by Tanya Chris
I whined, freezing in place because any movement made it worse. I panted through the pain as his cock nudged up against my hole, slick with lube but meeting resistance because I’d been in no way stretched. He got just the tip inserted before releasing my balls and—with them—my fury. I bucked, but that only served to drive him deeper. The more I thrashed, the deeper he went. I fucked myself on him, first in resistance, then out of need. The frantic rhythm had us both bone-hard and yowling.
His hand groped for my groin again. I didn’t know if my balls could take another squeeze. They throbbed from the punishment he’d already inflicted, and his knot was battering at my back door. I was being assaulted on all fronts, and it was turning me feral. My claws and teeth were all the way out. Fur bristled along my jaw and hairline as my joints screamed to be allowed to go full wolf.
One more flash of pain, and I might crack. But he brushed past my aching balls to find my cock. As soon as he touched me, I felt it—the heat, the prickle, the sense of something expanding even though I was already at full hardness.
I’d never popped a knot before. I’d assumed I couldn’t. Knots were reserved for real alphas, for those who fucked. They were meant to be thrust into omegas with their welcoming holes, not into another alpha’s fist. But there mine was, a new and wonderful thing. His hand moved with our rhythm, all that alpha strength tight around my shaft, forcing my growing knot through his iron grip so that I fucked him as much as he fucked me. And fuck did that feel good.
“Alpha,” I whined, pleasure-dazed and ready to submit. No more fighting. His teeth nibbled soothingly at the nape of my neck, but his hips continued their relentless assault—driving his knot into me, driving my knot into him. Two hot bulbs of flesh popped and squelched, filling the room with the sounds of a brutal fucking.
I dropped my chest to the bed and raised my ass to give him better access to it, assuming the pose I’d sworn I wouldn’t. But Tarek was my alpha. Owning me and taking me and making it so good I couldn’t stand it. Pleasure was harder to bear than pain—more immediate, more overwhelming. There was no way to fight it. I could only moan as I let him drive, let him send both of us over the edge of ecstasy.
If forcing my knot into Tarek’s fist felt like heaven, still it was nothing compared to the burst of pleasure my orgasm brought. I came like a geyser, jetting onto the bed in powerful pulses. It went on and on, and I was so consumed by it I hardly noticed Tarek coming too with his knot buried in my ass the way mine was buried in his fist.
He squeezed, and I keened. Pain and pleasure met so closely they were the same thing. I clenched my ass to return the favor and heard his answering groan even as the throb of his knot against my prostate sent another shiver through me. Poor Tarek—only getting it from one end. He didn’t know how good it felt to have your knot and your prostate echoing sensation back and forth to each other. But then, I’d never known it before either.
I collapsed onto my stomach, taking Tarek with me, and he rolled us onto our sides. It was his tongue against my neck now, not his teeth, as he licked over the fresh set of wounds I couldn’t bring myself to regret.
“I popped a knot,” I told him, as if his hand weren’t still clamped around it.
“I know.” He massaged the body part in question, and I was too distracted to do more than moan for a few minutes as another shockwave of orgasm washed over me.
“I’ve never done that before,” I managed at last.
“Nice, isn’t it? One of the benefits of being an alpha.”
“I’m an alpha.”
“I should say so.” He gave me another squeeze, then laughed when I shuddered. I couldn’t help it. Maybe this was old hat to him, but it was brand new to me. “I like that you’re an alpha,” he reminded me. “You put up a hell of a fight, even if I did beat you.”
“Wasn’t fair,” I mumbled. When we were in human form, he had an advantage, namely that I didn’t want to win. I liked coming out on the bottom.
“I’ll give you a rematch,” he said as my eyes fluttered shut.
I was floating on a cloud of pleasure, fighting to stay awake because it was so beautiful here. But the warmth of Tarek at my back and the sweetly settling glow of an endorphin buzz were winning.
“Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow,” he whispered against my ear. “I’ll buy a whip. A paddle. Whatever you like. JT has a whole catalog of stuff, I’ll bet. Whatever you want, Donovan. Anything.”
