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  “No thanks.” Kyle was unsure as to how much longer he could hold out against the lascivious thoughts that were creeping through his mind.

  “Free country, right?” The massive man placed the pitcher down upon the roughly-hewn table with a loud clank. He was becoming more frustrated.

  “How’s your family doing? Dad’s farm okay?”

  Kyle exhaled hard. “Yeah, he’s doing a lot better. I think that it was just a scare.” At the risk of being pulled into those soft, soulful eyes, he forced himself to make eye contact with Jake. The steely emotional barricade that he’d taken such great care to erect showed the first signs of weakening. “…thanks for asking.”

  “Not a problem at all, man. I, uh, don’t want to sound weird or nothing, but every once in a while I drive past your family’s farm. You know, just to make sure that things are good.” It was obviously a hard admission for the proud Alpha to make. “It’s, uh, it’s a little out of the way but we gotta keep eyes on our own. Make sure they’re doing all right.”

  Sensing the vulnerability in his words, Kyle felt somewhat touched. He wasn’t ready to admit defeat, but resisting what every natural impulse was telling him to do was exhausting. “That’s mighty decent of you.”

  Jake took a pull of beer from a foam-grimed glass and nodded at the dance floor. “I mean, only ‘cause your sister’s got her paws full with Briggs.”

  Following the Alpha’s lead, Kyle glanced at the dance floor but almost wished that he hadn’t. Jess was grinding her ass back into Briggs as if she were trying to shear the denim clean off of his crotch. They kissed, ugly and raw, like first-time drunk teens on prom night. Briggs' massive hands skillfully teased along her curvy hips, looking as if they could slip down the front of her shorts at any moment. Enflamed beyond belief, the lovers were completely oblivious to the small crowd of fans that’d begun to cheer them on from across the bar. None of the staff wanted to inform the amourous Officer Briggs about the bar’s position on PDA, and the show went on.

  “Thank god that your dad’s not here to see his little girl now.” A passing waitress congratulated Kyle and slapped his back.

  Jake and Kyle both gawped at the dance floor. Kyle didn’t want to see his sister in the full swing of what appeared to be a ravenous heat, but he couldn’t look away.

  “I don’t recall Briggs comin’ in with a neckerchief…” Jake laughed as he took a swig of beer.

  “Jesus, Jess!” Kyle buried his red face in his arms. His sister’s bubblegum pink thong was peeking out from under Officer Briggs’ unbuttoned collar.

  “Heh. Uh, any idea which one of your Pa’s rooms you gonna convert to a nursery? I know a guy…,” the Alpha hesitantly joked.

  The Omega smiled. He felt himself thawing, and as much as he hated to admit it, it wasn’t the worst feeling in the world. Confused, aroused, and conflicted, he eyed the pitcher and grabbed an empty glass. He wanted to break the silence and be civil. It wasn’t the same as caving in, he assured himself.

  “So… what are we drinking?”

  “The usual – water with a splash of Bud, Bud Light, or Coors. Choose your poison.” Jake poured him an extra foamy glass. “Shit, sorry ‘bout that. Better at drinkin’ than pourin’, I suppose.”

  “It’s all right,” Kyle rolled his eyes. He’d forgotten how silly Jake could be. He even found himself starting to miss it.

  The Alpha proceeded carefully. “So, what’s the big city like?”

  “Everyone’s so busy filling up each and every minute of their lives with over-scheduled, pointless bullshit that they’re forgetting to actually live their lives.” His words spilled out free and easy in a way that surprised even him. “Well, it’s not so bad, but it doesn’t have community. You don’t know your neighbours. It can get really impersonal. It’s not bad, per se, it’s just different I guess.” Kyle was torn between defending his decision to spend the past year in Toronto and the powerful pull of his homelands.

  “Per say? Heaven help us, they got you sounding like one of them!” the Alpha teased his friend. Kyle had forgotten how nice Jake’s smile could be. He wondered if the fan above was starting to slow down, because he couldn’t help but bask in the warmth that the Alpha seemed to be emanating. He’d tried not to get too close to Jake, as he knew that it was a two-way street: despite the differences between them, just a few good whiffs of the raw heat coming off of Kyle would drive the Alpha mad with desire.

