12. Chapter TwelveAaron
Chapter Twelve
Aaron
S he was mine. After tonight, there was no way I could let her go. I was holding on to my control with as much strength as I could, but my teeth wanted to sink into that delicious flesh of hers and claim her. Mark her as mine so that any alpha or beta around her would know she belonged to someone, to me. And I would have all of her.
I tilted my head, still pumping myself as slowly as possible. Just the sight of her beautiful body, soft curves, and full breasts made me want to come. Mark her with my seed, if nothing else. She had been vulnerable with me, removing her glamour so I could see her. That did something to me. She gave into me. She was gorgeous, and I wanted her to be free and happy. How could I keep my heart closed to her? I didn’t think I could anymore.
She looked up at me with simmering desire; those pillowy lips parted slightly. “Are you going to answer me, Alpha?”
Fuck, if she kept calling me alpha, I would come, my dick hard as a rock in my hand. It brought out the primitive side of me. “On your knees, Rabbit.”
She did as I requested, getting on her hands and knees, displaying her rounded ass to me. She spread her legs, and I groaned, squeezing my dick tighter, as I watched droplets of her slick fall on the sheets. She rocked back and forth, and my vision dimmed, mesmerized by her swollen lips peeking through the short hairs of her pussy.
I got on the bed behind her, positioning myself at her entrance. Then I pushed in slowly, her pussy hot and wet. She whined. Gods, that omega whine shot straight to my dick, and I tried all I could to keep my steady pace. She clenched, and I almost lost my mind at the euphoric pressure. I wanted to take my time now that we had our first orgasm out of the way, but that would change if she kept moving.
I stopped moving halfway in and smacked her ass. “We go at my pace, Omega.”
She whined again. “I thought you were in your rut.”
I rubbed the skin I’d just smacked to ease any pain I might have caused. “I am in my rut, but it doesn’t mean I don’t want to savor this. Savor you.” I kissed the center of her back and smiled as she shivered. “We need to pace ourselves because it will be a long night. So will you do as I say?”
She dropped her head, and I didn’t have to see her face or read her mind to know she was struggling with the desire to rock against me. Her body trembled slightly as she gripped the sheets with both her hands. “Okay,” she replied in a soft voice.
I kissed her again, this time on her shoulder. “That’s my good girl.” I dove further into her, still taking my time, until I was at the hilt. I ached to push all the way into her, knot her, but I still wanted to rut her. Needed the pounding.
I quickened my pace, slapping my hips against her soft ass. The crashing of our bodies breaking the quiet. I gripped her waist so tightly I thought I could possibly bruise her.
Her whines increased. “Aaron, please.”
I knew she wanted me faster, but I wouldn’t give her that. Not right now. “Be patient, wife. I need to take my time with you. You’re doing so well. I could be in you forever,” I groaned, not sure how long I’d be able to hold off.
I jutted my hips faster now, the edge of orgasm within reach. I leaned forward over her back and thrust deeper until her heated center entrapped my knot. She cried out, shaking once more. “Are you okay?”
She nodded, seemingly unable to speak. I was barely holding on, the vibration of her silky walls pushing me to the edge. My balls tightened, and I grabbed one of her heavy hanging breasts, massaging it as I ground into her ass. This felt so good. I couldn’t have it end. I grazed the smooth skin of her neck with my teeth, almost shuddering with the need to bite, to claim. I wanted her to say the words, beg to be claimed, and crave my bite.
“Aaron,” she whined.
I loved the sound of my name on her tongue. What did she want from me? I’d give her the world right now. I reluctantly let go of her neck, not sure if I had hurt her but also glad I did not lose what tenuous control I had left. “What is it, Rabbit?”
“I need to come.”
“Say no more.” I reached around her waist to touch her soft, dripping bud, rubbing it in a circular motion as I continued to grind into her. “Come with me, Omega.”
It took no time at all after that for us to crash into a leg-shaking, explosive release. I held her tightly to me, our wet bodies hot and sensitive. “Such a good girl,” I groaned, dipping a finger into her soaked pussy. I removed it and tasted her again on my tongue, still releasing inside her.
“Aaron, I’m going to collapse,” she said.
I chuckled and positioned us on our sides. My dick and knot were still buried inside of her. I couldn’t take it out, not that I wanted to, until my knot deflated. To do otherwise would hurt her, and I never wanted that.
I kissed her shoulder again. “Do you need anything?”
She shook her head. “Do you?”
I brushed her braids away from her shoulder. “Just you. All night. Break for now. But you’re mine for the rest of the night.”
She snuggled against me, awakening my semi-hard dick. “I’m okay with that.”
I truly hoped she meant it.