“Okay.”
I wasn’t sure what we’d just promised each other, but agreement was all I could manage before another flood of pleasure, gentle and sweet, took me the rest of the way under.
Chapter 16
The next morning I puttered around the house thinking about the promises we’d sort of made. Northern Pack territory was cold. Last night the temperature had drifted low enough that I’d been glad to have another warm body in my bed, and it was only mid-September. Any day now, the snows would start, and this town that had no cell phone service or Starbucks, that was a three-day run from human territory, would grow even more isolated.
If I moved to North Leland, I’d have to get a new job and make new friends, although by some counts I already had more friends here than in the Southern Pack, assuming friends were the people who knew your most important secrets. Tarek, Shade, Lars, Carmen, the omegas who ran the library—they all knew what I’d never told anyone, and they’d known it without my having to spell it out. Because what the Southern Pack thought was unthinkable wasn’t unthinkable here.
On the other hand, I had family down south. If I moved to North Leland, I’d miss them. I’d miss the landscape too. Nothing beat a desert sunrise or a dinner of fresh quail. So there were pros and cons. Pluses and minuses. But what it really came down to was fear versus opportunity. I could go back to Four Forks and be safe, or I could live here and be free.
My mind made up, I headed into town. Not to lurk outside the courthouse hoping to catch a whiff of Tarek or to track down Carmen so I could harass her. To register at the Immigration Office. To begin the process of becoming a citizen of the Northern Pack. To take the first step toward making the commitment Tarek had asked me to make. But halfway across market square, Prince Devin waylaid me.
“Excellent,” he said, catching me by the arm as I attempted to slip past him with only a nod, though I really needed to tell him not to—
“You’re right on time.”
“Right on time for what?”
“The hearing I arranged. I sent a note to your lodgings. Didn’t you get it?”
Shit.
“No, I’ve, uh, I’ve been staying somewhere else.” I didn’t explain where because my fledgling resolve to accept Tarek as my mate hadn’t quite extended to admitting as much to Prince Devin, but he didn’t delve into the particulars of where I’d been, only hauled me along with him in the direction of the palace.
“Then I’m glad I ran into you. Your testimony is crucial. We intend to present a pattern of behavior on Judge Tarek’s part that clearly warrants his dismissal.”
“I never mentioned Judge Tarek.” Double shit.
Prince Devin waved that off. “It’s all a matter of public record. He didn’t even hear your suit, you told me. That’s no way to treat a foreign dignitary.”
“I’m hardly a dignitary.”
“Well, try to present yourself as one.” Prince Devin gave me a stern look as the guards at the top of the stairs opened the doors for us. “You’re an alpha of the Southern Pack. That’s good enough for me.”
Oh, Great Moon. Tarek was going to lose his job and it would be my fault. Why hadn’t I followed through on canceling my damned complaint? Because then I wouldn’t have had any reason to linger in North Leland. But now I really wasn’t going to have a reason to linger, because what Tarek and I had been building while I’d been too afraid to admit there was anything to build was about to come tumbling down around my ears.
Prince Devin dragged me all the way into a large, open room decorate
d in white stone and gold gilt. The marble floor gleamed with a high polish, and the quartz walls sparkled with gold veins. A set of wide steps led to a dais on which sat a throne made entirely of gold, currently empty. The room was devoid of any other furnishings, not even a stray chair.
Wolves dotted the room—some in epaulets and ornamental skirts guarding the steps to the throne, others naked or in less formal clothes waiting their turn for an audience. If I’d known I was going to be making an appearance in front of royalty this morning, I’d have put on a shirt.
The prince crossed immediately to an older alpha of Northern Pack descent cloaked in a cape much like his own except in more muted colors. As my eyes circled the room, they landed on a group of people I recognized. Carmen, Macy. Tarek. There went any hope of convincing Head Alpha Marta to drop this before Tarek found out what I’d done. He already knew.
