The velvet rope, a crimson serpent, coiled between Felix and the flashing lights. He shifted, his backpack heavy against his spine, the school uniform a ridiculous costume amongst the glittering crowd. Every face blurred except for one, a chiseled profile on the jumbo screen overhead.
"He's late," a woman beside him grumbled, fanning herself with a glossy magazine.
Felix's breath hitched. "No, he's not. He's just… making an entrance." A smile stretched his lips, a mixture of nerves and pure, unadulterated adoration. The air thrummed with anticipation, a low hum that vibrated through the soles of his worn sneakers. The scent of expensive perfume and ozone from the camera flashes stung his nostrils, but underneath it all, a faint, growing musk began to prickle at his senses.
A roar erupted. The crowd surged, a wave of bodies pressing forward. Felix strained on his tiptoes. A sleek black limousine, longer than anything he'd ever seen, purred to a stop. The door swung open, and a hush fell, a collective intake of breath.
Then, Jake stepped out.
The world seemed to tilt. Jake, in a midnight-blue suit that clung to his broad shoulders, his dark hair artfully tousled, his famous smile a blinding flash. His purple eyes, usually a cool, calculating amethyst on screen, swept over the crowd.
"Oh my gods," a girl shrieked, her voice cracking.
Felix felt it then, a jolt that went deeper than celebrity crush. The air around Jake thickened, a potent, earthy scent blossoming, drowning out all other smells. It was raw, powerful, an Alpha's rut scent, sharp and undeniable. Felix's own body responded, a sudden, unwelcome warmth blooming low in his belly. His breath caught, a soft gasp escaping his lips. A heat. Not just the red carpet's oppressive humidity. His own.
Jake's gaze, previously distant, snagged on Felix. The purple of his eyes bled, swirling, transforming into molten gold. They locked, a primal current arcing between them. The gold flared, intense, possessive.
"He's… looking," the woman next to Felix whispered, her voice laced with awe.
Felix's heart hammered against his ribs, a frantic drum. He needed to run. Now. His heat, it was coming. The scent of Jake's rut, a siren song to his awakening Omega biology, promised oblivion. He had to escape before—
"Wait," Jake's voice, a low rumble, cut through the din. It wasn't loud, but it silenced the entire street.
Felix froze. His eyes darted to the velvet rope, then back to Jake. The actor's golden gaze hadn't wavered, drilling into him with an unnerving intensity. The scent of Jake's rut, now laced with something sweeter, a desperate hunger, wrapped around him. Felix felt a flush creep up his neck. He knew that look. He knew that scent. And he knew what it meant for him.
"You," Jake's voice, deeper now, commanded, a predator's growl. He took a step, then another, his security detail scrambling to keep up. The crowd parted, a sea of whispers and gasps. "Don't move."
The sudden quiet was deafening, broken only by the rapid *clack-clack-clack* of a hundred camera shutters. Felix felt the world shrink to the space between himself and Jake. The Alpha's scent, potent and heavy with musk and ozone, pressed down on him, a physical weight that made his knees tremble.
Jake didn't wait for a response. He moved with a speed that belied his relaxed red-carpet posture, crossing the final few feet in two long strides. A massive hand, warm and demanding, clamped onto Felix's wrist, pulling him forward, effortlessly slipping him under the velvet rope.
"Sir, Mr. Thorne, you need to remain on the carpet," a harried security guard began, stepping forward.
Jake didn't even look at the guard. His golden eyes, blazing like twin suns, remained fixed on Felix's face. "*Hush*," Jake growled, the sound low and guttural, resonating with the pure, primal authority of an Alpha in rut. It wasn't a request; it was an imposition of will that sent a tremor through Felix's core. The guard immediately stumbled backward, palms raised in a gesture of bewildered submission.
"My name is Felix," he managed, his voice a pathetic squeak, completely lost beneath the rising din of the recovering crowd. He tried to pull his wrist free, but Jake's grip was absolute. "I—I shouldn't be here. I just came to see you."
Jake's lips curved into a slow, possessive smile, utterly devoid of the practiced charm he used for the cameras. "You shouldn't be anywhere else," he contradicted, his voice dropping into a husky register that made the hairs on Felix's arms stand up. "You smell like spring rain and trouble. And you're mine."
