The Week of Four Thursdays

by madmaenad

Humans don't have dynamics. Level D vampires only present as Betas. Vampires mature around age 50. Only one of these things applies to Kiryuu Zero. Now Yuuki, Kaname and Zero will have to learn to live with the aftermath (A/B/O AU. In nature, the most dangerous animal is a mother with her young, and a vampire is a predator at its core. Kaname/Zero/Yuuki, Omega!Zero)

38. As Your Nature Demands

Hello readers! As always, thank you all for your patience and wonderful support. Here's an extra large chapter for your pleasure. Hope you enjoy!

Giant shoutout to Roze_Ryuuki on tumblr for creating another fabulous TWOFT fanart piece. Take a look and admire it yourself: post/178107153758/second-fanart-of-madmaenads-vampire-knight

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XXXVIII. As you Nature Demands

In the way of all things one would rather avoid, the spring Jeweled Court arrives in a rush, far sooner than Zero would wish. The fights will be brutal, and not just because of the scorn his barrenness has earned.

Shoshana has regained enough strength to attend, and Zero knows that without Ouri's protection the Court will tear her apart. He's not about to stand aside and let that happen, though it will certainly earn him more enemies. Takuma will lend them what aid he can, but their intent is to make him the de facto Head Consort. Zero has insisted that if necessary, Takuma must leave them to fend for themselves to make himself a more acceptable authority figure. Reluctant but knowing what's practical, Takuma has agreed.

The night before the Court, Zero jerks awake in the middle of the day, restless from anticipation and overheated by the tangle of bodies that are his spouses. It's easy for the Hunter to slide out from underneath the sheets without waking either of them.

Kuran is sleeping in the middle, as he has since Cross' house - true sleep, insensate to the world. He sleeps almost as much as Yuuki now, recovering from his daily emotional discord, and taking the center position seems to steady him. Yuuki and Zero realized quickly that his episodes are less frequent when he has significant non-sexual intimacy and physical contact, and have worked out ways to satisfy his need, keeping Kuran in a more balanced frame of mind.

Both Zero and Yuuki have noticed Kuran's mental state improving since Kuran joined them during Zero's touch sessions, and Zero has felt comfortable enough to invite him back more than once. It's his peace gesture, an apology and a silent attempt to show Kuran that just because Zero doesn't love him they can still be close.

And truthfully, it's also because Zero is curious. Hearing their relationship explained through Kuran's eyes fascinates him. He wants to understand what made Kuran relinquish his hate. What mysterious thing Kuran sees in him that could drive him to the edge of madness. And each new session, held in his husband's arms with Kuran's voice in his ear, Zero thinks he may be starting to grasp it, just a little.

Zero tucks the blankets around Kuran's body, checks to make sure Yuuki is breathing peacefully, and slips silently out of the bedroom.

Deciding he's too unsettled to sleep, Zero snatches up his lightest silk robe, wrapping himself in its voluminous folds for propriety's sake, and journeys to the Consort's suite. He paces for a few minutes in the courtyard, trailing his hand in the cold fountain. But the afternoon sun makes the courtyard stones emanate heat, and soon Zero ducks back inside, trying to cool off.

The residential palace is mostly silent at this hour, the servants still abed and only the guards on their rounds passing through the halls. Zero decides against going back to sleep, mind already energized and alert even with so little rest, and occupies himself instead with some paperwork he's been putting off, hoping to lull himself into further dreams.

To no avail - soon he puts aside his pen, and wanders through his suite, shedding his robe on the back of a chair in the dining room. Passing through his bedroom, he goes into his bathroom, intending to soak in the tub - but pauses, looking at the door on the opposite wall which is nearly always closed. On a whim, Zero goes inside.

The windowless nesting den is pleasantly clean-smelling and cool, empty except for the massive bed - dwarfing the one in the master suite - covered in countless cushions and fabrics, just as Zero remembers from the few times he'd looked inside. Reminiscent of the room's name, the bed is sunk slightly below floor level, with the ground forming a shallow lip around the edges. Zero's toes sink into the thick rugs, and he wiggles them, melancholy hitting him. This room's very existence is a rebuke - an omega's nesting den that Zero may never use if he can't manage to force his body into heat. Feeling his face harden, Zero spins on his heel and shuts the door with unnecessary force.

The maids are startled to find Zero watching the sunset from his sitting room window, bare arms crossed and a thunderstorm in his eyes. They bring him the pale blue formal costume chosen for him and a tray with an early breakfast. Zero falls on the food like a starving wolf, eyes the garments critically, and asks a hastily woken Sasaki if there's anything else he can wear.

The head maid takes a lingering look at Zero, gauging his current volatile mood, and disappears into Zero's bottomless closet. She returns with an armful of tissue-wrapped fabric, and shakes out each individual piece with solemn ceremony.

The whole outfit is colored a rich, deep indigo, which attracts Zero immediately. The undergarments are deceptively plain, with only a scattering of gold embroidery, but the loose trousers and long-sleeved, fitted underdress both emit an understated elegance that bespeaks quality.

Only the cross-collared outer robe bears any significant ornament. The chest and wide, draping omega sleeves are embossed with a shining gold fishscale pattern, and a kirin with the same golden scales gallops on the skirts. The shawl is woven of thin, sheer shot silk that shifts silver-gold in the light, and matches a sash of the same gauzy silk. Paired with the costume is a heavy gold necklace made of triangular pieces arranged to point outward, reminding Zero of arrowheads, and a lapis consort's headpiece to match, its jutting points like a spiked crown.

"I'll wear this one, Sasaki-san" Zero tells the Head Maid, feeling pleased, his restlessness appeased for the moment. She bows, leaving him alone to change into the first few layers.

His maids are putting the last few touches on his costume when Zero feels the two pureblood auras down the hall beginning to stir. Dismissing the women, he avoids his spouses by hurrying to the Senate palace, a deep-rooted stubbornness animating him. He feels fresh, focussed, and he doesn't need his overbearing alphas hovering and directing.

In plain mourning white, Shoshana meets him with the quiet, grim humor of the condemned. Reflecting her changed circumstances, her simple hoseki is a plain silver chain with a single white quartz dangling on her forehead, instead of a consort's circlet like the one Zero wears. She must notice Zero hasn't been scent marked by his alphas, but follows without comment when Zero offers his arm for support.

With her fragile health in mind, the two omegas are traveling by car. Just as they're helped into the back seat, Zero sends one of Shoshana's attendants to his spouses with word they're leaving early. He's still stubbornly reluctant to see them, and unwilling to analyze the impulse while the Court looms.

When they arrive, Zero leaves his phone behind him on the car seat, blinking with unread messages.

As early as they are, the two Consorts have the meeting hall almost to themselves. Only Ilesanmi's team has already arrived; Zero nods to her politely, and receives the same gesture in return.

When Shoshana is directed to a seat among the common omegas, Zero makes a nuisance of himself until the host lays a third place at the Consort's table and Zero helps her frail form sit. Still spoiling for a fight but placated for the moment, the Hunter forces himself into his own chair and into stillness, wrathful air keeping the arriving omegas gossiping and staring at a distance.

But no distance is great enough to stop his power, or to insulate him from the cruel rumors. The whispers flow into his ears, no matter how silent or hidden, and all Zero can do is listen.

Does he expect us to respect him, barren as he is? He's humiliated his alphas and their allies - why I'd never show my face in public again!

Why is she still there - the two of them thinking themselves above us, what a joke!

Can you just imagine that slut waiting and waiting to come into season, and then realizing he can't? Oh, I wish I could have seen his face.

Bitch finally got what he deserved. I can't believe Shirabuki-sama's blood was wasted on him...

I always knew that dirty cunt would be a failure. A fake. Poor Kuran-sama and Kuran-hime. I'd love to 'console' them, if you know what I mean...

Zero's hands tighten on the arms of his chair, and his jaw clenches until he fears his teeth might crack. The omegas do little to hide their glances and scorn, brazen before his certain loss of face, and Zero can read exclusion in the way they avoid the Consort's table.

Zero wishes he could match Shoshana's apathy - if not for her widow's robes and the lines of illness in her face, he could tell no difference from her eye or comportment.

Not everyone respects their isolation. Abe soon slinks up to sink his fangs in. He smells weakness, seeking a chance to humiliate his former superior, and revenge for his last meeting with Zero.

Zero's lips curve upward at the memory. Proving his virginity to the Court means nothing compared to his skipped cycle, but damn it if wasn't satisfying. Kuran, that bastard, knows precisely when to drive the knife.

Shoshana remains immovable and indifferent, perfect composure holding firm.

"I was sorry to hear, Kiryuu-sama, that you won't be holding any celebration soon," Abe sneers, gaze lingering significantly on Zero's abdomen. "Looks like Ichijo-sama's baby will need to play with someone else's child."

Abe always deals in low insults. Zero knows this, and yet the mocking remembrance of their last encounter is almost too much for his temper. "It's no trouble. Azai-san's child is due in July. I'm sure you've heard that the child has been promised as my wife's shadow."

There's the jealousy Zero was hoping for - Abe's nostrils flare and his lips press together; he wants the prestige of a Shadow contract for himself. Stung, the omega switches targets, offering a shallow smile. "We were all surprised to see you here, Shoshana-san -"

"Consort," Zero interrupts. "She is Consort Shoshana to you."

Abe affects distress. "But Kiryuu-sama, she is hardly a Consort now that her husband is dead!"

Shoshana flinches.

"Until she marries again, she is Consort Shoshana, and you will speak to her with the proper title," Zero disagrees, voice soft and low. Whatever Abe sees in Zero's eyes makes the omega hastily agree, muttering insincere agreements and apologies.

"One more thing," Zero says, intuition knifing through him white-hot. "During her stay at Rosehill, Shoshana has been teaching me the history of the Jeweled Court. After all, I ought to know everything about my subordinates, shouldn't I?"

Abe sneers again, not understanding Zero's drift.

The Hunter smiles, slow and mysterious. "In the future, you will all find me far better informed regarding personal matters." Zero places emphasis on the last words, and leaves the implication plain. Shoshana's mouth curves upward too.

