The wedding between him and the Prince of Spargus, Jak Mar, was a week away, and Torn couldn't be more tense.

Things have been going well, despite the attack in the Oasis the day before. His ankle still hurt a bit, but he was able to walk on it now. Thanks to Keira's green eco abilities, he just needed a good night's sleep to completely heal up.

Though, it was getting harder and harder for him to sleep through the night these days. With the upcoming bonding looming over him, his stress levels skyrocketed. Jak wasn't too bad of a choice where potential mates were considered...but Torn didn't plan on EVER being mated to someone...ESPECIALLY an Alpha...

He never wanted to feel owned...

So that is why he now finds himself painting the port, using the picture on his com as a reference. He has the background done and has started on the fine details of the buildings. He has yet to finish the dark waters, gravelly walkways, or bright lights, but the buildings are nearly completed...with the HipHog Heaven being the star of the show in the center.

He paused for a moment to stare at the picture... the one he was attempting to replicate on canvas.

The one thing he didn't plan to replicate was the image of him and his twin, Tear, in the foreground of the picture. They were smiling, and Tear looked so proud. That day was such a happy memory for him. He remembered how after they took that picture, Tear dragged him into the bare establishment and gushed about how he was going to arrange everything. The property had already been purchased, but Torn remembered looking around the decrepit, cracked walls and flooring and thinking "This is never going to work..."

Tear proved him wrong three months later.

He spent every penny of his share of their inheritance to fix that place up, and he made it his own. Tear was just as ambitious as he was...it was the only trait they shared. Tear, like a typical omega, was softer and gentler than him. He fell into that stereotype where Omegas were overly emotional and weak, but while Tear may not be physically strong like Torn, he was strong in his ability to persevere. His twin would cry and tremble in fear or despair, but he would also pick himself back up and do what needed to be done.

Which is why Torn hoped he was still smiling back in Haven. He prayed that Tear continued running his tavern, making people happy, and giving Jinx more love than the cheeky blonde Alpha could handle.

If one of them got to live their happily ever after...that would be enough.

There was another series of knocks on the door and Torn put down his paints with a sigh. These interruptions were beginning to get on his nerves...

He walked to the door and swung it open, revealing Jak standing outside.

"What do you want?" Torn's tone held no venom, but he really was NOT wanting company at the moment.

"First of all, rude. Second, how's your ankle?" Jak glanced down to stare at his feet, looking concerned but also like he was avoiding asking something else.

Torn wasn't buying it, "I doubt you stopped by just to check out my ankles, pup. What do you really want?" He crossed his arms and raised a suspicious brow at Jak.

Jak looked up at him sheepishly, "Nothing gets past you, huh? Can I come in?"

"If I say no will you actually leave?"

"Nope." Jak scooted past Torn, mischievously smirking at him all the while as he entered his room.

Torn felt like he should be madder than he actually was, "Please tell me you won't be this annoying when we actually get hitched."

As Jak wandered around the center of the room, his eyes landed on the painting, "Nah, I'll probably be way worse...so is that what you've been doing in here?" He moved towards the painting until he was right in front of it. He leaned over slightly to get a better look.

"Yeah..." Torn tensed up. He forgot to cover his work up, as he usually did. He was just so lost in thought...and now Jak is staring at it...like...really staring...

Torn suddenly began to feel very exposed...as if he were buck ass naked. Painting was his happy place...his art held all the emotions he wanted to express.

And now someone was looking at it...judging it...Torn wished Jak would just stop looking and say what was on his mind-

"It's awesome! I figured you liked to paint, but I didn't think you were this great at it." Jak turned and beamed at him, "I wish I had that kind of talent."

Torn ignored the warm rush of heat flooding from his chest.

He was being praised...

Jak...was praising him...

And he...liked it?

"Er...thanks. It's not finished though, so kindly get the fuck out so I can continue working." He really felt uncomfortable with how his body was reacting to Jak's praise...like a typical lovestruck omega. It was annoying to say the least.

Jak's face fell a bit, "Can I watch?"

Torn's face scrunched up in confusion, "Why would you want to? I'm painting, not juggling monkaws."

Jak shrugged, "I know...I just want to watch." He walked a few feet away from the painting area and plopped down on the floor, "I won't bug you."

"You're really not going to give me a choice are you?" Torn sighed and shook his head in defeat, "Fine, but if you make so much as a peep, I'm chucking you out on your ass. We clear?"

