Chapter 18
P ain shot up my arm as that motherfucker’s nose crunched beneath my fist. He yelped like a kicked dog, his arms pinwheeling as he scrambled back and braced himself on the banister leading upstairs. Even without the bond, Ava’s fear when we’d entered her mother’s home had been evident. Jesse got her outside, which left me face-to-face with the two assholes who’d put that burnt sugar scent in the air and struck the fear of god into Bryce and Jesse when her panic had raced down the bond.
I advanced on Andrew, Ava’s mom retreating into the kitchen. He squawked when I hoisted him up by his shirt collar and snarled in his face. “You come anywhere near our girl again and I’ll do more than break your fucking nose.”
He paled, grabbing ineffectively at my hands. “She’s not yours .”
“She sure as fuck is,” I snapped back. “Ava’s pack, and I’m telling you right now if you fuck with my pack, you are really not going to like the result.”
Ava’s mom came running toward us with a rolling pin in hand, but before she could clock me with it, Luke snared her around the waist and reversed her course. “Don’t be dumb here, Mrs. M. You hit Micah and I’m going to have to get involved.”
“Get out of my house, you heathens!” she hissed, fighting like a feral cat in Luke’s arms.
“Gladly.” I dropped Andrew back down and grabbed Bryce, who was standing there, looking ready to commit homicide. “Let’s go. Our omega needs us.”
Luke tossed Ava’s mom gently aside, and she stumbled, catching herself on the hall table as we all barreled out her front door and piled into the van.
“You okay, Aves?” Luke asked when we were far enough down the road the house was no longer visible.
“No.”
Her burnt sugar scent was so thick I was choking on it, all my alpha instincts screaming to fix the situation. I couldn’t fix betrayal, though. Couldn’t fix that her mother had put her in danger.
We went straight back to her apartment. I scooped her out of her seat when we arrived and she let me cradle her close until we were up in her apartment. I took her to the couch and sat down with her on my lap, keeping her pressed against me and trying to regulate my own breathing, to calm my scent, so I could help her. One by one the others joined us, crowding around while she broke into sobs.
Our girl was safe with us, now, but god, I wished we’d gone inside with her, that we hadn’t accepted her idea to warm her mother up to the pack before meeting us. It wouldn’t have stopped the betrayal, but at least our omega wouldn’t have had to barricade herself in the bathroom to protect herself. We should have been there.
“How are you doing?”
Ava had been understandably shaken by the experience at her mother’s, but with a week of distance she had settled into a new equilibrium, and with the magic of money, Bryce had gotten us moved in to the gorgeous new pack house he had purchased for us. Luke was salty that it had been so easy for Bryce to do, but I for one was not going to complain over having a millionaire in the pack. If it got Ava comfort without us having to drain our accounts, I was all for it.
“Everything feels so surreal,” she replied.
We still had unpacking and painting to do, but it was a huge weight off our shoulders once the sale had gone through.
“Definitely agree.”
“The house feels so big.”
“I grew up in a place like this. Six parents, five siblings. Still felt like we were tripping over each other even with all the space.”
“I feel like that would be very overstimulating.”
“It could be, and was, a lot of the time. There was good soundproofing, though, and my parents made sure everyone had their own space to retreat to when they needed. That made a big difference.”
She looked at me with wide eyes. “Is it bad that everyone still feels kind of like a stranger? Like, I’m glad we’re moving in together, but it’s all very fresh.”
“Not bad,” I assured her, taking a seat next to her. The egg chair from her old apartment had just enough room to fit both of us. “Let’s get to know each other better, then. What are you curious about?”
Ava chewed her lip, dropping her gaze. “I’ve been avoiding asking about your work.”
“Any particular reason why?” I hoped it wasn’t because she disapproved, but I knew it wasn’t a career everyone was comfortable with.
“It’s just a lot of experience. You had a lineup of all these beautiful omegas. Makes me feel a bit insecure, is all.”
Fucking precious.
I lifted her chin and pressed a soft kiss to her mouth. “I can promise you one thousand percent that the omegas I was with for a job are nothing compared to you.”
Her little pout made me want to nip it out of existence, so I did.
“How can you say that? They were perfect , or at least I assume so. That’s kind of the go-to for porn, isn’t it?”
