Mika's head snapped toward the sound, eyes widening in surprise. "Felix?" he murmured, dropping his hand from Jake's chest.
Jake's eyes widened as well, face twisting with a mix of surprise and relief. "Felix…" he whispered, tension slipping slightly as he turned. "What are you doing here?"
"I followed you." Felix's steps were steady, eyes locked on Jake. "I could feel something was wrong—could almost smell it in the air."
Jake's heart fluttered, relief and surprise warring with the last threads of tension. "You… could?" he murmured, eyes tracing Felix's features as if to check for injuries.
"I *felt* it, yeah." Felix's voice was steady, his gaze unwavering. "I couldn't let you go by yourself. Something was off. I was right."
Jake exhaled slowly, some of the tension draining from his muscles. "You shouldn't have come," he murmured, half heartedly. "You were supposed to be resting."
"And you were supposed to be *mine*," Felix finished softly. He stepped forward—slow, steady—and placed a hand on Jake's chest, right where Mika's had been.
Warmth surged between them.
Not pheromones.
Not tricks.
Just love.
"I don't care how strong his scent is," Felix said, voice firm despite its quietness. "You don't belong to anyone else."
Jake's heart skipped a beat, something clicking into place at the touch of Felix's hand. *Home*. That was the word that came to mind: warm and safe and *right*. "Damn it, Felix," he murmured, voice cracking. "You're supposed to be in bed."
Felix smiled—the small, fond one that always made Jake's chest tighten. "Yeah, well…" he murmured, fingers tracing slow circles over the fabric of Jake's shirt. "I can't rest when you're in trouble, can I?"
Jake's breath caught, his hand coming up to cover Felix's on his chest. "You're a fucking pain in the ass, you know that?"
Felix chuckled softly, eyes glinting with some soft, familiar mischief. "You love me for it, though," he murmured, stepping closer.
The air crackled as Jake inhaled slowly. He could smell Felix now, his scent warm and familiar and safe. *Home*. "Damn it, I do," he muttered, reaching out to cup Felix's cheek. "You are *killing* me."
"Then I'm doing my job well," Felix murmured, the corner of his lip curling up. He leaned into the contact, eyes drifting half-shut. "Keeping you on your toes."
Jake huffed, rolling his eyes—but there was no heat to it. "Cheeky brat…" he grumbled, thumb tracing the curve of Felix's chin. "You're gonna give me grey hairs one day."
"And you'll still love me anyway," Felix whispered, his voice a warm hush.
Jake stared at him—really looked. At the pale gold of his hair, the faint freckles across his nose, the way his eyes softened with affection. Not manipulated. Not forced.
*Real.*
His hand slid from Felix's cheek to cradle the back of his neck—pulling him just a little closer.
"Always," Jake breathed. "No matter what."
And for the first time since walking into that room... he felt grounded again.
Not because he'd won.
But because *Felix* had come for him.
And that meant everything
Felix melted into the touch, a sigh escaping him as he leaned his weight against Jake's chest. "You're a sap," he murmured, eyes drifting shut.
Jake huffed again, arms circling tightly around Felix's waist to hold him close. "Shut up," he grumbled, burying his face in Felix's hair. "I'm allowed to be soft for you."
"Mmm," Felix hummed, smiling into the crook of Jake's neck. "You're not *allowed* to be soft for me. You're *supposed* to be."
Jake squeezed him tighter—like he could keep the whole world away with just his arms.
Behind them, Mika shifted—quietly backing toward the door, face pale and twisted with something between anger and disbelief.
But neither of them turned.
They didn't have to.
Because this?
This bond?
It wasn't fake.
It wasn't forced.
It was theirs.
And no trickster Omega could ever break it
---
As the week went on, their lives settled back into normal —not perfect, but close enough. Felix returned to classes, Jake to his modeling and movie shoots.
But things were different now. There was something *more* in Jake's eyes when Felix looked at him—a protectiveness, maybe, or a new, quiet sense of belonging. His grip was tighter when he held Felix close. His eyes lingered like he couldn't get enough, lips brushing against his boyfriend's forehead in fleeting little touches whenever he could.