Zero can almost see Abe's thoughts - what did Shoshana tell him, what does he know - and Abe hastily scuttles away to the nearest knot of gossiping omegas. By the time the Court opens everyone will hear the rumors, and everyone will be wondering the same things. The vicious satisfaction is poor salve for Zero's wounds, but he contents himself with what he can.

Shoshana lightly touches his sleeve.

"You've been through enough. I'm not letting them have you," Zero answers, scanning the crowd, already intuiting her reserve.

Fondness crinkles the corners of her eyes. "I know you well enough that I will not try to convince you of the difficulties of your choice. But I want to thank you nonetheless."

He offers her a wan smile, but the encounter has set his teeth on edge. He remains on his guard; there will be many more such attacks.

Other omegas drift up to test him, some probing and cautious, others with sharp voices coated in poison. Sly, false condolences to Shoshana, two-faced reassurances to Zero. Zero ripostes with pointed allusions to the secrets Shoshana's taught him - hidden infidelities, old grudges, thefts and betrayals - and they draw back.

It makes him feel dirty. Zero's constitution abhors the need for these underhanded moves. If Zero employs these tactics, how is he any different from them? But he has no choice. His opponents have multiplied; many undecided omegas have come out against him after his missed heat. Zero needs to neutralize as many enemies as possible before the Court itself, to make his enemies think twice before striking, to fear his retribution.

The Court hasn't even started, and Zero is already tired and frustrated and sick of being humiliated.

Takuma enters with great fanfare from the gathered omegas, a full six months pregnant and with his sash tied under his breasts to indicate his gravid state. Glowing and golden, he attracts an entourage full of flattery and lies, all seeking to curry favor. They trail along, grasping for his attention until he dismisses them with a few polite words and comes to Zero.

"Are you alright," the noble whispers, grasping Zero's wrist and smiling as though they're exchanging pleasantries. "Kaname called and said you left without a word this morning. I barely talked him out of storming here himself."

Irritation prickles at the reminder. Zero scowls. "I'm fine. Just wanted to be early."

Takuma looks as though he'd like to press, but remembers his audience and sighs. "Please call both of them during the break. They worry about you."

Grudgingly, Zero nods his assent, but he's saved from further guilt by a shift in the conversational tempo and a flurry of movement. The noon hour is dawning and the opening of the Court is at hand.

He should probably feel more nervous. He's facing another grueling test to prove himself.

Zero just feels angry.

He's sick of being forced to play these futile games, to hide and bend and make himself acceptable, to cater to the expectations of people he doesn't respect. Of trying to wrest the least scrap of politeness and acknowledgement from vampires who look down on him for his blood status and ancestry. Damn the lot of them - his wretched body decided he'd lost before he even walked in. So he's finished - finished trying to make them not-hate him, finished making their submission easy for them.

The Hunter leans back in his chair, and rests his chin on his first. He breathes out, counts to ten until the heat of his anger is banked. "I welcome all of you. The spring session of the Jeweled Court is now open."

In the back, Ilesanmi straightens, recognizing a Hunter's eyes in Zero's face.

"Before we start, let me make this very clear," Zero warns, narrowing his eyes. "During the year of mourning for Lord Ouri, you will all refer to Consort Shoshana by her proper title. Those who refuse disrespect the late Ouri-sama, the Senate, and the Kuran family."

Mutinous silence. His power has already picked out a few who intend to test Zero's resolution. Others are thinking twice, fearful of incurring the consequences Zero promises.

"That's all I have to say on the matter. Let's start the greeting ritual."

It's a farce. A mockery. Zero sees the cruel pleasure lighting the faces of those delighted with Zero's failure and Shoshana's fall, the dismissal of those who feel them worthless, the rudeness heaped upon those helpless to avenge it, the disgust of the ones who have always hated his Level D and Hunter roots, the indifference and disappointment of the monarchists, hurrying through the words since Zero's favor means nothing. The tea group omegas are a reprieve, but Noguchi's cool satisfaction as she performs a perfunctory bow wipes out any trace of reserve.

A knot forms under Zero's breastbone, each new offense displayed flayed open under his hypersensitive intuition. Like winding steel wire round and round a stony knot, the tangle grows, irritation building to agitation. Zero seeks mushin; his search fails, self-discipline interrupted as some new barb lodges itself in his flesh.

Slow wrath diffuses through his veins like blood in water; his head goes still and quiet. During lunch, Zero picks at his food, anger stealing his appetite, frustrated by a desire to move and forced to be still.

He does not call Yuuki or Kaname during the break. The idea of hearing their voices galls him when he can taste this rage on his tongue. Takuma sends him disappointed looks; Zero ignores him. The noise, the crowd, the heat of the room - all wear at him. He can't settle. Mushin evades him still.

Underneath the table, Zero's nails dig into his palms when everyone begins returning to their seats. His face could be stone for all the expression he shows as he calls the afternoon session to order.

Both Shoshana and Takuma seem worried. Zero wishes he could reassure them, but he still can't submerge himself in mushin past the anger boiling under his skin.

A tumult of voices rises when he opens the floor to discussion. Without any real interest, he wonders which will win - their outrage that they can't drag Shoshana down to their level, or the chance to parade his failures in front of him.

"I really must protest, Kiryuu-sama!" A surprise - Hirono, one of the monarchist faction, rises to her feet, and her shout carries over the rest of the Court's noise.

"Protest what?" Zero asks, voice coming out perhaps a touch too sharp.

"This is highly irregular! Consort Shoshana cannot retain her title - it isn't proper, and goes against the rules of this body!"

Zero's jaw tightens. He needs to make an example of her, however much it turns his stomach. Shoving down his self-disgust, he leans back in his chair, letting the vicious red anger rise. "I'm surprised at you, Hirono-san. Given the low means through which you acquired your wealth, it seems a little hypocritical of you to object."

She blanches. "How dare you slander me without any evidence!"

"Is that what you think? You might be surprised what the resources of a pureblood family can uncover," Zero replies, his words too barbed too pass as casual. "I have a set of financial records in my possession belonging to the late Nagao-san that say otherwise."

The watchers titter. Hirono's tawdry ascension is a poorly-kept secret, but has never been officially confirmed - until now. They understand the message: Zero is aware of their scandals. The next omega who pushes him too far may find a less public secret exposed.

Zero narrows his eyes, sweeping his gaze across the Court. "There is no precedent for a Consort outliving their spouse - not since the most ancient Blood Wars. Therefore, I am making a new rule now, in the spirit of the decisions made by the Senate and the Kuran family. Consort Shoshana will be treated as a Consort until she bonds again. This is not up for discussion. You're welcome to air your protests if it makes you feel better."

And they do, at length, jealous and greedy as they are, wanting to pull down whoever stands above them. The Senate faction is pleased to have proof that Zero is ruining the Court's traditions. The monarchists, while they support Shoshana as a Consort, disapprove less vehemently for the same reasons.

Takuma makes a valiant attempt at smoothing tempers; Shoshana demurs to the intentions of her patrons, the Kuran family, and the protectors of her late husband's caste, the Senate.

Zero stews in silence, letting the omegas work themselves into a good frothing outrage. His hands twist restlessly beneath his sleeves. He feels stifled under all these layers. He wants to be elsewhere, wants above all else to go Hunting, to run in solitary freedom.

Finally, the outrage winds down, the omegas recognizing this matter is out of their hands. And now it's Zero's turn, as the person that made the loathed decision. Noguchi Sada rises, and her movement makes the room fall effortlessly quiet.

A pulse of bitter jealousy makes Zero's hands ball into fists, and he raises his head, the hard stone of anger in his throat not allowing words.

Noguchi shows every outward sign of respect, and that makes her words all the more hateful. "Our condolences on your missed cycle, Consort Kiryuu. Truly unfortunate. I know all of us were hoping that Kuran-sama and Kuran-hime might know the joy of a new child. But it seems that is not to be…"

The lancing pain is still fresh; Zero struggles to show none of it, intuition warning worse to come, balancing on the point of his perceptive clarity.

"But this does leave the Court with a problem. If Kiryuu-sama cannot come into season, he cannot trigger a heat. He cannot bond properly with Kuran-sama and Kuran-hime."

"That remains to be seen," Takuma interrupts, casting a glance at Zero. "A delayed cycle does not necessarily mean Consort Kiryuu is incapable of heat."

"Be we must, unfortunately, consider the possibility. I speak only out of concern, Consort Kiryuu - you must know that some of my fellows are still concerned about your ability to lead us if you never understand what it means to give birth to and raise a child."

"I recall," Zero manages, when Noguchi pauses expecting an answer.

She nods, a clever gleam in her black eyes. "If you were never able to enter heat, and therefore to bond your alphas, I am unsure if you would be able to properly claim the title of Head Consort. The Court might fall into chaos if you appeared to be nothing more than an official mistress."

The Court erupts in whispers; Takuma nearly objects, holding his tongue only because Zero grabs his wrist, sensing the protest will help nothing.

Noguchi isn't finished, talking over the noise until she has the Court's silence. "But the greater concern is Kuran-sama and Kuran-hime's comfort. The greatest joy of an alpha is union with an omega. If you can only enter heat sporadically, bonding you denies them that complete fulfillment." She lowers her voice, tone taking on a kindly, gentle air. "Perhaps it might be better if you declined to bond with them, in favor of an omega who can satisfy all their desires."

The blood pounds in Zero's ears. The words he has so often thought as he doubted himself hang in the air. His intuition reads the agreement of the room, the complete surety that all Noguchi says would be for the best.

"In another century, the Kurans can obtain the next omega that presents. The treaty can be preserved by having the marriage annulled and you can bind yourself to another significant alpha." Noguchi seems so reasonable, so sure. The Court scrambles to support her.

Zero's chair scrapes the floor with a loud shriek. He slams his hands on the table once he's on his feet, shocking the omegas into silence. He's shaking so hard he can't speak past the red haze of his rage, broken open and bleeding inside him. How dare they - how dare they try and take his husband and wife away from him! He wants to put his hands around Noguchi's throat and choke her, squeeze the life out of her and then make the rest of these spineless vampires bleed…

"Zero?" Takuma whispers at his elbow. The noble has gone white, and there is a trace of fear in his voice. "Are you...are you in season?"

