Page 30 of Cost of Courting (When it Raines Omegaverse #6)

Chapter twenty-eight

Selene

I creep out of the bedroom, leaving my alphas asleep in the bed. The creak of the screen door is enough to have me tense, but the footsteps that follow let me release my death grip on the machete I have hold of. Luna barely glances at me as I walk into the kitchen.

“You’re back?”

“Only to grab some clothes,” she says coldly.

She’s dressed in a similar way to how I saw her the other day. Expensive, austere clothing, completely at odds with who she is. What happened to the bubbly, happy Luna who always smiled?

I stare at her but see a stranger. That helplessness I’ve been feeling over the last few years fills me again. It’s like we have nothing in common, like there are no words left that won’t start a fight. All the love I feel for her is wrapped up in frustration, anger, and pain.

“Can you just listen to me for a minute? I don’t want to fight with you, Luna. It’s just you and me-”

“But it’s not, is it?” Luna says in that same dead tone.

“Because they are in your bedroom, and you’re dating him, aren’t you?

Bailey? My ex? He’s in your room right now, isn’t he?

And you’ve got Pack Dread, too. Don’t you think you’re being a bit greedy?

Don’t you think you should just let me find my own happiness? ”

I step back, shocked by the venom in her voice.

“I’m not stopping you from finding happiness, Lu, I just don’t think you know who he really is- ”

“Of course!” She scoffs. “You would say that. Do you want him for yourself, too, is that it?”

I recoil. There’s nothing about her I recognise.

“No! No! I don’t want him.”

“Happy with the ones you’ve stolen? Are they even yours? Maybe they do belong to Octavia. She told me what happened.”

“No!” I almost shout. “They are mine.”

Wait! Wait a fucking minute.

“Yeah, sure. What’s so special about you, though? Why you? It all makes me think, and the more I think about it, the more implausible it seems. There’s nothing about you that is attractive or worthy of a pack like them.”

I press my lips closed, holding in the anger and furious words that I want to unleash on her.

“You spoke to Octavia?” I ask carefully.

“Yeah, whatever. I’m getting my stuff, and I’m gone.”

“Answer me, Luna.”

She flips me off.

“Don’t do this, Luna. You don’t know what he’s really like.”

“Are you fucking serious right now?” Luna screams. “Like, seriously. How about you mind your own damn business and leave me to live my life the way I want?”

I open my mouth to argue, but I don’t have anything left. Everything I say drives her further into that monster’s arms.

I stand against the wall, biting back the pleas I want to throw as she stomps around the house, gathering her belongings, and, in minutes, she’s gone. The silence presses me down, and I have failed.

Again.

Mael finds me and gently corrals me against the wall. The safety of his arms is all I dreamed of, but now, I don’t know how to have what I want without hurting those I love.

I wrap my arms around him and hang on.

“It will look better in the morning.”

“It won’t,” I whisper. “She will still hate me.”

“Tell her the truth.”

“She won’t even listen anymore. I can’t tell her.”

I shake my head as Mael moves back, revealing the pack. Edric is making hot chocolate, while Bailey has pulled out the biscuits, and Kingston has got a movie on and blankets on the couch .

Has anyone ever done this for me before? It’s such a small thing, but, to me, it’s huge.

I find myself allowing them to usher me to the couch and guide me down. Kingston wraps me in a blanket and then wraps us both in another one.

“Where did these blankets come from?”

“Oh, umm?” Bailey’s face gets splotchy.

“Were you nesting?” I ask gently with a smile. I feel like crap, but this small thing is like liquid sunlight.

He shrugs. “Maybe. Is that okay?”

“Yes. I mean, I’m glad you feel comfortable to do it. I love that for you.”

He growls and straddles me. “For us. We’re going to nest together.”

The savage earnestness in his face takes me aback.

“Okay.”

“Good.”

Kingston frowns. I catch sight of it out of the corner of my eyes. But when I turn to look at him, it’s gone in a flash.

“I know what you guys are doing.”

“And?” Mael murmurs as he passes a steaming mug into my hands.

