“How far away are we going?” They had driven far from campus and the outer city was passing by just as quickly.

Elliott cut his eyes across to her. “You got somewhere you need to be?”

“Being taken to an undisclosed location is how submissives get murdered,” she grumbled.

“We’re going to a hotel.”

River jolted.

“Relax, we’re not staying overnight.” He smirked at the road ahead. “That’ll cost you a lot more.”

It was hard to laugh when she’d just had a mild heart attack.

“You need a new mark. I need space to work. And privacy.”

“Will it be like last time?”

He hesitated. “You want it to last as long as possible, right?” He adjusted his singular grip on the steering wheel, an excitable flash hitting his face. “Get your money’s worth?”

“I want it to reach the end of term,” she answered carefully. What was he suggesting?

He nodded and swung them into the circular drop-off zone outside a tall, glittering building with gold lettering along the edge and flags bursting from the ground floor windows. There was a long awning with men in burgundy suits hovering beneath, greeting cars that pulled up and gesturing into the building along a carpet that matched their uniforms.

Elliott drew up at the entrance and handed his keys out the window to one of the men. Another hurried around to open River’s door for her, but halted when Elliott jumped out first and shot him a quick look.

God forbid an alpha not open his own mate’s door. River rolled her eyes, but waited for him to finish strutting around the front of the car and let her out. Playing her part, just like they’d agreed.

The door opened, and a large hand was offered to her, palm up. River placed hers in it and stepped out of the car as gracefully as she could. Yet another fancy location she didn’t fit into, the least she could do was try to act elegant if she didn’t look it. Her thick cardigan hung off her, a little misshapen from a few lazy washing machine incidents (who had time to read every tag before they started the cycle?) and her jeans had been covered in flowery embroidery by a dear friend. Her trainers she had painted with tiny forget-me-nots in her first year, although some had flaked off now. Her caramel curls were mostly untamed. And her tote bag was too wrinkled to decipher the print.

River loved her personal style, but she wasn’t blind to the glitz that the other hotel guests exhibited.

Elliott could blend anywhere, in his neutral tones or all-black monochrome. Simple jewellery. Dark hair swept back, not too short to be severe but not too long to appear lax. He walked with enough confidence for them both, and River let him lead them inside. They glided to the front desk and a man in a crisp shirt with golden buttons and cuff links asked how he could be of service.

River let Elliott do the speaking. She would also be letting him do the paying. Her student loan was barely enough to cover her house share rent, it did not stretch to hotel rooms. Especially not ones that had porters darting about the reception wearing white gloves.

“And how long will you be staying us?”

Elliott retrieved his wallet from his pocket with one hand, keeping the other with River, pinned close. “A night.”

There was a suspicious glint in the man’s eye. “Just one?”

Elliott leant in close over the counter, lowering his voice till it was gravelly and tickled something along the back of River’s neck. “I’m sure you’re not so ignorant as to be unaware that my mate’s scent is fading. I need to mark her, and then I need to be back in a board room by lunch to listen to minuscule percentage differences and pointless acronyms.” He slapped a card to the counter. There was a flash of recognition on the man’s face. “Now, if you don’t want my business-”

“I do apologise, sir, I meant no offence. Please allow me to process that for you now.” He slid the card towards himself and tapped at his keyboard hurriedly. “For my lack of tact, please allow me to offer you our superior suite for the price of a standard.”

Elliott stared at him for a moment, unimpressed. “Money is no object.”

“Of course! Then our royal suite - best in the building - at the price of the imperial, and a complimentary-”

“I am in a hurry,” Elliott reiterated, curt. “Offer my mate the extras once I’m gone.”

The man had snapped to attention, cheeks pink. He nodded at his screen. “Of course. I need only a name for the room and you are free to- um-”

“Elliott Constance.”

The man nodded again, keeping his eyes to his work.

“Your key card, sir. And the royal suite sits on the tenth floor, I hope you- your mate- enjoys it.” He finally looked at River. “Please do let us know if there’s anything we can provide you with.”

River smiled politely and bobbed her head.

Elliott thanked him, although it was short and sharp, and took the folded card that contained their room key. A porter directed them to a corridor of lifts and called one for them. Elliott slipped him something as they entered, murmuring that they needed no further following. The porter nodded, turning away and hovering outside the lifts, awaiting the next guests to assist.