Zero freezes. A quick glance at Shoshana reveals similar caution in her posture as she scents the air. The Hunter's weak nose can't find any difference in his smell, but the dry feverish flush he can feel in his cheeks tells him something in his body has changed.

Now recognized, the beast in his belly rises, and shakes free of its chrysalis, rampant nature fanning out in all its savage glory. As Zero's body welcomes adulthood and its mantle of copper-tinged hunger, the red haze suffuses him, sowing murderous whims in his blood.

The Hunter and the omega halves of him embrace one another, predators both, united in deadly purpose; Zero cannot see it, but they lend a sinuous, disconcerting fluidity to his movements, all his jagged pieces finally moving in harmony.

Zero watches the way his scent blossoms and spreads; each new row of watching omegas flinches and cringes as it sweeps over them, his scent a warning triggering their instinctive fear.

An unbonded omega is a supreme bait for any alpha who wishes to trigger their heat and claim them. Knowing both their own painful vulnerability and newborn allure, they rage wildly, leaving bloody destruction behind in their drive to defend themselves. There is nothing more dangerous than an omega in season, and no omega more dangerous than an unbonded maiden. Unstable, with no calming influence from a bondmate, a maiden omega's aggression is set to hair-trigger, inexperience making them twice as vicious.

Zero's gaze swings, weighs heavily on his gathered rivals. His lip curls, showing his fangs. These are his competitors? Soft, all of them, with blunted fangs and claws. It would take no more than a moment to tear out the throat of any one of them, like a hungry falcon loosed among shivering hens.

Raising his head, Zero feels his own power course in his veins, the pride of the strongest beast, the confidence of his desirability and repugnance of any chains. He wants to maim, to bite, to claw, to break free from this close room with too many strangers in it, but his rationality forces a tight rein on his instincts.

Shaking off his robe and shawl, Zero begins pacing through the rows, his beast savoring the fear and knowledge of their own weakness flowing in his wake. These omegas know intimately the waves of violence buffeting him, and fear any slip in his control. Yes, this will do…

"Perhaps we should end the Court early?" Takuma suggests with his eyes lowered submissively, proving himself the bravest one in the room. The noble need not fear - he is the brother of Zero's courting alphas, and no rival. Zero will protect him and his growing offspring with all his strength.

"I think not," Zero replies, fingers tapping at his thigh, twisting beneath his restlessness and urge to slaughter. "I won't have anyone claiming that I ran away, or cheated the Court a full session."

The room stays silent, disappointment and new terror keeping them silent.

"Come now," Zero says, voice halfway between purr and growl. "You all have so much to say normally. We're not leaving until I've heard everything."

And for once, Zero gets what he wants. They don't dare antagonize him, and each mundane announcement is made with the same terrified hesitation. Idly, he considers how many he could kill before they could stop him; Zero may be a novice to the Court, but he is a masterful Hunter, and his rivals remember it now. All eyes flick nervously toward him as he circles the room, beating back his agitation, restless hands clenched on his upper arms to keep himself still.

Zero draws it out at his beast's urging. Let them remember this moment, when a greater predator breathed on their necks and then turned away. They will hate him for it, but perhaps their fear will paralyze them.

And they will never try to steal what belongs to him, ever again.

---

Yuuki nudges Kaname's knee, reminding him to remain focused as the presentation drags on.

This strategy meeting with their business partners could not be rescheduled on such short notice, not even when Kaname feels halfway to a breakdown. Shirabuki dealt enormous damage to their holdings - the true extent of that damage is only now being fully realized - and plans must be finalized for the trajectory of the recovery.

If Kaname were his normal self, he would be waist deep in the rebuilding process, challenging himself to complete the recovery in the least time possible. Instead, his agile mind is replaying every interaction he's had with Zero in the past week, trying to uncover his error. Zero didn't even speak to them this morning. Didn't even let Yuuki touch him, let alone Kaname. Yuuki and Takuma tried to convince Kaname it was the Court's influence, but Kaname's scarred, starving heart is not appeased.

His phone vibrates for perhaps the third or fourth time in the last half-hour. Kaname shuts it off. It is laborious enough to keep his attention centered in the present; additional distractions are not needed as he struggles against the mire of his despair.

Despite his dear wife's efforts, Kaname knows outsiders are beginning to catch on to his mental state. During tonight's meeting, it is vital that he appear sharp as ever; among their business partners number many of Kaname's strongest allies, the monarchist faction's wealthiest and most influential. Positive testimony from them would do much to counteract any rumors.

A stir echoes outside the room. Kaname ignores it, his attention eaten up by the effort it takes to force himself to behave normally. Yuuki looks at the door curiously, as do a few other nobles. But when the noise quiets they, too, turn themselves back to figures and projections.

Then the door swings noiselessly wide, and Zero prowls through. Kaname finds the breath stolen from his throat - he has seen his boy like this only in scattered moments beneath moonlight when Zero holds silver death in his hands. Kaname lacks the poetry in his soul to do Zero justice - can only think in metaphors of sleek-coated leopards padding on noiseless paws.

Zero is lean and slim in his underskirts, deep blue with a flash of gold, and scandalously bare-handed - those pale, deadly fingers flexing on air like they wish to wrap around throats and dagger handles. His lilac eyes flash, flicker from target to target, settling nowhere, staring out from his flushed face beneath tousled hair. Wildness lies coiled in the lines of his body, the compressed strength of his frame stoked to readiness. The carved alabaster curve of his throat bewitches as he tosses his head, and the fine bones of each delicate ankle tease with a glimpse at every nimble step.

And the way he carries himself! The beast beneath Zero's skin knows he is deadly, knows that no eye can fall upon him and not desire him with every fibre in their soul. And yet Zero remains himself. All the wily intelligence of the Hunter gleams in his eye, unspoiled by the blind instinct twisting beneath his skin. The icy crust of reason reigns over the beast lurking below - the omega in all its fury leashed by steely will.

There are no words worthy of the savage beauty before Kaname - it assaults, it blinds, it snares all who see it into obsession. Kaname feels as one awakening from a long, dull dream in grey, kindled incandescent with how he burns.

Shying away from the alphas seated around the table, Zero shivers, as though shaking something off.

A fragrance falls around them - scent masking charms, provides Kaname's newly agile brain - urgent, heavy sweetness and heightened, sharp spice, familiar complexity given a new narcotic potency. The scent reaches out and presses bare fingers into the primal parts of the pureblood's brain.

His skin pebbles - Kaname indulges himself, opening his mouth and drawing the air over his palette. His eyes roll with pleasure and his belly grows hot; the alpha howls, shaking off its chains. An unbonded omega in season - their omega. Their beautiful silver mate.

Yuuki's eyes flash scarlet, echoing the greedy, possessive rumble in his own chest. All now becomes clear. Kaname has made no offense. His sweet boy is only behaving naturally, avoiding contact with any alphas - many omegas show such symptoms before their cycle can be detected.

Zero watches beneath lowered lids, fixing the two purebloods at the head of the table with a feverish intensity, a challenge in the stiffness of his spine. Not taking his gaze from either of his spouses, he begins running his hand along the back of each occupied chair, bare skin almost touching the foreign alpha.

Mate is almost being scented right in front of them! Yuuki snarls, the loud sound improbable coming from her small frame.

The other alphas in the room are universally frozen, trying not to be the one to draw the Kurans' ire, leaning forward as much as possible to avoid the fatal offense.

Satisfaction enters Zero's expression. "I've never been to the business offices. I thought I would surprise you."

Peering around the doorway, an apologetic Takuma mouths 'Sorry.'

Kaname would shrug, except every mote of his attention is fixated on the agonizingly short distance between the tip of Zero's fingers and the back of another alpha's head. The muscles in his shoulders bunch beneath his suit with the effort of keeping still.

The rational part of Kaname distantly analyzes the situation. Zero is in season, and he is following his instinct to taunt his courting alphas, to test their strength and dedication.

The less rational part would kill at the crook of Zero's little finger, happy to give Zero a tithe of blood if he desires. Kaname's allies will be difficult to replace given their stature, but Zero is his beloved, and his precious boy may have anything he wishes.

Even gripped by instinct, Zero is too gentle to want anyone harmed. He deigns to let his hand fall unsullied back to his side and steps away.

The room visibly relaxes. A few of the relieved alphas are even amused - common wisdom says the wilder an omega while in season, the wilder they are being bedded in heat.

Kaname flashes his fangs, advising his subordinates to wipe away those thoughts, and the alphas school themselves back to politeness.

"I saw your offices," Zero says innocently.

Kaname's cock throbs. His office will be blanketed under the thick pheromone cloud of omega-in-season; now Kaname must sit and work teased by Zero's invisible hand. The very idea excites him, but they must tread carefully, carefully. Here is where courtships are made or broken, in the final dance between instinct and reason.

"Your fellows must have made you quite jealous," Kaname remarks, lacing his fingers together to stop the urge to touch his lovely Hunter. "But you needn't fear, kitten. If I wanted any of them, I would have simply reached out and taken."

"We have eyes only for you," Yuuki promises, licking her teeth as though chasing the taste of Zero's scent in her mouth. "Only ever for you."

Zero tosses his head, mood quieting. He eyes them all suspiciously - omegas in season rarely venture outside their territory. No doubt he is feeling exposed and prickly in the presence of so mary alphas. "Don't bring strangers into my house," he says, and flies from the room.

Takuma makes brief eye contact with Kaname, and follows. Kaname owes his second for acting as Zero's guardian; Takuma's pregnancy and incompatibility with the Kurans makes him an inoffensive companion during Zero's cycle.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Kaname breathes out, head clearing now that his husband's distracting scent is not so close. Had Zero come into season in the middle of the Jeweled Court? Surely a first in the Court's history; Kaname would give much to have been able to watch the chaos.

