by Kaia Pierce
Kaden jiggled his knee so hard that the table shuddered. “Just tell me you’ll think about it,” he said.
For an instant, I could feel myself softening towards him. He was the only family I had left, after all.
“I…” I began. Then, as my attention drew down to the front of his shirt, I trailed off.
Kaden lowered his chin to follow my gaze and noticed the curious white handprint on his black tee shirt.
“Oh. One of my omegas, Liam Davis, works at a bakery,” he said off-handedly, and he rubbed his shirt until the handprint turned into a grayish smudge.
Liam.
Hearing him say his name suddenly snapped me out of the illusion. It forced me to realize that in the end, Kaden was still a stranger to me.
He was a stranger who had taken so much from me. Even Liam, the bitch I rightfully claimed during the last heat cycle. Kaden called him one of his omegas.
Inside me, my hatred for him was reignited. I remembered what had motivated me to come to Riverrun in the first place.
I came here to defeat my brother, to prove that I was better. I came here to win, and I was prepared to do so—by whatever means necessary.
A well-practiced smile spread across my face. “Sure, brother. I can think about it.”
“Great. Thanks. That’s all I ask,” Kaden said.
We clasped hands over the table, and I resisted the urge to crush his bones in my fist.
*
Once we finished our coffee, we walked out of the diner. The outside world was damp, loud, and smelled like diesel and wet pavement. Kaden got on his motorcycle, and I got on mine. I hated to admit it, but despite growing up apart, we still had many things in common, and our motorcycle hobby was one of them.
The meeting with Kaden left me restless and irritated, especially after seeing the flour on his shirt. Earlier, Liam had been covered in flour as well. He was mine. The thought of him being so close to a man I considered my enemy was enough to turn my blood into scorching, flowing lava.
Once I got out onto the road, I forced all traces of Kaden out of my mind, and I focused all of my energy on Liam instead.
I had to go remind him who was really in charge.
Clenching my jaw against the wind, I road all the way to Liam’s neighborhood. But when I drove past his house, I saw that his car wasn’t in the driveway. I already knew he wasn’t at work, so there was only one other possible place he could be.
After a fifteen-minute ride, I arrived at the gray house where Liam’s friend Diana lived. Sure enough, his white sedan was parked right out front.
So was Kaden’s Harley.
I got a funny, desperate feeling just then. I didn’t like it.
Something ugly and angry stirred inside of me. I swallowed it down as I turned away. Back to Liam’s, I told myself. I could wait there, and I planned to for as long as it took until Liam came home.
Chapter 5: Liam
After Kaden came back to pick up his kids, I said goodbye to Diana and drove back home through a light mist of rain. My entire body ached with the need to sleep. Now that watching the twins had worn me out, I knew I could climb into bed, listen to the sound of the rain on my window, and immediately pass out without the hours of tossing and turning I was used to.
There was a motorcycle parked in the driveway. I barely noticed it, assuming that it was Logan’s ride, until I pulled into the spot behind it. While Logan’s bike was a chopper with lots of shiny chrome, the one currently leaning against my house was a sleeker, sportier model painted in matte black.
My entire body went numb with fear.
I shut off the engine and gripped my steering wheel hard. My mind raced. Should I get out of the car? Should I stay inside?
My heart thumping, I studied the world through my windshield.
The overgrown hedges behind the driveway shuddered. Then, two hands appeared from the other side, dividing the hedge to form a space where a tall, male figure stepped through.
The moment I recognized him, I stopped breathing.
Caleb.
His face remained guarded, but he stared right at me.
Without even thinking about it, I got out of my car and walked towards him. He’d never visited me twice in the same day.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” he said.
“Do you want to come in?” I blurted out.
Caleb gestured to the house and nodded.
Slowly, I led the way up the stone walkway to the front door. It was strange hearing Caleb’s boots so close behind me, smelling his scent, or simply feeling his energy. I sensed waves of anger rolling off of him. It made my breath catch as I wondered what it was he wanted to do to me.
