Chapter 2

Dragging the plain white T-shirt up and over his head, Azrin stopped to arch a brow at the alpha, regarding him with a bored expression. “You just gonna stay there and watch or?” Azrin began to fiddle with the elastic band of his boxer briefs, snapping it against his skin in a wordless hint.

“I’m not moving,” A taunting smirk had Azrin throwing his head up and back with an exasperated groan. And a point to the alpha. Azrin turned his back to Lexus as he pulled his undergarments down his legs and stepped out of them. This was nothing more than a power play, and the less Azrin let the alpha know it unnerved him to no end, the better.  

Stepping into the leggings, Azrin expertly put them on, not getting his toes caught in the negative spaces as his left leg descended first into the soft fabric. They fit him perfectly. The waistband was designed to sit just above his navel and accentuated where his waist narrowed, and his hips began to flare, opening into the beautifully embroidered cut-outs that showed off his creamy freckled hips and the expanse of his muscular thighs. The garment ended just under his kneecaps without a single wrinkle, exposing his attractively muscled calves and manicured bare feet.

The tightness of the garment made it so it wouldn’t shift while moving to prevent revealing more skin than intended. If there was one thing Azrin could complain about, it would be the “ease of access” panel at the back. By design, the omega couldn’t fasten or unfasten it by himself. This he knew was something Lexus had to add to the garment for it to be proper omegan attire.

Before he could say anything, Lex was at his back, lacing it closed with deft expertise. Once fastened, the alpha placed him in front of the full-length mirror before walking away to fetch the primary layer of the tunic, deciding to forgo the sheer second layer that no longer had a faux purpose. Lexus stood silently behind him, waiting and watching with a bloody calculated stare.

Azrin took a moment to look himself over. He was never one to use the pheromone oils or makeup to accentuate anything as he had never wanted to draw an alpha’s attention, but damn. Some eyeliner and oil over his pink nipples would be quite a sight. He turned, his body facing Lex, but his face was still directed over his shoulder, seeing how he looked from the back.

 The omega had worried the back panel would be more prominent and throw off the rather elegant piece. He should have known better; it was hardly visible, and the alpha had cinched it beautifully. Honestly, the male was infuriating. He was so damn perfect at everything he set out to do that his trash personality was required in Azrin’s book.  Finally, Azrin stopped checking over his appearance and faced Lex. Without a word, he raised his arms and closed his eyes.

Unsurprisingly, Lexus remained silent as he threaded Azrin's arms through the garment and smoothly dropped it over his head, gingerly laying the fabric against the flesh of his chest. The alpha was strangely domestic about grooming and dressing the Brunet. It had been an odd sort of ritual between the two that had taken place for as long as Azrin could remember.

Honestly, the omega had believed that auntie Marina, Lex’s alphan mother, would have put her foot down and ended this rather intimate custom of theirs. The alpha being here today decimated that assumption. Maybe she thought it was good practice for the alpha. If he could be gentle and considerate to an omega, he was forced to tolerate, it would do wonders for him when attending to a mate.

“You’re muttering, nerd. Look it over and let me know if any of the seams are agitating your skin; I’ll adjust them before tending to that unruly fringe of yours,” Once again, the alpha turned him to face the mirror and walked away. Presumably, to grab hair oil and whatever else the male would deem necessary to make him presentable. A brush would just make it wiry and more chaotic than it naturally was.

Azrin’s heart ached as he watched the alpha’s robust and rigid back instead of looking at himself. It didn’t matter what he looked like to him, and he wasn’t getting out of this night without falling to pieces. They may bicker and fight like siblings, but there was nothing Azrin wouldn’t be willing to lose if he could call Lexus his.

“So, anything bugging ya?” the alpha inquired with a slight tilt of his head and one closed eye.

“I think there is a loose thread just under my right armpit, it’s tickling my ribs,” before he had even finished speaking. Lex had already placed his hand under the garment and against Azrin’s clammy skin, searching for what was bothering the omega. Once found, he put the shears he had brought in his mouth, deciding he didn’t need to cut out the stray offender. Instead, he wove it back into place with no preamble.

“How’s it feel now?” he asked even though it was obvious he already knew the answer, considering he had removed the shears from his mouth, placed them down on the vanity, and was currently combing his fingers through Azrin’s verdant hair.

“Hmmm, much better, thank you,” Azrin closed his eyes as he breathed a soft sigh. Instinctually, grooming calmed and settled omegas. Making them very pliant and relaxed. It’s an excellent way to convince even the most reluctant omega to willingly accept a bite, for feeding or claiming alike.

“Keep your eyes closed,” Was all the alpha said before he grabbed Azrin’s chin and positioned his face just so. Apparently, the omega wasn’t the only one who thought some eyeliner would do wonders for his appearance. The alpha deftly began painting a wet substance across his eyelids, one at a time, just above his lash line.

Azrin started just slightly once he felt the tickle of a brush against his lips. Rouge wasn’t his thing, but at this point, he wasn’t going to argue. It didn’t take the alpha very long, but Azrin decided to keep his eyes closed until told otherwise. Lex tended to double-check and fuss over his work, so in the long run, this would save them from debating over nothing.

“Done. If you hate something, fucking tell me now. Don’t go complaining to my mom later, I’ll fucking kill you,” Lexus growled.

Really Lex? Azrin internally squeaked and rolled his eyes behind his closed lids before opening them to see what the alpha had done to him. To his surprise, it wasn’t rouge on his lips but a sheer gloss that stayed put even as he licked them. A snarl sounded from behind him at the action. Whoops.

The Brunet felt his skin warm, and his ears burn as he watched himself turn into a vampire version of a tomato.  This, of course, had the alpha barking out a rough laugh and clutching his abdomen at the omega’s expense.

“I don’t hate it, Lex. I won’t complain to auntie, ok? Also…Thank you,” Azrin’s hands wriggled in front of him as he watched Lexus from the reflection in the mirror, still attempting to tamp down his embarrassment.

The alpha nodded before grabbing one last item off the vanity—Azrin’s collar. The omega was supposed to wear it at all times until he was bound to an alpha, but Azrin hated the thing with a passion. No one in this house forced him to wear it, and the one time, a custodian deemed it their job to snitch on the boy, they had ended up on the wrong end of Marina Burns’s wrath.

Since then, there hadn’t been any issues or whispers from the staff about him being collarless. There were, however, rumors of his purpose in this house. The favorite so far was his role as the heir’s blood bitch. That was all a male omega was suitable for, after all. If he had been female, everything would have been different.  Azrin felt Lexus fasten the hated adornment, and with an audible click, he removed his hands from the base of the omega’s throat. With his soured mood, he refused to meet the alpha’s gaze.

“Come on, Rin, we need to get going. I was supposed to have you there, oh, I don’t know. About twenty minutes ago at this point? Yeah, pretty sure my mom’s going to ream us both anyway,” Lexus said so casually, with his woven hands cradling the back of his head as he meandered to the door; it took Azrin a good minute to register the blond’s words.

“Dammit, Lex, why are you just telling me now! She’s going to murder me,” Azrin whined out while running up and pushing at the alpha’s back, trying and failing to get the male to move his very attractive ass.