From a personal standpoint, now is the absolute worst time for Zero's cycle to happen. Zero's trust in Kaname and Yuuki is at its lowest ebb, and their relationship is in tatters. In the current climate, they risk failing to bond.

For an omega, going into season causes a violent repulsion toward all alphas, a defense against attempts to forcibly bond them. They will suffer neither touch nor scent, and loathe even the sight of an alpha. Instinct incites them to drive off any over-bold suitor who approaches - always bloodily, sometimes lethally - and to jealously guard their territory and freedom. The savagery of such expulsions was legend - alphas gutted or maimed, torn to pieces and bled dry. You dealt with an omega in season at your own risk, as that fool Shoda learned.

An omega's rational mind could restrain those instincts either from fondness or fear. Thus the institution of courtship, meant to allow a heat to be triggered as easily as possible. The familiarity of courtship moderates the omega's instinctive rejection, allowing courting alphas to approach closer and be tolerated to some extent.

But courtship was not a guarantee. Sometimes even accepted suitors were attacked. A few had even been murdered. If the omega doubted, if the fear or fondness ran shallow...it had happened. And with Zero's rejection of his love, Kaname very much fears it will happen again. Zero's display tonight may have been for Yuuki alone.

"Gentlemen and ladies, we may need to reschedule," Kaname says, wrenching himself to the present. "I believe my wife and I will be otherwise occupied for the foreseeable future."

---

Zero finds being in season shockingly pleasant.

Kuran had been right; the violence sits simmering in his blood, but Zero is still in his right mind and capable of refusing if he choses. Granted, the omega's instincts seem to strip away his inhibitions, but all the omega wants to do is eat, sleep, patrol its territory, and kill invading vampires - perfectly acceptable to Zero's Hunter-bred sensibilities. And if the omega occasionally drives Zero to embarassing lengths, well, he can't currently feel any shame about it.

For example, his nesting den. Zero nestles deeper into his bedding, crooning happily. Zero likes his nice, soft nest and his pleasant shadowy den. It's insulated and quiet and good for napping. He's filled the recessed bed with extra blankets and pillows he stole from the empty guest bedrooms, so the hole is filled nearly to the top with thick duvets and luxurious cotton sheets. The walls enclosing his bed are lined in springy padding that makes his nest feel like a fluffy cocoon. Zero can hide in the bed's hollow or prop his head and shoulders on the raised shelf around the edge to look out.

Best of all, it only smells like him! Zero doesn't want his nest to smell like stinky alpha. He scowls and touches the grip of Bloody Rose, hidden under his favorite squishy pillow. Zero never noticed before, but alphas smell really awful, like teenage boys wearing too much cheap body spray. He can't imagine how he stood in a whole room full of them without snapping and carving a swathe of destruction - he must have been really, really jealous! Or maybe it was because he hadn't fully entered his cycle yet?

Anyway, Zero doesn't think he could do it again. He knows he's supposed to trigger a heat and bond, but right now he can't imagine suffering the company of a single alpha, not even Yuuki. The smell alone raises his hackles, and spotting an alpha inspires immediate rage. The thought of mating with one is utterly revolting - they'd have to kill him first.

Zero flings himself lazily into his pile of soft things and yawns. The Hunter reaches out with his senses, marking the nearest vampire auras - all clear. Now is a good time for a nap…

The soft breeze tickling the grassy meadow cools his blood. Zero puts his head in his hands, the haze lifted from his brain for the first time in a week. But it hasn't vanished - Zero feels it lingering in the margins of his consciousness, reminding him that when he wakes it will fall heavily upon him again.

Blood and ash, he's in season. Fear overtakes him. "What am I going to do?"

"All will be well in the end," the Ancestor of the Hunters promises him, gentle with sympathy as she reaches out to him in entreaty. "Kaname and Yuuki will not let harm come to you."

Zero shakes his head back and forth, speechless. He'd been prepared back in December, but to have this sprung on him suddenly - what if he fails again, what if he can't trigger a heat, what if he doesn't bond properly - oh god, what if he gets pregnant?

His breathing thins and quickens; anywhere but dreamspace, he'd be hyperventilating.

The Ancestress, alarmed, takes Zero's shoulders and looks into his face. "Be at peace, child. Whatever comes, I know you will meet it with dignity and strength." She pulls him to her side, and rocks him, humming. "Hush, you are not alone. Those who love you will help you."

Zero quiets, and his mind empties, fear petering out like water from a broken dish.

"Is there something wrong with me?" he asks quietly, the words plaintive. "Is my body broken?" He hesitates. "You said - you said my children would be marvels. But everyone says I'm probably…" He stops, throat closing up. Even if Zero can't allow himself his wish, deep in his heart he wanted a family.

Sorrow fills the Ancestress' eyes, wet with the shine of tears. "Oh, Zero. I'm so sorry. Perhaps I was wrong. When you performed the ritual to summon me at your wedding, I was able to perceive your body with great clarity. Everything inside you is perfectly formed, I promise." Her brow furrows, but she does not look away. "I have thought much on this. The culprit may be your human blood - your hybrid's body may lack the instructions to make your omega biology function properly."

"Oh." Zero sits and considers this. He's vampire enough to violate his body and ruin his life, but not give him anything he really wants. Zero puts a hand over his eyes until the twisting in his chest ebbs.

Then, because he has never shied from shedding his own blood, he says, "Marvels - all children are miraculous to their parents, but you meant something different when you used that word." His intuition weighs on him, and Zero turns toward her, impelled by a rush of understanding. "You thought my children would have been different somehow."

The Ancestor of the Hunters stills, placing her hands in her lap as she gathers her thoughts, and studies Zero's face before she replies. "I did. You are unique, Zero: a surviving cursed twin and a purebred Hunter from a Thousand Red Peony bloodline, who is also a stable Level D that has consumed four purebloods. The world has never seen anything like you before, and likely never will again. To cross your Hunter blood with the most powerful pureblood line - from a scientist's perspective, observing the outcome would have been fascinating."

"Why would that matter, since we owe our abilities to your pure blood? Zero asks, his own scholar's curiosity piqued.

The Ancestress smiles and holds up one hand, palm facing inward. "The pureblood Ancestors were designed with the best knowledge and technology of pre-Cataclysm humanity. They are limitlessly powerful, near-perfect beings who can marry their siblings because their DNA has no errors, and it copies itself perfectly forever. But that perfection is stasis. Their bloodlines remain identical to their first Ancestors. And the long lifespans of their mixed descendants mean that lesser vampires also have few opportunities for their genes to change. The vampire race as a whole is genetically stagnant."

Then she holds up her other hand, palm facing the first but held apart so space remains between them. "The Hunters are the opposite. They take in compatible new blood from humanity, and over hundreds of generations natural selection has pushed them to change, to become more efficient, and more adapted to the Hunt. The Hunters of today are far, far more powerful than their progenitors. Your eyes, for example," she says, touching Zero's temple, "are capable of night vision that is twice as good as a normal human's. Most intriguing of all is the thrifty Hunter metabolism. You survived for thirty years without blood, Zero. You pushed beyond the limits of what was considered possible, because of your Hunter ancestry."

The Ancestress of the Hunters joins her two hands together, interlacing the fingers. "So what happens when humanity's artificial perfection meets nature's messy, volatile efficiency, when the most powerful Hunter line joins the most powerful pureblood family? I cannot deny that I would be curious."

Then the Ancestress takes Zero's hands in her own, cupping them together like she's trying to shield him. "I tell you this because you have asked me and I will not lie to you. But please don't take it to heart. Do not dwell on the idea. My curiosity is nothing compared to your stability and comfort, and your worth is not changed by your ability to carry children. So enjoy your present happiness with your spouses who love you. Do whatever you think is best for yourself, Zero."

They both know her plea is useless. This knowledge will only deepen Zero's sense of failure. "Thank you for telling me," Zero says, then shivers like a phantom hand has run down his back.

The meadow begins to dissolve at the edges, and the beast rushes back into his blood. His senses jangle - danger! Alpha! Kill! Claw! Fight!

And Zero roars awake, leaping up in a single ripple as he launches himself out of the room.

---

Steward Inukai's voice is smooth on the surface, with just a hint of hysteria beneath. "Consort Kiryuu is on the roof again, Kuran-hime."

"Again?" Yuuki repeats, the word cracking in the middle under her disbelief. "How does he keep getting up there?"

Mate is scary and good at killing things? offers her adoring alpha.

The Steward's eyes show white around the edges. "We aren't completely certain, but one of the gardners believes he saw Kiryuu-sama climbing the wall bare-handed."

Kaname, the traitor, laughs, and leans back in his chair with a smile still curving his lips.

Crossing her arms, Yuuki glares at him and squashes down her alpha. "It's dangerous, Kaname!"

"No more dangerous than fighting a Level E," her husband replies, waving his book. "I'm impressed - that climb must be at least three stories high."

Yuuki narrows her eyes at him.

Mate will give us such terrifying babies, chirps her happy alpha. Yuuki sighs in defeat, and slumps down in the empty chair beside Kaname's.

Kaname chuckles, but takes a more conciliatory tone. "We really should have expected Zero's behavior to have some quirks."

A hysterical laugh bubbles up in her throat. Most omegas stick close to their nesting den when they're in season; a few even develop a severe fear of open spaces and refuse to leave their houses at all. Zero has spent the last week ranging over the entire valley and its surrounding area - kilometers of forested, rough terrain - popping up like a ghost in unexpected places and terrifying the servants with his ability to sneak up on them. He's also run circles around every watcher or familiar dispatched to keep an eye on him.

Besides his athleticism and ridiculous stealth training, Zero's been using his Hunter senses to cement his status as the scariest omega alive. Zero can remotely track every vampire in Rosehill, which means the few alphas employed at Rosehill have been physically unable to leave the staff quarters without Zero chasing them back inside like a dog treeing a squirrel. Even Yuuki and Kaname have needed to temporarily relocate to the Senate palace because Zero wouldn't come near his nesting den when he could sense them sleeping down the hall.

