"R-right." I wasn't alone. I had Ronak with me; I could do this.
I nodded my head and started adding things to my plate from the options available. I picked up a pudding, but Ronak grabbed my wrist and gave me a disgusted look. "It's breakfast, how do you have an appetite for sweets this early in the morning? Better yet, how have you not died from your diet?" I sadly whimpered, and Ronak rolled his eyes and sat one pudding on my plate. "Only because you're stressed, but you are going to start eating better." Wh-what?! He was going to start monitoring what I was eating?! No fair! That wasn't part of this whole bond thing!
I glanced over to Ronak's supposedly healthy plate and looked away awkwardly. He had a spinach egg dish along with sausages, fruit, cucumber slices, and some type of tomato salad. O-okay, I guess he does eat rather healthy, but yuck! Who wants to eat vegetables for breakfast?! Even living at home, my family only ever ate porridge with seasonal fruit atop it. Eating like that seemed bizarre to me.
We managed to get our plates of food, but I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to sit at my normal spot… Not only was it swarmed with omegas that were watching me closely, but I didn't want to sit somewhere so public with Ronak. "This way." Ronak nodded his head, and I simply followed. I guess he has a plan?
We passed through a guarded door that I didn't even realize existed, and entered a completely different dining hall. "I-I didn't know that there was a second dining hall!" It was so quiet with only a few dining tables out in the open, and more private booths lining the bare wall. This room had so much more natural light than the regular dining hall, thanks to the wall of windows. A few students sat at the tables, but most of them were empty. Gosh, I feel like I'm shouting while talking at a normal volume.
"Only approved students can eat here. As a lord's son, you wouldn't get the privilege to eat here, but as an archduke's fiancée, you can eat here with me." F-fiance?! I-I guess I was… Gah! So crazy! I glanced at the students eating and realized that some of them were familiar. Almost all of them were children of dukes or high-standing margraves. I wasn't aware that the academy had a special dining for the top echelon of the academy. That explains why I had never seen Ronak eating in the regular dining hall. "Next year, when my cousin attends, he will be annoying everyone in the hall, so we might have to find somewhere else to eat or just eat at the estate."
Pft! I guess Elyas would make this place rather loud. Maybe we could spend a few meals here and go elsewhere for some quiet time. "Your relatives were nice, they invited us to tea."
"More like threatened," Ronak grumbled under his breath as he led me to a table in the back.
"Do you normally sit back here?" I couldn't help but notice the large berth the other students gave this area.
"I normally only eat lunch here, but yes, I eat at this table or occasionally that booth." Ronak nodded towards the booth we were near, and I bit my lip. Y-yep, they were avoiding him, alright.
"Your aunt was interesting. I liked her." Ronak gave me an annoyed look as we sat down at his regular table.
"She's something." Ronak snarled. "Technically, she's my Great-Aunt Berengiere, but she gets rather annoyed if you add the great. She travels around a lot and will send me souvenirs from time to time. From what I know, she's the one who inspired my mother to go adventuring after she left her fiancé, and came back to Draedor." Despite sounding annoyed, Ronak clearly had a soft spot for her. He never talked positively like this about anyone.
"She sounds like an incredibly interesting woman…"
"She's definitely different." Was that a slight smile I spy at the corner of Ronak's lips?! Hehehe.
"I'm a bit jealous. I don't have any aunts or uncles that I know about. I'm close with my grandma on my father's side, and my parents, but that's it. My father doesn't have any siblings, so I don't have extended family like you do." I nibbled away at my plate as we talked. The sweet cakes with syrup were hitting the spot this morning.
Ronak furrowed his brow. "That you know of? Do you not know your mother's relatives?" I'm really surprised he didn't have anyone look into my family history before bonding with me, but now that I think about it, I don't think Ronak was thinking about much. He just wanted me, and would deal with the consequences later, or at least that's the impression I got. Why else would he bond with a lord's son?
"My mother ran away from her family to be with my father. She came from a viscount family, but they disowned her when she married my dad, so I don't know them." I shrugged. It wasn't like I had any desire to meet them, so I didn't care. I might have had cousins here at the academy I didn't know about, but I wasn't curious enough to find out.
"A viscount marrying a lord isn't all that odd, but it definitely is a step down," Ronak mumbled.
"She was engaged to a baron. Apparently, she ran away on her wedding day." My mother didn't talk about the past a lot, but she did talk about how she knew the moment she saw the altar that the wrong man was standing at it.
Ronak fell silent for a moment as he picked around on his plate, but eventually his gaze met mine. "You can't run, I'll come find you." A shiver ran from my head to my toes. Wh-why do ya gotta say such creepy things, Ronak?! He looked awfully smug despite my obvious fear.
"S-so a-aren't you also marrying d-down? I-isn't that a problem?" I nervously fiddled with my pudding as I tried to revert the topic to something less creepy.
Ronak paused and looked out the window. "I guess I am marrying down. Way down." His gaze slowly turned to me, and my pink face. W-was he teasing? H-he was teasing, right? "I'm not bothered by your status, and it's not going to cause any problems for me. I'm financially stable and not relying on a dowry from my omega family. I guess the only way I'm really benefiting is by not being forced to marry someone I hate." Wh-when he puts it like that, I… sound like a terrible marriage candidate. "Stop looking so down. You're the one who's marrying far above your stature. You're benefiting greatly."
I couldn't help but glare over at him as my sweet cake fell from my fork. "I-I don't care about that sort of stuff! Did you wake up with a massive ego or what?!"
Ronak's eyes drifted down to the ring on my hand. "A little." H-he can't play off being an egotistical meanie by playing cute! "You're the one who said yes." Gah! A-and now he was trying to blame his ego on me?! How dare he! "Are you going to eat your sugar-laced breakfast or just continue staring at me?"
"Y-you're so mean!" I whined as I took a big bite of my sweet cakes. Ronak simply snickered and resumed eating his breakfast. Ugh! He's such a bully!
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"You're making me dizzy," Ronak grumbled as he walked me to class.
"I-I'm sorry! I'm just nervous…" I clung to his side, trying to avoid people's curious gawking as we went. There's nothing to see!
"Clearly. Is this your general ed class?" Ronak asked as we stopped in front of the room door.
"Yeah…" Despite arriving, I just stood there. Peeking into the room with trepidation. I-I don't want to be left alone!
"Stop being a chicken." Eep! Ronak firmly pushed me into the room and patted my head. "I'll swing by after your class is done to come get you." W-wait! I quickly turned around, but Ronak had already started walking away. If I follow after him, he'll probably snap at me. Nooo!
Ever so slowly, I turned around to face the room full of eyes watching my every move. I slowly walked to my normal seat, but I was shaking from stress the entire time. I-it's going to be fine. Everything is going to be fine… "Oh, so now you're not hiding your relationship, huh?" I flinched as an unfortunately familiar voice called out to me. "I guess after announcing it to most of the empire last night, there's no reason to pretend anymore. The real question is, how did you do it? Hmm? How'd you wriggle your way into his bed? Does it feel good knowing you seduced someone out of your league? Did you keep the fact that you're an omega a secret just so you could intentionally attract people of high standing? Hmm? Your lips are sealed this morning, but apparently your legs aren't at night." The last person I wanted to see came sauntering over from the back of the room, spouting vile things.
