Chapter 16
TOSCA
I wish I could say we went at it several times during the night, but the unfortunate reality was that I was so worn out by the first round and all the emotions that had preceded it, that the next thing I knew, dust motes were dancing in a beam of sunshine streaming in through the window and the day was stirring.
A few birds chirruped outside; in the distance, an occasional voice called out; the faint thump, creak, thud as a door opened and shut.
The camp was slowly awakening and soon I would have to leave this warm cocoon.
Why was I kidding myself? It wasn’t the bed I was reluctant to leave.
I lay still, taking stock of everything.
The mattress felt hard and a little lumpy beneath me, the cover coarse and scratchy.
I grimaced to myself remembering – we’d made a mess of the bed and someone, probably me, was going to have to clean it.
I didn’t care though. I did care about what we’d done.
The sex had been as amazing as it had been in the cave during my heat, only this time we hadn’t been driven by heat hormones, and that made it all the better because we’d had a choice.
Well, he had really. Although I had wanted it too, if I hadn’t, in this pack, there wasn’t an option for me to refuse.
Although, to be fair, he had given me the choice.
Warmth curled inside my chest. I liked that he’d wanted me.
That he’d chosen me of all the omegas here.
My chest prickled, distracting me from my thoughts, and when I rubbed the itchy skin, dried, flaky stuff came away on my fingers.
One corner of my mouth ticked up. I became aware of the musky, woodsy scent enveloping me, the warmth of a breath on the back of my head and the fact that something long and hard was pressed up against my crease. My alpha.
“You’re awake,” the deep voice rumbled through my rambling thoughts, his breath tickling the fine hairs on my neck.
I rolled to face him, feeling the smile stretch my face.
His dark wavy hair was tousled from sleep, the loose curls randomly flopped every which-way, but his eyes were bright and shining.
His full sensual lips parted to reveal a flash of white teeth, and a smile curved his lips.
He was looking at me with a soft expression, not at all the harsh alpha vibe that most alphas gave off.
If anything, he looked playful and young.
I hadn’t had a really good look at him in the cave or even last night, but this close and in this light, I could see how young he was.
Mature enough to be starting his own pack, but barely. I liked that. We weren’t so far apart in age.
“Gone all silent on me?” he smirked, nudging me with his chest. “You weren’t quiet last night.”
I felt the heat rush into my face. “I…” the words stuck in my throat.
“It’s okay,” he took pity on my embarrassment, “I’m just teasing you.” His gaze sharpened, brows drawing together.
“I don’t even know your name. After everything…” he waved his hand over the two of us, “don’t you think I should?”
A fresh surge of heat raced into my cheeks.
I’d shared my body with a stranger, hadn’t I?
Outside of a heat, that was… something. And I’d been more than willing.
What did that say about me? He wasn’t like the others though.
From what the other omegas said, none of Zarbius’ friends ever wanted to know their names.
Omegas were just toys to be enjoyed and then discarded.
Who we were, our names, didn’t matter. My alpha was different, and I chuffed out my chest a little.
“Well?”
Oops, my thoughts had gone off on a tangent again. “Sorry!” I ducked my head, embarrassed again. “I’m Tosca.”
“Tosca... Tosca,” his eyes sparkled as he gently lifted my chin. “Hello, Tosca, my Tosca. I’m Agelius.”
My heart gave a little skip. Not only had he wanted to know my name, but he’d claimed me with it, and he’d gifted me with his. If I’d had any doubts about it, I didn’t now - there was no way he was a friend of our pack Alpha.
“Alpha, what happens now?”
The tip of a wet tongue licked behind my ear, right over my scent gland. Agelius nuzzled and hummed. I giggled quietly.
“Firstly,” he stopped suddenly, and half sat up in bed, the blanket dropping down to his waist, his magnificent pecs well-defined in the soft light, drawing my eyes like a magnet. I could feel them open as wide as saucers. “When we’re in private, I want you to call me by my name.”
“Yes, al-….Agelius,” I amended, obediently. My omega nature instinctively wanted to submit to this alpha. I shivered.
“And then to answer your question…” His voice dropped away to the faintest whisper that no-one other than ourselves would be able to hear.
“I want you out of this place. It’s not safe for you here.
And I want...” He exhaled a long breath of air, then continued, “What I want will have to wait. There’s something I have to take care of first.”
