CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE – Ezekiel
Nicolette whimpered in her sleep. Whatever nightmares plagued her, I would hunt down and tear apart. I never wanted to see her cry again. The pieces of my heart ached as I gently stroked her hair and wished that when she woke up, she’d be smiling again.
I was on the couch with my injured foot propped up and Nicolette sleeping with her head on my lap. She’d been utterly exhausted on every level, but she’d made sure I was comfortable, fed and walked the dogs, and tidied the kitchen. I tried to coax her to talk about what happened, but it only made her cry more.
She was incredible. I could say it to her a billion times, but it would never convey just how amazing she was. Staring down at her, my heart swelled as I could imagine waking to this beautiful Omega every morning. Yet did she want to be my mate?
I fingered my phone, waiting for a call or a text from Kodiak or Silas. There had been nothing. The fact our pack was broken was gnawing at my insides.
Part of me was furious that Silas claimed Nicolette. He’d proclaimed he hated her and wanted her gone, but it seemed he was masking how he really felt. Yet it was also a big breakthrough for him. He’d been so bitter since Sarah. Nicolette had saved him from himself, and I was happy for him. It also made me love her even more.
Love. I might have thought the word before, but now I knew it truly for what it was. It might have been too soon, but this Omega… “I love you.”
Saying the words out loud to her, even though she was sleeping, it was freeing. I repeated it and smiled, feeling my emotions grow stronger by the second. The dogs looked at me with big shimmering eyes like I was talking to them, and I chuckled.
For this beauty, I would do anything. And the one thing I knew she wanted was for our pack not to fight. Since Kodiak and Silas were too stubborn to be the first ones to reach out, I opened our group chat and sent a message.
Hey, just wanted you guys to know that Nicolette and I got home okay. She cried the whole way. She’s exhausted and sleeping right now.
After a few minutes, Kodiak wrote back: Good that she’s sleeping.
I waited for him to say anything else, or for Silas to comment, but there was nothing. I sighed and typed: We need to talk.
Kodiak: We did talk. Silas is a fuckhead.
I clenched my jaw and breathed out the tension. I know you’re angry. I was mad too, but I want to work things out. Not just because Nicolette hates that we’re fighting, but for us.
Kodiak: There’s nothing left to work out.
Petting Atka and running my hands through his fur, I considered my next words. I loved Kodiak and Silas like brothers. I couldn’t imagine a life without them, without my pack. I would fight for Nicolette, but in the end, it was her choice what she wanted to do. None of us had a say in that matter. I still believed we could all make it work together, if only they’d get their heads out of their asses.
We’re a pack. We’ve been through worse than this and survived. I consider Nicolette part of our pack now. She doesn’t want to choose between us, and you shouldn’t make her.
Kodiak: She’s mine.
Bull-headed bastard. She’d push him away if he tried to force her to pick him.
Silas: You’re an idiot. I’ve already claimed her.
Oh no.
Kodiak: FUCK YOU
Silas: Same back at ya
Fucking hell. There was no way I could fix this with them yelling at each other over text. I wasn’t even sure how I’d do it in person. They seemed determined to be jerks about it. Really, the only one who had a chance of helping this was Nicolette.
I didn’t want to put her in that position. She already had to deal with so much, and everything in me demanded I protect her from that Alpha drama. Yet what else could we do?
At some point, I dozed off and woke a few hours later when Nicolette lifted her head off my lap. She stretched and yawned, her nose crinkling cutely. I gathered her to me and kissed her lightly. “How are you doing?”
“I needed that sleep. I didn’t realize how tired I was.” She glanced down at my ankle and smiled at the dogs as they got up to get pets from her. “How’s your ankle? Do you need another cold pack or some ibuprofen? Something to eat?”
“You don’t need to fuss over me. I’m fine.” I squeezed her in my arms and kissed behind her ear. Her delicious scent filled my nostrils and I nipped at her lobe. My whole body was suddenly humming with arousal and there was no hiding it with her pressed against me.
“You’re very fine.” Nicolette giggled and then gasped as I shifted to rub my hardening dick against her rear. Heat radiated from her body, most especially from between her legs. She turned her head as she moistened her lips and kissed me. Our lips parted and our tongues met, teasing one another. I slipped a hand under her sweater and caressed her silky skin.