As soon as the doors closed, Elliott shook his head at them. “If we were looking for a seedy spot to hook up, why would we turn up to a five-star hotel?” he grumbled angrily.

River turned on her heel, taking in the ornate stylings and mirrors so clean they could trick you into walking through them. A lot off effort for a people-carrying box. “I guess we look young and stupid,” she said, finding herself facing forward again.

Elliott looked down at her. They cracked grins.

“Do you really have to leave by lunch?” she asked, rocking back and forth onto her tip-toes.

“I do.” Elliott ran a hand through his hair. He looked genuinely troubled at the prospect of whatever he had to get away to. “But feel free to enjoy the room.”

“I’ll make good use of the room service,” she teased.

“Go ahead, the charge for the room is already enough to get me some attention.”

Attention? River gasped. “Did you steal that credit card?”

Elliott stared at her. Then, he howled with laughter.

“It’s not funny!” She pulled at his arm but he didn’t budge. “What do you mean attention? Like the police?”

He managed to restrain himself. Then another little chuckle slipped out. “No, petal, the accountant is always watching.”

“Wh-”

The lift doors wooshed open and Elliott stepped out. River followed. She was expecting long corridors filled with doors, but instead there was only a small lobby-like area that had chairs and tables and a stocked coffee bar, with a single door ahead. The royal suite.

Elliott tapped the card and pushed the door open for River to enter first. She hesitated. He didn’t nudge her or press her to enter.

A shaky breath she hoped he didn’t hear, and she walked in.

The royal suite was as big as the floor she lived on in her house share. In just the entrance hall, she already felt swallowed up. She continued into the main area that housed a bed in the centre, big enough for ten Rivers to squeeze in.

She dropped her tote bag to a beautifully upholstered armchair and did a slow sweep of the room. Stunning. The prints were ostentatious without bright colour, the textures soft and varied between plush carpet and thick silk curtains, and the apartment-sized suite had been filled with enough furniture that she could rotate both her seating position and her seat itself every hour.

Clunk. The door closing seemed to fill the space like a shout. River stuffed her hands in her jeans pockets, awkward now that Elliott was approaching. She knew what he was going to do, but she also… had the funny buzzing feeling at the back of her neck that she didn’t.

“Cold feet?”

“No,” she answered too quickly. She untied her shoes and hopped onto the bed, feigning calm.

“Cold anything else?”

“No?” The room was perfectly warm.

“Then take your clothes off.”

“Excuse me?” River croaked.

“Last time, I gave you a mark to your pulse points.” He brought her wrist to his mouth and nuzzled it. His lips were surprisingly soft against her skin. “This time you need glands, too.”

“Wh-what glands?”

A soft shove and Elliott knocked her backwards. Flat to the bed. “Apocrine.”

“Pardon?”

“Here.” He grabbed the soft part of her upper arms and lifted them. “And here.” He took her thighs and pried them apart. River squeaked, wriggling to close them. “And technically here, although they’re for milk, not scent.” He flicked River’s nipples lightly and she snatched her arms over them. Curled up into a ball, she fell to her side.

“My limit is the pits,” she grumbled.

He chuckled. “If you change your mind, just make one of those sweet omega whining sounds.”

River flushed hot and buried her face in the bedding.

The bed dipped behind her, and Elliott sighed. “I’m on a time limit here, petal.”

River sat up. He was right. They needed to get on with it. The sooner it was over, the sooner she didn’t have to deal with people treating her like a charity case. She threw off her cardigan.

“The jeans have to go, too.”

“What?” she hissed.

“Pulse points,” he reminded her. “Knee backs. Socks, too. Your ankle has one.”

River huffed, falling to her back and fiddling with buttons and then her zipper. As soon as they were undone, Elliott yanked them off. River’s knees immediately curled up to her tummy. With her feet in the air, Elliott took the opportunity to steal her socks as well.

As she stared at the ceiling, she heard him taking off his shoes and sweater. Then, he took her ankles in his hands and pulled her to the edge of the bed. He didn’t let them go, instead massaging his fingers along the bony parts at the sides. It felt nice.

