I should be your Beta, not your Mate

Side-Story: 10

Side-Story: 10 - What if...? - Part 3

Cassian

We turned 17 and I couldn't even describe how happy I was. Our relationship was wonderful.

We kinda changed rule number two after a few months of only making out and being in need of release. It wasn't like we had sex. Not at all. We just took off our shirts and touched our skins.

Rule number two: No sex or interaction beneath the waistline.

But that rule didn't stop us from rubbing against another. Just like we had done a little while ago.

Right now we were lying in Kyran's bed and cuddled after making out. He was snoozing off and I petted through his fluffy hair.

Our parents were obviously surprised when we suddenly 'made up' and were friends again. Still they didn't intervene and just left us alone. They were happy and probably thought that we finally fixed our broken Alpha-Beta-relationship.

Well, we had fixed it but not in a way they would have wanted.

Ellinor backed us up when we needed it and Caleb too - obviously. He was like a happy ball of sunlight now that he could spend more time with his brother again.

He could have done it before too, I always told him he should prioritize his brother over me but he refused. Refused, even though I always saw how difficult it was for him. I still felt guilty about it.

Quietly Kyran grumbled and rubbed his nose against my chest.

»Awake?« I asked gently and pushed his hair out of his face. He scrunched his nose and squinted up to me.

I instantly noticed his kinda blurry eyes and frowned. »Everything okay?«

Why was his face so flushed?

It shouldn't be my first reaction, after all, we from the upper ranks couldn't get sick, but I touched his forehead with my palm. Hot.

He was almost burning.

»Kyran?« Did he... Did he have a fever? How?

»Yes?« he mumbled and frowned hard. »My head hurts...« He winced and touched the side of his head before squeezing his eyes shut.

Panic filled me. »Should I get your father?«

Quickly he shook his head. »N-No. It'll surely pass.«

Would it? I wasn't sure. And I was scared.

Minutes passed. I helped him drink some water and we waited. Only after half an hour the headache seemed to fade and his temperature dropped to a normal degree.

We stayed quiet about what had happened.

Days passed and we were in school. Well, school had just ended and now I would go with Kyran to his swim training. I was allowed to watch when we had something to do afterwards and it gave me many opportunities to watch him half naked. He always teased me about it.

Just today, he was strangely quiet. Carefully I gazed at him but he only stared straight ahead with a blank expression.

»Are you okay? You're awfully quiet today.« He blinked confused and nodded. »Yeah, only a bit absent minded.«

A bit much absent minded if he asked me.

I had the urge to lace our fingers together but we had the rule to not touch the other in public. Both of us followed that rule strictly. After all, if we did, rule number one could get in our way and we would get in much bigger problems.