So hot, so sensual. I’ve never known a female to get me so turned on this quickly.
I kissed her more deeply, dominating. Her little mewls made me even more desperate to be inside of her. I cupped her breast, massaging it through her sports bra, before lifting it and freeing her from its confines. “I want you.”
“Mm, yes,” she moaned against my mouth, and then paused, breathing heavily. “We need to be careful. Your ankle—”
I flipped her onto her back against the couch cushions and settled between her legs with a grin. “My ankle isn’t going to be a worry.” In fact, I’d totally forgotten about it the moment she woke. “All you need to worry about is how hard I’m going to fuck your sweet little pussy.”
Her cheeks flushed at my words, but her hips rolled up against mine. “I’d like nothing more.”
My mouth was on hers again, kissing more fervently. I pushed up her sweater as she yanked at my hoodie. We were tangled like a pair of fumbling teenagers. Laughing, I rid myself of my shirt and then removed hers along with her bra to press together hot flesh to flesh.
Nicolette rocked her hips against me, faster and more urgent. “Ezekiel, please.”
I slid a hand down the front of her pants and traced along her slick slit. Toying with her swollen clit, I then thrust two fingers into her. She cried out and clutched at my digits with her inner muscles. I fucked her with my hand as I ran kisses down her neck to her jiggling boobs. I sucked each nipple until it was hard and pushed her toward climax.
She was writhing and groaning, and I ate up every bit of her. Nicolette had no idea how she had ensnared me. I was totally hers. While I wanted to roar that she was mine and completely mine, I would take a part of her and it would make me blissfully happy forever.
“Don’t stop! I’m going to come!” She screamed and shuddered under me. Her beauty as she orgasmed was like seeing the face of a goddess.
I let her ride out her climax before removing my fingers to suck her tasty juices from them. Creamy and almost floral, but so very female in its musk. I was addicted to her.
Without wasting another second, I whisked off her leggings and panties. I wanted to dive down between her legs and eat that divine pussy for days. But I’d promised to fuck her hard, and I was so close to exploding.
I rid myself of my sweatpants and boxers, and barely got them off before she was pulling me back down and wrapping her legs around me. Slick glistened on her groin and thighs. The light caught it to glint like something magical. And hell, she was. She was a dream come true.
Maneuvering my hips, I rammed into her. We cried out together. My cock was already swelling with its knot even as I started moving inside of her. How easily she could work me up.
Her scent, her sounds, the way her body molded so well to mine. I couldn’t stop.
She wanted hard, and I was slamming her into the couch with each thrust.
“Ezekiel!” She screamed my name and dug her nails into my back. The sting of it made me growl and bite her lower lip.
No. Not her lip. I wanted to bite her shoulder. I needed to make her mine.
“Nicolette,” I panted her name and ran my tongue along her neck. “I want… I want to claim you.” I’d beg if she wanted. Anything for her. “I need you to be mine.”
“Yes, oh God!” She kissed me hard and wailed with her climax. “Now! Bite me!”
I sank my teeth into her shoulder, that elegantly curved bone. Mine.
The coppery taste of blood tickled the tip of my tongue, but I didn’t let go as I came with the force of what felt like a cannon blast. My knotted cock let loose load after load of seed to fill her. Nothing had ever felt so much like a dream and more real than this.
She was my universe.
Still shaking from my intense orgasm, I licked her shoulder where I bit it and kissed my way back to her succulent mouth. “You’re mine. I claim you, Nicolette. I’ll never want another.” Nuzzling her, staring into those beautiful emerald eyes, the words came out before I even had a chance to consider them. “I love you.”
Nicolette swept my messy hair back from my face with her gaze locked to mine. Tears glimmered in the corners of her eyes. “I love you too, Ezekiel.”
I kissed her long and tenderly. Our hands roamed each other’s bodies as I buzzed with the new bond. Every little move she made, I could feel as her pussy constricted around my knot. I was tempted to fuck her with it, but I didn’t want to break the sweetness of the moment.
After who knew how long, my phone vibrated with a call. I ignored it, snuggling Nicolette, until she gave me a nudge. “It’s okay. Answer it. We should get up and clean anyway.”
