He stared at the projected video on the opposite wall and slowly walked closer. It appeared Haydn had turned in his sleep and was now sleeping with his face to the camera. The picture quality was so good that Royce could see every little imperfection on Haydn’s face.
He stared at it for a long moment until he realized he was possibly being creepy.
Reaching for the remote, Royce ended the video call.
He was left looking at the blank wall, the familiar uneasy, unsatisfied feeling gnawing in his gut.
Chapter Eight
“Someone’s eager,” Devlin said.
Haydn shrugged, waiting for the airstairs to be lowered. “I just can’t wait to be on firm ground again,” he said. “The turbulence made me dizzy.”
“Are you sure that’s the reason? And not the hot guy waiting for you over there?”
Haydn laughed. “Royce is my friend. We’re just friends, Dev. I told you: he’s an alpha, too.” He still felt a little guilty for telling Devlin about Royce’s designation, except he knew Devlin would never betray his confidence. They were as close as brothers, and Haydn trusted Devlin as much as he trusted himself.
“So?” Devlin said, his green eyes full of lazy amusement. “It’s not like alphas don’t ever fuck alphas.”
“Royce isn’t into alphas,” Haydn said, turning away.
“Royce isn’t into alphas,” Devlin repeated slowly before laughing. “You’re only proving me right, Hay-dn.”
Haydn shot him an annoyed look. “I’m beginning to regret taking you with me.”
“As if you would have been able to stop me from coming. It’s bad enough I wasn’t invited to the wedding.”
“Only my parents were present, Devlin,” Haydn said distractedly as the airstairs were finally lowered. He walked down the stairs, his gaze on Royce.
But Royce wasn’t looking at him. His narrowed eyes were fixed on Devlin, assessing and faintly displeased.
“Your husband is me,” Haydn said pointedly, smiling as he approached Royce.
Royce finally shifted his gaze to him, his nostrils flaring.
Before Haydn could say anything else, Royce yanked him close and hugged him, his face coming to rest close to Haydn’s neck, but not quite touching. Haydn could feel how tense his body was. Royce probably wanted to scent-mark him, but obviously he couldn’t do it in the presence of a stranger. Betas didn’t scent-mark people, after all.
“Hello to you, too,” Haydn said with a chuckle, his eyelids growing heavier as the familiar scent of wet soil and ozone assaulted his senses. The scent was thick and heady, and quickly clouded Haydn’s mind at the rate Royce was pumping out his pheromones.
The urge to bare his throat was becoming irresistible, and Haydn fought it with everything he had. Fuck, this was so weird. While he was in Pelugia, he had started doubting his memory, doubting himself. Surely he hadn’t just docilely bared his throat to another alpha on a regular basis, right? But he had.
Someone coughed.
It took Haydn a moment to remember that they weren’t alone.
Snapping his eyes open, he stepped back from Royce and turned. He’d expected to see amusement on Devlin’s face, but Devlin’s dark brows were furrowed, his gaze flicking between Haydn and Royce. He smelled of puzzlement—and something else.
“Devlin Schaefer, the Duke of Westcliff,” Devlin said, stretching his hand out to Royce. “Haydn’s cousin.”
After a moment, Royce shook it, his black eyes boring a hole in Devlin. He was still pumping out his pheromones non-stop, and it put Haydn on edge. He wanted to sit down. He wanted to start a fight. He wanted to bare his throat. He wanted to flee.
He breathed deeply, trying to shake off the contradictory urges and wants.
“Royce Cleghorn,” Royce said curtly, his gaze moving back to Haydn. “Haydn? You all right?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Just… Could you cut it out, please?”
Royce gave him an uncomfortable look and nodded. His scent became slightly less overwhelming. “Slightly less” being the key part.
Haydn suppressed a sigh. He knew Royce probably couldn’t help himself. Not only did Haydn’s alpha scent aggravate him, but there was another alpha present, a strange alpha Royce didn’t know at all. Any alpha would be a little territorial in such circumstances. It probably didn’t help that Devlin was a Xeus and his scent was very strong. Having grown up with Devlin, Haydn barely noticed his scent, but he knew other people considered it abrasive. Xeus alphas were difficult to be around. They tended to make people uneasy. Even betas reacted to them strongly, and other alphas much more so.
“I wasn’t aware you were bringing a guest,” Royce said, laying a hand on Haydn’s shoulder and steering him toward the mansion in the distance.
The touch felt ridiculously proprietary, and Haydn knew he wasn’t just imagining it when he caught Devlin’s incredulous look.
“Devlin has invited himself,” Haydn said. “Never mind him. As long as we give him a room and feed him, he’ll stay out of the way.”
“I can hear that.”