Stronger than Fate

by Dakila Reed

  Dumbly, Skye just stared and remained rooted there. He stared, watching Rustom reach out to his face. Large sure hands cupping his jaws, thumbs carefully caressing his heating cheeks gently. As if the man was still marveling how his hands fit perfectly around Skye's face. His gaze was searching, and at last came the piercing golden eyes landing to meet his, and Skye could just stare back, lost in them as if drawn to a comforting fire he badly needed.

  "I'm sorry for being late," Rustom whispered, peering closer. "Can we start over? Give me a chance."

  What were the odds that this could really be happening? Was the sincerity in the alpha's eyes even real? Was he allowed to believe something unheard of? If he really did give this a chance, would it work out? He'd always wanted to be chosen. But now that it was there right in front of him, all the insecurities and uncertainty came cascading on him.

  Skye closed his eyes, searching his heart. And past his heating hormones, past the mating instincts, past everything else, he chose to lean in to the comforting touch. He inhaled. He breathed out. And he nearly cried from the sheer overwhelm rushing into him.

  Lifting a hand, Skye rested his over to Rustom's comforting hold. "Are you sure, you, this, isn't just my heat-induced hallucination?"

  For a moment, Skye did think this was just a hallucination. A very vivid one. Grappling for a sense of certainty, or maybe an attempt to feel a sense of that wanted reality, he leaned in abruptly, crushing their mouths together in a powerful clash. He heard a sharp intake of breath. From him. Or from Rustom he didn't know. The sudden burst of heat and flavor from his mouth, spreading throughout his body nearly wiped all his senses. Groaning, Skye tangled his hands around the other's neck, his fingers running and pulling tightly into the thick hair, demanding more. The mere laughter by the man into his own mouth made Skye pull away. He looked into Rustom's eyes, at the man's moist lips and found himself smiling back.

  "It's not a heat induced hallucination," Rustom teased, his hand lightly massaging Skye’s damp nape. "Are you convinced now?"

  Lost, still bewildered, Skye nodded. Both of them a tangled mess on the floor, Skye allowed himself to be pulled into the man's chest. Him hearing the thundering beating of the alpha's heart. The sound was a song into his haywire system.

  "I can convince you in more ways than one," Rustom whispered into his ear.

  Skye bit his bottom lip, shivering.

  "I want to mark you. Claim you," Rustom continued, his voice a scalding whisper. "Let everyone know you're mine."

  Absorbing his alpha’s hold of reality between the call of flesh, despite his heat, Skye was so clear-headed. He held on to Rustom's shoulders and pulled himself up. Circling his arms around the alpha's neck, he brought his lips down, nipping slightly at the soft flesh of the man's ear. Then he whispered.

  "Take me."

  * * * *

  There was nothing mindless, or hasty about it. Each kiss, each caress was worshiping. A heat so explosive in its intensity and yet, what was taking place was a kind, and slow love making.

  Skye had lost how many times he'd been kissed. A cycle of slow, gentle kisses, almost as if everything and the world itself had slowed in its orbit. He could sense the searing and comforting heat of the sun in his mouth, chaste at first, and little by little becoming so strong the fierceness was taking over his head. A kiss going over and over as they shed every bit of their clothes. A kiss almost like they were searching each other's souls until they were out of breath.

  Every time they parted for air, they'd look at each other with greed behind subtle smiles. Almost insatiable. And when they met again to press naked flesh to naked flesh, they dropped to the bed in a laughing and tangled mess.

  Rustom leaned over, elbows resting on both sides of Skye's head. He looked down for a long time, his smile disappearing into the shadows. He raked his gaze over the flushed skin, to the expectant face, and back to the blue orbs staring back at him. Looking at those eyes, it was as if he had his own kind of sky. And this time, they were clouded by want, and by eager anticipation that Rustom was not failing to sense. He could feel it right at the tips of his senses and was warring with his self-control.

  He wanted to appreciate Skye more. Skim and feel his skin like silk on his roughened palms. Breathe in every sweet scent. He wanted to take more time. Yet at the same time he wanted to break him, mend him until Skye yields under his weight, accept his shape.

  He didn't know he was thirsting this much.

  Rustom leaned down, swiping his tongue over Skye's moist lips before heading to the hollow where the man's slim neck met his shoulder. He nipped at the skin, shivering at the intoxicating scent almost slaving him. But he held himself back and started kissing, leaving his traces down to the omega's flat stomach. Purposely ignoring the man's flesh wanting attention, Rustom lifted the man's legs and marveled at the tempting sight. He swallowed hard. Very hard as he dipped his head, tasting the wetness around the man's entrance.

  A hiss escaped from Skye. The omega's fingers tightly and almost painfully yanking on Rustom's hair. It was a sweet kind of tug. He groaned as his more animalistic urges came surfacing, screaming to take its claim.

