Chapter 24 Temptation
Sunday, March 11th. Xander's bedroom, 10:35 p.m.
After a long and intense session of sex, both were lying on the bed, with drops of sweat covering their skin and making efforts to recover their breath. Xander on his side facing the Alpha, as the effects of his excitement slowly faded away. He loved to feel the heat that the opposite body emanated every time they were together, even without touching, and it had a calming effect on him.
Alexei was on his back, one arm behind his head while the other held a cigarette, nearly extinct, to his lips. It had been almost seven days since they had unleashed a sexual adventure that was addictive for both of them, and each encounter had the Alpha fervently anticipating the next.
He felt like he couldn't get enough. He wanted more, much more than he was ready to admit and it was starting to worry him. They had both agreed not to involve feelings while they were together, and although he was struggling with his whole being to avoid it, he could feel the warmth and attachment that was expanding inside him every time he thought and was with Xander.
When he touched him, it was as if his body was filled with an electric current that sharpened all his senses to the maximum. The palms of his hands burned when he caressed the soft skin of the Omega, his chest was saturated with that erotic aroma that he gave off when he was excited, and it disoriented him. It felt like being under the powerful influence of some drugs.
His mind could not focus on anything else but the man who groaned and squirmed with pleasure beneath him. And his lips.
God, those lips he so desperately wanted to try, so smooth and voluptuous. Every time they met, he found himself rubbing them with his thumb in the middle of sex, imagining their sweetness or rich texture, fantasizing about sticking his tongue in and mastering his in a passionate, wild kiss, drinking in the moans and enjoying their moisture.
The only thing that stopped him from doing so was that Xander had stipulated it as one of the conditions he had to fulfill if he wanted to start and continue the sexual journey and as desperate as he was, he didn't want to betray his trust.
He would wait for the moment when Xander asked for it... If it ever came. «Or perhaps I could manage to convince him», he thought, immersed in a stream of thoughts as he took one last breath of the cigarette between his fingers and crushed it into the ashtray which he had brought into the Omega's room.
He turned his face and looked at Xander's sleepy figure. His naked body shining with a light layer of sweat was completely relaxed, his tail was gone and his eyes were already their usual bluish tone. His breathing had already normalized and when he realized that Alexei was watching him, he smiled slightly.
-You're leaving already? - with his soft, low voice, almost in a whisper.
-Do you want me to leave? - trying to focus on his face and not his naked body. He watched as Xander looked away for a few seconds, as if thinking about his answer, and then stared back at him.
-No - his voice fading, as the smile on his face widened -. But I don't believe it's convenient for anyone to see you coming out of my room in the morning. Don't you think?
-You're right. But I don't want to go yet.
-Why? - Xander questions with a hint of surprise on his face.
The words simply came out of his mouth and Alexei scolded himself mentally, not wanting Xander to suspect that possible emotions were developing inside him. He might regret it and refuse to meet again, and the Alpha still wanted to enjoy his intimate company.
-I'm tired and I don't want to move - he finally said after a few seconds of silence.
Xander laughed in response, covering his mouth with a hand as he did so. In the encounters they had in those days, they hardly spoke before starting, or at the end, Alexei tried to leave the bedroom after reaching the longed-for orgasm. But after the third day, both lying on the bed, trivial conversations arose between them, nothing very personal.
For example, Alexei discovered that Xander found Cooky abandoned in an alley near his apartment when it was almost newborn. The starving little cat was clinging ferociously to life and that's what captivated the Omega when he decided to shelter it under his mantle.
Xander asked Alexei to describe the places he had traveled to, as it was a great ambition of his to be able to navigate around the world. Every time the Alpha told him a story about the countries he had seen, even though he didn't go into many details, Xander's face would light up with a marked expression of curiosity and happiness, as if he could recreate those scenarios in his mind through the words of the Alpha, and he would always end up smiling with nostalgia.
Alexei loved to see him smile. It was as if all the stress and worries he carried around with him all the time had gone away and they had never been there in the first place. On several occasions, he smiled in response, until, upon realizing it, he quickly stood up in his tense posture to conceal it. Yaakov was right when he described him after all, it is easy to become attached to Xander.
-What's with the tattoos, Magnus? - running with his index finger over the tattoos on that strong forearm, which now rested on the Alpha's stomach.
-Nothing special. I got them when I was young and stupid - getting a little laugh in response.
-I see. Well, they suit you, they make you look sexy - he smiles mischievously, passing his tongue over his lips. Alexei snorts and averts his gaze from his eyes, passing it over his naked body.
