Page 40 of Advocate Omega (Unforeseen Paths #1)

Zander

Lucan is a male on a mission as he drags Ulric’s flailing, naked body through the town.

I trail behind him, trying to breathe through my mouth and keep my body in check. It’s like every minute that passes brings me closer to being a needy slut.

Now that I’ve gone through a heat with Lucan, I know what to expect. Sure, I’d have liked more time to mentally recover and possibly prepare for how insatiable I’ll become. Still, like everything that’s happened lately, I’m stuck on this unexpected path and happy to be there.

Ulric shouts at the onlookers to help him, to stop Lucan, but I promptly tune it out.

My mind is elsewhere. Are we going to complete the mating ritual?

I know I initially said I wanted to wait, but my chest pinches at the possibility of prolonging it.

We are fated —meant to be connected in every way.

Waiting seems…awful. I want his mark on me. I want everyone to know that he’s mine.

Yeah, I don’t think we will be waiting for anything.

Well, except currently.

Scruffing Ulric and positioning him on his knees, Lucan howls to the surrounding wolves, and they all trickle in to watch the scene.

It’s a sound no one can ignore, and butterflies explode low in my belly.

I spot those betas from earlier, several pods and kids.

A few minutes pass while more and more gather.

Pretty soon, the entire fucking clan hovers, waiting with bated breath to hear what Lucan has to say.

His pheromones are potent, dominating the space and only highlighting what he is.

Not a sigma anymore, but their Prime Alpha.

Gods, I’m wet.

“Help me!” Ulric roars. “Stop him, you fools!”

Lucan smacks the back of his head. “Silence.”

Making sure to stay close, my mate glances at me, and his eyes soften. I nearly puddle to the floor with how much love and longing are in them. He wants to be done with this, too.

Clearing his throat, he straightens and starts his speech.

I know he’s nervous, having never wanted this kind of power over anyone, but he speaks with humility and grace, explains the situation with the Terra Clan and our plans for the future.

Every instance of abuse that he’s personally witnessed, he tells the crowd.

Several alphas growl and try to argue it isn’t true, but he quickly shuts them down.

Whines, dipped heads in submission, and anxious heartbeats sound off in my ears.

And when it comes down to his birthright and role among them, he explains how Ulric sabotaged it.

How he used Ian to ensure Lucan would be too heartbroken to challenge anything—how it worked for years.

My heart kicks wildly in my chest when he talks about me .

A public claiming, a promise to inflict harm on anyone who continues to partake in these barbaric practices, and a vow to make sure no one else has to go through it.

I’m hard. Panting. Ready to leave.

“And you,” he says with finality, glaring down at Ulric, who mirrors the look.

“I should kill you for what you’ve done to your pod.

I should rip your heart out and stuff it down your throat.

But for the sake of your pup, I’ll let you live in isolation.

You are forbidden from coming near Ian or Thalira.

” A shiver runs down my spine from the dominance in his voice, the unwavering thunder of it.

“And if you intervene, challenge me in any way, I will end your life, Ulric Moonsbane.”

“They’ll never follow you,” Ulric tries and fails to sound intimidating.

Lucan shoves him into the dirt. “They will, and you’re going to watch as they leave.”

We are so unprepared.

So fucking unprepared for how many wolves are ready to pack up shop and leave.

The response to Lucan’s speech is overwhelming, and I am so distracted. This is the worst time for my big dream to come true. I should be organizing shit. I should be sharing my list of ideas, providing direction, and explaining that we have a huge task ahead of us: fixing up that abandoned town.

What am I doing instead?

Waiting in Lucan’s cabin, sitting in his hard bed, and leaking .

My heat is right there —so close I can hardly stand it.

I know he’s coming back. He had to ensure Ulric left the territory and then gather supplies for a trek back to the Kato Clan, but I’m shivering and hot.

What if we don’t make it back in time? What if it hits while we are driving, and he has to take me right there on the side of the road?

Fuck. My. Life.

I whine low in my throat, alternating between lying on my side in a ball and sitting on my knees.

Already having discarded my pants, I move to take off my shirt, but think better of it.

The ass of my boxers is so wet, my skin is itchy.

But I can still think, can still focus on what’s happening.

