"Someone's eager," Liam said.
Jordan shrugged, waiting for the airstairs to be lowered. "I just can't wait to be on firm ground again," he said. "The turbulence made me dizzy."
"Are you sure that's the reason? And not the hot guy waiting for you over there?"
Jordan laughed. "Warren is my friend. We're just friends, Liam. I told you: he's an alpha, too."
He still felt a little guilty for telling Liam about Warren's designation, except he knew Liam would never betray his confidence. They were as close as brothers, and Jordan trusted Liam as much as he trusted himself.
"So?" Liam said, his green eyes full of lazy amusement. "It's not like alphas don't ever fuck alphas."
"Warren isn't into alphas," Jordan said, turning away.
"Warren isn't into alphas," Liam repeated slowly before laughing. "You're only proving me right, J."
Jordan shot him an annoyed look. "I'm beginning to regret taking you with me."
"As if you would have been able to stop me from coming. It's bad enough I wasn't invited to the wedding."
"Only my parents were present, Liam," Jordan said distractedly as the airstairs were finally lowered. He walked down the stairs, his gaze on Warren.
But Warren wasn't looking at him. His narrowed eyes were fixed on Liam, assessing and faintly displeased.
"Your husband is me," Jordan said pointedly, smiling as he approached Warren.
Warren finally shifted his gaze to him, his nostrils flaring.
Before Jordan could say anything else, Warren yanked him close and hugged him, his face coming to rest close to Jordan's neck, but not quite touching.
Jordan could feel how tense his body was. Warren probably wanted to scent-mark him, but obviously, he couldn't do it in the presence of a stranger. Betas didn't scent-mark people, after all.
"Hello to you, too," Jordan said with a chuckle, his eyelids growing heavier as the familiar scent of wet soil and ozone assaulted his senses. The scent was thick and heady, and quickly clouded Jordan's mind at the rate
Warren was pumping out his pheromones.
The urge to bare his throat was becoming irresistible, and Jordan fought it with everything he had. Fuck, this was so weird.
While he was in North Veridia, he had started doubting his memory, doubting himself. Surely he hadn't just docilely bared his throat to another alpha on a regular basis, right? But he had.
Someone coughed.
It took Jordan a moment to remember that they weren't alone. Snapping his eyes open, he stepped back from Warren and turned.
He'd expected to see amusement on Liam's face, but Liam's dark brows were furrowed, his gaze flicking between Jordan and Warren. He smelled of puzzlement, and something else.
"Liam Schaefer, the Duke of Westcliff," Liam said, stretching his hand out to Warren. "Jordan's cousin."
After a moment, Warren shook it, his black eyes boring a hole in Liam. He was still pumping out his pheromones nonstop, and it put Jordan on edge.
He wanted to sit down. He wanted to start a fight. He wanted to bare his throat. He wanted to flee.
He breathed deeply, trying to shake off the contradictory urges and wants.
"Warren Reed," Warren said curtly, his gaze moving back to Jordan. "Jordan? You all right?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Just… Could you cut it out, please?"
Warren gave him an uncomfortable look and nodded. His scent became slightly less overwhelming. "Slightly less" is the key part.
Jordan suppressed a sigh. He knew Warren probably couldn't help himself. Not only did Jordan's alpha scent aggravate him, but there was another alpha present, a strange alpha Warren didn't know at all.
Any alpha would be a little territorial in such circumstances. It probably didn't help that Liam was a Xeus and his scent was very strong.
Having grown up with Liam, Jordan barely noticed his scent, but he knew other people considered it abrasive. Orion Type Alphas were difficult to be around. They tended to make people uneasy. Even betas reacted to them strongly, and other alphas much more so.
"I wasn't aware you were bringing a guest," Warren said, laying a hand on Jordan's shoulder and steering him toward the mansion in the distance.
The touch felt ridiculously proprietary, and Jordan knew he wasn't just imagining it when he caught Liam's incredulous look.
"Liam has invited himself," Jordan said. "Never mind him. As long as we give him a room and feed him, he'll stay out of the way."
"I can hear that."
Jordan grinned at his cousin over his shoulder. "I know." Liam flipped him the bird.
Warren's hand tightened on his shoulder. "Come, everyone is waiting for you. Everyone's missed you."
Jordan smiled a little. Warren was probably exaggerating, but it was still nice of him to say that. "Everyone? What about you?" he said, bumping their shoulders together.