-What about yours?
-I started getting tattoos when I was seventeen. The first was also for being young and stupid - laughing slightly, before his expression became serious -. The others were to hide scars - that takes the Alpha by surprise and his expression gives him away -. Come on, Magnus - Xander scoffs -. You've been touching me all over these days. Didn't you feel anything while you were doing it? - watching him amused, raising one eyebrow.
Alexei denies with his head. He tried hard to remember if he had done so, but he was so immersed in the fog of pleasure every time he was with him that he didn't notice anything. Xander laughs again at his vague answer, sits on the bed, in an Indian position in front of him.
-I lasted a long time jumping around... Let's just say those weren't the best years of my life - running a hand through his hair, with a gesture of irritation.
-Your parents? - he dared to ask after a few seconds.
-My mother died when I was three and my father was the responsible one. I lived most of my childhood with my grandmother until she died when I was thirteen. Then I spent several years visiting various care centers, until I was finally left at the Suvorov.
-Suvorov?
-Suvorov Military School, a boarding school - looking down at his hands, where his fingers were moving restlessly -. This one here... - pointing at the tattoo of a pair of pink lilies on the left side of his neck -. It was the first one I ever got. When I left boarding school at eighteen, I got the others.
-What happened to you there, Xander? - he immediately regretted asking when he saw that expression of sadness, mixed with strong remorse and resentment. He wanted to take it back, tell him to forget it, and that he wasn't obliged to talk, but at that moment Xander's trembling lips began to move.
-Let's just say I fell in love with the wrong person - he was trying so hard to hold back the tears that were threatening to come out -. He was the most popular Alpha there, all charisma, the kind that makes friends with everyone easily - scowling, his hands clutching the sheets -. He realized my feelings and used them to his advantage. One day he summoned me to one of the bathrooms on the top floor, late at night. They were usually unoccupied, and I didn't think I'd be in any danger, so I went without knowing what I was getting into - pauses for a few seconds, swallowing the knot originating in his throat -. I woke up the next day in pain, with multiple cuts and bruises all over my body, a broken rib and I lasted at least a month with a limp - his eyes crystallized as he spoke -. I can't have children... He hurt me so badly inside that I can't procreate anymore - a rebellious tear ran down his cheek, but he wiped it off quickly with the back of the hand.
-Didn't they report it? - Alexei asked, sounding sharper than he wanted to, but everything he heard made a tangle of rage and impotence writhe inside him.
-I tried, but soon after I found out that he was the son of a big-time mobster, so... He was untouchable - smiling slightly, trying to hide his sadness -. After that, it was constant torture, he was the cause of all the scars on my body.
-Jesus, Xander - Alexei wanted to butcher the son of a bitch -. He kept... - hesitating, unsure if he wanted to find out or not -. I mean, he...
-No. Strangely after that one time, he did not rape me again - with his voice muffled and absent -. I lasted in the Suvorov for almost a year, I met him three months after I entered. So at least I am grateful that I did not die, considering the time I was under his power.
-Do you demand to have sex with a condom for that reason? - Alexei pointed out, now that he knew he could not get pregnant, he assumed that perhaps the Omega had developed some sort of aversion to semen.
-Something like that - was his vague answer and he didn't want to push it anymore.
-And how do you know so much about computers? - Changing the subject, he also didn't want to ask Xander directly who the bastard was that had caused him so much damage, as he knew he would be left empty-handed, so he just diverted the conversation.
-Well, it turns out that during years of jumping around, I met a pretty nimble guy on the subject as well. He was an Omega like me, but his parents had been killed in a robbery that went wrong. He and I happened to be sent to several of the care centers together and gradually he taught me, only the basics, but the rest I learned on my own. He gave me my first computer after a while, I had to use it very carefully because he had stolen it from one of the social workers in an unguarded moment - he laughs, remembering how agitated he was when he gave it to him -. But after a while of surfing on my own, I noticed that I was quite talented at this. It also helped that I have an IQ of 147.
Alexei's eyes widen in amazement.
-Wow, kitty. You had it all figured out - Xander laughs at the Alpha's dumbfounded expression -. So why did you decide to work on something as risky as this?
Xander's countenance darkens and his body tightens for a moment so quickly that if Alexei were not looking at him closely, he would not have noticed. He quickly recovers, replacing whatever was on his face with mischief and mockery.
