Chapter 24
Madi
Zachary, Hunter, and I walk hand in hand back up to Alric, who is still reading. Always so attentive to my needs, he passes me a bottle of water and I take a few sips.
Zachary pulls out a towel that had been heated from the sun, holding it open for me.
He cocoons me in warmth and then sits, pulling me down with him.
I curl into his lap, instantly relaxed by his purr.
My omega side jumps for joy at the closeness, the tenderness.
His scent is taking over my brain, holding me so tight, I’m flooded with gratitude for him, for how he makes me feel treasured and safe.
Unable to resist myself, I rub my cheek against his, needing my scent on him, and he freezes. Oh, no.
Why did I scent mark him like that?
I sit up quickly. “I—” God, I don’t even know what to say, the urge came over me and it felt so natural to follow it. I should have been more careful.
“It doesn’t have to mean anything if you don’t want it to,” he says, but his voice is strained, like he’s forcing himself to say the words he knows I need to hear right now, not because it’s what he desires.
In a calmer tone, he whispers, “You’re experiencing a faux heat this week, it’s causing primal urges you might be unfamiliar with.
Like your little puppy bite in the library.
Do what feels natural, you don’t have to overthink it. It’s not a bond.”
Unfamiliar urges is an understatement.
I’ve never wanted to scent mark any of them. The fusion of scents from fucking is one thing, scent marking simply because I want him to smell like me is another. His scent is irresistible—all of theirs are—proving how important my rule to always wear blockers was.
He can say it doesn’t mean anything, but we both know that’s not true. It’s a claiming. Not as powerful or life altering as a bond or bite, but it still sends a pretty clear message that he’s mine.
My alpha.
No, not my anything yet.
At least they have each other. Maybe I should ask more about pack life. Just to see.
“You said you’re starting a pack. What does that look like?” I lie back down, resting in Zachary’s embrace. His chest relaxes and he presses his lips to my head, purr returning.
He probably feared I was going to run back to the villa screaming. I would have a few days ago, but now, the idea of being his omega seems less terrifying.
Zachary explains, “Our pack contracts are with our lawyer and we will be signing them next week. Finances will be combined, real estate will be chosen. We have our eye on a place downtown, in the historic district, over on West Willow Way. We’ll tour it when we return and if we love it, make them a generous offer. ”
“This is it.” Alric takes out his phone and hands it to me. My breath catches in my throat. It’s one of the most beautiful homes I’ve ever seen. It’s warm and inviting, surrounded by trees.
The perfect pack house.
My childhood home was nice, but I was miserable there. My mom and I lived in a lovely little place after that, but she resented it, hated her life and made sure I knew it. I’ve lived alone for so long and have been very happy with that, but my apartment is cramped and old.
For the first time, I truly wonder what it would be like to live in a beautiful place, fully loved by those who live there. A place I would want to return to every night. Helping Alric cook dinners. Movie nights with Zach, our cats in our laps. Cuddles with Hunter.
A happy home.
Alric takes the phone back when I’m done. “We’ll be checking it out next week, if you’d like to join us,” he says casually, but the light of hope in his eyes tells me this isn’t a small offer.
A pack wouldn’t buy a mansion like that unless their omega liked it, and against all odds, I guess that’s who I am to them. It’s an invitation to approve their selection, so I offer up honesty.
“That sounds fun.” Now I’m torturing myself, but I’d like to see it.
All three of them try to hide their excitement. It twists my heart. I don’t want their happiness to depend on me. It’s too much pressure.
Hunter breaks through my thoughts. “I could go for some of your amazing Italian food tonight.”
I burst out laughing—time to come clean, I suppose. “I’m sure if you asked Zachary really nicely, he’ll buy you some more.”
Zach chuckles. “Is that why I get an email receipt for that Italian place down the street from my house every Saturday?”
My sweet Hunter looks increasingly confused. “What...No…”
Zachary lists off last week’s dinner on his fingers. “Saffron risotto, Caprese salad, and lasagna, if I’m not mistaken.”
He’s not.
Hunter’s expression has morphed into something close to a wounded puppy, but we all know he’s joking. “It was homemade with love. I could taste it.”
I take pity on him and lean over to give him a kiss. “Sorry, Hunt. I think you were tasting the copious amount of butter restaurants use. I don’t cook. Ever.”
“Don’t worry, buddy,” Zachary teases him in a honeyed tone. “I’ll buy you lasagna whenever you want.”
“You always make me feel like a princess,” Hunter says with mock dramatics.
Alric lets out a boisterous laugh at his friends. I’m stunned with how devilishly handsome he is right now. I’ve never seen more than a half smile from him. It was something I didn’t know I needed to see. I want to make him happy all the time.
He notices me watching, mouth agape. “What?
“I’ve never seen you laugh before.”
Alric shrugs, the sun setting around us. “You all make me happy.” His words are simple, short, but hold so much truth to them.
Maybe that’s all being a pack is truly about, making each other happy.
By the time we return, the sun is about to set and I’m exhausted. I even skip dinner, only wishing to sleep. Alric tucks me in and brings me hot tea, Zachary and Hunter cuddle with me. An alpha on each side keeps me warm and comforted, their scents luring me to the sweet surrender of my dreams.
Hours later, I’m woken up by my faux heat, the pressure on my core leaving me desperate for an alpha’s touch, but there’s one scent missing. I crawl out of bed, careful not to wake the others. They both frown in their sleep when I leave, but I’ll be back.