  Their conversation ebbed and flowed and while he at least got to enjoy Jake’s playful sense of humour again, there were unspoken limits that both parties abided by. Neither of them wanted to talk about romantic interests, firefighting, or understandably, Tyler. Even after the year apart, knowing that they were holding back made Kyle feel more than a little sad. There was so much that he wanted to say, and more importantly, to hear Jake say.

  Between his friends and the firedogs, lots of folks gave them a wide berth as the night wore on. As the night wore on, the sounds of Brooks and Florida Georgia Line brought rebellious highs, soulful lows, mournful twangs, and cowboy ballads. It was a fitting accompaniment to their evening.

  They nursed another pitcher. There was a lot resting on their time together, and in some ways it hurt as much as it healed. Kyle didn’t want one night of drinks with friends to pave over his thoughts and feelings. He didn’t want to be like every Omega who caved and buckled just because a cute Alpha was in the room. Even if said Alpha was a good friend that he painfully cut out of his life.

  A little before closing time, the rowdies had already begun to filter out. From under the fan that kept their powerful pheromones in check all evening, the room seemed somewhat less claustrophobic to Kyle.

  Jake gave a curious look around. “Well shoot, that settles it I guess.”

  Kyle’s eyebrows rose as he paused mid-sip.

  “Jess and Briggs are nowhere to be seen. Should I congratulate you now or later, uncle Kyle?” He smiled a silly grin and extended his hand.

  “Well thank you sir, it’s an honour and a privilege to be the best damned uncle that a guy can be to his nieces and/or nephews.” Tipsy and somewhat worn down, Kyle appreciated the gesture. He shook Jake’s hand a few times before he realized what he’d done.

  Strong and rough, Jake’s massive hand grasped his own delicately. The Alpha shook ever so slightly just for a second. Kyle glanced into Jake’s eyes and saw uncertainty before he looked away. Neither of them were prepared for the raw intimacy that even this briefest touches of their skin would bring.

  Kyle cleared his throat a few times and placed his hands on the table. He struggled to push all of the heated thoughts from his mind and reached for the icy, painful bite of his emotions to moor his lustful desire.

  Jake casually ran his fingers through his hair. It was imperceptible, but to those who knew him well, he looked sad.

  Neither knew what to say, and they both fell silent.

  “Look, I didn’t mean to upset y’all like that.” Jake glanced down, his elbow propped upon the table for support.

  “It’s…nothing. I’m fine.”

  “Okay then.” Jake stared at his feet.

  Kyle didn’t want to be at the table anymore. He didn’t want to be in McRorie’s anymore, and he wanted to go home, wherever that was.

  “I should probably find Jess and get her home. Thanks for the drinks.” He turned away from the Alpha and began to unlock his phone to check the texts from his friends, saying goodbye. They evidently thought it more important that he remain here with Jake. He kind of agreed.

  “Kyle, wait.” Jake’s words were strong and vulnerable at the same time. He hadn’t heard Jake sound in that way in a long time.

  Kyle wanted desperately to listen but refused to be another dumb Omega who did what the handsome Alpha wanted him to.

  “Please brother, just hear me out?” Jake's gravelly voice choked, however briefly, with raw emotion.

  Still holding his phone, Kyle’s hand sunk to his lap. He half glanced over
at the Alpha, but knew that he’d be unable to meet the soft, icy blue of his eyes.

  “You’re mad as heck and I get that. I don’t know what I did to piss you off so badly. Hell, even after a year of thinking about it each and every day, I’m still not smart enough to get my head around it. I’m wavin’ the white flag here, bud. I mean… I…”

  Despite the vents above, Kyle easily scented the nervous terror that fell from Jake like a fog. It was a knife through Kyle’s heart, knowing what he was doing to his one-time friend.

  “I already lost one friend.” The faintest tears had begun to well up in Jake’s eyes. “Please don’t take another one away from me…”

  Kyle dropped his phone on the table and buried his face in his hands. An unstable wash of emotions flooded through him; the anger that he’d relied upon for so long was gradually cooled by the compassion of wanting to help a wounded friend. On some level he was still red-hot from Jake’s touch, but pangs of icy regret stabbed at him as he recognized that he’d taken everything out on his friends and family when all they wanted to do was to help.

