Chapter 4: Between Two Alphas
1424 Words
The room was thick with heat and tension. Tessa barely had time to process what was happening before Lucien turned to her, his eyes unreadable.
Rowan was still outside, knocking gently this time.
“Tessa?” he called again. “I brought some blockers. I thought you might be—”
Lucien opened the door.
Rowan stood on the other side, his expression warm and concerned—until he saw Lucien. Then everything about him shifted. Shoulders tightened. Jaw clenched. His amber eyes flicked over Lucien, then darted to Tessa behind him.
And Tessa… she could hardly breathe.
Rowan stepped forward instantly, but Lucien didn’t move aside. He didn’t have to. His presence filled the doorway like a wall.
“What are you doing here?” Rowan asked, voice low but edged with anger.
Lucien looked calm. Too calm.
“Helping,” he replied simply.
“You call this helping?”
Rowan tried to step around him, but Lucien’s shoulder blocked the path without even touching him.
Tessa swallowed hard and pushed herself up from the couch. Her legs still felt like jelly, and the heat still pulsed under her skin like wildfire. But she couldn’t let this happen. Not like this.
“Rowan, I’m okay,” she said, though her voice sounded far from convincing.
His gaze snapped to her.
“You don’t look okay.”
Lucien glanced back too, eyes narrowing slightly. He didn't like that Rowan said that. That much was clear.
Rowan turned back to him.
“She didn’t ask you to come.”
Lucien’s jaw flexed. “She didn’t ask you either.”
Tessa stepped forward, heart pounding.
“Please,” she said. “Don’t fight.”
Rowan’s gaze softened when it returned to her. “I just wanted to check on you. I could feel your scent halfway down the street, Tess. You’re in your heat, aren’t you?”
She nodded silently.
“I brought suppressants,” he added, holding up a small paper bag. “Strong enough to help you sleep.”
Lucien finally stepped aside just enough for Rowan to enter. The moment Rowan walked past, the tension between the two Alphas sizzled in the air. They didn’t need to growl or bare teeth. The room practically trembled with the unspoken warning between them.
Rowan crossed the room to her and gently touched her arm.
“Did he mark you?” he asked softly.
Tessa’s breath caught. “No.”
“But he was here. During your heat.”
“She didn’t ask me to stay,” Lucien said behind them, “but I’m not the type to walk away when an Omega’s scent is begging for help.”
Rowan turned to him, slow and furious.
“She wasn’t begging. She was suffering. And you used it.”
Tessa’s heart twisted painfully. “Stop. Both of you.”
Lucien tilted his head, eyes sharp.
“I didn’t lay a hand on her,” he said, though his voice was edged with something dangerous. “But maybe that’s the problem, hmm?”
Rowan surged forward. “Say that again.”
“I think you heard me the first time.”
“Guys!” Tessa shouted. Her voice cracked with frustration and the heat clawing inside her. “I am not a prize. Or a game. I’m a person. So stop this. Please.”
They both stopped.
The room was silent.
Tessa wrapped her arms around herself and sank back down onto the couch. Her head felt fuzzy again. Her body was overheating. She didn’t have the strength for this.
Rowan followed her, crouching beside her gently.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I just… I don’t like seeing you like this. You should’ve called me.”
She didn’t know how to explain it.
How could she say that Lucien had taken up so much space in her mind she didn’t think to reach for anyone else? That he had invaded something she had fought for years to keep private?
And worse… she wasn’t sure she wanted him gone.
She took the paper bag from Rowan and pulled out the suppressants. Her fingers trembled as she opened them.
Lucien didn’t speak. But she could feel him still, standing by the door, watching her every move.
Rowan helped her bring the glass of water to her lips. His hand brushed hers. Warm. Steady. Familiar.
The suppressant slid down her throat, bitter and metallic. She forced herself to breathe through her nose.
She expected the pressure in her chest to ease.
But it didn’t. Not right away.
Lucien’s scent still clung to her.
So did his voice.
“Rowan,” she said quietly, “thank you. For coming.”
He nodded. “Always.”
She hesitated, then asked, “Can you stay with me? Just until I sleep?”
Lucien finally stirred. “That won’t be necessary.”
Rowan didn’t even look at him. “She asked me.”
Lucien’s voice cooled. “And I’ve answered already.”
The two Alphas locked eyes again. It was subtle, but primal. Tessa could feel it vibrating through her bones. Her body responded without her consent—like her wolf wanted to pick a side. Like her instincts knew what her mind refused to face.
Lucien stepped forward now, slow and measured, as if Rowan’s presence was a challenge he hadn’t yet decided how to handle.
“You think you can protect her,” he said.
“I know I can,” Rowan replied.
“She doesn’t need protection,” Lucien said, his voice suddenly low and deep. Commanding again.
Tessa flinched.
Lucien turned to her, his gaze softening only slightly.
“She needs someone who sees all of her,” he said. “Not just the parts that are easy.”
“I do see her,” Rowan said firmly.
Lucien didn’t look away. “Then why was I the one she called out for last night?”
Tessa felt the breath leave Rowan’s lungs. She turned sharply toward Lucien.
“I didn’t—”
“You didn’t have to,” Lucien said. “You felt it. I know you did.”
Rowan stood up. “This isn’t a game, Lucien.”
“I never said it was.”
“You’re just here because she said no to you. That’s all this is.”
Lucien stepped closer.
“I don’t need her submission,” he said coolly. “I already have her attention.”
Tessa stood between them again, shaky but determined.
“Stop it.”
They both turned toward her.
“I didn’t ask for this,” she said. “I didn’t want any of this. I’m just trying to survive my heat without completely breaking down.”
Rowan stepped back slightly, guilt flashing in his eyes. Lucien’s expression didn’t change, but something about his posture shifted. Softer. More still.
“I’m going to lie down,” she said. “You both can decide what you’re doing.”
She turned and started walking down the hall, but her legs gave out halfway. She caught herself against the wall and closed her eyes. She could still feel both of them behind her.
Rowan moved first.
“I’ll help you—”
Lucien cut him off. “Let her decide.”
Tessa turned to face them, voice low. “I don’t need help.”
Lucien met her eyes. “Then I’ll go.”
Rowan didn’t move.
Lucien stepped closer to her, slowly, until he stood just an arm’s length away.
“I’ll give you space,” he said. “But don’t pretend what happened between us wasn’t real.”
“It wasn’t supposed to happen,” she whispered.
“Still did.”
His gaze dropped to her neck—unmarked.
For now.
He leaned in, just enough for her to feel the warmth of his breath near her ear.
“You smell like mine, Tessa,” he said. “Even if I haven’t claimed you yet.”
She gasped, backing into the wall.
Lucien walked out without another word, leaving the door open behind him.
Rowan stepped in front of her, hand gently touching her cheek.
“You don’t have to let him get in your head,” he said quietly. “You know that, right?”
Tessa nodded, but her chest felt hollow.
Because Lucien wasn’t in her head.
He was under her skin.
She looked up at Rowan, eyes wide and raw. “What if it’s too late?”
Rowan didn’t answer.
And behind them, the front door clicked shut.
- Writer
