Falling Together (The Omega Haven Book 1)

by Claire Cullen

  Will was sheathed inside him, his body pulsing around him as the Alpha held steady.

  “You look beautiful,” the Alpha whispered. “I want to see you like this every day, open and ready for me.”

  Just when he was growing impatient with the Alpha’s slow pace, Will pulled out without warning. Jake had half a second to brace himself, before the Alpha thrust into him, burying himself deep in one move. It took Jake’s breath away, his scrambling fingers splaying out as his palms pressed flat to the wall to brace himself.

  “Yes, Will, do that again.”

  His breathless assertion earned a long chuckle from Will, the Alpha bending over to put his lips next to Jake’s ear.

  “Your wish…” He pulled out, bracing a hand on Jake’s hip, “… is my command.” The thrust slammed Jake against the wall again, his palms tight to the tiles.

  This time, the Alpha didn’t pause between thrusts. With one hand on Jake’s hip and the other braced against the tiles just above Jake’s hand, he found a fast rhythm, thrusting in and out as Jake gave in to the sensations. Each time in and out, Will would hit that point that sent spots across his vision.

  He’d been hard before they’d started, the Alpha’s hand, slick with lube, stroking him until his cock stood tall and proud, pressed against his belly. It was still there, hot, heavy, and leaking.

  He longed to touch it, to stroke it in time with Will’s thrusts, but he couldn’t take his hands from the wall he was braced against. The Alpha was close, Jake could tell, his thrusts more uneven, his breathing ragged.

  “Will, Will, please.” He wasn’t sure what he was begging for, he just knew he needed something, something only the Alpha could give him.

  Will’s hand, pressed above his, let go of the wall and slipped downward. Jake couldn’t hold back the cry that fell from his mouth when that hand, cool and wet from the tiles, wrapped around him, stroked along with the next thrust. That was all it took, Will’s hand on him, Will’s cock inside him, and he came, spurting hard against his stomach.

  Will found his own release a moment later, his mouth biting down on Jake’s shoulder, leaving its mark outside as surely as Will was leaving one inside.

  The Alpha didn’t let go right away, instead turning them both so that his back against the tile, Jake pressed to him. Soft now, Will slipped out of him, but was still pressed tight against him as they both caught their breath.

  The spray of the shower fell on him and Will helped him wash off the sticky come that painted his stomach.

  Jake was bone tired, keeping his eyes open a battle.

  “Let me,” Will said, “I’ve got you.”

  He gave in to the Alpha’s strong arms, as Will washed him off under the warm water and guided him out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. They didn’t bother drying off, Will laying towels out on the bed, lifting Jake onto them before laying down right next to him.

  “That was… that was… Can we do that again?”

  Will chuckled, trailing one hand across his cheek, smearing droplets of water on his skin. Then he leaned in, licking them away with his hot tongue.

  “Every day, if that’s what you want.”

  Jake smiled, cuddling closer to Will’s warmth. “And twice on Sundays.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  It was like a relationship in reverse, Will mused. First the baby, then the sex, then the getting to know you. So far, he was liking every part as much as he might have wished that some things were different.

  On a quiet Tuesday evening, he tended bar for a few hours while Jake was road testing their new inventory checking system. Will was distracted by two female tourists, giggling and flirting as they tried to tease out how to tell a shifter from a non-shifter. Will played along, even baring his teeth when asked on their assertion that a shifter had wolf and not human teeth. Disappointed at finding no outward sign and with Will not giving away the truth, they retreated to their table with their drinks.

  Will nodded to Jeff, who was working security, indicating the ladies so that Jeff would know to keep an extra eye out for them. The curious ones could run into trouble if they caught the eye of the wrong shifter, from something as simple as a stolen purse to something as life changing as a shifter bite. That wasn’t as devastating as it had once been, given many hospitals stocked the equivalent of an anti-venom for lycanthropy. But it didn’t always work and bad reactions were common.

