Chapter 27
Leylan
I damn near take the door off its hinges as I burst into the diner, frantic eyes scanning for my omega before I’ve even stepped a full foot inside. After receiving a phone call from Creek explaining what happened, I decided there were enough bodies in the lab to clean up after the mess another student made. I didn’t even stop to shower, the scent of flowers clinging to me so strongly that it gives me a headache. All I could think of was getting to Juniper as soon as I could, the need to check for myself that she really was okay overriding any other rational thought I might have conjured.
Juniper sits beside a guy I recognize, a cup of hot liquid steaming between her small fingers, her face turned toward the doorway as the bell rings to announce my arrival.
“Leylan,” she breathes in a painfully relieved sigh, causing my chest to ache at the sound.
I’m moving toward her before I can fully comprehend the action, my arms banding tightly around her still trembling body, tucking her as close as I can get her to my chest. Her scent tickles my nose, pina colada infected with the sour notes of stress and anxiety, and I press a kiss to the top of her head and keep my lips pressed to her for a long moment .
“I’m okay, Ley. I’m alright,” she breathes, releasing a hand from her cup in order to wrap it around my bicep banded around her chest like a seatbelt.
It takes me a long moment to actually believe as much, the reluctance to let her go evident in the way my touch lingers, and I slide the stool beside her closer before taking a seat and taking her free hand into mine.
“What happened, Juju?” I ask, despite knowing the brief rundown after a very brisk and panicked call from Creek.
Thankfully, Juniper takes pity on me and explains, the guy beside her sitting silently through it all. By the time she’s done, Juno is shaking like a leaf, the cup in her hand trembling enough that the guy beside her is forced to take it from her.
“She was frozen right before running into me, so I brought her here since she said that’s where you were all meeting her,” the guy, Pace Larsen, continues. “I’ve called the police while she called Creek, and I’ve called my pack since I know Munro will kill me if I don’t keep him updated.”
I nod, appreciation for the alpha of Pack Larsen stepping in. “Thanks, bro. I really appreciate you looking out for my girl.”
“Anytime, man. Despite this being our first meeting, she’s practically family the way Munro and the guys talk about her,” Pace assures, placing Juno’s cup on the counter just as Gabby hurries out of the kitchen with a plate of pancakes and syrup, placing them directly in front of my girl.
“Eat. You’re shaking like an angry vibrator, you’re pale, and you look like one gust of wind will blow you over. Get some sugar in your system,” the boisterous woman commands, pointing at Juno seriously. “And when you’re done, you’re going home. You smell as stressed as a dog at the veterinarian, and I don’t want you working while you’re this shaken.”
Juno nods and I smile gratefully at the understanding woman, receiving a motherly glance back before Gabby goes about taking orders for other patrons of the diner .
Once she’s gone, I turn my focus back onto Pace and ask, “What happened with the police?”
“Nothing of note. They added the incident to Juniper’s file, but said there still wasn’t much else they could do since nothing actually happened,” Pace explains, sounding as irritated by that turn of events as I am, not that I expected anything different. The police can’t very well do anything about a stranger that did nothing but scare my girl from a distance.
I nod, accepting his words despite not liking them, before asking, “How did you know it was Juno. You said this is your first meeting.”
Pace shrugs. “Munro and the guys all talk about her. She’s basically an extension of our beta. Not only that, I can smell Aero on her, likely from when they had lunch together. I’d recognize that pain in the ass and his scent anywhere, and since he told me earlier they were all busting Munro’s balls about something at lunch earlier, it made sense.”
“Well, I appreciate you helping her when we couldn’t,” I repeat, doing my best to ignore the horrible feeling burning in my chest over leaving Juno by herself. If I hadn’t decided to stay and help at the lab, I would have been with her much sooner. I could have been there for her sooner.
