22. EpilogueAaronMelina
Epilogue
Aaron
I lay sideways on the bed; my spikes on my back would allow me to do little else other than lay on my stomach. It was early morning and still dark in our bedroom. My eyes, in this form, allowed me to see my omega clearly in the dark, and it was preferred that way. In the dark, I could pretend I was the Fae I used to be. She looked peaceful and content in her sleep. Was she really happy? Sleeping beside a monster?
I knew the answer. She was. She touched me every day, kissed me, and spoke kind words. She behaved as if she did not care what I looked like. And because we were mates, I could feel her emotions. She would not be able to lie to me. She was not forcing herself to care for me. She honestly loved me. I still did not feel like myself. Thankfully, my company allowed me to work from the house, and in the month that I’d been in this form, I had only left the house for a few hours.
Melina tried to glamour me, but my composition was so different that the magic would not hold for long. Others knew that I had changed. Family and friends tried to visit, but I would not let them see me—even Ivan. I was embarrassed by what I’d become, but I was dedicated to my wife and would fight against any dark thoughts that threatened to pull me down.
It was only recently that I felt comfortable enough to spend the entire night in the same bed as Melina. In the beginning, I insisted on sleeping in the guest room for fear of hurting her in my sleep. But in the middle of the night, she would always sneak into my room, and I would awaken to find her in my arms. It was as if my body knew she was there, even if my mind did not know it. It was ironic, considering how I often carried her back to our room when we first were together. I was unsurprised that she would not want to sleep without me nor I without her.
I reached out to touch her face. I’d filed my claws down so I could easily touch her without risk of injury. We’d also put caps over my spikes to further avoid injury. She was warm to the touch, as always. I felt guilty for touching her with my cold hands, but she never seemed to mind. She joked and said it was a welcome coolness in the summer heat. Her ability to make light of our situation never ceased to amaze me. It was commendable, and I felt blessed.
She stirred, and I dropped my hand from her face as I watched her open her eyes. It had become a habit now, my nervousness when I touched her. “Good morning, Rabbit.”
She smiled at me and snuggled in closer to me, rubbing her forehead on my chest. I wished I could have her lay on my chest like she wanted, but the spikes would not allow it. I could still hold her in my arms on my side, and that was good enough. “Good morning. Were you staring at me in my sleep again?”
“Maybe.”
She huffed and ran a hand up and down my chest. Instantly, my body responded. I tried to pull away from her, but she only got closer. This was nothing new. I retreated from her touch, uncertain that she would want anything more intimate with me beyond holding each other, and she would pout and get closer. Despite her protest, the most I’d done with her since my change was tasted her sweet center.
She kept her hand on my chest, slowing her touch as she moved her hand downward. “Maybe today we can go out for a nice lunch at a restaurant outside. It’s our off day; let’s have fun.”
My body stiffened as I felt the press of her chest against mine, her nipples hard against the fabric of her nightgown. Everything inside of me burned for her. For her touch. For more. “You know I can’t do that.” There were people who thought me a monster even before my change. Going out in public as an actual monster would only prove them right despite any good deeds I had achieved.
She paused her hand at the top of my pajama bottoms. “Of course, you can. My glamour potions hold longer now. Three hours was the last time. That’s enough time to enjoy ourselves. Thanks to our bond, my power has grown. I just have to keep at it, and I’m sure I can change you back.”
“Yes, but then you get drained significantly after making the potions, and I don’t want you weakened. You have a business. I can’t draw all your magic from you.”
She blew out a breath. “I’ll be fine. You can’t stay locked inside forever. Enjoy the good weather before the winter comes. I want to be out with my husband. I want you to see your family and friends. You can still have a good life. And things are better now. Our people apprehended Soren’s group once they discovered the true identities of those we killed that night, including the leaders. Not to mention, since you were a major part of ending that threat, relations between our people have improved. The courts are even looking into allegations of abuse in the treaty marriages and allowing dissolution. I’m often asked about you and given well wishes for your health.”
I looked up at the ceiling, weighing her offer. She was right; the threat to those married by the treaty had seemingly ended, but there would always be those who opposed our union or any sort of peace between our kinds. However, we could not allow that to ruin our lives. And we wouldn’t.
