Joey pivoted on one foot to leave, stopped, then grinned over his shoulder. “Or, maybe you do.”
Outrage had Loki ready to spit fire, but all he could manage was to stick his tongue out at Joey’s retreating back. A passing sigma rolled his eyes at him, which made Loki feel like a stupid pup. He was acting like one. He knew it. Since being on the run with his brother, he’d morphed from a docile, pampered omega into an annoying brat. It hadn’t been part of a grand plan or anything. It had simply happened and now with his inevitable heat pressing in on him, he couldn’t stop doing it. His only defense at this point was to act like he didn’t care what the members of his new pack thought of him.
Certainly he didn’t give one wit about Bard’s approval. That bossy gamma didn’t rate as anyone Loki cared about. The guy was too damn sure of himself. Too big. Too strong. Too…Damn, Joey had been right. Bard was basically a walking, talking sex beacon that Loki’s traitorous body was homing in on whether he wanted it to or not.
He hated the way his heartbeat picked up at the sight of the man sitting in the far corner of the room. They had a family table, where Destin and Carr always joined them, along with Carr’s mate, Ben. Their pup—who was a gamma and the spitting image of Carr—made for a sweet distraction from the looming presence of Bard’s big, hot body. Although it also served as a reminder of Loki’s imminent future. The idea of being bred terrified him.
There was no point in letting anyone know how he felt, however. He plastered his normal bored expression on his face and sauntered over to the table. There was already a plate in his spot, heaped with food. Of course there was. Bard was nothing if not attentive. It perversely pissed Loki off. He took his time even though his stomach rumbled at the sight and scents of dinner. Bard’s gaze swung over to him and pierced him with an intensity that sent another flash of heat through Loki. It was as if the gamma touched every inch of him and left him scorched.
His footsteps faltered for a second. I’m in trouble. He forced himself to keep going, unwilling to show the effect Bard’s attention had on him.
“Hey.” He shot the greeting to no one in particular as he slid onto his chair.
There wasn’t much room. There were too many shifters packed into the space that was slated to be expanded now that the warm weather was sticking around. In the meantime, they were packed tight. Loki’s thigh brushed Bard’s. The contact was inevitable. Loki tried to keep his legs closed, but eventually he knew he’d relax enough that he’d bump into the gamma’s hard leg again.
Picking up his fork, he started eating, scanning the occupants of the table. Ben was nursing his pup while Carr stared with open adoration at the two of them. He fed his mate as well, ignoring his own plate for the moment. Beside the gamma, Destin worked on his meal with distracted determination. Loki didn’t have to follow his brother’s line of sight to know he was watching Deirdre. Bard had been right about Destin’s being in love with her. Loki had told himself that he didn’t care. It was a lie.
Ben winced and adjusted his pup’s position. Loki snorted. “That doesn’t look very comfortable.” Really, it was kind of gross to think of a pup suckling one’s breasts.
“Loki,” Bard warned. “Mind your manners.”
Loki glared up at him, ready with a retort, but Ben’s chuckle derailed that plan. “It’s okay. He’s right. Sometimes it feels like I’ve used a cheese grater on my nipples.” He shook his head as he disengaged the greedy pup’s lips and turned him to the other side. “Andrea gave me some cream, but it’s still painful. I’ve heard from the others that you kind of have to let them toughen up.”
With a wistful look, Ben focused his attention on his son. He ran fingers lightly over the downy head. “It’s worth it, though. Knowing I’m feeding Jasper and helping him grow makes me crazy happy.”
Carr rumbled deep in his chest and pulled his mate and pup in for a sideways hug. He petted Ben’s head much the way Ben did Jasper’s. The tender show of familial love was almost too much for Loki to witness. He both envied it and feared it. It didn’t seem possible for him to ever achieve that level of happiness. Stabbing a big chunk of venison, he started to shove it into his mouth.
Bard’s large hand grabbed Loki’s wrist, stopping him. “Easy. That’s too much. You’ll choke.”
Loki glared up at him. “No I won’t. I’m not stupid. I know what I’m doing.”
