by Nora Phoenix
Palani. Vieno sighed with a twinge of sadness. He’d still been half out of it when Palani had walked in with the food but alert enough to see the pain on his face. No wonder. He’d witnessed Lidon filling him once again. That Palani not only had sanctioned it but also had arranged it himself was a small consolation, as was the realization that every time Lidon came inside Vieno, he grew a little stronger. That first knot had been…perfect.
“You awake?” Lidon’s deep voice rumbled in his chest.
“Yeah.”
“You’re doing better,” Lidon concluded. “You’re not throwing off so many pheromones anymore.”
“Neither are you.”
Lidon chuckled. “No wonder. I gotta be running out of jizz right about now.”
Vieno crumpled his nose. “Is that even possible?” he wondered.
Lidon’s chuckle became a laugh. “I doubt it. Biology ensures I can provide what an omega needs. But the fact that I'm sated is a good sign you are too.”
Vieno checked in with himself. His head was clear, and while a soft hum still buzzed through his veins, it didn't come close to being as overwhelming as his craving when Palani had called in help. When Enar had walked into the room, Vieno’s body had short-circuited. His entire mind has focused on one thing: cock, Enar’s cock, inside him and knotting him.
Well, he’d gotten his desire, even if it had been Lidon filling him again and again and not Enar. Vieno hadn’t even cared anymore. Though the fact that Lidon’s dick was long and thick had made it perfect, especially combined with his high testosterone levels. He’d done exactly as Enar had told him and had fucked the shit out of Vieno.
“Yeah, I’m much better,” he remembered to answer Lidon.
“Are you good, or do you need another round?”
It helped that Vieno's cheek still rested on Lidon’s chest, so he didn’t have to look at him. This whole talking about sex was ten kinds of weird when he wasn’t in heat. He got shy and flustered, even with Palani, let alone with this man.
“If possible, would you please knot me one last time?” he asked.
Lidon chuckled again. “There’s no need to be so awfully polite. I’ve had my dick inside you for most of the last day. I think we’re past formalities like that, don’t you think?”
His hand trailed Vieno’s spine all the way from his neck to the top of his crack, and Vieno shivered. One touch and his body responded once again to the alpha. It had been that way since Lidon walked in.
They hadn’t needed much foreplay, and they hadn’t kissed even once. Vieno wasn’t sure why, but he appreciated it. Strange as it may sound, kissing seemed more personal to him than fucking. Having a complete stranger fuck him senseless was one thing, but he was glad he hadn’t betrayed his relationship with Palani by making it romantic. Hopefully, this would make it easier for both to stomach when the irrational cravings his heat brought had dissipated.
Lidon found his hole and circled it slowly with his thumb, wiping away all thoughts of Palani. Vieno let out a soft moan.
“I hate reducing you to a single part of your anatomy, but your ass is so fucking perfect,” Lidon mused. “I love how it jiggles when I fuck you, and I love even more how you take me so easily despite our difference in size.”
With one move, he flipped them so Vieno rested on his back on the bed. He pulled up his legs, opened wide as if on cue. Lidon lined up his cock, then surged inside in a slow thrust, filling him until he was once again so full he wanted to weep with gratitude.
“I hate reducing you to a single part of your anatomy as well, but your cock is fucking perfect,” he breathed. Another moan fell from his lips as Lidon gave a last push and bottomed out. “It’s so damn big, and it fills me completely, and when you knot me…it’s so good, I don’t even have words.”
Lidon laughed. “It seems we’re well matched, then, your ass and my cock. Now, let’s see if we can bring you the last relief you need.”
All laughing disappeared when he set a pace, steady but deep, making Vieno’s skin prickle and his nerves fire off pleasure that was almost too much to bear. Lidon brought them both to the edge in no time, then kept them hovering there before he sped up and held Vieno steady as he fucked him into the mattress. All Vieno could do was hang on and let it happen.
Lidon let out his now-familiar growl when he came, and Vieno held his breath in anticipation. Tears sprung into his eyes as the knot formed, so gloriously big inside him, pressing against all those needy, desperate places inside him and providing peace. For now, at least.
When the knot was fully formed, Lidon switched them again, taking Vieno’s body on top of his. Vieno found his spot on the man’s massive chest, his hands looking like a child’s hands on the alpha’s biceps.
For a few minutes, they stayed like that, their pants returning to normal breaths. “This is the last one,” Vieno said. It was a strange sensation, to experience your body recover, but that’s what it felt like. The last fog in his head disappeared, and instead he sensed a calmness and replenishment, if that made any sense.
“I know. I sense it too.”
“Thank you.”
“No, don’t thank me.” Lidon’s voice was brusque, but his touch still gentle, so Vieno didn’t think he was angry. “We helped each other. Don’t tell Enar, but he was right. I needed this.”
Vieno bit his lip but dared to ask what he’d been wondering. “Why did you wait so long? I can’t imagine you having trouble finding a willing partner. Betas and omegas have to line up for you.”
Lidon sighed. “They do. That’s the problem.”
Vieno frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“When people look at me, they see one of two things. They either see a cop and are turned on by the uniform. Or they see a hot alpha and are turned on by that. Everyone wants me, or I should say my dick. No one ever looks past the exterior.”
