Hate to Love It

Chapter 15: At It Again

 
Alec could hear someone sobbing. 
 
He tried to get out of the haze he seemed to be in and craned his neck, perking his ears to locate the person who was silently crying. 
 
"Where are you?" He tried calling out but the only sound that went out of his mouth was a growl. In response, the sobbing stopped momentarily before starting again. 
 
Alec felt suffocated. 
 
Suddenly, there was ringing in his ears for a moment and then his hearing cleared.
 
"...xander. Alexander, please," the voice pleaded,"Stop this, please."
 
The Alpha took a deep breath and plunged out of the haze caused by his own pheromones and from another person that absolutely smelled perfect for him. 
 
What greeted him was a sight that would haunt him for the rest of his life.
 
Magnus' silk off-white shirt was ripped, numerous hickeys blossoming on his neck. In another lifetime, it would've sent fire into his blood but looking at the Omega who was panting beneath him, tears silently flowing from his bright eyes, made Alec's blood run cold. 
 
"W-what did I do?" he rasped, trying to get away from Magnus as fast as he could. 
 
"No, you didn--"
 
"Did I do this?" He asked again, disbelieving. 
 
Magnus reached out for him. He flinched away. "No, Alec. Listen to me. It was Ward. You didn't do anything. Your Alpha just took hold of you for a second there, that's all," the Omega said placatingly. 
 
"Then why were you crying?" 
 
 Magnus bit his lip, a blush forming on his cheeks. 
 
"Magnus, tell me exactly what happened. Did I do something to you? Did I hurt you? That's why you're crying, right? Because I forced--"Alec's voice cracked, guilt flooding through him.
 
"No you didn't! I was crying because I liked it so much but then I knew it was just because of the pheromones so I was trying to get you to stop, Magnus shouted, face redder than ever. 
 
"You liked it…" Alec trailed away, eyes going dark. "Me marking you,"
 
"My Omega did," Magnus replied haughtily, turned on over the intensity of Alec's expression. 
 
"I asked whether you liked it, not whether your Omega liked it," Alec said in a hard voice. 
 
Magnus stayed silent, lips pouted. Alec thought it was cute.
 
"May I?" Alec asked silently, asking for permission to touch the darkening bruises on Magnus' neck. 
 
The omega nodded shyly and closed his eyes, feeling the pheromones grow heavy inside the room again. 
 
Alec trailed his index finger on Magnus' neck,  prodding the bruises gently as he ran his fingers downwards circling a nipple that perked as if awoken. 
 
The Alpha leaned down and stared at an open-mouthed Magnus, who was biting his lips to keep his moans from coming out reining in his desire with his eyes closed. 
 
So fucking breathtaking. 
 
"Let me hear you," Alec whispered, "Come on, Magnus, just let it out," his voice went dangerously low, smiling.  Magnus shivered in response.
 
Goosebumps erupted from the smooth caramel skin as Alec traced the other bud, teasing. 
 
"Alexander," Magnus breathed out, the sound shooting right straight to Alec's cock. Magnus’ pheromones are in full force now, Alec thought hazily. The Alpha nuzzled the Omega’s neck and started to lick the glands where the alluring smell was the strongest. 
 
Magnus answered his ministrations with the loveliest gasps and moans he had ever heard in his life and it continued to encourage him to lick harder. However, memories of the earlier fiasco slowly flooded his consciousness and Alec abruptly wrenched himself away from Magnus, much to the latter’s chagrin, a disappointed whine slipped from his lips. 
 
“Alec, what?” Magnus asked, looking vulnerably alone in the middle of the bed. He looked utterly debauched already, half-naked, tight pants mirroring the Alpha’s. 
 
Alec hadn’t even started fucking him for real. Not that it was his intention in the first place. He just wanted to erase the Ward’s disgusting smell from his Omega who was clearly distressed with the whole ordeal. Or is it? Their deal... 
 
“What is your deal with Ward? Why does he have the audacity to do that to you? I will destroy him, Magnus, for what he has done to you,” Alec said in a hard voice, his dark promise chilling Magnus’ bones and the Omega almost felt sorry for that asshole. 
 
The Omega dropped his head down, his distressed scent permeating inside the room. Alec instinctively approached Magnus and in a soft voice,”Hey, it’s okay if you don’t tell me about it. I just want you to know that I am here for you.”
 
Magnus raised his head and caught his eyes,”You are confusing me, Alexander… do you mean that as a friend or as someone who will soon be the father of my child through a paid deal?”  
 
The Omega immediately regretted those words as he saw the Alpha’s expression shuttered, all the desire and warmth from his gaze gone in just a quick breath. 
 