I stepped onto the welcome mat and put my key into the lock. Then, I let myself in and held the door open for Caleb. Once he got inside, he slammed the door shut.
“You’ve seen my brother recently,” he growled. His tone sounded accusing.
Instead of looking in his eyes, I looked at his feet. “Of course I have. He’s my pack alpha,” I said in a low voice. We see each other every other day, I almost added. But something told me that Caleb wouldn’t like to hear that.
Caleb stared down at me for what felt like a very long time. His face glowed from the only light in the room, which beamed out from a nightlight that was plugged in behind the armchair. His eyes were gunmetal-gray in the dimness, framed by his floppy black hair.
His brow suddenly furrowed with impatience. He ran his hand through his hair and blinked a few times before he spoke again.
“Who would you be loyal to, if it came down to it? Me or him?” he said.
His question took me by surprise. “What—what do you mean by that?” I stammered.
Caleb licked his lips. He almost looked nervous. “If Kaden and I were the last two alphas on earth, which one of us would you be loyal to?”
I bit back my answer. Kaden, I almost said. I knew that was a lie, though. I knew it in my gut.
“I would be loyal to you, Caleb,” I said. Always.
“That’s good,” Caleb said faintly. Then, almost as if it were an afterthought, he grabbed my shoulders and pulled me in for a kiss.
I closed my eyes and tilted my head back, overwhelmed by his scent as I opened my mouth to him. Caleb stroked the back of my neck with the tips of his cold fingers.
I shivered.
His hands fell down my back and began pulling at the bottom of my sweater.
“You have no other alpha but me. You got that?” he said. His voice was low and gruff.
In one swift movement, he pulled up my sweater and tee shirt, yanking both off over my head. Before I knew it, I was cold and shirtless. Caleb ran his hands up my stomach and pinched my nipples, making me yelp.
“Answer me,” he whispered.
“Yes, sir,” I gasped.
Caleb hooked one hand around the back of my neck while the other worked his pants open. Then, he pushed me down to my knees, eventually thrusting his semi-hard cock into my eager mouth.
He rested his hands on my head as I sucked him off.
“Who am I?” he said.
I had to pull his cock out of my mouth and wipe my lips before answering. “You’re my alpha.”
“Look at me and say it.”
I inclined my head and fixed my eyes on his unsmiling face. “You’re my alpha,” I whispered.
“Come here,” he muttered.
Caleb dragged me back up to my feet. Then, he pulled me towards the soft, blue couch that was pushed up against the far wall. Immediately, I bent over and put my hands to the cushion. By the time Caleb pulled my jeans off, my asshole was dripping wet, ready for him.
It never took me long to get wet or hard once Caleb started touching me.
“Never forget that,” Caleb muttered over the sound of his zipper. Then, I heard him spit on his dick. “Never forget who your alpha really is.”
I bit my lip, my bare ass trembling in the air. I could feel his hands gripping my hips. H
e parted my cheeks and rested his manhood between them, teasing my opening with its warmth. My own cock gave a huge throb. I craved him so badly that I could’ve wept.
After an agonizing few seconds, Caleb pierced my opening with his cock.
I moaned with relief.
This is exactly where I belong, my entire body told me. I wanted to be closer to him, so I pushed my ass back.
Caleb spanked me—hard.
“Don’t move,” he snapped.
“Yes, sir,” I whispered, and I froze.
Kaden pumped his dick in and out of me in rapid succession, hitting me in the deepest spot possible. I could feel every inch of him inside of me. So hard…so big…
My cock throbbed so hard, it was painful, and it was so wet with my precum. I wrapped my hand around my shaft and closed my eyes as the ripples of pleasure rocked me.
Caleb groaned with each thrust. The sound of his voice and knowing that he was feeling good because of me made my cock drip even more.
