Chapter 38
“F eels like a whole network of ant tunnels,” Morgan said as we turned off another trail branch.
“Pretty much. How’re you doing with keeping your sense of direction?”
She paused, spinning slowly and pointing. “Lodge is that way?”
I grinned. “Yep.”
We were taking advantage of the snow melt to make sure Morgan was familiar with the property. She knew how to survive, but I wanted her to know how to find her way back to us.
“How can you tell?”
“There’s a marker up there.” She pointed about twenty feet up to the orange triangular sign on the fir tree next to us. “And there’s a lot more dormant raspberries growing around the lodge, but they’re getting more sparse as we go. You guys put those in, right?”
“We did. Part of a whole food forest network about a mile out in every direction with the exception of the other side of the road.” The marker was a little faded and would probably have to be replaced soon, but for now it served its purpose. Replacing all of them would be a project over the whole summer.
She jogged past me, up to the top of one of the multitude of hills on the property. “How do you get anything done? I’d wanna be out here all day.”
“Most of our projects are outdoors, so in fairness we do spend most of our time out here.”
Morgan lifted her face to a beam of sunlight sneaking through the tree branches, her smile making her look practically ethereal. “How often do you guys go around the property?”
“Depends on how busy we are, but we try to get most of it covered every couple months. Keeping the trails clear is part of business, and there’s always poachers slipping onto our land. Bear has collected so many illegal traps over the years.”
“So step carefully?”
I joined her in the sunbeam, wrapping my arm around her waist. “You have to do that anyway. I don’t want you to twist an ankle out here.”
Pumpkin sprinted over, apparently done investigating whatever she had been fixated on earlier on the trail. She knew this area well, and while we didn’t like her to be outside alone too long because of the predators around here, she always found her way back to us quickly.
“Hey there, beautiful girl.” Morgan dropped down to accept some Pumpkin kisses. “You smell like you rolled in something questionable.”
Pumpkin merely looked at her with adoration, tongue lolling out and tail wagging.
“We’ll give her a bath before she comes inside. You ready to head back?”
“Sure.”
“You’re in charge of getting us home.”
“You trust me with that?” She tilted her head, looking adorably akin to Pumpkin when she was trying to figure something out.
“I won’t let us get lost out here,” I promised. “It’s good practice for you.”
We set off, Morgan pausing every so often as we came to a fork in the trails, blessedly selecting the correct one each time after assessing the surroundings. Going in reverse and seeing all of the markers backward made navigation more difficult, but she had enough experience with it on her own that I wasn’t worried. When she lost track of the direction above the trail, she used our footprints in the mud to choose her way, and eventually we emerged back at the lodge, my omega practically vibrating with excitement.
“Fuck yes! I did it!” She turned and leapt toward me, catching me in a kiss as I wrapped my arms around her. “Thank you for taking me out. I feel ten times better getting to know the area and knowing I can find my way home.”
Home.
We all kept hoping she would view the lodge as that, but had been trying not to push the idea. Even the nest had to be pitched as temporary accommodation so she didn’t get twitchy. I wasn’t going to point out that she had called the lodge home and make her think about it, but it didn’t go unnoticed.
“What’s so exciting?” Bear signed as he approached us, Pumpkin rushing to jump on him.
I whispered his question to Morgan and she wiggled out of my arms to hug him too.
“We went three miles out,” I told him.
“And I led us back.” Morgan beamed.
Bear signed out congratulations with a broad smile, leaning to pet Pumpkin when she flopped on her back asking for belly rubs.
I was more than a little jealous that he shared the bond with her, that he was able to feel how thrilled she had been after successfully navigating the forest. She wasn’t going to bond anyone else unless she was staying here permanently. I had to be patient no matter how much I wanted to share that with her.
“Come on, you little gremlin,” I said to Pumpkin. “Let’s go wash off whatever you rolled in.”
I got Pumpkin scrubbed up and hosed down while Morgan basked in the sunshine like a contented lizard, Bear at her side. Maverick had reminded her to put on sunscreen before heading out, and a good thing too because the overcast sky from when we started had opened up halfway through our walk and she probably would’ve looked like a lobster otherwise.
She and Bear helped me wrestle Pumpkin to get her dry after her impromptu shower.
“I know, baby,” Morgan cooed as Pumpkin barked her displeasure. “Life is so hard when the people you love most in the world are washing away all that hard-earned stink. Criminal. Yes, absolutely, we all deserve jail for one thousand years.”
I carried a flailing Pumpkin inside and once she realized dinner was waiting for her, she immediately changed her attitude. Behaving like a perfect girl, she sat for Maverick, offering one paw and then the next before spinning around with a tail wag. She dove into her bowl when he set it down.
“Someone’s food-motivated.” Morgan laughed.