Bard said nothing in return. He merely pushed Loki’s hand until the fork and the piece of venison at the end of it landed back on the plate. Then, the gamma took over Loki’s utensils to cut all of the meat on his plate into smaller pieces.
“There.” That was all the gamma said before focusing back on his own meal.
Loki’s chest heaved with the effort not to scream in frustration. He eyed Destin, but he wasn’t paying attention. He’d already moved on where Loki was concerned. His pesky little brother was now someone else’s problem. The way he’d been handed off like an unpleasant chore infuriated him.
Loki grabbed his fork and speared up as many pieces of venison as he could and stuffed them into his mouth. Thwarting Bard satisfied him for a few seconds before a sinewy piece of meat slid past the wad he chewed and down his throat. He coughed to clear it, but that only made things worse. His eyes watered with the effort to keep from choking. He reached for his glass of water. Bard proved one step ahead of him, plucking it up and pressing it against Loki’s lips and holding it there until he’d taken a few sips.
As he cleared the food from his airway, Loki glared at the gamma. He expected some kind of rebuke, except not really. One of the most infuriating things about Bard was how patient and reasonable he was. His chastisements were fewer and farther between than Loki’s behavior warranted. Despite the dressing-down about the pie, Bard acted as if there was no tension between them. His expression remained placid while he waited for Loki’s latest folly to be resolved.
Along with his mouthful, Loki swallowed down his urge to growl and bare his teeth. There was nothing to be gained from it, and it would only serve to make others uncomfortable. The rest of the pack had been pretty kind to him. He didn’t want to repay that with strife. He’d leave that for when he and Bard were alone. Instead, he turned his attention back to his plate and ate the rest of his meal with more care. When dessert came out, he wasn’t even tempted and was prepared to sit quietly while others enjoyed themselves.
Bard had other ideas. Standing, he grabbed Loki’s plate along with his own. “Let’s go. Clear our glasses and utensils.”
Destin’s gaze slid over to them for the first time since they’d sat for dinner. “Leaving so soon?”
“I have no interest in dessert, and Loki, as you know, is not allowed one tonight.” That was all Bard said, not mentioning how he’d caught Loki with stolen goods. That was one more irritating thing about him—he didn’t tattle on Loki. At least he didn’t when Loki could hear.
Destin nodded. “Of course. Good night, brother.”
Loki didn’t respond. If Destin couldn’t be bothered to show him any attention for the whole meal, there was no reason to acknowledge him now. Silently, Loki did as Bard said, keeping his attention on his task and not on his brother. He did shoot Ben a smile before he left, and the other omega returned the look even as he focused on his pup.
Loki threaded his way through the crowded room with his head held high and an indifferent expression on his face. Everyone knew he was being denied dessert as a punishment. He could tell some of them whispered about him, although without his ears shifted, his hearing wasn’t up to the task of catching what they said. Not that it mattered. He would never show how much it hurt. It was attention of his own making, and he at once hated it and yet seemed incapable of avoiding the behavior that constantly got him into trouble.
The relative quiet of the kitchen was a relief. He quickly went to the sink to rinse the items he carried. He could have dumped them in for someone else to deal with. That would have earned him a fresh rebuke from Bard, and Loki felt sud
denly too tired for another confrontation. Besides, he didn’t want to make more work for the sigmas. It wasn’t their fault that Loki was trapped far away from home with no power to change his situation.
Bard followed close behind and did the same with the plates. Before Loki could leave the sink, the gamma grabbed his arm. “You should have bid your brother good night.”
Loki sneered, still capable of a confrontation one more time that night, it seemed. “Why?”
Bard huffed. “Because he is your kin and a beta of this pack. He deserves your respect.”
“Really? He ignored me during the meal. What do I care how he feels?”
“You are a selfish brat for certain. Destin has cared for you since the day you were whelped. He has risked his life more than once to protect you. Does that mean nothing?”
A fierce sadness welled up inside him. Embarrassing tears pricked at his eyes. “He only had to do that because he took me away from our pack. Our home!” He pulled his arm free and swiped angrily at the moisture trying to leak out. “I would have been safe if he’d left me where I belonged.”