* ~ * ~ *
We had sex practically the whole night, stopping only for naps and hydration. I wasn’t sure my dick ever left her pussy. It never went limp, and even partially hard, it could remain inside her, which is where it was when we woke up the next morning. I was still able to go a few more rounds, but the bed was a mess of our fluids, and it was getting uncomfortable. We were also smeared in our releases, and the room held a thick perfume of our alpha and omega scents.
Melina lay on top of me, moving somewhat as she awakened. My dick twitched inside of her, and she gasped.
“If you move anymore, I’m going to fuck you again,” I stated.
She kissed my chest. “You say that like it’s a punishment.”
I rubbed her back lazily, cherishing the closeness. I wasn’t sure I was capable of letting her go. She’d have to knock me out and run to push me away. So many times that night, I almost claimed her. She had no idea how close I’d come. My teeth still ached with the need even though my rut had subsided.
“How are you feeling?” I asked.
“I’m a little sore, but I could go again.”
I kissed the top of her head. She, indeed, was perfect. “While I admire your dedication, how about I make you a nice bath to soak away those aches I carelessly caused?”
She wiggled to look up at me with a pout, and I sucked in a breath, her wetness sliding over my dick, stifling my good intentions. She paused momentarily, her eyes fluttering, feeling the same rising heat as me. “I don’t want to bathe alone. Join me?”
I narrowed my eyes. “You vixen.”
I was enjoying this way too much, and I hoped she was as well. I reluctantly untangled from her and started a bath, throwing in some scented oils and bubbles. When I returned to the room, she had stripped the bed sheets. I picked her up in my arms and turned back to the bathroom. “We can fix that later.”
She giggled, and my heart squeezed, enjoying that she was so happy, with me. I wanted her to be happy with me forever. I settled us in the bath, the tub so large I could almost stretch my legs. She settled between my legs, her back to my chest, and I felt completely relaxed. Having her in my embrace felt so right, like home. A rumble escaped from my chest, and I felt her body loosen, her head falling back on my shoulder.
“You’ve never purred for me before,” she whispered.
The alpha purr was equivalent to an omega whine in that it worked as almost a call to the other. The purr also soothed an omega when she was anxious. Less moral beings used it to tame an omega. I was using it now to express my happiness and relax her body. Not for my own desires but for hers. The fact that she already felt so relaxed in that moment with me, totally herself, totally unguarded, pleased me to no end. Could I have this with her forever? A possibility at real love? Was it right?
I ran a hand up her arm, continuing to enjoy the feel of her. “I’m sorry, Rabbit.”
“I suppose I didn’t give you much reason to purr before.”
“No, I guess you didn’t, but that’s my fault, too. I haven’t given you what you need.”
She dipped her hand in the water and placed it on my thigh, giving it a light squeeze. I guess she liked the contact as well. “Aaron, can I ask you something?” she began, her voice hesitant.
I tilted my head back against the cold tile of the wall. I already knew what she was going to ask. We were in a good place at this moment, and now she wanted the answer to the question that I had been bypassing for a month. Of course, that would also mean the end of happiness. Still, she’d opened up to me. She’d help me through my rut. She deserved the truth. And yet, a heaviness of dread weighed in the pit of my stomach. If I told her, she would hate me. She would remove her touch, her happiness, her presence from me. My chest tightened at just the thought. However, I had to be brave. I had to let go of this selfishness.
“You want to know what happened in my past that’s preventing me from falling in love?”
“I was going to ask your favorite color, but that works, too.”
I chuckled. “It’s blue, but I’ll answer the other thing, too. I’m sorry I’ve pushed it off for so long, but…I didn’t want you to hate me.”
She rubbed my thigh, not bothered by my declaration. “Talk to me, Aaron. You’ve been nothing but good to me. What could make me hate you? That’s such a strong word.”
I sighed and kissed her cheek, wondering if it would be the last time I got to lay my lips on her. “You know that I was a soldier and, by that nature alone, I did things I’m not proud of.”
“You were our enemy, and we were at war. I’m assuming you killed Prinathian soldiers in battle. I don’t like it, but…I understand. You thought your side was in the right. You were defending your position and your people. I love my kind, but I’m smart enough to know neither side was perfect or absolved of fault.”
I squeezed her gently between my legs, wanting to trap her. I didn’t expect her to be so understanding. I wished that was all that I had to share.
She playfully bit my arm. “Was that it? You felt guilt over that? ”
“It’s not just that. Although that’s bad enough. My kind didn’t just harm other soldiers. You know that we kidnapped innocents, but not all of those innocents survived.”
“Some were taken to those witches you allied with who killed them for their magic. I know about that, too. Are you saying you gave some of my kind to them?” her voice tensed, unsettling me.