Even though his scent is old, it’s present enough that I’m able to feel a smidgen of relief.

Why is this bed so hard?

It’s horrible, truly. And the single pillow is going to suck if I’m forced to go through my heat in his cabin. I needed them last time. Hell, I needed so many Lucan had to go through the other houses and gather the moth-eaten remnants to satisfy me.

With a huff, I get back on my knees, scrub my face, and refrain from grinding my ass onto the mattress. Did I tell Lucan his bed is uncomfortable? I can’t remember.

What feels like hours pass before Lucan returns.

I’m entirely miserable now, holding my stomach and breathing through the cramps.

It takes him a few minutes, and some loud thumps and shuffling of objects in the living room make me whine.

I don’t know what he’s doing out there, but he has to hurry.

Another minute or two passes, and then he shoulders into the room, and his scent wraps around me in a firm, comforting embrace.

Tears swell in my eyes, a nice puddle between my legs, and Lucan whines at the sight.

“My heart,” he coos and scoops me off the bed. “Sorry that it took so long.”

I cling to his neck, nuzzle the skin there before licking and biting. “I don’t think I’ll make it,” I say breathlessly. Gods, he smells better than anything.

“I know,” he says huskily. “I took care of everything.”

With his hands on my ass, my legs banded around his waist, he carries me into the living room, and I lift my head away from his neck long enough to see what all he brought.

A thick, cozy-looking mattress lies in the center of the living room.

Mountains of pillows and blankets are stacked beside it, and through the doorway that leads into the kitchen, I spot the stockpile of food and water on the counter.

“Is this okay?” he asks carefully.

I nod. “Perfect.”

“No one will bother us, and I told everyone to get their affairs in order. When we are ready, we will leave.”

I smile before stealing a kiss. “You’re so thoughtful,” I purr, dragging my palms over his chest and squeezing the muscles. “So…hot.”

Chuckling, he lowers me to the mattress. “Let me make you something to eat first.”

“No,” I growl, latching onto his arm. “Stay here.”

“Are you sure? You were starving earlier.”

“Feed me later. I just…” I stop, chew my lip, and tug on him so he kneels beside me. “I want to do it.”

His eyebrow hitches. “Do what?”

“The mating…thing. I want you to bite me.”

“You said you wanted to wait.”

“I change my mind.”

His growing pupils swallow those green eyes.

He moves closer, leaning over me and inching me onto my back.

I blush when my hole clenches and more slick leaks from it.

A growl works up his throat as he pushes my shirt up to reveal my stomach.

His thumb swipes over my belly button before he dips his head to kiss it.

“If I bite you,” he starts, inching his lips lower, and my cock throbs. “You’ll be bound to me, sweet. Our lives tied as one. In every life,” he kisses my right hip, then my left, “we will find each other. Is that what you want?”

Sliding my fingers into his hair, I pet him while letting his words sink in.

It seems silly to wonder what another life might be like when I’ve just started living this one.

The one thing I do know for sure is that I can’t imagine not having Lucan by my side.

I know him on a soul-deep level. My wolf knows him, my heart recognized his.

That kind of connection is once in a lifetime, and here he is, promising that we can have it in every single one.

Do I believe in all that? Maybe.

But I think about my father and his alphas.

How much they loved . The fates hadn’t blessed them, hadn’t shone their light on them.

I don’t think that means they weren’t meant to be.

I guess it just means if they had the choice at all, they would’ve taken it.

To know that wherever you are, whoever you become, the one person who will always love and appreciate you will be there.

The person who won’t hurt you or walk away.

It’s the most profound reassurance someone can have.

I never wanted just to be an omega. I wanted a choice. Lucan has given me that. And I choose to love him.

“Yes,” I tell him. “It’s what I want. I want you , Luc. Make me yours.”

“Precious,” he rumbles, crawling up my body to kiss me hard and deep. When he pulls back to stare into my eyes, he cups my cheek and nuzzles me. “You have always been mine. I just needed the chance to find you.”

My heart hammers against my ribs. “Technically, I found you,” I say, and he laughs.

“Always arguing,” he grins and presses a sweet kiss to my forehead. I melt into it, stomach fluttering anew. “I love you, Zan.”

“I love you too.” I really fucking do.