"I-I didn't wriggle a-anywhere, Ivette." A-and I sure wasn't spreading my legs like she said. What was her problem? Didn't she cause enough problems last night? I tried ignoring her by pulling my class supplies out of storage, but her maroon hair made an appearance beside me.
"Don't tell me you think the archduke actually fell in love with you. Ha! Him falling in love with anything is a joke. Don't let it go to your head, you low-class loser! You're nothing but a disgusting skank who wriggled their way into somewhere they shouldn't be! If you think anyone from the dukedom is going to respect you, think again!" Ivette shoved my notebook that I had arranged in front of me, and it crashed into my inkwell. Pitch black ink splashed all over it and the desk. Nooo! Not my notes! I brought a towel out of my storage to sop up the split ink, but Ivette grabbed my wrist and glared daggers at me. "I'm talking to you, you pathetic son of a lord! Stealing my friend wasn't good enough for you, huh?! You had to go, and worm your way into the archduke's bed, HUH?! You slut!" I flinched nervously and glanced up at her.
"L-leave me alone!" I wanted to tell her to stop calling me names, but I couldn't find the words. I was trying to be brave and not let her walk on me like Ronak said, but I just wasn't all that confident of a person. Nothing about me was intimidating either. If anything, Ivette was the scarier person in this situation, and I was a guy! P-pathetic… I-I'm really pathetic.
"Or what? Is your alpha going to come beat me up? You're so pitiful that you have to have him solve your problems? I can't believe he fawned over the likes of you last night! You male omegas make me sick! Don't you have any shame? Wriggling your way into another man's bed?! You're disgusting!" Ivette leered at me, and I thought for sure she was going to raise a hand, but thankfully, the professor walked in. I wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but the moment the professor saw the mess I had at my desk, her smile turned into a frown.
"Ivette, to your seat. Micha, get that cleaned up before you stain the desk!" She snapped.
"Y-yes ma'am!" Ivette let out a huff and spun on her heel while I resumed cleaning up my desk area. M-my notebook! It's all sorts of ruined… The front had a big splash of ink on it, and the edges that got hit were soaking up the ink like crazy. I-I can't afford to get a new one… I'll have to let it dry when Ronak isn't around… If he sees he's going to be furious…
I had to use a scrap piece of parchment to write notes on instead of my notebook. Unfortunately, it just wasn't in any shape to be messed with. I-I'll have to go buy more ink later too… Dang it! Why, why, why?!
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Ronak
"What happened?" I had left my class early in an attempt to show up right as Micha's got out. My timing was perfect, but Micha didn't seem relieved to see me. If anything, he seemed tense. I did notice that he was stressed out before class and a little scared, but I figured it was because people were asking him questions. The moment his class started, his emotions leveled out, but… something wasn't right.
"N-nothing!" Micha's golden eyes avoided my gaze. Clearly, it wasn't nothing.
"Tell me."
"I-I just… got asked lots of questions…" Maybe look at me if you're going to lie. You're even fidgeting with your hands. You're fucking terrible at lying… If he won't tell me, then I'm sure I'll be able to find some bastard I can wring the information out of.
"Okay. If that's all it is…" Micha fidgeted uncomfortably next to me, and my irritation grew. What could he possibly not want me knowing about? We only had one more class, and our schedules mostly lined up… "Do you want me to stick around?"
"N-no. You can go." Micha was acting fidgety. Too fidgety.
I pulled his chin up to look at me, and his porcelain skin turned flush. Damn, that was such a cute reaction. "If you're having any problems, let me help."
"E-everything will be fine, I promise." His words said one thing, but his feelings said another. It was bugging me. Micha turned and walked into the classroom freely this time, and I noticed a bit of ink on the sleeve of his uniform jacket. Something is definitely wrong…
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"Ah!" I took the bastard by the cuff and slammed him into the wall. The little weakling let out quite a yell of pain. I haven't even fucked you up yet. If you don't give me the answers I'm looking for, you're really going to be howling in pain. "I-I didn't do anything!" He yelped when he saw who had a hold of him.
"Oh? If you fucking didn't, then who the hell did?" I snarled while baring my teeth. Which bastard is brave enough to mess with what's mine?! They clearly have a death wish.
"I-It was that girl! I-I think her name is Ivette or something!" That bitch?! Didn't she learn her lesson last night?!
I let out an ear-piercing growl, and the pathetic excuse for an alpha shrank away from me. "What the fuck did that bitch do?!"
He let out an embarrassing squeal and raised his arms as if I was going to attack him. "Sh-she spilt ink on his stuff, and asked him how he crawled into your bed, sir!"
"What else?!" I roared.
"Sh-she mocked him about you coming to his rescue! She called him lots of names! Gah!" I leaned forward while baring my teeth, and he let out a pathetic sound. "I-I think that's all!" That's why he didn't want to fucking say anything. Shit. That bitch needs to learn a lesson on how to keep her mouth shut-
A strange sensation passed over me. One second, Micha was in class; the next second, he was… gone… What?
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Micha
I-I should have just told Ronak… I was doing nothing but playing into Ivette's desires by not telling him. The problem was that if I told Ronak, he's going to get mad. Like furious mad. He's going to blow it way out of proportion, especially after what happened last night. I mean, what Ivette was doing was wrong, but she was rude all the time. There was nothing new about it. The best strategy is to ignore her, and she'll get bored.
My pockets barely touched the seat, and I was swarmed. Gah! T-too many girls! R-Ronak was right, they were like vultures. They didn't even greet me either. They just started bombarding me with questions.
"You're an omega?! Why didn't you tell anyone?!"
"How long have you been with the Archduke?"
"Why did you two bond before marriage?"
"Is that an engagement ring?!"
"Why were you two hiding your relationship?"
"Did you two fall in love in the dungeon or before then?!"
"I-is he nice? He seems rather cold…"
"I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that you're an omega…"
"Did he give you the outfit that you wore last night?"
"How did you two keep your relationship a secret?"
"How long have you been dating?"
"Have you met the emperor?"
"Did you two have breakfast together? I heard you did, but didn't see you."
Overwhelming was the best way to describe it. They didn't even give me a chance to respond. It was worse than being pelted with rapid-fire spells. Wh-why were there so many girls in this class?! Once one began, the others flocked over like sheep. The questions just kept coming, and they kept getting closer. With each question, my personal space was being violated. Wh-where was the professor to end this madness?!
I wanted nothing but to hide in my bed. I tried looking away and ignoring them, but the questions just continued to swarm me. I-I wanted to escape. It was completely suffocating. A funny feeling kept bubbling up in my chest, and my mana surged inside me. The air around me shimmered for a second, then… I was free-falling. The sensation terrified me after falling down the waterfall in the dungeon, but instead of splash-landing into an underground lake, I landed in… my soft bed? D-did my desires come true?
I sat up while feeling completely confused. W-was that a dream or something? No… my uniform is on, and Ronak isn't in bed beside me… Woah… I feel… extremely disoriented… Was that… a new spell? There was a shimmer of gold, and my mana was depleted a little… D-did I just… teleport?
