Sixty-Seven
SIXTY-SEVEN
Mia
I FELT LIKE I’D HAD so little time with Zalen, compared to the time I’d spent with the others. I knew, now, why he’d always seemed to hold himself back from me... and I understood it—as much as anyone could, who hadn’t gone through the loss of a mate personally.
I’d been more worried about Luca, who’d spent years creating for himself the very reality that he didn’t want—a reality where, in his own head, he could only ever be a pity case for the alphas around him. He and Emiel had both come so far in the short amount of time since they’d decided to mate each other. Whenever I really stopped to think about it, I was in awe of their courage.
By contrast, I had it easy. There was only one more thing I needed to reassure myself about before the mating. I’d been putting it off, it was true, but it was time to face it head on.
Okay, scratch that.
It was almost time to face it head on.
Because tonight, Luca and I were sprawled naked on Zalen’s generously sized bed; both of us perfuming and leaking slick as though our heats were due tomorrow, rather than two weeks and a few days from now.
“I need to know if you start to feel uncomfortable with anything, Luca,” Zalen was saying, as his big hand kneaded down the length of my spine, loosening each knot of tension as he found it. “You, too, Mia, but you already knew that.”
“Nngh,” I said, as another knotted muscle gave way beneath strong fingers.
Luca and I were both lying face-down on the bed, our heads pillowed on our arms as Zalen knelt between us. I had no idea how he was giving both of us simultaneous one-handed massages while also forming, y’know, sentences . Maybe it was an alpha thing? Or a stockbroker thing?
When Luca let the silence stretch too long, Zalen paused. “Talk to me, please,” he said. “I gather you and Emiel came up with some, er, special accommodations ... but I don’t know the details.”
Luca shifted, the mattress moving beneath us. I rolled onto my side so I could see both of the others properly.
“I handcuff him to the bed,” Luca said reluctantly. “And, well... Byron let me use ropes on him once. But,” he hurried on, “I don’t want that tonight. I want to try it without the restraints.”
He swallowed hard. “I thought maybe I could... watch you with Mia first?”
A little rumbling purr vibrated up from Zalen’s chest, barely audible. The alpha’s scent shifted to calm reassurance.
“We can do anything you want, Luca,” he said. “You just have to say the word.”
Luca seemed to be struggling with himself. After a long pause, he broke.
“I want to sit on your face while Mia rides you,” he said in a rush. “I want you to eat me out and suck my dick while you’re knotting her.”
A wave of warm, liquid need rolled through me as I pictured that. “Oh, my god,” I breathed. “That is so hot . Yes, please.” My hand veered downward to slip between my legs without my even noticing, rubbing through slickness to ease the ache building there.
“Lo, the omegas have spoken,” Zalen said, mock-solemnly. “Let it be so.”
Luca glared at him, though I didn’t think there was any real heat behind it. “You know, if you’re going to make fun of me, I’m sure I can find some leather belts and neckties in this room somewhere.”
“Another night, maybe,” Zalen said, a hint of a smile still trying to break through his expression. “Tonight, it sounds like I’ve got a double serving of omega cock and pussy to eat.”
And... damn , did our pack alpha deliver on his promises.
Luca wasn’t gentle with Zalen as we both rode him, facing each other with our hands clasped for balance. Every time Zalen’s giant horse cock split me open, I was newly shocked by its size. He lay on his back, his hips rolling up to meet mine in a steady rhythm, even as Luca alternated fucking his face and pulling his dick out to let Zalen tongue at his dripping passage instead.
Apparently, this was the kind of waterboarding Zalen could get behind, because that massive dick twitched and jerked inside me as Luca made a spirited attempt to suffocate him with a flood of jizz and slick.
My front row seat to the show meant that I didn’t last nearly as long as I might have hoped. Before much time had passed, Zalen’s knot swelled inside me as he groaned his release into Luca’s folds. Things went a bit hazy after that, but I was pretty sure Zalen made good on his promise to eat Luca out the entire time he and I were tied together.
