Lorcan took a step forward. “Change.” He issued the order in a curt tone.
The beta did as compelled and straightened slowly with his head hung low. He wasn’t all that old, yet tall and muscular. He’d obviously taken a beating, his broad chest had wide pink and puckered gashes.
“If it please you, Alpha, we come begging for help. Haldon is dead and with him most of our fighters. We are all that’s left of the betas and gammas.” He lifted tired eyes. “The ferals who survived to turn tail, pilfered our supplies and cannibalized our longhouse before they left in our trucks.”
He turned to gesture to the shifters ranged behind him. “We don’t have the means to keep our vulnerable pack members through the winter. Our pups will starve. And,” he added, hanging his head once more, “we have no alpha to lead us, regardless.”
The man sighed. “The gammas and I understand that you won’t want to keep us around. Kill us or let us go. We stand ready to accept your judgment, but please take the others. They are blameless in this war.”
Lorcan remained silent for a long minute while he considered his answer. All the other Rogue members froze in place, waiting to hear what he intended to do. Ben instinctively looked at the omega by the trees. The boy held a very young-looking pup close to his chest. Even at a distance, Ben could see his fear.
The alpha won’t turn them away. Surely not.
Finally, Lorcan took a deep breath and blew it out. “You and the gammas will have to earn your way into this pack. There’s a cave not far from where the border used to lie. You can winter there so long as you hunt and contribute meat to us.
“The others are welcome.” He looked around. “Quarters and supplies will be tight, but we’ll manage. Come spring, if you prove worthy, I’ll consider letting you into the pack.”
The beta’s relief was palpable. He inclined his head. “Thank you, Alpha.”
“I’m not your alpha yet.” Lorcan lifted up his hand and gestured to the new pack members. “Come.”
They hesitated for a few seconds, each looking at the others and all afraid to move first. The omega broke the impasse, taking a tentative step forward before boldly walking into the compound. A sigma followed, then another, and soon they were all making their way down. At the same time, the beta and the gammas backed up. They didn’t turn their back on Lorcan or shift until they’d reached the trees. Once they had, they fled into the woods.
Lorcan turned to Destin. “I hope you don’t mind my giving away your home. I want you living here now permanently, in any event. You’ve earned the right to join the pack.”
Destin nodded. “Thank you. We’re happy to make the move. I gather Carr has already, and after this battle, I want Loki here anyway.”
“Good, it’s settled.” He sighed. “Except, we just acquired a whole lot more mouths to feed and bodies to house. Sorry, Deidre, can you…?”
“No worries, Alpha,” the woman replied. “I’ve got this. Joey,” she called out, turning back to the longhouse. “We’re going to need you to whip up more supper.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the omega replied. “On it. Like I can’t count,” he added under his breath. He rolled his eyes at Ben as he passed him and hurried back into the house.
Kyle walked past his mate to meet the male omega. “Ryan. You’ve bred and whelped?” He put his arm around the boy. “It must have been recent.”
“A few days ago,” Ryan answered, his voice quavering.
“Gods, let’s get you comfortable.”
“I’m fine.”
“Yeah, right.” Kyle slowed as they approached the steps. “Who was the sire?”
“H-haldon.” The answer came out almost in a whisper, and Ryan shot a fearful look at Lorcan.
Kyle’s footsteps faltered, bringing them both to a halt. “Oh.”
“Please, can’t I keep him?” Now Ryan’s words were close to a sob.
The drama played out right in front of Ben. He knew he should go and get Daniel some food. This wasn’t his business. Yet, he couldn’t move. His heartbeat sped up and his stomach roiled. Alphas didn’t typically let a rival male’s pup live, especially not a male one, after a war. There was too much worry over retribution. Kyle’s status as a beloved alpha-mate made him an exception, but Ryan’ pup represented a potential risk. No way Lorcan would take it. How had the omega found the courage to approach the longhouse knowing he’d have to confess his pup’s parentage?
Wrapping his arm around the boy, Kyle brought him in close and peered down at the pup. “He’s my brother.” The alpha mate looked over Ryan’s shoulder at Lorcan. “Of course, he can stay.”