  “I just miss him so much.”

  “I know. We all do.” With surprising tenderness, Jake extended a hand halfway across the table.

  Kyle’s hand met his and clasped it firmly. It was warm and comforting and strong. Jake gripped him so hard, and he felt so small in those big, powerful hands.

  Tears spilled along Kyle’s cheeks. “I’m so sorry… I’m so…”

  “Nothing to be sorry about, bud.” Jake made his way across the table.

  “Yes there is. I was an ass.” Kyle struggled to hold back the tears but they kept trickling along his cheeks and catching in his beard.

  “You did what you needed to. You don’t have to explain anything.” Jake pulled him in for a hug.

  Kyle basked in the warmth and comfort of his friend’s embrace. He rested his cheek against Jake’s firm chest and hugged back as hard as he could. He felt terrible, and would never forgive himself for pushing away everyone who cared and loved him. Jake had been sweating quite a bit, and when Kyle caught the scent of his masculine musk, he suddenly remembered why their embrace probably wasn’t the greatest idea.

  “You… smell really good.” He laughed nervously as he dried his eyes.

  “All things equal, I don’t feel that I should sniff to see if you do.”

  “Yeah, probably not, right?” Kyle chuckled when he realized that Jake was holding his head as far back as he possibly could. The Omega felt a pang of guilt when he realized that a very large part of him wanted to press against Jake again, to feel his heat and taste his sweat. His eyes went wide and a flush of embarrassment crossed his face.

  “Uh, it’s getting warm in here. Wanna walk me to the cabs outside?” He desperately hoped that the cool night air and open spaces would vent all of the pheromones that he’d been soaking in for the past few hours.

  “Sounds right.” Jake rose. “Lemme just check in with the ‘dogs for a sec?”

  The second that Jake left the table, Kyle hurriedly rearranged his hard, aching cock as it pressed awkwardly against his tight jeans.

  Jake moseyed over to his pack. The Omega was unsure if they were talking about him, but when all of them glanced at him at the same time, he gave them a little wave. Most of them began looking elsewhere, or pretended not to notice that they’d been caught. Except for Big May. She slapped her thigh in a riot of laughter and then gave Jake a big, sprawling hug. Darla hopped up as best she could and gave the tall Alpha a side-hug, mostly because her enormous belly was in the way.

  Watching Jake return to their table, Kyle thought that it was sort of cute how serious Jake’s face was around the firedogs – by the time he was standing beside the Omega, his features had softened considerably.

  “Hmm. Now that I think about it, would you mind kicking around with me for a little while? I really should find out where Jess got to. She was pretty… boozy… last time we saw her.”

  “I dig that. Briggs is a solid Alpha, but you always keep eyes on your kin.” Jake cast a sidelong glance and scratched his nose a little. “But honestly, I mean, if either of them would’ve needed help, it were Briggs. You can’t exactly refuse a gal in a powerful heat like that…”

  Kyle shuddered and gently punched his friend’s shoulder. “Dude, that’s my sister you’re talking about.”

  “You don’t say?” Jake smiling knowingly at his friend.

  It appeared that the détente between Jake and Kyle had thawed. They were far from perfect, but they were at least talking and joking with one another again. The Alpha walked with an even more confident strut than before, his muscular body tall, strong, and proud. More tipsy than Jake, Kyle had a much harder time containing his happiness. A gloomy façade was a poor fit for the reinvigorated Omega. He high-fived a few old acquaintances as they left, and when confronted with the stiff saloon doors he gave them an energetic karate kick causing them to flail wildly.

  “Had enough to drink?” Jake shook his head.

  “Nah, just been thinking about doing that the entire time I was in Toronto,” Kyle lied through his teeth as he and Jake walked out into the cool night air.

  Ten

  Kyle shivered.

  Without the venting system at McRorie’s, their starlight walk might turn out to be a lot more interesting than he could imagine.

  “Should’ve brought a jacket.” He paused. “You know, Toronto usually gets way more humid than this. Like, a lot more that you’d expect. The nights are a lot warmer too.”

