by Nora Phoenix
“On your knees!” he roared, allowing his alpha to fill him. He’d been chomping at the bit to show the beta who was boss.
Both boys dropped to their knees instantly. Grayson rose slowly, making use of every inch of his height. He walked over to where Sven was kneeling and leaned in, grabbing the boy’s chin with a soft touch. “You did good, pup. You may rise.” He bent over and kissed his soft lips, lingering a little longer than he needed to. “And can you find us something to eat, please? Lars already had something, but I think he could use more, and I haven’t eaten yet.”
Sven nodded before he got up. “Yes, alpha. I’d be happy to.”
Grayson kissed him again, as much because he wanted to as because Lars’s eyes followed his every move. “You are such a sweet boy. Thank you.”
He lowered himself back onto his seat, aware that the beta’s eyes were focused on him. “We have a problem, don’t we, boy?”
Lars didn’t say anything, but the beta’s face tightened, and his eyes burned with fire.
“I asked you a question.”
“Yes, alpha.”
Grayson shook his head inwardly. He was such a cheeky, bratty little shit, still pushing Grayson’s boundaries despite the warning he’d already received. The kid was on his fucking knees, and he still wouldn’t give up. Did he not realize his actions would have consequences?
Then it hit him. There was no way Lars would think he would get away with this behavior. That meant he either felt the consequences were worth it or…he wanted the consequences but hadn’t found the courage yet to ask for them directly. Grayson knew what the boy needed, but maybe it was too hard for him to face and this was all he was capable of.
Grayson would help him by making him face his needs. It was a risky move because if he was wrong, things would get majorly awkward. The only thing he could do was keep a close eye on Lars to check his every reaction and make sure he was on the right path.
“What do you think our problem is?”
He wanted to give Lars one more chance to communicate what he needed. The boy could choose to either answer with respect or continue his bratty behavior, thus earning the punishment he was soliciting, Grayson felt. But he had to be sure.
Lars raised his chin, and if that wasn’t indication enough of his defiance, he said, “I don’t know what your problem is, but my problem is that it’s getting mighty uncomfortable on my knees. That, however, is a problem only you can solve, as you’re still holding me under your alpha compulsion.”
A slow smile spread on Grayson’s lips. Lars couldn’t have communicated any clearer if he had written down what he wanted on a note and handed it to Grayson. And the quick flicker of desire he caught in the boy’s eyes confirmed it.
Grayson released his alpha’s hold on the boy. “Come here,” he told him, his voice low.
Now the ball was in Lars’s court. After only a brief hesitation, the boy rose to his feet and walked over to Grayson. “Now what?” he said.
Grayson smile broadened. “Now you face the consequences of your behavior.”
“You’re gonna p-punish me?”
The look on the beta’s face as well as his tone, could’ve been interpreted as fear had Grayson not seen his eyes light up just a little. Then there was the undeniable smell of his arousal and the way his cock visibly hardened in his shorts.
Jackpot.
“Yes, I’m going to punish you. Moreover, I’m going to enjoy every second of it. And so are you, aren’t you?”
“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lars stammered, his cheeks heating up.
“Oh, I think you do. I think you know exactly what I’m talking about. Strip.”
Lars froze. “S-strip? Why?”
“Because I can’t spank your bare ass if you’re still wearing clothes. Last warning. Strip.”
Sven, who had been watching them from the corner of his eyes while preparing food, gasped. “You’re gonna spank him?”
“You bet your ass I am. He’s been asking for it since the moment we met, and now he’s gonna get what he wants.”
“He doesn’t want to be spanked,” Sven said with subtle indignance.
He was so sweet and naïve, Grayson thought. Lars had apparently never shared with him what he was looking for. Then again, maybe Lars hadn’t realized himself.
“He does, pup. He doesn’t want to admit it to you or to me, but trust me when I say that this is exactly what he wants.”
“You’re nuts,” Lars said. “I never said I wanted to be spanked.”
