Haydn grinned at his cousin over his shoulder. “I know.”
Devlin flipped him the bird.
Royce’s hand tightened on his shoulder. “Come, everyone is waiting for you. Everyone’s missed you.”
Haydn smiled a little. Royce was probably exaggerating, but it was still nice of him to say that. “Everyone? What about you?” he said, bumping their shoulders together.
Royce’s dark eyes darted to him for a moment. “I missed you dreadfully. Especially your exquisite scent.”
“Ouch,” Haydn said with a laugh. “There is no need for insults.”
As soon as they reached the house, Royce practically shoved Devlin at his mother and pulled Haydn into the nearest empty room while his mother and Devlin were making awkward small talk.
“What?” Haydn said as soon as Royce shut the door.
“You told him about me,” Royce stated, looming over him.
Haydn didn’t know how he managed to loom when they were about the same height and weight, but somehow, Royce did.
Haydn swallowed, his own scent spiking, which, of course, only aggravated Royce further.
“Devlin doesn’t count,” Haydn said. “He’s practically my brother. He won’t tell anyone, I’m sure of it.”
Royce glowered at him. “But what if you’re wrong? If you are, my career will be damaged and my mother will face legal consequences. I told you that in confidence, Haydn.”
He felt a twinge of guilt. “He won’t tell anyone. Devlin isn’t like that.”
Royce scoffed. “He’s a Xeus. Impulsiveness is his norm. He might give it away without even meaning to.”
“I thought you weren’t as closed-minded as other people. Isn’t your brother a Xeus, too?”
“That’s precisely why I know what I’m talking about,” Royce said, his expression grim. “Look, a lot of the prejudice against Xeus alphas is unjustified, but some things people say about them are true: they are driven by their instincts and emotions more than their rational thoughts. What happens if Devlin gets angry with you? He will spill your secrets out of spite.”
Haydn glared at him. “That’s still a gross generalization, Royce. You’re a Torryn alpha, but you’ve hardly been a paragon of levelheadedness around me, either.”
“That is irrelevant,” Royce said stiffly.
“Is it?”
Royce pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine. I concede that there might be levelheaded Xeus alphas. Do you honestly believe Devlin is one of them?”
Haydn pulled a face. He couldn’t lie: levelheadedness was the last word he associated Devlin with. Devlin was aggressive even by Xeus alphas’ standards. He was one of those Xeus alphas that could partially shift into their animal forms outside of the full moon. That was one of the reasons there was so much prejudice against alphas like Devlin: people thought they were more animals than men.
Haydn sighed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told him without asking you first.”
Royce’s hard expression softened slightly. “Why did you?”
“He wanted to send for you, so you could help me during my rut. I had to tell him why you couldn’t help me.”
Royce’s shoulders stiffened. “He was with you during your rut?”
Haydn snorted. “Not with me, don’t be silly. He’s a Xeus—I want to rip his throat out during my ruts. We communicated through video calls.”
Royce seemed only slightly mollified.
Haydn smiled, amused despite himself. “Is this the ‘my stuff’ thing again? You don’t want another alpha around your stuff?”
A faint flush appeared on Royce’s bronzed skin. “Shut up,” he said gruffly, turning away, his shoulders still tense.
“Come here,” Haydn said with a long-suffering sigh, tilting his head to the side.
“I don’t need it,” Royce said tersely, his dark eyes on Haydn’s throat. His jaw clenched. “I can control myself.”
“I’m not saying you need it or that you can’t control yourself. C’mere.”
Royce didn’t need to be told again. He was in Haydn’s personal space in an instant, shoving his face against Haydn’s bared throat.
Haydn forced himself to relax. That initial moment of submission was always the hardest, his instincts telling him that this was wrong, but then it became easier. Better. After a few moments, the enforced ease became natural, his body going pliant as Royce’s heady pheromones started doing their work. Why did he need to be strong when someone else could be for him? It felt good, in a weird way. Although there was a part of him that insisted that this was wrong, that he should be fighting for dominance and making Royce bare his throat to him, that part became quieter with every moment. It felt so good. His mind was blissfully empty. There was only Royce and his heady, wrong, wonderful scent.
By the time Royce pulled back, his muscles looked loose and relaxed. Even Haydn could tell how much like Royce he now smelled.
“Better?” he said with an amused smile.
“Yes,” Royce said with a vaguely sheepish look.
Smiling, Haydn patted him on the shoulder. “There’s no need to be embarrassed. Just tell me when you need this instead of biting my head off, all right?”