“ Every body is beautiful,” I insisted. “Just because there’s more of a certain body type in porn doesn’t mean every other type is undesirable. I would think by now you’d have no doubt I think you’re exquisite.”
“I never said my anxiety was logical. I’ve already been struggling with how much my body has changed with the baby. Sometimes when I let my mind drift to what you and Luke do for work, I get queasy about how I couldn’t have compared before and now I definitely can’t.”
I pulled her closer, kissing her hair. “You’re perfect, and your body is busy doing something amazing right now. Give yourself some grace. I promise you’re gorgeous at any size, but even more so when you’re bringing our first pack baby into the world.”
“But…”
“Talk to me, angel. What’s going on in that beautiful head?”
She fidgeted with the fabric stretched over her belly. “I don’t know if I wanna talk about it right now.”
“Well, whenever you’re ready, then.”
Ava leaned against me with a sigh, curling her fingers in mine. “I’m just starting to feel settled. I don’t want to ruin everything with what ifs.”
“Are they things we should be worried about? If you ask questions, we can work through answers as a pack.”
“What if I’m afraid of the answers?”
“Is there anything we can do to help you feel more secure?”
Ava let out a bitter laugh. “You would think buying me a house would be enough to shut up the anxiety, but it still keeps whispering.”
“I know this is all a big adjustment for you, for all of us. We’ll make this work together.”
She nodded. “New topic?”
“Sure, if that’s what you would like.”
“Can I see one of the videos?”
My heart leapt into gear. “Videos of what?”
“Of you?” She asked it so quietly I had to make her repeat herself to be sure I understood.
“I’ll show you anything you want to see. It’s pretty public, but there’s different options.”
“Options?” she squeaked.
“I’ve done cam work on my own, or heat work with Luke and a couple of other alphas, or there’s some threesome videos, some also with Luke.”
Pecan praline erupted from her in a cloud. “I feel like it might be weird to watch Luke like that before I’ve…you know.”
I couldn’t help laughing. I was pretty sure if she wanted to, she could see him like that in about five seconds. She and Luke were in a weird dance right now, but if she called, he would come running.
“Have you worked with other alphas?”
“A few. The company we work for now is pretty new so we scheduled a ton of shoots to establish a back catalog. The biggest sellers are the heats, but people are into a lot of different things. Anything in particular you want to watch?”
I couldn’t quite believe that she was asking to watch porn I was in. It was an unexpected blessing, and hopefully seeing me with someone else wouldn’t make her too territorial. We hadn’t bonded yet, but we were still scent matches and I had made it very clear I was on board with being part of her new pack.
Ava’s cheeks were hot pink and her scent was thick in the air. “I don’t know what to ask for. Do you have a favorite?”
All of my favorite videos included Luke because we worked so seamlessly together. If she was trying to avoid seeing him, I had to get creative.
“Are you sure you’re okay seeing me with another omega?”
“Won’t know until I see it.”
“That’s fair. Let me find some snippets from the one heat Luke wasn’t in.” I logged in, scrolling through the videos under my catalog until I found what I was looking for. The omega was face down, ass up for most of it, and her hair was only a couple of shades darker than Ava’s so maybe that would be enough to temper her reaction.
Hitting play detonated her scent. From the first moan, a fresh rush of slick teased my nose and my cock was rock fucking hard. Ava’s fingers dug into me and she wiggled, her thighs tensing and nipples tightening to show themselves off even through the cups of her bra. She stared with blown pupils at the small screen where I railed the heat-delirious omega, my partner stroking his cock before hoisting up her head to thrust between her lips.
I nuzzled Ava’s hair. “How are you doing, angel?”
“Good,” she squeaked out.
“Want to come sit on my lap?”
She tore her gaze away from the screen, but just barely, flicking it between my phone and my face. “Yes, please.”
“Do you want me to fuck you or just play with you?”
Ava chewed her lip. “Both?”
“I can do both.”
I turned on the nest TV and streamed the video onto it so we could enjoy the surround sound before I helped her stand, tugging down her sleep shorts and panties while she stood enraptured by the video. Freeing my cock before I sat down, I settled in before drawing Ava back, balancing her weight so she could slide down my length.
Fucking heaven.
Her little moan as her ass met my thighs was everything I craved. I’d only been with her in a group setting, and now I got to have her all to myself. While she watched, I peeled off her shirt and traced my finger over every bit of her I could reach, keeping track in my head of each spot that had her clenching around me.