When I came back to myself some considerable time later, Luca was helping Zalen ease me off him and settle me on my side on the mattress. I watched avidly as Luca took my place, easing onto Zalen’s fresh erection with a hiss.
“Easy,” Zalen said, sounding sex-drunk, but still somehow radiating reassurance.
Luca ignored him, wriggling down on that oversized cock like a man on a mission.
“He’s okay,” I slurred. “One of these days we’ll introduce you to the sea monster, and then you’ll understand.”
I’d seen Luca take a knotting dildo that would put elephants to shame. The horse cock would be fine.
Zalen only panted, a groan slipping free of his throat as Luca bottomed out.
“Got you,” Luca said hoarsely, giving his hips an experimental roll. This time, they both moaned.
Despite the pounding it had already taken, my battered womb gave a twinge of renewed interest, especially when I noticed the slick still shining on Zalen’s chin. Arousal must have come through in my scent, because Luca said, “Come on, climb aboard, Mia... Zalen likes multitasking.”
Zalen let out a breathless bark of laughter, and something about the banter warmed my insides.
“You heard the man,” Zalen said.
And, hey... who could resist an invitation like that ?
“Right. You asked for it,” I warned, laughter creeping into my voice as well.
Feeling like a wobbly newborn calf, I clambered over and sat on Zalen’s face—his magic tongue stroking me to new heights as Luca pulled me forward to meet in a messy kiss.
Judging by the choked cry of pleasure Luca let out a few minutes later, he’d been right. Zalen really did like multitasking.
I slept like the dead in Zalen’s bed that night, tangled in a messy pile with him and Luca. The following day was my last at the Elderflower Inn, where I’d made good on my promise to help Shani through the transition without overstaying my welcome.
Nat would be continuing on there for a little longer, while Maleeka finished up her final college classes. However, we’d all agreed during the sale negotiations that he and I would only work until seven p.m., rather than staying late until close.
That meant we were almost in sync with the other’s schedules, finally.
Tonight, though, it was Nat I needed to talk to.
Holed up with him in what had formerly been the guest bedroom, and was now simply ‘Nat’s room,’ I pulled him over to sit on the bed with me, holding hands as we half-faced each other. He came easily enough, even though there was a faintly worried look on his face.
“Mia,” he said, “are you sure you’re all right? Today can’t have been easy for you, I know. Your last day at the restaurant.”
The truth was, I hadn’t let myself think about it yet. When I did, I knew I was going to be very much not all right, and I wanted to have this conversation before that happened.
“I’m putting off my meltdown until tomorrow,” I decided. “For now, there’s something I want to ask you.”
“Okay,” he said warily. “What is it?”
“It’s about the mating,” I said, steeling myself. “More specifically, the mating bond . Nat, you’re a beta.”
He blinked. “Yes, I’d... noticed?”
I huffed a breath of laughter, squeezing his hands. “I’m asking how you really feel about me being mated to the others, when I can’t have the same kind of bond with you.”
He wasn’t quite fast enough to quell the flash of pain that crossed his features.
“I don’t deserve a damned thing from you, after everything that’s happened,” he said quietly. “The fact that I’m here at all is more than I could have expected.”
I didn’t like that answer, even though I’d known it was the one he’d give.
I ducked down to catch his gaze with mine before speaking again. “I was afraid you’d say that. Which is why I wanted to talk to you about a way you could be more of a... part of things, I guess you could say. Even if it’s only some of the time, not always.”
He frowned. “I don’t know what you’re asking. A part of things how?
I took a deep breath.
“It’s illegal, just like every other damn thing for omegas seems to be illegal,” I said. “But, I did some digging, and found a fair amount of informal research on betas taking omega fertility hormones in the run-up to a pack heat. If you were willing to risk it, they say it lets betas be part of a pack mating bond as long as the heat lasts. Is that something you’d want, Nat?”
Nat gaped at me, his mouth hanging slack.