Carmen gave me a cheerful wave as I walked over to them, but Macy didn’t echo it and neither did Tarek. I made a general apology, then pulled Tarek off to the side, anxious to plead my case.
“I didn’t intend for this to happen.”
“No?” He cocked an eyebrow at me. A cold, angry, disbelieving eyebrow.
“No. Well, no. That is, when Prince Devin offered, I did hope… but that was days ago, Tarek. And then I forgot. We’ve been busy.” I smiled hopefully, but my hopes were immediately dashed.
“When you said it was impossible for the two of us to be together, I disagreed. But it looks like you were right. Why don’t you go home already? We’ve had enough of you here.” He walked away, going back to where Macy stood guard over Carmen as if I might snatch her. I was left adrift, not caring to align myself with Prince Devin but not welcome with the wolves I’d started to think of as my friends either.
A heavy door made of mother-of-pearl traced in gold swung open, bringing the light buzz of chatter to an abrupt stop. Alpha Marta was something of a legend, known for the high number of challenges she’d withstood, but her age showed in the lines marking her face and the faded-blond-gone-white of her hair.
“Alpha Cyril may be recognized,” she said when she’d taken her place on the throne.
The wolf who Prince Devin had been talking to stepped forward to make a grand bow. “Your Excellency, I’ve come before you today to lodge a complaint against Judge Tarek for his summary dismissal of a suit from the Southern Pack. It’s our belief that Judge Tarek should be debarred from hearing suits of this nature, in that his extreme prejudice prevents him from having proper judicial impartiality. Further, we would request that his ruling in the matter of Omega Carmen be overturned, as it wasn’t properly given.”
“We don’t extradite omegas to packs that haven’t signed the Omega Rights Coalition,” Head Alpha Marta said, as if she’d already said as much ten times today. “That’s established law, which Judge Tarek correctly upheld. I’m failing to see the basis for your petition.”
I let out some of the breath I’d been holding. Though I’d been annoyed by how quickly Tarek had dismissed my suit at the time, a law was a law. If they didn’t extradite, they didn’t extradite.
“But I’m certain Your Excellency didn’t intend for a complete lack of process in this regard,” Cyril said. “If the circumstances of each particular case aren’t carefully considered, we send a very poor message to the other packs. Alpha Donovan will tell his pack we dismissed his concerns without even hearing them.”
I absolutely wouldn’t tell them that. I took a step forward to clarify, but a scowl from Head Alpha Marta had me stepping back again.
“There are concerns” Cyril went on. “Very strong concerns, that some of the other packs are growing restless with our disregard for their sovereign rights. The Western Pack, for instance—”
“I’m fully aware of why the Western Pack has a grievance filed against us,” Head Alpha Marta said. “I’m also fully aware of who’s to blame for that.” She turned her eyes to her son who opened his mouth as if to speak and was as immediately quelled as I’d been.
“Yes, well, it isn’t only that particular incident that has attracted their attention,” Cyril said. “And the Southern Pack has lodged several complaints as well. Alpha Donovan’s case is only the latest, but I think it’s particularly compelling because the omega in question has entered into an ill-advised mating, which is understandably a cause for her family’s concern.”
“And by ill-advised you refer to the fact that she mated a woman?”
Cyril shuffled his feet. “Not to pass any judgement on Your Excellency who can, of course, do as she pleases, but this isn’t a matter of mating with an exalted personage such as yourself or even an ordinary alpha. Omega Carmen mated a female beta, and while Northern Pack law does currently allow for such a thing, Southern Pack law does not, and as such, her family is within their rights to demand her return.”
“Omega Carmen is a citizen of the Northern Pack, is she not?” Head Alpha Marta’s gaze sought out Tarek.
“All her paperwork is in order, Your Excellency.”
“Well then—” Head Alpha Marta started, but her son interrupted her, striding forward to take a spot next to Cyril.
“Marta,” he insisted. “You can’t just dismiss the rights of other packs this way. There’s going to be a war.”
“Then we’ll fight a war.”
“You could at least hear from Alpha Donovan. He’s come all this way as a representative of his government demanding redress.”