The others infected by Soren’s magic hadn’t transformed, and wards were put on all the couples to be safe. We’d looked for those with transmutation magic who could help me but were unlucky. Hope was not lost. Even my leadership, upon learning of my change, reported that they were working tirelessly to find a way to help me. I wasn’t na?ve enough to think they did it because they cared. I knew they feared that if I remained a monster, Melina would leave me, thus weakening a part of their potential power base. They’d all but said it.
I felt her hand roam below the top of my bottoms, awakening me further. My tentacles wiggled, wanting to reach out to her as if they had a mind of their own. I focused all my control on keeping them at my side. On several occasions, I had horrified myself by waking up to find several of them wrapped around Melina. Around an arm, leg, and her waist. She seemed unbothered by them.
I sucked in a breath, wanting her hands and more but also afraid to be with her in this new body. “Rabbit, behave.”
She massaged me through my pajamas, tightening her grip. My pelvis jerked forward out of habit. My body was feverish for her exquisite caresses. “I don’t want to behave.”
Could she want me, enjoy the feel of me? Anatomically, I was the same. We would fit, and I wanted her. I almost gave in until I raised my hand to touch her and frowned at my scaley skin and black nails. I sat up, disgusted with myself, and moved away from her hand. “I need a shower.”
She sighed and sat up as well. “You smell good to me.”
I chuckled, getting out of bed. “And I want to keep it that way.”
“Care for some company?”
I did. I cared very much for her company but stubbornly couldn’t admit it. “Not this time, Rabbit. Sorry.”
I quickly made my way to the bathroom and closed the door. I was an idiot. I knew this clearly. I was withholding my desire from my mate out of fear in my own mind. I was scared she would recoil, no longer able to maintain her almost magical ability to look past the drastic change in my appearance and feel. If she did that, I knew that it would break me. It was not reasonable to believe she would turn from me, but my confidence had shattered, and I could not think my way back to my old self.
I got in the shower, letting the cold water splash down over me. I could only stand warm water as the hottest temperature on my skin now, but I preferred cold water most times. I looked down at my cock, still hard with lust. The water did nothing to relieve my desire. I was being a fool, and my body was making sure I realized it.
When I left the bathroom, Melina was no longer in the room. I got dressed in a dark button-down shirt that accommodated my spikes and tentacles and a pair of trousers. I went downstairs, expecting to find her in the kitchen. However, she was not there. She wasn’t anywhere on that level. I went to the top of the stairs leading to our ground floor. “Melina!” I called but received no answer. I went back up the stairs and searched the rooms. Nothing. I went to the ground floor to check for her but saw no sign of her.
Had I finally pushed her away for good? I sniffed the air. Her scent was everywhere in the house. I wasn’t sure how I could track her if she were hiding. I went out to our backyard. She’d been there recently; her scent lingered like roses in the air. “Why are you hiding from me?”
No response. The sound of knocking at the front door drew me back into the house. I opened the door despite not changing my appearance. There was no one there. Was this Melina’s doing? It would not be beyond her to try to trick me. If she wasn’t going to play fair, neither would I. I closed the door.
“Omega, where are you?” I shouted in my alpha voice.
She was still close. She had to be. If something more sinister had occurred, I would lose my mind, and our town would see another monster.
* ~ * ~ *
Melina
My body locked up, and I growled from my hiding place in the guest room closet. Aaron did not play fair. Of course, it was juvenile of me to play tricks, but I thought maybe being silly again would relax him. Plus, pranking was my specialty. And he’d been a shadow of his former self this past month. Less confident and playful. He still treated me as if I were precious. He continued to work hard, perhaps even longer than when he was going to the company physically. I missed who he used to be. It reminded me even more how I always liked Aaron despite my earlier disappointment in his refusal to give in.
And now it felt like we were almost back at the beginning. Aaron was stubborn, and he put a lot of pressure on himself. He didn’t focus on the good he’d done and weighed too heavily on his defeats. I hadn’t expected him to get used to his current appearance easily. I wouldn’t lie and say I would adjust quickly myself. I understood how he felt and just wanted to remain by his side and support him. I’d even gone without my own glamouring, which was a big step for me.
