Page 20

Verity

I bit my lower lip. Part of me loved this conversation about bites and bonding, but part of me was afraid it would end like last time. “I liked it when you called me alpha while we were fucking.”

“You’re mine, Kitten.” His arms wrapped around me, rain scent comforting.

He was a gamma. One who’d been an omega first, for a couple of years, and could be an omega again soon. I didn’t even know that was possible.

That meant that we could actually have some sort of connection. We’ve just ruined ourselves with drugs because we didn’t trust our instincts.

I handed him a glass of wine and sipped on my own. Candles flickered around us. The water was warm and bubbly. Glorious.

Grif explained a little more about the doctor’s appointments, the effects of the blockers on him, and what could happen if he didn’t stop.

“While I feel bad that this might derail your plan, I worry about your health. I want you around for a long time.” I laid my head on his shoulder.

“Mmmm, I like to hear that, Gorgeous.” He sipped his wine. “Be patient with me? I have no idea what’s waking up. I… I’m a little scared.”

Wisps of his burnt sugar fear made my belly tighten, and I rubbed my hand along his beard. “I’m here. We’ll figure it all out.”

Grif stole a kiss. “That’s what I needed to hear, Kitten. I have a confession to make. That whine on the airplane when you flew with us to Glitter City. That was me, not Dean. Freaked me out. I haven’t whined in a very long time.”

Part of me melted, and I kissed him. “I’m sorry I woke things up. I never meant to endanger you.”

Even though it sounded like this would have happened regardless, I still felt guilty.

He shook his head. “Don’t be. It could be so many things, too. Developing a resistance to the drugs, my relationship with AJ, not to mention living with Dean. If I push back over to being an omega, will you be okay with that? I know you didn’t sign up for two omegas.”

“I signed up for you, whatever you call yourself,” I assured.

Two-omega packs were becoming more common. Especially as the population of male omegas grew and people debunked the old myths that kept packs from having more than one omega–and omegas mating with each other.

I put the wineglass down and kissed him. “I love you. All of you. Maybe I need to show you in here like you did out there.”

That wall fucking had settled something inside me. I wanted more–and right now my leg felt just fine.

Facing him, I straddled him and slowly slid down on his rock-hard shaft. “I love that you’re always ready for me.”

“I’m yours to fuck,” he sighed as I seated myself on his cock.

Putting one hand on his shoulder to brace myself, I tangled my other in his hair and rode him. “You feel so good.”

My hands and lips explored his face and body as I ground against his cock, riding him slowly, both for my own satisfaction and trying not to let water slosh all over the floor.

“Oh, that’s it, Kitten, you ride me so good,” he groaned. “I love how good you feel.”

“You’re mine to ride,” I growled, grinning, loving this, as I continued to ride him, one of his hands toying with my clit until orgasm rocked me.

“Come for me,” I told him, my pussy squeezing his cock as tight as I could as I ran my tongue over the infinity heart tattoo on his chest.

“Yes, Alpha.” His eyes gleamed as he held my hips, slamming me onto him so hard water splashed over the sides, and he came inside me.

Locking him, I slumped onto his chest, spent and satisfied. We laid there in the bathtub, talking, until the water cooled, refreshing it and turning the jets back on twice. We talked about all the fear he’d had as he hid his designation. The self-loathing he’d felt at himself, and hatred for whatever DNA threatened to ruin his dreams. How he felt like he had to succeed so he could help his family.

I told him the entire story of my omega dad meeting the alpha parents at the chemistry conference, realizing that he and Mumsy were scent matches, and the fallout of their idiocy.

“This was why I was trying to take things slow. Well, that and I do have Mercy and my studies to think of. My parents could have solved so many problems by simply taking time to get to know each other before yanking my dad out of his university mid-term, moving him to the other side of the country, then mating him within a week,” I admitted, glad to finally tell him the root of my wariness.

He nodded. “I hear you, and that’s valid. He left mid-semester? The idea of trying to work out scholarships and credit transfers makes me nervous for him.”

“It gets worse. Dad had a live-in alpha girlfriend. He picked up and left when she wasn’t home, sending only a text. The alpha moms kept her from him, called her a stalker when she tried to talk to him, and got campus police involved.” I winced because she and Dad were serious and he didn’t even speak to her about it before leaving.

Grif’s jaw dropped. “That poor girl. She just probably wanted to have a conversation. If she was an alpha, why couldn’t she stay with him? Join their pack?”

“Right? That would make sense. While the alpha moms said it was that initial possessiveness, I think a lot of it was that she was a piano major,” I said softly. A fantastic one. Creed and I had looked her up after the whole story came out.

“Oh no, not a music major.” Grif grimaced. “I’m sorry, but your parents are snobs.”