"Micha?!" Ronak appeared in my room from his travel spell and practically tackled me down into the bed. His hands managed to find my face, and he gently squeezed my cheeks between his hands. "You were in your classroom, and then you just disappeared…" Ronak's eyes were a pool of concern and worry. Even his emotions were choppy and all over the place.
"I… was feeling overwhelmed… which you probably already know… Th-the omegas just kept getting closer, and closer… It was like I couldn't breathe a-and they had so many questions… I-it was too much… I wanted to run away and…, and then I appeared here…" I grabbed Ronak's wrists, and he pulled his hands away from my face. "I… think I learned a new spell…"
Most spells could be learned by simply reading about them in books and trying to replicate the effects. Since I had light magic, which was extremely rare; there were few to no books on it. It was possible for a spell to just come to you, but it was rare, and researchers weren't sure what triggered it. Some people never learn spells this way, while great spellcasters that wield amazing powers learn many. After just experiencing it, I knew why researchers didn't understand. I myself didn't fully understand. It was like the spell information just appeared in my mind.
"It's a teleport spell… I can move to a different location as long as it's not too far away. I think I can take someone else if I have enough mana." My eyes were wide in surprise. What a strange feeling. It's like I discovered something I've always known, but just forgot.
Ronak crawled off of me and helped me up. "You can't just disappear like that… You made me worried." He pulled me into a tight hug in his lap as concern washed over me from him. My gut clenched. I-I didn't mean to make you so upset.
"S-sorry. I-I didn't do it intentionally."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"T-tell you?" My gut clenched once again. H-how did he find out already?
"Why didn't you tell me that that disgusting bitch ruined your things and said vulgar things to you? I told you last night that I will not tolerate people looking down upon you." Ronak's tone was harsh, but I knew that it was coming from a place of caring. He didn't want people to treat me poorly…, but it's not like I wanted it either…
Tears welled in my eyes, and I let out a little whimper. "B-because I'm pathetic. I-I couldn't even tell her to stop without stuttering."
"You are not pathetic." Ronak snarled as he gently rubbed my back. "You are caring and gentle. Things that disgusting wench wouldn't understand." A sad blubber escaped me, and before I knew it, the waterworks were turned on full force. I felt bad for ruining Ronak's shirt, but I needed to decompress. There were too many feelings fighting to get out, and the tears were like a running faucet that I let run free. "Why don't we take a break from all this stress?"
"A-a b-break?" I blubbered sadly into his chest.
"Yeah, we could go take a walk into town, get some lunch, and even get you some new notebooks. They won't be custom, but they'll do until next semester. We could even get you some more clothes or wander down into the trade district."
"A-are you saying we should skip classes?" My bottom lip quivered as I looked up at Ronak with wet eyes.
"You are in no state to be going to classes. There's not a chance I would let you go around petty nobles in this state." Ronak pushed my bangs from my face and leaned down to lick a big tear off my face that had fallen.
"Wh-why do you do that?! Y-you're not a dog!" Though his big wet tongue did feel a bit reminiscent of a dog.
Ronak's breath was hot on my face as he snickered. "A dog, huh? No, I'm not a dog. I'm something far worse than a dog." Ronak nibbled on my ear while letting out a low growl. "I already told you, I've never cried, so I guess I just find your tears fascinating. They're so oddly salty when everything else about you is sweet." I let out a soft grunt as Ronak licked the other side of my head. I'm not a salt lick either…
Despite Ronak's odd tactics, they did help me feel better. "I-I'm sorry I didn't tell you about what happened… The moment I walked into my second class, I regretted it."
"You're so bad at lying, the moment you said nothing, I knew something was wrong… I should have stayed with you until the professor showed up. I didn't think it would be a problem where I left pheromones on you. Guess I underestimated the audacity of cockroaches." Ronak reached over to my nightstand to grab me a tissue, but the moment he opened the drawer, my stomach clenched. "What are… all these?" Ronak pulled out the haphazard stack of letters that I had been avoiding. Most of them were unopened because I couldn't bring myself to look at them.
"L-letters from my parents…" Could today get any worse?
"Have you responded to them?" He pulled the top two off the stack that I hadn't even bothered to open. I just couldn't continue lying to them. It made me feel awful.
"I… don't know what to say to them… also… It's too late in the season to respond to them. I have to imagine there's snow on the ground." Last year, when the trees started turning colors in the capital, my parents said they already had snow starting to fall. It was crazy, but that's just how far up north they lived in comparison.
"I'll let you use one of my falcons if you'd like…" I noticed Ronak's eyes scanning over the open letter. "Though, if all you're going to talk about is the weather, it might be a waste of time."
"I-I don't know what to write…" Does he not listen? Whose ears aren't working now?!
"You could start by at least mentioning my existence." Ronak scratched his chin and reached over to swat the top of my head with the unopened letters. "Do you have any paper in this room?" Ronak's attention turned to my desk, and he pulled me along with him as he sat up.
"Y-you want me to respond right now?!" I asked as he plopped me down into my desk chair.
"Why not? Clearly, you need to get it done. You're being overwhelmed by guilt over it, and it's not like we're returning to classes for the day." Ronak retreated to my bed, and I nervously looked down at the blank piece of paper. Wh-where do I even start…
Once my quill touched the parchment, I was able to get some words out. The more I wrote, the easier it became, despite my sniffling. I wasn't telling them everything, but it did feel good to finally address the elephant or… I guess the alpha, lounging on my bed. I talked about how we met during the dungeon, and how we worked together to get out. I didn't mention how Ronak was an absolute meanie before then… they didn't need to know that. Then I explained that I had been rather busy getting caught back up in classes and spending time with my alpha. I profusely apologized for not writing back sooner, and told them that if permitted, I would continue to write them over the winter with the help of Ronak's falcons.
Ronak must have sensed that my letter was done because he stretched and wandered over to my desk. "You refer to me as 'your alpha', huh? That makes me happy." He likes it? That's good… Before I knew it, Ronak's arm zipped down and stole the letter from me. "No changing it. I like it like that."
"I-I wasn't going to change it." I'm the one who intentionally referred to you that way instead of using your name. I also thought it would help my parents warm up to the idea of us being in a relationship…
Ronak was looking rather smug as he looked at my letter. "Of course, your alpha will permit you to use his falcons over the winter." M-maybe he was feeling a bit too smug… "Shall we go to the estate to have this sent?" Ronak held out his hand, but I hesitated to grab it.
"C-can I use my new spell? I want to see if I can teleport both of us…" I fiddled nervously with my fingers. I wouldn't blame him if he said no…
"Hmm, I guess I trust you." Ronak leaned over and snatched up my hand so he could pull me against him. "Teleport away." Gah! H-he only guesses?!
"Give me a moment…" I closed my eyes and tried to focus on the feeling of teleporting. Ronak's lukewarm vote of confidence wasn't helping, but I tried to ignore it as I let my mana swirl around us. "Porta Aurea," I whispered as I thought of where I wanted to go. Gold enveloped us, and the feeling of weightlessness took over once again before it felt like we were falling.