I want to have fun with them, too, but I need Alric to join us first.
The house is dark but his room isn’t far, his tantalizing citrus scent deepening with each step, and I walk faster towards it.
He has a small lamp next to him, reading a thick book that he immediately puts down and sits up straighter when I close the door behind me. Alric appears pleasantly surprised by my midnight visit. I pad across the decorative rug and straddle him, rubbing my hands over his broad, bare chest.
“What is it, omega?” His tone is slow and so fucking sexy, his fingers digging into my hips. I fling my T-shirt off, nipples pebbling with the colder air and now our underwear is the only barrier, my slick soaking the material.
“Fuck me, alpha,” I beg, needing him inside of me.
My mouth waters, knowing how thick he is, and long, too. If he’s not deep inside me in the next sixty seconds, I’ll explode into a sexually frustrated fireball and burn this villa to the ground.
He kisses my neck, sending a bolt of bliss down my spine, slowly making his way up, leaving no flushed skin in his lips’ path untouched, until he reaches my ear and whispers, “No, honey, not tonight.”
I shrink into myself. Did I mishear him? “No?”
He sits back in the bed, leaning against the headboard. “No.”
It’s not said harshly, it’s just a simple word.
The omega side of me recoils at the rejection, but I’m not going to indulge in whatever game he’s playing.
There are two other alphas around here who will happily give me what I want.
I move to get out of the bed, refusing to let the whimper rising up be heard, but he pulls me back, grabbing my waist to settle me on his lap.
“The next time I fuck you will be during your heat, while I’m knotting you with my teeth in your neck, bonding you to me forever.”
I laugh to hide the hurt.
That’s not even something I think I can give him and he knows it. Dating after this is one thing, but a bond is the ultimate form of connection and control.
I don’t want it.
“Do you think withholding your cock is going to make me give up the future that I want?” I ask. “You’re good, Alric, but you’re not that good.”
“No. This is about me, not you. I refuse to know what it’s like to fuck my scent match if I can’t keep you.
I won’t torture myself like that. You want to leave?
I told the others I won’t stop you,” he says.
“I’ve had you in every way possible in the past year and those memories will have to hold me over till my mind collapses with age, but I refuse to have you again unless you’re truly mine. ”
He says it so matter-of-fact, as if he’s told me his dinner order, but his eyes betray him. They are burning into me, a window to the alpha playing it cool but on the edge of snapping.
“You won’t fuck me?” I ask.
“Are you going to join our pack?” he replies.
I don’t say anything. I don’t want to give him hope of a future I’m still scared of.
“Then no, I won’t be fucking you tonight.
” He reaches between us and pushes my soaking panties to the side, his thumb finding my center and moving in perfect circles around it with just enough pressure to make me moan.
“But I’d never leave you wanting, omega.
There are so many ways I can make you come without my cock. ”
I’ll be angry about this rejection tomorrow, but for now, hands or mouth, I want to feel him. I need to release the pressure at my center that makes me want to pathetically beg for more.
He inserts two fingers, pumping upwards while keeping pressure on my swollen clit. I close my eyes, getting lost in the rising ecstasy. “You are perfect, Madeline.” He leans forward to take one nipple in his mouth, sucking the tip before moving to the other one, giving each breast equal attention.
It drives me wild. “Alric,” I moan, wanting to tell him he’s perfect, too, but the ecstasy is too much.
He knows exactly how I like it. He stares down at his hand moving in an exquisite rhythm. “Such a good girl for me.”
My orgasm rocks through me, my center clenching around his fingers that keep pulsing inside.
“I love watching you come, omega. It’s the most beautiful sight in the whole fucking world.”
I collapse forward onto him and he rubs my back with his other hand. A sense of safety engulfs me and the tenderness of it warms my chest. This alpha would do anything for me. He’s so ready to give me the whole world. I want to be ready for that type of devotion.
Alric’s cock is hard beneath me, and I roll my hips. His groan is rough and he grasps the bedsheets, giving away just how much he wants me.
“So you won’t fuck me, but can I touch you?”
He groans. “You can do whatever you want to me, besides get in that dripping pussy of yours.”
I keep toying with him, but I’ll stop if he says so. “What about my mouth?”
“Always.”
I slide off his lap and kneel off to his side on the bed, slipping his cock free.
I pump up and down slowly, teasing him with my touch.
He laces his fingers in my hair with his right hand and I eagerly take him into my mouth.
With each swirl of my tongue, his hips lift up, urging me to take him deeper, but I want to take my time, to wring every drop from him.
My lips lower over the head and down his shaft, savoring his thickness, going deeper with every bob of my head.
He jerks when my tongue ascends from the base to the tip, tracing the veins that run like rivers, while one hand cups his balls and massages them.
His other hand slides down my stomach to find my clit once more, fingers swirling around.
Alric stares down at me with reverence when I kiss down his length, gazing up at him through my lashes while I worship his cock, his hand tangled in my hair, pulling it slightly.
I want him as deep as my throat will allow.
Pleasure rips down my body as he keeps the perfect tempo with his thick fingers until I’m coming again. I release him just for a moment so I can moan against his thigh before I take him deeper and deeper until he’s coming down my throat.
Once we both catch our breath, he pulls me up to him, my breasts pressed against his chest, and his soft purrs usher me to my dreams, where he’s waiting for me there, too.