“You don’t need to do this. I can take care of myself. I don’t need to be-”

“Pampered?”

“Cared for?”

“Shown that you are important?”

“Loved?”

I huff and take a sip of the drink even though I think my throat is sealed shut.

Why do their words mean so much more with Luna’s accusations still ringing in my ears?

Edric sits beside me, and Mael sits in front of him. I watch in fascination as the latter wraps his arm around Edric’s calf and leans against him.

Kingston squeezes in so he’s pressed up against me, and Bailey takes the other side.

I focus on the movie. It’s an action, which is good because I hate romances. I try to focus on the movie, but all I can think about are the four alphas surrounding me.

We’re about halfway into the movie when Bailey’s scent changes.

Kingston turns his head and watches him intently.

I can sense the tension in Bailey as he fights it. With a sigh of pure frustration, I twist in my seat and narrow my eyes.

“Stop fighting it.”

Bailey’s cheeks go red. “I’m not.”

“You are. Stop fighting it. Does it occur to you that the reason your designation is coming through right now is because you feel safe?”

Bailey blinks.

“You are safe here with your alphas, and that means you don’t have to be constantly on guard and wondering where the danger is. Omega, you are allowed to relax and be happy.”

“I’m fine-”

I straddle his lap and perch there, glaring at him. His big hands rest on my hips, streaking awareness through me. I follow the path of his tattoos down under his singlet.

“Have you taken a knot yet?”

Bailey coughs hard. “What?”

“Have you taken a knot yet, like, not in a heat knot?”

Those blue-green eyes stare at me, wide eyes framed by black lashes and filled with panic and desire.

“Why not?”

He glances sideways at Kingston, but the alpha is pretending to be deaf. The slight grin on his lips as he lifts his mug to his mouth gives him away, though.

“Don’t you want a knot?”

Bailey scowls and opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. Again, he shifts his gaze to the alphas and then looks back at me.

“Oh, I see. You want it, but you’re scared it will change things. Shall we find out together?”

Hot chocolate sprays across the room.

I regard Kingston as he wipes his mouth and chokes.

I have the attention of the entire room now. “If you want this knot, I will stay and make sure they do it right. They will listen to me or I will stab them.”

Edric snorts. “I’m offended you think for a second we wouldn’t listen to you, crazy girl.”

I ignore Edric and focus on Bailey. “Tell me what you want, Raines.”

“I want that knot, but you’re staying and helping.”

My lips tilt up. “I’m afraid I lack that bit of anatomy, but-”

His fingers bite into my hips and silence me, and I realise how nervous he is.

“You’ve had them before. What’s the big deal?”

“I don’t really remember.”

“Oh.”

His gaze flickers to Mael, so full of apology. “I remember begging. I remember it felt good, but I don’t know the specifics about how it happened.”

“Let’s do it, then. We can learn together. ”

“What? You want to be knotted, too?” Bailey growls and possessively drags me closer.

“Yes. Sure. Why not?” Do I sound as breathless as I feel?

He closes his eyes as if praying for strength. He’s going to need it.

“I need to feel something good right now. I need a distraction.” Is that selfish? I look down at where my fingers are resting on his chest.

“Okay.”

The alpha growl comes from Kingston, but he holds his hands up and backs off. “I’m sitting this one out. I don’t have the control to knot virgins.”

“I want to see you stroking your cock, Alpha. When I come, you come.”

He grins. “Yes, Omega.”

“Good boy.”

He bursts out laughing, but I’m distracted as Edric and Mael move towards us. Mael grabs me and pulls me off Bailey’s lap, while Edric takes my place.

I’m thoroughly kissed so passionately that I don’t recognise I’m being stripped out of my clothes until Mael is running a hand up my rib cage. He follows the line of my arm and grabs my fingers, bringing my wrist in and kissing me in that tender spot where my skin is the thinnest.

Something in me quakes. My foundations are rocking.

It’s not arousal but something deeper. The wall I’d kept up trying to save myself is down, crumbled and gone.

Who am I kidding? Existing without them was the most painful agony. When I was younger, I didn’t think I could survive them leaving me. Now that I’m older, I know I won’t.