On the plus side, Zero's ability to avoid other vampires has prevented any opportunity for hormone-driven violence. Yuuki is glad; Zero wouldn't want to hurt anyone because of his vampire instincts.

But her omega's elusiveness also means Yuuki has not even spotted Zero's shadow in days. 'Hunger' is too weak a word for Yuuki's desire to see Zero. She aches to see him, to confirm with her own eyes instead of second-hand reports that Zero is okay. But her beast is adamant, seizing her by the throat when her thoughts drift to seeking Zero out. They must wait, and let mate come to them, or mate will be angry and run.

"Does Zero seem well? Is he still eating enough?" Yuuki inquires anxiously, turning back to Steward Inukai.

The steward relaxes, back on easier ground. "Consort Kiryuu's appetite is robust. The kitchen clears every two hours to give Kiryuu-sama the chance to eat, just as you ordered."

She breathes a sigh of relief; a healthy omega is supposed to gorge himself on as much food as possible. An omega's time in season is a trial of their ability to support a child - a test to determine if it's worth risking a heat. Only if the omega is healthy and secure, with plenty of food and blood available will they have the slightest possibility of entering a heat.

Kaname chuckles again. "Thank you, Steward. That will be all."

Steward Inukai bows and shows himself out while Kaname rises to his feet and dusts his slacks. "I'll be downstairs on a conference call with the inner circle. Should we succeed, I want to have contingency plans in place."

"Of course," Yuuki murmurs, and lifts up on her toes for a kiss, before she turns back to her work.

Kaname has been his old self since Zero crashed their business meeting like angry sex on legs - he's poised, he's strategic, cunning, back in control of himself and everyone around him. Yuuki suspects the idea of possessing Zero in the most essential way possible is suppressing his despair. Only time will tell if the old demons return, but Yuuki is holding out hope that bonding Zero may soothe the worst of Kaname's abandonment issues.

Establishing a successful bond will tie the three of them together for Zero's lifetime, unbreakable and undeniable. Zero will never, ever be able to leave Yuuki and Kaname after that. They will be under his skin, in his blood, the most intimate delights of his body keyed to them alone.

Yuuki shivers, her skin prickling with want, her pureblood nature stirring under her skin with the soul-deep hunger that never fades, never lessens. Yuuki needs to see Zero soon, or she fears her own breed of madness.

Like her thoughts conjured him, the primal part of her brain yanks her head up, toward the door - and there is Zero.

He is hanging back in the doorway, jaw clenched and trembling, warring instincts fighting against staying still in the presence of an alpha. But his eyes are clear, no matter the wildness in them, and Zero does not move his gaze away from her.

Yuuki drinks in the sight of him, heart singing Zero Zero Zero and beating so hard she can feel her pulse thunder in her throat. He looks healthy, and unharmed; long-held fear eases from her mind.

God, he's so beautiful. He's wearing a loose nightgown, modest as a maiden with every bit of skin covered from neck to ankle, but she can't tear her eyes away.

Yuuki's alpha has drawn up quiet in her chest, a watchful intent coiled tight, waiting for some sign. Yuuki breathes in, the now familiar heaviness in Zero's scent flooding her nose - and a new note underneath lights her body on fire.

Zero's eyes darken, and he stalks forward a few steps. He moves like water, and his hips swing in a way that makes Yuuki's mouth water and her cock stand up.

"I was slick between my thighs when I woke up tonight," he murmurs, head held high as he studies her. "I've been tossing and turning in my nest for hours, fighting the desire to kill you. Try not to make any sudden moves."

Yuuki swallows. There is one final condition for an omega to surrender to a heat; they must prove to their bodies they possess a high-quality mate as a sire. Which means they need a good fuck while fighting the desire to murder the alpha fucking them. A touchy process, to satisfy an omega's lust while they're still enraged by any alpha's advance. Any mistakes and she'll have claws in her throat.

"I've missed you," she says as Zero circles closer, keeping still and relaxed in her chair. She will gladly risk her blood for any glimpse of him now.

Zero smiles, the gentle one that's her favorite, and her heart flutters. "I've missed you too. I love you, Yuuki. Now stay absolutely still, and don't try to touch me."

Her cheeks color, and she nods eagerly, gripping the arms of her chair.

Zero chuckles, his omega's instincts temporarily driven back by his will, and darts forward with the same sensual grace he showed before, quick hands divesting Yuuki of her tights and underwear.

A teasing fingertip runs down the length of Yuuki's cock, collecting the fluid beading there, and she gasps, hands tightening.

Tensing and baring his teeth, Zero flees back to a safe distance as he collects himself, the omega flaring in his blood. He fights against his beast's urge to violence and repugnance of alpha scent, breathing hard and pacing the length of the room.

Yuuki waits, hardly even breathing. The alpha is a stream of praise and entreaties in her head - come here pretty mate, clever mate, we won't hurt mate, come let us mount your sweet hole, we'll be so good to you, get you so very round and heavy -

Slowly, Zero approaches her again. He's nearly vibrating with tension, shoulders and back stiff. "Sorry," he apologizes, "I'm still figuring this out."

Trying to project harmlessness, Yuuki relaxes into her chair and nods. In the books she's read, the first mounting is the hardest.

Zero sighs. "Thank you. Stay just like that, okay?"

Yuuki would respond, but then Zero pulls up his nightgown and he's not wearing any underwear - okay Yuuki, don't come before he's even touched you, breathe. She hasn't made love to Zero in weeks, and here he is wandering around their house all open and ready, with the folds of his cunt shiny-slick and his blushing cock straining against his belly. Guess that explains the loose clothing, her hysterical mind points out.

The omega's weight settles in her lap; wood shrieks as Yuuki clenches the chair's arms and struggles not to touch him. She can feel the folds of his pussy sliding damply over her groin and she sobs because she wants him and it hurts and he's so close and she - Can't. Touch. Him.

His hands settle around her upper arms, nails biting into the meat. Zero's chewing his lip and fidgeting, ill at ease and trying to figure out what to do. He's never been the aggressor - it's always his spouses who consummate their union, spearing him again and again as soon as he spreads his thighs. Their sweet, innocent boy.

Swallowing, Yuuki wets her lips, and the motion catches Zero's eye.

A spark of killing intent lights, and his nails bite more deeply into her arms. "Don't move," Zero reminds her, tipping his head back and taking a deep breath. Then he rises up on his knees, and his hips circle, fruitlessly searching for the head of her cock. He whines, the sound high with frustration and an edge of real threat.

"Zero," Yuuki whispers as calmly as she can. "Do you need help?"

Zero's head whips down, and he growls. His hips jerk again, his belly rubbing against her breasts and grinding his wet slit fruitlessly along her shaft.

She twitches, alpha instincts urging her to just pull her mate down on her cock and claim him. "Zero, I know you don't want to touch yourself. Let me just…"

"No! I want - I want to do it," Zero insists stubbornly. "I want to be with you more than anything. Let me show you." Somehow Zero claws his instincts down, taking one hand off Yuuki's arm and fitting the head of her cock against his hole with an urgent cant of his hips.

Yuuki's hips rise reflexively, and she groans because Zero hasn't taken a cock in weeks and she can barely part his cunt he's so tight. Like he's virgin again, she thinks furtively, and feels a savage joy in her belly as her cock pulses.

"I love you, Yuuki," Zero pants, shoulders rolling under the strain of forcing his channel to sheathe her cock. His pink walls grip her like a vise, and her sheer girth must burn and ache but he keeps taking her, doggedly sitting on every millimeter until he's stuffed with it, choking on it, the bulge of her soft knot kissing his pink lips like a promise.

They can't move fast. Zero's body refuses to part with Yuuki's cock now that she's embedded the whole length of it in his belly. He's so tight it makes her see stars; she breaks both chair arms with the first stroke inside him, never withdrawing but making shallow little thrusts, unwilling to leave Zero empty or separate from him.

Yuuki regrets that Zero's instincts won't allow a kiss, but their breaths fan across each other's cheeks like the brush of lips.

"Yuuki, I'm hungry," her omega demands, a dazed look in his eyes as their hips grind together. Zero's close, his cunt tightening in a familiar fluttering rhythm.

Baring her throat to him is all it takes for Zero to strike, a sloppy bite that spatters blood on his chin.

Yuuki tears her dress as her hands fist in the material, Zero's greedy mouth finally on her throat. Her hips arch and she hilts against her mate's womb, jetting semen in long spurts into his most secret depths. Her world narrows down to those two points - the rush of blood from her throat and the gush of seed into her mate's cunt.

Long minutes pass before she comes back to herself, Zero clenching and rippling around her as he uses her cock to reach his own peak. Yuuki aches to hold him, but settles for resting a protective hand on the curve of his hip, hoping the motion is too small for him to notice.

Zero's hands shift on her upper arms, and his back sags as he comes to rest in her lap, instincts abating for a few moments. His expression has relaxed too, the first coupling taking some of the fury out of him. "Did I hurt you?"

"Not at all," Yuuki assures him, wishing she could cup his cheek for comfort. "I'm more worried about you. Did you bleed at all?"

"I can't tell," he confesses, wincing as he shifts on her cock. "You're really big. Maybe."

Yuuki can't stop the proud grin taking over her face.

Zero huffs. "I'm going to need to go soon. The omega won't let me stay."

Her face falls. "You told us you don't trust Kaname. Are you two going to be okay?"

Zero doesn't answer, silent as he levers himself off Yuuki's cock except for a grunt of pain. He staggers, bow-legged, as he touches the floor, and lets his nightgown fall and cover the mess leaking between this thighs. One last look back, and then he's limping away.

Yuuki lets her head fall against the back of her chair, squeezes her eyes shut, and breathes in the scent Zero left behind. She believes in the bond they're built. Whatever happens next, it's out of her hands.

---

Zero drags himself to the nearest empty room with a shower, turns on the spray, and collapses into the bathtub. With his thin, stained nightgown sticking sodden against his skin, he feels like nothing so much as a wet cat, ears pinned back and instincts lashing beneath his skin.

