Chapter 10
She was a feral little thing in my arms, absolutely inconsolable as the heat swallowed her whole. The heat haze was my least favorite part of the whole experience. Most omegas didn’t remember it at all, but alphas did, unless they were bonded and in rut. The entire thing pushed us to the very edge of our limits, demanding a level of physicality we would never expect even from the best athletes, requiring so much control and tenacity to get our partners safely to the other side. It was easy to see the allure of packs. When multiple people could share the load, it wasn’t quite so overwhelming, but all my clinic omegas had was me and I’d be damned if I was ever going to fail them.
Later we could indulge, but for now this was a matter of survival. The only thing that would reduce her pain was the flood of hormones that came from release. Luckily omegas were designed to come easily and often to compensate.
Allie whined my name heartbreakingly, begging me to stop the burn. I did what I could. I kept as much skin contact between us as possible, let my scent overwhelm the space, both signals to her primal brain that she was being taken care of and it didn’t need to panic.
She shattered on my cock on repeat, breaking apart and reforming over and over again, but the haze still held her under.
It was only the cuffs and collar at my wrists and throat that stopped her from taking a bonding bite out of me. Blocking the completion of a bond was a necessity, but I could lay my claiming bites into her skin and help reduce the haze without the risk of us being stuck together forever.
Ginger coated my pallet as I sank my teeth against her wrist. Every claiming bite took her apart, and I needed all of my willpower to stop myself from knotting her. It was too early. Those would get her out of a spike later, but it would make my life difficult if I gave in during the haze.
Being around omegas in their preheat started a bodily process to store away a hefty supply of hormones and energy we would need to get through the heat, and holy fuck did I make use of it.
Every bit of pleasure she gave me was tinged with an edge of pain from the effort it took to keep up. As much as my muscles and joints ached from tending to her, the scent that exploded out of her was a heady painkiller, soothing and encouraging me to keep going. I couldn’t tell the passage of time except for the shift of dark and light at the edges of my curtains.
Hunger and thirst were muted, drowned out by other instincts screaming at me. My omega was in pain and it was my job to fix it.
She took matters into her own hands whenever my energy flagged, fingers teasing her clit as she made herself come. I knew she didn’t know she was doing it, but I loved watching it all the same. Once the haze was over I would get her to do more, to explore and open herself to all of the possibilities.
Exhaustion weighed heavy on every facet of my existence.
The taste of her lips and the feel of her body branded itself into my memory. The wild fantasy of ripping off my cuffs and collars and taking her for my own was ever persistent. I couldn’t get them off in this state, though. That was part of their design, needing focus and a clear head to take them off to protect our clients. But god, I wanted her. It was so easy to lose myself in the warmth of her body and the sound of her cries.
Alpha, please.
What choice did I have but to give her everything she asked for? I was helpless in the face of her demand, in the face of her desire. She wanted and she took; I wanted and I gave.
I curled around her in the nest, pinning her by the throat, an arm wrapped around her waist, cock driving into her from behind. I had to use every tool at my disposal. I could fuck her every which way and take advantage of the nest she had made, bathe her in my scent, but I had to keep pushing.
The next time she came apart, she was still. It lasted for only a few minutes, but the hope it sparked in my chest burned bright. Every moment that passed brought us closer to the end of the haze so long as I kept up my efforts. If I stopped, her pain would take days to dissipate and I couldn’t do that to her. With these tiny breaks, I knew we were closer, knew it was potentially a matter of hours before we could both rest.
I rolled us over and pressed her back into the nest, dragging one of the blankets over top of us so that every possible breath was as saturated with the two of us as I could make it. Her slick was like a drug, addling my brain and driving all my base desires. We were both covered in it at this point, but it stayed warm and smooth, dripping from her to ease my way.
“Come on, little kitten,” I crooned. “We’re so close to you putting your claws away. Come for your alpha.”
The squeeze of her pussy nearly undid me. She grew still again, but there was no clarity to her eyes. Almost free, but not yet.
A few moments later she pawed helplessly at me, her pussy contracting in a silent demand for me to get moving again.
I drifted in and out of focus. The only constant was her. My determination to care for her kept me grounded.
Eventually her stillness after coming became relief. She blinked slowly, turning to me like she couldn’t quite remember why I was there.
I probably looked like a complete mess. I knew that I was sweaty and exhausted, and my hair was probably ridiculous.
“Welcome back.” I traced her cheeks softly, smiling down at my spent omega.
She moved carefully, her wince making her tenderness obvious. “I feel like I’ve been run over.”
“Not quite. You had a rough start to your heat and haven’t been fully here for almost two days.”
Allie wiggled restlessly, immediately freezing as her muscles reminded her she needed a break. “I don’t like that.”
“No. It’s not particularly pleasant. It’ll get easier in the future, but right now it’s all very new for your body. The lingering pain will go away shortly as well. Now that we’ve broken the initial haze, you should settle comfortably into the rest of your heat.”
That was my hope, at least. With the haze broken, there would be time for food and sleep and bathing in between heat spikes. I needed to get her replenished so that she felt as healthy as possible by the end despite the rigors she was being put through.
“It looks like I made you put in some effort.” She ran her fingers through my hair, and they came away damp with sweat.
“It was the most intense workout I’ve had in a while.”
“Sorry.” She pouted and I nipped it away, indulging myself in the gentleness I was afforded now that she was back to herself.
“You have nothing to apologize for.” I pulled her close and let her cheek rest against my chest. She tapped out the cadence of my heart with her fingertips against my skin, humming quietly, closing her eyes and resting in my arms. Soon I would have to get her up, but I could follow her lead for now.
“Did you have to fuck me for a solid two days? How are you even awake right now?”
“Alpha hormones can be as intense as an omega’s during heats. We need the boost to satisfy when our partners are entirely insatiable. And to answer your first question, yes, basically. I had to alternate between cock and hands several times, and I am very ready for a nap, but first, do you think you’re up to eating?”
Allie moved her legs experimentally. “I could probably make it to the kitchen.”
She might not know it about herself yet, but the moment she was out of the nest, she would be itching to get back into it.
“You can eat here. I’ll bring you something. How about a shower?”
“God, yes. I’d even be happy if you took me out back and turned the hose on me.”
I laughed at the image her words brought to my head. I highly doubted she would take a hose gracefully when the water was cold. “I need a shower, too, so I’m going to stick to hot water for now.”
I helped her stand and we walked gingerly together to the bathroom. I was still in charge of taking care of her so I took the lead, settling her on the shower bench while I got the hot water going. I made sure that she barely had to move as I gently soaked her down, shampooed and conditioned her hair, dried her off afterward, and blow-dried her hair while I combed it out in long, smooth strokes.
She hummed happily as I applied moisturizer to her. “This is heaven.”
Allie looked so sweetly happy with the attention that it nearly blocked out how heavy my body felt while I cared for her.
“I aim to please.” I dug my fingers into her tense muscles and they relaxed under my hands. I let my scent flow and Allie melted. After I had attended to every inch of her, I slipped away into the kitchen while she tucked herself back into the nest. I fed her more chocolate cake and some warmed-up lasagna that she ate with ravenous excitement. I inhaled as many calories for myself as I could and then forced some of the rehydration drinks from the heat service onto her. Once I was reasonably certain I had crammed as much as I could into her to help her body recover for the next phase, I let myself sink into sleep.