“Tell me,” he grunted, “who your alpha is one more time.”
“You are, sir!” I gasped, my chest strained and tight.
He reached around to wrap his hand around my throat. “I can’t hear you,” he growled, giving me a gentle squeeze.
“You are, Caleb!”
“Good boy,” Caleb whispered. His voice grew fainter by the second, as if it were floating away.
Then, he abruptly stopped.
My asshole pulsed around his cock, which was beginning to twitch inside of me.
“I’m about to—” he said.
I pushed my ass back against him. “Please!”
Caleb groaned deeply. Seconds later, I felt the warm splash of his seed. I could almost taste him in the back of my throat as he slowly filled my cavity. Instinctively, I began pulling away, but Caleb grabbed my hips and dragged my ass back down on his cock.
“Wait,” he said gruffly.
I bit my lip, waiting, expecting. Caleb already came inside me, but there was one more thing we’d never done together.
Is today finally the day? I wondered.
But before I knew it, he was already pulling his softening dick out of me. Immediately, I turned around, and Caleb roughly wrenched my face in his hand, forcing my head back so he could kiss me.
I closed my eyes and let his mouth claim mine. His tongue swirled around my lips and teeth. My heart raced as he sucked the breath out of me. It was a kiss like every other we shared since we first met, but for the first time I was left unsatisfied.
I wanted more than kisses, than sex, than feeling his cum dripping out of my tender asshole.
I wanted to feel him knotted inside of me, and I wanted it so badly it scared me.
Chapter 6: Caleb
“No…no, please!”
Liam’s voice jerked me out of sleep. I opened my eyes to see his body twitching under the thin, cotton sheet. His eyelids were open just enough to expose a sliver of the whites of his eyes.
“No! No!”
“Liam—” I reached for his shoulder. He was obviously having a nightmare.
“No! Mommy!”
I froze. I’d never heard Liam sounding like this, so scared and innocent. I hesitated for just a second before I finally grabbed his shoulder to give him a good shake. “Liam, wake up!”
His eyes snapped open, and they were the golden-amber color of wolf’s eyes. I drew back instinctively.
Liam gasped, struggling for breath, his mind still half-asleep.
I pulled my hand back. “You’re dreaming,” I said.
Liam’s eyes finally seemed to focus on me, and the wolfishness melted away to reveal the soft chocolate shade of his natural human eyes. “C-Caleb?” he whispered.
“It was just a dream,” I said again.
Suddenly, Liam buried his face in my chest. I was surprised to feel that his forehead was slick with cold sweat.
“Thank god,” he whispered. His shoulders trembled.
My first impulse was to pull away, but my inner wolf had different ideas. The omega inside of Liam was in distress, calling for the protection of the alpha inside of me. That protective urge was awakened, and instead of retreating, I was compelled to wrap my arms around Liam’s quivering body.
We remained that way for a few minutes.
As I held him in the silence, my eyes slid over his shoulder to the digital clock on the nightstand. It was almost noon. We’d napped for about an hour.
After fucking earlier in the living room, Liam and I had taken a shower together. There was no expectation of sex…at first. Even through the mist of hot water, I could smell the precum leaking from Liam’s cock and the juices collecting in his asshole. Before I knew it, my dick was hard, and we were fucking again, like animals.
The second time had left both of us exhausted, which was how we ended up falling asleep in bed together, eventually bringing us to the current situation.
Absently, I moved my right hand to the back of his head. “Feel better?”
Liam pulled away, but he covered his face with his hands. “I think so. Yes. Thank you.”
“Were you dreaming about your mother?”
Liam didn’t answer.
I grabbed his wrists, pulling his hands away from his face. “Look at me and answer the question.”
When Liam met my eyes, the veins in his wrists began pounding against my fingers.
“I was dreaming about the last time I saw her,” he whispered. “It wasn’t a good dream.”
“How old were you?” I asked.