“What do you think, angel? You like watching me and being touched by me at the same time?”
She squeezed tight at my question. “I wasn’t sure if I would. It’s like surround sound fucking.”
I chuckled, sucking at her throat, her head tilting to the side to give me more access while I filled my hands with her breasts. “You feel so fucking good.”
I wanted to touch all of her at once. Taking my time with her was both an ease and a trial. Learning the reactions of her body were a treat, every touch helping me discover something new about how to bring her pleasure. She wiggled her hips impatiently, riding me as best as she was able while her eyes were still fixed to the screen.
Ava braced one hand on my knees, her breathing shifting when I carefully squeezed her nipples, rolling them gently before sweeping down her body and over her plush thighs. “Micah, please. I want more.”
“Then I’ll give it to you.” I found the scent gland on her throat, scraping my teeth over it as I dipped my fingers between her legs. Finding her clit was simple and with a few strokes she was straining her thighs open as wide as she could go and panting beautifully. Her gaze was fixed on the screen, watching my cock disappear over and over again into the other omega.
“Make me come,” she begged. “I’m going to burst.”
A shift in pattern from teasing to focused on her clit was all it took, my beautiful omega tensing with every stroke. She breathed my name with a delicious groan, her whole body shaking. The rhythmic squeeze of her cunt around me was pure bliss.
“Do you want me to fuck you like I fucked her?” I growled in Ava’s ear.
“Yes,” she moaned. “Take me. Please.”
I pushed her through one more rise with my fingers and when she was shivering, her voice cracking, I eased her off my lap and onto the ridiculously plush carpet. Ava automatically slid into a presentation.
Every single alpha instinct I possessed sang to see her like that.
“That view is enough to kill a man.”
“No dying. You have an omega that needs fucking.”
I laughed quietly as I settled in behind her and eased back into her tight heat. Ava moaned, echoing the omega in the video, tilting her head so she could still see the TV. Her fingers curled in the fluffy rug, a luxurious stretch of faux fur she had ordered for herself. The soft white highlighted all the golden tones in her skin.
Ava melted, not an ounce of tension in her muscles as she arched deeper and moaned my name. I was never going to get tired of that sound.
“Can you touch yourself for me, angel?”
She adjusted carefully, balancing some of her weight on her shoulder so she could slip her hand between us. Normally, I would handle that part myself, but I didn’t want it to be awkward or uncomfortable for her with me reaching around her belly from this angle.
I tilted forward, bracing both hands on each side of her head as I fucked her with a steady rhythm. She set herself off, almost taking me over the edge too. I held my breath, keeping myself from coming until she pushed herself to the edge again and I slammed home, spilling into her depths, my knot expanding and setting off a cascade through her. Her sounds turned high and squeaky, every inch of her trembling, her cunt squeezing the life out of my knot.
Lowering carefully over her, I kept my weight from squishing her, but connected the length of her back to my chest and slowly eased us both to the side.
“This carpet was your best idea,” I said, still panting from the ricochets of pleasure each time she tensed.
“Pretty proud of it. Anything on the omega sites is good for a solid fucking.”
I chuckled, holding her close and breathing in her satiated scent. “You blossom so much in bed.”
“I forget to worry about stuff when I’m getting railed.”
“I might just have to fuck you multiple times a day forever so you never worry about anything ever again.”
Ava giggled, nuzzling in closer. She paused the video and flicked off the screen. “You’re very pretty on video.”
“You can’t say things like that. You’re going to give me an ego.”
“Are you trying to imply you don’t already have one?”
“I might have one—” I scooped up her hand and pressed a kiss to the inside of her wrist. “—but it’s a whole new sense of satisfaction when it’s coming from you.”
Ava sighed deeply, her body relaxing. “I’ll have to compliment you more often, then.”
“Only if you’re going to let me do the same.”
She turned her head to the side and pulled me in for a slow, drugging kiss. “You did a pretty fabulous job of making me feel wanted. Compliments aren’t necessary.”
“Angel, I’m going to do both. Going to tell you a thousand times a day and let you know with every touch how much I want you in my life and how gorgeous you are.”
Her purr roared to life and she dragged my arm across her chest so I could press her more tightly against me.
“Is my omega happy?” I smoothed a thumb over her cheek.
“Fucking blissed.”