“Don’t do that, man. No one could have anticipated it, so beating yourself up over it won’t do a bit of good,” Pace cuts through my thoughts, and I nod despite my mind still filling with guilt. “Get your girl home, and I’ll see what I can do in terms of finding that creep who was watching her.”
Without waiting for a reply, Pace side-hugs Juno, who blinks rapidly as though she’s coming out of her thoughts, and claps me on the back before leaving, pressing his phone to his ear as he leaves through the door with a ring of the bell.
As soon as my focus is back on my girl, I drag the plate and my stool closer to her, pressing a kiss to the side of her head as I say, “Try and eat something, Juju. The sugar will do you good, because you’re crashing from the adrenaline, and I know how much you love pancakes.”
Juno gives me a small snort, but she nods before trying her pancakes for me, and her body visibly relaxes at the first bite. From there, Juno eats most of her food before pushing it away, claiming she couldn’t eat another bite.
So, with a wave at Gabby, I take my little omega’s hand and lead her to my car, driving us home with her fingers laced with mine.
“I’m sorry you had to leave class,” she mutters quietly just as we enter the quiet house, and I waste no time pulling her close.
Cupping Juno’s face, I rub my nose along hers, briefly realizing this is the most affectionate I’ve been with her since she came back into our lives. I’ve allowed the others to have their moments with her, waiting on my turn to finally touch her and hug her and be with her, and it hits me harder when I realize that I’m just wasting time by doing it. So, from this moment forward, I’m going to steal her attention like the others do. I’m going to be selfish, even if just a little bit, so I can get these moments with her.
And so, with my forehead pressed against hers, I tell her, “Don’t be sorry. There’s nowhere else in the world I’d rather be than right here with you. I just wish it wasn’t under such horrible circumstances. I’m sorry I wasn’t with you sooner, Juju.”
She’s already shaking her head before I can finish my sentence, her voice quiet as she says, “If I’m not allowed to be sorry, then you’re not allowed to be, either, okay?”
“Okay,” I answer just as quietly, right before I pull her into a tight hug, tucking her face against my neck while I breathe her in, wishing I could steal away the anxiety that sticks to her scent like Velcro.
I feel her press a kiss to my neck, my skin prickling with the soft warmth of her mouth on me, and I sigh as I press my forehead to her shoulder. At the most inappropriate time, my body wakes up, the brush of her lips doing things to me that should absolutely not be happening. Especially not after what she went through today, her scent still holding hints of sourness that tells me she’s still stressed.
Deciding now isn’t the time to act like a hormonal asshole, wanting her to be comfortable and at ease after the scare she had, I press a brief kiss to her neck before trying to pull away. The only thing that stops me is the tightening of Juno’s hands on me, and her barely audible, “Mh-mh. Don’t.”
“Juju, things are gonna get really uncomfortable if I don’t pull away from you right now. Just your lips on me has my body acting out of sorts, and you’re not in the right frame of mind right now. Let me take care of you,” I whisper, running my hands up and down her back, feeling her shiver against me and lean closer.
I hear her inhale, and I do the same, stilling when I find the first whiffs of something sweeter, something dense and mouthwatering.
“Juniper,” I groan, smelling her desire as it thickens around us both, overshadowing the anxiety that lingers. “You smell so good, but we really shouldn’t right now. Not after the day you’ve had.”
A whine slips free of her mouth as she presses her lips against me again, her own hands begin to roam right before she whispers, “What if this is what I need? What if this is how you take care of me?”
There’s a needy undertone to her words, and I frown, wondering how she went from being shaken and anxious to needy and clingy. Not that I mind, but it’s almost like a switch has been flipped, Juno’s body rubbing against me in a way that screams she isn’t thinking of what happened today.
When I catch a stronger hit of her scent and her hand slips beneath my shirt, understanding dawns on me so fast that the tension in my body fades almost instantly, my hands caressing her back a little gentler as I seek for confirmation. I feel it when the tips of my fingers brush the bare skin of her back between her shirt and jeans, the heat gradually building .
