Kieran woke up, but he didn't open his eyes since he could tell the sun hadn't risen yet. The increasing sounds of honking cars below meant it was probably a little after six in the morning when traffic rush began. Before succumbing to the most peaceful slumber he's had in ages, Kieran rolled over onto his other side and reached out for Teru.

His hand found nothing.

He fully awoke, sitting up to inspect the empty bedside. The blankets were messy and all the pillows except his own were gone. The spot was cold to the touch, meaning Teru had left a while ago.

Sour air wafted into Kieran's bedroom through the wide-opened doorway. His inner alpha perked up at the scent. Kieran hurried towards Teru's bedroom, not bothering to put on a shirt. He assumed it was the closet again since that's where he nested previously.

Instead, Kieran stopped when he reached the bottom of the staircase. The sourness was heavy under there. Various household objects were strewn around. Teru had taken the dining room table's chairs and arranged them into a square, one per corner. Bedsheets were placed over the backs of the chairs to create a fort, similar to those that children liked to make.

Teru was nesting. Surely it wasn't in response to not conceiving? It was too soon to nest this early following a heat. Stress was likely the cause of it, which made sense given the recent events.

It was quiet under there.

Kieran approached the fort and squatted in front of it to peer into the dark entrance. His vampire vision could make out a naked human. He was sleeping in fetal position in the center of random stuff, including towels, cushions, and some kitchen utensils. One side had personal possessions like that shabby toy, the ring, and Blaise's bobby pin. The hair accessory twisted his stomach with jealousy. It also made Kieran uncomfortable to see things like spoons and forks. What if Teru had taken the knives and cut himself?

I want to enter. Make sure he hasn't hurt himself.

But he shouldn't because he didn't have permission. Uninvited intruders will make nesting omegas go berserk. At this angle, it seemed he hadn't done too much damage to his fingers, where only the nails looked jagged from biting them. Last time, Teru gnawed them bloody raw.

So, Kieran huffed and sat where he had been squatting, watching Teru sleep the night away. He leaned his head on his fist, feeling tired since it was still early.

Charles was right. This nest was sad. They'd have to start over again since most of the items had been destroyed. It was probably too soon to go shopping. Teru could get triggered again. Now was a sensitive recovery period.

The sunrise gradually made the room brighter, beaming through the parted balcony curtains. The warm glow hit the nest's entryway just right, striking Teru's face. It woke him up.

Kieran observed Teru go through a 'nesting ritual,' which differed from omega to omega. In Teru's case, it was to make sure everything inside was in order, repeating the tedious process four more times. To Kieran, it seemed more like extreme paranoia, but whatever floated the professionals' boats when they were creating these terms.

Next, Teru scratched at his skin, starting from his feet, up his legs, to his torso, etc., until every inch of his body was red. He did it again, going over the same areas but rougher. Kieran smelled a faint scent of blood. Rather than chew on his hands, he was going to grate himself until he bled?

"Stop," the alpha ordered, ready to use his control pheromones if necessary. Teru flinched at the strict voice. He glared at him, making sure he hadn't entered his sacred space.

"Can I come in?" Kieran asked cautiously.

Teru growled low in warning. That meant no, an answer that honestly surprised him because of his clinginess during his last nesting period. In this round, Teru wanted nothing to do with him.

"Then don't hurt yourself. Understand?"

Teru stared back, not answering.

The vampire stood up to make his daily coffee in the kitchen, listening intently for any suspicious sounds from the fort. Thankfully, all he did was continue to rearrange the items, minus the scratching. For the rest of the day, Kieran sat on the cushionless sofa and worked on the mountains of job-related paperwork. He'd eye Teru walking around the penthouse in search of more things to add. When Kieran prepared meals, he'd place the tray in front of the nest. Although Teru ate most of it, he frustratingly avoided the green foods.

And damn, Kieran wished he'd put on clothes. It was especially challenging when he kept hearing the masturbation squelches from inside the den. While horniness was a common symptom of nesting, it was usually appeased through self-satisfaction. He couldn't help but imagine him in presenting position, wanking away until coming on the floor while moaning loudly. After seeing him wander with slick dripping down his legs, Kieran almost lost control, wanting to lick the juice away. Instead, he made a diversion by re-biting the mock mark on his scarred hand to distract himself from temptation. The pain from his fangs sinking deep into his tendons helped a little.

Kieran finished his work and rested his head on the couch's backside. He sighed. It was night already?

There's so much I need to do: replace everything that's being used for nesting, take over that councilman's duties since I'm responsible for his death, mentally prepare Teru to see Abaddon again next week on the first, strategize how we will leave New York City undetected–

He paused when he noticed Teru nearby. The boy stood there, staring attentively at something Kieran was wearing.

Kieran followed his line of sight. It was the wristwatch he wore almost every day, a 1944 Rolex Oyster Perpetual. The valuable item was given to him during the Battle of Okinawa, one of the deadliest battles of World War 2. When an alpha cadet in his infantry regiment was fatally shot, he pleaded with his dying breath for Kieran to pass it on to his bonded partner, an omega. Despite his efforts to fulfill that request, the mate had also perished in the war on European soil. Since then, he had kept it as a reminder of how cruel human greed could be.

He lifted his arm, moving it back and forth. Teru's eyes followed the watch, not looking away. The shining dial must've attracted him. Kieran unclasped the Rolex and held it out. "Is this what you want?"

Teru wanted to take it but hesitated.

"Go ahead. It's yours," he insisted, dangling the watch.

He came closer and grabbed it. "T-thank you," finally speaking in a raspy tone. That was an intelligent response. Perhaps he was already coming out of the nesting fit early? At this point, Kieran wouldn't be surprised. Teru's hormones were highly unstable.

And your rut is irregular lately, too, his Pride fretted, bothered by this new flaw.

"Are you going to let me into your nest now?"

"No." Teru hurried over to the makeshift tent and crawled under it, reorganizing everything to make a special spot for the Rolex. The pheromones weren't sour anymore.

The prince chuckled, rubbing his bare wrist. It was time it had a better owner.

I'm not worthy of it.