Zero reeks of stinky alpha, and the smell's going to stick to his body no matter how much he scrubs. His nightgown stinks like alpha too, and it's got semen stains on it. Zero makes a face, and sinks lower in the tub, groaning when it makes the pain in his groin spike. Shit. He's definitely bleeding. Riding his wife's gigantic Kuran dick after weeks of strict celibacy and no prep was a stupid plan. If Zero weren't so screwed up and could actually touch himself, he might have been able to prevent his pain or clean himself up now, but instead he's going to stay here until his healing kicks in and hope the water carries away the worst of the mess.

Resting his cheek against the porcelain, Zero broods and drifts on his thoughts. The dull, itchy tingling between his legs when he woke up this evening has made the rage fogging his mind thin; his thoughts are clearer, more capable of contemplation in this temporary reprieve.

He meditates on his next goal. Zero loves and trusts Yuuki, which made allowing a stinky alpha to touch him bearable. Kuran is another matter. That foundation is full of cracks and his omega instincts remain wary. Allowing Kuran to take him will be difficult, and require all his will.

Zero shuts his eyes, falling into a light doze while Yuuki's blood churns warmly in his gut, the tickle that makes his thighs squeeze together throbbing persistently on the edge of his mind. This isn't heat, thank the Ancestress, so his mind is fully his own, but it's damned annoying to wander around with this irritating lust scratching at him.

In the fogged darkness of his mind, his beast is like a shadow circling in the water. Zero's eyes slide half-open, and he snarls, climbing out of the tub as the omega rises to the surface. He's been in one place too long. It's time to hunt.

The halls of the Senate palace are nearly empty. The servants take one look at him and flee; Zero curls his lip and tastes their terror with satisfaction. Leaving a trail of water behind, he stalks deeper, lower, searching for something.

His rational self knows what his omega wants; Zero circles fretfully around the pureblood aura even darker and stronger than Yuuki's. But he does not seek it out. His heart bears doubt, and the beast knows that.

Frozen at the crux of a hallway, Zero shivers, damp skin pebbled with cold. Go or stay? Closer or farther?

The Hunter knows his duty. But the beast does not care about duty. The beast has stripped away that excuse. The beast recognizes only fear and want. One or the other must suffice.

Zero wavers, unable to chose. Chose? He nearly laughs. What choice does he have? This consummation has been promised for a year. He's never been able to choose.

No. That doesn't mean anything. Zero's decision is not meaningless, even if foreordained. Acting according to his will has weight, has worth.

Does Zero want Kuran Kaname? Zero knows that he does not love his husband. Does he want to remain with the pureblood regardless? This will be forever. There is no undoing this.

Zero takes one step, then another, until he is running with no thought to where. His nose fills with the scent of alpha and he makes his aura go quiet, his footfalls silent. The omega spits and hisses, repulsed and angry; Zero must force one foot in front of the other. He creeps closer, shying from the voice he hears behind the door.

One last chance to turn back.

Zero pulls the handle, and slips inside.

Kuran was forewarned by the blood bond; the pureblood is facing the door, and dismisses his underlings with a few words and the click of a button.

They stare at one another; Zero feels that russet gaze like the touch of a hand, and hisses, skittering to the side and approaching the alpha indirectly. His omega balks, seeking flight or murder; Zero grabs a firm hold, and drags that weight behind him with each step.

Kuran smirks, but has the sense not to move or cause other insult.

"Back up," Zero orders. The long hardwood table in the library is a heavy thing, and well made. It will do.

Kuran obliges in a leisurely fashion, seating himself on the tabletop as if obeying his own whims. Without the slightest hint of shame, the pureblood even unzips his slacks and pulls himself out - already half-hard, the bastard - lounging indecently with the utmost relaxation while Zero makes him wait.

Zero considers giving in to his omega and castrating the bastard, but reins himself in. "Don't try to touch me, " he warns. "And let me do all the work."

Faster is easier when it comes to keeping his omega from murdering his spouses. Zero leaps up on the table, and shimmies into Kuran's lap, wet clothes and all.

The pureblood's eyes burn crimson, the only sign of his struggle to remain still, and he gives Zero a lewd appraisal.

Zero's omega shrieks and fights against his will, sensing danger. Fuck, this is harder than it was with Yuuki. Making a quick concession, Zero's omega instincts roar with satisfaction as Zero wraps his hands around Kuran's throat, applying gentle pressure and a silent threat to snap his neck.

Kuran inhales, clearly aroused.

Pervert, Zero thinks, and strokes the vulnerable arch with his thumbs while the omega whispers to draw blood. His husband looks well: no shadows beneath his eyes nor lines in his face. Kuran seems unburdened, without the misery Zero caused him clouding his gaze. Yuuki has taken good care of their husband. Far better care than Zero could. Maybe they would be better off without him, after all.

"Do you want me?" Zero ventures, the words out before he can take them back.

"With every piece of my wretched soul," Kuran promises, voice low and fervent.

Resonating with the force of that truth, Zero reads the darkness of the abyss in Kuran's face, and it is like recognizing a familiar dream. There is Zero's real husband, behind the charm and polite facade. There is the monster that belongs to him. The heaviness between Zero's thighs grows, and the Hunter squirms in Kuran's lap.

Kuran's mien softens, howling hunger joined with tenderness and a warm thing that might be devotion. The pureblood opens his mouth, then a reserve overtakes him, and the words quiver unspoken in the air.

Zero's intuition rings in sympathy. Do you want me too?

His hands tighten in warning around his husband's throat. In love or not, whatever old scars and old sins lie between them - Zero has worried about Kuran, had feared his time in season would worsen the pureblood's malaise.

"Stupid pureblood," Zero grumbles, rising up on his knees and hitching his nightgown up. "I told you I'm not going anywhere."

And it's worth it for the way Kuran's eyes go wide and he looks at Zero like a devout man praying to his god.

Zero blushes, and circles his hips, cursing how difficult this is to do this by himself. The length of Kuran's cock skims against his inner thigh, large and a little frightening now that Zero knows there's more mysteries between their bodies. His potential heat looms large in his mind. His alphas will plunge deeper than ever in his body, joining three lives together. If all goes well, Zero will take his first knot, tying his body together with his alphas as they attempt to breed him. He wants it and fears it both.

Missing its target once more, Kuran's cock slides uselessly against Zero's ass, and Zero nearly curses in frustration.

Kuran, an indulgent smile on his lips, snaps his hips just so, and neatly impales Zero's opening.

The Hunter lets out a high whimper. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Still not loose enough, but his eyes roll back in his head with how perfectly even the tip presses against his sensitive insides. He feels raw, but forces his body down anyway, sweating and breath whistling in his throat.

His eyes are wet when he's finally flush with Kuran's thighs - even Yuuki's come wasn't enough to ease the way. The omega scratches at Zero's insides, protesting the painful affront, but it's a distant thing. Zero wants to feel connected, and he gets his wish, thickness splitting him to his core, sore insides parted once more around the cock that fucked the virginity out of him.

Looking down at his husband - who no longer pretends to be unmoved, breathing hard with adoring lust shining in his eyes - Zero's breath hitches, and he unsteadily raises himself. He's missed Kaname too. "Let me stay with you," he begs, working his body back down the thick shaft, taking Kaname in as deep as he can.

Kaname's red mouth is parted, and his bottom lip shines with spit. "Always," he promises.

Zero wants to bite him, the feral urge making his fingers clamp down in earnest on Kaname's windpipe.

When the pureblood feels his breath catch, Kaname's hips jerk, sending a painful pang through Zero's insides. Kaname wastes his remaining air on a ragged laugh, a pleasured flush rising on his cheeks.

Stupid, Zero thinks, and gentles his grip. The pureblood's cock seems even larger and fuller now, Zero's body overfull and straining. No matter how it burns, Zero rocks his hips harder, pushes himself down like he's trying to take Kaname's knot early. Between his omega instincts trying to kill Kaname instead of fuck him, and his abused insides, Zero knows this must be quick.

But Zero wants this to be pleasurable for Kaname. Wants to be good for him. This is special - this is their real marriage, between just the two of them alone - and it shows in moments of tenderness, even with the near-violent pace. Though Zero's body shakes from each brutal thrust, Zero and Kaname hold one another's gazes without looking away.

Zero's fangs begin to ache, distracting from the burn between his legs. Zero knows what his beast wants. "Kaname, your blood," he stutters, grunting as another thrust slams home inside him.

"Take it," the pureblood groans, claws leaving gouges in the tabletop as he skewers Zero with another precise thrust right against Zero's most sensitive spots.

Zero squeals, caressing Kaname's throat and clenching taut inside. Kaname's brought Zero close to orgasm, dragging the spiral in his belly tight. Zero's throat burns with thirst; ducking his head down, Zero bites until he feels sweet blood on his tongue, whining with the delicious satiation.

Their rhythm goes choppy, Kaname's powerful thrusts alone keeping Zero bouncing on his cock. They're joined tight, the movements only stirring and pressing against Zero's walls. Zero whimpers, sensation sparking and melding, and the blood finally draws a shallow climax out of him. Pain keeps it from being truly spectacular, but the rush is still pleasurable.

Kaname's hips keep moving; Zero can feel the swell of him still unsatisfied. Letting Kaname's wound close, Zero squeezes his inner muscles with a grimace; he's torn again. "Come inside me," Zero urges, shifting his angle.

Kaname's rhythm stutters, and then the pureblood explodes in a final frenzy of thrusts, before releasing hot and wet inside Zero, stinging his walls.

Zero sighs. It's done. The only thing that remains is to wait and see if they were successful - to see if he enters heat or not.

Knowing it's only a matter of time before his omega drives him away, Zero allows himself a moment of fondness as he studies his husband's elegant face, carving this moment into his memory.

There's no going back now. Zero will spend his entire remaining life by Kaname's side. He's chosen Kananame. Chosen to stay. That counts for something.

Perhaps...perhaps it's time Zero tries destroying some of the walls he's constructed between them.

Uncurling one hand from around his husband's neck, Zero fists his fingers in dark auburn hair, pulling Kuran's head back.