  When he turned his attention back to the bar, a familiar face was sitting on a stool down the other end. Grabbing a cloth and a glass, trying to at least look the part, he walked past a grinning Jake, always amused at the tourist's antics, and slowed to a stop in front of the new arrival.

  “You’re early, Fred.”

  “You’re lucky I’m here at all, Will. I’m a busy man.”

  He could feel Jake’s eyes on them.

  “So I heard. Red Riding made it all the way to number one, huh?” As he spoke, he reached into the fridge, grabbing a beer he knew Fred liked, popping the cap on the bottle and setting it in front of him.

  Fred shrugged. “What can I say. They’re good.” There was a pause. “He’s cute by the way.”

  Will leveled him with a raised eyebrow and Fred rolled his eyes, fingers wrapping around the cold beer. “That little Omega four feet to your right, the one whose scent is all over you.”

  Fred was good enough to at least keep his voice down.

  Will glanced at Jake, calling him over with a look. Curious, Jake stopped what he was doing and moved to stand by his side.

  “Jake, this is Fred, my cousin. Fred, this is my Omega, Jake.”

  Fred looked him up and down and Will could see it made Jake uncomfortable as he wrapped his arms around his middle, looking past Fred to the far wall. Before Will could step in, Fred leaned over the counter, holding out a hand. “It’s lovely to meet you, Jake. It’s past time Will moved on with his life.”

  Jake seemed pleasantly surprised at the warm words, shaking Fred’s hand readily.

  “Fred manages Red Riding. You know, the band.”

  Jake’s eyes widened as Fred laughed. “Only you would introduce the top shifter musicians in the country as ‘you know, the band’. Of course, he knows. He’s not blind, or deaf.”

  Jake, much to Will’s chagrin, was trying to hide a smile.

  “Fine, okay. I’m the first to admit I’m a little out of touch with what’s hip and happening today.” And considering he had yet to turn thirty, that was almost unforgiveable.

  “If you’re still using phrases like 'hip and happening', I suspect you’ve been out of touch a lot longer than you think.” He glanced towards the empty stage. “Which, considering you’re running a shifter music venue, is deeply concerning.”

  Fred took a long drink of his beer before setting it back down on the counter.

  “What brings you here, Fred,” Will countered, ready to move the conversation on. Jake hovered by his side, as if uncertain whether he should stay for the rest. Will solved his indecision by wrapping a calming hand around his wrist for a moment, before lacing their fingers together. He squeezed and Jake squeezed back. Message sent and received.

  “Red Riding are on tour at the moment. They’re playing Augury Park on Saturday.”

  “Yeah, I heard it sold out in twenty minutes.”

  “That it did. I know it’s late notice, but we were hoping to hold a small, private show in the city this Thursday night. We were supposed to be using the Hatchery Club, but they’ve canceled on us at the last minute. Residents around the club put in a complaint to the Amenities Council, you know, the usual crap about noise and stuff. When what they really mean is, they don’t want shifters on their doorstep, even though most of our fans aren’t of the lycanthropic persuasion.”

  “So you need somewhere to play?”

  “Yeah. And we think Snakes and Ladders would be perfect. We’ll pay, of course. The exact same rate we were giving the Hatchery club, which is quite a bit more than Snakes would earn for
a gig that size.”

  “How many are we talking?” Will was doing the mental calculations in his head. They were health and safety approved for four hundred but to be comfortable, Will like to keep it around three.

  “Two hundred and fifty guests and about another forty between the band and the crew.”

  “I’ll have to discuss it with our security.”

  “We can provide the security.”

  “No. My place, my people. They know how to manage a crowd in here.”

  Fred held up his hands. “Have it your way. Can you do it?”

  “Let me talk to Dave and Jeff.”

  “We need an answer by this evening.”

  “You’ll have it.”

  Fred finished his drink. “You’ll give me a call?”

  “Of course.”

  His cousin reached into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet and an envelope.

  “No charge.”

  That earned him a grin, Fred slipping his wallet back into his pocket. He set the envelope down on the table, sliding it towards them.