I anxiously hugged Ronak as we crash-landed into something soft. Thank goodness it was soft; otherwise, that would have hurt. "Should I be honored or concerned that you teleported us to my bed?" I let out a loud yelp as Ronak squeezed my butt.
"I-I just thought it would be a s-soft landing since I don't have the spell fully f-figured out!" Ronak grinned evilly as he continued to squeeze my bottom. I tried to roll away from him, but he brought one arm up to lock me into place against him as his other hand drifted down to fondle me.
"Is that all you were thinking? That's disappointing." D-did he think I wanted to-? Ack! It's the middle of the day! I-is that all he thinks about?! "Oh, now that's a cute face." I was nervously biting my tongue as I prevented any embarrassing sounds from escaping my flushed face. Stop touching my bottom!
"W-we have a l-letter to send!" I squealed in a desperate attempt to get him to let me go.
"Fine, fine." He might have released me, but the grin on his face said that if I wasn't careful, he'd be after me again in no time.
The attendants weren't even surprised to see us. Ronak must arrive and disappear all the time with his travel spell. The place seemed rather busy, though, with attendants coming and going with paperwork or supplies. I guess now that Ronak's fake father was out of the picture, there were plenty of things that needed to be organized and cleaned.
"Gerard," Ronak called as we turned the corner to see Gerard talking to another butler.
"Yes, my lord?" Gerard bowed his head and approached us. He was the perfect butler, in my opinion. He did things promptly, and his results always exceeded expectations. Well, my expectations at least. Ronak's unenthused reactions told a different story. Gerard even went out of his way to have the chef keep sweets on hand for me when I dropped by. He's so thoughtful!
"Have this sent via one of the falcons to Micha's family estate." Ronak pulled the letter he had stolen from me and handed it over to Gerard, who accepted it with a slight head bow.
"Of course, my lord. I will ensure that a falcon delivers this to the Verchiel residence." Oh… I didn't know that Gerard knew my last name. I-I don't think it ever came up in conversation… Weird…
"Thank you, Gerard." I smiled broadly, and the corner of his lip curled up into a small smile, making me happy. He deserved to know that he was doing a good job.
"You're going to make all our attendants favor you…" Ronak grumbled.
That was a weird way of phrasing it. "Our attendants?" When did they become mine?
Ronak reached over and snagged my left hand. He held it up so that my ring was visible to both of us. "The moment you became my omega was the moment my things also became yours." I was a little confused, but my face had turned a deep pink. He was treating me like we had already gotten married. "The remodel is almost done in the master suite. We'll stay there together eventually." Ronak pointed down the hall that was swamped with attendants and workers. Oh… so that's what the commotion was… W-wait! I'll be staying in the master suite with him?! I-I know we're technically e-engaged, but that seems like taking things too far! "Alright, enough delaying the staff. Let's go wander the capital."
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Despite the academy being in session, the noble district was alive with people. Just slightly older people. I guess it made sense, if you waited too long to get your shopping done, then the shopping district would be swarmed with young adults. While most of us were fine, there were definitely some that are… nuances to society. I'd avoid us too…
My gaze slowly wandered over to Ronak, who had a firm grip on my hand. Gosh, fall really is here; it's getting so cold. Between his cold hand and the cold air, my poor hand was freezing. Soon, snow will be falling. I should take some soup to the orphanage. I haven't been able to visit in a while.
Something must have caught Ronak's attention because he led me over to one of the trees that had benches around it. "Wait here."
"Where are you going?"
"Just give me a moment."
"Okay…" I glanced up at the small tree, and its naked branches as I waited. My attention was drawn to a few older women who passed by while looking into shop windows. They must have seen Ronak because they gasped and became a whispering group of gossip. Omegas are the same no matter the age, huh? I guess I'm a bit chatty too… Ronak did tell me at one point that I talked too much when we were trapped in the dungeon…
Fabric covered my face, making me unable to see as I opened my eyes. I felt a little panicked, but I heard Ronak grumble, "Ah, oops…" My head popped out of the soft fabric, and I realized that Ronak had tried to wrap a scarf around my neck without me noticing. "I didn't mean to make you panic…"
My gaze wandered from his slightly pink cheeks down to the scarf that now adorned my neck. It was incredibly plush and warm with long tassels at its ends. I wasn't sure what sort of fabric it was because it was almost too soft to be wool. To my surprise, Ronak picked out a vibrant crimson color like the scarf had been dyed with the same pigment that colored Ronak's eyes. "You bought me a scarf?"
Ronak glanced up at the barren tree I was sitting under. "Winter will be here soon. You said you get cold easily." Pft, it's like Ronak took the comment I made to heart. Cute…
"Thank you." I happily rubbed it against my face. Oooh, if only it smelled like Ronak… Maybe I should ask him to remedy that later… "It matches my ring and hair accessory." I giggled. It was becoming clear from the few things that Ronak had purchased for me that either his favorite color was red or he just liked dressing me in that color. Maybe it was because his mana is red, and his pheromones smell like cherries. Either way, I didn't mind, but I found it funny.
Ronak quickly looked away as if embarrassed. Did he not realize that he was buying only red things? "Red looks good on you."
"Thanks." I stood from the bench, but used it as a ladder to reach Ronak's cheek. Ever so quickly, before I fell, I gave Ronak a kiss on his cheek. His eyes went wide, and before my foot could even touch the ground, Ronak pulled me in for a proper kiss.
As he pulled away, I became extremely embarrassed because the gawking group of omegas started whispering like crazy. R-Ronak, y-you can't just go kissing me like that in public! I put my hands over my face as if that would hide my embarrassment, and Ronak just chuckled. "If you don't uncover your face, I'll be left with no other choice but to carry you around."
I peeked out from my hands to see Ronak holding his out expectantly. Gah! I-I don't want to be picked up… ever so slowly, I reached my hand out, and clasped his. "D-don't pick me up in public."
"Mmm, that depends fully on you. Enough panicking, let's go get you some new notebooks." Ronak's gaze was so terribly gentle as he pulled me over to him. Was he trying to make my heart explode?!
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"Th-this is too much!" I stared at the umpteenth bag Ronak handed me to put into my storage. Anything I had taken a slight fancy to, Ronak would purchase. I asked him to stop long ago, but he just started purchasing things while I wasn't paying attention.
"Mmm, no. This is nothing. We haven't even spent very much. I don't mean any offense, but all of your stuff is low quality. It would make me look bad if you continue to use only low-quality things." My face turned a shade of scarlet. That was all I could afford! You don't need to rub it in! In my embarrassment, I didn't realize that Ronak had gotten so close to me. His whisper tickled my ear. "I told you I didn't mean any offense. I just don't want judgmental jackasses to have any legs to stand on. Especially if you want me to stop knocking sense into dumb asses. The look of surprise when I hand you another bag isn't half bad, though." Ronak pulled away from me with a smirk on his face. He was enjoying teasing me, wasn't he?
"I-it's still too much!" He had already purchased my scarf, a book bag, a quill set with multiple colored inks, a whole host of books, a herb harvesting kit, some new alchemy brewing supplies, some clothes he said I would look good in, and now a complete stationery set.