I really believed we could have a life together that would be filled with the love we both deserved. I also had faith that he would change back to his old self. That or my magic would improve enough to glamour him permanently. Lila suggested it would hold up longer in the human realm since humans would not easily be able to see through it. However, I was reluctant to offer that as a possibility just yet.
No, I just needed to focus on improving my magic. Ever since we bonded, my glamour ability had been boosted to amazing levels. The changes lasted longer and were more complex. It was great for business, and I would make it great for Aaron, too.
I left the closet and walked into the hallway, pausing at the top of the stairs. “I can’t believe you used your alpha voice on me. You’re no fun. I’m up here!”
I heard him growl, and I ran to the bedroom, hopping on the bed. I sat back against the pillows, moving my long braids to one side of my shoulder. As his stomping grew closer, I hiked up my silk nightgown to my hips and bent my knees. I was not wearing undergarments. Enough was enough. I wanted my husband. I’d given him space, but there had to be an ending to this. If he needed to take my glamour potion just for us to have sex, then so be it. Although I didn’t want him to think he had to, so I never offered it, and he was too selfless to ask for it just for sex. He’d want to only use it for when he was forced to be in public.
We could have gone out without it. He seemed to think his appearance was an offense to others. Our Fae were more diverse than the Nodoorians, who were a bit more homogeneous. He’d stand out but not to such a degree that it would cause other Fae to stop in shock and horror.
When he appeared at the door, looking very upset, I waved at him. “Hi. Is everything okay?” I spread my knees apart and bit my lower lip, feeling like a seductress. I hoped it would work.
His eyes widened, nostrils flaring as I was sure my perfume was spreading throughout the room. His forked tongue snaked out, and his eyes fluttered. As if embarrassed by his action, he lowered his head.
I outstretched a hand to him. “Come here, Aaron.”
He stepped into the room and quickly gripped the door frame, stubbornly fighting against my invitation. He was hard. I could see the outline of the length of him in his pants, and his tentacles were squirming at his side in excitement. At least, that’s what I guessed. They were very much an extension of him, and they liked being on me. Always gentle and oddly affectionate. They wrapped around parts of me as if they were petting me or rubbing my back. I actually enjoyed it. And Aaron was depriving me of that touch.
I let out a disappointed breath. I guess it was time to be a brat. I got out of the bed and put my hands on my hips. “My alpha does not want to have sex with me. I guess I’ll get dressed and buy some food from the market. All horny and perfumed up. I should be okay walking around town like that, right?”
Aaron looked over at me, and I swore his pupils narrowed into something very reptilian. I heard a splintering of wood in the door frame. Perhaps I’d gone too far.
He straightened up and glared at me. “Get back on that fucking bed. Now,” he ordered in his alpha voice.
I practically flew onto the bed, moving back against the pillow. “Yes, Alpha.”
He walked into the room, his hands working at undoing the cuffs on his sleeves and his intense eyes remained focused on me. “Take off your nightgown, Omega. ”
His simple action of undoing his sleeves had more of an effect on me than I expected. The sophistication and confidence of the movement, while he eyed me with full, focused lust, made me clench my thighs together; he began to unbutton his shirt. “Now, Omega.”
I shook my head from my daze and lifted my nightgown over my head, tossing it to the floor. He looked down at it, most likely debating whether now was the time to pick it up. I knew he hated clothes on the floor, but he had to make an exception for this. He didn’t say a word and took off his shirt, lowering it directly over my nightgown. Keeping the mess together was the best I could expect from him. He then took off his trousers and underwear in one go. Also, kicking them next to the other clothes.
I pressed my lips together, eyes instantly going to his member, which was leaking copious amounts of pre-cum. I could feel my own slick wet my thighs as I watched him get on the bed and move between my legs.
His long tongue shot out and licked the slick from my inner thighs as his tentacles wrapped around my legs and stomach. They slid up and down over my calves and wiggled around my waist, rising to cover my breasts and swiping across my hardened nipples. The cool, smoothness of his touch caused me to suck in a breath, dripping more for him.