The pureblood bends with Zero's urging, good-natured with the aftermath of his orgasm, displaying his throat. Kuran observes Zero's actions with slight curiosity, but remains placid to avoid tempting Zero's omega to violence.

Zero splays his fingers over the thin skin, feeling Kuran's blood pulse underneath. Kaname, he tells himself, not Kuran any longer. Zero can't hold anything back anymore. This stupid pureblooded stinky alpha fossil half belongs to him now.

His omega snarls in the darkness of his psyche, beginning to stir. "Don't do anything dumb to yourself until I get back," Zero instructs his husband. Kaname, he reminds himself. Kaname from now on.

The pureblood in question inclines his head with royal grace and embarrassingly evident infatuation in his eyes.

Ducking his head, Zero suspects his cheeks are warm with more than exertion.

---

The Kurans haven't seen Zero in almost three days. Once they finished coupling, the beastial instincts animating Zero drove him away as his omega aggression returned full force.

This second separation is easier for Kaname to bear, because Zero has promised to stay. He's sworn by the oath of their joined bodies that he will never leave Kaname, pledging to belong to Kaname and Yuuki alone for as long as he shall live.

Kaname will make certain that Zero's life will endure as long as eternity - the pureblood vows on his ancient black soul he will see it done. Within eternity, surely Kaname can teach Zero to love him!

To his wife's relief, Kaname's demons have lost ground; staying afloat in his own mind has been no struggle. Kaname cannot allow his despair to overwhelm him when Zero has given him such hopes.

As if summoned, Zero slinks through the study door with murder in his face. The Hunter sends a disgusted glare at the computer screen where a significant number of Kaname's subordinates are watching through video link, stalks up to Kaname, glares like the pureblood has just mortally insulted him, drops into Kaname's lap, curls up with his head on Kaname's shoulder, and then promptly falls asleep.

There is a moment of silence as Kaname and his inadvertent audience digest this.

"Congratulations, Kuran-sama," says a grey-haired alpha who owns close to fifty percent of the country's manufacturing capacity. "My Reisi was much the same on the cusp of his first heat."

The other aristocrats offer similar congratulations, but Kaname hardly hears them. Hands shaking with joy, Kaname tucks a lock of hair behind Zero's ear and kisses the crown of his boy's head, thoughts daring to turn toward hope. Zero's omega has accepted them. Soon their precious boy's body will heat and cry out to his alphas, and once joined no one will be able to sunder them again.

Kaname throws open the blood bond; Yuuki will know what his joy means. He gathers Zero's slumbering, loose-limbed form close, scenting him almost desperately with the glands under his jaw. If he were alone, Kaname would throw Zero's strong thighs open and check that his mark still lingers on his boy's pink hole, but no one except Yuuki and himself will ever be permitted to behold the altar Kaname worships at.

Suspicion blossoms, and Kaname glances askance at the alphas watching through the screen. "You have your instructions. Discharge them with faithfulness in my absence," he commands tersely. Then he ends the connection with the press of a single key, and the screen goes dark.

Kaname turns his attention back to the omega in his lap, rumbling happily in the back of his throat as he continues his frenzied marking. His jubilation bubbles warmly; Kaname needs to be closer, skin-to skin; no one must ever mistake Zero for unclaimed.

Zero grumbles when Kaname jostles him awake as the pureblood's stripping him naked, but settles back to sleepy boneless obedience when Kaname picks him up and lays him on a nearby sofa.

The door slams; Yuuki is here too, face alight with elated bliss that Kaname reflects back through their bond. She kisses him; they're both smiling like fools as they admire the naked omega before them, who's shaking off his nap and blinking.

Maybe it's his alpha instincts, or the pureblood part of him, but Kaname blinks and realizes his hand is frantically stroking his cock, and Yuuki is in the same state beside him.

Zero yawns, pink mouth opening up as a tiny noise escapes. The omega isn't aroused in the least, his scent utterly uninterested - he's not yet in heat, and until then won't permit any advances.

But Zero will go into heat now, they've ensured it, and that's the only thought Kaname needs to gush thick and heavy over Zero's perky little nipples and the flat plane of his belly over his empty womb.

Yuuki lasts longer than Kaname did, biting her lip as she stares at the mess Kaname's made of their Consort and tugging frantically at her cock; just before she breaks, she tugs Zero's ankles open so their pretty boy is lewdly exposed and every twitch of her hips leaves another pearly string of come marbling Zero's sinewy thighs and open cunt.

Zero just shivers a little, sleepy trust in his eyes, and submits obediently when Kaname and Yuuki rub their semen into his skin until their scents hang around him like a blanket. It will make him feel safe, and accelerate the changes beginning in his body, the slow chemical march toward receptiveness. The first switch has been flipped; now the changes will begin cascading through his flesh faster and faster, preparing him for a bond. Kaname and Yuuki's task now is to usher that change in, and care for Zero while he reaches that peak.

Every need Zero has, Kaname and Yuuki tend to. He is tucked away safe and protected, never left alone by himself where he would need to worry about being stolen away. In the evening, they dress him with their own hands, have him lift his arms as they pull a clean gown over his head and lace him up in the back, tie his robe sash and slide slippers on his feet. In the morning they bathe him, fill the master bath and wash him clean with soft cloths, spreading scented soaps and lotions over his milky skin, then lifting him out of the warm water to towel him dry, running their fingers through his silver hair to detangle any knots. Afterwards Kaname and Yuuki take turns washing his skin clean of any scents before marking his body again.

They feed him constantly - Zero will eat almost nothing once his heat rages, subsisting on water and his mates' blood alone - and he needs to gain weight immediately, because he's fighting-form lean and unprepared for his heat. No matter how full his stomach is, Zero always opens his mouth when Kaname and Yuuki bring him more, accepting every bite of food with clear delight and happy noises as they press their boy to eat.

Now that Zero willingly allows the Kurans in his nesting den, they pull the sheets off their bed so Zero can nestle embraced by his alphas' scents as he sleeps. Their boy steals warm jackets and other clothes straight off their bodies so he can bring the fabric close to his face and inhale the stronger, fresh alpha musk. Zero craves contact, cuddling up beside them; the alphas press him closer, hungry for every touch.

Zero is soft, pliable, trusting in every way as they handle his body and shape his schedule, but whenever strangers venture close the fury in his blood reasserts itself, and he becomes a snapping, snarling animal. Kaname and Yuuki try to keep those incidents at a minimum; they adore Zero loose and relaxed and sweet.

Zero remains mostly in his nesting den, venturing out only in the arms of his alphas, who are never far. He's tired, mind turned inward absorbing the changes sweeping through him. He speaks little but always looks to his spouses for comfort. If Kaname did not already love Zero he would be helpless now before the force of his devotion thundering against his breastbone.

Each day that passes, Zero's honeyed receptive scent intensifies, reaching out to hook in the primal parts of Kaname's brain. His alpha and his rational self have never been in closer rapport, their ecstasy equal and dual possessiveness in full flower. Kaname can feel himself edging closer and closer to rut, aggression and lust roaring like wildfire in his blood.

Rut does not consume an alpha the same way heat swallows an omega, but the drive is still a powerful force. Kaname catches himself holding his mate close and pouring out the alpha's devotion, crooning all those foolish promises Kaname once scorned. Their silver mate will leave his heat thoroughly knotted and bonded, with their babe in his belly and their seed leaking from his cunt. And then Kaname will take good care of his mate and his babies, forever and ever.

That time is coming soon. Zero started refusing food almost twelve hours ago, and left the nest by himself for the first time in five days to prowl the family wing for threats. There's a febrile, entrancing tinge in the air when Kaname draws breath, but no tease of fertility. Zero may not ovulate at all during his maiden heat - such fallow heats are the norm. His body is preparing itself for aligning his immune system with a new mate, and if the effort takes too great a toll his body will not attempt a pregnancy.

The fever in Zero's body has risen in the past few hours, and their boy has grown restless, unable to sleep. Whimpering, the omega rolls and stretches like he's trying to soothe an ache, exaggeratedly arching his back while bracing himself against the nest. Despite the pheromones pouring off his skin, he's leery of alpha touch, sensing instinctively that he must wait until his body is prepared for knotting or he'll be torn apart.

Kaname cannot wait to claim this last piece of his boy's innocence. Kaname has spied the swollen, fat lips of his boy's cunt and the glaze of slick coating his reddened hole. As Zero's body floods with hormones, the muscles of his cunt are relaxing, turning pliable and soft, making room in his body for a thick alpha knot to pop his cunt wide open.

Feeling the sharpness of alpha lust, Yuuki entwines their fingers, reminding Kaname to curb his desire until Zero beckons them. They have prepared well. The cabinets hidden in the nesting den's walls are filled with supplies - food, medicine, spare towels and blankets. They are ready.

---

Zero huffs, and kicks the he-alpha away, rolling into a cooler corner of the bed. He soaks up the coolness, until the heat in his skin saturates the sheets again. Hissing in frustration, he leaps up and crosses into the bathroom, shedding his clothes and pressing naked against chilly tile and porcelain.

There's a burning feeling writhing in his belly; the core of him throbs, heavier with every heartbeat; Zero feels dazed and stupid with it. He needs - needs what?

Between his legs, something tightens and a lightning strike darts fire in his veins.

Lifting his head, Zero pants, a flush dappling his chest. Hazy thoughts swim in his brain, then flicker out and coalesce down to a single tide of hunger. A gush of slick coats his thighs, and the omega cries out with the ancient cry of his beast's desire.

An answering roar echos from the nest in the next room. Then a second, higher. They rattle Zero's bones and send a delicious hysteria racing down to his needy core. Another flow of slick wets his inner thighs.

Zero trills - his alphas are here, ready to mate with him! But first Zero must lure them between his legs, make himself an irresistible fuck. He wants to snare their strength for himself, bewitch these alphas into seeding his belly and nurturing his babies. The omega's hips sway loose and liquid as he glides back to his nest, eyes half-lidded and lips parted, his body sensitized to the slightest touch.

Their red eyes light the darkness scarlet; Zero shuts the door behind him and preens, running his hands over his flesh and moaning from the pleasure. His breasts are swollen from his heat, and he feels his hole get even wetter as he plays with his nipples.

