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He slammed his lips onto mine, claiming me with his mouth. And I melted into him, offering every last bit of myself. I felt his desire and his passion with every swipe of his tongue against mine, every touch and grasp of his hands, stroking me everywhere.

Then he was up again, guiding me up the stairs to his room.

He undressed quickly, pulling his cashmere sweater over his head in one fluid motion, his jeans sliding effortlessly off his thick, muscular thighs. “From the moment I saw you,” he started, his tonebecoming soft, “This is exactly where I fantasized taking you.”

Elias gripped the back of my neck and kissed me again, his erection pressing against my stomach. “Right here,” he continued, his voice becoming lower and huskier. His chest heaved as he panted in my ear, grinding against me. “I’ve been waiting, preparing for this my whole life. I didn’t know it until we met, but every decision I’ve ever made has been to bring me closer to you.”

My heart pounded in sync with his and tears pricked the corners of my eyes. I opened my mouth to speak but his lips were on mine again, stealing the words from my breath. Everything I wanted to say he took inside him, feeling them through our bond.

His hands caressed my body down to my thighs, picking me up like I weighed nothing at all, and he set me on the bed. “Turn around,” he said. “And get on your hands and knees.”

He didn’t bark but I felt his command all the same, my pussy dripping in anticipation. When I was in position, he brought one foot against the edge of the bed and drove himself inside of me with a purposeful, precise thrust.

I moaned from the sudden fullness of him, and he gave me a moment to adjust to his size before drawing out and moving into me again.

His fingers dug into my flesh as he pulled my hips towards him with the same amount of force as he pushed himself inside, his knot hitting and rubbing against my swollen clit. I whimpered in pain and pleasure, my whole body on delicious edge.

He reached beneath me and tweaked my nipples, sending a shockwave rippling through me. As he wrung another climax through his powerful thrusts, he called forth his own and we came together, his knot locking inside. I could feel his release filling me, and he groaned, his hands keeping me steady as my legs began to tremble.

The post-sex hormones, the bond, the smell of him in his place… everything flooded my system and I felt deliriously high, wishing we were facing each other so I could kiss him.

He picked me up and maneuvered us on his bed, holding me tightly against his chest, the only sound the distant din of street traffic and our heavy breathing.

We lay in silence, and Elias kissed the top of my head and ran his fingertips down my arms and sides.

I thought back to what he had said about wanting me from the beginning, and a nagging little thought wriggled its way to my forefront.

“Elias,” I started, not sure how to work my question. “Do… doyou only like me because I’m an omega?”

He grunted, like the question was ridiculous. “Do you only like me because I’m an alpha?”

“What?” I replied. “No, of course not.”

I felt the chuckle rumble through his chest. “Then there you go. Sometimes, I actually think it might have been easier if you were a beta, because then there would have been no expectation for me to share you.”

My cheeks heated, and while I appreciated the sentiment, I couldn’t even imagine not having my whole pack.

“And before you ask,” he continued, “yes, I’d still love you if you were a worm.”

I snorted, reaching back to tug on his hair. “That’s good to know, thanks.”

After a while, his knot finally shrunk enough that he could pull out, and I turned around so we could face each other, nuzzling my face into his chest to take in a deep, greedy breath. “Well, I am glad you’re an alpha if just for your scent. Did you know you smell like bergamot and black pepper?”

He chuckled. “Is that so?” He reached down to kiss me and then paused. “Wait, Earl Grey’s your favorite tea.”

“Mm hm,” I sighed, breathing him in again.

Bergamot oil was the ingredient that gave Earl Grey its distinctive flavor, and its floral and citrus combination always calmed me down.

“What does everyone else smell like to you?” he asked, his fingers lightly grazing along my shoulder.

My eyebrows raised in confusion. “What do you mean? I thought everyone kind of had a signature scent?”

Just when I thought I had this world figured out, something new would come up and I felt ignorant all over again. I hated not knowing things.

“How can I describe this… shifter scents are kind of like flavor profiles in wine. Sometimes they’re really clear, and we can agree that a shifter smells like roses or fresh-baked bread. But we also interpret each other’s scents differently based on how well we match with each other, as pack mates or romantic partners. The other males in the pack smell good to me, which typically indicates we are compatible, but we might not necessarily agree on the notes. Cam seems woodsy to me, for example, while Archer reminds me of the ocean, but that’s about it. I’ve only been able to detect exact scent profiles of really powerful shifters, like your brother, or females I was interested in mating with.”

A small growl rumbled in my chest.Mating with?We hadn’t been in public together much before this trip, and I’d never considered myself a jealous person before, but every time a woman did a double take after we walked by, or even the slightest mention of a previous girlfriend, had my inner wolf wanting to start tearing throats out. It wasn’t a good feeling. “And just how many females would you say you’ve been able to scent?”