A shuttered look crossed Bard’s eyes. Lifting his chin, he stared at some distant point. “You don’t understand.”
“You’re right, I don’t. No one will tell me why we had to run.”
The gamma’s face went through a series of contortions that would have been comical if not for the pain Loki felt deep inside whenever he was brave enough to broach this topic. Finally, Bard’s gaze returned to Loki.
“It is enough that your brother, a beta, says it was necessary. You are an omega and still a pup, at that. It is not your place to question the decisions of a dominant.”
“Oh! I hate that answer.” Loki raised his fists in frustration and pounded them once on Bard’s broad chest. He only got in the one shot, however. When he raised them to hit again, Bard stopped him with ease.
The gamma clamped his hands around Loki’s wrists and held them between their bodies. “Don’t.”
Loki’s chest heaved. “You can hit me but I can’t hit you? Is that it?”
“Yes,” Bard admitted after a couple of seconds. “I know that sounds unfair. What I do is for correction, though, not out of anger.”
“Really? The sting in my ass says otherwise.”
Bard’s lips quirked, as if he was trying to suppress a smile. “That was barely a tap just to get your attention. I’m sure you’re not still smarting from it. Small as it is, your backside is firm enough to absorb a blow.”
There was something about Bard’s tone, as well as his expression, that urged Loki to poke back. He lowered his eyelids and smirked. “Yeah, my ass is pretty tight. I bet you’d love to sink your dick into it.”
For a few seconds, Bard froze in place and the look in his eyes both terrified and excited Loki. There was a hunger lurking deep inside the black pupils and he swore they got bigger and rounder. A shudder ran through Bard and his fingers tightened around Loki’s wrists. A strange thought popped into Loki’s head that he was about to learn the mystery of life right there in the kitchen. And his teacher would be the biggest, baddest gamma he’d ever known, a shifter who could break Loki in two without any effort at all.
Then, just as quickly, Bard’s demeanor changed and the moment passed. The guy was back to stern. And patient. Totally under control, and that frustrated Loki even more than it usually did.
“Come, it’s time for you to retire for the night.” Bard said this as he dropped one wrist and guided Loki toward the back door by the other. “You are obviously tired and it’s making you uncommonly rude. I will escort you to Craig’s hut and wait with you until Mabel brings her pups back. She can put you all down to sleep at the same time.”
“I don’t need anyone to tuck me into my pallet.” Loki struggled to free himself, dragging his feet as he went. “I’m not a little pup.”
Bard stopped abruptly, causing Loki to collide into him. “Is that so? Then why are you acting like one now? Do I need to pick you up and carry you or are you going to walk like an adult on your own two feet?”
Loki grunted in frustration. “I’ll walk,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Good.” Bard nodded and let him go. He started for the back door again, sure that Loki would follow.
Which he did but not before saying, “I hate you.”
Bard’s steps faltered. He glanced over his shoulder, a shuttered look clouding his face. “I know.” Then he kept going at a faster pace.
Loki had no choice except to keep up. He opened his mouth to say he didn’t really mean what he’d said. He shut it again only because he wasn’t sure that was the truth, either.
Chapter Two
I bet you’d love to sink your dick into it.
With a muted groan, Bard rolled onto his stomach, Loki’s taunt echoing in his head. He rolled his hips to grind his hard-on against the pallet. It wasn’t much stimulation, although in his heightened state of arousal, his cock wasn’t going to need a lot of coaxing. He was on a hair-trigger and had been for a few hours since Loki had blurted out a truth that Bard tried hard to conceal and ignore.
He did want to sink his dick into that small, tight omega ass. It took nothing at all to imagine how snug and slick Loki’s channel would be as Bard drilled it deeply. His wolf paced and growled beneath his skin at the mere thought. It was getting harder and harder to keep him under control around Loki. His wolf could sense the omega’s coming heat in ways that Bard’s human form could not. He pushed him down deep, reminding him that Bard, the civilized man, was in control. The damn wolf was lucky to have this much of a release.