Warren's dark eyes darted to him for a moment. "I missed you dreadfully. Especially your exquisite scent."
"Ouch," Jordan said with a laugh. "There is no need for insults."
As soon as they reached the house, Warren practically shoved Liam at his mother and pulled Jordan into the nearest empty room while his mother and Liam were making awkward small talk.
"What?" Jordan said as soon as Warren shut the door.
"You told him about me," Warren stated, looming over him.
Jordan didn't know how he managed to look when they were about the same height and weight, but somehow, Warren did.
Jordan swallowed, his own scent spiking, which, of course, only aggravated Warren further.
"Liam doesn't count," Jordan said. "He's practically my brother. He won't tell anyone, I'm sure of it."
Warren glowered at him. "But what if you're wrong? If you are, my career will be damaged, and my mother will face legal consequences. I told you that in confidence, Jordan."
He felt a twinge of guilt. "He won't tell anyone. Liam isn't like that."
Warren scoffed. "He's a Xeus. Impulsiveness is his norm. He might give it away without even meaning to."
"I thought you weren't as close-minded as other people. Isn't your brother a Xeus, too?"
"That's precisely why I know what I'm talking about," Warren said, his expression grim. "Look, a lot of the prejudice against Orion Type Alphas is unjustified, but some things people say about them are true: they are driven by their instincts and emotions more than their rational thoughts. What happens if Liam gets angry with you? He will spill your secrets out of spite."
Jordan glared at him. "That's still a gross generalization, Warren. You're an Atlas-Type Alpha, but you've hardly been a paragon of levelheadedness around me, either."
"That is irrelevant," Warren said stiffly. "Is it?"
Warren pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine. I concede that there might be levelheaded Orion Type Alphas. Do you honestly believe Liam is one of them?"
Jordan pulled a face. He couldn't lie: levelheadedness was the last word he associated Liam with. Liam was aggressive even by Orion Type Alphas' standards. He was one of those Orion-type Alphas that could partially shift into their animal forms outside of the full moon. That was one of the reasons there was so much prejudice against alphas like Liam: people thought they were more animals than men.
Jordan sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told him without asking you first."
Warren's hard expression softened slightly. "Why did you?"
"He wanted to send for you, so you could help me during my rut. I had to tell him why you couldn't help me."
Warren's shoulders stiffened. "He was with you during your rut?"
Jordan snorted. "Not with me, don't be silly. He's a Xeus—I want to rip his throat out during my ruts. We communicated through video calls."
Warren seemed only slightly mollified.
Jordan smiled, amused despite himself. "Is this the 'my stuff' thing again? You don't want another alpha around your stuff?"
A faint flush appeared on Warren's bronzed skin. "Shut up," he said gruffly, turning away, his shoulders still tense.
"Come here," Jordan said with a long-suffering sigh, tilting his head to the side.
"I don't need it," Warren said tersely, his dark eyes on Jordan's throat.
His jaw clenched. "I can control myself."
"I'm not saying you need it or that you can't control yourself. C'mere."
Warren didn't need to be told again. He was in Jordan's personal space in an instant, shoving his face against Jordan's bared throat.
Jordan forced himself to relax. That initial moment of submission was always the hardest, his instincts telling him that this was wrong, but then it became easier. Better. After a few moments, the enforced ease became natural, his body going pliant as Warren's heady pheromones started doing their work.
Why did he need to be strong when someone else could be for him? It felt good, in a weird way. Although there was a part of him that insisted that this was wrong, that he should be fighting for dominance and making Warren bare his throat to him, that part became quieter with every moment. It felt so good. His mind was blissfully empty. There was only Warren and his heady, wrong, wonderful scent.
By the time Warren pulled back, his muscles looked loose and relaxed.
Even Jordan could tell how much like Warren he now smelled. "Better?" he said with an amused smile.
"Yes," Warren said with a vaguely sheepish look.
Smiling, Jordan patted him on the shoulder. "There's no need to be embarrassed. Just tell me when you need this instead of biting my head off, all right?"
Warren gave a clipped nod and turned toward the door. "Let's go rescue my mother."
"Liam isn't that bad," Jordan said with an eye roll. "I'm sure you'll be friends eventually."
"Right."
Jordan could only laugh at Warren's skeptical expression.
It was nice to be back.