Salvation (Wild Heat)

Chapter 16 – B R O O K L Y N

I can barely think.The world around me blurs, and the only thing that anchors me is Memphis’s scent. It’s so complex, notes of mossy wood and mountain pine, sticky tree sap and wild mint. He smells like my forest, like home.

It’s unfair how handsome he is. He’s pulled his dark, wavy hair back with a leather strap, and I’m dying to pull it loose and run my fingers through it. His short beard is well-kept, framing his rugged features perfectly. When he turns his rich brown eyes on me, it feels like they’re devouring me.

My fevered body wants him. Cramps ravage my stomach. I know they won’t go away until I get a knot—Memphis’s knot. The pain is terrible, but it’s mixed with my own desire. I can feel his muscles working as he carries me, and it’s sexy as hell. I want this man, and I’m tired of trying to figure out why. It’s obvious that he wants me just as much. I can feel his hard cock against my ass. He’s being a gentleman and pretending nothing’s happening, which is driving me even more crazy.

I need some kind of relief. Before I even realize what I’m doing, I’m shifting in his hold so my chest is pressed to his and I can wrap my legs around him. Finally, I’m able to grind my needy pussy against him. The noise I make is indecent. This is what I want—our cores pressed to each other, his scent overcoming me while I press my nose to his neck.

Memphis’s hands move to my thighs, gripping them so hard that I’m sure he’ll leave marks there. I find the idea of that unbearably appealing.

“You need to stop, sweetheart,” he growls. “If you don’t want me to take you, you have to stop moving like that.”

I moan, because that’s exactly what I want. He’s positioned perfectly. My hips shift against his again so I can grind my clit against him.

“Are you sure?” Memphis asks, squinted brown eyes meeting mine. “Because if I get my cock anywhere near that sweet pussy of yours, I won’t stop. I’ll go until I’m knotted so tightly you’ll be?—”

“Yes,” I interrupt him, shaking with need. “Please, fuck,” I moan.

“Memphis,” Denver growls from somewhere ahead of us, and Memphis’ head snaps up, pupils so dark and blown that his eyes look black.

“I have this,” he growls back, his upper lip curling. “I’ve got it under control.”

I don’t turn to see Denver’s expression, but I can feel the tension as the two Alphas hold each other’s intense stares for what feels like an eternity as my need doubles and then triples until I’m whimpering.

“Unless you want to take care of her,” Memphis spits, and I feel his muscles tighten under my palms.

“He said he’s got it,” I hear Cam say. “He knows what will happen if he does anything to damage her.”

But oh how I want him to damage me. So fucking badly.

I whine again, grinding against Memphis to try to find some relief.

“Please,” I mumble, my voice watery as hot tears prick my eyes and a cramp tightens low in my belly.

“I got you, Sunshine,” Memphis whispers against my cheek.

He grabs for my pants and rips them down just enough to expose me to him. Another quick gesture, and my panties are history.

Distantly, I hear the others moving further away and I shove my hands between us and undo the front of his pants. His cock springs free, hard and long, the head already leaking precum. I collect it on my thumb, then lick it off. He tastes so good: salty and musky and clean.

“That’s right, baby, taste me,” he mutters. “I’m so ready for you, you have no idea.”

He swipes the swollen head of his cock against me, collecting my slick. He looks down between us, something like awe on his face.

“Is this all for me?” he demands.

I nod shyly. His answering grin is lupine.

“Good girl. Making a mess on my cock before I’ve even put it in you. I want to feel you dripping all over me.”

I look down, watching him guide the thick purple head against me. Teasing me mercilessly. I can’t hold back my groan. Memphis has a gorgeous cock, lined with pulsing veins and hard as steel. At the base, his knot has already started swelling. I want it inside me so badly that I’m ready to do whatever he asks of me. I drip all over him, and the tip of his cock glistens with my slick.

“Please,” I beg him. “I need it.”

“Then it’s yours.” He drags his teeth along my neck, sending a shiver through me. “Get ready. I won’t be gentle.”

And he impales me on his cock in one long stroke. Pain and pleasure battle inside me as my body stretches to accommodate his length. It hurts so badly, and the angle he has me at is savage.

He grabs my hips and bounces me up and down on his cock. Each thrust is violent and rough.

The whole time, Memphis won’t stop praising me, his rumbling voice vibrating through me. He might be quiet the rest of the time, but when he’s fucking me, filthy words spill out of him. I love the contrast, the strong silent hunter turning into a dirty-mouthed Alpha eager to make his Omega feel desired.

“Yes, such a good girl,” he praises through gritted teeth. “You’re taking my cock so well. Fuck! You feel incredible, sunshine.”

His nose scrapes along my jawline and down my neck and he shudders as he continues to pound into me and I wonder if my scent is making him as wild as his scent is making me.

His words get under my skin, making me feel so good. I want to make him feel good too—I want Memphis’s reassurance and his compliments. A man like him doesn’t hand out meaningless praise.

He bounces me harder, and I scream, closing my eyes to handle how insanely good it feels. Memphis stops abruptly, taking my chin between his fingers.

“No,” he demands. “Eyes on me, Brooklyn. I want to see how good I make you feel.”

Hearing my name from his lips stuns me. My eyes open and I blink at him, taking in his dead serious expression.

“Look down,” he says, his tone dark. “Look how well your pussy takes me.”

I glance down to see his cock entering me, my lower lips spread around his width. It’s so hot, I can barely keep from coming right then. My slick is all over him, covering and marking him. His cock smells like me, and the idea sends a gush of liquid from me. I see it drip from where we’re joined to the forest floor.