"I'm not yours! I'm still in school!" Felix protested, twisting fruitlessly. The heat in his abdomen intensified, a searing wave that threatened to overwhelm his composure. He could feel the first faint, sweet cling of his own Omega scent beginning to leak, a disastrous beacon in the Alpha-saturated environment.
"**Shhh**," Jake whispered, leaning closer until his warm breath ghosted over Felix's ear. "Stop fighting. You're shaking, little one. Your scent is starting to bloom, and if you stay out here, every lowlife Alpha in this parking lot will know exactly what you are." He tightened his grip slightly, guiding Felix past the initial crush of the press line. "Do you want that?"
Felix shook his head frantically, a single, silent tear escaping down his cheek. "No. I need to go home. I need… away from you."
"Too late for that," Jake countered smoothly, his golden eyes darkening with predatory pleasure. He nodded sharply to his lead security man, a towering Beta named Marcus. "Get the car. Now. We're leaving."
Marcus, who had seen Jake in rut before, didn't argue. He barked orders into his earpiece, clearing a wedge through the screaming fans. The transition from the blinding white light of the carpet to the cool, dark interior of the waiting luxury SUV was instantaneous. Jake practically shoved Felix inside, following him in and slamming the heavy door shut, sealing them into a private, scent-drenched capsule.
The sudden scent isolation was overwhelming. Jake's rut musk, thick and intoxicating, filled the space, pressing against Felix's senses until his head swam. He slumped against the plush leather seat, clutching his backpack.
"*Haaaaaaah*," Felix moaned softly, the sound involuntary, a biological surrender. He pressed his face into his forearm, trying to stifle the rising tide of his own heat. "It's too much. Your scent is too strong."
Jake's expression softened, but the intensity in his eyes remained lethal. He reached out, his thumb gently wiping the tear from Felix's cheek. "I know. It's perfect, isn't it? My rut is calling your heat out of hiding." He leaned back against the door, the movement radiating power. "Tell me your full name, Omega."
"Felix Thorne," he gasped, the words tumbling out before he could stop them. "No relation. I just… I'm eighteen. I ran away from boarding school to be here."
Jake chuckled, a low, rich sound that seemed to vibrate in Felix's chest. "A runaway. Delicious. And eighteen—legal, thank the gods. I thought I might have to wait." He reached across the center console and placed his hand on Felix's thigh, just above the knee of his school uniform slacks. The heat radiating from Jake's palm was searing, almost painful. "You should have stayed hidden if you weren't ready to face an Alpha in rut, Felix."
"I didn't know you were in rut!" Felix whispered, his voice trembling. "It wasn't announced. You're always so controlled."
"*Humph*," Jake scoffed, a deep, satisfied sound. "Control is an illusion, especially when instinct takes over. The scent of you—so sweet, so clean—it broke through the control I was maintaining for the cameras. It was like a **thwack** to the senses. Now tell me, where are we going?"
"I don't know! Home, I guess? I live in a dorm near downtown," Felix stammered, his mind clouded by the combined hormonal storm. He struggled to remember why he was supposed to be scared, why he was supposed to resist. The heat was licking at his sanity.
Jake shook his head, his hand moving slightly higher on Felix's thigh. "No. We're not going to a dorm. We're going to my penthouse. We need privacy, and we need scent blockers for the staff. You're mine for the next three days, Felix. My rut demands it, and your body is agreeing."
Felix whimpered, a soft, helpless sound. He looked down at the hand resting on him, the stark contrast between Jake's tanned skin and the pale fabric of his uniform. "I can't. I have classes. I have… a life."
"You have a heat starting," Jake corrected, his voice hardening slightly. "And you have a high-ranking Alpha who has claimed you in front of the world. Your life just changed, little Omega. Now, relax. You're vibrating." Jake's golden gaze traveled down Felix's body, lingering on the subtle, involuntary shift in his posture, the slight arch of his back. "Your scent is getting stronger. Stop fighting the inevitable. Tell me you want me, Felix."
Felix squeezed his eyes shut. The need was overwhelming, a tidal wave of biological imperative crashing against his walls of self-control. The Alpha's scent was pulling him under, promising relief, pleasure, *completion*. He couldn't form a coherent lie.
"I… I want you," Felix choked out, the admission tasting like ash and honey on his tongue. The words were barely out before Jake was leaning in, his lips brushing against Felix's ear.
"Good boy," Jake praised, his voice a low, throaty purr. "Now, let's go home."