Huh. How about that? It seemed being a rip-roaring hot alpha came with its own set of challenges. “Well, I'd love to claim I’m different, but since your cock is the sole reason you’re here, that would be hypocritical.”
“You’re damn mouthy for an omega,” Lidon said, amusement lacing his voice.
“I think Palani is rubbing off on me. For a beta, he’s quite opinionated and headstrong.”
“That’s one way of looking at it.”
Vieno lifted his head up and raised himself a little to make eye contact with Lidon. “You don’t like him?”
“Let’s say he’s not popular amongst cops.”
“The dirty cops exposé he did.” Vieno lowered his head again. “He spent months researching before writing it.”
“I know there are cops who are dirty, okay? I get that. There are assholes in every profession, including mine. But by suggesting it was a systemic problem, he hurt us with the public. Our reputation took a big hit, and distrust in cops isn’t good for anyone.”
It was a tad weird, discussing serious topics while being knotted. Yet it also felt strangely normal, as if what they were doing wasn’t completely insane. “You should talk to him, ask him what he discovered. He only published a fraction of what he found since his editor was too afraid of repercussions.”
“Legal repercussions, you mean?”
“Amongst others.”
The big body under him stilled even more. “What other possibilities are we talking about?”
Vieno bit his lip, regretting speaking at all. Not that Lidon couldn’t have made him, what with his alpha abilities and all, but the man hadn’t used them even once so far. “He received nasty letters, had his car spray-painted and his tires slashed. Someone tried to break in while I was home. Shit like that.”
“He should have filed a complaint with the cops,” Lidon said, tension radiating from his body.
“Lidon, I hate to break it to you, but it was cops who did this to him. We have a security system around the apartment that caught them red-handed, as well as footage from the cams in the parking lot. But there’s littl
e sense in reporting it, since you guys all cover for each other. He’s even been pulled over a few times since for bullshit reasons.”
Lidon muttered a few strong curse words. “I’ll talk to him. If what you say is true, this is shameful for the department.”
Vieno sighed. “He’s not gonna be happy with me that I told you.”
“I don’t think he’s happy with you right now in general.”
Lidon’s voice was kinder than his words, but the man had a point. “I hurt him, even though it was never my intention.”
“You can’t help who you are,” Lidon said dismissively.
“True, but neither can he. I don’t like being an omega, and you may not always appreciate being an alpha, but sometimes I think betas have it worse. They’re always the in-between, never good enough for either role. Biology sucks, but maybe it sucks the worst for them.”
They were quiet after that until Lidon’s knot finally went down and he slipped out of Vieno, leaving him truly sated and fulfilled.
“Do you mind if I take a shower?” Lidon asked. “I called into work to take the day off, but it’s about time I head back.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
Vieno pointed him toward the bathroom and put a fresh towel out for him, then put on a bathrobe and made his way to the living room. Enar was working on his laptop when he walked in, but there was no sign of Palani. Come to think of it, Vieno hadn’t seen him since he’d walked in with breakfast, and that was almost twenty-four hours ago.
“You look much better,” Enar said.
“I feel good. Where’s Palani?”
Enar’s face was blank. “He left for work again this morning.”
“Oh.” Vieno swallowed, his shoulders dropping. “He promised me he’d stay.”
“He did until he saw you were no longer in any danger. Plus, I promised him I wouldn’t leave.”
Vieno tried to push down his sadness. “I guess it was a little too much to ask.”
“You could visit him at work?”
Vieno shook his head. “I don’t go outside much. It’s too dangerous, with how strong my scent is, apparently.”
“You should be fine. You smell enough like alpha no one will bother you. I can’t even detect your own odor over Lidon’s.”
He could lie, but Enar would know, probably. Plus, what was the point? The man already knew more about him than anyone else but Palani. He might as well come clean. “I haven’t set foot outside this apartment since the day I moved in almost three years ago.”
7
It was amazing what fucking an omega through his heat could do for your energy. Lidon hated to admit it, but Enar had been right. He had needed to blow off steam and release hormones. In that case, needy Vieno had been perfect for him ‘cause the little omega had sucked every last drop from his body.
Lidon had been hungry for days afterward, but he’d felt better than he had in months. Even his partner had commented on it, noting Lidon’s changed energy level and, as he worded it, lack of crabbiness. Apparently, he’d been somewhat of an ass. He’d laughed it off, but it had been embarrassing as fuck. His stubborn refusal to fuck hadn’t been the best idea, in hindsight.
Two weeks later, he still hadn't heard a peep from Vieno or Palani. Not that he’d expected flowers or a fucking gift basket, but a short acknowledgment of some sort would have been nice. Especially since he wouldn’t mind a repeat when Vieno’s next heat arrived.
He hesitated to approach them himself. First, because of the power differential and a double one in his case, being both an alpha and a cop. He didn’t want them to feel beholden or obligated. The relationship between Palani and Vieno made him reluctant to interfere as well. No matter what they called it, they loved each other, and Lidon had no intention of breaking couples up.