“She’s definitely that.” I kissed Morgan’s temple. “Do you need to shower off Pumpkin’s bath?”
“Probably not the worst idea. Body rinse should be fine. I don’t think she got my hair.”
We all watched as she disappeared into the main-floor bathroom, tension filling the air when she emerged a couple of minutes later, a towel wrapped around her and her red locks tumbling over her shoulders.
“In case anyone was wondering,” she said with a cheeky smirk, “this lack of an outfit is an invitation.”
My body tightened instantly in a wave of desire. I snatched her up as she walked past me, pressing her back to my chest, my lips dancing over her throat when she tilted her head to give me access.
“You should sit on my lap while we eat dinner.” I snuck my hands under the bottom of the towel, sweeping them up to expose her soft thighs.
“Are you going to be wearing clothes during this dinner?” She purred, scent rising.
“Not if you want to eat with my knot inside you.”
“Hands on the table, firecracker.” Ryder looked at her like he was about to devour her.
Morgan slipped away from me, planting both palms on the corner of the smooth wood, the towel sliding to the floor without her holding it up.
Maverick dropped down next to her, gliding his palm up the back of her thigh. “One knee on the table too.”
A hint of a whine snuck out of her as she complied, exposing her already glistening cunt. Maverick dove in, prompting a litany of delicious, needy sounds from her. Bear pulled one of the chairs away, wedging himself in there so he could capture her mouth.
I pulled in a slow breath, every bit of me itching to bury my cock in her. Patience was important in a pack. Outside of a heat we had to coordinate a little more. It was easy to take turns when we were run ragged and collapsing at her side, grateful to have someone take over. But now we were all ready for her and she was a tempting morsel asking to be sampled.
Ryder swept eager hands over her skin, lifting her breast to suck the tip between his lips.
“Fuck.” Morgan keened as Maverick let his fingers join his tongue. Her slick dripped down his arm, my own mouth watering to get a taste of her.
I needed to touch her.
Moving closer, I dropped to my knees, licking her slick right from Maverick’s arm, joining him in feasting on our girl. So fucking sweet. I turned, kissing over the softness of her thigh before snaring my teeth on the scent gland there until she came all over Maverick’s face, the cry drowned out by Bear’s mouth.
Bear pulled away to let her catch her breath, Morgan’s whole body shivering. I stripped off my shirt and let my fingers wander down her body to take over teasing her.
“Do you want all of us, little fox?”
“ Can I have all of you outside of the heat?”
Our alpha resilience dropped a bit when we weren’t hopped up on omega heat pheromones, so there was a solid chance she could manage taking us one after the other without any discomfort. “You were made to. I’ll go last. How many do you want at once?”
She glanced back at me, eyes gleaming. “What are the odds that I’m committing hubris if I say three?”
A collective moan swept through us at her words and the burst of her scent.
“Doesn’t hurt to try. Hit pause if it’s too much.” I stared at our setup, trying to figure out the best option. “Whoever is taking her pussy can lie on the table with legs over the edge. That’ll keep access to her ass open and she’ll be at the perfect height to take a cock in that gorgeous mouth.”
Morgan’s breathing turned shallow, her scent practically syrup in the air. Maverick stripped down and got into position, stretching out across our dining table and letting me slide chairs beneath his feet. Next Morgan climbed on top, whimpering as she took every inch of him. Bear’s clothing hit the floor before he coated himself in slick and collected plenty of her runoff to work into her asshole while she mewled against Maverick’s chest.
“That’s our good girl,” Maverick crooned. “How’s that feel?”
She moaned her answer, rocking her hips between Maverick and Bear. Morgan reached a shaking hand to Ryder. His clothing disappeared while they were getting in position and he dragged the chair out of his way, Morgan gently tugging him closer by the cock.
Bear and Maverick gave experimental thrusts.
Our omega shuddered. “Keep going.”
She took a few moments to adjust before opening her mouth for Ryder, using her hand to guide the depth.
It was ridiculous how fucking beautiful she looked like this—stuffed at every end, skin pink with pleasure, goosebumps decorating her as much as her freckles. While they worked at coaxing her up the peak, I stripped down as well, stroking a steady hand over my cock and leaning close to soak her in.
Even with Ryder’s cock muffling her, each moan, whimper, and whine was like the boom of a bass drum through me.
She broke apart for them so beautifully. Slick spattered on Bear’s thighs and I wedged my fingers between her and Maverick, eager to set her off again. Bear was the first to give in, his hips jerking erratically before he pulled out with a growl to coat her skin. Ryder was next to spill into our omega, Maverick following them both over the edge.
I purred as I carefully maneuvered her, letting her stay draped over Maverick and using his legs to keep hers spread. “All right, little fox. Let’s get you that knot.”