"Nothing's even custom. They're things that a viscount or even an earl would use." Was he not even satisfied with what he was buying me?! "I'll have to have some vendors drop by over the weekend." Vendors coming to your estate?! They'll charge a fortune just because they came! That's completely unnecessary! I didn't need custom stuff!
"Y-you don't need to buy me custom things!" I nervously waved my hands in front of my face and avoided his intense gaze. He was already doing too much! I-I don't deserve any of this!
"Do you not like my gifts?" Ronak leaned towards me with curious eyes.
"I do…, but I…" I felt guilty, I didn't want to be taken shopping, and have Ronak pay for everything. It was like I was using him for his money.
"Then accept them. Had I brought anyone else shopping, they would greedily want as much as they could get." Ronak stared at me with a furrowed brow. Was I acting that strangely? Was it that odd to not want to take advantage of others?
"I d-don't want to be seen as using you for your money…" My voice was soft with embarrassment, and guilt swirled around inside me. Even Ronak said I climbed the social ladder to the top. I'm sure everyone else saw it that way, too.
"I'm buying you things because I want to, and you should be allowed to have nice things." Ronak's gaze lingered on my red scarf for a moment. "Even if you complain, I'm not going to stop. I'll buy you whatever the hell I want." Some of my guilt disappeared as I realized Ronak was buying me things because he cared, but I wasn't used to such an act of kindness. He had easily spent more than my parents gave me for an entire academic year just on notebooks.
"Th-thank you…" I didn't know what else to say. He really didn't need to purchase so much for me. What was I even going to do with it all?
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Ronak finally gave me a break from his ridiculous and endless spending habits, which I appreciated. We ended up in a rather posh cafe, which made me feel slightly out of place. Everyone else was dressed to the nines, and yet Ronak and I were wearing our academy uniforms. I was almost relieved when Ronak requested a private dining area. Between feeling tense and the many glances we were getting, I was ready for a little privacy. I don't know how Ronak handles all the attention. It's too much!
"Order whatever you would like," Ronak said as the hostess seated us and handed me a menu. As my eyes wandered over the things they offered, it was like the air in my lungs got sucked out. Why was everything priced so high?! I-is this a joke?! Why would anyone want to eat here? The food would have to be to-die-for to pay these prices! Here I was thinking that the tea shops Terra and I occasionally go to are expensive. Those make it seem like Terra is lowering herself for my sake! "Why are you upset now?" Ronak gave me a slightly perturbed look over the top of his menu.
"N-nothing!" Gah! Ronak being able to read my emotions all the time was completely unfair!
Ronak's brow furrowed, and his eyes slowly drifted down to the menu, then back up at me. "Is there nothing that you'll eat here? We can go somewhere else."
"No, no! E-everything is fine!"
"Everything is clearly not fine." Ronak brought his hand down on the table rather firmly, making me jump in my seat. "Why won't you just talk to me? Didn't you learn earlier that hiding things doesn't help?" He wasn't wrong… I was acting silly…
"I-I'm just a bit startled at how much everything c-costs…" I mean, look at all those zeros! It has to be a misprint, right?
"You're not even the one paying." Ronak seemed a bit flabbergasted as he folded his arms. "Why are you so uncomfortable about spending money?"
"I-I'm honored that you want to buy me things… I'm just not used to spending e-exorbitant amounts of money… As you are aware, my family isn't very wealthy… You've bought so much a-and…" My rambling was going everywhere, and nowhere at the same time. Ronak let out a long sigh and brought a hand up to rub his temple. N-now look what I've done… We were having a good time, and then I ran and ruined it… Why can't I get anything right?
"Would it make you feel better if you could earn some of your own money to spend? Then you wouldn't feel like you're using me." M-me? Earn money? I cautiously stared at Ronak. What did he have brewing around in that calculating head of his? I-it wasn't something dirty, was it?! I brought my arms up and slightly covered my chest while staring at him. "Stop acting like I've said something perverted." He snapped. I thought you said you couldn't read my mind! Ronak let out a slightly annoyed growl, causing me to flinch. "I've been wanting your recipe for sweetening potions, and to discuss your other potion recipes. Especially that stamina potion. That was rather novel. I was going to offer you a royalty for each potion sold, but then I realized that was silly. We're engaged. You might as well just become a business partner, or I guess a better term would be co-owner."
H-he wanted me… to be a co-owner of Elutra?! I… didn't even know how to react… "M-me?!" I squeaked as I pointed a finger at myself. I didn't know the first thing about running or owning a business. I only tinkered with potions as a side hobby… I've never considered turning that into anything else…
"Stop stressing. Until you're properly trained, I wouldn't let you touch anything to do with the business. For now, I'm really only interested in the sweetening agent. You can keep learning and doing your own thing as long as you bring anything interesting to me. You could also help me test products and develop things for the medical line. Honestly, it's a win-win for both of us."
"I-I don't think I'm worthy of such a thing… My sweetening syrup is nothing special." I clenched my hands together uncomfortably under the table. He was being too nice…
Ronak let out a rather annoyed scoff. "I don't know what's worse. The fact that you are looking down upon the syrup that will revolutionize my potion industry, or the fact that you look down upon yourself so much." I… look down upon myself? If anything, Ronak was valuing me too highly. Yeah, I had all three branches of light magic, but I wasn't particularly skilled in any branch. I was just average… I can't even heal a simple bruise…
"Are you two ready to order?" A far too smiley waitress entered the room and approached Ronak with a wax tablet ready to take our order. Sh-she was completely fawning over Ronak… Hey! I already had a lot on my mind! I don't need you adding to the problems!
Ronak didn't pay her any attention, though, as he leaned across the table and stole my menu from me. I… didn't even look at that properly… H-how am I supposed to know what to order?! "I'll take a set A with a glass of wine, and he'll take the C with a sparkling strawberry refresher. We'll also take a slice of strawberry cheesecake." My ears instantly perked up as Ronak handed off the menus to her. I-is that cheesecake for me?! The waitress left, and Ronak glanced my way with a smirk. "You can have the cake as long as you eat what I ordered for you." I gulped nervously. I don't even know what's on the set C… I hope it's good…
"I-I'll try…" I was making no guarantees, though. I refuse to eat something if it's gross.
Ronak snickered, and a slight smile played on his lips. "Think about what I said about Elutra. I'll even write up a contract if that makes you more comfortable. You can do whatever you like with your share of income. You could even send some extra money home to your family." That would be nice… I'd love to see my mother get some new dresses and my father some new suits. He wears the same outdated thing to official meetings every year…
"I would like that a lot…" Ronak was being awfully considerate of me despite me being nothing but a handful. "Okay… I'll think about it…"
Were they prioritizing our food or something? The waitress was back with our drinks, and was followed by another waitress holding plates. "Here is your wine, and your strawberry sparkler." Her smile widened when looking at Ronak. How annoying! Who did she think she was?! "A set A for you, and a set C for you. Ah, and that strawberry cheesecake." She set it down in the middle of the table, but Ronak almost instantly snatched it up and pulled it closer to him, out of my reach. Meanie… I-I wasn't going to steal it… "Did you need anything else?" It was like she was about to place her hand on Ronak's shoulder, but he brought his hand up, smacking hers away.