The alpha had heard it all. He stared back at his mate with an unreadable expression. The seconds ticked by without a response, which only increased the sourness of Ben’s stomach.
Destin touched Lorcan’s arm. “Alpha, if you need me to take care of this…”
The alpha shook his head once and approached Kyle and Ryan. The alpha mate stood his ground with his head held high. If he was scared, he didn’t show it. That was fine because Ben was scared shitless for both of them. And still, he didn’t turn away, probably because he didn’t know his new alpha very well. He wanted to see for sure what kind of pack he’d joined.
Lorcan stopped beside the omegas and looked down at the pup. “Let me see him.”
Ryan seemed frozen to the spot, his courage having finally flagged. It was Kyle who pulled back the blanket covering the pup to expose his face more.
The alpha gazed at him for a while before smiling. “What a pretty omega. Did Haldon change him?”
Ryan’s head bobbed up and down quickly. “Yes, sir.”
“Good. What’s his name?”
“Milo, sir.”
“Interesting.” Lorcan smiled gently at his mate. “Kyle, why don’t you settle Ryan and Milo in our quarters? Everyone is going to have to double and even triple up until we get more buildings erected. Besides, it will allow Hope a better chance to get to know her…uncle.”
“That’s a great idea,” Kyle said. “Thank you.”
Lorcan cupped his mate’s chin. “We’re a different type of pack, remember? I could no more resent or fear this little pup than I could you. Now, off you go.”
“Yes, Alpha. Come on, Ryan.”
The collective relief of everyone within earshot broke the tension the new pack members’ arrival had created. Ben felt it inside himself. He turned and opening the door, held it for the others. He entered into a longhouse teeming with people bustling about and a cacophony of noise as the new people were sorted out.
Now he did ignore what was going on around him. He had a duty to perform, one that he relished. His men needed care, and at that moment, it meant getting Daniel a big meal. Soon, Carr would wake up and once he’d recovered from his wounds, Ben was determined to mate with him.
If the gamma would have him.
Chapter Eleven
“I am not a pup.” Carr winced at his own tone, aware that it served to undercut his very assertion.
“I know that.” Ben had endless patience with him, which also highlighted Carr’s juvenile petulance over being confined to his pallet for days. “Finish your soup anyway. You need to get your strength back if you’re going to mount me for our mating.”
The reminder of the delightful event in the near future caught his wolf’s attention. He prodded him to stop being an ass and finish his meal. Carr downed the rest of the soup in one long swallow.
“There,” he said, handing the bowl over to Ben. “Now, come lie beside me.” He slid onto his back and patted the pallet.
Rolling his eyes, the boy put the bowl aside and did as asked. His sleek, warm body pressed against Carr, the way it had done for the last few nights. It felt amazing, especially because now he didn’t have to share the boy with Daniel. Even as he thought that, however, guilt pricked at him. If he concentrated, his wolf could detect the beta’s. It was a weird and slightly disconcerting byproduct of the blood transfusion. Or so A
ndrea had explained. He couldn’t say he resented it or that it made him uncomfortable. It was taking some getting used to, that was all.
Right at that moment, he knew the beta was hanging in the great room with others. The man’s wolf was content, yet alert. The presence of so many new shifters, even servient ones like sigmas, made all the wolves restless. Yet, he also knew that Daniel and his wolf weren’t concerned about Ben. They knew he was with Carr, and that fact seemed to ease their minds. At least that was the vibe coming off the wolf. Daniel, himself, had reassured Carr when they’d had a minute alone together. He was happy for Carr to mate Ben, and the sentiment had rung true for both Carr and his wolf.
No, there was no worry about Daniel. It was Ben’s feelings that Carr was troubled by. Although the omega had insisted that he wasn’t settling for Carr because Daniel wasn’t available, the nagging worry remained. Unfortunately, the only way to know Ben’s mind for sure was to mate with him. His wolf wouldn’t be able to lie the way the boy could if prodded on the issue. Of course, once the mating occurred, it would be too late. That was the crux of the conundrum.
