Chapter 32
Eclipse moved like a dream under me as we galloped around the arena with the rest of the cast. Madison and the pack were seated in the green section.
My section. I’d never had anyone who knew me cheering there, except for my parents for my first show here.
Seeing my new family as we rode past was surreal as hell.
Madison was crowned in white silk flowers and green leaves, looking exactly like a maiden a knight might sweep away.
I fully intended to do that as soon as the show was over.
Her scent was muted with a spray for the crowd, but that would be easy enough to rinse away later, and she had blessedly thought to scent mark another bandana for me, so I could carry her with me tonight.
The pack was fucking precious. Every raucous shout of huzzah rang out among the crowd. Even Alve got into it. They cheered for Jax, too, in his mock battles, but tonight, he was taken out before the final showdown against Mordred, which left me playing Galahad to defend our Camelot.
Madison was fucking hyped. Her excitement flowed down the bond, energizing me. I couldn’t help stealing glances at her as Mordred and Galahad had their final face-off. Asher smirked at me, inclining his head toward Madison on her feet.
He prepared to take the final stroke of my blunted sword and collapsed to the ground in dramatic fashion.
“Yes!” Madison yelled. “That’s my alpha!”
Her pride infused me as the staff flooded onto the arena to take away the fallen warriors and lift me overhead, our king and queen actors graciously thanking me for saving Camelot.
After that, it was time for photos, which meant I got to have Madison in my lap when the other fans had moved on. She beamed at me and Nathan took photos as she clutched my cheeks and kissed me.
“Want to ride back with me?”
“Fuck, yeah, I do.” She adjusted to sit facing forward and patted Eclipse on the neck. “You did such a good job tonight, sweet boy. He’s the most talented horse in the whole arena.”
“You’re going to give him an ego,” I said with a smile and leaned to get a deeper whiff of her scent. It wasn’t strong with the spray, but it was in her hair, and pressed close, I could catch more hints of it.
Being without Madison was a struggle. Lunch had been a desperately needed reprieve, but then I’d faced hours more on my own. The bandana had helped, but nothing compared to having Madison in my arms.
The stables were a hive of activity as our staff removed costumes from themselves and the horses.
Madison happily helped me get Eclipse ready for bed.
The rest of my pack—after checking in with me to gush praise—went to chat with Jax while he did the same for Applesauce, whom he’d taken on while Dylan was on parental leave.
I’d never been so anxious to have the night be over and the arena emptied out as I was tonight.
I needed everyone out of here so I could be reacquainted with Madison, and for this occasion, I wanted it to be just her and I.
Much as I was coming to love the pack, sometimes we needed moments to be one alpha at a time.
Besides, I’d only fucked her in a group setting, and I was more than eager to experience her all on my own.
By the time everyone finally cleared out, I was ready to crawl out of my skin. I needed to plaster myself to Madison or I was going to implode.
I tugged her along to the showers, leaving a trail of shed clothing in our wake.
I needed her scent.
Now.
Lifting her in my arms let her lock her legs around my waist and brought us to a height I could easily kiss her.
I indulged in her mouth and rotated slowly in the warm water.
Every drop that sluiced over our skin washed away the scent-masking spray, until the showers were a fog of raspberry, mulberry, and lavender.
As much as I wanted to get a move on, the shower was a necessity. I had enough arena dust stuck to me I’d be able to create my own little sandstorm, and I didn’t want any of it raining down on her.
“Leo.” She gasped out my name. “Are you fucking me in the shower or the stable?”
“Depends on if you have a preference.”
“Stable feels naughtier.” She grinned at me. “Do you want me to wash your hair?”
It wasn’t what I’d expected her to ask, but I wasn’t about to refuse. “Sure, if you’d like to.”
I carefully lowered her to her feet and sank to my knees.
Her fingers were magic as she lathered the shampoo and carefully rinsed the mountain of dust hidden away between the strands.
I closed my eyes so I could bask in the sensation, but kept my hands on her hips.
After another shampoo and a condition, she deemed me ready.
“There we go. All sparkly.” She twirled a few of the strands around her fingers, leaving delicate ringlets. “I love your curls.”
“I love you.”
We both froze. That was probably the wrong thing to say. Too much too soon. But…how else was an alpha meant to feel about their bonded omega?
She recovered first, cradling my cheeks and forcing me to meet her gaze. “You’re an absolute sweetheart, and I’m working on accepting that I deserve the love I’ve been offered. I’m not ready quite yet, but I want to be, and I think I love you, too.”