With one more kiss, I sat and reached for my phone. Savva’s name glowed on the screen. He was probably wondering how I was doing. I swiped to accept and smiled at Nicolette. “Hi Sav. How are you?”
She returned my smile as she stood, bending to collect our clothes. I patted her cute butt, and she stuck out her tongue at me as she slipped out of my reach.
“Eze, are you still in the clinic?” No hello or anything, but sometimes Savva could be gruff.
“No, I’m home now, but Kodiak is still there. Nicolette is taking good care of me.” I winked at her, and she snickered behind her hand.
“You need to get to town right now. Silas is causing a fuss. Fuck, maybe it’s Kodiak too. Ginny texted me and said there was a fight brewing.”
Shit. Silas was as explosive as dynamite on the best days. If Kodiak left the clinic to hunt down Silas, it was going to be brutal. I couldn’t let them hurt each other. All this fighting had to stop. “I’ll go right now.”
“Storm’s rolled in,” Savva grunted.
I hadn’t looked outside in hours. Sheets of white blew across the mountain. I couldn’t see maybe ten feet out. Fuck. It was near blizzard conditions.
“I’ll take a snow machine.” No way could I get the truck down the mountain.
“I got the snowcat warmed up. I’m coming to get you right now. They’ll need both of us.”
“Right.” I ended the call and reached for my pants.
“What’s going on?” Nicolette had on her sweater and no pants. My dick stirred just at the sight of her like that. So fucking gorgeous.
“There’s some trouble downtown. It might be Silas blowing off some steam.” I hoped she didn’t sense how major this was. I didn’t want her worrying. After what she had gone through earlier today, she didn’t need this crap.
“I heard Kodiak’s name.” She worried her lower lip, and even though she held her pants in her hands, she wrung them.
I hurried to her and wrapped her in a comforting embrace. She heard what she heard, and I wasn’t going to lie to her. “It’ll be okay, beach bunny. Savva and I are going—”
“I’m coming with you.” Nicolette quickly started to put on her panties and her leggings at the same time. Her face had paled and her hands shook.
I couldn’t stand to see her this scared. Taking her hands in mine, I gave her a small smile. “It’s near blizzard conditions outside, and if we take the guys home with us, there’s barely enough room in the snowcat for four of us. I’ll feel better if you stay here where it’s safe. Maybe you can get a fire started in case the electricity goes out. Perhaps even get the sauna going. Nothing feels better for sore bodies than sitting in the sauna.”
Even as I said these things, it felt lame. She wanted to be with us, and if it were any other day at any other time, I would have said yes. But seeing what the fight at the clinic did to her, I couldn’t stand to see her cry if Silas and Kodiak were really fighting. It would tempt me to pound them down for upsetting her. Nicolette staying here was safer. Not just because of the weather, but to protect her heart.
She stared at me for a moment and then slowly nodded. “Alright. But please tell Savva to drive carefully, and try not to fight. All I want is for the pack to be what it once was. You’re best friends…” Her eyes teared up. “Like brothers.”
“We are, and we fight like brothers sometimes too.” I wiped at her tears and kissed her on the head. “Don’t worry. We’ll be okay.”
“Will you though?” Her question was soft, barely more than a whisper.
“We will.” I squeezed her hands. “I promise. And I take my promises very seriously.”
Again she studied me and dipped her head once. “Okay. Take care out there.” Nicolette swiftly wrapped me in a tight hug, clinging to me. As the noise of the snowcat neared the cabin, we parted. “I love you, Ezekiel.”
“I love you too.” One more kiss. Fuck, I wanted a trillion more, but I had to go.
I finished dressing and threw on my boots and coat. The dogs ran to the door as if we were going on a hike, but I shooed them back toward Nicolette. “Hopefully we won’t be too long.”
She waved as I opened the door. The wind whipped hard against me, nearly knocking me over with my injured ankle. From inside, her shout was almost lost in the blizzard’s howl. “Tell Silas and Kodiak I love them too.”
The door slammed shut and I limped to the waiting snowcat.
Nicolette loved me. The feeling carried me through the wicked wind and snow. She loved my best friends too. Those fuckers better learn to make some peace, so we can share the most incredible Omega in the world.