"No. Now begone." Ronak snapped. I almost wanted to childishly glare at her as she bowed and left. Yeah! Begone! The moment the door closed, Ronak snickered. "I didn't realize you were the jealous type."
"I-I wasn't jealous." I avoided his question by turning my attention to the big salad on my plate, covered in vegetables and strawberry slices. H-he thought I could finish this thing?! I don't think I can fit even half of this inside of me!
"Mhmm, sure. Now, an agreement was an agreement. You eat that, and then you can have this." Ronak teasingly swirled his fork through the strawberry jam and licked it. "Otherwise, I'll just squish it with my fork and torture you by making you watch me waste it." S-so evil!
"I-I don't think I can finish it…"
"I've witnessed you down a plate larger than that, which was covered in chocolate goodies. You know the consequences." My eyes went wide as he held his fork threateningly over the cheesecake. No! Not the cheesecake! I've gotta have it!
I picked up my fork with ambition and went about making a perfect first bite. "Is that more raw salmon?" My upper lip slightly curled as I looked at what Ronak was digging into. Oh, this salad isn't actually too bad… Wasn't worth the price though…
"Does simply being within its presence bother you now?" Ronak sliced through his fancy-looking piece of toast laden with cream cheese, salmon, onions, and some strange-looking greenish-black things. H-he better not try kissing me after eating that…
"No… I just didn't realize you liked it so much." I wouldn't say it bothered me, but it definitely reminded me of its slimy yet firm texture. It was weird…
"My aunt once took me to the ocean as a small child. It was the only peaceful summer I remember…" Ronak got a distant look in his eyes for a moment before returning to cutting his gross lunch up. "When the previous duke said that he wanted to buy an estate on the east side of the empire, I didn't even hesitate… I've grown rather fond of visiting during the summer so I can enjoy the fresh seafood available there. While this is good, it pales in comparison to the fresh stuff." The look on Ronak's face was so incredibly peaceful… He must really like it there…
"How many estates do you even own?" He's mentioned so many different locations that it was rather confusing to keep up with.
"Technically, there are eight, but I'm in the process of selling four of them and buying one. After they're gone, and I've finalized the purchase of the other, I'll have one in each of the dukedoms, so five." Wh-what?! "There's the capital estate, my dukedom estate to the west, the eastern oceanside estate, the southern estate that I use mostly for Elutra, and the northern estate I'm trying to purchase." Ronak lined up five of the weird greenish-black things that had fallen off his toast as he spoke. I would have found it charming if I weren't feeling so flabbergasted. J-just how much money did Ronak have?!
"Wh-why?" I could hardly organize my thoughts. It was just too crazy. My family's home couldn't even be considered a proper estate because it was too small, and yet Ronak had not one, not two, but eight estates?!
"The four that I'm selling were nothing but vacation homes that the previous duke demanded." Ronak snarled each time he mentioned his terrible excuse of a fake father, and I don't blame him. The man was gross. "I have no desire to keep them. The other five serve purposes. Obviously, I live in my dukedom estate most of the year, and come to the capital on business when I need to. Though I do try to avoid my uncle as much as possible. The southern and eastern estates are mostly for the use of Elutra. They sit next to the large farming and production facilities that I own. I only travel there when I need to oversee something. Otherwise, they mostly sit empty."
"I see…" That made far more sense. Ronak didn't strike me as the type to go vacationing when he had responsibilities to take care of. I had spent more time napping on his office sofa recently than napping in my own bed. "What about the northern one?"
"Same thing, honestly. I'm purchasing farm land around the estate so it can be utilized for growing herbs that are only found in the northern climates. Expanding my selection of herbs will cut down on production costs and reduce my reliance on wild-picked ones. It's not only going to help positively impact my business, but it will also prevent the overharvesting of wild plants." Ronak actually cared about that sort of thing? It felt a little weird hearing it from him, but I was pleased to hear it nonetheless. My parents always taught me the importance of not overharvesting so that we can enjoy something for years to come. I'm glad Ronak thought about something as simple as that when running Elutra.
Gah! This salad was so big, but I won't let it conquer me! I stabbed at it with determination. For the cheesecake! "So… Do your attendants move from estate to estate with you?"
"No. That would be highly inefficient. Plus, the estates need to be cared for while I'm not there. Only Gerard, Olivia, a few knights, and carriage drivers come with me." Ronak brought his fork down, squishing the greenish-brown things he had laid out to represent his estates as he added them to a bite of food.
"Oh, I'm glad those two come with you. I'd be sad if they had to stay in the capital." I had grown rather fond of Gerard and Oliva. Besides the fact that they constantly called me the 'little lord', they treated me extremely well.
"Seems like you've agreed to travel with me." Ronak looked rather smug as he continued to eat his gross salmon.
"W-well… you said that we'd go to your dukedom for the winter… I just thought that… a-and well…" Did he not want me to go? He wanted me to go, right?! I thought that's what he asked…
"I'm pleased to hear that you want to go. I was going to drag you with me even if you said no." His smug look took on a bit of a mischievous glint, which sent a shiver down my spine.
"I-I doubt I could be that far from you," I mumbled.
Ronak's eyes took on a scary feral-ness that I hadn't seen in a while. I felt like a helpless bunny eating my salad as he stared at me. "How long are you going to make me wait?" I furrowed my brow.
"Wh-what?" I know he just finished his meal, but did he expect me to finish this massive salad in that amount of time? His meal was smaller than mine!
Ronak stood from his seat and approached me while holding the cheesecake. He leaned onto the edge of the table and pulled my chin up so he could look down into my eyes. "You can't keep saying and doing cute things and expect me to wait. I can only resist you for so long." He wiped a bit of salad dressing from the corner of my mouth with his thumb and licked it off while not breaking eye contact.
My face had to be the color of the strawberries on the cheesecake as I watched him. I gulped and opened my mouth to respond, but wasn't able to find any words. H-he always did this! He would intentionally spring his desires onto me when I least expected them! As I sat there dazed, Ronak put a spoon loaded to the brim with cheesecake into my open mouth.
I was surprised by the creamy yet tart flavor of the cheesecake paired with the fresh strawberries. It was incredibly tasty, but having Ronak feed me made me blush even more. Ronak took one of the strawberries into his mouth and bent down towards me. He pressed his lips against mine, giving me half of the strawberry as he kissed me. My brain felt like it had frozen solid. He was being far too romantic for a public place. We had our own private part of the cafe, but someone could walk in!
Ronak chuckled as he pulled away with half the strawberry in his mouth. He continued to stare at me as he ate his half of the strawberry. He held up more cheesecake to my mouth, but I just stared at him while still holding the other half of the strawberry in my mouth. My heart felt like it had stopped as my body became excited.
I tried not to let him notice me slightly cross my legs as I looked away, but Ronak set down the cheesecake and grabbed the back of my chair so he could lean close to my face. "You can try to hide, but your feelings are too obvious." His other hand grabbed the curve of my lower back and pulled me towards him as he kissed me. His pheromones felt stronger than usual. They quickly took over my senses and drove me to the brink of the flames.
