The Vampire's Last Omega

Taboo

As sleep slowly began to fade, Teru nestled his face in the pile of stuff.

I know this smell...

He inhaled and sat up quickly when realizing it was his wolf plush. When did he get it back?

The outfit his mom had made for him years ago was mixed in with the blankets. His ring, too. Although it was dark in the room, the faint forest scent lingered on the items. Teru placed the necklace around his neck and hid it under his oversized shirt.

Actually, were these the same pair of pajamas from the day before? He also didn't remember wrapping his fingers with bandages. His memory was foggy from the past few days.

Regardless, he was just relieved to be back to normal.

Teru saw a light shining from underneath the closet door. He opened it and squinted his eyes from the brightness reflecting on the walls. The bedroom was void of any people. Alone again.

There was food waiting for him. It must've been delivered recently since steam still wafted from the eggs and other mysterious new foods. He didn't feel like eating, but if he was going to escape from here, he needed his strength.

The yolk glistened from the sun glaring through the window. A sorrowful pain hurt his stomach. Lucas loved eggs, whose peculiar hobby was to take care of the pack's chickens. He'd always shown Teru the most recent baby chick and would awe, "It looks like you!" There were countless times when the two of them had been chased by the territorial roosters.

Teru took a bite. He chewed awkwardly because the runny egg felt like sawdust in his mouth. It was difficult to swallow. While trying to eat, the door's lock clicked. Someone was coming in, and lo and behold, it was the tall vampire with dark red hair. When had he returned from his trip?

Teru was on guard when Kieran stood near him, crossing his arms. "Is the food to your liking? I told the chef to prepare red fruit."

"..."

"Not going to talk again," Kieran muttered. He went over to Teru and grabbed his arm to hold it up. The omega tried to take back his limb, but it was moot. The alpha studied his fingers. "Hmm, this is bleeding through."

Kieran was distracted enough to loosen his hold, giving Teru the opportunity to wrench his hand back.

But...the vamp was right. A spot of blood seeped through the white bandage around his middle finger. Teru unwound the wrappings, wanting to know why he was bleeding. The skin on every finger was thin, red, and smooth from the tip to the pads. Three nails were missing total; seeing the exposed, fleshy skin where his nails were supposed to be made him a little nauseous.

Thinking back, his memory went blank after making the den in the closet. "How...?" asking himself.

"You were nesting. Every omega is different, but for you, your outlet is to chew on your hands to relieve the stress."

"Nesting?" Teru looked at Kieran.

Kieran rubbed his chin, thinking of how to explain. "It's when a male omega fails to be impregnated after a heat. Some females do it, too. They collect comfortable items and make a circle, as you did, or a fort, a tent, and so on. These are all nests. It's meant to calm your rush of hormones, but it can easily cause you to self-harm if your nest isn't perfect."

Ugh. Why did omegas have to be so complicated? The only thing alphas had to worry about was their rut and learning how to regulate their pheromones. "But I haven't had a heat yet."

"That's why I think you were simply having a bad day," Kieran suspected. "I suppose this is partially my fault for leaving you alone for so long."

Partially, Teru mocked in his head. He noticed one finger was wet to the touch. It was bleeding heavier.