“Absolutely. Dad was an undergrad when they met, but Mumsy, Baba, and Mom were all in a chemistry PhD program together when they met and talking about forming a pack together. I understand them wanting to choose practical careers, but they go overboard in pushing the sciences–and crushing dreams that don’t fit their narrow purview of what our lives should be like.” I sighed, pushing away thoughts of what I could have had if they hadn’t barked me into turning down those offers to play professional fútbol.

Grif kissed my temple. “I’m glad you’re helping your siblings with their dreams. And you know, if you get the chance to chase yours, we’d fully support you.”

“You would?” I blinked. Wow. My fútbol days were over, but the fact they’d fully support it meant everything.

I leaned in and kissed him. Then I sighed.

“The story gets worse. Dad’s girlfriend that he abandoned died–leaving behind a baby. Their baby. Dad nearly left the parents after that. She hadn’t been stalking him; she’d wanted to tell him she was pregnant. The alphas knew they fucked up, and it took a lot of work for them to get through that. Dad spent twenty-something years looking for baby Grace.” I leaned into him. Because that just hurt my heart.

“Oh fuck. Okay, okay, I could see how that would make you wary of going too fast. I’m so happy that you found your sister.” His arms wrapped around me.

“Me, too. Grace was overwhelmed when Creed found her. She thought Dad abandoned her.” I winced. “It turns out that Mom hid Grace from Dad, thinking it was the right thing. She also helped the records get messed up so he couldn’t find her. Now she’s in jail for child trafficking. That part fucked with my head, because one mistake, one rash alpha judgment, came back decades later and destroyed everything. Not only am I terrified of turning into the parents, but I’m worried that one errant alpha choice that seemed like a good idea at the time would tear down my life and everyone else’s years later. What if I do that?” Fear flooded my chest.

“Oh, Kitten.” He nuzzled me. “You’re not going to do anything remotely like that. Not to mention, you have two alphas in the pack with you that I trust ineffably. Ones that you can go to for a second opinion. Part of the whole reason behind packs is so that alphas have checks and balances. Obviously, the pack you grew up in failed at that. But we won’t because you have Jonas and AJ–and they have you. ”

“Oh.” I’d never quite considered that. “The parents failed at a lot of things. That’s the main reason we couldn’t date. They didn’t want us to fuck up like them.”

“For fuck’s sake. That’s why? I’d thought they didn’t want you to date because then they’d lose their free labor,” he told me.

My head lolled from side to side. “There definitely was some of that after Creed moved out for engineering school.”

Grif planted a kiss on my temple. “Thank you. That explains so much. While we didn’t have a lot in my family growing up, we had plenty of love. Sure, we got in trouble, certainly us older ones looked after the littles and did chores. No one ever was truly mean.”

“The thing is, none of the alpha parents thought they were being mean when they tore us down. They thought it made us tough.” I sighed. Telling him all this took a load off my chest.

“We won’t be like that.” He squeezed me. “I promise.”

“Good. After you left me in the bleachers, I started to put things together. It shook me. Fault or not, I made a bad choice, and we were both hurt by it. I love you, and hurting you is the last thing I want to do.” Tears streamed down my face.

“I know, Kitten.” He kissed away my tears. “That doesn’t mean you need to rush. However, I appreciate that you and Mercy have been talking about ways to make it work. It means the world to me. To us. As you can see by your rooms, we have, too.”

“Can we make this work?” My fingers trailed down his face. I needed everything to be okay. Somehow.

He took my hand and kissed my fingertips. “We can and will.”

Grif poured us more wine. I refreshed the hot water, and we continued to talk more about our fears and dreams and hopes. What life might look like with Mercy and me here with them. Where we fit and what we could do to support each other.

And what things could be like for us long-term–after my PhD and hockey. I loved the picture he painted, about fixing up the house in Boston. Him telling me about different things he wanted to explore with music. How AJ wanted the pack to travel more. The sailing race Dean always wanted to enter. Jonas’ dream to go on a cross-country motorcycle trip.

“This is all new for me, too. I’m scared shitless about embracing what I’ve been fighting against all these years,” he told me.

“I’m here. While I love sheer research, maybe I will be a professor after all. It would give me more time to spend with you over the summers for adventures. If I work at the same university Jonas coaches at, then I can come watch them during practice and heckle the coach,” I laughed.

For all my fútbol dreams, being a professor and my flower research was always my endgame.

Grif snorted. “Be the super-hot coach’s wife. I love that.”

“Hey, are you two okay? You’ve been in there a long time,” AJ said from the other side of the door, giving it a little knock.

“You can come in, AJ,” I called.

AJ came in, a sheepish look on his face. “Sorry, while we talked about you using the passage to my room, we never talked about me using it to yours.”

“It’s fine. Sorry, I didn’t mean to monopolize him.” I frowned a little because while we’d needed to talk, it was late.