“Fuck,” Memphis mutters. He takes a step and I feel rough bark against my back. He’s pushed me up against a tree, giving him the leverage to fuck me even harder.

Distantly, I can see the other Alphas glance back at us, then keep going, giving us at least a modicum of privacy to do what we need to.

It feels right that we’re doing this here. Memphis and I, we’re both creatures who belong in the forest. We’re happier here than anywhere with four walls and a roof. This is the perfect place for us to join, surrounded by the rustle of wind through leaves, the breeze rustling our hair while we rut against each other like animals.

Our rhythm slows as we approach our release. I feel Memphis’s knot pressing against me, working to enter me. My body wants it so badly, I’m aching for it. My head falls to his shoulder as his fingers tighten even more around my hips. The world seems to stand still for a moment, and then his knot’s inside me, locking us together. His hot cum spurts in me, and the sensation of it triggers my own orgasm. It’s so powerful that every nerve sparks with electricity. I’m left panting against him, his sex locked inside me.

I raise my head, and Memphis’s eyes are so dark that I can barely see the man I’m starting to know in them. He snarls and lurches forward, his teeth scraping against my neck.

My body stiffens. I flash back to the last Alpha who put his teeth on me, forcing the sickening, awful bond between us. I wait for Memphis to force me, too.

But he doesn’t.

His canines press against me, and he goes perfectly still. We stay that way for a matter of heartbeats. Then he pulls away, and his eyes are deep brown. Memphis is back, though I can tell he’s forcing his animal side down. I watch as a flash of horror then self-loathing moves across his features.

He lowers his head, looking away and down. His neck is completely exposed to me. It’s a sign of submission, showing me that I’m the one in charge here. He’s not going to mark me.

It takes a minute or so for my body to calm itself. For now, I’m not scared. I know Memphis won’t force anything. But it frightens me how close he got. I saw how hard it was for him to stop himself from biting me. How easily his self-control slipped through his fingers. There’s no way I can be sure he won’t cross that line again.

The way Memphis fucked me was everything I crave. Rough, possessive, territorial. Even though I’m not sure I can trust him, I’m also not sure I can resist the chance to have him again. This serious, silent man who’s only soft for me.

I can make that decision later. For now, I don’t want to spend the time we’ll share together fighting. Memphis and I should be connecting while we wait for his knot to release me.

I cradle his cheek in my hand, raising his gaze. A sign that I forgive him, for now at least.

Carefully, he takes a seat on the ground, his back against the tree. I’m straddling him, his knot still tucked securely inside me. Gently, he brushes stray strands of hair behind my ears. He’s showing me that he cares, that he’s sorry. My lips curl upward, pleased with the affection.

Until his eyes fix on my neck.

Instinctively, I raise my hand to cover the bite mark there. Of course, he won’t let me get away with it, lifting the hand from my neck. He bites his lower lip and I can see the wheels turning in his head.

“I didn’t sense a bond,” he mutters. “Did I miss it? Are you…”

He trails off, like the idea of me being bonded to another physically pains him.

“No,” I say. Technically, the bond with Grayson still lingers, but for the most part, it’s gone. I can barely sense him through it anymore.

Memphis lets out a breath. “Good.”

I collapse against him, resting against his chest. His heart thuds under my cheek, lulling me to a state of calm. I almost miss his next question.

“Was it consensual?”

I don’t answer. Maybe he’ll think I dozed off. Unfortunately, Memphis is way too perceptive for that.

“Tell me, did someone do this without your blessing?”

“It doesn’t matter,” I mutter.

“It matters,” he says, his voice low. “It’ll always fucking matter.”

“It was my fault.”

I can hear how tired I sound when I say it. I haven’t convinced Memphis, not in the least, but I don’t have it in me to argue anymore. My heat symptoms, combined with the events of the past few days, have completely drained me.

At least I feel some relief with Memphis’s knot still inside me. My pulse slows, my breathing growing more even as my body rewards me for finding an Alpha to mate with. I only hope I’ve bought myself enough relief to do what I need to.

However much I’ve enjoyed sex with Camden and Memphis, I know I can’t stay with them. They’ve been tasked with taking me back to the Castles, and I know none of them will give up their responsibility easily. I need to watch for the right time to break away from them, when I’m not too weak to run. Hopefully, I can find some of the roots I need to stop the rest of my heat symptoms.

That’s not the only thing I should be foraging for, I realize. I just let two Alphas spill their seed inside me in less than a day. I’ll need to find contraceptive herbs and fast. I have no idea how long I can wait before the herbs are pointless. A heat messes with your fertility. Even now, life might be forming in my womb.

I find that I don’t hate the idea.

At least if I had a child, I wouldn’t be alone. I could have a family again—someone to love and feel responsible for. I could raise my baby out here, teach her everything Momma taught me. Loneliness has been creeping up on me for a while now, but being around these Alphas, I can’t deny how deeply I feel it. I miss being with people.

I want to smack myself for the thoughts. What am I doing, fantasizing about having a baby when I’m not even sure I’ll survive the winter? It’s selfish and wrong to doom a child to the life I’ve chosen. Sure, it’s better than the alternative—being raised in a mansion, with everything a kid could want, but with abusive Alphas waiting for the moment to strike. My child would never be safe from Grayson and Papa.

But life out here? I could never condemn a kid to that either. It’s a brutal, merciless world. I can’t stoop to dragging an innocent baby into my mess.