Jak smiled, "Crystal!"

Torn stared at him for a moment before rolling his eyes and resuming his painting. This was his life now...may as well get used to it.

He picked up his brush and resumed where he left off before he was interrupted.

10 minutes passed and Torn ran into a problem.

As he painted, he tried focusing on his work...but he soon found that Jak's presence was making it very difficult to do so.

The blonde was true to his word and made no noise...but Torn may have preferred the noise to the staring.

He felt those dark blue eyes fixed on his back. He wasn't stupid. He knew the blonde was watching him and not the painting. He could practically feel those ocean-blue orbs travelling over his body as he tried desperately to focus on anything else but that damn gaze.

He didn't like how tense and heated his body was becoming.

He didn't like the feeling of being watched...but at the same time, he felt this urge to please. He hated having the blonde alpha so near, and yet...he wasn't close enough.

It's this damn omega physiology.

He was being forced to feel this way and it both confused and scared him. His body was trying desperately to force him closer...push him deeper...making him want to curl up next to the shitty man on the floor and just stay.

Just because Jak is an alpha...no other reason.

Because Jak is an alpha, Torn would naturally submit to him...

Because Jak is an Alpha, Torn would bare his neck and tilt his head like a good boy...

Because Jak is an Alpha...he would willingly get down on his knees, press his chest to the floor, and present...

And all because Jak is a fucking Alpha...

Torn let out a frustrated groan before tossing his brush on his art table and turning to face Jak. The blonde sat up straight and looked at him quizzically. He locked eyes with him for a moment before sighing, "Well, it turns out that I can't paint while being watched like a hawk. So..." He walked over to Jak and squatted down in front of him, "What do you desert rats do for fun around here?' He gave a playful smirk.

Jak returned the smirk, "You sure your old ass can handle it?"

Torn chuckled before standing, "Try me."

"SLOW THE FUCK DOWN YOU PSYCOPATH!"

"I TRIED TO WARN YOU, TATTOOED WONDER!"

"Oh come on!" Jak laughed, "You guys are acting like pussies!" He hooted as he made the sand rover vault off yet another rock ramp and crash into the sand before swerving off in a random direction.

Torn was certain he was gripping the bar in front of him so tight, the metal had imprints of his fingers. When Jak offered a drive in the desert to search for precursor artifacts, he didn't expect Jak's driving to be THIS reckless!

Why didn't he listen to the damn rat?!

"Can you AT LEAST drive SOMEWHAT straight?!" Torn screeched over the roaring engine and Jak's laughter.

Daxter popped his head up from his position plastered to the floor, "Oh please! Jak isn't straight so why would he drive straight?" Before he could laugh at his own joke, Jak slammed the car against a rock, sending him back to the floor, yelping in terror.

Torn was beginning to fear for his life.

How the fuck did Damas allow his dumbass, maniac of a son to drive one of these in the first place?

"Does your father know how terrible you drive?!"

"You seriously think Dad lets me drive ANYTHING?!" Jak grinned fiendishly, "I stole the keys to this one!"

Torn's eyes bugged out, "YOU FUCKING STOLE FROM THE KING?!"

"Torn chill out!" Jak laughed as they once again narrowly dodged another rock, "We're not gonna get caught!"

"You said he knows EVERYTHING that goes on in the city!"

"I said we won't get caught!"

"YOU MOTHERFUCKER!"

Torn's insult was cut off by a barely held-in scream as the leapt off the edge of a cliff and barely landed on the other side.

Torn almost fell out of the vehicle when they finally stopped, collapsing onto the warm sand...he's never been happier to feel sand.

Daxter fell out beside him with an exaggerated groan.

For once...he and the rat boy were on the same page.

Jak however, exited the vehicle by walking out, as if he was unaffected by his insane driving, "Alright! This is the usually a good place to find relics. Let's get to it." He practically skipped away, leaving his barely conscious passengers in the sand, trying not to throw up.

"Rat..." Torn shakily turned towards the ginger Beta lying beside him, "If I ever try to get in a vehicle with him again, I give you permission to shoot me in the leg."

"Ditto-HURGH!" Daxter barely turned away and dry heaved on the sand behind him.

Torn managed to stand on wobbly legs and decided to walk off his own nausea from the roller coaster of a drive he just endured.

It only took about 5 minutes for his nausea to subside and Torn began looking for shiny objects half buried in the sand.

