break this bond

"You're right. It was your fault, wasn't it?" Syverson growled, even as Rowen reached forward and set her hands on his chest. She was trying to calm him down but all he could think about was the reality that Rowen wasn't taking his claim seriously. It seemed like she wanted to live her life like she had been before they met. She had already admitted that her parents had raised her to be a progressive omega. That wasn't going to work with Syverson. He was the alpha. At the end of the day, he had final say. It was going to be easier for Rowen if she came to terms with that.

Rowen's kisses were a step in the right direction but Syverson couldn't remember ever feeling this angry before. There was nothing that Rowen was going to be able to do that would calm him down as much as she probably wanted him to. "Take your clothes off, omega. Don't make me repeat myself," he added the last bit as the only warning that Rowen was going to get tonight. If she didn't listen the first time, Syverson would make her.

Syverson's gaze was locked on her as he undid his belt buckle before sliding it free. "Turn around and lay down on your stomach. Legs off of the edge," he instructed lowly, looping the belt in his hand. His intention was clear and Syverson didn't care to hear any of her pleas or her apologies, needing to show her just how badly she had messed up by not being available to him.

Rowen hesitated for a moment after he demanded she undress, her hands still on his chest. Slowly, she stepped backwards and brought her trembling hands up to the bowtie around her neck. Sliding it off, she unbuttoned her white shirt, untucking it from her skirt as she pulled it off. Once completely undressed, Rowen's hands gently wrapped around her torso, nervous as she stood before him. Her whole body started to tremble as she watched him loop the belt around her hand, but still she knew better than to try to defy him.

Whimpering, she turned on her heel, her bottom lip shaking as she tried not to cry. Laying down like he instructed her, Rowen pressed her torso into the mattress, her eyes screwed shut tightly as she anticipated what was coming. This sort of a punishment because she had missed his calls? Rowen was terrified to think what might happen if she happened to something worse. Sniffling, she tried to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"Alpha?" She whined, feeling like a giant pit had opened in her stomach. She hated not being able to see him, not being able to anticipate his punishment.

@ castle.

Syverson raised an eyebrow, studying Rowen's shaking form for a moment as she spoke his title. He shook his head at the word. Part of him, it wanted to cave and wrap her up in his arms. He wanted to keep her safe from the world but she also needed to learn her place or she was never going to be able to get through any of this. Syverson shook his head, studying her form for a moment. "You should be focused on your alpha next time. Not a job that you don't even need! That you shouldn't have in the first place!" Syverson shouted as he raised his arm before bringing the leather belt down on her ass.

The belt cracked through the air and almost before the noise had even settled, Syverson brought the weapon down on her ass again. "Omegas need to learn their place. Their alphas are everything to them. What's so hard about that to understand?" He growled the words, glaring down at her form. He huffed, continuing this way until Rowen's ass was a bright red. Her skin had broken open in some places but Syverson didn't care one way or another.

Syverson stepped forward, wrapping his fingers into her hair as he dragged her up to face him. "Tell me, omega. Have you learned anything at all? Or do i need to teach you. all over again?"

When Syverson shouted, Rowen couldn't help but stiffen every muscle in her body. She heard the belt through the air before it smacked against her ass. Her cry ripped through the room, her hands balling the sheets and blankets into her fists. It stung, feeling like her skin was blistering. Syverson continued, and plenty of times Rowen contemplated crawling away, forcing herself up and out of his reach, but she knew that would only make it worse on her. She bit down on the sheets, screaming into the mattress as she cried in pain.

The belt left small cuts, the leather having ripped through her skin at multiple angles while he had beaten her. They felt like fire. Rowen was completely only being held up by Syverson's grip as he drug her off of the bed. Her legs were completely useless, her knees having buckled underneath of her. The pain had been almost unbearable. Her cheeks were soaked from tears, her mascara having started to run underneath of her eyes. "I've learned, I've learned!" She begged, her feet trying to hold her up.

Her hands came up to grab onto his, where it tangled in her hair. It hurt so badly, it all hurt so badly. "Pl-please stop, it h-hurts, please," she cried, dropping her gaze to the floor. "I understand, I-I do, youre my alpha, my alpha," her hands ran up to tangle themselves in his shirt. "And I'm your omega. I'm supposed do everything for you," she cried, hating how the words tasted on her tongue.

@ castle.

