Share The Bed With Me.

Kyle sprints into the bathroom, heart pounding so hard he can barely breathe.

"He's angry… furious… because two men are together in his pack," Kyle panics, gripping the sink until his knuckles whiten. "But he doesn't know the truth, that I'm also male... What will happen when he knows?!"

This is worse than he could have ever imagined.

Terror squeezes his chest.

I'm cursed, he thinks bitterly. I have to be. What other explanation is there for why the universe keeps staking dangers against me?!

How many more dangerous secrets could he possibly carry?

How many more dangers would he have to run from?

How much longer could he survive?

One thing is clear, he has to leave. Soon.

Before Lucan discovers the truth. Because he will. Sooner or later.

Kyle knows it in his bones.

He stays in the bathroom far longer than necessary, paralyzed by the storm inside him, trying to gather the strength to flee.

Even after taking a forced shower, dressed in the oversized clothes he chose for the obvious reasons, he lingers, breathing raggedly, staring at the door like it's both salvation and doom.

A soft knock interrupts the chaos in his mind.

"Are you okay in there?" Alpha Lucan's voice is surprisingly gentle again.

Kyle doesn't answer.

He simply opens the door and walks out, passes him and sinks onto the couch at the farthest corner of the room, wishing he could disappear into the shadows.

Lucan approaches but doesn't sit. His towering figure radiates heat and tension, but when he speaks, his voice is unbearably soft.

"I really want to hear your voice," he says, almost pleading. "I'm craving to hear your voice... Can you say something? Anything?"

Kyle remains silent, every muscle taut with fear.

Lucan's eyes darken with something deeper, something vulnerable.

"I'm sorry if I scared you earlier," He says, his voice low, thick with emotion. "It's just… it's hard to comprehend. Two men together... it's unheard of here. It's not even forbidden by law because no one ever thought it could happen. But you don't have to worry, no matter what happens around here, I'll make sure you're comfortable with everything, I will not yell or get angry around you."

The sincerity in his voice cuts through Kyle's defenses like a blade. He wants to fall into his arms, he really wants to, but the weight of his secret crushes the hope before it can bloom.

Lucan is quiet now, as if waiting for him to say something, anything at all.

For a terrifying moment, Kyle considers pretending he can't speak at all. It would make things simpler.

But another secret? Another lie? He can't.

With a voice so small it barely exists, he whispers, "I… My name is Kyler."

Kyle watches Lucan's entire body shudders at the sound.

His eyes closes, a soft, desperate exhale leaving his lips, as if the sound of Kyle's voice had been something sacred he had been dying to hear.

"Please," Lucan breathes, stepping closer, "say it again."

Goosebumps erupt across Kyle's skin. The intensity in Lucan's eyes is too much. Being wanted, being needed, by someone like Lucan stirs something deep, something dangerous inside him.

But he knows, he knows, they can never have this bond. Not truly.

"Kyler,"

Lucan repeats the name, like a vow, his smile genuine and heartbreakingly tender.

"It's okay if you don't want to speak now," he says.

He takes Kyle's hand, "Come. There's food. Eat and rest." He leads him to a small table laden with food.

The sight should have made Kyle's mouth water; these are all the foods he's craved for so long.

But now... he can barely swallow.

He forces himself to eat, each bite a struggle. His mind isn't on the food. It's on the ticking clock inside him, the urgency to escape, warring violently with the unbearable need to stay.

When he's done, he glances around.

One bed. Only one bed.

Please tell me we're not sharing the room, please.

Lucan notices his panic immediately.

"The bed is big enough," he says. "We can share. I'll keep my distance. I promise. I just… I need to be close to you tonight. We found each other, Kyler. And from today on... we're one. But I'll respect the boundaries if you have them."

Every word is a balm and a blade, healing and cutting at the same time.

Kyle blurts, "I'll sleep on the couch," before he can stop himself.

Lucan chuckles softly, a sound so intimate it steals the breath from Kyle's lungs.

"No, you'll sleep with me. I won't touch you. I promise. You're scared, I know... but I just want you near me."

Reluctantly, Kyle obeys. He can already tell that they can argue about this for a whole year if he doesn't give in.

His body is exhausted, and the moment he sinks into the soft mattress, a sigh escapes him before he can catch it.

It feels like heaven.

For a moment he forgets everything and just feels good.

Lucan covers him before stepping away briefly into the bathroom. Kyle squeezes his eyes shut, pretending to be asleep when Lucan comes back.

He feels the bed dip slightly as Lucan sinks in.

His body stiffens, hyperaware of every movement, every breath. Lucan keeps his distance, but Kyle can still feel the weight of his gaze, the raw restraint in his muscles.

He can feel that Lucan is battling himself.

Kyle isn't any better himself. The mate pull between them crackles in the air like a living thing, unbearable and overwhelming.

He aches to curl into Lucan's arms, to surrender to the warmth, the safety, the completeness he feels so close to him.

But he can't.

He mustn't.

This is torture.

Minutes crawl by. Lucan tosses and turns, gets up, goes to the couch, the bathroom, the couch again.

Kyle feels every movement, every sigh, every curse muttered under Lucan's breath.

Lucan's agony mirrors his own.

At last, Lucan returns to the bed.

Kyle senses his hand reaching out, hovering above him before pulling back at the last second with a muffled curse.

Alpha Lucan's restraint nearly undoes Kyle completely.

Then, softly, Lucan whispers, "Kyler... are you asleep?"

Kyle's heart shatters at the raw need in his mate's voice.

Involuntarily, without thought, he turns toward Lucan.