Sunlight filtered through the small, slatted window, the floating particles a fairy dust of white specks. Each time he turned the page, they were buffeted about, the ones close by swirling and dancing before they calmed to drift slowly down again.

Vale grumbled as he flipped the page again, kicking his legs out. His head was resting in the curve of Zyke’s back, and every time his best friend moved, he lost his spot on the page. He’d flipped back and forth a dozen times, trying to make sense of the paragraph that was full of technical jargon that the author had thrown in. It was fun to read this kind of fiction but took every bit of his focus.

Zyke shifted again and let out a soft sigh, this time moving enough to nearly make Vale’s head slip to the ground. He’d been wriggling around for the last half-hour as he progressively got more antsy.

Vale sat up and set his book beside him, his finger still marking his spot. “What are you doing?”

The attic was stuffy and close, the dust tickling at his nose in a near-constant assault, but they found themselves here more often than not. The house below them was vibrating with sounds and people, but here they were in the relative silence…again. It was a secret place that most of the people in the house didn’t know about, much to Vale’s satisfaction.

“Zyke.” Vale touched his friend’s shoulder. Warm brown eyes met his, and Zyke reached for his earbud, plucking it out and setting it on the ground.

“What?” Zyke tapped something on his phone and the whispering sound of music cut out. Vale hadn’t even realized it had been there until it stopped, as he was so lost in the continuing vibrations of the house. “You ready to go down now?” Zyke seemed to perk up, his expression full of hope.

“Um.” Vale looked toward the small door that led to the back of his closet. Beyond that was his somewhat-soundproofed room and the rest of the house that was brimming with enough people to make his senses squirm. His housemates, at the moment, were the type of people who had more friends than he could count, and they all seemed to like to party. “You can go. I know some of your friends are here.”

Zyke got along with nearly everyone and had made fast friends with the latest batch of students. It made it easier to explain having Zyke in the house nearly all the time when he wasn’t working, sometimes to visit Vale and others to be the life of the party.

Opening his book again, Vale hunched over, reading the same line of the paragraph that he was going to have memorized soon. Zyke’s gaze burned along the back of his neck and shoulders, prickling over his skin.

“My best friend is right here,” said Zyke, rolling onto his back and tucking one arm beneath his head. “I’m fine staying here with you.” The hem of his dark shirt rode up, showing off a dusting of hair on his stomach and a tease of his abs as he stretched out along the wooden floor. “Tell me what you’re reading.”

Vale grinned, tugging down Zyke’s shirt so he was covered again. That bit of skin was not for him to see. “You’d like it. It’s about serial killers.”

Zyke blinked, arching one brow. “Not what I expected. You were giggling earlier.” He shifted until he was sitting next to Vale, plucking the book from his hands. “I feel like I should be worried. You should be reading romance or something.”

Vale scrunched up his nose. “I was a psychology major. I’m basically just reviewing my studies.” Not exactly true. The author had taken a lot of liberties and had gone through a completely inaccurate depiction of schizophrenia during one of the scenes—so far off that he hadn’t been able to stop laughing because of how ridiculous it sounded.

“Yeah.” Zyke flipped through a few pages of the book, his eyes going wide. “Wow. I’m so glad I graduated as a biology major. I thought omegas liked romances.”

Rolling his eyes, Vale snatched the book back. “And I thought omegas and alphas couldn’t be friends.” He pointedly looked between them. He’d heard that line dozens of times in his life when people found out he was friends with Zyke.

“That’s not it,” said Zyke, laying back with a grin. “Omegas and alphas can’t be friends without fucking. That’s what everyone downstairs is thinking we are doing right now.” He humped his hips, laughing when Vale chucked the book at him.

“You wish.” He stood, strolling over to the window and looking out. It was barely daylight anymore, the golden streams starting to die off as the sun shifted lower. “I have the nicest ass you’ve ever seen.”

“Nope.” Zyke shook his head. “Wendelin has the best ass I’ve ever seen. Six-five, abs like washboards and an ass like a stallion. You could cook bacon on him, he’s so hot.”

True. Vale had caught himself drooling a few times as Wendelin did laps around the local track in the early morning hours. When the air was still cool and fresh, Vale would head to the track, parking himself beneath the same tree while he read. Lately, he’d left his book at home, preferring the view.

“Oh, I found a sore spot.” Zyke reached for him and pulled Vale onto his lap. He landed hard, and they both let out a loud grunt. “You want Wendelin all to yourself.” He dug his fingers into Vale’s sides. “Well, guess what? You have to share him. That is an ass that needs to be cherished by the world. It deserves its own social media account. I’d follow that any day.”

“Me, too.” He flushed, ducking his head and squirming as Zyke tickled him. The attic was getting warmer, especially since the windows were the kind that didn’t open. Sweat prickled over his scalp as he tried to pull away. Zyke only chuckled and tugged him closer.

“You smell like Oreos,” said Vale, smacking Zyke’s chest until he finally let him go. Sometimes, being the smaller guy was the same as having older brothers who thought you were half punching bag and half psychiatrist. Luckily, Vale was the oldest of his siblings, so he hadn’t had to deal with that much.