“I cannot apologize enough about my role in those actions. I never agreed with that alliance, but I didn’t strongly stand up against it. And I didn’t stop my leadership from the cruelty until it was too late. One day, we captured a small group of Prinathian traders on a road right outside of Prinath. They were heading to another Unseelie Court. My general hated the Prinaths. He enjoyed killing them. He smiled when he did it. His home city had been heavily destroyed, many killed, from a Prinathian attack a decade ago. He rarely took prisoners. Only killed. The few times he did, he tortured them. He was torturing those traders for information. I told him they wouldn’t know anything. They were clearly not soldiers. There were even kids and the elderly with them. He would give the ones with specialized magic to the witches, even the children.
“One night, I went into the holding containment and unlocked it. I got as many traders and their families out as possible. But I wasn’t fast enough.” I paused, my mind darkening at the retched memory. Melina continued to rub my thigh, and I was thankful she hadn’t moved away yet. “I was caught, and part of my punishment was watching the general and those he ordered kill the remaining prisoners. Including children. ”
Melina gasped, twisting toward me, her face a mask of shocked sadness. “Aaron.”
I nodded. “I know. I tried to stop it. Ivan was there, and he helped, but we were outnumbered. We were punished beyond having to witness that murder. We sat in prison, although I tried to get them to let Ivan go. I told them I made him do it as his superior.”
“I don’t understand. You were trying to stop a war crime.”
I brushed a hand over her braids, my shoulders dropping. “It’s only a crime if your leaders believes it to be. We were selling our enemies to die. Admittedly, our leadership at the time was corrupt. But I went against command. That’s why my ex called it off. Her father was in leadership and most likely ordered her to. Not that we had any love for each other, so she jumped at the chance. In the end, I lost my position and my freedom, and I couldn’t even save all the prisoners. I had time in that prison to think about what happened and how I could have done things differently. It played on repeat in my head for months there, even after I was set free. The only reason I’m still alive is because the new leadership under this treaty freed me. They didn’t agree with the killings or kidnappings.”
Melina shook her head, and her face turned to the side so I could not see her eyes. I could not tell what she was thinking. Did she hate me now? “I still don’t get it. If your new leadership freed you, why would they send you to an arranged marriage?”
That was not the question I had expected, and she had no anger in her voice. Just genuine confusion. “They thought I’d be the best ambassador because of my sympathy. They knew I wouldn’t hurt you. Not to mention that the rumors about me in my town made it hard for me. I could go to another town, but such rumors travel in Nodoor. I didn’t mind. I’m happy I did.” I leaned forward and kissed the side of her head again; glad she was letting me.
She gave me a sad smile before turning away and settling back in between my thighs. She wasn’t leaving, and my body untensed a fraction. “It was awful what happened. What was done to my kind? But you didn’t do it. It wasn’t your fault. You and Ivan, against a whole troop, could only do so much. You saved some. Is that it?”
“Is what it?”
“Why can’t you offer love? It’s not about me?”
“Rabbit, it wasn’t you. It was never you. I just thought, how could I be worthy of your love? Of any real love? Between accidentally killing my friend, Mona, and not saving all of those prisoners, I thought I should be cursed. I would take this marriage as a way to atone in some small way for my role in harming innocent Fae. To help your people in any way I could. However, receiving love as a result made me feel selfish. I helped kidnap Fae and didn’t stop my leadership beyond just vocalizing my disapproval. I watched those traders die and did nothing. I could have died trying to save them. Maybe that would have been better than surviving with this guilt of what happened to them and Mona. I deserve nothing.”
I closed my eyes, and the faces of the dead, who I etched into my memory, burned through my mind. Their cries of anguish. Their lifeless bodies being thrown into a fire to burn. The pain of it stung my eyes, drying my throat.
Melina took my hand and lifted it to her lips, then pressed it to her chest. “You deserve love, Aaron. Hasn’t anyone ever told you that? Being put in that prison was the worst thing for you. You played in your head your most negative thoughts with no one to counter them.”
She fell silent as I assumed she imagined my time imprisoned. My chest tightened with her worry. She cared for and understood me. More than I fully grasped.
“You’re good,” She continued. “Even your kind believed that, or they wouldn’t have offered you in this marriage. Even if their goal is to get Nodoorians future power in this new blended society, they knew by choosing you, our union would be authentic and, therefore, more likely to be successful because you care. And it seems to be a kindness to move you here instead of me there. Not to mention, I’m sure my leadership knows of what happened, and they still accepted you. It’s my understanding that the marriages were well-researched and went through layers of approval. You gave up your livelihood and freedom to do what you could. And for strangers. You don’t have to like me, but at least give yourself the freedom to believe you are worthy.”
My heart throbbed loudly in my ears, a warmness tightening my chest. This omega—this beautiful, stubborn omega—was destroying me in all the best ways possible. I wanted her—not just her body but her heart. I wanted to be the one who deserved all the joy she could give. I needed her. The realization nearly stole my breath. I wanted her to love me.