She-alpha is riveted, and her engorged cock bobs as she swallows. But he-alpha, older and more seasoned, isn't lusty enough yet, holding himself back with a thread of control.

Not enough! Zero wants them both ready to fuck him hard. Zero licks at the underside of his wrist, stimulating his scent glands, fanning out the smell of sex and pure want, and the male's eyes darken.

Watching he-alpha from beneath his lashes, Zero tilts his throat in a submissive gesture and opens his cunt with two fingers so his alphas can see how easily his fingers sink inside. Look alpha, look how hot and wet and ready for you I am!

And just like Zero wanted, he-alpha breaks, exploding from Zero's nest with a snarl that shakes the walls as his power snaps out of his control.

Zero purrs his victory as he's bourne down on the floor of his nest, bouncing from the force. He-alpha is the oldest and strongest alpha in the world, and once his knot locks into Zero's aching cunt he will belong to Zero, his seed reserved for Zero's womb alone.

Zero's purr deepens in his throat as he-alpha looms above him with a feral glint in his eyes. Zero admies the alpha's powerful muscles and licks his lips when his eyes fall on the impressive cock dripping fluid on his belly.

Squirming out from beneath his suitor, Zero flips over on his hands and knees. The position makes a new wave of need cloud Zero's mind, heat radiating from the urgent, empty clench of his hole. Sweat dews on his skin and his legs shake a little as he lifts his ass high and spreads his knees, showing he-alpha the swollen-hot place that aches for cock.

One large, strong hand comes down between Zero's shoulder blades and pushes until the omega's chest is rubbing the mattress, presenting his rear even higher. Zero whimpers, and opens his legs wide around the alpha's hips, the display of strength making his hole clench and the need in his belly flare hotter.

His mate's cock rubs against Zero's soaked slit, but doesn't rut inside; Zero mewls with frustration, clutching the sheets in his hands and shaking his hips back and forth, hoping to entice his mate.

He-alpha growls, hands stroking down Zero's spine and settling on his hips, thumbs tracing the jut of his hip bones.

The heat of his mate's touch is a brand, and Zero knows he couldn't break free from the alpha's strength if he tried. That certainty stokes the fire in his belly hotter, and Zero whines, arching his back even higher, tears beading on his eyelashes as his empty cunt drips and throbs.

"I'm going to claim you now, Zero." His mate's voice is gravelly and rough, and that wonderful cock is pressing against his cunt, parting his folds just shy of entering him.

"Please, please alpha, take me, knot me, make me your omega!" Zero begs, his heat pulling him under. His thighs quiver and he bucks his hips, craving the slightest bit of relief. "I'm so empty. Please, I want to be full of you, full of your baby!"

The male's grip tightens on Zero's hips.

That's Zero's only warning before the whole enormous length plunges inside his channel, hammering straight against his womb.

Zero screams; his toes curl in a white-hot orgasm, and he's gone.

---

The searing heat of his mate's cunt is going to boil Kaname alive. Kaname fucks those plush velvet walls like an animal, spearing his omega with single-minded ferocity, wanting deeper, always deeper, to mark and claim this beautiful omega as his mate. No matter how brutally Kaname thrusts, mate begs eagerly for more, hips lifting off the bed to chase after Kaname's cock.

Mate's insides part so easily for him; his hole is so unresisting and slick, opening up so desperately for Kaname's cock. It's the blood fever making mate's cunt so welcoming, Kaname knows, and his own blood thunders as the knot at the base of his cock begins filling, instinct taking hold. Kaname feels his cock sliding in once more, then with a surge of his hips he sinks to the root with a squelch, his pelvis striking mate's thighs for the first time as the omega's distended rim swallows his hardening knot.

Mate cries and writhes, maiden cunt impaled on the true full length of an alpha's cock as Kaname forces the new penetration deeper. His omega is senseless except for the way Kaname is fucking him, and he shrieks even louder at the first catch of Kaname's swelling knot against his channel.

Frightened of his first knot, Kaname's omega panics, feeling the enlarging, swelling flesh being rammed inside his tender opening grow wider. He cries and struggles as Kaname pins him down and savagely reams his cunt like the alpha intends to batter his omega's womb open.

Kaname sinks his teeth into mate's shoulder as the knot grows and grows, pressing hard against mate's walls and keeping Kaname from withdrawing fully, only able to grind against the slick muscles clamping down around him.

The omega begins to cry, eyes glazed and confused, hiccupping and jerking his hips as the tie firms and locks them together, his cunt sealed tightly shut by Kaname's knot.

The thought pleases him. Warmth swells at the base of his cock, and with one hard thrust, lifting his mate's ass until his toes barely brush the bed, Kaname comes, snarling like a beast, fingers digging into the smooth skin of mate's thighs as he floods his boy's womb, cock twitching in long, drawn-out pulses as it marks his territory. Marking mate as his. His!

His cock spills and spills; not a single drop of seed escapes past mate's knotted hole. Kaname rolls his hips absently, incandescent with pleasure; no fuck has ever felt as incredible as this; he feels suffused with joy, glowing with the force of his satisfaction. He kisses and licks at the bloody wound on mate's neck, the taste of sweet blood making something new in his body fall into place. This is his omega now, Kaname instinctively understands. Mate belongs to them and only them, and they belong to mate.

Mate sniffles, shifting and testing the tie; Kaname growls, warning his mate not to hurt himself. Shifting his hips, Kaname traces the swollen, reddened rim clutching his knot, marveling how that little hole could open up so wide, swallow down his huge girth. The alpha rocks his hips absently, pumping more seed inside his boy; mate smells enticing but not fertile, and the tie does not last long past when Kaname's heartbeat calms.

Kaname nuzzles his new mate once more, crooning to soothe him, and withdraws as gently as he can from mate's ravaged opening. Kaname wonders if alpha-mate could fit her whole fist in the fucked-raw, gushing maw of their omega's knot-split cunt. He bends to sniff at the soaked flesh - mate's smell is already beginning to shift to 'bonded omega' - but alpha-mate's nails lodge in his arm and rake hard enough to draw blood.

Kaname backs away as her eyes flash and she bares her teeth. Leaning over, alpha-mate begins tending to the still form of their mate, who's sobbing quietly from the pain of Kaname's withdrawal.

The omega's legs remain wide open, displaying his wrecked, gaping sex; at alpha-mate's touch he seems to recover himself, and lifts his hips once more, swaying his bruised hips to display his sloppy, claimed hole for her, leaking thick streams of Kaname's seed.

Alpha-mate roars, hands clamping on mate's hips, and the come beading on the angry red tip of her cock drips down the crack of mate's ass as she rubs against him.

Their mate whines, needy and pleading, and she rewards him by slamming her whole thick length into his messy cunt, expelling a flood of slick and seed from his come-filled hole.

Kaname floats on the echo of her pleasure through the blood bond as alpha-mate drives their omega into the bed with the force of her thrusts, impaling him with wild abandon and the single goal of rutting her knot inside his tender, swollen channel until mate chokes on it.

They are beautiful together. Alpha-mate is feral and covetous of their omega's body; her breasts heave and her auburn hair flies around her; the muscles of her thighs and back ripple; her face remains locked in a rictus of ecstasy. Her balls and the root of her cock glisten with his juices, her cock hardly leaves his fucked-out, fluttering rim before she hilts it inside again, unwilling to leave her slick prize.

Mate's hands tangle in the bedding and his mouth drops open, little whimpers forced out by the girth inside him, slamming his hips back like he was made for it, made to be fucked and loved on their cocks, beautiful and needy and perfect, moon-pale and blade-silver with gentle man-killing hands.

Alpha-mate's breaths heave and stutter as she picks up her pace, knot swelling too large to do more than grind harder into mate's stuffed cunt. Mate arches under her, pressing his hips back, his whole body shaking from the force, and for a moment as alpha-mate snarls and bites down on his shoulder, painting his insides white, the curve of his stomach looks like he's swelling, his belly already filling up with them.

They stay locked like that as alpha-mate finishes releasing, her seed spurting in thick hot ropes; mate shivers with each one, wide-eyed and trembling. Alpha-mate hooks her hands around mate's chest, careful not to tug where they're tightly joined, and laps at the blood beading again on his shoulder. Their omega whimpers, full of so much seed he's uncomfortable.

Kaname rumbles deep his his belly, crawling forward to stroke his pretty mate. Mate trills back with an edge of distress, and Kaname purrs, slicing his palm and offering his pure-blooded strength before his mate's pink lips. The omega licks Kaname's hand clean, the wound already healed, and Kaname's getting erect again. Alpha-mate repeats the same gesture, coaxing their omega to drink a little blood drawn from a cut on her arm.

Mate hums when he's finished, then squeals when alpha-mate pulls out, her half-soft knot dragging against his battered walls and releasing a new river of come from inside him. He sniffles, his abused insides a pool of fluids, and collapses on the bed, lilac eyes already fluttering closed with exhaustion.

Alpha-mate rumbles an apology, then massages mate's thighs as she takes a corner of the filthy sheets and begins to clean him. Kaname rests his cheek against their mate's temple, purring softly to soothe him into sleep. They have knotted his cunt and tasted his blood; his scent is not the only thing changing now inside him. Mate will sleep for a long time, until his body will react only to them, will recognize only them. And then the red tide will come in, and the heat in their bodies will surge again in earnest, and they will mate and mate until the heat burns out.

Kaname rumbles happily, smiling at alpha-mate, who beams back at him. Oh yes, it will be very good.

---

I hope you enjoyed 'Porn: the chapter.' I don't think anyone but me was expecting things to end this way. I feel compelled to mention that since no one is capable of giving consent due to compromised mental state, the sex in this chapter is technically dubcon, but everyone consented extensively beforehand and knew what they were getting into so... *shrug*

Credit to Ao3 reviewer lillithschild for coining a particularly good turn of phrase I borrowed for the blackmail episode.

Next chapter: Not as much porn as you might expect. Zero reacts to being a 'married' man. Sara Shirabuki's ghost begins her next game.