“Very well.” She looked over her son’s head at me, picking me out unerringly. A good warrior knew who was in the room and where. “Alpha Donovan, you may be recognized.”
I stepped forward to make a low bow.
“You’re being paid to bring Omega Carmen back to her father, I understand.” Her description of my role was much more accurate than the one Prince Devin had tried to float. I was a hired gun, not a government emissary.
“Her father was concerned for her safety,” I explained, “but after talking to her, I feel comfortable telling him he has no cause for concern.”
“So your decision would be to let her remain in North Leland?”
“It’s not my decision to make, Your Excellency.” And suddenly I understand that it wasn’t her father’s either. “It’s hers.”
“I couldn’t agree more. I wasn’t persuaded that political expediency should take precedence over an omega’s free will to begin with, but it seems we don’t have a political issue anyway.”
“Alpha Donovan doesn’t speak for the entire Southern Pack,” Prince Devin sputtered.
“But you just said he did.” Head Alpha Marta waved her hand. “Omega Carmen is a Northern Pack citizen with the right to mate with whomsoever she chooses, and Judge Tarek has correctly followed the law of the land. Petition dismissed. What do we have next?”
Chapter 17
There was a shuffle of people coming and going as the next case was called to order, during which I took the opportunity to escape. My feet led me outside to the spot where Prince Devin had waylaid me only half an hour ago. I’d been happy then, on my way to the Immigration Office and a whole new life. Now I didn’t know where I stood. I’d done right by Carmen, but was it enough for Tarek to forgive me?
He came down the steps of the palace with Carmen and Macy on either side of him, but only Carmen approached me, bouncing over in a pair of green rubber wading boots that extended above her knees. She gave me a hug as warm as if she hadn’t just been threatened with extradition thanks to me.
“Sorry about that.”
She fluttered her hand at me. “I wasn’t afraid. I knew Marta would have my back. We’re on the same team, you know.”
I admired Carmen’s conviction. It wouldn’t be the first time someone in a position of power had one rule for themselves and another rule for everyone else.
“I figured you’d come through for me too,” she added. “You’re not so bad for an alpha.”
“I’m not sure everyone agrees with you on that.”
Tarek was standing in profile to me, talking to Macy and acting as if he didn’t know I was over here. A lifetime of furtive sexual encounters with strangers meant I had no idea how to handle relationship issues. Tarek was my guiding star, and he wasn’t giving me any signs right now.
“I recognize myself in you,” Carmen said. “No, not because you act like an omega. Stop bristling so easily. Great Moon, you’re full-on alpha sometimes. I meant that when I came here I was kind of rigid about how I thought other people should behave. I was so mad about what I’d been missing that I wanted everyone else to suffer too. Now that I’m happy, I want everyone else to be happy—however it makes them happy. You’re going to be one of us now, right?”
“Depends on whether I’ve got a reason to stick around or not.”
Macy had sidled up to Carmen, but Tarek was still way over there. He looked so fine today, professionally dressed in a pair of blue-and-green plaid shorts with his chest bare and his eyes a steely blue framed by that flow of silver-white hair. I would be honored to call him mine.
Carmen gave a low wolfy whistle. “Is that who’s been working you over? No wonder you look like someone took a hacksaw to your neck.”
“I doubt he’s still interested after what just happened.”
Macy glanced between me and Tarek, then shrugged. “If he’s your mate, he’s not going to give up on you that easy.”
“She knows because of how she didn’t give up on me. I used to be kind of a brat, didn’t I?”
Macy’s smile managed to convey both that Carmen was still a brat and also that she wouldn’t change a thing about her. “Like I said, if he’s your mate, he’ll stick it out. But an apology might be in order.”
Alphas didn’t grovel, but I could alpha myself right into lonely unhappiness like I’d been doing all my life, or I could remember what Carmen had told me—that nothing I did changed my fundamental alpha-ness. Not even groveling. I walked over to Tarek, prepared to do whatever I had to do. If I was his mate, then he wouldn’t give up on me. Macy promised.