AJ shook his head as he sat on the raised platform of the tub, looking like a god in the flickering candlelight. He wore only sweatpants, and I saw the pack tattoo on his bicep that matched the other guys.

“That wasn’t it, Princess. Monopolize him all you need tonight. I wanted to make sure you were okay. You. I can feel that he’s fine through the bond, but I can’t feel you. Sorry it took so long, I sort of fell asleep, and before that you were…” He smirked. “Occupied.”

Heat seared my face. “You’re bonded. You can feel that now.”

“I knew you’d fuck him. It’s not like I can read his mind. Also, I can block it out. So next time we have a cook-off with a sexy wager, he won’t miss a goal at an away game because my dick is down your throat as we watch him on TV.” He threw a smirk at Grif.

I grinned and shook my head, imagining it. “No, it will be you between my thighs.”

“Mmmm, do you want to come for him?” Grif murmured, a hand stroking my leg.

“She did earlier.” AJ’s eyes blazed. “She looked so pretty tied up with my belt.”

My pussy quivered at the thought. “Can I have you both together?”

“You want me to knot that ass of yours while Grif chokes you with his dick so you don’t wake the house?” AJ cupped my face with his hand, which then ran down to my throat, encircling it. “I’d love that. Just remember who’s in charge–and it’s not you.”

His words made me clench. Take me, please.

“I know that you can be a good girl for us.” Grif’s voice went gravelly as his hand tangled in my hair at the back of my neck.

My hips arched at their dirty talk as my thighs rubbed together. “Oh, yes please, Tiger. I want you both to fill every one of my holes with your cum.”

AJ’s hand curled tighter around my throat as he tipped my head up. “You’re forgetting something, Princess.”

“Please, my king. I want to be tied up and conquered by both of you,” I begged, the desire to be fucked by them both at once overwhelming.

“Oh, I like that.” Grif’s eyes blew out with need, as the hand between my thighs toyed with me.

“Good girl, you beg so sweet. How many holes have you gotten, Grif? You did get a boner in tonight’s game.” AJ’s eyes gleamed as his free hand tweaked my nipple, hard, sending shocks of pleasure and pain through me.

“I’ve had that sweet pussy twice. Maybe I should have this ass. Get it all ready for you,” Grif breathed in my ear.

“She’ll take it like a good girl. You want it so bad, don’t you?” AJ continued to play with my nipples, rolling them between his fingers.

“Please,” I breathed as Grif’s fingers thrust in and out of me.

AJ’s gaze flickered over all the bottles in the pretty rack by the tub. He pulled one out and handed it to Grif.

“Thanks.” Grif took it from him. Of course, Dean had put waterproof lube in my bathroom.

“Take his dick and suck my cock. Just like you did that night in the storeroom. Show me how good you take us–because my knot is a reward, not a right.” AJ put a towel down on the bathtub step.

“Yes, my king.” I shivered as Grif worked my ass, my clit throbbing. I loved what we did that night at the arena.

Grif lubed up his cock, and sat me on it slowly, stretching me as AJ took off his sweats and briefs.

“You feel so good,” Grif whispered, moving me up and down his length.

“I love you inside me,” I told him. I reached for AJ’s hard cock, wanting to lick off the drops of pre-cum beading on the tip, glistening like a jewel in the candlelight.

AJ swatted my hand. “No hands. Touch again and I tie them.”

Before I could answer, AJ shoved his cock in my mouth.

“Take it all, Princess. Tap my thigh three times if it’s too much. Otherwise, no touching,” he growled. His hand wrapped around my throat. The other tangled in my bun, keeping me immobile as he conquered my mouth with his cock.

I took it as deeply as I could, because I didn’t have any other choice with the way he was holding me. Being at his mercy like this sent quivers straight to my pussy.

“That’s it, come when you need to, Kitten,” Grif murmured in my ear, kissing my jaw and my throat as he continued to bounce me on his dick, the other playing with my clit.

AJ’s nostrils flared as he growled a little growl that made my pussy shake with pleasure.

Grif smirked. “My hole, my rules.”

“As soon as you’re in my room, it’s my rules,” he growled.

The two of them going back and forth was so hot it made me clench. Hard.

“That’s it, strangle my cock. I’m going to come soon, and flood your sweet ass with my cum,” Grif whispered. “While I like AJ’s hand around your neck, I think mine’s better. You take us so perfectly.” His hand brushed my clit, and I came, struggling with AJ’s cock in my mouth.

But I didn’t tap out. Instead, I squeezed AJ with my throat so that I could get in a deep breath through my nose.

“Suck me down, Princess,” AJ demanded. His hand on my neck loosened, gripping my jaw instead, holding my head tight as hot ropes of cum shot down my throat.

I swallowed him down, trying to meet his eyes, letting him know how hot I found this, my clit throbbing.

