The morning after the heat, the penthouse was quiet.
Ares sat at the long glass table in the office suite, one hand clenching a mug of coffee he hadn't touched. He hadn't said a word since he got there. None of them had. Silas, Jude, and Rowan stood around the room, trying to make sense of the same thing.
Something was off.
"Why do I feel like I did something illegal last night?" Rowan muttered, finally breaking the silence.
Jude didn't answer. He just stared out the window like the view could explain it for him.
Silas leaned against the edge of the desk, arms folded, his expression unreadable. "It wasn't her."
Ares finally looked up.
Silas continued. "I've known Ria for three years. She's never flinched from touch. Never cried during heat. Never—" he stopped, jaw tightening, "—never let any of us bite her."
Ares didn't argue. He'd noticed it too.
The way she'd trembled under him. The way she turned her face away when he kissed her. The sounds—soft, scared—nothing like the confident Omega who usually knew exactly how to handle all four of them at once.
And that scent was new, pure, unbonded untill now. His hand clenched the coffee mug so hard it cracked.
Jude turned slowly from the window. "She's bonded. One of us did it."
"Maybe all of us," Rowan added quietly.
Nobody responded, then Ares stood.
"Call her."
——-
Ria walked into the office with a perfect smile, dressed like nothing had gone wrong. Her hair was tied up in soft curls, hoodie zipped halfway down to show just enough skin, lip gloss catching the light. She looked confident. Composed. Even sweet.
The four Alphas didn't say a word.
They were seated around Ares's desk like they'd been waiting all morning, watching her cross the room like she was on trial.
"Sorry about yesterday," she said with a small laugh. "I wasn't feeling well, so I might've—uh—passed out before anything happened. Hope that didn't ruin the mood."
Silas's eyes narrowed just slightly.
Rowan gave a slow frown.
Jude didn't move at all. Cold and unreadable.
But Ares leaned back in his chair, one hand resting lazily on the armrest as he looked her over.
"You don't remember?" he asked, voice casual but hard beneath the surface.
"Not really." Ria gave a soft shrug. "Everything's kinda blurry."
Ares tilted his head. "That's interesting."
He stood, walked toward her slowly, and stopped just close enough to touch. His fingers lifted her chin, turning her head gently to one side, then the other.
Nothing.
No scent of hear. No bite marks. No swelling. No heat clinging to her skin.
He let her go and glanced down.
Then, without a word, he tugged the collar of her hoodie lower, eyes settling on the smooth line of her cleavage.
It was clean and bare.
His expression didn't change, but something behind his eyes shifted—like a puzzle piece falling into place.
He looked lower. Down to her thighs. "Can I check something?" he asked.
Ria blinked. "What?"
"Your legs," Ares said, voice flat. "I want to see something."
Her body went stiff. "Why?"
He raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth twitching like he was fighting not to laugh. "Because last night, someone in that bed had a penis."
Silas coughed into his hand. Rowan choked and looked away, shoulders shaking.
Jude's jaw ticked, eyes like steel.
Ria's breath caught. Her smile faltered for half a second, then came back too quick, too bright.
"N-no," she said with a forced laugh. "That must've been—uh—heat hallucinations or something. That's not possible."
Ares stepped in again, this time closer. "You weren't in that bed," he said, voice low.
She froze.
"So tell us," he continued, gaze locked on hers. "Who the fuck was?"
Ria's mouth opened. Then closed. The silence in the room was suffocating. All four of them were staring at her now and no one smiling anymore.
She gave a soft, nervous laugh and took a step back.
"Okay, look," she said, waving a hand like it was no big deal. "Maybe I got scared and swapped with someone, okay? Maybe I paid someone to pretend it was me and lie down for a bit so you'd all leave me alone. I didn't think it would go that far."
"You paid someone to lie in your heat nest?" Rowan asked, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Not a nest," she snapped quickly. "It wasn't a nest. It was just a bed."
Silas folded his arms. "And this person, who was it?"
"I—I'm not saying," Ria replied. "He's just… a friend. I owed him. He helped me. I told him you'd all probably leave once the scent blockers kicked in. I didn't think you'd—"
"Fuck him?" Jude cut in, his voice flat.
Ria flinched.
"You knew what last night was," he continued. "You knew what we were walking into. And you let someone else take your place."
"I didn't mean for it to go that far!" she said, voice rising slightly. "I thought the suppressants would hold. I didn't think anyone would actually—look, it's not my fault if he stayed."
Ares leaned forward, expression sharp. "You didn't answer the question."
Ria looked up, eyes slightly glassy. "What question?"
"Who. Was. In. That. Bed."
She looked at them one by one, her jaw tight, then smiled again, smaller this time.
"I'm not telling you," she said.
Rowan scoffed. "So he's your little secret now?"
She shrugged. "Maybe."
"Does he even know what he signed up for?" Silas asked. "Because if one of us bit him, that's not just sex. That's a bond."
Ares straightened in his seat. "Someone did bite him."
The words dropped like a weight. The entire room stilled.
Ria's hands curled into fists. "Then that's on you," she said tightly. "You bonded the wrong person, not me. So don't come crying to me now."
"He was an Omega," Ares added. "A real one."
Ria's expression shifted for just a second before she looked away. "So?"
"So you knew exactly what would happen."
"I didn't force any of you to do anything," she shot back. "You're the ones who couldn't control yourselves."
Silas's tone lowered. "You sent someone into a heat meant for you. And now he's—"
He stopped short.
Everyone turned toward the pause. No one said it, but the thought sat heavy in the air.
One of them had bitten him.
One of them had created a bond.
They didn't know who it was but the bond mark would fade if it was shallow. If it stayed… then it meant permanence. It meant claiming. It meant belonging.
And it was already too late to take it back.