Humming under my breath, I brush my hand through Juno’s plum-colored hair and say, “Juju, I think you’re going through a very ill-timed heart spike.”
“Ah,” she huffs, rubbing her cheek against my shoulder before kissing my neck again. “That explains it.”
Chuckling under my breath, I tell her, “Do you need your nest, Juju? Or I can run you a bath? What do you need?”
It’s then that she pulls back and peers up at me with glassy, pale-blue eyes, a clarity in her expression that rivals the way she pushes her body into mine as her scent grows stronger and stronger. She ruins me when she whispers, “I just need you, Ley. I need you and our pack.”
The look in her eyes, paired with her scent and the way her chest begins to fall and rise with her quickening breaths, has me hauling her into my arms. Her legs are around my waist in a split second, hands sinking into my hair, and she’s already breathless as she peers down at me with equal measures of shock and arousal.
“You want me to take care of you, Juju?” I ask seriously, hugging her tight as one of my hands roams over her jean-clad thigh.
“I want you to take care of me. Make me forget everything but you, Ley,” she confirms, her body heating up further and further until she’s hot to the touch and her pina colada scent surrounds us in thick waves, her desire strong within.
She’s even hotter between her legs, the heat seeping through the tight jeans that hug every curve. Her body feels like a dream in my arms, her heart beating frantically in tandem with mine, but when she whimpers and presses a kiss to my jaw, her teeth scraping over my flesh, I waste no time in luring her mouth towards mine, stealing a heart-shattering kiss that fuels my movements.
I’m striding toward the living room before I can think better of it, my desire for her growing to match her own. If she needs this, if she needs me, then I won’t say no. I won’t ever reject my omega, no matter what, and knowing that she’d rather I take care of her than let her ride the heart spike out alone sets me on fire. With those thoughts, I’m damn near sprinting to the couch, needing her on top of me, bare and needy and desperate. I know for certain I won’t make it up those stairs before I get her naked and writhing on top of me, so the living room is the next best thing.
The moment I find the couch, I turn and sit, depositing Juniper on my lap and groaning when she instantly writhes and grinds on top of me. My cock, which had already grown and hardened, thickens with every roll of her hips.
The purr that rattles my chest surprises me, my alpha instincts breaking free with the first notes of Juniper's needy little moan, and it only grows when Juniper’s movements turn frantic as she tears the shirt from over my head and leans in to trail hot kisses over the skin of my chest.
“Off. I need these off,” she pants, tugging at the waistband of my jeans, right before she continues blissfully assaulting my body with her mouth.
As she’s inflicting sexy little nips and licks along my skin, savoring the taste of my body, I hurry out of my jeans, the bulge of my throbbing cock testing the limits of my boxer briefs.
“These, too,” she demands breathlessly, swiping her tongue along the two long divots that disappear beneath my underwear.
“Juju, fuck,” I groan, head falling back against the couch while I do as demanded, stripping until I’m completely bare beneath her and struggling not to flip our positions, pin her to the couch and rut into her for hours on end. Just the thought alone has my cock throbbing, my knot already swelling to the point of aching, my need for my omega so strong that I find myself gritting my teeth as she continues her assault on my body.
“You’re fucking beautiful, Ley,” she gasps the moment I’m free of my clothing, sitting up on my lap to peer down at my exposed body. Her pale eyes skim over every inch, darkening as her gaze glides over me like a physical touch, and I can’t stop my hands from moving toward her shirt .
“Off, Juju. Every inch,” I rasp, voice thickened with arousal, my scent mingling with her sweet-sugary aroma that thickens as her perfume drips with arousal. I can smell her slick hidden beneath her jeans, and my mouth waters with the need to taste her, devour her, make her mine.
Like an obedient little omega with a spicy touch, Juniper nips at my jaw before stripping bare, standing only to remove her boots and jeans before returning to straddle my lap, her bare breasts now heaving with every labored breath she takes.
