Chapter 13 #2
Inside, my wolf was restless. A deep primal part of me wanted to grab the handle and throw the door open, but a couple of deep breaths later, I had myself sufficiently under control to slowly turn the knob and ease the door open, in a manner I hoped was unthreatening.
He wasn’t alone.
Two omegas were in the room. They were huddled together looking at something on the far side of the room, and when the door had creaked open, two pairs of brown eyes had startled towards me.
My whole body become alert, reacting to the heavy scent in the room. My pants tightened.
“There you are!” It sounded more like a growl than I’d intended.
The larger of omega – it was the one who’d brought me dinner the first night - had moved slightly, so that I could no longer see the other.
But he was hiding the one I was hunting…
My black curls bounced around my face as I tried to clear my thoughts.
I was searching for him, not hunting him.
Somewhere in the room a wolf growled and the tall omega jumped, and I realized the sound had come from me.
I was not doing a great job of staying in control.
“Out of my way,” I snarled, every bit the controlling alpha, and moved to go around the omega. He trembled but shifted to again block his friend from view. I growled a warning.
“It’s alright, Owen,” a soft melodic voice wafted up from behind the large omega.
“It’s him.” And the smaller omega stepped around his companion and into view.
He was as beautiful as I remembered: soulful brown eyes, lickable pink lips, delicate narrow face, short dirty blond hair, thick dark eyebrows, worried frown.
Totally delicious! My wolf hummed in pleasure. Mate!
Resisting the urge to lick my lips, I held out my hand and, eyes fixed on mine, he stepped forward and placed his slim, soft hand in my larger one. I felt a tingle run up my arm when we touched. I saw the flush of red rush up his neck.
As I pulled him towards the door, he came willingly, pausing briefly at the door to press a finger to his lips and say, “Ssh, Owen. Not a word.”
He followed me out, silently trotting at my side as we walked past the silent omegas, his sweet omega scent accompanying me and nearly driving me wild as we left the house hand in hand.
I strode quickly to my cabin, not saying a word. He had to hurry to keep up, but I didn’t slow down. I was afraid I would ravage him on the spot if I stopped still for an instant, and I didn’t trust anything I could say out here.
I flung open the cabin door and ushered him in.
He looked around as if he’d never seen the inside of one of these cabins before.
I hoped for his sake that he hadn’t, but I doubted that could be true.
He was too beautiful - he would have been anyone’s first choice…
unless, of course, he’d been hiding. I hoped he had been.
I closed the door and locked it.
He looked at me uncertainly.
Suddenly I realized the situation I’d put myself in.
Fuck! What had I done? He looked so unsure.
I wasn’t going to force him to sleep with me but I couldn’t let him go either.
Zarbius had to think I really was here for the reasons I’d said I was, and that meant I had to be seen to be treating the omegas as callously as he expected.
More importantly from my own point of view, I had to protect my omega, and keeping him close to me was the only way I could do that.
But it was going to be agony sleeping in a room with him and to not be touching him!
“You can sleep over there,” I said motioning to the second bed. “I won’t expect anything from you.”
His head dropped and my eyes fixed on his lip where his teeth bit into it.
I wanted to lick the abused skin and soothe it.
I shook my head and turned away. Stupid Alpha!
For a few moments all was deathly still.
Then I heard the creak of the bed, and when I looked, I saw he’d curled himself up under the blanket, facing away from me, as though he was scared of me.
I wanted to tell him I wouldn’t hurt him, that he was safe with me, but I didn’t dare say anything.
My wolf wanted him, wanted to pounce on him, but I held myself in check.
I didn’t want to be like the other alphas and betas he’d known.
With a sigh, I got myself ready for bed and turned off the light, grumpily getting on my bed and pulling the covers up.
Lying on my back, I stared at the ceiling, wondering if I would sleep at all tonight.
My cock was hard and heavy, my balls full and aching.
The proximity to my omega was both heaven and hell, since I couldn’t touch him.