"N-not here!" I whined as I pulled away. I had to close my eyes and try to focus on something else. He was about to trigger my heat. His pheromones were too strong, and my emotions were all over the place. I clenched my teeth and forcibly slowed my breathing as his pheromones drove me wild. Wh-why did he put out such a thick miasma of them?! What was he trying to pull?
With my eyes squeezed tight, I could tell Ronak leaned away because his pheromones faded from the air. I turned my face down and away from the door as I heard it click open. "How is your meal going? Do you need anything?" Gah! What terrible timing! The dumb waitress had returned while I was an unsightly mess. Go away!
To my surprise, Ronak growled at her. She let out a little yelp, and the door closed. I heard the sound of coins on the table, and Ronak pulled me up into his arms. T-too close! The moment his hands touched my body, I squirmed uncomfortably. "I'm sorry I went too far. Do you want to take us back to my estate or shall I?" I didn't even wait for his response. The air shimmered gold around us as I whispered, 'Porta… Aurea' between desperate pants of air.
The feeling of being weightless only happened for a split second as we crash-landed onto Ronak's bed. The stupid jerk! I felt warmth in my chest starting to grow as I clung to him. He should know that because he's dominant, he can trigger heats. It didn't feel as strong as a normal heat, but I felt unnecessarily turned on. I bit my lip and stared at him. "D-dummy! W-why did you do that?" I squirmed next to him and tried to glare at him, but I'm afraid my face was too busy being shameful.
Ronak stared back at me with wide eyes as he sat up. "I didn't know you could still go into random heats when bonded."
"I-it's not random," I said as I tried to gasp for air. An embarrassing little moan escaped my lips as I bit my bottom lip. "I-it was triggered by you, dummy." The irresistible urge to attract my mate coursed through me, and I started producing pheromones like crazy. The room started to become thick with spiced vanilla tea as my eyes slightly crossed.
Ronak carefully pulled the scarf off my neck and tossed it onto the back of the sofa. "Your pheromones are incredibly strong." He looked at me with a pained, flushed face as if he was resisting me as hard as he could.
"I-I give up." I groaned. "I need you… I want you..." I pulled myself up to his level and kissed him. His lips felt so cold on mine, like ice to help stop the burning fire. I started attempting to undo all the buttons on his academy jacket, but pulled away from our kiss to complain. "W-why do our uniforms have so many dumb buttons?!" I whimpered as my fingers fiddled with them.
In one movement, Ronak pulled his jacket over his head and tossed it to the sofa along with his shirt. "Forget the goddamn buttons…, but I guess you have buttons, don't you?" He snickered and pushed me down onto the bed, where he began undoing my jacket and shirt. I kept squirming, which caused Ronak to gently growl at me. "Will you hold fucking still? You're making it damn impossible to help you."
"Heh, you swear when flustered." I anxiously rubbed my thighs together, which only annoyed Ronak further.
He grabbed my wrists and pushed them above my head as he flipped a leg over to straddle me. "I asked you to stop fucking squirming around." He growled down at me, but I was starting to lose myself to the swelling heat in my chest. All I could do was pant in response to his grumbling. He finished unbuttoning my shirt with one hand and set my arms free. I pulled the jacket and shirt off and tossed them across the bed.
I ran my hands over Ronak's chest as he leaned over me, but it wasn't enough; I was highly annoyed being trapped underneath Ronak. "G-get off," I grumbled, trying to wiggle out from underneath him.
"Well, isn't this a different side to you…" Ronak let out a gruff growl and shifted his weight so I could escape from under him. He watched me curiously as I pulled my pants off, and lay face down with my bottom up. I twisted to the side to look back at him as I anxiously panted. My vision was completely blurry as the heat instincts took over. I wanted him, no, I needed him to get rid of the swelling heat inside of me. It was awful, my entire body felt like it had been engulfed.
His kisses were like ice on my lower back as he gently ran his hands over my thighs. I thought his kisses would stop, but they didn't; they traveled down to my bottom, where I jolted from his tongue pressing against me. His finger joined his tongue, and satisfied moans escaped my mouth.
Ronak stopped teasing me and sat back up. "Fuck, you wanting me so bad is damn attractive." He was taking far too long. "What are you-?" I turned around and finished pulling his pants down for him. I didn't even hesitate as I licked him from base to tip. I could barely lace my fingertips around his dick; it was so massive. My mouth quivered as I tried putting it into my mouth, but I forged on. I ran my tongue across him and sucked until I needed to breathe. Finally, when I felt like I couldn't hold my breath any longer, I released him and gasped for air. The more I sucked, the more Ronak twitched. It was interesting seeing him get so flustered over me.
Mphf! I pulled away from him while feeling a little startled. What was that? My blurry eyes glanced down, and I saw a bit of cum dribbling out of Ronak's tip. Huh, he tastes rather tart… just like his pheromones…
I glanced up to see Ronak watching me with wide eyes and a flushed face. He was even trying to hide his face with a hand. "Don't fucking stare at me like that. Turn around." W-was he embarrassed?
I did as Ronak asked and resumed the position I had been in. I was worried he was going to tease me, but my fears vanished the moment his tip pressed against me. I let out a loud moan as it forced its way in. I-it feels so good! Gah! I-I can't control myself… As Ronak pushed into me, my eyelids fluttered, and I let out a loud, embarrassing moan. "M-more! Ngh! Please, more!"
"Do you like that?" Ronak gave my butt a slight spanking before he grabbed it and continued pushing into me.
"Y-yeah!" I desperately moaned as I grabbed fistfuls of bedding.
"Fucking hell." He grumbled as his pelvis pressed against me. It was like the fire inside of me was finally starting to be quenched. His hips started to thrust, and my jaw quivered as I let out more cries of ecstasy. I wanted him to go all day and night. I wanted to feel every veiny inch of him destroy me like he always did. Gah! I-I was so ashamed!
I happily melted into the bed as Ronak pounded away on my butt. He grabbed my hips, holding me in place, as he picked up the pace. I couldn't help but pull a pillow towards me so I could help hide the despicable state I was in. Ronak was touching all the right places and churning my insides up in the best way possible.
The fire in my chest started dissipating, but my brain still felt like it was going to explode with each thwap of his hips against my pelvis. He slowed down right as I was near the peak, and I let out an annoyed cry as he pulled out. I frantically rolled over, and he grabbed my arm, pulling me up into his lap. Ronak sat down on the bed, so I straddled his legs and scooted forward. I raised myself up and slowly sat down on him. It felt different being in this position, like he was touching all new parts of me.
He cradled my face in his hands and looked up at me. "I didn't know my omega craved my touch so badly. I won't tease you so mercilessly in the future, but this side of you is fucking attractive." I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him into a deep kiss as I slowly raised my hips and dropped them down. It was like sending a shock up my spine with each movement. I pulled away from the kiss with a gasp and rested my head against his collarbone as I focused on moving my hips.
Ronak's and my breathing were becoming more labored by the moment. My brain went blank as I reached the peak once again. My body convulsed and collapsed forward onto Ronak as he wrapped his arms around my quivering body. I felt him fill me to the brim as I tried to catch my breath. The fire had been completely put out, and only the feeling of pure bliss remained. I was a bit shocked when Ronak rolled to the side with me, but when I felt him start to swell, I instantly understood why he took such drastic measures. He knotted, again.