Liam pried his lips open, releasing a shaky breath before he answered, “Seven.”
A bunch of questions popped up in my mind just then. I considered for the first time that Liam had lived an entire past that was still unknown to me, and that it may have been as traumatic—or more—as my own past.
“I never had a mother,” I said. I wasn’t even sure what made me tell him.
Liam’s eyes softened, like butter. The fear in them was completely gone, to be replaced by something warmer. “I’m sorry.”
When he tried to touch my face, I shook him off. “Don’t be. I’m not.”
And just like that, I felt the protective urge in my wolf completely die out.
Turning away, I got out of bed and began yanking on my jeans. Liam pushed himself up into a sitting position and drew the sheets up over his lap. He watched me finish getting dressed.
“Where are you going?” he asked when I zipped up my hoodie.
“I better get out of here before your roommate gets home,” I said.
“He won’t be back until six,” Liam said.
“So there’s still time for me to leave through the front door.” I began to turn away.
“Wait. Please?”
I stopped and turned around to face him.
Liam stared at me for a while. Then, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. The sheets slipped off of him, exposing his naked body. My eyes raked over every inch of his bare skin, resisting a violent twist of hunger deep inside of my gut. My throat constricted. I had to dry-swallow a few times as I watched him step slowly towards me.
“Is this how it’s going to be, alpha? I’m just good enough for sex and nothing more?” he said.
“You knew what you were getting into,” I said, swelling with indignation.
“You didn’t really give me a choice,” he shot back.
I laughed. “Don’t act like I forced you into this. We’re both getting what we want.”
“That’s something a kid would say.”
Without even thinking, my hands flew up to grab Liam by his arms. He gasped as I yanked him close, until we were standing nose-to-nose. I could feel the heat of my own breath bouncing back from his face.
Blood surged in my veins. I was angry, so angry. I had no real idea why. I felt like yelling, but I didn’t have the words just yet. So I just kept quiet.
“An omega needs an alpha,” Liam said in a small voice.
I
loosened my grip on his arms. “What?”
To my surprise, Liam returned my gaze with confidence. “You’re the one who keeps coming to me, so obviously I fulfill some need for you. That means something, whether you want it to or not. An omega needs an alpha, and an alpha needs an omega. You need me. So don’t fuck me over.”
I replayed his words in my head. Don’t fuck me over.
Well, he was right. I couldn’t fuck him over, because I did need him, but not for the reasons he thought. As long as Kaden still trusted him, Liam was my strongest lead. I had to keep him happy to keep him loyal.
I had to keep him addicted.
“Please,” Liam added. His voice was strong, but his eyes were imploring.
Even though I wanted nothing more than to ride back to my warm, comfortable motel room, I forced myself to stay. If I was really Liam’s alpha, I had to fulfil my alpha duties.
I sighed. “I’m not trying to fuck you over, okay? I really do have stuff to do today. But I’ll fuck you one last time if it’ll shut you up.”
“You will?”
“Yeah, but you’ll have to help me get hard first,” I said. I lifted my shirt and tugged on my belt buckle.
Eagerly, Liam scrambled to his knees in front of me. Within moments, he had my dick in his mouth. I backed myself up against the wall and closed my eyes, enjoying the sensation of him. Enveloped in perfect softness and warmth, it was easy to let my mind slip away.
God, that feels good, I thought before shutting my mind off entirely. I had to stay focused on one thing: my goal. My destiny. It was what brought me to Riverrun in the first place. I was meant to defeat Kaden, to snatch back everything that was entitled to me, not him.
Liam’s just part of the plan, I told myself. My eyes were still closed. My teeth were still buried in my lower lip, clenching against the urge to explode inside of Liam’s mouth. He’s just a pawn and nothing more.
Liam made tiny whimpering noises as I grew harder by the second. The scent of his wetness filled my head, and I got even harder.
I grabbed his hair. “That’s enough. Hands and knees.”