Chapter Eleven
Wallace
Should I leave? No. That wasn’t a good idea.
I stood and sat down a few times, fretting over what I’d done.
Fretting over the fact that I wanted Roan to stay with me and wanted my own hatchling running around.
Crazy as it was, a large portion of why I didn’t want to sleep around was because I wouldn’t be in those children’s lives.
Though, I did consider donating gametes.
Something about participating in the act of creation left me feeling responsible.
As the moments ticked by, I stood once more, pacing. I pondered poking Merriel, but the interface had been remarkably quiet as of late, making me wonder just what he’d gotten up to with Roan’s interface.
A polite scratch at the door, the Naleucian equivalent of a knock, alerted me to the presence of another. One of the omega employees of the health center popped their head in and asked if I’d seen Fel.
“He left after Roan a little while ago. I’m waiting for him.” I shrugged, and the pink-scaled omega glanced over his shoulder and frowned.
“Would you mind if beta Robard from the second ship waited in here with you for them to return? He should like to see Roan as well.” The male’s tail gave a hopeful flick, and I nodded uneasily, doing my best to pair it with an affirming gesture of my tail.
A silver-scaled male stepped in, eyes a haze of red and hair a shimmering bronze color. “Wallace. Hey. Looking good.”
I’d only seen the male in passing, and I nodded, holding up my tail. As far as I knew, Robard had always had one, but it flicked, more muscular and well-formed to his body since his change. Still, I gave him an appraising glance. “You, too.”
“I got some of that good N03 juice and I feel more whole than I ever have.” He seemed to glance around, assessing the small room before taking a seat on Fel’s stool with a hasty perch. “Speaking of. Juice…”
“Baby juice?” I gave Robard a glance that he met with a wan smile.
“Yeah.” His hoarse voice petered off as we sat in silence.
“Sooo…” I stared at him for a moment and received a shrug.
“I wasn’t really… I mean, I have, and… It’s different with Roan, I guess, because I know him better.” Robard laced his fingers and twisted his lips. “What do I need to do, I guess?”
“Well… I mated him. We’re bonded. What would you like to do with this information?” I threaded my fingers together and leaned over my lap, staring him down.
He breathed out slowly, shaking his head. “I never thought of myself as being a family man. You know? This is very new to me and… Progenitors’ sake… There’s a—”
He huffed and shook his head, words coming to his lips in broken syllables and falling away just as fast.
“You’ve met someone you want to mate, too?” Wallace raised a brow.
“Yeah. But I don’t know if he wants me like that. I mean, we’ve had a few nights and I’ve not been able to—” Robard choked as a rather stone-faced Fel stood in the doorway.
“Beta Robard.” He gave the male a cold nod.
“Fel… I—” Robard sank in his seat, throat cracking. “I didn’t mean to… With Roan.”
“I’m under the assumption you didn’t know.” Fel brushed his hair back behind his ear, pale-blue strands that matched his freckles glimmering as his tail did the come hither gesture, but stiffened into irritation.
“I didn’t mean to.” Robard rested his face in his hands and huffed while his tail returned the come-hither gesture.
“Then why are you upset? Roan has chosen his mate. I assume they need nothing of you and there are no lingering desires.” Fel’s tail flicked with mild irritation. “And you have found an omega you wish to bond yourself to, no?”
Fel’s tail snapped the ground with irritation. “And I specifically requested you not make your way down here to create this ‘Jah-ree Spreen gurr’ thing that Noel speaks so infamously of.”
“Because I wanted to see you! Apologize and see—Fuck.” Robard rubbed his temples. “I want to be with you, Fel, and I don’t think that you’ll want me if I’ve put a baby in Roan.”
Fel narrowed his eyes. “You are with me, now. Why would I want to not be with you if you have impregnated Roan. I’m certain your donations have impregnated many others.”
“I want to be special. Together-together.” Robard’s tail twisted into a corkscrew of frustration.
“You wish to be my friend?” Fel perked up hopefully.
“Progenitors’ sake…” I muttered to myself and sighed heavily. “Fel! He wants to be your mate.”
Fel blinked as Robard’s throat squeaked, tail going limp.
“If this is true, why did you not ask me to be your mate?” Fel stared at Robard as if he were something stuck on the bottom of his clawed foot.
“Terrans invented something called shame and fear of rejection that they are rather proud of possessing. Perfected it, even.” Roan sniffed imperiously. “Rather juvenile.”
Fel turned his head to give Roan a look that I couldn’t make out, but whatever it was chastened him.
Fel reached into the neckline of his shirt and fiddled with the collar he wore, face twisted. “I’ll see to these two, then I will remove this. But you do understand there is a reason why I never wore a collar when I copulated with you? I was inviting you to claim me, stupid beta.”
I stared at the interaction, face heating as they glanced back at me. Fel had words to say and huffed. “Roan will accept you as his mate. He wishes to raise young with you. I’d let him speak, but it seems Terrans are terrible at communication. Mazel Tov, bruh.”
Fel stormed off as Roan and I glanced at one another in twisted confusion.
“Whose bright idea was it to let Noel and Merriel teach them Terran?” I sat in discomfort as Fel grabbed Robard by the wrist and physically dragged him from the room, tail doing a mix of that inviting curl and anger at the same time.
“Vil.” Roan rolled his eyes and slid over to sit straddling my lap. My hand traversed his sides and gripped his hips.
“So. You’re okay with it?”
“If you are.” Roan shrugged. “I’m too lizardy to really go back to a Terran colony and perform my old duties.
I may need to take some trips back.” Roan shrugged and traced a finger over my bare shoulder, nudging aside the bare strap that held up what they lovingly referred to as a shirt; one meant for alphas.
I leaned my head to the side and took a deep breath.
The sex with him had been fantastic, and my instincts told me he’d be perfect.
Sure, he’d been a pain in our collective asses, but I knew Vil could be equally asinine.
I closed my eyes and relished the warmth of his breath on my neck, the gentle wet part of his lips and tongue, a shuddered gasp.
All things combined as a single warning before he leaned in and bit.
The sting was painful at first and radiated outward until it hit my spine. Pleasure pulsed along every nerve in my body, swimming in my belly as something coursed through my veins. Venom? I wasn’t certain.
I didn’t think I could get hard again for a while, but my cock proved me wrong as Roan licked the spot almost apologetically and turned back to my mouth to kiss me.
Blood, rather like his had been, only gamier, slid over my tongue, laced with the sweet flavor of my mate’s mouth.
Roan’s saliva had grown in intensity, the flavor blossoming, a poison to anything else that would accept it.
“Not here. Let’s go—” Roan’s face twisted. “We return to Vil’s and make nice…”
“Should I make arrangements to move into the home they gave me originally?” I nudged his shoulder.
“Please, for the love of us, yes.” He nuzzled into my neck, and I readied myself for every snide remark and jeering comment Vil had in his arsenal. “Are you sure you’re… Okay with the whole Robard thing?”
“As long as it wasn’t motherfucking Gorm.”