  Jake raised an eyebrow at his friend’s words. “Shoot, listen to you. Sound just like your old man, goin’ on about the weather.”

  “Well, it’s true!” Kyle’s commentary on the weather had more to do with trying to avoid the smoky-hot musk that was billowing from Jake’s muscular body. Kyle had hoped that the gentle gusts of the prairie twilight might carry his sister’s heat away from the Alpha too.

  The rest of the crowd had begun to filter out of the bar behind them. Most were snapped up by the fleet of cabs that were circling the area like barracuda, while a few filtered through the parking lot, driven home by their sober friends. Others simply slept in their cars.

  As the patrons filed past, Kyle was a party to an unimaginable parade of scents, each as unique and descriptive as the person trailing them. Most were happy, but some were understandably sad. A lingering anger or aggression seemed to be the hallmark of most Alphas, while the most fertile women wore their intoxicating musk like a wreath. They tended to drag little crowds of interested suitors wherever they went. The occasional Omega sauntered past, exuding a wonderful scent that seemed to enflame the tallest and strongest of the men. Lost in his own thoughts and the wonderful bouquet of Shale River, Kyle knew that gathering this many Alphas and Omegas in one place would’ve taken quite the feat in the big city. While he missed it, Toronto certainly didn’t have this.

  Jake’s hunger broke the silence.

  “Let me level with you, I’m starvin’, bud. You wanna grab some pizza? I’ve got a powerful hankerin’ for meat.” Jake straightened up slightly and flushed red as the words left his mouth.

  “Ah, you don’t say?” Kyle teased his friend as they walked along the weathered pavement of the strip mall. Beyond McRorie’s, the only other establishments open were a Circle K, and a Pizza Pizza. Both attracted swarms of tipsy revelers like moths.

  Within moments, the pair were bathed in the cold fluorescent light of the Pizza Pizza. Plumes of cigarettes seemed to dance between the little packs that were congregating outside, sharing stories, saying their goodbyes, and drunkenly inhaling food.

  When they left, Kyle carried a bottle of water and a slice of veggie. He wasn’t looking forward to a hangover tomorrow. The Alpha carted out three slices of meat-lovers’ drowned in Bullseye and fresh garlic. One whole slice had vanished by the time he realized that Kyle was watching him in semi-disgusted fascination.

  “Gotta get my bulk up,” the Alpha explained
through savage bites of his second slice. “Been hittin’ the gym five days a week. Fire season’s just around the corner.”

  “Oh yeah? Now that you mention it, I thought something was different.” In truth Kyle had been stealing hungry little glimpses of the muscular curves and masculine angles of the Alpha’s hard body for most of the night.

  Jake ravenously chewed through another slice and gave a victorious whoop. He almost seemed to be racing himself.

  Watching his friend awoke odd stirrings in the Omega. Jake’s hunger, his lust for the food, the sated groans, and the utter coarseness of it all was incredibly erotic to Kyle. He sat down on the curb and downed his water. He wisely reserved some to splash on himself later, if need be.

  When Jake was done his grisly meal, he joined his friend. Easily a full head and shoulders taller than Kyle, the Alpha reeked of garlic. Conversation became easier as fewer and fewer rowdy voices pierced the night. They chatted about nothing in particular. Despite the probable clove of garlic that Jake had eaten, Kyle’s mind was already beginning to betray him with lurid scenes of their bare, sweaty bodies touching. Kyle was glassy-eyed, lost in his own little world as he wondered what it would be like to be cradled in those powerful arms, when he realized that Jake was calling to him.

  “…you okay, bud? You want another water or somethin’?”

  “N-no, I’ll be fine. Just jetlag, probably,” Kyle explained.

  The last of the patrons had slowly vanished into the darkness beyond the lights. The Alpha and the Omega were left alone in the night.

  The silence wasn’t awkward, but it wasn’t entirely welcome. When the loud buzz of the ‘open’ sign on the Pizza Pizza flickered a few times before going dark, a chorus of crickets, gentle breezes, and rustling grasses revealed themselves.

  It was calming, and helped Kyle ignore how aroused he was.

  “Did you hear that?” Jake leaned over and asked him with powerful garlic breath.