I knit my brows together and whined as he swelled inside of me. I wasn't brought to tears this time; I shudder at the idea that I'm getting used to it, but there was far less pain.
We lay there, panting for air, in each other's arms for a while. Eventually, Ronak reached over and gently pushed the hair out of my face. "Shit, you're just too damn cute." I raised my exhausted hand into the air and brought my trusty pillow out of my storage before bringing it down onto Ronak's head. I tried covering his face with it, but he just angrily pulled it down and glared at me. "The fucking hell?!" He snapped.
"Y-you shouldn't be triggering my heat like that, dummy! I-I don't care how hot you are, there's no excuse!" I wanted to pull the pillow back up and suffocate Ronak for making me behave so shamefully, but I didn't have any strength in my arms. I was rather tired from the rush of adrenaline.
"You think I'm hot? What parts?" Ronak grabbed my lower back and dragged me even closer to him while he stared at me with expectant eyes.
H-huh?! Wh-what did he want? A list? "Y-your ego is big enough…" I tried looking away, but Ronak just pulled my chin back to look at him.
"I'll intentionally think dirty thoughts to keep you trapped here with me until you tell me." Wh-what?! What sort of threat was that?! I'm way too tired to deal with his antics. Ronak leaned down and sniffed the top of my head, making my scalp tickle. "I'll tell you what I think is cute about you, but you have to go first."
No fair… "I-I don't want to go first!" I squealed.
"If you don't go first, you'll get all embarrassed and won't tell me." Gah! H-he knew me too well. I could totally see that happening.
"Fine… Y-you have a nice body, a-and I like your eyes!" I ended up covering my face with my hands to try and hide my obvious embarrassment.
"What?" I peeked over to Ronak, and the big smirk on his face told me that he totally knew what I said.
I pushed my hand into his face so he could see the ring still on my finger. "I-I don't know if you're doing it intentionally, but you buy me things the color of your eyes b-but I like it… I like the color of your eyes…" Gah! I-I said it! I had been thinking about it for a while, but saying it out loud made my heart want to burst!
Ronak let out a pleased growl that made him feel as if he was vibrating. "I've never heard anyone ever say they like my eyes. Normally, people tell me they're creepy… I really like your eyes, too. They're like the sun on my dark, cloudy days…" Ronak trailed off, but snickered after a second. "I pick things that are red because I want everyone to know you're mine." H-he was doing it as a way to signal to others that I was his? Like a secondary marking system? That's kinda cute…
I slowly lowered my hands from my face and peeked over to Ronak. "Wh-what about me?"
"Everything."
I blinked in surprise for a moment. "Huh?!" What sort of answer was that?!
"It's the truth. It's why I can't control myself." As if to remind me how stuck we were, Ronak rubbed his leg against mine. My eye slightly twitched. He was worried I was going to be embarrassed?! With that sort of response?! I brought my hand up into the air and brought another pillow down upon his smug face. I tried my best to hold it in place so I could suffocate him, but he pulled it away from me and glared at me. I started to raise my hand into the air again, but Ronak grabbed my wrist and held it hostage. "Are you forgetting the position you're in?!" Ronak moved his hips around, and I instantly gasped as my eyelids twitched. The problem was, I wasn't feeling pain. It was the complete opposite. As Ronak tried to get payback, the only thing I felt was satisfaction. I bit down on my lip for a moment, but eventually a gasp escaped me, and I panted for air.
Ronak stopped moving his hips and ended up staring at me in surprise, but I ground against him, causing my toes to curl. S-so big, and tight! What was this?! I-I shouldn't be feeling so turned on in this situation… Why did feeling full feel so… good?
"Micha?" Ronak called my name, pulling me out of my daze. Wh-what am I doing?! Ronak started to pull my face up to look at his, but I buried it into the pillow between us. No! I-I don't wanna! "You don't need to feel embarrassed. There's nothing wrong with feeling pleasure." Ronak moved his hips again, and I let out a loud gasp into the pillow. It wasn't my fault! H-he was so big, and was pressing against all the right spots!
I peeked up at Ronak, who had a pleased look on his face. My eyes were a bit dewy with tears, and my face felt incredibly warm. "B-but it's so shameless!"
Ronak laughed and managed to cup my face with his hand. "No, it's not. It's fucking hot, but that is pretty ironic coming from the omega who tried to attack their alpha with pillows twice." Gah!
"I-I, ngh! I-I'm not sorry! Ngh!" Ronak released my face with a snicker and slid his hand down to my waist to help hold me still as he started to move his hips around more. I-it felt s-so good!
"See? Absolutely shameless."
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Ronak
I stepped out of the closet after changing, and Micha was still curled up on the sofa in my robe. Mmm, I'll have to have Gerald purchase some additional stuff before the academy kicks him out. This place isn't exactly equipped for two people… "Did you want to go to our alchemy class today? We should have plenty of time before class starts."
"C-can't." Micha sadly blubbered before hiding his face. Huh? What's up with him now?
"Are you… sore?" We didn't get that rough… Though we did take things to the bath afterwards…
"No!" He squealed. I didn't think so. I was so turned on by him taking the initiative that I ended up bursting way faster than normal. I didn't expect him to give me a blow job, and desperately present his ass to me. Talk about overstimulating. The real question is, how do I get him to do it again? Shit, I'm going to get hard again if I keep thinking about him.
Micha was still hiding from me. God's, I hate trying to guess what's on his mind. "Do you not want to see anyone today?"
"Th-that's not the problem." Micha's hand slowly pointed to his uniform, which was still a crumpled mound on the floor. Was it because it was wrinkled now? "I-I can't wear it!"
"Why not?" I wasn't in the mood to play fifty questions, so he'd better just tell me.
"I-it got… dirty…" Dirty? How? He carefully picked away at his salad like a diligent little creature, and I know I didn't drop any strawberry preserves on him… I went to pick it up to investigate, but before my hand could snatch it off the floor, Micha let out a squeak and put it into his storage.
I glared at him slightly, "Don't you have multiple uniforms?"
"I only have one…" What? We went to the academy five days a week. How did he only have one? I had at least six or seven of the blasted things.
I let out a little sigh. "I'll have Kas come over this weekend. Not only do you need more uniforms, but you also need more clothes."
"B-but-!"
"No buts." Micha closed his eyes as his emotions swirled around like a storm. I could literally pull an urchin off the streets, and they'd feel less turmoil about someone spending exorbitant amounts of money on them. How peculiar. I snuck a bit closer, and reached over to move his bangs from his face. Micha flinched and opened his eyes wide, but seeing that it was me, his gaze softened. "You don't need to change anything about yourself just because you have nice things. I want to provide for you, and make sure you're happy." Ever since marking him, I've had this obnoxious urge to see to his every need. The fact that he kept denying my money was making me rather frustrated.
"I-I just need time to adjust… Buying so much at once is rather shocking." How silly. I haven't even bought that much. He's going to die of shock this weekend…