14. KATIE
Chapter fourteen
KATIE
M y mouth hangs open in sheer disbelief as Nicolette—a plump, ebony-skinned goddess of a woman—shoves her entire fist through the c-shape of her cupped fingers.
“Knotting is essential to relieve the ache you have when you’re in heat,” she says, a grin on her face.
Layla’s mouth is stuck in a tight ‘O.’ Molly Beth’s entire face, from forehead to chin, burns fire engine red. Norah looks pale.
Maddie, though, leans forward, unphased. She whistles. “Daaaamn, we better hope our biology catches up.”
I cover my face in my hands. The entirety of the morning has been a series of lectures on Omega biology–how we’re transitioning to be orgasm machines, and that when our heat comes we’ll crave sex more than food or even sleep.
It sounds fucking crazy.
“So, twice a year we’re going to have, like, week-long sex parties and the Alphas are going to shove a giant fist at the end of their cocks into our pussies–and it’s going to feel good?” Maddie slams a hand on the coffee table. “That's the only good thing about this whole Omega business!”
“Jesus, Mads. Take a cold shower, will you?” Layla bats at her arm. She hadn't been shy when asking about all the sex–clearly Layla knew what she liked. But when Nicollette mentioned an Alpha's knot and noticed all our blank expressions, well, we went back to anatomy 101.
And Jesus. Fucking. Christ.
The Alphas here had knots . Rings of flesh that surrounded the base of their cocks just above their ballsacks. And they inflated , swelled like their cocks, only right before orgasm, so that they could lock inside a girl and keep them joined, all the while filling her up with semen in the hopes of getting her pregnant.
It sounded miserable.
“I understand that if you’ve lived as Betas, then this would sound uncomfortable,” Nicollette says brightly. “But, I guarantee you, it’s the most pleasurable experience you’ll have during intercourse. And, of course, you’ll need knotting to satisfy your heats. But don’t worry, my dears. Your slick keeps everything soft and ready.”
Right, and we become fountains of wetness during our heats too. Can’t forget that.
“Of course we had to fall into an alien world with super weird cocks and rampant polyamory,” I moan.
Not that I’m against polyamory in theory. I am just generally against dealing with people that aren’t my sisters. And even sometimes they push me.
“What if, I mean, some of us are quite petite,” Molly Beth squeaks. “What if it doesn’t fit ?”
Nicollette softens and pats Molly Beth’s shoulder. “Sweetie, you’ll have nothing to worry about. The right Pack and the right Alphas will make sure that everything always feels good.”
“Really? Guys care that much if their girlfriends like sex?” Layla shakes her head.
Nicollette frowned. “Any male Alpha worth his knot would. And any female Alpha worth her lock would too. Sex is a give and take–an exchange of energy, of bodies, of intimacy. Even if you don’t bond with a pack, sex is still respected. Alphas biologically need to ensure their partners–Omegas and Betas–are satisfied and cared for. Sex, yes, but in material and emotional needs too. Some Alphas are more perceptive than others, but they should never take pleasure from a partner without ensuring pleasure in return.”
“I wish you could go back to the States and tell all the guys back home that,” Layla sighs. I nod, along with Maddie. Molly Beth looks at her hands and Norah –well, she’s looking out the window.
How many of them have been hurt by men who didn’t make a priority of their needs? The thought of anyone taking advantage of my sisters sends sharp flames of anger up my spine.
The last two days at the Conservatory had been a tumult of adjustments and lectures and angry pacing. It felt like the day before my period started, the extreme anger or sadness that side-swiped me. The heightened feelings over everything. Like I was a teenager crying over a Humane Society commercial all over again.
When one of the Beta guards accidentally brushed against my back, I swung around and throat punched him.
I suppose I should have been sorry. But even as I am still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that there are two suns in the sky, and I am not in Oregon any more, I can’t stop the feeling that we are prisoners.
Fuck. My skin feels too tight, and my breasts feel over full and achy. I do not want to be sitting in this class, learning about weird alien genitalia!
Aurelia and Nicolette both assured all of us that we’d experience a second adolescence as our bodies fully transitioned into becoming Omegas.
“It happens with the late bloomers,” Aurelia said to Layla and I earlier that morning. She handed us a keychain with three thin metal tags. One was a keycard that opened any of the doors inside the Conservatory. The second was their version of a credit card loaded with a few hundred dollars so we could purchase clothes or other trinkets to help us build our ‘nests.’ The third was a calling pass that would allow us to tap into any digitally connected device and call the Conservatory.
“All Omegas have the last tag, even after they’ve bonded. You can always come here if anything ever happens.”
So, things did sometimes happen. Some Alphas were assholes–Alphaholes, as one of the Beta guards, Glenna, had told us the night before. Nicolette may have a rosy picture of her status as a pack Omega, surrounded by Alphas who put her needs before their own. But the Conservatory knew it wasn't always like that, and the ring of metal tags proved it.
“If you’re interested in better understanding knotting,” Nicolette said, her bubbly voice breaking into my thoughts. “I would suggest some AO porn. The Conservatory maintains a subscription to several tasteful sites.”
Molly Beth groaned and buried her face in her arms while her twin belly laughed.
“Now, the best way to take a knot the first time will be from behind. I find that resting my chest on a soft pillow–or a willing Alpha–let’s me get a deeper penetration with their knot. You want them to get deep enough to rut you properly.”
I swallow thickly. Threesomes sound terrifying.
And wonderful. Damnit.
I cross my legs and try to block out Nicollette’s vivid descriptions. I barely hear the knock, or notice the slight opening of the door. But when Aurelia–dressed today in a canary yellow pantsuit and deep emerald silk top–slides inside, there was no missing her.
“Nicolette, I need to borrow Katie for a few minutes. Bloods have come in.”
Nicolette’s face lit up, and she looked warmly at me. “Of course. Good luck!”
When we arrive at her cozy office, Aurelia offers me a gentle smile as she hands me a stack of papers.
“We have good news and… well, more good news. I think.”
She pauses, and I take the papers, unsure what I’m looking at.
“Then start with the good news.” I look at a graph with several black and white lines.
She claps her hands together. “We’ve found you a pack.”