I lay on my bed and willed myself to go to sleep.
My wolf whined softly. He wanted to bed our omega.
He wanted to mate him and lick every inch of that sweet, delicious body.
I wanted that too, but I didn’t know if he felt the same things I did.
I couldn’t force him. I had to earn his trust and if that meant suffering a night with a painfully hard cock that wasn’t going to get satisfied, then that was what I’d do.
Mine, whimpered my wolf.
I know. Soon. I told him.
I lay in the dark for what seemed a long time.
The moon traveled across the sky and moonlight strayed into the room through the window above my mate’s bed, highlighting the bumps and curves beneath the covers, casting restless shadows.
I was on edge, nerves prickling underneath my skin.
I was too unsettled, too aware of my mate lying in the other bed, unclaimed, when I should be claiming him, should be rocking into him with my hard cock, knotting him and placing my mark on that slender pale neck.
Fuck!
I wanted him so badly. All the blood had raced into my cock and was pooling there, a pleasant alluring sensation urging me to give in and take my mate.
I rolled away, staring at the far wall, trying to ignore him, pretend he wasn’t there. I pinched my nose, trying to block out that alluring scent, but I still had to breathe, and each breath dragged it into me. Goddess, maybe it was even seeping in through my pores.
I was going to go mad! All around me the night was still. I sighed, lying stiff and sore on the hard bed, teeth gritted. It was going to be a long, long night.
What seemed like hours later, a choked sob, muffled by bedcovers, disturbed the silence.
Sitting up, I looked across at the blanket covered mound in the bed across the room.
The mound was shaking, the covers shimmering in the moonlight, very soft sobbing seeping through the covers and tarnishing the night. I couldn’t stand it.
In an instant I was at his bedside, unsure what to do. Tentatively I laid a hand on his shoulder though the bedcovers. He froze mid-sob.
“It’s okay,” I whispered, “You’re safe. I’m not going to touch you.”
He burst into a barrage of tears, louder this time, big gasping sobs. Even coming from under the blanket, I was sure they were loud enough for any shifter nearby to hear him.
“What’s wrong? Please stop. I don’t mean to upset you.
Are you afraid of me?” I murmured. I had to keep my voice down.
If any member of the pack was nearby, they mustn’t hear me comforting the omega or I’d give myself away.
It definitely wasn’t the way an alpha in this pack would be expected to behave.
I had a feeling they would enjoy the omega’s distress; for me, it was like being gutted with a knife.
“Don’t… don’t you want me?” he choked out, “I thought maybe… maybe…” His voice trailed off, fading into another round of sniffles.
What? He was upset because he thought I didn’t want him? I felt a flash of indignation. How could he think that? But that thought was erased in a flash of understanding as a burst of light exploded in my brain. My body thrummed with hope.
“Hush,” I told him, pulling back the covers. “Of course I want you. You’re” – mine, my wolf suggested helpfully – “you’re gorgeous.”
He sniffed and looked at me uncertainly over the tears pooling in his eyes. A droplet rolled out the corner of one eye, glistening as it rolled down his cheek.
“Here, if you don’t believe me,” I told him, taking one of his hands and placing it over my crotch. His eyes widened as he felt my hard cock tenting the thin fabric of my sweatpants. “Of course I want you,” I explained, “but I don’t want to force you.”
“Oh!” he gulped. There was a moment of silence while he seemed to be thinking. I waited to see what he’d do, what he’d say. He didn’t remove his hand from where I’d placed it. After a beat, his hand tightened around me.
“It’s not forcing if I want it too,” he hiccupped. Then, changing topic, “What – what are you doing here, in the pack? Are you one of Zarbius’ friends?”
“That disgusting asshole! No way. I’m almost offended you could think that!
” I mock-glared at him but he looked so alarmed that I dropped the pretense immediately.
“I’m joking. You’ll get used to me. I was looking for you.
Why did you run away? I don’t like you staying here… I want you to come with me.”
I paused and added, “This really isn’t a safe place for omegas.”