Jak failed to mention what exactly they were looking for and what the status of the artifacts would be. Was he supposed to dig in the sand, or would the artifacts just be scattered around?

He glanced over to where the other two were looking and couldn't stop a chuckle from escaping as he watched them do some sort of secret handshake that morphed into a bad dance routine. They must've found something good, in fact, Torn could see whatever object they found shining from where he was.

Then something caught his eye...

He turned and stared down at an object in the sand.

It was unlike anything he's ever seen before. A beautiful purple and black crystal mounted on a piece of orange precursor metal. The crystals were pointed and tapered to a singular point, looking very much like a lone mountain. Torn kneeled down to get a closer look.

The crystal had a faint glow to it...it was...mesmerizing.

Before he knew it, he was reaching down to pick it up.

The second he grabbed it, he didn't even have time to regret doing so.

A sharp pain jolted up his arm and coursed through his entire body. He tried to let go of the gem, but the pain forced his fingers closed around it. He threw himself back against the sand and writhed in agony. It was unlike any other pain he'd ever felt before, and he'd suffered many injuries of all kinds on the battlefeild.

This pain outweighed every single one by a mile.

"TORN!"

Someone screamed his name, but the intense pain drowned out the voice. He felt someone pulling at his fingers...

No...stop!

Jak was clawing at his hand, trying to pry his fingers away from the convulsing crystal.

It'll hurt you too!

His fingers began moving out of the death grip they had on the crystal. Jak grabbed the crystal...

No! DON'T!

The crystal was taken out of his hand, and as the pain began to dull to an endurable level, Torn saw that Jak was holding it in his hand.

...What?...how...

He tried to say something, but could only groan in agony as residual pain kept trailing all though his arm from his hand.

"DAXTER! GET IN THE CAR!"

Jak grabbed him under his legs and around his waist, hoisting him up into his arms.

Great...carried like a princess for the second time in two days.

Torn really couldn't complain this time, however.

This was by far the worst pain he's ever experienced. It felt as if a thousand wumpbees were stinging him over and over without stopping, and at the same time his arm was on fire.

Jak carried him to the car and slipped into the back seat, still holding Torn against his body.

As Daxter started up the vehicle and made a beeline for the city, Torn managed to move his arm and glance at his hand, the epicenter of the pain. It looked like it was branded by the crystal. The skin was burned badly and bleeding from a large circular ring of seared flesh.

Fuck...

"Holy fuck, Torn..." Jak sounded so...worried? Jak tenderly touched his palm and Torn couldn't resist hissing in pain. Jak flinched and pulled away, "Sorry, sorry...fuck...why did you touch that damn crystal?! Don't you know how poisonous Dark eco is?!"

Dark eco?

"Th...that...didn't...look..." He couldn't even talk...every breath sent waves of pain across his body.

"Have you never seen a dark eco crystal?"

Torn shook his head and suppressed another cry of pain.

"Oh...fuck." Jak winced at he glanced back at Torn's palm. The damage was bad, "Step on it Dax! We need to get him to Samos!"

Thankfully, even Daxter understood the severity of the situation and didn't reply with a snarky response, as he usually would have. Instead, he drove them back to the city in silence, occasionally glancing back at Torn...genuine worry on his face.

Torn could barely register anything now.

Images burred and voices muffled.

And then everything went black...

The palace's private hospital was now receiving Torn for the second day in a row.

Jak had been sitting beside Torn's still unconscious body for two hours now. Keira had used one of their light eco crystals to draw the dark eco poisoning from Torn's body, and then Samos healed the burned hand as best as he could. There was still raw scarring that would be permanent, but it was mostly healed.

So now, they waited for Torn to wake.

Jak stared at the man lying in front of him...his future mate who almost lost his life for the second time since he arrived.

Jak's mind was a mess.

When they got back to the city, Jak practically carried Torn the entire time. Sig had to force him to let go when they made it to Keira and Samos, and even then, Jak stayed in the room while they worked. He had never felt so panicked before...it was terrifying.

He glanced at Torn once more, looking over the heavily bandaged hand , and he felt guilt clawing up his throat. It was his suggestion to go artefact hunting after all. Torn could've just stayed in his room painting, but no...Jak just had to visit him.

It was that cloying urge to get closer to Torn that made him go to his room earlier. He didn't care what they did or didn't do...he just wanted to be close.

And he still didn't fucking know why.