Syverson's face was a mask of pure anger, glaring down at Rowen even as she stumbled over her words. She begged him to stop, she told him everything that should have calmed him down but all he could think about was Rowen having tried to pretend like nothing was wrong when the alpha at the restaurant had tried to ask if there was a problem. Rowen should have seen the issue immediately. Syverson's anxiety had spiked when she didn't respond. Had she tried to run away? Had something happened to her? Either option wasn't something that Syverson had wanted to consider but his mind had been racing. Even with Rowen splayed out in front of him, he still felt the rage coursing through him. She may have been safe but that didn't mean a damn thing. Because if she didn't figure it out soon, Rowen could get into a lot more trouble. And it would be his fault because he wasn't keeping her safe.

"For your sake, I sure hope so," Syverson ground out the words, sneering down at her form. He was so angry as he shoved his pants down his thighs, kicking them off to the side as he stepped toward her.

"You're not leaving this hotel room until I'm good and convinced you know your place," he seethed as he settled between her thighs. Syverson guided his tip to her entrance. He reached up, gripping her chin as he forced her to look him in the eye. Syverson's face twisted with a smirk as he slammed into her, not giving her even a moment to adjust before he began to fuck her.

Rowen screwed her eyes shut in pain when Syverson forced his way into her, a cry leaving her lips. "Al-alpha please," she cried, her hands running up his arms. Her inner omega wanted to please him, even if she was scared of him. She hadn't meant to mess up or piss him off, in her defense, she genuinely just hadn't known any better. He didn't care though and he was contempt with teaching her the hard way.

Fucking her down into the mattress, her ass being rubbed against the sheets was enough to keep tears streaming down her face. All she could hope for was for him to calm down sooner rather than later, for him to just be a little more gentle with her now. She had learned her lesson, for the time being anyway, but he didn't seem to think so.
.
Her legs wrapped loosely around his waist as he pushed himself deeper into her core. It felt like she was being ripped in half as her body tried to make room for him. Arching her back up away from the mattress, she closed her eyes and tried to find any enjoyment in it. His hands held her so tightly she was sure there would be bruises later, and he only continued to fuck her harsher and deeper.

@ castle.

Rowen's pleas fell on deaf ears as he fucked her, burying his face into her neck. He nipped at any inch of skin that he could reach, avoiding her bond mark because he knew it would offer her some sort of comfort. It wasn't something he was interested in at the moment, focused solely on forcing this lesson into her mind. He was sure that she would remember it for the next few days if he stopped but if he didn't give her the relief as he continued to fuck her, then he hoped it would be a more permanent change. Syverson wasn't going to be shy about punishing her but he wouldn't always be here, he would be deployed. He would be away training, Rowen would be left on her own. The thought wasn't something he liked - it made his skin crawl just to consider it.

His teeth clamped down on her neck as his knot began to swell, the only indication he was going to give Rowen that she had done well. She had begged him to stop but that came as no surprise - Syverson knew that he was an intense alpha. Particularly to someone so clueless about their role as Rowen was. Dropping against the mattress, Syverson grunted as he maneuvered Rowen onto his chest so that she would be more comfortable while they were locked together.

"Why don't you listen to me, 'mega? It would be so much easier if you did," Syverson muttered, his arm wrapped securely around her waist.

Rowen whimpered as she was brought down onto his chest, sinking down against him as he dropped into the mattress. Ro wanted to keep crying, to still try and make him see that she didn't do anything wrong. She wanted to open her mouth and yell at him, to ask why it had to be like this. To insist she wasn't just a body to keep his cock warm because that's how she saw it. She could hear him laughing now, agreeing that that wasn't all she was, that eventually, she'd be doing more. Everything he needed her to do. She was just a slave.

Curling up on his chest, she hid her face with her hands, sniffling. Being this close to him, now that she could somewhat relax, she tried to nuzzle her head into his neck. His scent wasn't so muddied by his anger anymore, she wanted to try and enjoy his earthy scent. Rowen craved the scent of fresh rain, but instead, she was met with something else. A different scent mixed in with his, one much more boring, one so subtle it almost was impossible to catch it. Was it the same scent of beta she had caught the other day? Her inner omega was beginning to feel some sort of way, anger, jealousy, a weird mixture of the two, but Rowen was far too scared to actually bring it up. It was barely even there, maybe it was nothing...