I tear my mouth from his and bury my face in the crook of his neck while I catch my breath and get myself under control.

His hands clutch my asscheeks, pulling me up and into him. “Stop fighting me.”

I grin and slap a hand to his naked chest. “Never.”

Mael laughs darkly and spins me around. “On your knees, Omega.”

I scowl but do as I’m told. He drops his jeans and grips his huge cock in one massive fist. I stare up at it, my mouth watering as a bead of pre-cum pools on the tip. When he strokes up, I see the thick knot of raised flesh as the base.

It wasn’t there when we had sex, I’m sure of it.

“Can I?”

His eyes blaze. “You can touch me anywhere.”

I reach out, gripping him and then sliding my fist down, feeling his knot. His dick is pretty, but his knot has my full attention. As I stroke my fingers over it, it gets bigger, ballooning out .

“That’s not going to fit,” I say as if that’s going to end the conversation.

Mael throws his head back and laughs. “But you’re going to have fun trying?”

“Damn straight. Challenge,” I flick my tongue over the tip of his dick, “accepted.”

He groans and grips my head as I bob down, taking the throbbing length of him deep into my mouth.

I glance to the left and see Bailey impaled on Edric’s cock. I focus on them, clenching my thighs together as slick rushes out of me.

“That’s hot.”

“Hot?”

“Look at them, it's art.”

“You should see how well you swallow a cock,” Kingston purrs and sits on the couch next to Edric, who turns his head, kissing our amused alpha.

I’m so mesmerised that I forget what I’m doing until Mael removes his cock from my mouth.

“Hands and knees, I want that ass presented.”

I contemplate arguing with him, but the truth is, it sounds hot.

I get down slowly and gasp as he follows, gripping my hips and thrusting against me.

The feel of that hard ridge of cock splitting my pussy lips and ass apart has me almost weeping.

He drags his cock against me a couple more times and then pulls back.

“Ready?”

“Do you need a road map?”

Mael’s dark chuckle gives no warning when he suddenly starts pushing his cock into me. It feels like it’s splitting me open. I mewl, but he pulls out a little and thrusts back deeper. Still, I know he’s not close.

He keeps going, sawing in and out of me, his fingers biting into my hips until I can feel his knot against my pussy.

My eyes widen, but I want this. It’s part of being an omega. I need to have it. I drop down to my elbows and groan as his cock presses against a whole new spot.

Bailey lets out a strangled scream, and I twist my head and see him convulsing on Edric.

Mael drags his cock back. I let out a moan, trying not to whimper. He pushes forward, and I have one clear thought: this is it. My first knot, and then he forces that monster into me.

I scream.

I didn’t know. I had no idea.

I’m shattered, obliterated, and built again. I see black, white, and red, I pant, I scream, I choke and strain, gritting my teeth, my muscles locked and rigid as I milk his cock and knot. Convulsing with no control over my body .

It. Goes. On. Forever.

I was made for this.

I was wrong; he isn’t too big; he fits perfectly.

Mael tries to hold on. Thrusting in and out while I strangle his cock with my pussy.

“Please, Alpha, please, help me. Help-”

He loses his mind, flattening me to the carpet and rutting into me, his teeth piercing my neck, panting, sucking, and fucking as he sprays my insides with cum.

I lose my voice and claw at the carpet, moaning, but with every movement, I set him off, and with every movement from him, I’m set off.

We keep going in a never-ending loop of feeling, of pleasure, until it eases up, leaving me lying on the floor twitching helplessly. Mael carefully pulls free of my body and scoops me into his arms.

Cum and slick runs out between my legs, and Mael cups my pussy, holding it there before he thrusts his fingers into me.

“So fucking wet, hot. I want you again.”

I shiver and pat his chest. “I’m going to need a recovery hour or two. Wow.”

“No joke,” Bailey whispers from the floor, where he’s thrown an arm over his face. “We have to do that again, but in a minute.”

Mael laughs and reluctantly removes his hand and fingers

My heart clenches and soars.

“Thank you for coming home.”

They’re silent for a long moment. “Thank you for waiting.”