Already his scent was wafting down towards her in fresh waves. She shut her eyes, and tried to ignore the simple and plain fact that Elliott could see her underwear. Nothing fancy, just plain white panties. Maybe that was worse than if she had a cute lacy thong on…

A thumb and forefinger slid down each of her calves, bowing her legs, tucking her feet into his sides. It tingled. Over her knees his fingers trailed, then under they swiped, layering his scent into the cups. With a firm stroke of his thumbs, her hips were lifted from the bed for a breath.

“Sorry,” he murmured. “You’re lighter than you look.”

River cracked an eye open and scrunched her mouth.

He paused and smiled coyly. “And sorry for commenting on your weight.”

River let her eyes shut again.

Content with the coating on her knee backs, he pressed them open until they reached the bedding, her toes touching each other. A breath stuttered out of her at the slow slide of his hands up her inner thighs. An inch from her panty-line, they stopped.

“You sure you don’t want the edges marked?”

“The edges?” River squeaked, peeking at him.

Elliott mapped out the triangle of River’s panties, hovering just above her. “The bikini line, it’s another scent gland area.” He looked up at her through his lashes with a smirk. “Last chance to accept the full works.”

River pressed her lips and shrugged. “If you think it’s necessary.”

His hands skipped past. “It’s not my choice to make.” They rubbed under the hem of her top, into her tummy - the soft, squishy bit just above her panty-line. The difference in heat between her skin and his hands was shocking; she was a human radiator. Her belly tightened under his touch, his pheromones soaking into the delicate skin. He kneaded her, and her body flexed back against him. Far too eager for his touch.

They drifted up and to the sides and River jerked away, giggling. It tickled, the fingertips creeping towards her underarms. It wasn’t her fault she had to be physically restrained by an oversized alpha for him to get knuckle-deep in her pit. Elliott fought off a chuckle, mouth twitching, as he wrestled her back into position. River wriggled and giggled, and her warm pits were stroked into stinking of Elliott.

Hands retracted from her top. Elliott took her wrists and pulled her up to seated.

“Didn’t you forget-”

He slid in behind her, tucking River between his legs.

“I don’t need coaching,” Elliott huffed into the side of her neck.

“Sorry,” River whispered.

The lips at her neck opened, sucking at the skin. River stuttered in a surprised breath, shaking against his hold. His scent was everywhere, inescapable. His mouth was trailing wet to the crease of her neck and shoulder. His throat nuzzled against hers.

Omega scent, already weakened, was overpowered.

River’s breaths had become shallow. She panted in Elliott’s lap and he huffed and puffed back against her skin. His hands stroked her collarbones, climbed her neck, stilled her, then turned her face into his.

Forehead to forehead. That wasn’t a pulse point. Lips on lips. Neither was that.

The kiss was so sudden, River could believe she’d imagined it and the shock on Elliott’s face afterwards. He turned her head to face the opposite end of the suite again and scooted back from her on the bed. The only sound in the room was the desperate attempt to get air. From both of them.

She heard him slide off the bed. River didn’t follow his lead. She rolled onto her front, resting her face on folded hands atop the blankets. Heels to butt. Working on steady breaths.

In a floor length, gilded mirror across the room Elliott smoothed his clothes, finger-combed his hair, and wiped at his mouth with a tissue.

River watched him from the bed, dishevelled, and aching for his hands to return to her. She felt like a housewife watching her husband leave for work, wishing she could drag him back to bed.

“Where is it you’re going?” she asked timidly.

He folded his collar pristine, pressing it down firm. “A board room.”

“I thought that was a lie.”

He gave her a curious look. “Why would I lie?”

River shrugged. “You’re a student, what do you need to go to a board room for?”

“Fetish.”

River jolted. “Really?”

“No,” Elliott scoffed.

“Then, what is the reason?”

“Meetings.”

“What meetings?”

“Are you concerned that someone is going to question you on what I do with my time?”

River shuffled to the edge of the bed and dangled her feet. “I’m just curious.”

He watched her for a moment, hands in his pockets.

“I don’t think we have the time, petal,” he said finally. He strode over to plant a peck to her temple and doubled back towards the door, calling over his shoulder, “Enjoy the room.”

“I-”

The door shut with a soft click. He was gone.