30 MORNING

It was quiet when Lucius opened his eyes and he was momentarily disoriented. The clock at his bedside pointed at seven am.

Slowly Lucius turned his head, and he was asleep, facing him. His beautiful face was soft in repose.

Lucius had never slept with omega and to wake up beside an alluring young one was a new and stimulating experience.

Reluctantly, Lucius climbed out of bed and changed into his gym clothes. He needed to burn off this excess energy. As he changed into his sweats he couldn't remember the last time he had slept so well.

When Lucius returned from his exercise he was distracted knowing that Julien was asleep in the next room. He wondered how omega will feel after he wakes up.

In the fridge, Lucius found a bottle of grape juice and emptied it into a glass. Julien was still asleep when he entered, his hair was spread across the pillow, and the quilt had slipped below his waist, exposing his belly and his navel. The sight stirred Lucius's body once more.

He had to get out of here before he does something he will regret.

It was very quiet and the light was muted. Julien was comfortable and warm in this bed. He opened his eyes and for a moment he was serene enjoying himself.

A shade of panic and fear flashed past his eyes when he saw the strange and unfamiliar surroundings. He had no idea where he was. The headboard behind him was in the shape of a massive sun. The room was large and airy and plushly furnished in browns and golds and beige. He had no idea how he got here.

Soon fractured memories of the previous night came slowly back to haunt him. The drinking, the phone call, the heat, but he didn't remember coming here.

[System: You are wearing only underwear. It isn't much better than me being naked in your head, right?]

Julien wrapped the quilt tightly around himself: "Holy shit!"

He glanced at the bedside table. On it was a glass of grape juice. Julien hesitantly took the glass and sipped it carefully while trying to figure out how to escape without being noticed. The juice tasted divine. It was thirst-quenching, refreshing and revived his arid mouth.

The knock on the door sounded. Julien's heart leaped into his mouth and he couldn't find his voice. He lay down quickly on the bed to pretend to be asleep.

Lucius opened the door anyway and strolled in: "You are awake? How do you feel?"

He could clearly see the person wrapped inside the quilt tremble because of his voice.

Lucius seemed to carry a smile on his face yet not at the same time. He didn't mind the non-response and asked calmly: "Do you have an impression of what happened yesterday?"

Julien continued to remain silent.

Lucius glanced at the empty glass and the corner of his lip turned up, a decoy to the cold stone of his face: "How long are you going to pretend?"

If Julien still didn't respond at that moment, it would be a bit inexcusable. He slowly sat up on the bed. His eyes didn't dare make direct eye contact with the man and his hands clutched the quilt tightly. He spoke in an unsteady tone: "How did I get here?"

Lucius came and sat down on the edge of the bed. He was close enough for Julien to see that he had been working out a moment ago. Lucius placed a large shopping bag on a chair and grasped each end of the towel that he had around his neck. He was staring at Julien, eyes dark and not showing what he was thinking in the slightest.

Lucius said phlegmatically: "After you passed out in my car, I didn't want to risk exposing you in that state to your brother. So I brought you here."

Julien croaked: "Oh no, Ioan, he must be crazy right now."

Lucius peered up at frustrated omega: "He thinks you are at your friend's place. I texted him borrowing your mobile phone."

Julien stared at his hands lost in thoughts. He whispered: "Did you put me to bed?"

Lucius's face was impassive: "Yes."

Julien's voice was even quieter: "Did you undress me?"

Lucius quirked an eyebrow at a furiously blushing youth: "Yes."

Julien took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He felt like a three-year-old kid - if he had closed eyes then he was not really here: "Do you have to take off even my pants?"

Lucius caught abruptly two times: "You were quite aroused yesterday and the back of your jeans was drenched."

His mouth lifts slightly in a smile as he wanted to teaste the youth: "Maybe I should remove your underwear as well, hm?"

Julien's mouth was drying in mortified horror: "I'm so sorry."

Somehow Julien had been made to feel like the villain of the story.

Lucius's mood visibly shifted. His tone was accusatory: "Well, if you were my boyfriend, you would be grounded for a month and had to promise to never drink again after you did yesterday. You got drunk and you put yourself at risk."

Lucius closes his eyes, dread etched on his face, and he shudders slightly. When he opened his eyes, he glared at Julien: "I hate to think what could have happened after you went into heat."

Julien scowled back at him. He didn't ask the man to come and get him. The thought pierced through the irritation he felt at his kind of committing words: "I'm not your boyfriend and you didn't have to track me down with whatever spy stuff you produce in your shabby business."

The alpha stared at him surprised and if Julien was not mistaken, a little wounded.

Lucius said acidly: "Firstly, the technology to track mobile phones is available online. Secondly, my company does not invest or mass-produce any kind of 'spy stuff'. And thirdly, if I hadn't come to get you, you would probably be in more trouble and maybe be waking up in that alpha's bed right now."

Julien glanced up again at Lucius. He was glaring at him, his black eyes blazing, aggrieved: "It's about knowing your limits, Julien. Do you make a habit of this kind of drinking behavior?"

Julien's head buzzes with irritation. Lucius sounded like a middle-aged man scolding him like an errant child. Part of him wanted to say, if he wanted to get drunk every night like this, then it's his decision and had nothing to do with him – but he was not brave enough.

Julien could only hiss at him: "You are so overbearing."

Lucius's eyes narrowed and then he grinned wickedly: "Oh, Baby, you have no idea."

It was disarming. One minute, Julien was confused and angry, the next he was gazing at his gorgeous smile. He was entranced, and it's because his not-fake smile was so rare. Julien quite forgot what he was talking about.