by Nora Phoenix
Vieno looked at Lidon, who met his eyes, his mouth pulling up in a soft smile. “He’s right, isn’t he?” Lidon said softly.
Vieno nodded. “Yeah. My body won’t accept anyone else right now but you. Nature will take care of itself.”
“You’re gonna trust in something as intangible as that?” Enar asked.
Vieno turned his head. “Yes. They didn’t have our level of medical care a hundred years ago, did they? And yet alpha heirs were produced first consistently, even in poly relationships. Don’t you remember all of Grayson’s stories? They couldn’t manipulate it and neither should we. Nature will find a way. It always has.”
Lidon kissed the top of his head, then pulled Vieno on his lap. “I agree. And if by chance it will by Enar’s child or by some miracle Palani’s, then that’s what nature intended. The child will be just as loved. It will always be ours, with four dads, not just Vieno and whoever donated sperm.”
Lidon held out a hand to Enar and Vieno to Palani, and both scrambled over to they sat on the bed together, legs entwined, touching each other everywhere.
Enar’s hand found Vieno’s belly. “You’re gonna be so beautiful,” he said, the awe ringing clear in his voice. “Your belly all swollen and round…”
“We’ll take such good care of you,” Palani promised. “Everything you need.”
Vieno smiled. “I’m gonna hold you to that when I want pickles at three in the morning,” he teased, knowing how much Palani hated pickles.
Palani shivered, then looked sideways at Enar. “If you want pickles, you’ll get them. I may have to bribe Enar with a blow job to bring them to you, but I promise you’ll get them.”
Enar shot him a big grin. “I have a feeling Vieno is not gonna be the only one whose needs will be taken care of. Now that I know how to extort you for blowjobs…”
The good-natured teasing warmed Vieno’s heart. “I love you guys so much,” he said with a happy sigh.
The “I love you too” statements echoed through the room.
“We have one more thing to do,” Enar said.
“Yes, a hearty breakfast,” Lidon said and Vieno smiled. The alpha never had enough to eat lately, it seemed. He craved protein especially, finishing off big plates of eggs, fish, steaks, or whatever meat Vieno prepared for him.
“That too, but we need to let an alpha smell Vieno. Not Grayson, since he’s been around him a lot and may be somewhat used to his smell by now. One of Bray’s men would be best, I think. We need to make sure his alluring smell isn’t detectable before his heat starts.”
Lidon nodded. “Good point.” He looked at Palani.
“I’ll ask Bray to send someone,” Palani said in answer to the unspoken question.
Vieno marveled again at how automatic the communication between Lidon and Palani was. The decision to make Palani his beta had surprised some people, but a few weeks in, no one had expressed any doubt it had been the right one. Palani could read Lidon’s mind, it seemed, anticipating his needs and always ready with the answers Lidon sought.
Ten minutes later, Vieno was in the kitchen preparing hearty omelets when Palani walked in with Adar. Lidon and Enar got up to flank Vieno, a gesture that helped calm his nerves.
Adar nodded toward Lidon, bowing his head in a manner that had become custom as a greeting to Lidon. “Alpha, do I have your permission to smell your omega?”
Lidon nodded. “Yes, please. Thank you.”
Adar’s kind eyes sought Vieno’s, and he released his breath. It would be okay. Nothing would happen to him with his mates right here with him. Adar stepped close and took a deep sniff, then another one.
He stepped back and turned toward Lidon. “I can detect all your scents on him, and I can smell he’s about to start his heat. It has the usual effect on me of making me horny, but other than that, there’s nothing extraordinary. He smells like a claimed omega.”
Vieno blushed at his candor, then gasped as it hit him. “You can’t smell anything special on me? I smell just like other omegas?”
Adar raised his eyebrows. “Should I?” He looked from Lidon to Palani. “Did I miss something?”
Vieno couldn’t help it, he had to ask. “You don’t want to fuck me?” he blurted out.
Adar took a step back. “No! God, no. You’re with… You’re the Alpha’s. You’re claimed. I would never… Did I say or do something wrong?”
Palani slapped him on his shoulder. “No, man. You did everything right. Vieno meant no offense, and I’ll explain later, okay? It’s good news, trust me.”
Adar left the kitchen with a last glance at Vieno, then Lidon, his befuddled expression showing he trusted Palani but still wasn’t sure what had happened.
Vieno found a safe spot in Palani’s arms. “He can’t smell me,” he whispered. “He really can’t smell me…”
“I know, baby. I’m so happy for you. You’re free.”
The tears came fast, but they didn’t hurt this time. They brought release, a sense of freedom and relief unlike anything he’d ever experienced before. He no longer had to fear strangers sexually assaulting him, raping him, because of how he smelled. It was…freedom. How was this even possible? What had changed that his smell had disappeared?
He tilted his head back to kiss Palani, a frantic kiss that had to express all the twirling emotions inside him he couldn’t put into words. And it had to be Palani, the man who’d stood with him all that time, who had slew dragons for Vieno and had come out a victor. Palani kissed him back, all tongue and heat and wet, pushing Vieno until his back was against the kitchen counter.