“You sucked me so good,” AJ praised, his thumb stroking my jawline as he pulled out his dick, the gesture, and his praise making me preen.

Grif took a few more hard strokes, as he lifted me up and pulled me down on him, hard, coming inside my ass as he pushed me to his chest. “That was beautiful, Kitten. This is what I need. You are what I need.”

I melted. Because I adored what we had–and I loved this.

“You both fucked me so good,” I breathed, my eyes closing as I rested my head on his chest, feeling his heartbeat, as AJ stroked my hair.

He yanked my head back so my eyes met his. AJ’s grin grew sinister. “We’re not done yet, Princess.”

I couldn’t wait.

“This way,” I told Grif as he moved toward the closed door of my room that led to the secret hall, both of us wearing fluffy, soft bathrobes. One of them was seafoam green and had my name embroidered on it.

“I thought we were going to AJ’s room, but we could make your room work if you’d rather be in here.” Grif cast a look around my room, which was lit by only a bedside lamp. “Oh, the bear.”

The bear he’d given me at the Maimers game before I left had the place of honor among the pillows mounded on the circular bed.

“He was good company while I was away,” I assured him as I took his hand and led him toward the closet.

“We’re taking the expressway,” AJ replied, striding inside, where a light was on.

My bathroom only had two bathrobes, so AJ only wore a towel, having joined Grif and me in the shower as we’d rinsed off from the bath.

Grif blinked as we walked inside. The closet still smelled of AJ and me–and sex.

“I’ve lived here for years and never found what Mercy discovered in minutes,” AJ added as he pulled open the panel in my closet.

“She’s got that sort of mind. Always has. She’d find the hidden rooms and passages whenever we’d go to historical places. It’s part of why the parents don’t want her to be ‘just’ a history teacher. She could be a great structural engineer or architect if she had the interest. Which she doesn’t.” I tugged Grif into the small, dark room.

He sucked in a breath. “There’s a passage connecting your closets? That’s what you were talking about?”

“Oh, it gets better.” I switched on the light, revealing the cute tree-shaped nook.

“It’s a nest. I didn’t know this was here,” Grif breathed as I showed him the note.

“Me neither. No pressure, but it’s yours if you want it. We can redo it however you’d like,” AJ told him, squeezing his shoulder.

“It’s adorable. Small, but adorable.” Grif looked around. “I’ll think about it? But Dean doesn’t get a nest in your closet if I pass.”

“No, he doesn’t.” AJ opened the door to his closet.

We walked through AJ’s overly organized closet and into his room. Unlike the last time, the light was on. It was lovely and uncluttered, with a little sitting area in one corner, and a large bed, filled with pillows in forest green, black, and gray. Not a pack-sized bed, but one that would easily fit the three of us.

What drew my eye was the large bookshelf that separated the room into another part that I hadn’t noticed earlier. “What’s over there?”

“Want to see my art, Princess?” AJ took my hand and led me over to what was clearly a little studio.

“You’re an artist,” I breathed. “I knew Dean drew, but not that you painted.”

The floor here was tiled. A paint-covered drop cloth covered one area, with an easel on it. On it sat a half-finished landscape, a reference picture clipped beside it. There were other paintings, along with shelves and drawers of art supplies.

“I mostly do landscapes. I did the one in your room, and the one of the cabin that’s upstairs. Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of commissions—painting the views from people’s vacation homes so they can hang it up in their penthouses and offices.” AJ shrugged, gesturing to the easel.

“It’s beautiful.” I examined the nightscape, which was of a skyline I didn’t know and just like the reference photo.

“He’s good, isn’t he? This is the view from the roof of the cabin.” Grif held up a landscape of trees–and a waterfall.

“They’re all so good.” I put an arm around AJ’s waist. “I had no idea.”

My gaze fell on a slab of marble nearly as large as me, half-carved. I stood a step closer. It looked like a naked man was trying to escape from the rock.

“I occasionally do some carving, mostly in marble,” he told me.

AJ let me examine his art for a few more moments, then he pulled me out of the studio area, turning off the lights so only a small light illuminated the bed area.

“Are you sure this is what you want, Princess?” AJ murmured as he peeled the soft robe off my body.

I nodded as it slipped to the floor.

“Words.” His hand slapped my ass, the stinging going straight to my clit.

“Yes, my king. Make me the filling in a hot man sandwich.” My pussy grew damp at the thought of having both of them at the same time that way, even though I’d already been fucked several times tonight.

“I really like this my king business,” Grif breathed, coming up behind me as he put a hand around my throat. “You’re ours tonight, Kitten.”

Yes, please.

“I’m in charge. You don’t come unless I give you permission. Me, not him. You do what I say–and he does to you what I say.” AJ’s voice was gravelly. “Now get on the bed.”