11. Oberon
I blink awake, the last vestiges of sleep clinging to my eyelids. Evening’s embrace has settled over the room, but there ain’t nothing dim about my senses—not with Aisling curled up against me, her body a live wire of soft curves and hidden strength.
I draw in a deep breath through my nose, her scent filling me, pure and unadulterated. It’s like a punch to the gut, that primal part of me stirring with the knowledge that her heat is skirting the edges, ready to pounce any moment now.
“Oberon?” Her voice is still heavy with sleep, a husky murmur that could start fires.
“Right here, Stargazer.” I keep my arm wrapped around her, fingers splayed wide on her stomach. She presses back into me, an instinctive motion that has my own instincts rearing up, answering that silent call of hers.
“Feel it coming,” she whispers, shifting again, a deliberate rub this time. “My heat…maybe just a few days out…”
“I know, baby,” I murmur, pressing a kiss to her throat.
Her ass presses back against my already-hard cock, my knot aching to be buried inside her.
“You could tell?”
“I can scent it,” I groan.
The twilight through the window throws a lazy glow over us, shadows playing across Aisling’s face as she moves against me. I can’t help but chuckle, the sound rumbling low in my throat as I roll my hips in response to hers. The friction of fabric between us grates like sandpaper on raw nerves.
“Damn clothes,” Aisling mutters, her voice laced with frustration and something darker, more urgent.
“Let’s get you out of them,” I say, my fingers already finding the hem of her shirt. I peel it up and over her head, tossing it aside without a second thought. My lips find her bare shoulder, trailing fire down her arm. She shivers under my touch, not from cold but anticipation, her breath catching as I unclasp her bra with practiced ease. It joins her shirt in the growing pile of discarded barriers.
“Your hands…” she begins, a gasp cutting off her words as my palms slide over the newly exposed flesh, thumbs brushing the sensitive peaks that harden under my attention.
“What about my hands?” I coax, my mouth following the path my fingers have blazed, tasting every inch of her. I suck a nipple into my mouth and Aisling keens—reminding me we’re not alone in this house, that Rook can almost certainly hear us.
“Always so damn sure,” she says, her back arching into my touch, pushing her into my exploring mouth.
“Only with you, Stargazer.” My voice is a growl now, roughened by desire as I work the buttons of her jeans loose. They’re tight, but I manage to work them down her legs, revealing more of her to my hungry eyes—and oh, how I’ve missed this view, even after only a day.
I can’t imagine losing her.
Not again…not after New Eden.
I hate that I’m the only one protecting her.
“Better?” I ask, my hands now skimming the tops of her thighs, teasing closer to the heat that I know is building within her.
“Getting there,” she replies, her tone a mix of challenge and need.
“Then let’s finish what we started,” I murmur, slipping my fingers beneath the waistband of her panties and pulling them down slowly, deliberately.
With each inch of skin revealed, the air between us heats, charged with the promise of what’s to come. I peel away the last of her clothes, and she’s all ivory skin and sharp breaths in my arms. The air is thick with her perfume, and I’m already drowning in the scent of her.
“Hope you’re ready, Oberon,” Aisling turns in my arms,chest to chest, grey eyes flashing a challenge. “Last time, Gunnar was here to share the load. This time, you’ve got me all to yourself.”
I catch that look in her eye, the playful spark before the fire. “I know what you need, Ais. And it’s more than one alpha can give.” My hands steady on her waist, anchoring her to me.
She bites her lip, that stubborn pride flaring up. “I don’t want—“
“Hey,” I interrupt, thumb tracing the edge of her jaw. “This isn’t about what I can handle. It’s about taking care of you.”
“Oberon—“ Her protest falters as our bodies align, an unspoken understanding passing between us.
“Trust me,” I say. “You know…another male in this house would step up if you need it.”
“Rook?” Her voice is a mix of shock and something darker, more primal.
“Uh-huh.” My affirmation is a whisper against her collarbone as I travel downward, lips pressing a path of ownership across her fevered skin. She shivers beneath me, the anticipation crackling between us like a live wire.
The moment my mouth finds her thighs, she gasps, her fingers tangling in my hair. I take my time, kissing the soft skin, stoking the fire until she’s writhing, desperate for more. “As long as Gunnar’s out there chasing ghosts, we play by new rules.”
“Rook…and Luka?” Her question is breathless, almost lost under the tide of pleasure as I worship her with my tongue.
“Both,” I confirm, tasting her, reveling in her sharp intake of breath when I find her clit. I lap at her folds, savoring the way she arches into my touch. “We’ve got options, Ais. Plenty to keep you satisfied.”
Her response is a moan that fills the room, echoing off the walls like a promise of what’s to come. The room pulses with the heat of her skin under my hands, the scent of her arousal thick in the air. I’m fixated, can’t pull away from the taste of her. Aisling writhes beneath me, a tangle of limbs and gasps that fan the flames in my veins.
“Why?” she manages between sharp breaths, her grey eyes searching mine. “Why are you even suggesting this, Oberon?”
I don’t answer. Words are trivial things at the moment, drowned out by the drumming of my heart and the slick warmth of her against my tongue. The question hangs there, but it’s carried away by the tide of desire that crashes through us both.
I navigate her body like territory I’ve claimed long ago, moving up with intent, leaving a trail of kisses as hot as the blood rushing beneath her skin. Her fingers clutch at me, nails digging into my shoulders with each inch I climb, until I’m poised above her.