He paused gathering my slick, and looked up at me with careful Fae eyes against his scaled reptilian features. “Should I get the potion?”
He was asking if I wanted him to glamour his appearance. I quickly shook my head. “Please don’t.”
He remained still, considering me. Was he determining whether I was telling the truth? Didn’t he know by our connection? I suppose I could help him if he insisted on ignoring me. I took one of his smooth tentacles and flicked my tongue over the tip of it before sucking on it. I had no idea if he got any pleasure from them, but I did know they were a part of him. They had nerves, and they were affected by his emotions and feelings.
Aaron groaned, and I took that as confirmation as he moved his head back between my legs. When I felt his wet tongue on my folds, I cried out around his tentacle in my mouth. The other tentacles continued their movements over my body, brushing against all my sensitive nerves and sending my body into a simmering need of desire. Something thick pushed past my lower lips. It felt slick and too wide to be his tongue—another tentacle.
I curled my toes, my body pulsating with various pleasures. The tentacle inside of me brushed against my inner walls until it hit a cherished spot, causing me to pant. His tongue moved to my clit, flicking against it, and with the tentacles circling my nipples and swiping my arms and legs, I began to overflow. Another tentacle thrust inside of me, moving in sync with the other tentacle. How he could maintain such different controls was impressive. It was bordering on too much stimulation, but I didn’t want any less. I greedily accepted all that he was offering me. I wound my hips against his rapidly moving tongue and now pulsating tentacles inside of me .
In little time, I came in a scream of exploding euphoria, shouting his name to the gods. My legs shook, and my back lifted from the bed. I tightly held on to the tentacle I’d had in my mouth earlier and only slightly worried that my grip would cause him pain. He did not seem to mind, and I was practically out of my own head with a dizziness of need.
When my body finally calmed, I collapsed back on the bed, my heart pounding in my ears and my breath returning. Aaron looked over to me, his chin dripping with my juices. He gazed hungrily over my body as he licked my slick off him. I gave him a lazy smile and widened my legs. “Please, Alpha, take me.”
A pleased growl escaped from his chest, and he didn’t hesitate with me this time. He moved over me, balancing his hands on both sides of my shoulders, before driving his pelvis forward, his thick cock spreading my soaking folds apart. He thrust into me until he hit his knot and paused, closing his eyes as if he was relishing the feel of my wetness entrapping him again. And perhaps he was doing just that. It had been a while.
Soon, he began to rock his body into me with abandon. I sighed, adoring the feel of him inside me, filling me, brushing my every inner nerve. It felt so right. I moved my hands to his back, careful of his capped spikes but enjoying the touch of his cool skin against my heated, damp skin. He looked down at me as his body continued to thrust into me, a satisfying smile on his thin mouth. It was beautiful to see him smile. To see him happy, if only for that moment .
“Fuck, Omega. My heart. My Rabbit,” he chanted in a whisper, fingers from one hand lacing into one of my hands.
His tongue licked along my neck, causing me to tremble. I held onto him tighter, closing my eyes as his pace quickened, too fast for me to match. He pushed further until his knot filled me, an intense but welcomed pressure.
Then his body suddenly froze, and for a moment, I thought he had come, but there was no release. I opened my eyes, and he looked ahead at the headboard, but his eyes were unfocused, dazed. He gripped my hand tighter, his face crumbling into what looked like pain.
Panic shot through me. “Aaron?”
He didn’t respond, and before I could do anything, his body began to shift before my eyes. It was a distorted blur, a mixing of color and shape. I could feel the movement of his body within and around me. The heat, smoothness, size. It all changed. He was warmer now, his body slightly smaller. The scales receded, and his former golden skin bled into the green, erasing it. His old features returned, mouth fuller, hair long. The spikes and tentacles retracted into his body, perhaps absorbed to nothing.
When it was all done, I was now staring back at Aaron in his original form. He looked at his hands and then down at his body with an expression of amazement. I reached up with my free hand to touch his face, the other still clutching Aaron’s. He was warm.
