Chapter 6 Touch Me

Adrian paused in the middle of the large living room and caught his breath. He didn't know which way to go; the house led from one hallway to the other.

Leaving was no longer an option.

Talk about ill luck.

Yes, he needed some miracle to save his sister and his ass from the loan sharks, but if someone ever told him that miracle would be Donovan, he would pass... hard.

Well, everything happens for a reason, and this time, that reason was his death. Donovan will kill him in the end when his stupid scent finally decided to betray him.

If it hadn't been for his emergency fragrance, Donovan might have set him on fire, or decapitated him due to his hate for omegas.

He hated his body. Hated his kind. Hated Donovan.

"Come."

Adrian gasped and spun around, clutching the bottle of lavender fragrance close to his chest.

It was just Riven.

He exhaled loudly, regarding Riven with suspicious eyes. "What do you want?"

Riven checked the watch on his wrist and looked toward the door.

"The Alpha King's royal omega will be arriving soon. You need to hold a session with the king. Prepare his body for mating—"

"Eww... sorry." Adrian cleared his throat, lowering his gaze from Riven's cold glare.

"Follow me. You reek." Riven said and headed toward a far-off hallway at the corner.

Adrian lifted his arm and dipped his nose under. His nose scrunched up and he nodded. "I do."

He hadn't showered for the day after everything that happened yesterday. He wished he wouldn't even shower; perhaps the compiled odour would mask his lavender scent and the Alpha would have no option than to send him away for his dear health.

But that would also be uncomfortable for him since his skin itched so uncomfortably without showering.

He hurried his steps to catch up with Riven.

They climbed a dark spiralling staircase and arrived at the first door in the short passage.

"This will be your room until the king is healed—"

"I'm sorry, healed of what, exactly?" He asked cautiously.

Riven gave him a warning look, unlocking the door.

"Enter. Shower. Same room as last night for the massage." Riven instructed and left.

Adrian nodded and stared into the room, the scent of clean fabric and expensive leather drifting from the door.

Slowly, he stepped in.

A leather chair beside the wall mirror, a comfortable mattress against the wall, a closet, and shiny floor.

This was the most expensive room he'd ever sleep in.

He wished he could tell Adriana about all this, but she might just kill him if she figured he'd accepted to work for their enemy.

He shut the door and went to the closet.

Adrian checked the closet for anything and found a white oversized shirt and white shorts. He took them into the bathroom and showered.

The hot water washed away the layer of sweat, stress, and cheap lavender perfume, leaving his skin tingling. It felt heavenly after everything he had been through, even if the dread in his stomach hadn't completely dissipated.

He was starving. How does he feed in this prison?

He stepped out dressed, popped two pills in his mouth for precaution, then hid the bottle in the closet and left for the massage room.

He can't have his scent drifting everywhere the moment he lays his hands on Donovan.

Navigating the winding hallways of the mansion felt like walking through a labyrinth of impending doom. Every shadow seemed to stretch toward him, whispering reminders of what was at stake. If he failed to keep his scent masked, or if Donovan figured out his true primary gender, it wouldn't just be his life on the line—Adriana's treatment would vanish right along with him.

When he finally reached the familiar heavy double doors of the massage suite, his hand hovered over the polished handle for a long moment. He took a deep, steadying breath, closed his eyes, and pushed the door open.

The room was dim, illuminated only by the soft, golden glow of recessed lighting and scented candles that struggled to compete with the heavy, natural aura of pine and earth that already permeated the air.

And standing beside the sleek massage table, looking as imposing and lethal as ever, was Donovan.

The Alpha King turned his head slowly, his emerald eyes locking onto Adrian with a predatory intensity that made every hair on the back of Adrian's neck stand on end.

"You're late, Mr. Lennox," Donovan's deep voice resonated smoothly across the quiet room. "I hope your 'service' isn't as sluggish as your punctuality."

Adrian straightened; he needed to look confident if he wanted his lies to sell.

"Like I said the other night, my touch is the best there is," he said.

"Good." Donovan kept his eyes on Adrian and slowly lifted his hands to his buttons.

"Jesus Christ," Adrian snapped his head down, shutting his eyes.

But that did not stop him from counting how many buttons Donovan had undone in his shirt. The moment the pine and earth scent hit him in rolling waves, he knew the shirt was off... his doom was near.

"I do not have all day, Mr. Lennox. I didn't throw my money at you just so you can stand as a pretty decoration." Donovan called in a deep, unhurried voice.

A slow shiver ran down Adrian's spine from the rich timber of Donovan's voice, his knees feeling like jelly as he stood there, refusing to look up.

Looking up was suicidal; he didn't want to see what that upper body would look like.

Donovan arched an angry brow as he stared at Adrian simply standing at the door with his lowered head. He never tolerates insolence, but he needed Adrian; killing him would be foolish.