  “A present for you, Jake. Will, I’ll hear from you soon.” And then he was gone.

  Jake looked at Will, then back at the envelope.

  “Go on, open it. It won’t bite.”

  He watched Jake unfold it, pulling out two shiny pieces of red paper.

  “It’s tickets to Saturday’s concert,” the Omega said excitedly, holding them out. Will took them, letting out a low whistle. “VIP tickets, backstage passes and all. Fred does nothing by halves.”

  Jake was watching him expectantly. “Can we go?”

  “You want to?”

  Jake nodded so fast, Will had to resist the urge to hold his head steady. “Okay, I’ll check if we have enough staff to cover us and call in extra if needs be.” He hadn’t seen quite that look of excitement on Jake’s face before. He guessed, for an Omega from a small Pack like Jake’s, something like this concert would a big deal.

  They fell into bed in the early hours of Friday morning, exhausted beyond belief. Will had kept Jake off the floor for the evening, not trusting his safety given the raucous crowd that wasn’t their usual and all hands on deck to keep things running smoothly. He knew Jake had been disappointed to have to keep to the back rooms given the band were playing, but Will had promised to more than make up for it Saturday evening. And it was good to be busy, keep his mind off the impending doom that was his family reunion.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Dave drove them to Augury Park for the concert. Jake could hardly keep still. It was the first time he and Will were going out together and his first time at a concert.

  “He been at the sugar again?” Dave asked Will.

  Will replied, keeping a straight face. “Nope. Strict ban on sugar and other legal highs.”

  “Doesn’t seem to have done much good.”

  Jake rolled his eyes. “You know I’m right here?”

  “Only because that seatbelt is keeping you in place. Otherwise, I think you’d be in orbit.”

  “Fred promised to introduce us to the band after.” They were all shifters, their lead guitarist an Alpha, but that wasn’t why he was excited. One of the first times he and Will had really bonded was over music. And now they’d be in a crowd, surrounded by sound, by people, and they’d be each other's anchors.

  They got out at the Park gate, Dave promising to pick them up after. There was a steady stream of people walking into the venue. As they got out, he caught sight of his reflection in the car door. He was wearing dark wash jeans, torn at the knee, and a fitted t-shirt Mischa had lent him.

  “Come on.” Will snagged his sleeve, “Let’s go.” The Alpha was wearing a dark jacket over a navy t-shirt and black jeans.

  Arm in arm, they strolled into the park. It was a warm summer evening, the mood around them heavy with anticipation. They swapped their tickets for wristbands and were directed to a tent off to the side of the stage. It was nice to be out of the crowd for a few minutes. The tent had an array of comfortable seating and refreshments. Fred met them there, thanking Will again for the success of Thursday’s show.

  “The band loved Snakes. I didn’t know they’d played there when they were just getting started. They were calling themselves the Silver Bullet then, it was before I took them on.”

  He headed off backstage and Jake was happy to have Will to himself. The Alpha seemed on edge, watching their surroundings with a careful eye.

  “Are you going to be like this all evening?” Jake asked.

  “Like what?”

  “In Alpha cop mode.”

  Will made a face. “No. Well, maybe. I just need to get a feel for our surroundings, the sounds, the scents, so I can pick out if something changes.”

  “How can I make it easier?” He wanted Will to enjoy the evening too.

  That earned him a smile, Will’s hand cupping his cheek. “Stay close, let me know what you’re doing before you do it. No crowd-surfing.”

  Jake grinned back at him. “Done, done, and done.”

  “They’ve cordoned off a section in front of the stage. It’ll be crowded but if we stay towards the back, we’ll get all the atmosphere but still have a bit of space to ourselves. That sound okay to you?”

  He nodded readily. All he wanted was the experience, was for them to share the experience. He’d leave the specifics up to Will.