His fingers gripped the covers, and he bit his lower lip almost to the point of bleeding. The rasping of the cotton along his hot shaft was almost painful. Behind his closed eyes, he had no trouble picturing how it would be to cover the omega’s slight body, taking his own heavy weight on his arms so as not to crush the boy. But their skin would touch nevertheless because Bard wouldn’t be able to keep from reveling in every bit of the omega that he could reach. Their bodies would slip and slide from the sweat drenching them as they pushed to climax.
Mounting Loki would be a test of mastery, not of the boy, but of himself. Bard’s driving need to claim him would have to be wrestled under control. He would want to pound them both to completion, except Loki deserved care and consideration. A gentle fuck would coax the boy’s arousal to a soft peak. Bard would strain every muscle and sinew in his body to keep it from hurting the most precious thing in the world.
He swallowed back his harsh breaths, determined to keep his actions from being overheard in the mostly quiet room. Others had already relieved themselves in the dark space where unmated males bedded down. It was nothing he hadn’t done routinely as recently as a few months ago. Now, though, with his claim over Loki obvious, he didn’t want anyone to know what he did. The other males would understand that he pictured Loki while he gratified himself, and that would be akin to their coveting the omega themselves. At least in Bard’s mind. Worse was that Destin lay right next to him, sleeping away his own orgasm that had undoubtedly been fed by visions of Deirdre. His beta friend didn’t need Bard’s fantasies featuring his baby brother shoved in his face.
Air rushed noisily through his nostrils as his climax built. His wolf whined with impatience. He thrust his hips with greater speed, heedless of worry that he would rub his cock raw. His balls tightened and his fingers clenched as the first wave crashed through him. He stuttered and rocked and gritted his teeth. In his mind, Loki’s tight hole gripped his dick as if it didn’t want to let go. Here, he could be fast and rough because it was only himself to hurt. Warm cum hit his belly, causing him enough satisfaction that another, albeit smaller, orgasm rocked through him. The sticky evidence of his carnal needs soaked into the bedding while he continued to hump the pallet.
When the final spasms subsided, his muscles gave out, leaving him boneless. He took deep, silent breaths to calm his pounding heart. In the quiet aftermat
h of jerking off, he always allowed himself to indulge in a more tender fantasy. He pictured pulling Loki into his arms, tucking the boy’s beautiful face under his arm. Holding him in humble gratitude that the omega had given his trust and his body to Bard’s safekeeping. Except that was one dream that would never come true.
I hate you.
Loki meant those words. Bard had seen the earnestness of them in the boy’s eyes. Circumstances might force Loki to accept Bard as a mate, but there was no chance the omega would ever really want him. As far as the omega was concerned, Destin had stolen him away unfairly, and Bard had been an accomplice. He had every right to resent them and Carr for their part in it. Without the facts, it looked both arbitrary and selfish. Loki’s anger could never be assuaged unless he was told why he had to leave his home. That could never happen. Better for Loki to hate Bard for the rest of their lives than learn the truth. It would wound the omega in an unimaginable way. Bard would gladly accept the pain for him instead.
****
“Gamma, may I have a word with you, please?”
Submersing his bedding fully into the wash basin, Bard looked over his shoulder. “Of course, Alpha Mate. How can I be of assistance?” he added, straightening and wiping his hands dry on his jeans.
The omega, Kyle, approached with his pup sitting on his hip. The alpha female—a concept Bard still had trouble wrapping his mind around—happily burbled while she played with her father’s braid. Her presence eased Bard’s mind, though. He was naturally wary of being alone with the alpha’s mate, even if it was in the laundry room. His old alpha would have viewed such an event as tantamount to betrayal. He had to remind himself that Lorcan was different.
Kyle nodded at the basin. “Is there something wrong with the cleaning services of the sigmas?”
Bard frowned. “Sorry, I…Oh.” Understanding dawned. “No. Not at all. I simply wanted to ease their burden. It takes nothing for me to strip my pallet and bring the bedding here to soak.”
Omega Lost (The Rogue Pack Book 7) Page 2