  He let go of Skye's legs back on the bed and reached out to the man's body instead. He hugged him tighter. Leaned in closer. Almost in a crushing press that allowed them to feel their racing heartbeats. The sound was deafening. Skye's temperature was heating up, the inviting scent growing stronger and thicker surrounding them.

  Easing himself away, Rustom set himself perfectly in between the omega's thighs. His eyes never leaving those stormy blues when he began testing the man's entrance with his fingers. The hole was already excreting so much thick, and transparent moisture. No matter how ready Skye seemed to be, he didn't want the omega to feel any discomfort though. He gently began crisscrossing his fingers, the tight ring of muscles clamping hard at the intrusion.

  Skye shut his eyes tight briefly and opened them again. His chest was erratically rising and falling. And Rustom felt a deep sense of ownership and need to protect this creature in front of him when Skye smiled. A sweet, encouraging smile that was so devastating, Rustom blanked out for a moment. That very small smile made him lose to his urges finally.

  He carefully guided himself into the omega's body, reeling into the tight hotness grasping him. He swallowed an impatient groan as he waited for his partner's expression to relax. When slits of blues gazed up at him with a nod, it was enough for Rustom to finally allow himself to get lost.

  With every thrust, he felt himself getting engraved into Skye's body. And Skye the same way to him. He grinded his teeth, the sound mingling with the omegas gasps and pleas. He lost his rhythm, he lost his control and before he knew it, he was in a pace of elaborate strength and speed. The omega was jerking beneath him, velvet black hair spilling over the white sheets, face thrown to the side exposing pale, glistening skin.

  Rustom licked his lips, his chest tightly constricting, seemingly in sync with his member pulsing inside Skye's body. He bent down, licked the side of Skye's sweat-slicked neck, sucked until he could feel the vein pulsing beneath the thin skin. He opened his mouth, bared his teeth, and sunk down. Hard. He latched tightly into the soft flesh as his climax exploded into his omega's body and Skye's painted their stomachs and chests.

  With Rustom still sheathed inside the warm spent body, he scooped Skye into his arms and rained down little kisses on him. On Skye's cheeks, on Skye's forehead, on the tip of the man's nose, and lastly to the damp, much delicate fingers laced in his.

  "Mine," he whispered hoarsely.

  Skye nodded, tired but sated. "Since the beginning."

  Rustom went home quite a bit late that night. He found Skye still up, attention so hard at the shapes the omega was cutting out from various colored felt papers.

  He leaned into the door frame and allowed himself a few moments watching his best friend, partner, and husband in silence. He could still feel his breath catching every time he sees his mark at th
e side of his omega’s neck. With pride and awe, sometimes he still couldn’t believe they’d fallen into this trap. A trap of domestic happiness and completion.

  “Don’t just stand there like a creeper,” Skye called without even turning over to look. “Get in and help me here. We’re going to use these for a birthday surprise.”

  Rustom walked over to the kitchen table and picked a pink cloud or more like a cotton candy cutout. “Ohhh… one of the pups in the nursery? Who?”

  Skye continued using his magic with the scissor. “Tanya. She’s turning four tomorrow.”

  Rustom feigned disgust and threw the cotton candy cutout back to the table. Skye looked at him in confusion.

  “That little critter is already four? She’s going to be a headache. That girl being an alpha is already a headache.”

  Skye snorted. “If you still bear a grudge on her for painting hearts and flowers all over your precious truck with a permanent marker, may I remind you it’s your fault for parking it by the playground? Everything close to the playground is part of the playground. I told you to park outside.”

  Rustom shook his head in defeat. He took a spare scissor and grabbed a red felt paper. “What else shape do you need?”

  “Four hearts.”

  Swallowing his groan, Rustom started cutting out hearts from the felt paper. Here he was, the respected Supreme Alpha of Sierra Nadre, but right now he was reduced to a scissor-wielding man cutting out crooked hearts. Anything for his omega. Anything.

  “Oh right,” Skye started. He paused with his cutting and looked at Rustom with weird curiosity. “Tanya asked me a very funny question before their nap time earlier.”

  Rustom raised a brow. “Yeah? What?”

  “Tanya is really engrossed that I am mated to the SA. She asked me if you were my first kiss.”

  The alpha spluttered. “Tanya is four? Right?”

  “Kids these days are more mature you know?”

  Rustom raised his brow expectantly. “Well? What did you say to our mature four-year-old lady?”

  Skye looked away, picked his scissors and began busying himself again.

  “Hey, you opened it up, don’t dodge the question now.”

  “Do you even have to ask?” Skye spat. “Our first night was my first everything. Bastard.”

  A stupid warmth spread all over his chest. His grin reaching up to his ears. Skye was frowning at him but he couldn’t help it.

  “Stop grinning.”

  Rustom laughed. “Sorry. It’s a normal response.”

  “Well?” Skye demanded.

  “Well what?”

  “Who’s your first kiss?” Skye snapped, pointing the scissor at Rustom’s direction. “I don’t think I’ve ever asked you that before. Now spill.”