He took out his phone. "Cancel every treatment for Adriana Lennox, and tell the loan sharks they have an hour to refund every dime or—"

"No!" Adrian snapped out of it the moment he heard his sister's name, his legs carrying him forward.

"No, please, I apologise for spacing out... I was, I was just thinking of the best way to start our session," he kept his eyes locked on Donovan's face, refusing to look lower.

"Please, I already promised my services... I'll pay in full with my services." He murmured, putting his hands together in front of Donovan.

"Good." Donovan dropped his phone on the chair nearby and unzipped his pants, letting them fall to the floor.

Adrian was once again knocked out by the heavier scent of pine and earth; he kept his eyes on the wall as Donovan picked his pants up, folded them neatly and placed them on the arm of the chair beside his shirt.

'Dear God... this is not fair.' Adrian cried silently.

"I need your hands on me, Mr. Lennox. That is why I have hired you." Donovan said, lowering himself on the massage bed.

Adrian nodded and walked over to the small desk filled with different kinds of essential oils, including lavender.

He smirked.

Perfect.

He picked it up.

"Drop it," Donovan ordered as he saw the oil Adrian had picked.

Adrian held tightly onto it. There was no way he was dropping his camouflage. Touching Donovan would be a test to his limits; just in case his hormones decide to have a party, he'd just say it was the oil.

"I'm sorry, Sir... Alpha. But lavender is what I like to work with..." he slowly faced Donovan, eyes only on his face.

"It's worked for most of my clients, helping in easing knots and stubborn muscles. The scent is therapeutic, too."

Donovan glanced at the clock on the wall and gritted his teeth. Half an hour until his royal omega arrived; he needed to be ready.

"Come here," he said, lying himself on the massage bed, facing the ceiling with his eyes closed.

Adrian gulped. "Y-Yes." He stammered and walked over.

Adrian stood beside the bed, his fingers tightening around the cool glass bottle as his gaze finally slipped downward, taking in Donovan's formidable physique.

He hadn't meant to look, but the sheer expanse of sculpted muscle, the broad, carved chest rising and falling with steady breaths, and the razor-sharp cut of his jawline sent an uncooperative, uncontrollable shiver straight down Adrian's spine.

A sudden, traitorous urge flared in his chest—a frantic, burning desire to reach out and touch every single inch of that defined, lethal body.

Get a grip, Adrian scolded himself, blinking hard to clear his head.

He forced himself to concentrate, pushing back the overwhelming, heavy scent of pine and earth that threatened to cloud his senses. With shaky fingers, he uncorked the lavender oil bottle, but paused abruptly before pouring a single drop.

"Before I start," Adrian cleared his throat, keeping his voice as steady as possible, "I need to know... why exactly do you want my hands on you?"

Donovan slowly opened his closed emerald eyes and stared up at the ceiling before shifting his gaze to Adrian.

As he looked at the young man standing above him, a strange haze clouded his mind. He found himself inexplicably drawn to Adrian's thick lashes, the natural flush of his red lips, the delicate curve of his jaw, his damp, curly brown hair, and his soft, radiant skin. A deep frown pulled at the corners of Donovan's mouth as his sharp eyes caught the faint remnants of fading bruises on Adrian's otherwise flawless skin.

The sweet, floral aroma hit him again, though this time, Donovan convinced himself it was merely radiating from the open bottle in Adrian's hand.

Looking away sharply, Donovan's jaw tightened, silently cursing his inner wolf for trying to notice every minute detail about a fragile human.

"I need to know the specific muscle tension you're dealing with so I know which techniques to use," Adrian added quickly, pressing for an answer to satisfy his own growing anxiety.

Donovan clenched his jaw, locking his burning gaze back onto Adrian's face.

"I will tell you why I need your hands," Donovan replied, his voice a low, dangerous growl. "And if you ever breathe a word of this outside these walls, I'll know who to kill."

Adrian gulped hard, a cold sweat breaking out across his neck as sheer fear gripped him. What on earth have I gotten myself into?

"I am in urgent need of an heir," Donovan stated calmly, though the raw pressure in his tone was suffocating. "My position on the Alpha King throne will be challenged by the end of the year if I do not already have an heir on the way."

Adrian blinked, his brain stalling for a second before he tried to reason through the madness.

This was good news to him. So the mighty Alpha King had something he cherished... his throne.

If he had the power, he'd wish for Donovan to never get an heir and lose his throne. Less power meant more accessibility. He could kill Donovan more easily then.

He sighed.

"I... I don't see how my hands can provide you an heir," Adrian said, biting the side of his lip.

He even went ahead to press his luck. "I... I have read books about your kind. I believe what you really need is a woman..." he paused, noticing the lethal warning flash clear in Donovan's eyes.