“It’s cocoa,” said Zyke, stretching out again. “Sorry… It’s strong today. My rut’s coming up soon.”

“Probably the other reason they all think we’re up here fucking,” Vale grumbled softly, circling the small room once he was released. There weren’t that many spiders, considering the small space and how isolated it was, and they could both stand up straight without having to stoop. When he’d first stumbled upon the space, he’d known it was the type of place he’d keep coming back to, even if Zyke barely fit through the door.

“That sucks.” Vale paused at the window. The front lawn wasn’t quite littered, but there were three beer cans that he could see. They were going to get in trouble with the city very soon if they weren’t careful. That, and Reimer was passed out in the long patch of grass again. “Won’t suck for much longer, though.”

Turning, he waggled his finger, climbing into Zyke’s lap with his back facing him. He grimaced as he was immediately assaulted by the scent of cocoa beans.

“Don’t joke about that stuff,” said Zyke, wrapping an arm around Vale’s chest. “You’re lucky your family is exempt.”

“Sorry.” He leaned his head against Zyke’s shoulder, closing his eyes at the sound of his steady heartbeat. They’d been friends since they’d awkwardly stumbled into each other in grade three, and they’d rarely been apart since. After going to the same high school, they’d continued at the same university where they’d always kept in touch. “Are you scared?”

If Vale had been in his situation, he would have been terrified. Hell, he probably would have hidden in the attic when his mating contract came up for bid. Luckily, he’d been born in another country, and people had formed the consensus that he was a bit of a slut. He wasn’t, for the record, but he didn’t bother correcting them. He had no pressure to marry well—not like Zyke did.

“Terrified,” said Zyke, his chest shaking as he suppressed a laugh. “What will a poor alpha like me do when my parents choose a mate for me? As long as it’s not a fucking kangaroo, I’ll be fine. I don’t think I’ll ever fall in love with them, regardless. Respect and tolerance goes a long way.”

Vale grinned, turning so he could smoosh his face into Zyke’s chest, despite how sweaty and warm he was. “Kangaroo shifters are awesome. You just haven’t met the right one.” He rubbed his belly where he had the same softness almost every omega seemed to have. “I’m sure they’ll find a muskrat or something for you.”

“That would be preferred,” said Zyke. “I’m more worried that I won’t get to see you anymore, so whoever it is, you’ll have to pretend to be their friend. That way, we can hang out.”

The floor thumped from the music below, someone shouting loud enough to be heard over it. Any louder, and the cops were sure to show up and start searching the place for drugs. They would find alcohol in spades, but Vale was very strict on the household policy on drugs.

“We should get down there.” Zyke patted Vale’s hip before helping him stand. His palm was sweaty and slick as he dragged Vale toward the exit, before releasing him and going to his hands and knees.

The moment he opened the small hidden door, the music got louder, pounding at Vale’s ears and throbbing just behind his sternum. Zyke shot him a grin over his shoulder before he started to make his way through the hole, tilting his hips sideways when he got caught on the frame.

Vale crawled through after him, tugging the door shut behind him. The clothing that had been pushed aside, he quickly shuffled back in their spots, hiding the entrance behind jeans and a bathrobe he had in his room for some reason. He’d left his book behind, but he’d be back for it soon enough.

“Someone should turn the music down,” said Vale, shouting as he pressed a finger to one ear. He’d always been sensitive, but he was tired, and a grouchiness that could only come from an impending heat was nipping at him.

“I’ll take care of it,” said Zyke, rubbing Vale’s shoulder. “You okay? Did you want to stay in your room while I clear the rest of them out?”

Vale bristled, standing to his full height. He wasn’t huge, but he was fucking mighty, and he could kick someone’s shins until they backed down from a fight. “I’m not afraid of them.”

Shoving past Zyke, he started out of the door, glaring at the couple who was making out in the hall just outside his room. Their pheromones were practically stuffing the place, the scent of two omegas getting it on like slightly overripe fruit.

Plugging his nose, Vale shook his head, trying to clear the scent that was already seeping into his pores. “If you want to fuck, use Caleb’s room.” He pointed to a door at the end that was slightly ajar, grinning to himself as the couple only paused long enough to drag each other that way, groping and pawing the whole time.

He let out a shudder, stepping to the nearby hall window and throwing it open. When he looked back to Zyke, he had his head tilted back, inhaling deep as he stared after the couple. Shit.

“Come on.” Vale grabbed his hand, leading him down the stairs. He tripped over no less than three people who were sprawled on the steps, and by the time he hit the main floor, his lungs were begging for fresh air. The music was so loud that his head pounded with something that was a mix between screaming with a pop undertone.

Reaching the speakers, he grabbed one, flicking the power off before reaching for the next. They were all over the house and hooked into a Bluetooth system that he had helped set up. One didn’t take the volume down by much, but it was better than nothing.

Vale gripped Zyke’s hand tight, tugging him along as he tracked down the small speakers, disconnecting them one by one. A few people bumped into them as he stormed about, quickly backing off and apologizing. By the time he made it to the living room where his housemates were all seated on the couch, controllers in hand as they gamed, Vale was boiling.

Truth be told, he loved the house and the guys in it, but it was also a fucking Tuesday and a school night for them.