Relief had me melting and pulling her close.
“Could I interest you in showing me how much you love me out in the stable?”
I purred, letting my hands ghost over her curves. “I could be persuaded.”
We lingered a few moments more before stepping out of the warmth of the shower.
I dried her tenderly, taking extra care with her long strands.
She tried to do the same for me, so I bent to accommodate her shorter reach.
Once dry, I sought out the perfect spot to prove exactly how desperate I was for her.
I dragged our horse-mounting block steps out of an empty stall and set it in front of the half door, then I tossed a clean saddle blanket over the top and lifted Madison to perch on top of it.
Her thighs spread for me to step up between them and claim her mouth.
She gripped me with one arm, clinging to the bar above her with the other, her desire pouring down the bond to fill me up.
She wasn’t the first omega to be fucked in the stables—anyone who thought otherwise was deluding themselves. She was my first, though.
With an arm braced around her hips to hold her steady, I began my slow descent into the heat of her. Her whimpers were muffled against my lips. A bolt of excitement shot through the bond a half second before she locked her ankles behind me and dragged me in until I was buried to the hilt.
The sudden rush of slick warmth had me moaning and gripping at the bars to keep myself together. “Eager?”
“Desperate,” she replied breathlessly, digging her heels into my ass cheeks. “I’ve been waiting for this opportunity.”
“To get fucked in the stable?”
“To get fucked by you in the stable.”
“Well, then I wouldn’t want to disappoint. Hold on tight.” My first proper thrust almost launched her from her seat.
I had warned her.
I clutched her a little tighter and set a pace that had the bond sparking like fireworks as pleasure ricocheted between us.
She sang me a whole symphony—a lilting, broken ballad that exposed every facet of her experience.
I slowed, rather than paused, when her pussy spasmed and she bit down on my shoulder to quiet herself. Sweet omega growls met each of my movements. Coaxing out each new sound became my focus so I could collect each one, learn how my omega loved being fucked, and provide for her every desire.
All I needed was her in my arms like this.
Wherever, whenever, feeling her come apart for me satisfied my instincts in a way I couldn’t articulate.
I’d grown up in a loving home. I knew how to provide that to someone else and I intended to give Madison everything she’d missed out on. But I also intended to give her passion, frivolity, and joys she’d watched others have without getting to experience them herself.
I didn’t have a history with her like Jude did.
I didn’t have wealth like Alve did to throw money at her problems.
I didn’t have Nathan’s sheer intensity to power through obstacles in creative—and sometimes concerning—ways.
But I was her bondmate. I was steady and I wanted to build a life with her. When the dust finally settled, I would be a soft place for her to land.
She hooked her arm behind my neck, pulling me closer as she whimpered and shuddered through another release.
Her nails bit into my skin. I’d wear those marks with as much pride as I did her bite.
Part of me wished her bondbite was somewhere more visible so I could show it off, but I also liked the idea that I could grind it against her when I finger-fucked her.
We’d missed a lot of steps in between, going straight from our first kiss to group sex. We had time to explore everything, but it did make me smile how quickly we’d gone from zero to sixty.
“Knot me,” she whispered roughly in my ear and dug in her heels again. Her nip on my earlobe combined with her plea sent me over the edge.
Madison sang for me again as the pressure flung us both off the cliff.
I spilled every drop and held her like the treasure she was.
I loved the idea that she might already be carrying a child.
My child, specifically. She may not be, or any of the others could’ve beaten me to it. The concept still made me crave it.
Everything she had been denied would be hers.
When I first presented as an alpha, I’d been filled with a secret desire to live with a pack.
I was an only child to beta parents, and pack living was so drastically different to everything I knew.
The Night of Knights crew had given me a taste of what it meant to be part of something bigger, but this was unlike that.
This was every facet of life together. Sharing a home, a future, an omega, and children.
I wanted all of it—with her, with them—no matter how incongruous things might appear. We would fit together. Our personalities would balance, and the unique ways we could each support the pack would let everyone shine.
Madison kissed me gently. “I wouldn’t be opposed to a repeat of this.”
“Is that so?”
“I’ve thought about climbing you like a tree since we met, and I’m not disappointed now that I have.” She purred, burrowing into my arms further. “The horses don’t mind being turned into voyeurs?”
“I think horses have been privy to a lot of moments like this over the centuries. We’re just the modern version of the maiden and the stableboy.”
She laughed and hugged me so tightly, my breath wheezed out. “I’ll be the maiden to your stableboy anytime.”