He thought about Vieno often, though. The sex had been…amazing, but it had been more than that. Lidon genuinely liked him, and that formed a complication he had no easy answer to. He’d connected with Vieno on a deeper level than mere sex, but it felt inappropriate, considering his relationship with Palani.
As an alpha, he outranked him, so unless they were married—and they weren’t, he’d checked in the public records—Palani stood no chance against an alpha if Lidon pursued Vieno. Not that he had any intention of doing so. He loathed home wreckers and had zero desire to become one. His weird fascination with Vieno and Palani would fade over time.
He could ask Enar to reach out to them. They’d spoken to each other since but not about this. It would be as good a reason as any to call his friend and hang out, maybe help Enar out while they were at it. The last time they'd met like that was, what, two months ago? The man must be aching by now.
He also wanted to talk to Palani about the threats against him. If what Vieno had said was true—and the little omega couldn’t lie worth shit, if Lidon had to appraise his skills at deception—he’d have to find out who was behind it. Palani’s exposé had been brutal, though thoroughly fact-checked, and Lidon hadn’t doubted the truth about the four specific officers he had named.
The suggestion that these four weren't isolated incidents but pointed toward a much bigger problem, one deeply ingrained in the system and culture of the force, had gotten his back up. He’d been on the force for ten years now, and while he knew bad apples still sat amongst many good officers, he refused to believe the problem was as widespread as Palani suggested.
That being said, if fellow boys in blue resorted to intimidation and threats, even vandalism to scare Palani into shutting up, Lidon would not stand for it. He had to find out if it was true, and if so, who was behind it. Most likely, the cops involved were related to the four cops named in the article who all had been suspended first, then fired. Did they have family on the force? Or partners?
It was on his mental to-do list to perform a little discreet digging with Palani, which also happened to be a great excuse to see if Vieno would be open for a repeat. His alpha approved of that plan, humming his pleasure inside him.
First, he wanted to do a follow-up on the Excellon case. He’d dropped it with the White-Collar Division but received nothing but deafening silence as a response. Time for a friendly visit, so he headed over to the desk of Charlene, one of the few females on that team. She wasn’t an actual detective—as a female omega that was impossible—but she possessed strong analytic skills, excelled at collecting and organizing information, and Lidon liked her instincts in reading people. She’d proven to be rarely wrong when assessing motives.
“Hi, Charlene,” he greeted her, folding himself into the desk chair of her absent coworker. “How are the girls doing?”
She had three daughters, and she had not let up until she’d married all three of them off to officers. Granted, they were pretty girls, but since Lidon didn’t lean that way, he’d escaped her matchmaking efforts.
“All three are pregnant,” Charlene said, her face beaming. “There must have been something in the air.”
“Congratulations,” Lidon said. “Well done, Mama.”
“That’s Gramma now, but thank you. What can I do for you, sexy?”
The woman could have been his mother, but she still flirted with him, and he loved her for it. As a longtime married woman—and married to one of the highest-ranking officers on the force—she got away with it.
“Have you heard anything from Ryland about an investigation into bribery around birth control meds?” he asked, lowering his voice. Little in this division got past Charlene.
Her playful expression morphed into a serious one. “No. Should I have?”
He sighed. He’d known it had been a long shot. “I alerted him to a possible case a week or three ago, after an arrest I made.”
“He hasn’t asked me to research anything, and I’m the first step in any investigative process here. Who are the key players?”
“There’s a medicine called Excellon, a new birth control method for male omegas that, according to my sources, is far more effective than
the three existing ones. My suspect was arrested for illegal distribution of said meds, but he claims insurance companies are putting pressure on doctors not to prescribe it, since it’s expensive. He suggested bribes may be involved as well.”
She tapped her front teeth with her pencil. “If that’s the case, I would expect competitors to be a part of it, since they stand to lose a lot of money if they lose their market share.”
“Yeah, that's what I figured, and I told Ryland as much.”
Something flashed over her face. “Ryland has…other priorities at the moment,” she then said.
Lidon pursed his lips. “Whose attention do I need to bring it to so it gets priority?”
“You just did.”
They shared a look that spoke volumes.
“But Lidon, you’ll want to be extremely careful around Ryland. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
His stomach swirled uneasy. Charlene was not a gossiper, so this gave her words a ton of meaning. “Loud and clear,” he said. “Thank you.”
“I’ll find you,” Charlene said. “Now shoo, sexy. I have work to do.”
Lidon thought it over as he headed back to his own desk. What was Ryland involved in that made Charlene so worried? His first thought was Palani's article. The four cops he’d exposed were from a different division, but white-collar would offer a prime investment for certain companies, wouldn’t it? If you bought a cop or two there, you’d either not get investigated for shit you pulled or get a timely heads-up.
That line of thinking made his stomach roll even more. It was a sad day when you couldn’t trust your brothers in blue anymore. It kept simmering in the back of his head till the end of his shift when he got a call on his personal cell from Enar. Few people possessed that number, so he always had it turned on to be reachable by the people who mattered most to him.
“What’s up?” he greeted his friend.
It took a little while before Enar spoke, but that silence alerted Lidon already to what followed. “Yellow.”