He thought back to that day at the Oasis...where he admitted to Torn that he liked his scent and kept getting urges to be close to him. Torn had just brushed it off, like it wasn't a big deal.

"You're an Alpha...I'm an Omega. And we're about to be bonded...it's only natural you'd have some kind of physical reaction to me."

That's what he had said...but still...was it really that simple?

His eyes travelled from Torn's arm to his torso. He couldn't stop his gaze from wandering over the firm muscles decorating a slender frame, the outline visible even through his shirt.

His body felt hot...his mind went blank...

It was like he was in a trance...

He didn't even register his hand moving until it was slowly stroking over Torn's stomach. His hand moved overtop of the shirt, gently caressing...as if this area was something that needed to be protected.

He started growling low in his throat...barely registerable.

And then he caught the scent again.

That sweet smell that was slowly seeping out from the unaware Omega. Jak's mouth watered when it hit him. It was hypnotic...enticing...erotic...

He stood up and leaned over Torn, his nose inches away from the other man's neck.

Unabashedly, he took in deep inhales of Torn's scent. He felt a warm, calming feeling wash over him. The eco that always seemed to be boiling in his blood stilled, and all his worries seemed to melt away.

It was like a drug.

He wanted to press his nose right up to the skin and breath it in. If he licked across the location of the scent gland would he be able to taste that wonderful scent?

His knees connected with the bed as he hoisted his body onto it, hovering over Torn as he stared down at the unconscious Omega. Tilting his head down, he pressed his nose right against Torn's warm neck, breathing in his scent right from the source.

God he smelled good...

He wanted to taste him...needed to taste him...

His Alpha hindbrain could no longer resist the temptation...

His lips barely touched the warm skin of Torn's neck before he felt a hand grip his hair and yank his head back.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

That voice was laced with so much venom, that if his head wasn't being forced back, he would be bowing it so low his chin would touch his sternum.

Torn glared at him through sleep-drowsy, yet still enraged eyes.

Even though he was frozen with panic, Jak couldn't help but feel a rush of arousal from that cold glare.

Which made him feel terrible since he knew he just fucked up...

He didn't have time to open his mouth and apologize as he quickly found himself being flipped around with one of his arms locked and pressed face down into the mattress. For a man who just woke up from a slight coma, Torn was still very very strong.

Torn had one hand wrapped firmly around his left wrist as he pinned it against his spine, and the other hand pushed his right wrist against the bed next to his head. Torn held his legs down by straddling them and pressing him down against the mattress with his body.

Jak couldn't move even if he wanted to...at least not without using his eco. Torn had him stuck right where he wanted him. He could feel the other's warm body pressing against his backside and the backs of his thighs. He could still smell those sweet pheromones as Torn's anger caused them to slip out. The omega was growling low in his throat...warning him not to move a single muscle...that rebellious part of Jak kinda wanted to see what the older man would do if he did...

And suddenly he was semi hard again, Mar-damn it this was NOT the time to get horny.

He tried to turn his head away from the mattress so he could address the very pissed off Omega, "Torn-look I-"

"Shut the FUCK up you perverted brat!"

That heavy growl lacing Torn's voice caused a shiver to course through Jak's body. He winced slightly before growling back, "Will you just let me explain?!"

"Explain what?! Explain how I woke up in the hospital with YOU on top of me and your fucking teeth RIGHT near my neck?!" Torn's voice became more and more angry as time went on, and Jak knew he needed to backpeddle FAST.

"I wasn't going to bite you! I just-" He paused...telling Torn that he 'just wanted to smell him' really wasn't any better.

"You 'just' what?"

Jak couldn't think of any excuses...

...so he went with the truth...

"You just...smelled so nice. And, I was worried about you. I just...my body moved before I could even think about it." He was stumbling over himself, he knew...but he was at least being honest, "I swear, I wasn't going to do anything to you...I just wanted to be close."

"You think that's an excuse?!"

"It's NOT an excuse!" Jak argued, "Just an explanation! I'm sorry!"

Torn was quiet. He didn't relax his grip on Jak or the pressure he had on his legs, but he stopped growling.

All Jak could do was wait...

Finally, he felt the grip on his wrists go lax as Torn let go and sat up, still straddling Jak's legs. Jak shifted into a slightly more comfortable position, but he didn't dare move. He was already on thin ice with Torn...he didn't want to anger him further.

