Wolves of a Feather

Heat Crash

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Chapter Fifteen

Heat Crash

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"Tim."

"Timmy."

He couldn't stop pacing. He couldn't tell if the twisting of his insides was from his anxiety or the start of what he had been dreading. His heat was nearly here, and Bruce hadn't come to find him. Was this a rejection? Could he handle a rejection? A high pained sound scraped out his throat.

"Tim, come here." Damian's alpha influence cracked across the room like a falling power line. For Tim's over sensitive nerves, it was close to painful. He was brought to a halt, muscles twitching under his skin.

"Come here Timmy," Damian said in a much softer voice. The omega came over to him, a soft sad whine breaking free of his chest. He still hadn't really spoken to Damian about how fragile he felt but Damian wasn't stupid. Tim knew the young alpha undoubtably understood how anxious he was. He let Damian tug him forward until he tumbled down onto the couch beside the alpha. It was strange that despite being Bruce's biological son, the pup smelt so little like him. Tim shivered as he inhaled dark chocolate and crushed coffee beans. The scent was strong and soothing, Damian projecting 'safe, affection, protect' in response to Tim's distress.

Damian nuzzled him. He was holding onto Tim probably a little too tightly. The omega's scent had become so sweet. His skin was warm to the touch and his eyes were nothing but blue. He was so close to going under to his heat but seemed to be holding himself back with pure will. It hurt to watch, and Damian was dreading the outcome of the conversation that had to come. They both looked up at the sound of footsteps. Tim's shoulders visibly dropped as Alfred came around the corner instead of Bruce.

"Would you two please come with me? Master Bruce would like to have a word." The old beta was giving nothing away. Still, Tim was a trembling ball of prickly tension by the time they arrived at, oddly enough, Tim's bedroom. Alfred opened the door and gently ushered them inside before bowing and taking his leave. Bruce was standing beside Tim's nest, looking down at it with a thoughtful expression. Tim bit his lip. Damian was trying not to grind his teeth. The tension in the room, addled further by Damian's alpha pheromones and Tim's heat scent was enough to make the situation almost unbearable.

"I'm sorry to have made you both wait. This isn't a decision to be taken lightly. There were a lot of factors to be considered. The first and most obvious being that I'm an inappropriate age to be your life mate Tim." Pain flashed on Tim's face. It was so obvious and raw that Damian stopped breathing. Bruce crossed the room in two long strides and scruffed Tim by the neck before the pup's legs could give out.

"Listen to me Tim. You may have entered my pack at an older age then most of my Robins, but I still raised you, still watched you grow from a scraggly pup to a confidant young man. You're beautiful and smart and I should never have discouraged you from learning more about your omega heritage. I could live another lifetime and never repay the wrongs I've done against this pack," Bruce murmured.

"Bruce-" the word came out as a sob. The large man scooped Tim up. Bruce sat down and cuddled Tim in his lap. The omega looked so small against the huge, muscled bulk of the alpha.

"This isn't a rejection Tim. This is an offer of compromise."

Both younger boys stared at the man. Clearly Damian was just as lost as Tim. The pup froze as his father's stormy gaze fell on him. His eyes were so dark they were almost black.

"Come here Damian."

Slowly, as though half expecting an attack, Damian came closer. Bruce's scent was incredibly heavy and powerful. The man wasn't wearing any scent blockers. It seemed to be under Damian's skin. It made him want to whine and show his throat. Submission and dominance were battling inside him, forcing his limbs to shake nearly as badly as Tim's.