Glancing up at him, she felt more tears burning her eyes. "I..." She breathed out, wanting to defend herself, but she only found her words turning to a whimper. Stiffening up her bottom lip, she frowned, looking back up at him with complete defeat written across her face, "I can't please you when I don't know how to. How can you be angry at me for that?" She tried to keep the tears from falling, but it was almost impossible. He had chosen her after all, she hadn't asked for this.

@ castle.

Syverson wasn't the least bit concerned about Rowen smelling Charlotte on him. If he wanted to spend time with another omega or beta, it wasn't Rowen's business. He could do as he pleased. He raised an eyebrow when Rowen's scent changed, his eyes narrowing slightly. He was almost sure of what he was going to do. Even the few hours that he had been home today had been too much time separated from Rowen when he knew there was a sweet, little omega. The all-consuming desire to be closer to Rowen wasn't something that Syverson thought he would be able to ignore unless he was deployed and on suppressants.

"You're an omega, bug. It's in your nature to be close to me. To care for me. Don't you notice how much better you feel, in my arms?" Syverson whispered, glaring down at her form. He let out a huff, squeezing her tightly even as he was able to pull out of her. Syverson's arms remained wrapped tightly around her, pinning her to his side. He buried his face against her neck, wanting nothing more than to wrap himself up in her scent.

"All you have to do is focus on pleasing me and then we can both be happy. Isn't that a good thing?" Syverson murmured, running his fingers through her hair. He sighed, relaxing back against the pillows. "You'd be a lot more content if you didn't make me punish you all the time. You know that, right?"

Rowen just looked up at him confused. He was speaking as if she had asked to be punished, as if she knew what would happen before going to work that day. She decided to bite down on her tongue, sinking to his chest where she could just hide her face in his neck. Staying silent was the best option for the moment, it seemed. Fighting with him wouldn't yield any results she wanted. He wouldn't want to hear how, no, just pleasing him would not make her happy.

---

She had been too comfortable curled up in the bed next to Syverson. So much so, she didn't even wake up until she heard the man coming out of the bathroom, completely dressed for whatever it was he had to do that day. Cracking an eye open, Rowen instantly whined, feeling how sore her entire body was. Her ass ached, and between her thighs felt completely raw. She didn't even want to move, instead just wanting to tangle herself deeper into the sheets and covers.

"W-Where are you going?" She whimpered, wondering if the question alone was enough to piss him off. Forcing herself up, she propped herself up on her elbows, her dark hair falling around her face. Why did he let her sleep in so late? Like he was going to leave and make her stay here...? Did he really mean what he had said yesterday? Looking to the nightstand, she saw the time and felt a pit open in her stomach. College. Rowen didn't make any sudden movement, even if she wanted to fling herself from the bed and quickly get dressed so she wouldn't be late. No, she didn't move. Instead, she looked back up to Syverson and bit down on her lip. Did she dare to ask? "I-If you have somewhere to b-be... I..." She could almost feel his gaze narrowing as she spoke, like the more words that tumbled out of her mouth the worse he would beat her. "C-Can I go to class?" She finally blurted out.

@ castle.

Syverson rolled his neck as he stepped out of the bathroom, his gaze turning toward Rowen when she started to speak. He scoffed, shaking his head before he gave her a proper answer. "There is no way in hell you're leaving this hotel room. Do you not remember what I told you yesterday?" He countered, rolling his eyes at the look of defeat that crossed her features. Syverson shook his head, crossing his arms in front of him. "We can discuss further options when I get back tonight. If you leave this room, little bug," he murmured as he started walking toward her. Closing the distance between them, Syverson leaned down to cup her cheek. "I will know. Don't do something that's going to get you punished even worse tonight because if you do.. last night will look like child's play compared to what I do to you. Do you understand me?"

Leaning down, Syverson nipped at the bank mark that was so evident. It looked red and raw, still so fresh that Sy knew if she came into contact with any alphas that they would be well aware that Rowen was owned. That there was no one around that could take her from him. Syverson hoped for her sake that Rowen realized that she was owned, that there was no getting away from him. Regardless of what she did, Syverson would always find her.

"Order room service. Make sure it's nothing too unhealthy, okay?" Syverson instructed her lowly. He placed a gentle kiss to her forehead before he turned to leave her all alone in the hotel room. He couldn't completely abandon Charlotte yet, Syverson's instincts wouldn't let him just toss her out because she did need someone to care for her after all.

Rowen let out a shaky sigh as the door shut and she was left all alone. She dropped back into the bed and tried to relax, wondering what he was leaving for anyway. After lying there for a while, Rowen sat up and scrambled to find her cellphone, calling her mom to let her know she was okay, that everything was fine and she'd be home later.