Grayson was done talking. It was time to show Lars he was serious. He reached out, waiting one second to give the boy a last chance to abort, and when he didn’t, he grabbed him by the waistband of his shorts and yanked him close. His hands made quick work of the buttons and then dragged his shorts down his legs. Before Lars could even react, Grayson’s right hand circled the beta’s wrist and yanked him across his lap, his bare ass offering a delicious and tantalizing image right in front of him.
The things he wanted to do to that ass… Oh, he’d fucked him to his heart’s content, but he wanted to take the time to explore every inch of his body, of his ass. He wanted to take his time driving him insane with need—and then tell him he couldn’t come. But for now, a good spanking would do.
His hand came down before either Sven or Lars could say anything, and the loud smack reverberated through the kitchen. Lars yelped in surprise, probably as much from the unexpected start of his spanking as from the force Grayson used. He wasn’t going to go easy on him this first time. He couldn’t. Lars needed to know Grayson was serious about discipline. After all, it was what the boy craved, even if he didn’t realize it or didn’t want to admit it.
So Grayson spanked him, slaps coming down in rapid succession until Lars’s beautiful bubble butt was pink, then red. His body shook, quiet gasps transforming into sobs, then more violent shivers as he tried to take what Grayson was doling out. It would have alarmed Grayson, if not for the fact that Lars’s cock was rock hard and smearing precum all over Grayson’s bare leg. Oh, the boy wanted this. How he wanted this.
He counted the slaps, stopping at forty. He could’ve continued, could’ve made an argument that Lars could take more, wanted more, even. But it was enough for now. His point had been made, and there was no need to rub it in, literally.
“Sven, would you be so kind as to get me the cucumber lotion from the bathroom in my room?”
When there was no response, Grayson looked up to find Sven watching them with tears streaming down his face. Grayson’s face softened. “He’s okay,” he said, his voice soothing. “I promise you, he’s fine. Just get the lotion for me, will you, pup?”
Sven nodded, wiping his eyes quickly, then hurried out of the kitchen without saying a word.
Lars’s body was limp, still splayed across Grayson’s legs. He lifted him up gently, placing him on his lap. Lars winced as his undoubtedly tender ass cheeks came into contact with Grayson’s thigh. His face was red and blotchy, his eyes swollen from his tears, and yet there was a peace on his face that hadn’t been there before.
“I’m proud of you, boy. You took that well.”
Lars reacted with a deep satisfaction before the boy pushed it away. “I don’t understand you. First, you spank me, and now you tell me you’re proud? It doesn’t make sense.”
Grayson kissed the top of his head. “I know. Come sit with me for a little bit.”
It took a while before Lars spoke again, and when he did, his voice was soft. “I’m so confused.”
Joy danced in Grayson’s heart. His instincts had been spot on. Lars hadn’t figured it out yet. He knew he craved something, wanted something from Grayson, but even after everything they had shared in the last days, Lars still didn’t understand it or couldn’t get past his internal resistance.
“It’s okay,” he told him softly. “Whatever you’re feeling inside is okay. Don’t judge yourself.”
Lars’s body relaxed agai
nst him, and he kissed his head. It was the first time Lars surrendered to him, and it rushed through Grayson with a force that surprised him. They sat for a bit until Grayson heard Sven’s footsteps in the hallway, signaling his return. Right before he walked in, Lars spoke, barely audible.
“I don’t understand how I can want this.”
Sven gently rubbed the cucumber lotion on Lars’s butt cheeks. His skin was fiery hot to the touch. Grayson had spanked him good. Lars moaned at Sven’s touch. “Does it hurt?” Sven asked.
“Yeah, a little, but the lotion feels really good because it’s so cold. So, please keep going.”