He finally looked back at me, eyes wide and joyful. “Is this real? ”
I nodded. “I think so.”
“How?”
I wiggled under him, having momentarily forgotten we were both still locked together with his knot. I moaned, desire returning. I had a very good idea of what happened, but my focus was seriously distracted.
He looked back down at where our bodies joined, his groan matching mine as he began to grind his body into mine. “Fuck. Tell me later.”
He brought his lips down to mine and kissed me. It was light at first, and then he deepened it, almost desperate with wanting to steal my breath. His tongue parted my lips, and he sucked on my bottom lip as he continued to rock into me, his knot rubbing against my sensitive spot until I could stand it no longer. My body snapped, and I came again in a rolling wave of ecstasy. I gushed, damping the bed, eyes unfocused as I gripped him tighter, nails driving into his heated skin. He soon followed me, body spasming above me. He pushed so hard against me that I knew I’d be left with a bruise later, and I didn’t care. I gripped his ass and held him tighter to me, enjoying his body trembling on top of mine.
When we both returned to our senses, still joined but, for the moment, pausing for clarity, he balanced his body partially on me, resting his weight mostly on the bed. He moved several braids from my face and then pushed his own hair off his face. Both our bodies were covered in a sheen of sweat. He didn’t seem to mind as he moved to sprinkle kisses over my face, shoulders, and arms. I practically levitated under him, feeling pampered by his attention and having missed his lips on me.
“Tell me,” he whispered.
“My magic has been growing, as you know. I’ve been playing around with seeing how expansive it could get. I was hoping that maybe I could learn to break your transmutation, seeing as glamouring isn’t too different. Both change the physical appearance of something. Glamour is more a superficial covering but still related. It didn’t seem that it would be far off from transmutation, which changes the overall physical being or base element into something different. Essentially, it’s a permanent glamouring. And once I could do that, then I could change a transmutation into something different as well, including into what it originally was.”
He narrowed his eyes, considering my words. “Have you done a change like this before?”
I tilted my head. “Slightly. I changed food into other types of food. I changed a frog into a rabbit. Only after it was dead. I don’t experiment on live creatures. But those were all intentional. I had no idea this would happen where I could cause a change without focusing.”
He kissed my forehead again. “I’m glad to be your experiment.”
“We don’t know if this is permanent. I have to look into this more. Especially because it didn’t take any conscious effort on my part, it was as if my body just emitted the cure. Although, it was always in my head to cure you, so it could have been my subconscious. Or maybe our bond and connection that activated it. Sex is powerful between a mated omega and alpha. ”
He smirked. “So, you’re saying it was your powerful pussy again?”
I chuckled, remembering our earlier sexual healing, for lack of a better term. “Perhaps?”
“Well, if it happens that your pussy is the only cure, no one else will be saved.”
As if to support his statement, he ground into me again, igniting my core again. “I don’t think that’s how it works regularly, Aaron,” I replied in a breathy voice.
He tapped his forehead to mine and shuddered a sigh, his warm breath tickling my skin. “Thank you, Rabbit. You have been the greatest treasure in my life. I’m not sure how I could ever repay you.”
I ran a hand over his arm, enjoying his familiar touch, even beyond our joining. “You never have to repay me. I am your mate and wife. However, if you want to let me glamour you with tentacles from time to time, I would be alright with that.”
He snorted before kissing me again. “Sure, and I won’t take that as you being disappointed I’m back to myself.”
“Absolutely not. I love you, Aaron. Always.”
“And I love you, too, Melina. Forever.”
I released a breath of contentment. It seemed a long-ago dream that I had ever considered running from him. Now, we loved each other unconditionally. It was all I ever wanted. While I would never agree with the forced treaty marriages, I would admit that we were lucky. And we deserved it—a place for our hearts to call home. We’d found it, despite our history, in each other.
I thought this would be the end of this world, but it’s not. The ideas just keep on coming. Look out for book three in this spin-off standalone omegaverse series that takes us back to the human realm, with some connections to past characters, in How to Fail at Escaping an Alpha Orc. Coming in Winter 2025 and now available for pre-order!