The longer she was left alone in the room, the sadder she became. She crawled out of bed, pacing around the room. After ordering room service, Rowen took a shower and sunk down, expecting Syverson to be back soon. But he never came.

When the sky started to darken, Rowen was so depressed from being alone for so long, that she began nesting. Grabbing the cushions from the couch in the living area, and the chairs, she tossed them all into the bed. Even grabbing the extra blankets from the closet. Crawling back into the bed, she tossed and turned, unable to get comfortable. Slipping back out of bed, she crept back into the bathroom, seeing the clothes Syverson had slept in and his jacket hanging on the back of the door. Rowen grabbed the clothing, feeling her inner omega was missing him badly. It made her sick to her stomach, but smelling him on the clothes calmed her and she knew they'd be a good addition to her nest. She was starting to feel a little hot, like she could be going into heat. It had been two days without her suppressants, since Syverson had told her to stop taking them. Without them in her system, it could've been sending her into an early heat.

She crawled back into her nest, tucking his clothes around her so she could smell him while she tried to rest. Being alone was driving her mad.

@ castle.

Syverson admittedly was away from the hotel for longer than he had been intending. Charlotte had launched herself at him when he walked through the door, seemingly desperate to scent him and get rid of the oemga's scent that had coated his. Syverson had no way of knowing but it was because Charlotte recognized the same scent from the day before - Syverson never came home smelling of the same person more than once. It was out of the ordinary but Syverson welcomed the attention regardless, already enjoying the little rivalry that was beginning. He didn't think that Rowen realized he had a beta at home but Charlotte certainly had pieced together that something wasn't quite right.

Eventually, Syverson detached himself from Charlotte and left her with strict instructions to clean the house from top to bottom tomorrow. It would keep her occupied, that was what mattered. Syverson left her alone, driving back to the hotel that he had left Rowen at.

He sensed that Rowen was upset before he even reached her room. Her scent had intensified, slightly but it was there and Syverson's feet hurried toward their room. Pushing open the door, Syverson stepped through the doorway. He was shocked by the swell of emotion that washed over him. His heart plummeted as he recognized Rowen attempting to nest in their hotel room. It wasn't an ideal place to nest and just the thought made him sick. He kicked off his shoes, scurrying toward her as regret filled him. Rowen shouldn't be nesting here - surrounded by things that didn't offer any sense of comfort.

"Oh, mega," Syverson uttered as he moved to climb into the nest without so much as considering that he should ask. He settled, opening his arms to her. "C'mere, big. It's goin' to be okay," he murmured as he wrapped his arms tight around her waist, pulling her into his chest.

Rowen had been so excited when she heard the hotel room door. She couldn't remember the last time she had tried to nest, if she had ever. She could barely remember her first heat. Her mother and father had put her on suppressants almost immediately, to keep her safe. Coming off of them wasn't fun. Pushing herself to sit up, she moved the pillows around some more, huffing as she watched the door way, waiting for him. With every second she felt herself growing hotter and hotter, and especially now that she knew he was here, she felt the overwhelming need to have him. As the day had passed on, she realized that was all she had wanted. Syverson to return.

"Sy," she whined, when he stepped through the door, relieved that he already seemed determined to come to her. His shoes were off and without even asking, he was inside of her nest with his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. She whimpered, sliding against him, his shirt she had been cuddling with dropping from her hand. None of those things smelled like him anymore.

Pressing against his chest, Rowen nuzzled into his neck, attempting to wrap herself up in his scent, but instead... Beta. Her whole body froze, suddenly there was no more urge to wiggle her way into his arms. He had brought the scent of a beta into her nest. Rowen's felt completely violated, completely offended. Pushing away from him, the odor of his beta had her face wrinkled in disgust. "That smell...again." She didn't care if she upset him by shoving him away. He had insulted her.

Rowen was too uncomfortable to stay silent. Especially now. The young girl was too overwhelmed, too sweltering hot to try and ignore it. And the scent was in her nest, where she was trying her damnedest to relax.

@ castle.

This was the difference between having an omega or a beta by his side. Syverson was realizing that even as he moved to the bed. With Rowen pressed against his side, Syverson felt content for the first time in so damn long. It felt so right that Syverson could say that he felt genuinely happy. But it was so short lived that he didn't even know what he felt before Rowen was pushing at his chest and glaring down at him. Except it wasn't quite a glare. There was hurt there and for the first time, Syverson might have regretted something that he did to a partner.

