Unlikely Mates

9

**Chapter Nine: The Heat That Binds**

Max woke up drenched in sweat, his sheets clinging to his body uncomfortably. At first, he thought it was just the heat of the room, but as his mind shook off the last traces of sleep, he realized something was terribly off. His heart was racing, his body was aching, and an overwhelming need had settled deep within his bones—a need he hadn't felt in months.

His heat was coming.

Max groaned, burying his face in his pillow as his body shuddered with the realization. It had been a long time since his last heat—he had been on suppressants for months, careful to avoid anything that might disrupt his life. But now, for whatever reason, the suppressants had failed, and he was stuck. Alone, hot, and needy.

He reached for his phone, the digits on the clock glaring at him: 7:30 AM. He was supposed to be in class in less than an hour, but there was no way he was going to make it like this. His body felt like it was on fire, and his brain was too foggy to even think straight.

Max cursed under his breath and grabbed his phone, typing out a quick message to his professor to let them know he wouldn’t be attending class. He kept it vague, just saying that he wasn’t feeling well and would catch up on the work later. He couldn’t exactly tell his professor that he was going into heat—university policy might be accommodating for omegas, but it was still embarrassing to admit.

After sending the message, Max tossed his phone onto the bed and tried to focus on breathing. He needed to stay calm, to get through this without falling apart. He’d been through heats before—he knew what to expect. But this time, it felt different. Stronger. More intense. Like every nerve in his body was hyper-aware of the alpha pheromones that lingered in the air, even though no one else was around.

And of course, Bradley’s scent immediately came to mind.

Max groaned again, this time more out of frustration than anything else. The last thing he needed right now was to think about Bradley Uppercrust, the arrogant alpha who seemed to have made it his mission to get under Max’s skin. But no matter how much he tried to push the thought away, Bradley kept creeping back into his mind. His scent. His presence. The way his deep voice rumbled whenever they argued.

Max shook his head, trying to dispel the thoughts. “This is just the heat talking,” he muttered to himself. “You don’t like Bradley. You hate him, remember?”

But even as he said the words, they felt hollow. Sure, he had spent most of the semester butting heads with Bradley, but lately, something had shifted. Bradley wasn’t just an arrogant jerk anymore—he was more than that. He had shown moments of vulnerability, of care, that Max couldn’t ignore. Like at the charity event. Bradley had been… thoughtful. Almost sweet, in his own weird, alpha way.

Max squeezed his eyes shut, willing the thoughts to go away. This wasn’t the time to start analyzing his confusing feelings for Bradley. He needed to focus on getting through the heat. He could deal with the rest of it later.

The next few hours passed in a haze of discomfort. Max tossed and turned in bed, his body feeling like it was burning from the inside out. He had turned the fan on, but it did little to cool him down. Every time he moved, his skin felt too sensitive, every touch setting off sparks of need that made him want to scream.

He had been through heats alone before, but this one was testing his limits. He needed something—someone—to ground him, to help him get through this without completely losing himself to the overwhelming desire coursing through his veins.

His thoughts drifted back to Bradley, again, and this time, he didn’t fight it. He imagined what it would be like if Bradley were here, his strong arms wrapped around Max, his scent filling the air, comforting and commanding at the same time. Max imagined Bradley’s deep voice, soothing him, guiding him through the haze of his heat.