Sven bit his lip, trying to figure out how to ask Lars what was on his mind. He had so many questions and no idea where to start. After he’d brought the lotion back to Grayson, the alpha had asked him to finish preparing food, and then he had taken his meal into his own room, telling Sven and Lars they should take the time to talk together. About what wasn’t exactly clear, but Grayson had sent them both a meaningful look as if they were supposed to know what to discuss. Sven had devoured his food, and afterward, they’d retreated to their bedroom, where Sven had taken the meds Enar had given him to prevent pregnancy. As soon as he was done, Lars had begged him to put the cucumber lotion on his burning ass.
Sven wasn’t sure what Grayson wanted them to talk about, but he did know what was on his mind. “Was Grayson right? Did you want to be spanked by him?” he asked.
He wiped his hands on a towel he had placed on the bed, then clicked the cap of the lotion bottle closed.
Lars turned on his side, searching for Sven’s eyes. “Why do you ask?” he asked, a blatant attempt to pretend he didn’t know what Sven was talking about.
“Don’t treat me like an idiot,” Sven said. “Talk to me. What the hell is going on?”
Lars let out a tired sigh. “I don’t think you’re an idiot, and I’m sorry if I made you feel that way. I’m messed up inside my head.”
“Messed up about what? About Grayson? About the spanking? About what we did the last two days?”
“How about all of it,” Lars muttered. “Fuck, I’m so confused.”
“It’s okay to like him,” Sven said softly. He laid himself down on the bed on his side, facing Lars with their faces only inches apart.
“Do you like him?” Lars asked.
“You know I do.”
Sven didn’t hesitate with his answer. He and Lars had always tried to be honest with each other, since their relationship was already complicated enough as it was. They’d had to keep it secret from their dad, so whenever they were together, they tried to share as much of their emotions as possible.
“He confuses me,” Lars said.
“What are you confused about? Is it the way he treats you? I thought you liked that.”
“I do like it,” Lars admitted. “But I don’t like that I like it.”
Sven frowned. “You lost me. Why would it bother you that you like him? Or that you like the way he treats you? Do you think there’s something wrong with that?”
“Remember last year, when I went to that club to experiment?”
Sven nodded. Of course he remembered. Sven loved Lars, and he loved being with Lars, and he knew that was entirely mutual. They had waited for a long time before giving in to their feelings about each other, longer before becoming sexually active, and then even longer before they’d had actual sex. Lars had wanted to give him the chance to say no, had wanted to make sure this was really what Sven wanted. So even after they had declared their love for each other, for a long time, they had stopped at mutual hand jobs and blow jobs. Lars had waited till Sven’s nineteenth birthday to actually fuck him.
Sven had figured that last step was what had been missing for them. Because something had been missing, even for him, as much as he loved being with Lars. The problem was that neither of them could define what they lacked. If they loved each other and they loved having sex with each other, why did they still feel incomplete somehow?
That’s why Sven had supported Lars going to the club and trying to find out if what they were missing was something to spice up their sex life. And since Sven wasn’t twenty-one yet and an unclaimed omega to boot, he couldn’t accompany Lars to the club, hence their decision to let Lars go by himself.
“Of course, I remember. You stopped going after a few times. You said you never found what you were looking for.”
“I didn’t. I tried everything that was suitable for a beginner. Pain didn’t do anything for me. Humiliation only made me want to beat up the Dom who was experimenting with me. Hell, he quit halfway through the scene because he saw as well it wasn’t working. I tried being tied up and restrained. I tried serving a Dom in a nonsexual way. Dammit, I even tried puppy play, though I’ll admit that out of everything I experimented with, I liked that the best. But none of it rang my bell. None of it made me feel like I had found what was missing for me, for you.”
Sven frowned, processing what Lars was saying. He was hinting at something, something that had to do with Grayson, but what? “What does that have to do with Grayson?”
Lars turned his eyes down. “I think I have discovered what I need,” he said so softly Sven had to strain to hear him. “I didn’t understand why I reacted to him the way I did during your heat, but before as well. I loved how he called me boy, how he called you pup. But what just happened, in the kitchen, when he spanked me…”
Lars stopped talking, his voice constricted.