"Oh, my sweet bug," Syverson's voice drawled, his accent coming through as he looked up to her. Already, Syverson was realizing that he had messed up by bringing in someone else's scent into Rowen's nest. Syverson felt awful and he pushed himself away from it, almost frantic. "'mega, I didn't.. think," Syverson admitted. It was as close to an apology as he would give her.

Syverson pushed to his feet, holding his hand out to her. "Come. Let's take a shower, okay? Get me smelling all good again for you," Syverson murmured as he pulled her toward the bathroom. "Come on. Then I'll call down to the front desk and get fresh bedding brought up. Then you can make the nest however you want. I promise, okay?"

It was surprising to see Syverson acting like this. Watching him scramble out of the bed as fast as he had crawled inside. Rowen could hear the apology behind his words, could smell his panic. Rowen was expecting to have been slammed into the mattress, or just laughed at. This was different. It was almost hard to be angry at him. The sheets were balled up under her hands, her fingernails digging into the fabric as she watched him. Tears pooled in her eyes and threatened to fall, but she quickly wiped them away.

It wasn't fair. It might've just been her heat making her so jealous, but he was supposed to be her alpha. Her inner omega wouldn't allow her to refuse him. Crawling forward out of the fort she had made, Rowen took his hand and pulled herself from the bed.

Still, the scent of the beta choked her. It was all over him, like he had been freshly scented. She couldn't help but carry herself stiff, her shoulders pulled back as she walked behind him. Trying her best to keep distance. She wanted to ask, to demand to know why it was fair she had been left alone here all day, while he messed around with a beta. Is that why he hadn't taken her home? He was demanding she stopped taking suppressants while he had a beta at home?

Rowen felt stupid. But she couldn't get over how soft he was being.

She let him pull her into the bathroom, her hand wiping over her forehead to swipe away the sweat. Already undressed, Rowen stepped over to the shower and turned it on, making sure the water was kind of cool. She was overheating and craved the kiss of the cold water on her skin. Dipping her hand under the shower stream to make sure the water was refreshing to her, she looked over her shoulder at him before she dared step in. "P-please... Can we keep it c-cold?"

@ castle.

Syverson bit back a groan as he eyed Rowen, watching as she bent forward to turn the shower on. He ran his tongue over his bottom lip, nodding his head at her request. "Of course, bug. You get in and I'm just going to call down to the front desk so when we get out, you don't have to wait. Okay?" Syverson promised her lowly, stepping forward to press a kiss to her forehead. He breathed a small sigh before he turned away from her, disappearing back into the main area of the hotel room. He was quick with his phone call, wanting nothing more than to get back to his omega.

When Syverson returned to Rowen, he shoved his pants down his thighs and tugged his shirt over his head. He dropped the shirt beside him before he pulled the shower curtain back, revealing Rowen's form. The chill in the air was enough to make a shiver run down his spine but he didn't react otherwise. Rowen's scent was only intensifying, even from when he had first stepped into the hotel room a few minutes ago.

Within the hour, Syverson was sure Rowen would have fallen into her heat. "Bug," he breathed, running his fingers through her hair. He forced her backward, into the water so it could reach as much of her skin as possible. "Have you.." he trailed off, nursing at his bottom lip as he looked over her. "Have you had a heat before?"

Rowen wasn't going to wait a second longer after Syverson agreed to the cool water. Stepping into the shower, Rowen let the cold water douse her burning body. Rowen completely regretted listening to Syverson and stopping her suppressants. She hadn't had a heat since her first one, sometime after she had turned fifteen. Barely making it to the second day of her heat, her mother and father had made the decision to put her on suppressants, not wanting their daughter to start attracting omega attention.

Enjoying the cold water, Rowen slumped her shoulders, feeling the hot tears she tried to fight back slide down her face. She was going into heat, and an alpha who had already made it clear he wanted to breed her stood right outside. Not to mention, he had a beta at home. And for all she knew, he would just discard Rowen when he got bored. His beta could be his world.

Flinching when Syverson pulled the shower curtain back, Rowen looked up at him wide eyes. Stepping out of the way to give him room, she pawed at her eyes, trying to wipe away the tears. Her breath caught in the back of her throat when Syverson grabbed her, forcing her to completely step under the water. "Once," she whispered, the moment she relaxed under the water. It was such a nice relief. "It's been years," she admitted, raising her gaze to look up at him.

