Chapter 14
Noelle
Everything stops.
Everything freezes.
Time means nothing.
Did I really hear him right? Does he really want to spend his life with me? That’s what claiming is, isn’t it? It’s the reason I’ve shied away from it when talking with other Alphas. For some reason, forever felt like chains. Long, boring chains.
My soul never sang at the thought of being theirs.
With Jason, it’s different. Only… How can he want someone like me?
He’s so rich, so powerful. Compared to him, I’m nothing.
More than that, I come with a brother in tow.
Granted, it’s not a baby from another Alpha for him to raise, but it’s still another burden no sane man would want.
“I’m waiting, omega. Every second that goes by, your heat draws near.
If you haven’t chosen, I will take the decision from you.
Honestly, I’m showing you a mercy right now.
I could pin you to the bed, chain you up, tie you down until you’re begging me to sink my teeth into that supple body of yours. ”
A lurid groan slips from my lips as I sway toward him. “I can’t think when you talk to me like that,” I whimper. “You- you smell so fucking good. I just… I can’t… How? How can I choose?”
For a moment, a flash of emotion flares in his eyes. Could it be sadness? Regret? I can’t tell in the haze of lust that washes over me like an undulating heat cloud that refuses to relent.
“Are you saying you honestly don’t want me? Speak plainly, little omega. I never want to be accused of taking advantage of you.”
“Advantage,” I finally manage to bark out. “Me? Take advantage of you? God, that’s laughable. I have no leverage over someone like you. I have no way of even coming close to taking advantage. I wouldn’t even know how. I’m nothing. I’m no one.”
Pain lances through my chest as my knees threaten to buckle. It hurts to say it out loud, but it’s the truth. To someone like him, I’m a nobody.
“What could you possibly see in someone like me?” At first, I think the words stay in my head where they belong, but based on his low growl, I fear I’ve actually said them out loud.
“I see your kind heart, your amazing soul. I see your sacrifice, your grit, your determination.” His hot hands skim over the fabric as he circles them around my waist.
It’s torture feeling him this close yet still holding back. Unfortunately, if he comes closer, if he does anything more, I will combust on the spot and let him have his way. I’m still not convinced that’s not the correct course of action.
“Right. So many men find that so sexy.”
His lips turn down into a fierce frown. “I’m not most men.
Sure, I want a pretty omega to look at, but, at the end of the day, I still need to align myself with someone kind, someone who knows how to love and accept love in return.
Now then. I will have your answer. Choose me, and I’ll show you just how fucking much I crave you. ”
“That’s not fair,” I moan. “You can’t speak dirty things to me and expect to not have a reaction.”
“Au contraire,” he murmurs against the side of my neck. “I’m fully hoping to seduce you. Am I doing a good job?”
“P- please.” The whine in my tone sounds foreign to my ears as I push him away in a pathetic attempt to get some space.
“That’s right, baby,” he rasps. “Beg for me. I want to see those pretty lips part as you plead with me to fuck you, as I should have that first night together.”
His blue eyes are nearly dark, with only a small ring around the pupil. Not long now, and we’ll both be under the spell of my heat. Do I dare believe him? Do I dare trust him?
It’s not as simple as sharing space or even getting married. Those things you can walk away from without too much damage. A bond though? A bond is for life.
“I- I don’t know you,” I manage to choke out around the sob in my throat. “You don’t know me.”
“I know you enough to make the leap. God, Noelle, I’ve not been able to get your scent out of my nose since you walked into my bank.
I’ve not been able to stop thinking of you since that day threw us together under such unpleasant circumstances.
Tell me you didn’t feel it too. Tell me you don’t still want me, crave me as much as I crave you, as much as I need air.
Tell me, and I’ll walk away. It will kill me, but I’ll fucking walk away. ”
This time, I stare into his eyes. There’s such a bleakness there, a loneliness I feel as keenly as his scalding breath washing over my skin. He seems in earnest, as if he’s just as obsessed with me as I am with him.
It’s a sensation I’ve never had with anyone else… only him. Can I truly leap? Will he be there to catch me?
The heat of his gaze sears me as he refuses to relent, refuses to turn away.
“I- I’m scared,” I finally whimper as I do my best to pull away.
Of course he doesn’t let me. Instead, his hands grip me even tighter until his fingers dig into my waist. The flare of pain flutters through me, making my clit pulse at the onslaught.
“I can’t promise an easy road,” he murmurs as he steps in as close as he can, stealing the small space between us.
“I can’t say it will all be perfect. But I’m committed to making it work.
Or is it something else? Are you scared of my brutality?
The darker forms of sex I crave? The deviance flowing through my veins? ”
God, but even more slick gathers at my pussy lips as I groan. “I wish. If I were terrified of that, this would be so much easier.”
His lips twist into a wolfish smile. “Then say yes, my little pervert. Say you want me. All of me. Just as I am. Tell me you crave me as much as I crave you, and I’ll give you every fucking depraved inch.”
“Even though I’m nobody?”
The pain point keeps bubbling to the surface, demanding satisfaction. And yet, I also don’t want to hear his response. I don’t think my heart can handle the rejection. Not now. Not after all this.
“You’re not nobody.” His fingers tighten even more until my arousal hazes my brain, and I find I cannot clearly think. “You are mine. And that’s more than enough.”
The tight band loosens around my heart a touch as I find myself breathing far deeper than I have in a long time. All the old hurts and pains threaten to slide away as he lowers his lips to mine, so close I just have to tilt my chin to kiss him.