Sven reached out for his hand, grabbed it, and brought it to his lips to press a soft kiss to Lars’s knuckles. “Whatever it is, baby, it’s okay. You can tell me.”
Lars let out a sigh that was filled with stress. “It’s like it clicked, all of a sudden. But it’s so fucked up I don’t even know where to begin. It doesn’t make any sense.”
Sven stared at him, his brain frantically going over every option he could think of and coming up with nothing. All he could do was wait till Lars had gathered the courage to share what he had discovered. It took a minute, maybe even more, before Lars spoke again.
“Promise me you won’t get upset with me.”
“I promise,” Sven said quickly. That was a promise he could make without reservations. He couldn’t think of anything Lars could say that could make him angry. How could he get upset with the person he loved the most in the entire world? He waited with bated breath until Lars spoke.
“I think I want Grayson to be my Daddy.”
11
Grayson had waited for Lars and Sven to come to him, but a few days later, they still hadn’t, so the ball was in his court. It made sense he’d take the initiative, considering the kind of relationship he envisioned with them. So he’d thought out a proposal, but before he could present it to them, he had two conversations to get through first. God help him.
He’d visited his youngest son, Dane, first that morning, with Lucan accompanying him as well as two of Bray’s men for protection. Visiting Dane was always bittersweet. He had a sweet personality, and his joy was infectious, but seeing him made Grayson feel powerless.
Dane was happy in his group home, Grayson knew that, but leaving him behind was always hard. He felt guilty every single time, even though he knew rationally it was the best choice for Dane. Even on the ranch, they could never offer him the level of care he had at the group home, where he had round-the-clock care and all the therapy he needed to make his life as happy and pain-free as possible.
He was slowly declining, his body deteriorating a little every day. Grayson had bought Dane the best care possible, but even with that, his doctors gave him a few years at most. It was a reality Grayson tried to push out of his mind because it was too hard to even consider.
He’d sacrificed a lot for his kids. He’d become an unexpected dad at eighteen when his boyfriend, Brannon, had become pregnant after his first heat—a classic tale of failing condoms. He’d married him, determined to do the right thing, and they’d decided to have more kids. They’
d been happy together, content, though Brannon had been a hell of a lot more vanilla than Grayson. Still, Grayson had loved him right until the day he’d died while giving birth to Dane.
It had been a heavy loss, losing his husband and getting the diagnosis his son hadn’t come out of the ordeal unharmed. He hadn’t made as much money back then, his writing career just beginning as a part-time job he held while working full-time as a teacher, so they hadn’t been able to afford a private clinic for Brannon to give birth.
Grayson had always wondered what would’ve happened if he’d been able to afford better health care. He’d vowed on the day he first hit the bestseller lists that he would donate to free clinics and charities for omegas so other omegas wouldn’t suffer the same fate. It was one of the reasons why Enar held such a warm spot in his heart. He liked all four men, but Enar was special to him with his relentless dedication to improving the lives of omegas. He could only hope his proposal wouldn’t upset the man, because that was the last thing Grayson wanted.
Right now, Grayson had to focus on not one but two distinctly uncomfortable conversations. He took a deep, steadying breath before he stepped into the kitchen, where he heard Palani chatting with Vieno. He was so not looking forward to this.
Palani wouldn’t be much of an issue, he assumed. The guy was sharp as a tack, so no doubt, he’d seen this coming. No, it was the conversation after this one that would get interesting. He sighed. God, he hoped they’d take it well.
“Good morning,” he said as he walked in.
Vieno turned around from the stove, where he was stirring something in a pot that smelled delicious. “What dragged you away from your keyboard this early in the day?”
Grayson smiled. Vieno didn’t miss much either. “I need to talk to Palani.”
“Oh. Do you need me to leave?” Vieno asked.