Even with his clothes off, she couldn't ignore that scent. Gritting her teeth, she grabbed his hands and forced him to switch spots with her. She didn't care how heated she felt. Rowen was beginning to feel delirious, her inner omega wanted him badly, but she couldn't get past the scent. Turning behind her, she looked for the little bottle of hotel body wash and a loofah and began scrubbing Syverson down, especially around his shoulders and sides.

He reeked of this beta.

"You left me all day for a beta?" She snapped, pausing as she held the soapy loofah against his chest. Unable to contain her anger any longer. She lowered her gaze, feeling her eyes fill with tears again. "You're my alpha," she tried to demand, but her voice broke into a sob.

@ castle.

Of all things that Syverson had been expecting from Rowen, for her to get territorial of him had not been it. In the beginning, she had been so against him doing anything to her. To even acknowledge her existence and yet, here she was, wanting to do her best to rid him of Charlotte's scent. When she pushed him under the spray of the water, Syverson didn't even argue. He was quiet as he scented the air. Rowen was still distressed. Syverson wished for the first time that he had experience with omegas because at least then he could do what was right. At best, Syverson knew what was expected of him. That was all the experience he was basing his actions on. He exhaled slowly, raising an eyebrow as she started scrubbing his body.

Syverson's shoulders sagged as Rowen snapped at him. There was a surge of anger but the look on Rowen's face destroyed it in one fell swoop. Syverson breathed a small sigh as he reached out, plucking the loofah out of her grip. He dropped it onto the ledge in of the tub, tilting his head when he heard the sound of the hotel room door opening and a voice call out to let the couple know there was an attendant in the room.

"I know, 'mega. But you need to know something. You're important to me. More important than you realize," Syverson whispered, setting his hands on her waist. He wanted to pull her close and scent her and have her return the gesture. But Syverson didn't bring himself to because Rowen's heat was approaching them and all he could imagine was how upset he would be if someone else had ruined her nest. Even the nest she had made was hardly passable - most of the items meant nothing.

"I promise I won't leave you before I sort everything out," he murmured, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to her forehead.

Rowen stepped forward, pressing her body against his. She wasn't happy with his answer by any means, but she craved the cooling water on her burning skin. She was angry, feeling like an idiot, even if this was a relationship she had been forced into. Syverson had demanded she stop taking her suppressants, she was right on the edge of a heat and he had a beta at home. It was pathetic how jealous it made her, how angry. Yet, her inner omega was purring from being told she was important to him.

Waiting until she heard the attendant leave, Rowen enjoyed the cooling water and tried to just forget about the beta. The more she thought about it the more angry she would get. Her temperature was already rising, she didn't need to help it by pissing herself off. But once the door clicked shut, she slipped away from Syverson and stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel and her robe up off the floor.

The last thing she wanted to think about was how soon, she would be completely in heat, craving his touch, possibly delirious with heat daze. And she would come out of it pregnant. Drying herself off, she slipped her robe back on, glad the material was a light silk. Tying it loosely at her waist, she grabbed a fresh towel and turned towards the shower, holding it open for him. Her inner omega was telling her to do something for him and even though she looked up at him with cloudy eyes, she beckoned him to step out.

Rowen was slow with drying him off. Running the towel over his shoulders and down his arms, down his chest... She leaned against him and just wrapped her arms around him, nuzzling her jaw against his shoulder. It was infuriating to her inner omega that she felt she was competing with a beta, sharing with a beta. Rowen couldn't remember a time she ever felt so territorial about anything. Pulling away from Sy, Rowen wrapped his towel around his waist and pulled him out of the bathroom.

She was excited to see the fresh sheets on the bed and the extra blankets and pillows they had brought. Hurrying to the bed, Rowen grabbed two of the pillows and looked around the hotel room. She didn't want to make her nest in the bed again, because it was a place she might not want Syverson. But there weren't many places she could think of. The closet? The couch? Dragging a blanket to the couch, she plopped the extras pillows down and tried to make a comfortable space to rest. There was nothing in this hotel room to use. None of her own blankets or stuffed animals. There was none of Syverson's clothes that weren't tainted with the smell of his beta. She didn't even feel comfortable here.

Sinking to the couch, she just sighed and huffed, slipping down into the pillows. "I can't nest here," she confirmed, as if she knew Syverson had been thinking the same thing.

@ castle.