“Tell me, omega. Tell me you want me.”
“I- I want you,” I finally admit.
He closes the gap and kisses me, dragging his lips along mine in a searing, possessive kiss that leaves me breathless. The instant I gasp, his tongue is there, filling me, owning me, invading me. It darts in and out, thrusting in a filthy rhythm I know we’ll be copying later.
When he finally pulls away, his eyes are nearly pitch black. “Last chance. Once you’re mine, I’m not letting you go.”
“Then take me. Own me. Conquer me. I am yours, Master.” The words come in haggard, whimpered gasps as I claw at his skin.
Now that it’s decided, I find I’m no longer afraid. I’m just hungry, ravenous, desperate for his cock to be in me. I need him to fuck me like I need air.
“Poor little thing,” he croons as he cups my breast through the fabric of my pajamas and bra. “You want me to fuck you, don’t you?”
I merely nod, unable to voice the amount of need coursing through my veins.
“You want to build a pretty little nest so I can fuck that pretty little pussy properly, don’t you?”
“P- please,” I sob out. Fire races through me, leaving me needy, wanton, and oh so desperate.
“Seems to me you’ve been a naughty little omega, haven’t you?”
“What? You’re going to hold that against me now? Can’t you wait?”
“And what type of deviant would I be if I did that?” he drawls, that slightly thick twang breaking through as he smiles down at me. “Besides, you want this. Admit it. You want me to hurt you, to break you open, to make you sob and beg until you can’t take it anymore?”
Unfortunately, he has a point there, but I dare not admit it. Not when I just as keenly want to make a nest and have him sully it and me with his seed and scent. Thankfully, I don’t have to say a word. He takes charge of everything. Even me.
“On the bed. Face up. You have a few punishments coming to you before I let you build your nest.”
I don’t dare disobey him, not when I’m this close to getting everything I want, everything I need. As I get closer to the bed, I grip the bottom of my shirt to peel it from my body when his voice barks out in the dimness.
“Did I say to undress?”
“N- no, Master.”
“What did I say then?”
“You said to get on the bed face up.”
“Exactly. Do as I order. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
Butterflies lap at my insides at the harsh, guttural tone. Everything about him screams dominance and ferocity. Lying down on the bed, I try to relax, but each breath is filled with him. Each twitch of my body only makes me more aware of what he will soon do to me.
He strides over, his gaze never leaving mine. It’s like he’s studying me, figuring out what he wants to do first. As if he decides, he comes to the edge and brandishes a knife.
Fear chokes me as I watch it gleam in the intimate lighting. “I- I mean, I knew you wanted until death,” I stammer, “But I didn’t realize you meant so soon.”
“Silly little omega,” he chuckles. “As if I’ll let you get off that easily. Say hello to punishment number one.”
I scrunch my eyes closed, waiting for the pain, but feel nothing. After several breaths, I open one and look up at him. He simply looms there, arms crossed as he watches me.
“I have all night, little omega. Do you? I want you coherent during this, and that means both eyes open.” When I comply, he takes the side of the blade and taps it against my cheek. “That’s a good girl. So accommodating when you want to be. Now then, what type of clothes were you supposed to get?”
“O- opulent,” I stammer out. “Rich. But what does that-”
He cuts my sentence off with a drag of his knife through the fabric. The strident sound of it ripping through my clothes thunders in my ears, but as of now, he doesn’t cut my skin.
“I said opulent and rich for a reason. I saw your bank transactions. I listened to you as I ripped your clothes. You won’t ever treat yourself, so I figured I’d do it for you. I’d give you something you could wrap yourself in and remember your worth. What did you do?”
When I don’t answer, he drags the knife through another bit, exposing me strip by strip.
“I chose something cheap!” I cry out.
“You chose something cheap,” he repeats as he finishes cutting the shirt off of me.
“But it was-”
“I don’t give a damn if it was comfortable.
I don’t care if you wanted a new pajama set.
You could have easily found a pair on clearance.
This isn’t about that. It’s about you seeing the value in yourself.
Now that you’re mine, it’s a lesson I intend to impart onto every fucking inch of your skin, even if I have to carve it in there. ”
My breath stills in my throat at his threat. As much as I should be terrified, I find that I can’t bring myself to actually quake at his words. How often have I wanted someone to show me I mattered? How often did I sob at night while condemning myself for small indulgences?
Jason takes a deep breath and smiles down at me. “Like that idea, do you? Don’t worry. It can and will be arranged.”
Shifting down, he makes quick work of my pants, cutting them up until they’re unrecognizable as clothes. In just minutes, I lie there in those damned practical bra and underwear. Based on the frown, he’s not all that impressed either.
“Again? What is it with you and ugly underthings? Are you allergic to anything pretty?”
“It was a set I didn’t have to buy that I could wear everywhere,” I grumble.
“That ends tonight.”
Sliding the knife up my sternum, he cuts through the thin band holding it closed so that it springs open, releasing my breasts.
He licks his lips and bends down before capturing my right nipple in his mouth and giving it a hard such.
A strangled cry erupts from my lips as he torments me, teasing me until I’m breathless with need.
He switches to the other and bites now, giving me a shaft a pain that zips from my breasts to my pussy where it spasms. I ache to be filled. I desperately long to feel his cock pulse inside me, knotting me, stretching me out until there’s no him, no me, just us.