“Oberon,” she whispers, and that’s all it takes.
My restraint snaps.
I press into her, feeling the heat from her core envelop me, and every thought burns away. Her body’s a beacon, calling me home, and I’m powerless to resist the primal urge to claim her over and over.
“Can you imagine it, Ais?” My voice is rough as gravel, words barely escaping between labored breaths. “Rook, Luka… all of us worshiping this body of yours? You’d be the center of our goddamn universe.”
“Oberon…” She gasps, her grey eyes glazed with raw desire.
“Picture it,” I continue, relentless in my pursuit of her pleasure. “Each one of us filling you up, taking turns until you can’t remember anything but the feel of us inside you.”
Her nails dig into my back, sparking pleasure laced with pain that only feeds the hunger within me. The idea of sharing her, even in dirty talk, stokes a possessive fire I can’t quench. But this isn’t about me; it’s about Aisling and what her body demands when her heat hits. It’s about keeping her safe and satiated.
“God, yes…” she moans, and it’s music—raw and real.
We move together, chasing release, each moment building on the last until we’re both teetering on the edge of oblivion. Words of possession and pleasure spill from my lips, painting vivid scenes that leave us both reeling.
“I need your knot, Oberon,” she gasps. “Please…please give it to me…”
I’m hers to command—and I’m aching, I want her so bad. Without another moment’s hesitation, I push past that final barrier to lock myself inside her, buried to the hilt.
She screams as she comes, and I rock my hips against her, making sure to do it exactly how she likes it. Aisling bites down on my shoulder, clasping me to her, and I practically howl as I come along with her, spilling my seed.
We collapse against each other and I roll us to the side, Aisling’s leg hooked over my hip, my knot warm in her tight heat. She gazes into my eyes, lips parted…but she doesn’t speak.
So I do—because she deserves an answer.
“I want to answer your question, Ais.” My voice slices through the afterglow, steady but softened by the intimacy we’ve just shared. “Why I’m doing this…suggesting Rook and Luka… it’s complicated, but it boils down to one thing—you.”
I watch her, needing her to see the truth in my eyes. “It’s not about sharing you or passing you around like some…prize. It’s about what you need, what this pack needs to survive. And right now, that’s all that matters.”
“Oberon,” she breathes out, voice still hoarse from cries not long past. “It’s…it would break Gunnar’s heart—“
“Listen, Ais.” My words come slow, deliberate. “Gunnar and I…we didn’t see eye to eye on a lot of things, especially when it came to you. And when you were with Terra Vitae…I think I blamed him a little, for not trying harder to keep you safe.”
She shifts, pulling the tangled sheets closer, a makeshift barrier against truths neither of us wants to face. “What do you mean?”
“Protection, Aisling. Your safety. Gunnar had his way, but…” I trail off, unsure how to say that his way left gaps wide enough for chaos to slip through. “Omega like you needs a pack, not just two guys doing their best.”
“Are you saying he didn’t care?” Her voice cracks like ice underfoot, and I’m quick to correct course.
“No, no. He cared, all right. But caring and doing what’s necessary are two different beasts.” I reach out, brush a strand of hair back from her face. “I think you need more than what he thought was enough. I think we’ve got to be smarter, stronger.”
Her lips press into a thin line, and she sits up, clutching the sheet to her chest like armor. “I won’t betray him, Oberon. Not Gunnar.”
“Betrayal is a strong word.” I sit up too, leaning in so she can’t look away. “And if it’s about survival? About protecting what’s yours? Then it’s not betrayal—it’s necessity.”
“Even if it means bringing Rook and Luka into our bed?” There’s steel there, a backbone that’s always been part of her charm.
“Even then.” I let my hand rest on her knee, a silent plea for understanding. “This isn’t about possession or pleasure. It’s about standing guard over what matters most.”
Aisling looks away, and I know she’s waging wars inside her head, weighing loyalties against needs. The room’s quiet but for the sound of the city outside, life moving endlessly like the tide.
“Think about it, okay?” I say at last, my voice barely above a whisper, a thread tying her to me in the dimming light. “Luka didn’t hesitate yesterday. Jumped in front of you without a second thought.” I pause, let that sink in. “And Rook…hell, you’ve seen it too. The way he watches over you.”
Aisling shifts beside me, her grey eyes flickering with a storm of thoughts as she pulls the sheet tighter around her. “I know they’ve got my back. That’s not the point, Oberon.”
“Isn’t it?” I challenge, keeping my tone even. “It’s about more than just having your back, Aisling. It’s about being a fortress. Not just one or two of us, but all hands on deck.”
She bites her lip, clearly picturing the scene from yesterday—the chaos, the crack of gunfire, the rush to safety. “They’re good men,” she concedes. “But Gunnar…”
“Would want you safe above all else,” I cut in, firm. “Doesn’t matter if his pride gets dinged. You come first.”
Her resolve wavers, I can tell. She’s strong, but even the strongest steel bends under pressure. “I’ll think about it,” she murmurs, and something inside me tightens—hope, maybe.
“Think fast, then,” I reply, trying to keep the urgency out of my voice. “Your heat’s coming, and decisions need making.”
“Decisions that could change everything,” she whispers, more to herself than to me.
“Everything’s already changing, Ais. We just gotta ride the wave.”