I blinked up at him. My breath hitched, my mind a swirling mess of thoughts. He’d said before he didn’t think our pack was safe for omegas, but now he sounded… possessive? Was he planning on taking me with him? Did this mean what I hoped it meant? Was he going to claim me for real?
My thoughts had gone squirreling off again, and I didn’t notice until a firm but gentle thumb and finger grasped my chin again.
“You have trouble concentrating, don’t you?” he chuckled softly. But he wasn’t really laughing at me, the brown of his eyes soft and… affectionate? When he spoke again, his voice was gentle.
“Can I trust you?” He towered over me, so totally magnificent I could hardly breathe, and yet… there were small lines furrowing his brow, a tension...
“Yes, of course… Agelius,” I replied, a tingle running up my spine at the sound of his name on my tongue.
But anything further I might have said was cut off by the heat of his lips against mine.
His tongue surged into my mouth and found mine.
His hand slipped down my side, warm on my hip, his firm chest trapping me beneath him.
I quivered, aware of my small size compared to his powerful alpha body, but not at all afraid.
He paused, panting, breaths coming short and shallow.
“Tosca… I need you to scream for me,” the words were faint in my ear. “I want it to sound like I’m hurting you. I’m not… I’m not what Zarbius thinks I am. I’m not like him, but I have to make him think I am. And I need you to act scared of me, as though I’m cruel to you.”
My eyes widened in surprise, and maybe he thought it was fear, because he petted my hair and his brow furrowed, as he whispered, “I would never hurt you. But I need you to pretend. Can you do that?”
“Yes, of course. But I don’t understand. Why?”
“You know there’s an omega locked in one of the sheds, don’t you?”
“Yes, my friend Owen spoke to him.”
“He’s the Alpha Mate from my pack. I have to get him out.
Until I can get him safely away from here, I can’t leave with you.
I’ve convinced Zarbius that I want to join his pack, and to do that I’ve had to make him think I’m as cruel as he is.
But I did get him to agree I could have exclusive use of an omega. That’s you. It should keep you safe.”
Embarrassment heated my face when Agelius mentioned using an omega, and for a moment, I felt dirty.
But then I remembered how carefully he had taken care of me, and how we had shared names.
Perhaps I was just an omega to keep his appetite sated, maybe he hadn’t meant anything more than that when he said he wanted to get me out of here – of course, he hadn’t, I was so stupid for him but he couldn’t possibly feel the same for me – but at least he’d be kind to me.
As things went, for an omega there were worse deals.
I would go along with it and be grateful.
And when he found his true mate, and didn’t want me anymore, well, I’d deal with that, even if it broke my soft omega heart.
I thought about the poor omega locked in the shed. An Alpha Mate no less. The Alpha would be beside himself, especially if it was a chosen mate. It was far more important that Agelius save the Alpha mate than worry about me.
“Why would Zarbius take an Alpha mate? That’s…
” I wanted to say ‘madness’ but I wasn’t sure if Agelius would approve of me talking about an alpha like that, even if it was Zarbius.
I continued without waiting for an answer, “They’re keeping him separate from us.
I don’t think that’s good. The shed he’s in?
That’s usually kept for punishments. They… do things.”
Agelius’ eyes widened, an expression that looked very much like panic on his face, but it immediately became obvious it wasn’t the other omega on his mind. “You haven’t… they haven’t… have you?”
He looked so stricken that I dared to put a hand on his arm. “No, I haven’t been in there. I… I try to stay unnoticed.”
He exhaled a long breath, the sudden tension flowing out of muscles.
His curls flopped forward as he rested his head on my forehead.
I realized I was still touching him, and I felt a prickle of anxiety rush over me.
Hoping he hadn’t noticed my boldness at touching him without invitation, I slowly withdrew my hand.
Curls flicked out of the way, and a look of hurt flashed across the hazel eyes suddenly staring into mine from centimeters away.
“You can touch me,” he remonstrated gently.
My bottom lip trembled, and I bit down on it. Moisture pricked at my eyes.
“But I’m an omega.” My voice faded away to nothing. Omegas were supposed to know their place. Laying hands on an alpha, or even a beta, was not considered acceptable. Not in this pack.
Agelius shook his black curls vigorously. He was so close to me that a few of them whipped my face. They were as soft as silk.
“You’re not just any omega, Tosca. You’re my omega.”