“I love you,” Palani gasped into his mouth. “God, I love you.”
Vieno couldn’t find words, his brain turning into fog at the same time his body went into overdrive. “I need…” was all he could bring out. “Please, I need…”
“I know, baby. We’ve got you.”
He was lifted on the counter, his mouth never leaving Palani’s, though it had to have at some point because he was naked, his nipples stiff and demanding touch, his skin feverish and sensitive. Strong hands lifted him, carried him, as his mouth was fucked expertly by…Enar’s tongue? When had he…?
They were in bed, the sheets cool against his overheated body, his hole so empty and twitching until he was lifted again, then lowered on that glorious cock, that alpha cock he needed more than he needed air. He whimpered as it filled him, leaned back against Lidon’s warm body behind him.
Enar’s strong hands held him as he nibbled Vieno’s neck, his stubble rasping his sensitive skin. Palani kissed him, rubbing Vieno’s nipples as only he could, playing with the swollen buds until Vieno’s face was wet with tears.
Hands and mouths touched him everywhere, stroking, caressing, pinching, licking, biting. He was the center of their universe, the one who united them. Lidon fucked him hard and fast until he came, his alpha roar rattling the windows.
“More,” Vieno managed, and he was turned around so he faced his alpha.
His alpha mark burned as Lidon licked it, still hard and deep inside him, and when he opened his eyes, Lidon’s eyes glowed unlike anything he’d seen before. They were…feral, demanding, yet kind at the same time.
“Knot me,” Vieno demanded, his voice crystal clear. “Fill me with your seed, my alpha. Breed me.”
Lidon’s eyes shone so bright, Vieno couldn’t look away, and he knew. This wasn’t a mere man breeding him. This was the true Alpha, the alpha who would bring change, the alpha who would return to the old ways unlike anything anyone had ever seen before. This was the father of his child, the next alpha heir. And as Lidon’s knot swelled, filling him with that torturous mix of pain and pleasure, he grabbed Enar’s hand with his left hand and Palani’s with his right, bringing them to his belly.
“It’s happening,” he whispered. “And you’re a part of this. I’m his but yours as well. We’re four and we’re one…and we’re unbreakable together.”
It took an hour for Lidon’s knot to come down
, and all that time they stayed interlinked, whispering sweet words to each other in between lingering kisses, time passing without them noticing.
They were four and they were one…and they were unbreakable together.
And inside Vieno, new life began to form.
Meet Nora Phoenix
Would you like the long or the short version of my bio?
The short? You got it.
I write steamy gay romance books and I love it. I also love reading books. Books are everything.
How was that?
A little more detail? Gotcha.
I started writing my first stories when I was a teen…on a freaking typewriter. I still have these, and they’re adorably romantic. And bad, haha. Fear of failing kept me from following my dream to become a romance author, so you can imagine how proud and ecstatic I am that I finally overcame my fears and self-doubt and did it. I adore my genre because I love writing and reading about flawed, strong men who are just a tad broken…but find their happy ever after anyway.
My favorite books to read are pretty much all MM/gay romances as long as it has a happy end. Kink is a plus… Aside from that, I also read a lot of nonfiction and not just books on writing. Popular psychology is a favorite topic of mine and so are self-help and sociology.
Hobbies? Ain’t nobody got time for that. Just kidding. I love traveling, spending time near the ocean, and hiking. But I love books more.
Come hang out with me in my Facebook Group Nora’s Nook where I share previews, sneak peeks, freebies, fun stuff, and much more:
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Acknowledgments
This is the part of a book that most people skip, but in case you actually read this, I have some people I need to thank, LOL.
Being an author is often a lonely business, as most of my work is done from the solitude of my home. That’s how I prefer it, so no worries, but I love my online tribe who brighten my day every single day.
Vicki: your running commentary, ideas, and suggestions throughout the day keep me sharp, make me a better writer, help me sell more books, and entertain the fuck out of me. You’re also a phenomenal PA and I love the hell out of this cover. Thank you. #SnarkyBitchesForever
The Nookies in my reader group: you guys are amazing and I couldn’t do this without your support.
My fellow writers and sprint partners: thanks for cheering me on and keeping me accountable.
A huge thanks to my beta readers: Britt, Karina, Kyleen, Michele, Racheal, Tania, and Vicki. This one was last minute, so thanks for your efforts into giving me feedback to make the book even better.
Thank you, dear readers, for reading my books and supporting an independent author like me. If you loved this book, please leave a review, as it’s one of the most helpful things you can do for an indie author!
Also by Nora Phoenix
No Shame Series:
No Filter
No Limits
No Fear
No Shame
Irresistible Omegas Series (mpreg):
Alpha’s Sacrifice
Alpha’s Submission
Ballsy Boys Series (with K.M. Neuhold):
Ballsy (free prequel)
Rebel
Tank
Stand Alones:
The Time of My Life