  “Ah… no, no way,” he said shaking his head. “Not telling. Not ever.”

  “Why?”

  He smiled a goofy one, ignoring Skye’s glare.

  * * * *

  It was a beautiful Sunday morning. After the strong rain last night, it left a refreshing dewy scent in the air. Splashes of little rainbows were all around too from when the sunlight hit the droplets dangling from trees and leaves.

  Instead of heading out to play, Rustom ran straight to Grandma Felice’s house. He spent his time not doing his homework but reading books about male omegas. Books that his father had closely hidden in their basement. But Rustom had his own ways. He was excited to do what he’d learned.

  Seeing that the front door was locked, the little alpha ran to the back of the house. There, like how he predicted, the screened-door was left unlocked.

  He toed his running shoes and climbed up the winding staircase two at a time. The baby room was set-up in an open area on the second floor. Enough natural breeze, and enough natural light for the new adoptive male omega of their pack and their district.

  The crib was set just a little away from the window. Rustom waved a hand to the two-year-old baby. “Hello Skye? Where’s Grandma Felice?”

  The baby replied in happy gurgling noises.

  Rustom leaned in, tucking stray black strands of hair away from the baby’s blue eyes. Then he quickly kissed the baby on the lips. A short peck that had baby Skye’s hands flailing in the air, wanting to be picked up.

  A woman’s weak voice called. “Rustom?”

  Rustom turned around, smiling at the old and kind lady.

  “Did you just kiss Skye?”

  “Yeah,” he replied proudly as he took the tray of cookies from the old woman’s hands. “You see Grandma Felice, I found this one book from the basement. Skye is a male omega right?”

  The lady tightened her shawl and sat back on her rocking chair close to the crib. “Yes, he is.”

  “The book is right Grandma. Male omegas smell too sweet. Skye is sweet like candies. The book said that it could be dangerous because some bad guys are after male omegas. Some people may take Skye away from us. I don’t want that.” He poked a finger at the baby’s chubby cheek. “So I kissed him. The book said when they get kissed, their sweet scent decreases by some…”

  “Did you read the section where the kiss should be part of the ‘claiming’?”

  Rustom scratched the back of his head. “Eh… claiming? What’s that? Mom came before I could flip to that chapter.”

  That time, Rustom didn’t know why Grandma Felice burst out laughing at him.

  It was a couple of years later he realized why.

  * * * *

  “Why? Tell me,” Skye insisted.

  Rustom just shrugged and busied himself with the cutouts. “That’s a secret.”

  The omega glared at him but eventually gave up. “You’re an annoying prick sometimes. I wonder why I love you.”

  Rustom smiled, winking at Skye’s direction. “And you can be short-tempered sometimes, but I don’t care either way.”

  They shook their heads in between their own smiles and resorted to a content, companionable silence.

  Watch out for

  STRONGER THAN TRUTH

  (Stronger than #2)

  © Dakila Reed

  Malcom Wayne lost his fated omega early from the hands of brutality. Determined, he vows to use his strength and expertise in protecting and saving omegas through out the country. Female omegas, male omegas, or anyone in dire need of help, he would gladly rescue.

  Sent to Sierra Via, a district not a member of the Allied Districts, omegas here are still bound to the twisted mentality that they are nothing other than sex slaves and properties. Undercover as a construction worker for the renovation of The Prey Ground, the largest sex brothel in the district, the last thing Wayne's expecting from his mission is to come face to face with a heartless, evil omega who wears an innocent face. Liam, an omega and The Prey Ground's manager, is the devil in disguise, torturing and humiliating his fellow omegas with menace no known omega has ever possessed.

  Wayne has never raised a hand to those who are physically weaker than him. But when the mission starts to fail, he's tasked to use the last resort of bringing The Prey Ground down. Not just the alpha owner of said brothel, but its manager as well. For the first time in chaos with what his mind is saying and what his heart is dictating, Wayne hopes to see a glimpse of good and humanity in Liam, any proof that the omega is just a pawn in this terrible game.

  But as the days of observing go by, it seems like Wayne is left with no choice. He has to bring Liam down. For good.

  Stronger than Truth...

  ______________________

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  — Note —

  |

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you so much for picking up ‘Stronger than Fate’. I am a fan of fated and destined partners and mates. But I was always curious too about a character ‘not’ fated for a certain alpha or omega but falls in love anyway. Thus, this tale.

  I hope you liked the time you spent with Alpha Rustom and ou
r dreamer Skye.

  ****

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Dakila Reed is a hybrid of many cultures, living in various times and places inside her head. Her name borders between 'heroic' and 'great'. She is in no way heroic but she is striving hard to be great in the little things she do.

  Black coffee runs through her veins. An avid player of Pump It Up and currently at Level Crazy.

  She aims to bring M/M romances with slices of life, sweetness in love, and bites of pain.

  -author site-

  ____________________________________________

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  Email: dakila.reed@gmail.com

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  Blog: http://dakilareed.wordpress.com

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