"This is the second time you mentioned my scent making you feel weird. It sure sounds like you're just making excuses."

"I'm not!" jak protested, "I literally don't fucking know whats going on with my body! You think I WANT to act like this?! I don't want this any more than you!"

Torn wasn't convinced, "You're honestly telling me you're not able to control your urges? How the fuck do you get through ruts?!"

"I..." Jak winced, "I don't..."

After the confession, the room fell silent again.

Then came a question he did not expect...

"Jak...I can't believe I'm asking this now, but...how old are you?"

"I'm 17, why?"

Torn let out a sharp expletive and groaned, "You gotta be fuckin kidding me with this bullshit. I'm going to be mated to a literal pup. You haven't even had your first rut yet?!"

Jak turned to glare at him, "Why does that matter? I've messed around before; I don't need a rut to know how to fuck."

"Really now?" Torn raised a brow, "Well congrats on getting your dick wet, it doesn't mean shit when ruts and heats come into play."

He heard Torn sigh above him, "Damn it...I knew there was something off bout the way you reacted to my pheromones..." He finally moved off jak and settled back against the headboard of the hospital bed. Jak slowly started getting up, gauging for any negative reaction, and upon seeing none he moved to a sitting position across from Torn.

He averted his eyes, keeping his head slightly tilted down in embarrassment, "What do you mean by 'something off'? Didn't you say this was normal?"

"It would be, if we were both adults." Torn huffed in response, "How many omegas have you been around?"

Jak was a bit taken aback by the question. He shrugged, "I messed around with a couple girls last year-"

"I'm not talkin about teenage sluts who haven't gone through a full heat cycle yet." His eyes narrowed in disdain, "How many adult Omegas have you been around?"

Jak looked away, his face scrunching in what he refused to call a pout...because it most certainly was not a pout no matter how much it looked like one, "Two..."

"Including me?"

"No..."

"Did you have sex with either of them?"

"WHAT THE FUCK?! EW NO!" Jak felt close to vomiting. One of them was Sig, and the other was...

Jak stopped that train of thought...he didn't want to think about her.

Torn grunted in confirmation, "Alright...so now at least we know why you're so entranced by me. I'm your first true Omegan partner. We're technically 'courting,' so your dumb Alpha hindbrain is hypersensitive to my pheromones." He crossed his arms and glared icily at Jak, "Doesn't excuse you from trying to huff my scent while I was unconscious like some creep though."

Jak returned Torn's icy glare, but he couldn't really deny anything he was saying...he was, after all, doing just that. "So what do you want me to do about it?"

"The question is 'what can you do about it?'" Torn mused, "Obviously the quickest way to sate your hormones would be through sex, but I'm not fucking a kid...also if I can avoid having sex with you in general I'd like to. No offense."

Jak ignored his slightly wounded pride, "None taken, I'd rather not fuck an old man, but here we are." He narrowed his eyes and sneered, "No offense."

Torn frowned, "Hey, no need to get pissy. We both agreed neither of us wanted this."

"So why the fuck are you even here?!" Jak exclaimed exasperated, "If you seriously didn't want to be mated to someone why did you even agree to this arrangement?!"

"You assume I had a choice in the matter." Torn stated darkly.

The second it was out of his mouth, Torn realized he said too much.

And it had shut Jak up instantly.

Torn...didn't have a choice?

"Are you telling me...you were forced to be my mate?" That's not what his father had told him. He said Torn volunteered...

Torn sighed, turning away, "It's complicated..."

"Then why did my dad tell me you volunteered?"

"Because as far as he knows, I did."

"But why lie?" Jak stared at Torn, confusion evident in his face.

Torn looked over at Jak, finally meeting his eyes, "Look...Haven's not as...advanced as Spargus when it comes to Type roles. We're still fighting for equal rights over there, and the council still keeps certain archaic traditions alive. They wanted an arranged bonding to seal the treaty. Your dad was against it at first, but when he agreed, his only request was to pick an unorthodox omega." He chewed the inside of his cheek briefly, feeling a bubble of anger come up with his next words, "My grandmother happens to be the leader of the council...and she forced me to volunteer."

"Why?!" Jak wore a look of disgust that brought Torn mild comfort, "You obviously didn't want to do it! Couldn't she just pick someone who wanted to do it?"