Nevertheless, Ben’s actions displayed no hesitation. He curled into Carr’s side readily enough. Carr draped an arm over the boy’s shoulders and slid his free hand up under his shirt. The omega’s belly was flat, showing no signs of the pup growing underneath. That would change, and soon. He intended to have mated him before that happened. Whatever else might be true, this pup needed a devoted sire. Carr would be that—no question.
“Tell me again why you changed your mind and want to mate with me, little one.”
Ben sighed, his warm breath wafting across Carr’s bare chest and causing his nipples to harden. He wasn’t going to be able to hold off on the mating much longer. His strength might not be fully recovered, but his wolf was restless. And, with the stitches out and the stomach wound mostly pink scar tissue, he felt ready.
Ben traced his finger along the puckered lines. “Well, I’d been kind of working my way to that point for a while. When I thought you were going to die, my feelings bubbled to the surface. They overrode my fears of putting myself in the control of a dominant male and made me see clearly what I wanted.”
“You know I’ll never abuse my power, don’t you? I only want what’s best for you and our pups. It’s not about ordering you around to feed my own needs. I’m not Kurt,” he added because making his point heard was important.
“I know.” Curling up more and bending over, Ben traced those same lines with his tongue. “The simple answer, as I’ve said a few dozen times now, is that I love you.”
Carr’s breath stuttered at the touch and his cock began to stiffen. “Are you sure?”
“Very.” The omega rained kisses along the wet trail he’d just laid. “I think I began to fall in love with you the moment I saw you bounding out of the woods. All that white fur and pale blue eyes was the most exotic thing I’ve ever seen.”
The omega’s hand slipped under the blanket covering Carr, and his fingers wrapped around the lengthening rod. “Everything you’ve done since then has only increased and solidified my feelings.”
Carr raked his hand through the boy’s hair. “And Daniel?”
“Ugh.” Ben flipped his head to face him while nuzzling his abdomen with his cheek. His grip on the cock tightened. “You have to stop worrying about him. I’ve told you that while I love Daniel and always will, I’m not in love with him. I don’t want him to be my mate, and he doesn’t want me, either.”
Carr gasped as slender fingers pumped his shaft. “That’s not quite true. He and his wolf want you plenty. Huh!” His breath whooshed out when a thumbnail scraped across the slit of the glans.
“Sure they do. They’re betas. Like gammas, they want to fuck all the time. But, the human part of him knows that he and I can never forge a life together. You’re overthinking this when I don’t want you to think at all.”
The omega surprised Carr by sitting up and tossing the blanket back. He stared down at him with a sultry look. “Let me make you feel good. Please?” he added with a playful bat of his lashes.
Carr’s dick jerked. Whatever reserve he might have held onto flew away. “You can do whatever you want with me. To me. I’m yours, little one, forever and always.”
Ben smiled. Letting go of Carr’s cock, he whipped off his shirt and shimmied out of his jeans. His beautiful, naked body glowed in the muted light of the small room. His dick was hard and the scent of his slick filled Carr’s nostrils. Thank the Gods, this wasn’t some misguided sense of duty or gratitude. It wasn’t even pragmatism. The boy wanted him. Knowing that for sure, caused Carr’s wolf to howl. There was an answering call, short and to the point. Daniel was giving him his blessing. Then the sound of the beta’s wolf cut off as if he were deliberately giving them the privacy that was required.
Ben slung a leg over Carr’s thighs and began jerking him again. The boy’s fingers weren’t able to encircle the hard rod completely. But, he kept up a slow pump from root to head with a steady pace while his other hand cradled Carr’s aching balls.
The omega’s lips parted on a pant. “You’re so big. I’ve never had a chance to appreciate that before.”
“It doesn’t scare you, does it?”
Ben shook his head once. “No. Mmm.” His eyelids closed to half-mast. “I’m so wet and my hole itches to be filled. I guess I must love your size,” he added with a shy grin.
“Oh, fuck. Don’t say such things, little one, unless you want me to spill over your hand.”
Ben’s eyes popped open and his smile broadened. “Don’t do that. There are things I want to try first.”
Before Carr could fathom what the boy meant, Ben wiggled his pert ass farther down Carr’s legs. Then Ben bent over and licked a tickling stripe up the underside of Carr’s pulsing dick. His brain was just processing that delightful feeling when the boy sucked him into his warm mouth.
