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Chapter Twenty-Nine

Teal

S tabbing pains in his stomach woke Teal from a fitful sleep around one a.m. He’d been trying to eat well enough and take care of himself, but there was no getting around the intense stress from the High Court tribunal.

He scrubbed a hand over his face and got up to use the bathroom and take an antacid.

“Okay?” Ronan mumbled.

The alpha had also been struggling to sleep the past few days. Teal felt bad waking him. “I’m fine, my love. Just going to grab a glass of water from downstairs. Go back to sleep.”

Ronan grunted, turning over on his side.

Teal waited until he was sure his husband had fallen back asleep before sneaking into the hallway.

He checked on the boys and then on Sorcha in the spare room.

Teal thought he might sleep better if Sorcha shared the bed with them, but the other omega still felt more comfortable this way, and Teal didn’t want to pressure him.

But Sorcha had been seeking more hugs and kisses from him and Ronan over the past few days, even willing to show affection in front of the boys, not to mention Niall and Jax.

That was a step in the right direction, and Teal was eager to affirm their commitment by making love. Sorcha needed at least a few more days to recover from his heat, and of course the tribunal was causing Teal fits on the inside, but that didn’t stop him from wanting the other omega.

Teal shivered, remembering the feel of Sorcha’s body, the way his ass had swallowed Teal’s cock like it was meant to be there.

And the noises Ronan had made watching him fuck the other man had been unreal.

He couldn’t wait to be intimate with his partners again, without the urgency of heat.

He pushed the heel of his hand down on his dick, which had risen to half-mast at the thought of it.

Walking carefully on the stairs so as not to alert the household, Teal almost doubled over as another jolt of pain pierced his gut.

Those antacids needed to kick in. Tomorrow was Saturday, so High Court was on a break for the weekend.

He hoped he could relax a little. They’d barely begun calling witnesses, so the proceedings would last next week and into the next one, slightly longer than originally planned.

Mercifully, the pain dulled somewhat and Teal made his way to the kitchen. Deciding tea might help, he put the kettle on and leaned against the counter, waiting for the water to boil.

The house was still, although remnants of the day lingered.

The twins’ schoolwork was stacked neatly in the center of the table.

Ronan’s coat hung precariously on a hook near the back door where he’d kicked off his work boots.

Only the hum of the furnace invaded the silent air.

The quiet should have been calming, yet Teal felt the hairs on his neck rise, as though he were an intruder in his own home.

A low moan from the direction of the office invaded the silence.

Teal turned his head. The lights in the office were off. Moonlight provided the sliver of illumination glowing beneath the closed door.

Another moan.

Teal processed what he was hearing.

The betas were fucking.

“Yes, Jax… Oh, stars… Fuck babe, right there.” Niall’s pleas were mere whispers, but they sounded like bullhorns in Teal’s ears.

Teal’s cock sprang to attention. He quickly flipped off the kettle, not wanting to risk it whistling and alerting the betas to his presence. Closing his eyes, he leaned against the pantry door.

“Fuck, Nigh. You feel so good.”

Jax’s pleasure-wrecked voice was as quiet as his boyfriend’s. Clearly the betas had waited for the household to fall asleep. They couldn’t have predicted Teal’s restlessness.

When they’d all decided Niall and Jax should stay in the house, Teal hadn’t taken the decision to its logical conclusion.

That the men would have sex there. Of course he should have realized it.

They were obviously a close couple and had been cockblocked since last weekend when Jax came home to find Garin, Kino, and Zayne in their bed.

Hadn’t Teal just been thinking about how much he wanted Ronan and Sorcha physically, how much he ached for them? Niall and Jax would be no different.

And yet, Teal couldn’t help remembering that the last time Niall had gotten fucked in this house, it had been in Ronan and Teal’s bed.

“Fuck, fuck, Jax. That’s it, babe. Harder. I’m almost there.”

Teal closed his eyes. He should go back to bed, give them privacy. But he just…couldn’t. He squeezed his lids tighter and let his mind run away with what might be happening on the other side of the door.

He knew what Niall looked like when he came. Knew he had a special sensitive spot near the base of his dick. Knew how hard he liked his balls pulled when he was close. Was he riding Jax right now? Facing him or facing away? Or maybe Jax was behind him, covering him, grinding into him.

Teal slipped a hand into his pants and gave his aching prick a few slow strokes as the sounds from the office devolved from words into pants and grunts.