"Because this way she kills two birds with one stone." Torn sat up a bit straighter, "You remember how your father introduced me as 'Commander'? I was the leader of Haven's military...a position that was previously unavailable to Omegas. I was the first. I inspired the activists and pissed off the council...so my Grandmother saw this as an excuse to get me out of power." He felt a lump form in his throat as he said the last part which sealed his fate, "I have a brother...he's...he doesn't like sex and has no desire to have kids. She threatened me by saying it was him or me."

Torn felt his heart twist in his chest with loathing, "She knew I wouldn't be able to sacrifice him for the greater good. Him being here would've broke him...so now, here I am."

Jak was quiet, absorbing the information given to him. Now everything made sense to him. Torn's aggression towards him...the aversion towards getting closer...how closed off he'd been since he'd arrived...

"We could just...call off the bonding right? Your grandmother would never know-"

"You presume much about that old bitch." Torn laughed humorlessly, "She's already been invited to the ceremony. And your father still thinks I wanted to be here. Do you really want to tell him the truth?"

Jak thought back to how happy his father looked when talking about Torn...he welcomed him with open arms, practically already treating him as one of the family. What would he do if he found out the truth?

"No..."Jak sighed, "He'd be so upset...he already has such a bad opinion of Haven, this would tip him over the edge."

"So now you see the dilemma?"

"Yeah and it's fucking shitty."

Torn gave a genuine chuckle, "You're damn right about that."

The tension between them began to alleviate a bit.

This time, it was Jak who broke the silence, "Hey, would you like to join Spargus's military? You know...since you like that stuff?"

Torn stared at Jak owlishly, taking a moment to process what he just said, "You'd let me join the guard?"

"Why would I need to 'let you' do anything? Do you want to join or not?"

Torn shook head head, "No, I mean, I'm your Omega...and if I joined I'd be in danger. Don't you want to keep me safe and locked up like some princess or some bullshit like that?"

Jak's face once again morphed into confusion, "Why would I do that? Last I checked you're your own person...and if you were a princess, keeping you in a tower would be impossible anyway so I wouldn't even try."

"...huh..." Torn still kept his shocked expression as the new revelation sank in.

"Wait...do Alphas in Haven really control what their mate wants to do?!" Jak didn't even try to contain the disgust he felt.

"Typically, yes. Though the younger generations are trying to do away with stupid ideologies like that." Torn felt slight amusement as Jak's face went through several emotions, "It's mainly the older generations that are trying to keep polite society in the old ways. Last I heard, the lower classes are doing pretty well, and the stuck up 1% is deliberately dragging their heels."

"That's fucked...seriously, I knew I said this before, but fuck your city." Jak threw his hands up in frustration, "First they keep you from eating awesome food, and now you tell me they control what you're supposed to like too?!"

"Are you still on about the cupcakes?" Torn rolled his eyes, "That's the least fucked up thing I've had to endure."

"Are you serious?!" Jak gaped, "What the fuck else is wrong with Haven?!"

"Way too much to go into now." Torn then took on a more serious tone, "I think I may be painting a bad picture of my city by highlighting only the shit that's wrong with it. Haven's got a lot of good if you know where to look."

"Seriously? Because it sounds like a shithole." Jak scoffed.

"Well, I'd be happy to show you the not shitty parts."

Jak thought for a moment, "Alright...we get a week to ourselves for our honeymoon, how about we go there?"

Torn gave a small smile, "That's the best Idea you've had all day."

"Hey, you were the one who wanted to see what we 'desert rats' do for fun. It's not my fault you're dumb enough to pick up a dark eco crystal." Jak gave Torn a playful smirk.

Ignoring the insult, Torn instead was reminded of a question that's been burning in his mind for a while, "Hey, how were you able to hold that thing by the way? When I touched it, it nearly killed me, yet you seem just fine."

Jak went pale.

He immediately turned away, "I didn't touch it..."

"Oh yes you did! I saw you do it." Torn raised a brow. Jak was lying...why?

"I'm telling you, I didn't touch it." Jak felt his anxiety skyrocket.

"You're lying to me, kid." Torn leaned in and grabbed Jak's chin, pulling him till they were face to face, "Why?"

Jak's trepidation over-rid the arousal he felt from the skin contact, "I'm not-"

"Don't even! I can read people like an open book, and I know when I'm being lied to." He narrowed his eyes, "You did touch that crystal...and somehow you came out fine. Why is that?"

Jak glared, "You're not my fucking wife yet, Torn. I don't have to tell you shit."

