Dominic POV

The room felt unbearably warm after midnight, and it was not just Theo reacting to it anymore.

His scent had completely taken over the penthouse by then—vanilla and warm honey layered over the unmistakable sweetness Omegas carried during heat. Beneath all of it was something uniquely Theo, softer and dangerously addictive enough that every protective instinct I had was becoming harder to control. That thought kept circling through my head until the line between instinct and reality started blurring.

Theo sat beside me beneath one of my blankets while city lights spilled dimly through the windows behind us, painting soft reflections across his face. His breathing stayed uneven, every inhale shaky enough for me to hear the strain underneath it. Every few seconds, his eyes drifted closed before forcing themselves open again like he was fighting sleep and heat at the same time.

He was trying so hard to hold himself together that something tightened painfully inside my chest every time I looked at him.

"You need to sleep," I said.

Theo laughed weakly under his breath, exhausted enough that the sound barely resembled one. "It feels impossible," he muttered.

As he pulled the blanket tighter around himself, I noticed his hands trembling again.

"You're hurting," I stated.

Theo hesitated before answering. "Yeah," he whispered.

That single word hit harder than it should have because Theo never admitted weakness. Not during games. Not in interviews. Not even after injuries that should have sidelined him for weeks. But exhaustion had stripped away whatever defenses he normally hid behind, leaving only honesty and pain.

I leaned forward slightly. "Theo."

He looked up slowly, blue eyes dazed from heat and exhaustion, and somehow still trusting me despite everything that had happened tonight. That trust unsettled me more than it should have.

"You still have a choice," I told him quietly. "I can help you through this without anything else happening."

The words nearly tore their way out of me because every instinct inside me wanted the exact opposite. I wanted to pull him into my lap, bury my face against his throat, and scent him until the entire world understood he belonged to me. The possessiveness hit hard enough to unnerve me. I barely recognized myself around him anymore.

I said the words anyway.

Theo stayed quiet for several seconds before whispering, "You would stop?"

"Yes," I promised.

The answer came too fast, even if it was only partly true. I did not want to stop. But I would for him.

Theo swallowed hard while his fingers tightened around the blanket. "You're making this harder," he breathed.

Despite everything, a rough laugh almost escaped me. "You think I'm enjoying this?" I asked.

A small smile flickered briefly across his face before disappearing again, tired and painfully real in a way that felt strangely personal. Then Theo looked down at his shaking hands.

"I don't know what I'm doing," he confessed.

The honesty in his voice settled heavily between us, stripped of pride or anger and leaving only the exhausted truth of someone finally admitting they were overwhelmed.

I moved a little closer. "You don't have to," I murmured.

Theo looked back up at me, and something dangerously trusting sat openly in his expression. "I've never…" He stopped suddenly.

I already knew what he meant.

"Theo," I said gently.

"I know this is pathetic," he rushed out softly.

"No," I growled.

The word came out sharper than I intended, enough for his eyes to widen slightly in surprise. I reached up slowly and brushed one dark curl back from his forehead before speaking again, quieter this time.

"You surviving alone this long isn't pathetic," I told him.

Theo went completely still beneath my hand. Warmth deepened around him almost instantly, softer now and trusting in a way that nearly wrecked what little control I still had left. I should have moved away. Instead, I found myself leaning closer.

"Theo," I whispered carefully. "If you want me to stop now, I will."

For a second, it looked like his waking mind finally took over. He reached suddenly toward his bag, fingers tightening around the strap like he meant to stand up and leave. Then his legs gave out underneath him. Not because I stopped him. He simply could not force himself to move anymore.

Theo dropped back against the couch hard enough for a frustrated sound to escape him before he covered his face with both hands.

I stayed still. I did not touch him or speak because this moment did not belong to me.

After several long seconds, Theo slowly lowered his hands again. The expression on his face looked painfully exhausted, like someone who had spent years running without rest and had finally reached the point where his body could not keep going anymore.

"I noticed you first," he whispered.

The words landed hard because he had said them before, half-asleep against my chest earlier tonight, but now he was fully awake and choosing to say them again.

"I want you to know that," he continued softly. "Before anything else, I chose this. Not the heat. Me."

Silence settled heavily between us while rain tapped softly against the windows. Then Theo leaned forward and kissed me.

This was a mistake. I knew that even while kissing him back. Heat made people lose control, and attachment made them stupid. Somehow, I was becoming both.

My control shattered instantly, not because the kiss was perfect but because it was not. Theo kissed like someone unused to being wanted back—hesitant and uncertain in ways that made something deep in my chest ache unexpectedly.

A soft sound escaped him the moment I kissed him back. Every part of me reacted immediately.

I cradled his face gently before kissing him again, deeper this time, and Theo melted against me so quickly it felt like his body had already spent years waiting for this moment. His fingers twisted tightly into my shirt while heat and Omega scent wrapped around both of us until thinking clearly became almost impossible.

I kissed him slower after that, gentler, and felt him tremble beneath my hands.

"Theo," I breathed.

His eyes opened slowly, dazed and overwhelmed from heat, trust, and exhaustion tangled together.

"Are you sure?" I asked quietly, pulling back just enough to see his face clearly.

He nodded without hesitation before whispering one quiet word. "Please."

Fear still lingered beneath the word, but he stayed anyway.