The pattern of Niall’s breathing was familiar.

He would come soon. And then Jax would fill him with his cum.

Or maybe they’d flip, and Niall would get hard again and bury his cock in Jax’s ass. Niall liked to top and bottom. Did Jax?

Fuck , Teal thought. This wasn’t right. He shouldn’t be out here touching himself to mental images of his former lover and that lover’s boyfriend. No matter how hot it was. He had his own partners upstairs. And the betas had a right to their privacy.

The panting from the office grew heavier and more rapid. Teal padded to the stairs as quickly as he could. Those weren’t his sounds to hear. His moans to swallow.

But even though he’d removed himself from listening distance, Teal couldn’t shut off his imagination. Despite his stomachache, the sounds of the betas pleasuring one another lingered in his mind, lulling him to sleep as he pictured Niall and Jax together.

***

The next morning, both Ronan and Jax had to work, using their Saturday mornings to catch up on what they’d fallen behind on during the week.

After twenty minutes spent scrubbing off the AINO that had been spray painted on the end of the driveway overnight—the cameras too far away to identify the black-clad perpetrators—Ronan left for his job site with the promise to be home by lunch.

Jax locked himself in the home office with similar assurances to be finished by noon.

Teal found himself at the kitchen table with Sorcha and Niall. The three men sipped their coffees while the boys watched cartoons in the other room. Teal was grateful for the presence of the other omega because it limited the need to make direct conversation with Niall.

“You seem to be doing much better,” Niall said to Sorcha.

Teal had difficulty reconciling Niall’s benign words with his throaty moans from last night. He knew the beta’s concern for Sorcha was genuine and chided himself. It wasn’t Niall’s fault that Teal couldn’t stop picturing him getting railed by Jax.

“I feel good,” Sorcha replied, smiling. “My body is healed up, though my mind is still catching up to the fact that I have a whole new life now.”

Sorcha surprised Teal by reaching for his hand across the table, peering shyly at him as he twined their fingers together. The tentative gesture made Teal melt. He knew it didn’t come easy.

Teal kissed the younger omega’s knuckles. “We all have a new life now.” Deciding it was a cards-on-the-table moment, he continued, “Especially if our alpha knocked you up.”

Sorcha sat up straighter at that, and Teal gave his palm a reassuring squeeze.

It had been a breeding orgasm, and they all needed to prepare themselves for the possible consequences.

Sorcha needed to know—no, he needed to truly feel, down to his soul—that this baby was something Ronan and Teal wanted.

“I, for one, am looking forward to the baby phase,” Niall declared, infusing the moment with the perfect blend of efficiency and calmness. “All that soft skin and those sweet little coos. There’s nothing like it.”

Sorcha looked between the two men curiously, as though he couldn’t quite believe his potential pregnancy was something they’d speak casually about, and with joyful anticipation.

“I’m going to check on the boys,” the bewildered young omega said.

“Thank you,” Teal said to Niall after Sorcha was out of earshot. Niall winked at him.

Some tension left Teal at hearing Niall speak as though it was a given he’d care for any babies Sorcha might have. Teal was grateful for every sign Niall had no plans to leave their household.

And that was why he knew there couldn’t be any secrets between them.

“My stomach has been hurting a lot lately, since the tribunal began.” Teal started with the easy part.

“I’ve noticed,” Niall said. “I didn’t want to pry, but please let me know if there’s anything I can do. Maybe there are meals I can make that might be easier on your system? I wish I could just take away the stress.”

Beautiful, perfect Niall. “No. Thank you. I think the only thing that’s going to help is just getting to the closing proses.” Teal cleared his throat. “But the reason I brought it up is because I feel like I need to tell you… I, um, heard you.”

Niall took a sip from his mug and tilted his head a fraction. “Huh?”

“Last night, my pain woke me up. I came downstairs because I thought some tea might help and I… heard you.”

“Okay,” Niall said absently. Then his eyes widened. “Oh!”

“Yeah,” Teal muttered.

A bright red blush stole across Niall’s face. “We assumed everyone was asleep,” he stammered. “I’m so sorry if you thought it was…inappropriate.”

“What? Oh, no. Stars, no. That wasn’t what I meant. Of course you should feel free to be with your boyfriend in your own room. We want you to feel comfortable in this house.”

Niall’s brows furrowed. “Then why are you telling me?”