  They left the tent just before the band went up on stage, a member of security checking their wristbands and letting them through to the front. There was a crowd of people already in there, happy and excitable. Will wrapped a hand securely around his forearm and led him to the midpoint, towards the back, where they had a good view of the stage. The crowd was a little thinner there, but they were by no means alone, brushing elbows with those nearest them.

  He didn’t pull from Will’s grip even when they stopped, watching as the Alpha observed their surroundings with great interest. Jake knew what he was doing, using sight and scent to map the crowd so at the first sign of danger, the first hint of a threat, he’d be able to act. The Alpha’s care gave him a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

  The band came out, did a quick warm up and started to play. It was intense, the noise, the atmosphere, and the crowd closed in a little. Will moved him so he stood right in front of the Alpha, his back to Will’s chest, the Alpha’s hands around his waist, holding him by the belt loops of his jeans.

  Despite the fact that they were out in the open, surrounded by strangers, he felt as safe and protected as if he was in Will’s room, in Will’s bed, the Alpha’s body wrapped around him. It helped him relax and enjoy the music, giving himself to the rhythm, swaying with the crowd. Will’s hands never left him, fingers strumming idly against his skin.

  At a brief break in the music, Will pressed his mouth to Jake’s ear. “Let’s call this the first date, huh?”

  “There’ll be more?”

  “Oh, yeah. I have plans for you and me.”

  Jake turned his head, pressing a kiss to Will’s cheek. The angle was awkward, but he managed it, Will’s stubble brushing his face.

  The band returned, rolling straight into one of their biggest hits, the crowd surging along with the music.

  Will’s hands were around him again, fingers tight in his belt loops, tugging Jake back a half-step so their bodies were flush. In that moment, Jake didn't think he'd ever been happier.

  The park emptied out slowly, Will and Jake trailing out behind the worst of the crowd.

  “You guys have a good time?” someone called and Jake glanced over his shoulder to see Chris and another man he didn’t know.

  “Hey, Chris. Hey, Tim,” Will said, pivoting to face them and bringing Jake along with him. “Tim, this is my mate, Jake.”

  “You guys were at the concert?” Jake asked, spying their wristbands, red like his and Will’s.

  “We had tickets and Will helped us with a little upgrade.”

  “Fred helped them with an upgrade, at my request.”


  Jake put the pieces together. “Because of me?”

  “Can’t be too careful right now. Especially somewhere so open.”

  He wanted to be angry, but it was hard with Will so earnest and Chris and Tim acting like it was no big deal.

  “Did you enjoy the music?” he asked Chris.

  “Yeah, it was pretty good. I’m more a fan of their earlier work. They used to play at Snakes, when they were still Silver Bullet.”

  They segued easily into a conversation about whether fame had a negative impact on musical talent. Will threw an arm across his shoulders as they walked back to the gate. He felt good. He felt like he belonged.

  Someone knocking on Will’s bedroom door woke them both early the next morning. Will groaned.

  “It’s too early to be up.”

  “It’s Shifting Sunday, we’re probably missing brunch.”

  The rules in Snakes about shifting were strict. You shifted in your own room and only your own room, except for the Sunday closest to the full moon, which the staff had dubbed Shifting Sunday. It was one of Jake’s favorite days. They locked all the outer doors, and the doors to the store rooms and offices, and blocked off the bar. Being in your wolf form was permitted anywhere in the unlocked zones. The only other time they had such freedom to shift was in Knowledge Forest, and Jake wasn’t keen to revisit there anytime soon.

  The persistent knocking continued, accompanied by Celine’s voice.

  “Will, Jake, are you up?”

  “No,” Will called back.

  “Then you’d better get your asses out of that bed. You’ve got a visitor.”

  It was Jake’s turn to groan, but he paused when something occurred to him.

  “It’s definitely tomorrow that your family gets here, right?”

  “Right,” Will said, but he sat up, swinging his legs out of the bed. “Who is it, Celine?”

  “Your mom, honey. And she is not best pleased.”

  Will swallowed hard, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hands. “We’ll be out in a minute. Root out some of that special tea from the store room, will you?”