Chapter Ten

Bill stood guarding the door to the apartment while Cocoa and Emily patrolled the floors, keeping curious weres from coming any closer to the crime scene.

Because of his close proximity to said crime scene, Bill could clearly hear Tania, Marcus, and Dallas as they pondered over their latest case, which, apparently, had a lot of similarities to the case of nearly two weeks ago – the suspected suicide/homicide of an omega. Except, based on the results from the Medical Examiner, the dead were had been no omega at all, even though Bill was pretty certain his nose wasn't broken.

"Scent alterer, do you think?" Tania asked from inside the room, bringing Bill out of his thoughts, "It's the only explanation."

The dead were in the room was apparently giving off both scents of a beta and an alpha. From what Bill had deduced from team members inside, the dead were – who was naked – apparently had a knot, but the distinct scents of beta and alpha seemed to belong solely to him and not two different weres.

"We can't jump into any conclusions," Dallas replied, "We really need Spencer to check it out – which, he's late, as usual."

"Not surprised," Markus said with a tsk, "we'll have him check the bodies – this one and the other one for any signs of scent alterer, even though he didn't mention any of the sort in his report."

"It's the only thing I can think of that makes sense."

"So, what do you think happened here?" Markus mused.

"Looks like your standard drug overdose," Tania said.

"Hm. I just don't like this link with the other case," Dallas said. "The scent thing, I mean. It's really freaking weird. Aren't you guys weirded out?"

Bill tuned the responses out, taking a deep inhale through his nose. He could smell the scent of a beta mixed up with that of an alpha, but it had to be medically impossible for it to come from the same person, even though his nose was telling him otherwise.

The trio inside the room ruled the death as an overdose for the moment, because there seemed to be no forced entry or other cause of death, the disposed injection in the bin in the toilet their only proof. Until the room was swept through for fingerprints and any possible suspects were interviewed, they were basically done here.

Spencer Smith showed up late as usual, and he couldn't see any other cause of death either, but came to the same conclusions as Tania, Dallas, and Markus had – about the scents of both alpha and beta belonging solely to the were in the room.

"This is so fucking weird," the Medical Examiner said, his voice practically trembling with glee.

"Have some decency, Spence, for fuck's sake," Tania said, and the man in question laughed. She sounded exasperated but fond.

The body was soon moved, the room swept through again for evidence, and then it was finally over.

For now.

Bill normally didn't sleep with omegas.

He just – he couldn't. They just made him so –

"Oh fuck. Right there."

His eyes were clenched shut, hands braced against the headboard as he slammed his hips so hard it had the woman underneath him squealing with pleasure. His temples throbbed, his heart raced, and he was biting his lower lip so hard he could taste blood.

This is me. This is who I am. This is who the fuck I am –

"I'm coming – I'm – oh, oh, alpha –"

He cut her words off with a harsh kiss as she seized up around him, and even though it felt incredible, he didn't even feel the beginnings of his knot. Not that he'd want to feel that right now.

He rolled away from her when she was done, as she panted and melted into the mattress, a bone deep satisfaction that made his skin crawl.

His breaths came in fast and sharp, lungs constricting almost painfully.

"Wow," she whispered, and then giggled. "Wow."

Glad you enjoyed yourself. Now fuck off.

The words didn't come. He felt sick. He was gonna be sick.

He leapt from the bed and rushed out of the room.

"Whoa? Are you okay?"

"Fine." The word came out strangled, barely intelligible, but he couldn't bear another second, running into the bathroom and managing to slam the door behind him before he was doubled over the toilet, heaving desperately.

Nothing came forth, and he didn't know how long he crouched there, heaving over and over until his abs hurt, eyes burning with tears that refused to fall, saliva dripping past his lips.

"Don't you dare," he whispered to himself when a single tear managed to slip free. "Don't you fucking dare."

He should never had gone back to that fucking bar.

It had been five days. Five days since he'd had what was probably the best – and ironically, also simultaneously the worst – night of his life.

He was so fucked up, so fucking tired, going from miserable to angry to depressed in an endless cycle of self-loathing. The thought of going back to his room and facing that omega made the nausea rise once more. Suddenly, all he could smell was her slick, all he could feel was her wetness stained against his dick and his thighs and this time he actually threw up into the toilet.

He ran the shower as hot as he could when he was done flushing and rinsing his mouth, scrubbing at his skin almost desperately until he was red and sensitive all over.