Torn tilted his head in thought before he released Jak's jaw, "Alright...let's make a deal then. Information for information."

This piqued Jak's interest, "What's the catch?"

"You're having issues controlling your reaction to my pheromones, right?" Torn smirked as Jak glared at him with an increasingly redder face, "I'm not going to sleep with you, but I can help you get them under control."

Jak raised a brow, "Right, and how do you plan to do that?"

"Exposure therapy." Torn continued, "We'll be in a controlled environment where you'll be able to take in my scent without losing yourself. It might take a few sessions, but I bet you we can build up your resistance in three days. We can at least make it so you don't pop a boner."

"Forgive me if I'm skeptical." Jak droned.

"If I don't help you make some amount of progress, I'll answer three questions of yours. Anything you wanna know."

Jak thought for a minute, "Anything?"

"Did I stutter?"

Anything...

He could ask anything...

And he would be allowed to breathe in those irritatingly intoxicating pheromones without restraint!

It was a win-win scenario.

...

How could he resist?

"Deal!"

Torn nodded, "I'll come by your room tomorrow then. You ever scented before? Like, with your father?"

"When I was little, yeah...we haven't really done that sort of thing since-" He stopped himself, unable to say the true reason," ...Since I became a teenager..."

Torn raised a brow, "Thats...really bad. Its healthy to scent with your loved ones. My brothers and I still do it whenever we meet."

Jak frowned, "Yeah well...not everyone is so touchy feely, so don't fucking judge us."

Torn raised his hands in defense, "Woah there, I didn't mean it like that." He tsked softly and mumbled under his breath, yet loud enough for Jak to hear, "I get it, touchy subject, avoid like the plague." He chewed on his bottom lip in thought, "Guess that also adds to the hypersensitivity..."

Jak's eyes lingered on Torn's bottom lip...the corner still caught in his teeth. His own teeth started to ache.

"Alright, get the fuck out of here so I can rest up." Torn shooed Jak away with his bandaged hand before scooting forward so he could recline. Jak thankfully took the hint and moved off the bed. As he opened the door, he lingered beside it and turned to Torn again, "Hey...thanks for this."

Torn waved at him dismissively but also gave a small smirk, "Don't thank me just yet. If you try anything tomorrow I'll shove my fist so far up your ass people will mistake you for a puppet."

The next day could not come sooner for Jak.

As he sat on his bed waiting for Torn to show up, he felt his anxiety spike. It was stupid that he felt so excited about this session. Torn was literally just scenting him so he could stop being a fucking pervert around him.

He'd already screwed up so much yesterday with that non-consensual scenting...he wanted to show Torn his good sides...

Speak of the devil, Jak heard a knock on his door, "It's open!" His heart felt like it was running on blue eco.

Torn entered the room, and Jak was unprepared as he was bitch-slapped by a heavy wave of pheromones. It seemed that Torn had just finished working out and his scent was very strong. The Omega strode right up to him, "Feeling overwhelmed? Good." He smirked and stopped right in front of Jak.

He tried to put a hand over his nose to dull some of the scent, "What the fuck?! Why would you come over like THIS?! This is cheating!"

"No," Torn crossed his arms, "It's training. I'm seeing how your body reacts to my scent at its near highest. Just relax and breathe, let whatever happens happen. I'm not going to judge you."

Jak wanted to believe that...he wanted to think Torn was being genuine about this...but he was still mortified that his body had already reacted so strongly to him. He was already rocking a half-chub, and low growls were threatening to come up in his throat.

But...when he looked in Torn's eyes...he felt calm. Torn really looked indifferent and strictly business-like...as if he were a doctor and he was just helping his patient.

Slowly, Jak let his hand come down from his face and rest on the bed at his side. He took a shallow breath, feeling a wave of euphoria wash over him.

"Better?" Torn let his arms fall as well.

Jak opened his eyes, "Yeah...weird...I already feel more in control." He then smirked deviously, "But, I'm still getting hard, so you haven't won yet."

Torn rolled his eyes, "I've got two more days. Besides...if you're this easy to tame, I bet I'll have you fixed by tomorrow."

Jak laughed, "Doubt it."

"Well, anyway, your reaction isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Lets up the dosage." Without warning, Torn suddenly put his knees on the bed and lightly straddled Jak, causing the young Alpha to nearly short-circuit.