“Shit.” Carr breathed the curse out before his eyes slammed shut. He focused his concentration on the exquisite pleasure of his dick being consumed with a tight, wet enthusiasm that made his toes curl.
Ben made all kinds of tortuous humming sounds while he licked and sucked Carr’s shaft. Those clever fingers wrapped around his balls and massaged them with a firm, rolling grip. Carr fought the urge to buck his hips, his desire to sink farther into the omega’s tight throat warring with his need to not hurt him. Even so, his climax bubbled up.
“Stop!” He grabbed a hank of the boy’s hair and pulled him off his dick.
“Why?”
Carr forced his eyes open and groaned at the wanton sight of Ben’s swollen, wet lips. “It’s too much, little one. I don’t want to come in your mouth.”
“Where do you want to do it then?” The boy’s mischievous smile let him know he knew the answer already.
Before Carr could reply, Ben grabbed the base of his cock and squeezed. Then he knee-walked up to Carr’s hips and straightened at the same time he levered up Carr’s dick.
“Let me do all the work,” the omega said before positioning Carr’s rod against the slick hole.
Carr’s wolf growled in frustration and urged him to lift his hips to shove his dick in. He fought that impulse as he had the other and let Ben set the pace. His patience was rewarded a second later. Ben took him in to the very hilt in one long, slow descent. Carr watched the boy’s face carefully even though his eyes wanted to close. He saw no pain or hesitation, only joy and pleasure.
Ben licked his lips. “You fill me so completely.”
“It doesn’t hurt?”
“Not one bit.”
“Good.” With that reassurance, Carr grabbed the boy’s narrow hips and raised him to the point where their bodies remained connected by the cockhead only.
Ben giggled and placed his palms on Carr’s chest for balance. “Hey, I’m supposed to be in charge this time.”
“Sorry, little one,” he replied, lowering him down and relishing the way his cock slid
into the slick channel. “My wolf can’t wait. Neither can I.”
“Don’t hurt yourself.” The omega squeaked when he repeated the process, then gasped as he angled his hips on the next thrust to brush up against the boy’s prostate.
“Oh!” Ben’s eyes took on a wild look. “That’s amazing.”
Carr grinned. “It’s going to get better. Kiss me,” he commanded.
Ben didn’t hesitate. Bending down, he pressed his mouth against Carr’s. The boy’s touch was tentative at first, but became bolder with each slanting of their lips. When Carr’s tongue pressed for entrance, Ben opened for him and shyly greeted him with his own.
They moaned into each other’s mouths, while Carr kept up steady, shallow thrusts. It wasn’t nearly enough. That was fine. He didn’t want this first time alone—their mating—to be rushed. He told his wolf to shut up every time he whined and yipped for more. He couldn’t blame the poor thing. He was anxious to hear the call of his mate.
Soon. Let me give him this. He deserves to savor this.
He tasted with his tongue and rocked with his hips until they were both writhing and groaning uncontrollably. It was time. Past time. He rolled over, ignoring the twinge from his wound and lay between Ben’s splayed legs.
He pulled up from the kiss and nibbled along the boy’s jaw. In this new position, he could dive deeper into the boy’s tight, wet channel. The scent of slick was overpowering, testament to how aroused the omega was. The boy’s cock was weeping pre-cum down its shaft. It carried its own smell up to him, making him want a taste. Except he couldn’t bring himself to pull his dick out of the omega’s welcoming sheath. So, he reluctantly gave up feasting with his mouth, straightened and clasped Ben’s cock in his hand.
“Oh, yes.” Ben tossed back his head and moaned prettily as Carr lavished attention on the needy dick.
It would take nothing to bring the boy off, but that wasn’t the plan, either. Instead, he flicked a drop of cum with his thumb and sucked on it. Mmm. Sweet and salty at the same time. He wanted badly to feast on that lovely dick and no other for the rest of his life. Duty called, however. And, he had a lifetime to explore every part of his mate.
Omega in the Middle (The Rogue Pack Book 5) Page 18