Finn was in the sitting room when he walked back out, wrapped in only a towel. The beta was munching on some snack and watching TV. Bill couldn't bear going back to his room. He didn't give a shit about Finn and neither did he enjoy his company, but he just couldn't.

So he walked to the sitting room and laid on the couch, shoving his feet into Finn's lap and clenching his eyes shut like he'd shut out the world.

"Hey!" Finn gasped in offense, pulling up his bag of chips before Bill could kick them off. He placed a hand on Bill's ankle, about to shove his legs off, but something about Bill's demeanour made him hesitate. "You okay?"

Bill didn't respond.

"Um. You um. You know you have a guest, right? I mean, not that I was – okay, I was totally listening. Not my fault though! She was loud. And um. The banging. The banging was loud. Okay, I'll stop talking."

Bill didn't know how long he laid there, but eventually, Finn's methodical crunching plus the low sound of whatever show was on the television lured him into a light but restless sleep.

He slowly came out of it when he heard soft voices whispering, but was too tired to open his eyes.

"–sure he's okay?"

"Yeah." That was Finn. "He probably just had a tough day at work. He's been a little off for a while; it's not you, don't worry."

"Okay, good." That was the omega, sighing with relief. "I don't think he even – I mean, sorry, TMI –" she lowered her voice even more, "I don't think he even...finished, you know? And I'm not that kind of person. I'm not a selfish lover. If he'd given me a chance, I would've – I mean, I'm not –"

"Hey, it's okay," Finn interrupted. "We just have those days you know. Are you okay, though? He didn't...hurt you?"

It took everything in Bill not to stiffen.

"Oh no, he was fine," she laughed softly, but Bill still didn't feel any better, the guilt trying to cut off his air. "More than fine. I was just worried. He seemed off at the bar, but then he was flirting and he's really hot, so. But then the sex...yeah. He just, hightailed out of there so fast. I thought," she laughed again, more strained this time, "I thought maybe it was me, you know?"

"Nah, it's probably whatever he's been dealing with. Maybe he felt bad he couldn't finish or something. It happens sometimes."

"I mean, I guess. Yeah."

There was an awkward silence.

"Um," the woman began, awkward again. "I should probably go." She laughed. "Thanks for talking to me. When he wakes up, please tell him I had a good time? I'm gonna leave my number, just in case."

"Mhm," Finn acknowledged. "You know your way out, yeah?"

"Yeah. Thanks. Bye, I guess. Goodnight."

"Goodnight. You be safe."

"I will."

He listened to her footsteps pad across the room, as she put her shoes and jacket on and then the front door opening and closing before he turned into the couch, pressing his face into the worn out cushion like he could drown in it.

"You okay, buddy? How much of that did you hear?"

Bill didn't answer.

"Well, I think you didn't completely fuck that up, in case you were wondering. She seems very nice."

"I'm going to bed," Bill said, his voice raspy.

He got off the couch and headed to his room, opening the door.

And immediately recoiled, stumbling back out and slamming it shut at the smell of sex and omega.

The throbbing in his temples was back. He turned towards Finn's room instead, crinkling his nose at how in disarray it was, but at the moment, he didn't particularly care, sweeping the pile of clothes on the bed to join the pile of clothes on the floor.

"Holy fucking shit!" Finn hissed when he came in a while later. "What the fuck are you doing my room? Goddess, you scared the piss out of me."

Bill didn't respond.

"Fucking hell. Is this going to be a thing? Is this a thing? Ugh."

The beta moved around the room, seemingly preparing for bed, before sliding into the bed beside Bill. He groaned again.

"Ugh. You're lucky your scent is all – doom and gloom, or I'd have kicked you out. Just – stay on that side of the bed. And don't hog the covers."

Finn fell asleep in the blink of an eye. One second he was adjusting himself in the mattress, and the next he was snoring lightly.

Bill was trying not to have a panic attack.

Work, the sex – everything was supposed to make him stop thinking.

But it seemed like everything he did just made it worse.

All the anger had drained out of him – had probably been fucked out of him five nights ago – and now he was simply filled with a desolation so deep it felt like ice in his bones.

And no matter how he tried, he couldn't get the phantom scent of mangoes out his nose, and the feel of phantom hands wrapped around him, making him for once, feel like him for the briefest, most beautiful moment.