Felix noticed it, of course. He felt it in the way Jake tucked him against his side like a shield everywhere they went, or the way he growled if another Alpha came too close. It was more than protectiveness: it was possessiveness.
And the worst part was?
Felix kinda *loved* it.
He felt warm and wanted and *safe* when Jake was protective like this. It was addicting.
And Jake? He knew exactly what he was doing.
The night before his big romantic shoot—the one for the new luxury cologne campaign titled *"Eternal"*—he pulled Felix close on the couch, fingers gently tracing circles into his wrist.
"You'll be okay at school?" he murmured, voice low and rough with worry. "No strange Omegas flirting with you?"
Felix snorted, rolling his eyes as he leaned back against Jake's chest. "Please," he said, smug. "Like anyone else smells half as good as you."
Jake smirked—satisfied—and pressed a slow kiss just below Felix's ear. "Good," he rumbled. "Because I'm about to spend all day being *romantically seductive* on camera… and I don't want some other Alpha getting ideas from watching me."
Felix tilted his head, giving Jake a slow, wicked grin. "So you're telling me," he purred, shifting so he was straddling Jake's lap now, "you're gonna be out there... all soft lighting and intense eyes… *seducing* the camera…"
Jake swallowed hard. "Felix—"
"...and you expect me to just sit in class and take notes?" Felix leaned in until their noses brushed. "Like I won't be picturing it? Like I won't *ache* for you?"
Jake growled—low and helpless—and gripped Felix's hips tight. "You're gonna be the death of me."
Felix grinned against his lips. "Promise?"
Jake's fingers dug tight into Felix's hips, dragging him into his lap. He bit at Felix's lower lip, teeth scraping over sensitive skin. "You're playing a dangerous game, baby," he warned, voice a low rumble against Felix's mouth.
"What sort of game?" Felix murmured—a tease, a *dare*—as he ground down, hips rolling in a slow circle. "One that ends with me all worked up during calculus?"
"Maybe," Jake crooned, breath ghosting over Felix's neck. "Maybe you'll sit there, half-focused on your homework like a good student…" He traced slow, hot kisses up the line of Felix's throat, teasing his pulse at its base. "But every time you close your eyes, you'll picture the shoot and *ache* for me. And you'll be thinking about me… the whole damn time."
*Exactly* what Jake had predicted, Felix spent the majority of his classes shifting in his seat, trying and failing to concentrate. His mind kept straying to that evening's shoot, remembering the way Jake had looked—the way his shirt would be unbuttoned to expose a hint of chest. The way his shirt sleeves would be rolled up his forearms, muscles flexing as he posed… and *touched*...
Felix bit back a whimper, forcing his thoughts back on the equation in front of him.
"Focus, focus, focus" he muttered under his breath.
That didn't stop his mind wandering to all the *other* things he could do with Jake's hands, though. He knew all too well how strong they were, how easily they could pick him up or pin him down. He could almost feel them now—tucking into his belt loops, gripping his thighs…
"Stop it," Felix hissed to himself, cheeks flushing as someone passed in front of his desk. "You're not going to get through this class if you don't *focus*."
Finally, the last bell rang.
Felix practically *leapt* from his seat, shoving his books into his backpack with messy urgency. He couldn't sit in class anymore—couldn't pretend he wasn't imagining it all. The soft lighting, the way Jake would look at the camera like he wanted to devour someone…
Someone like *him*.
He pulled out his phone as he rushed through the front doors of school:
**Felix:** Still on set?
**Jake:** Just finishing up a few shots… why? You missing me already?
**Felix:** Shut up. You know exactly what you're doing to me right now…
He paused, biting back a smile before adding:
**Felix:** And when I get there? I'm gonna make sure everyone knows whose Alpha you really are
Jake's reply came instantly—just a single photo.
*Him.*
Shirt half-unbuttoned, collar loose, eyes dark with heat as he stared into the lens. One hand was raised, thumb grazing his own bottom lip like he was imagining it *Felix's* fingers instead.
**Jake:** Hurry up… or I might just start missing you too much to wait.
Felix let out a shaky breath—his entire body warming in response—and broke into a sprint toward the studio.
Because one thing was certain:
This wasn't just romance.
It was *claiming*.
And tonight?
He'd remind Jake exactly who owned his heart...