Torn's body wasn't touching him, but the heat coming off him was searing. He was closer now...so much closer. Jak's bravado was quickly waning, he was barely holding it together when Torn was two feet away from him...now he was mere inches.

This was bad.

"Keep breathing. Don't think about anything else. If you can handle this, we can try actual scenting." Torn's voice was low and soft, but to Jak it felt like a gun going off right by his ear.

He couldn't stop the low growls coming up now...starting nearly inaudible and slowly growing in volume. His eyes were shut tight...his breath came out in harsh puffs, and every inhale of his lungs dragged that mouth-watered scent right into his system.

His blood started boiling...like it did every time he got too angry.

But...he wasn't angry this time? What was this happening?!

"Jak? Hey, you ok?"

The heat was too much...it was too much...

"Jak! Hey snap out of it, kid!"

HE was too much!

"Fuck! This was a mistake, I'm gonna call your fa-"

Torn didn't get to finish his sentence as purple lightning crackled around then. In a flash he was grabbed around the neck and pinned to the bed harshly by a pale hand with black claws. Torn opened his mouth to yell, but his cry was silenced by the freezing shock and terror he felt when he saw something that looked a LOT like Jak.

And the more he looked...he started to realize this was Jak...

Or...at least his body.

The creature pinning him down was pale...almost gray, with curved black horns sprouting up from pale gray hair that used to be yellow and green. Its mouth curled up in a snarl, showing off pointed white fangs.

But the eyes were what kept Torn from being able to move...those blue eyes that were as vibrant and full of life as the ocean...turned black and empty.

This...was the second time in his life where Torn felt like he was powerless...

He briefly tried to struggle against the hand on his neck, but a loud, dominating roar from the monster kept him still.

Instinctively, and unable to stop himself from doing it, Torn closed his eyes and turned his head submissively. This seemed to please the monster as it released his neck and instead grabbed his biceps and pushed them hard into the mattress as it pressed up against Torn's body. Torn tried to will his body to move...but it just wouldn't.

An Alpha had told him to submit...and even though he could literally be killed at any moment, his fucking biology was forcing him to remain frozen.

He felt a warm tongue slide over his neck, right where his gland was, and it caused a shiver to go up his spine. Lips were then pressed against the gland as a low growling sound began to emit from the creature. Torn couldn't do anything but lie still as the monster masquerading as Jak began to lick and suck along his neck, most likely trying to coax out more of his scent.

As time went on, Torn started to feel strangely...relaxed.

Sure, this situation was absolutely terrifying and he was so fucking confused, but the painful shredding of his insides from those vicious claws never came. In fact, the monster became surprisingly...gentle?

In fact, it even released its grip on Torn's arms and was instead nuzzling against his side like an overgrown cat.

After 30 minutes of the creature nuzzling, rubbing, and sucking his gland, Torn actually found he was able to move. When he sat up, the creature made a noise that was a mix between a whine and a growl before sitting up as well and wrapping its arms around him, keeping him from leaving.

"Didn't you fucking get enough?!" Torn glared incredulously at Jak's inner monster, receiving a blank stare and another lick in reply.

Torn growled in frustration as he resigned himself to allowing Jak's dirty little secret to indulge itself.

And then he was tackled again.

"Hey! What the-"

A shocked gasp escaped him as this monstrous version of Jak began sucking hard against his gland and using its body to press Torn into the mattress, keeping him from escaping.

"F-fucking..." His expletive was cut off by a sharp moan as Jak's dark side started scraping its fangs along his gland...not biting down, but putting delicious pressure against it.

There was a slight fear of being bitten and forcibly bonded...but it was overwhelmed by the pleasure hitting Torn in his hips. He bit down on his lip hard enough to bleed as he tried to will away the arousal.

His body betrayed him as he felt a small trickle of slick ooze out of him.

Arousal he did not ask for was beginning to bloom in his loins, and his body was already preparing for a good fuck.

But he didn't truly want this...not now...not ever if he could help it.

He thought he was a goner until the suction stopped and the creature passed out against his chest, slowly...the horns disappeared back into the now blonde and green hair. The pale skin darkened to that golden tan he was growing familiar with.

He couldn't see Jak's eyes now that he was asleep, but he was sure the black must've faded as well.

After doing a number on his neck, the perverted, bratty alpha was in a deep sleep.

Torn just laid there dumbfounded as Jak snored against his chest...unaware of what he'd just put him though.

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!"

.