Much like Juniper had, my eyes take on a mind of their own, roaming over every delectable inch. Her scarred, creamy skin is soft to the touch as I watch my hands roam over raised bumps over her waist and hips, my gaze taking in every scar that covers her body. They don’t detract from her beauty, simply add to it, because I know now the strength this woman had to survive and find her way back to us.
Gaze trailing all over her, I dip lower to the apex of her thighs, and the purr in my chest rumbles that much deeper when I find her thighs wettened with slick, arousal coating her pussy until it glistens. As her thighs part a little further, offering more room for my hips to fit between her legs, I watch as that wetness doubles and she moans as she drags her body over mine. Slick coats my shaft instantly, and I curse as her wet folds glide over my shaft in one smooth move.
“I need you inside me, Ley. I need you to fuck me until I can’t think, until I can’t walk, move, or breathe without the thought of you,” Juno pants, hands clenching in my hair as she rolls her hips again, drawing out a guttural groan from the pits of my damned soul.
Through gritted teeth, I confess, “Whatever you want, Juno, it’s yours. Everything I own or am, it’s fucking yours.”
That draws out a needy moan that caves me inside out, and I’ll feel guilty later for how rough I am when I wrangle Juno off my lap enough for me to grip the base of my knotted cock and guide it to her slick entrance. The moment the tip sinks into her liquid heat, I curse, dragging Juno down until I’m sheathed in her warm, tight pussy.
“Oh my god, Ley, fuck,” she pants, taking only the briefest moment to catch her breath before she’s rising and falling on my cock in slow, steady motions. It’s enough to drive me mad, my purr growing enough to rattle my bones, all while my hands tighten on Juno’s bare waist before travelling south to take in palmfuls of her biteable ass.
“Take what you need, Juno. Use me the way you need to and I’ll take care of you after,” I grind out, groaning as she sinks back down onto my iron-hard cock and grinds her hips, the folds of her pussy teasing my swollen knot. “That’s it, honey. Fuck, just like that.”
My words of encouragement hit home pretty quickly, and before I know it, Juniper is riding me hard and fast, the sexy moans, feminine grunts, and mewls of pleasure sending me deeper and deeper into my own desire. My hands are roaming every-fucking-where, mapping every single inch of her skin, all while my hips begin pumping in and out of her tight channel from beneath her.
“Fuck, Ley, I’m going to come!” she cries, gasping when I grip her heated hips and drag her down harder, sinking deeper into her greedy pussy that pulses around me with her impending release.
I grind my hips upwards, thrusting harder and faster into her tight body, muttering affirmations and words of encouragement, fueling her pleasure until I feel the first spasm of her walls fluttering around me with her climax.
Juniper cries out loudly, her orgasm hitting her forcefully, and her body locks down on me enough that it takes some effort to keep fucking into her. Just as I’m about to slow down, to give her a break before I switch our positions, I feel Juno sink deeper on me as her release drags on beautifully. Her walls are pulsing, her body trembling with aftershocks, but she continues to writhe and grind, dragging my cock deeper and deeper into her body until my knot kisses her entrance.
“I need it. Knot me, Ley, please. Fuck, please fill me,” she begs, her voice thready with arousal, desire releasing her dignity so she can beg for more. I’ll be damned to hell ten times over if I don’t cave like a sandcastle hit by a tidal wave, my groan mingling with her cock-hardening moans until it’s all that fills my ears.
Sitting up, I band one arm around her back, while the other grips her thigh tightly in order to control her movements and mine. Juno drops her arms over my shoulders, drawing her face back from the crook of my neck where she’d been nipping and laving her hot tongue over my skin. The moment her eyes meet mine, I pull Juniper down on my cock just as I surge my hips upward, my knot slotting into place inside her body like she was perfectly designed for me. My spine tingles instantly with an orgasm, my balls tightening as she envelops me so thoroughly I don’t know where she starts and I end.
