Resistance

Chapter 2

That night I couldn't fall asleep, my body a foreign mass of aches and pains that kept me up until dawn seeped into my room in deep shades of orange. I would have to face that alpha again today. Would have to see him, smell him, taste his scent on the tip of my tongue. No matter how much I wanted to keep that from happening, I knew Erwin wouldn't allow it. I was the sole reason Eren decided to stay here at Sanctuary Recon and Erwin would use that to his advantage, would dangle me in front of that alpha like a tasty treat so he could get what he wanted out of him. And I would be forced into the middle of it all, an unwilling participant in the oldest game of cat and mouse.

I kicked off the blankets and cursed at the heavy weight of my limbs. Something was wrong. These weren't the normal discomforts that came after having gone into heat. My muscles throbbed with an unbearable itch that burned just beneath the surface of my skin. I wanted to squirm until it subsided, but I knew the sensation wouldn't go away on its own. Only one person could rid me of it and the knowledge made me ache all the more.

Why couldn't I stop thinking about Eren? Was this another way that my instincts were working against me? Was my body so desperate to be mated that it shoved thoughts of that alpha down my throat? Fuck, the very thought of touching him turned me on. It scared me how much I wanted it, needed it. How was I supposed to resist him when I would do anything for a little taste?

When a knock came at my door a few minutes later, I was so grateful for the distraction that I lunged out of bed, ignoring the weak state my body was in. The relief I felt died away when I threw the door open to reveal Erwin standing in the corridor in his old military uniform. There was only one reason he would be here at this hour, and that was to make sure that I wouldn't skip out on my duties. Although it didn't surprise me any, it did piss me off. He didn't know me well enough if he thought that I was going to succumb to my instincts. It didn't matter how much pain it would put me in to be around Eren, to smell the arousal on his skin, I wouldn't give in. I had plenty of reason not to.

Leaning up against the doorframe, I said, "I have an hour before I have to be down at the dining hall. To what do I owe this displeasure?"

"Is that any way to address your commanding officer?" He raised one of his thick, irritating eyebrows and I scowled at him.

"If you didn't get the memo, hot shot, this isn't the military. This a prison for our kind. So, yes, that's the way I'm addressing you, because I know why you're here."

"This isn't a prison, Levi. It's a sanctuary, a place that's been built for our kind to remain safe from the humans who would like to see us all dead, and the reason I'm here is to escort you down to the cafeteria, for your own safety. The smell of heat lingers on you. There may not be a lot of alphas here, but the ones who are would be tempted by your scent, even when they've been injected with serum three days ago. Instincts die hard."

I folded my arms. "Yet you're planning to thrust me at Eren, an alpha that exudes strength and restless energy."

"As I told you yesterday on the phone, Hanji assured me that he had been injected with twice the amount of serum than any other alpha taking up residence here. I saw him this morning, to check to see if he was safe to be around, and he seemed calm and collected. He even asked me to apologize to you for his behavior yesterday. Give him a chance, Levi. He was in rut yesterday. Of course he was bound to act a little...animalistic."

A shiver worked its way down my spine as the thought of Eren being animalistic alighted my skin in a slow, raging heat that threatened to consume me where I stood. I took a deep breath, smelling the scent of arousal—my scent—in the air. Shit. I needed to get a hold of myself. What the fuck was wrong with me?