-Well, because I want a piece of what you have. A lot of cars, money, designer clothes. I don't want to be a sad, poor man living in a small-town apartment in Saratov anymore - gesturing in the air with his hands pointing at the room -. I want this, luxury and more luxury.
-That's frivolous - snorting mockingly, making Xander laugh.
-Maybe, but I still want it. I want this little body to be dressed only in the best clothes, adorned with the best accessories and walking in the best shoes - he glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow -. Which is exactly why you do this too, isn't it?
-Not at first, but I'll admit that afterward it did. I got greedy.
-That's not bad, as long as you don't let it consume you.
Xander gets out of bed with a graceful jump, typical of his feline nature, and heads to the bathroom. Alexei takes the opportunity and starts to collect the clothes that had been forgotten around the room to get dressed.
The Omega comes out shortly after, with a towel around his waist, finding that Alexei was already fully dressed. Then Alexei notices something that catches his eye.
-All your tattoos are of flowers, except for the one on your stomach. Any special reason?
-What better way than to cover something ugly with something beautiful. Besides, my Omega side loves forests and nature, I preferred to have a thing that would identify me to just simple random figures - makes a complete turn on the spot for Alexei to observe his body -. Do you like them? - With a mischievous and seductive tone.
Just over Xander's right shoulder, ending almost at his neck were tattooed a pair of daisies, surrounded by various leaves and rosebuds, in black and white, with delicate stretches of shadow and light giving life and realism to the lines.
His right forearm was covered with a lilac set that almost reached his elbow, also lacking in color but not in beauty. While on the left, at the level of the wrist, he had two red roses intertwined by a stem adorned with several leaves. On the stomach, next to his belly button, two feathers almost touched each other at the tip, slightly curved, in fine and delicate strokes that brought out the white skin around them.
On the left side of his back, being the largest of all, were three grand roses shaped between interlaced stems with pointed thorns, with delicate lines around their petals and leaves, giving a fluidity and delicacy to the shapes. On the right side of his lower back, some scars had not been covered by the tattoo. They appeared to be marks left by claws, but he would not investigate further to confirm this.
-They look great - he could already feel his dick hardening again, even though he lasted hours having sex just a few minutes ago. That was Xander's power over him.
-Oh, come on. That's not what I asked you - pouting slightly, while crossing the arms over his chest. Alexei could not help but laugh at the gesture.
-Why the feathers? - brushing the fingertips of his right hand against the drawing on Xander's stomach.
-Because of my grandmother, she was an owl Omega - with a look of nostalgia and sadness as he spoke -. She was like a mother to me, until she died. I have the consolation that she did it in her sleep, quietly in her bed. She simply closed her eyes one night and never opened them again.
-That's good. Not everyone runs with the same luck - he more than anyone was aware of that. He suppressed the urge to hold him against his body and pet him to provide comfort, but he wasn't sure how Xander would react, and he didn't want to make him feel any more uncomfortable than he already did -. See you tomorrow.
-Magnus - Alexei stopped immediately, hand on the doorknob -. I know you forbade me to ask you, but I need to know if you have any news about my brother - hesitated for a few seconds -. Please - Alexei slowly turns and looks him straight in the eyes before nodding his head slightly.
-We haven't heard from him yet. Yaakov has been searching for him around where he was last seen, but without any results. Maybe he went back to Saratov.
-I doubt it - shaking his head while talking, with a slight smile on his face -. He's very persistent when he sets his mind to something. He'll show up. Thank you, Magnus.
-What about the recordings? Nothing yet?
-I found in one of them the profile of the van that was outside one of the buildings I got the signal from. It matches the date and time on one of the e-mails I received. I'm close, Magnus. So close I can smell it. As soon as I get something, I'll let you know.
-Good.
Alexei leaves the room trying to make as little noise as possible with his steps until he manages to reach his own. There, he takes a long, cold shower, cleaning and relaxing his body. When he is finished, he dries quickly and completely naked dives into the soft, warm sheets of his bed, until he falls soundly asleep.
That night he dreamt about Xander again, but this time it wasn't like the ones he used to have. They weren't burning in the fire of passion.
No, this time, it was a nightmare. He was witnessing a brutal attack unfolding in a dark classroom, the moonbeams streaming through the windows. There was a little Omega being outraged, abused, dominated, forced, as his blood trickled down the legs of the table where he was kept immobile, begging for help that never came to save him from his torment.
The Alpha had no face, but his hands attacked, long, sharp claws wounding and opening scratches in the tender flesh of his helpless victim.
When Alexei woke up, Xander's screams were still haunting him in reality.