With her wet heat strangling me, my knot swells and locks in place, right before white-hot pleasure explodes inside me and my release washes over me with my accompanying groan that rattles the fucking windows of the house. My cock pulses, spurting come inside her body, so much that it leaks from her pussy and drips along her thighs as I lose myself to her. Everything around me grows disoriented as my hearing rings for a moment as I come, my hands clamping so tightly around Juno that I won’t be surprised if I leave my marks over her beautiful body.
I only vaguely notice the way her body starts convulsing once more, her pussy tightening before it begins rippling with another orgasm, her cries so beautiful as they mingle with my grunts as I release every drop into her body.
The moment Juno comes down from the high, she slumps her sweat-slicked body against mine, nuzzling her nose into my neck as she pants for the same breath I’m trying to catch.
When my heart doesn’t feel like it’s about to explode out of my chest, I press several lingering kisses to Juno’s neck and shoulder before muttering, “Give me another minute and I’ll take you upstairs where we can have a long bath.”
“Mmm, that sounds nice,” she croons against my shoulder, and I hear the soft, satisfied smile in her voice .
It has my own smile growing, and I nip at her skin, making her shiver against me with a gasp. “If you let me pamper you a little, I might give you a massage while we’re in the bath, too.”
I feel her smile against my neck as she nuzzles me, and she whispers, “I won’t turn down some pampering and a massage.”
“Then wrap your arms around me, honey. I’m taking care of you tonight. The others can have you tomorrow,” I proclaim, making her laugh and tighten around me. Groaning, I bite harder at her flesh, the idea of bonding with her floating through my mind and right back out when I note that this isn’t the time. One day, hopefully sometime soon, I’ll have my mark on her, though.
That idea alone sets my blood on fire, and I can feel myself hardening inside her body once more, her walls suffocating my cock and knot in the best way. Maddeningly still is the way her scent hasn’t softened at all, still sugary sweet and thick with arousal. As much is proven when she tightens around me and shifts her hips with a soft inhale, and I curse when a fresh wave of arousal floods between us.
I’m flipping our positions in the next breath, and Juniper laughs, her glistening blue eyes peering up at me with adoration, love, and contentment, only the smallest strain of anxiety tightening the skin at the corner of her eyes.
“How about we have that bath in a minute?” I ask, grinning down at the beautiful omega wrangling my knot like it was made for her. If you ask me, it was. Every inch of my body, every drop of my pleasure, it’s all hers.
Juniper flashes a grin, one that’s wiped away with a loud moan as I grind into her, rubbing my knot against her sensitive walls. “Great plan. Excellent, even.”
Laughing, I lean in and kiss her chest, dragging my mouth over her chest and breasts. I suck in a nipple, and then the other, noting the way her whole body clenches down on me, and I pull back only enough to rasp, “Yeah, the bath can wait.”
I don’t manage to get us up the stairs until over an hour later, when Juno has lured every drop of pleasure from my body and mine hers, her sleepy frame holding on to me loosely as I go about bathing us, massaging her shoulders, and carrying us to her nest where we fall asleep still joined together and as bare as we came into the world.
Before Juniper falls asleep, her head tucked beneath my head as she lays sprawled on top of me, I confess quietly, “Juniper, I love you.”
She hums sleepily, but I feel her cheeks rise with a smile, so I sink my hand in her hair and begin brushing her wild strands free of knots. Just as I think she’s fallen asleep, more than content to wait for her to feel comfortable enough to utter the words back, she presses a kiss over the spot where my heart beats steadily in my chest, and confidently says, “I love you, too, Leylan. With everything inside me.”
For the first time since we lost Juniper, I fall asleep with no regrets and a smile on my face, my body relaxed and as happy as my mind with my omega using me as a body pillow that was made for her. And it was, it really fucking was.