Alec buttoned up his shirt that Magnus managed to open while they were fumbling around on the door, pheromones making both of them forget any sort of hesitations on how they absolutely fit for each other. His face was unreadable and even his scent seemed muted...controlled, making his Omega whimper at the loss of contact to the Alpha. 
 
Magnus broke the spell. Or whatever that was. 
 
But the truth had to be said. They are not even friends, not even lovers and no more than business partners at this point. 
 
“I have to go,” Alec said in a monotone. 
 
Magnus groaned. “Alec, it was a simple question. I have to know where we stand. You promised to mate me and fight people for me but is that part of what we agreed? I have been asking for your part of the rules in this arrangement and yet, here I am again, so damn confused,” he said, gulping as Alec seemed to clench his hands, veins bulging. Did he say too much ? Magnus worried. 
 
“When I asked you whether you liked it, you said it was your Omega. Then let me say it this time, it was my Alpha who made me do all those things and like you said, we are just being influenced by our pheromones. Is that the answer you want to hear, Magnus?” 
 
The Omega felt a pang in his chest when he shouldn’t.”Alexander…this isn’t some sort of game on who gets to hurt the other first,” Magnus tried catching the Alpha’s eyes but they remained hooded. 
 
“When we were at the elevator and you smell of that horrid Alpha, you said I won’t hurt. I wish I could say the same about you. Goodbye, Magnus,” Alec said before crossing the room in big strides. 
 
“Alexander!” Magnus called out, clutching the sheets uselessly. 
 
 They are so fucked up. How did it come to this? He was fine, Alec was fine. They were all over each other and now, he feels like the Alpha is again slipping through his grasp. 
 
Nephilim Gym, New York
 
“You’re back at it again huh?” Jace taunted when Alec tried to put him in a headlock. “Love problems?”
 
Alec muttered a curse in frustration when it was Jace who managed to place him in a headlock instead, egging him to tap out. Needing precious oxygen, he tapped out unwillingly and laid spread-eagle in the middle of the ring, sweat running down in rivulets down his body.”That’s none of your concern, Jace.” 
 
Jace looked at him, incredulous.”Izzy has been pecking at me like an angry mother hen, Alec. Of course, it is my concern. Not to mention, I’ve been running out of alibis on why you wouldn’t answer Maryse’s calls.” 
 
“I came here to train, not to chit-chat,” 
 
“Alec, you are literally my brother.” 
 
“Fine.” 
 
A distant phone ring coming from his gym bag caught Alec’s attention and he let Jace haul him up to his feet before jogging to the nearby bench and picked up the call. Izzy. 
 
“Izzy,” he said. 
 
“ALEC, YOU HAVE TO COME TO THE LAB IN CALI WE JUST HAD A BREAKTHROUGH FOR THE ALPHA PHEROMONE BLOCKER. NOW,” she screamed.
 
Alec straightened with the information, his body buzzing with excitement,”Finally, Iz? Are you really sure about this?”
 
“YES, BIG BRO. NOW, GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE PRONTO.”
 
“I’ll be on my way,” 
 
----
 
“Why are you here?” Alec demanded after seeing the last person he would want to be with right now. 
 
“Isabelle said she would need me for one of her experiments. She said it would benefit us Omegas as well and if you know your sister, you know how her persuasion powers are,” Magnus answered petulantly, looking out the window at something random on the runway. Anything but the exasperated Alpha on the opposite seat on the plane. 
 
“Suit yourself,” he said, huffing down in his seat. They are both angry but their pheromones are saying otherwise. Stupidly sweet and cloying, attracting each other. 
 
Alec closed his eyes and relaxed himself on the head rest, bracing himself for probably the most tense flight in his lifetime. 
 
All things considered, if Izzy’s experiment is successful, he would finally determine whether what he felt for Magnus was just pheromones or something else he is afraid of putting a name to. 
 
He heard shuffling and dared a peek at the Omega who leaned on the wall, looking small and vulnerable. 
 
The Alpha suddenly had the urge to wrap his arms around him to make him feel safe and warm and protected. 
 
He dug his nails on his palm, staring at the crescent marks, and tried to breath as light as possible. 
 
A few seconds later, while Alec  was thinking hard on whether to just give in and say sorry to Magnus first, a text from an unknown number managed to get through his phone before take-off. 
 
I’m in California. We need to talk. You can’t avoid me forever, Alec. 
 
-Maryse

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Notes: Halloween is hereeeeeee🎃👻. My birthday month draws near. Thank you for all your constant support. You are the greatest readers ever.

Let me know your thoughts, theories, reactions! Stay safe everyone. 💕❤💞