Page 44

E asing my hands beneath Ari in Noah’s arms, I nestle our bundled pup in their crib. Within six months, Ari has grown into the squishiest, cutest little being I’ve ever witnessed in my life, their mittened hands rubbing over their cheeks every time they wake up and their gummy smile sending my wolf into zoomies in our bond. Tonight, sleepiness overcomes their whole body, one cheek still red from snuggling against Noah’s warm chest. Their tranquil scent soothes my heart. As Noah and I gaze in absolute awe over them, just like the day we brought them home for the first time, Noah’s warm palm on my lower back helps me feel just as cocooned and safe as Ari seems.

I bite my lip, gazing up at Noah’s doting eyes over our pup. Adoration pours through me at the emotion in my mate’s eyes—a love for our pup that only grows every day.

It makes me want him.

Noah straightens at the hint of desire in our bond, his eyes zipping to mine. With my palms settling against his chest, I stretch on my toes to kiss Noah as quietly as possible. Noah leans into my kiss, pushing a yearning ache through my core. I cup his cheeks, kissing him even harder between desperate breaths.

We haven’t had penetrative sex since I gave birth, but I’ve told Noah I’m tempted to try tonight. Even as Ari has been sleeping on Noah, I’ve been planting sneaky kisses all over Noah’s arms, shoulders, and cheeks, unable to stop loving on him.

So the second we’re certain Ari is asleep in their crib, Noah draws closer, immersing me in an eager musk. I breathe him in, my wolf puffing her chest in pride at how riled up she’s made her mate.

Lacing his palms beneath my ass, Noah hoists my thighs around his waist, moving smoothly to stay as quiet as possible.

After carrying me down the hall in silence, Noah shuts our bedroom door behind us with a soft click , careful not to wake Ari. But as we stare into each other’s eyes, listening in for any sign of our little Omega stirring, my heartbeat picks up the pace.

Teal irises swirl into a light green before my eyes, taking my breath away; Noah looks ready to pounce.

But I don't feel a drop of pressure. I feel desired, washing away every concern I've had about my ever-changing postpartum body.

Easing his lips against mine, Noah gives me a whole-body kiss, pressing tighter against me as our mouths glide over each other. We keep ourselves hushed, but our bond fills the silence in my mind, erupting with a melodic, sugary lust.

Our emotions course through my blood, but their intensity doesn’t fully hit me until Noah drops me onto the bed on my back, his hands splayed beside my shoulders. Dragging his stare down my body, Noah drinks me in.

“Beautiful.” Noah’s quiet, rumbling voice makes me shudder.

We take a moment to stare at each other—holding each other’s cheeks, tracing each other’s collarbones, and absorbing every minor emotion flickering through our bond.

“Noah, you make me feel at peace,” I whisper.

His eyebrows warp as our bond swirls. Dropping to his elbows, Noah laces our body heat together. I hum as he settles into my lips.

You make me want to be seen, Noah mindlinks.

We roll into each other at the same time, my hands roaming Noah’s back as he hikes my thigh higher on his hip. The mattress creaks as Noah grinds me into the edge of the bed, our lips colliding faster by the second.

But after a few tongue-heavy kisses, Noah stops.

Pulling back, Noah drags his cold nose down my bare sternum. His hot breath skates down my center, blowing soft currents of warmth down my chest until he pauses at my abdomen. Holding my hips in place, Noah lifts the edge of my shirt to kiss my loose stomach, every inch of my skin coated in stretch marks.

Noah’s eyes flit up to mine at my flood of shyness in our bond, but Noah’s purr sends another wave of heat to my groin.

He whispers against my skin. “Please, don’t be hard on yourself. This gorgeous body gave life to our child, and there’s nothing I can do that will ever thank it enough.”

My heart flips. “N-Noah...”

His kisses dip lower, stopping just above my clit. Warm hands skate further up my shirt, rolling it over my breasts.

With Noah’s gentle kisses over my breasts, my breath hitches. I immerse my fingers in Noah’s hair just as his hands skate back down, easing my pajama shorts off my hips with my panties inside. The tip of his cold nose barely brushes my inner thigh, and I widen my knees, my heartbeat throbbing throughout every limb.

Noah’s soft purr rumbles over my clit, and I suck in a sharp breath.

His eyes zip to mine, staring straight into my soul as he kisses my wet core. I clench with desire. His tenderness makes his every touch hotter, a heartbeat forming between my legs.

“I meant it, gorgeous Luna. You’re my true King,” Noah whispers.

My body flushes, fuzzy warmth cascading across my skin. “You’re my true King, forever, Noah, no matter what anyone says. And for the record, your Omega side coming out to dote over Ari is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.”

Noah hums, giving me a slow kiss on my sensitive core. My knees squeeze his shoulders on their own, wetness pooling beneath my cheeks with the rush of pleasure he gives me. He’s hardly even touched me yet, but I'm coming unraveled for him.

But I know Noah is enjoying himself just as much, drinking up my yearning breaths with low purrs. “You need this attention tonight, don’t you?”

My soft whimper says enough, but my hips squirm at the thought of his hands, lips, and body on mine.

“Please,” I whisper. “I’ve missed you while we’ve been so busy and exhausted.”

“You don’t have to beg me, my love. I’ve missed you too. And I want to take my time mating you until you're so relaxed that you can finally get some deep sleep. Would you like me to please you with my tongue first to hold you over?”

My heart flips. “Yes. But even if it helps me last longer after, I don’t think I’ll last long now.”

Noah draws a deep, heated breath, allowing his exhale to skate over my bare skin through his nose. Desire coats our bond, making me shiver twice as hard as his breath continues to stimulate me.

Just when goosebumps reach my nipples, Noah’s lips caress my soaked labia, making me jolt with pleasure.

His eyes flit up to mine, green with half-shifted lust. “Too much?”

“It’s good today. So good that I can’t hold still.”

The second I say this, Noah kisses my pussy again. But this time, it’s slow and tender, the crawl of his lips easing over my sensitive skin.

Goosebumps wrack my body, devouring my skin until I’m red-hot.

Oh, my God. My hormones are in full force, almost heat-like. It’s the first time Noah has brought me to heat since I had Ari.

And Noah can certainly smell it, letting out a low, pleased purr. I sputter out a gasp at the vibration against my clit, but Noah doesn’t give me a second to process how good it feels—he cups my ass in one palm, holding my wriggling hips in the other with a firm but loving grasp as he kisses me again and again, dragging more fluid from my core.

I can’t stop the heat from talking. “M-more— Please, please—”

Noah growls, unsatisfied that he's making me beg. But the frustrated glint in his eyes only excites my wolf, lifting my hips to his mouth. His kisses morph into tonguing makeouts with my pussy, his breath colliding against my clit in pumping bursts between each lick. My legs shake beside his cheeks, my body rocking over his face.

I can hardly breathe through pleading moans. “Oh— Oh!”

Noah’s tongue slathers every inch of my pussy, dragging back and forth until I’m soaked. My thighs widen as far as they can stretch. No matter how hard I want to rub my pussy all over his lips, my back keeps arching up off the bed in delight—until I squirt hard, my orgasm surprising me with a vibrant burst of pleasure.

Noah holds my bucking hips in both hands, worshiping me with his tongue as it speeds across my flexing core. He drinks up the entirety of my orgasm, his low, needy growls buzzing my clit so deliciously that I grip his hair harder than I mean to, crying out in delight.

I collapse back onto the mattress, struggling to catch my breath. But when Noah stands, towering over me at the bedside, he’s faring worse than me: the front of sweatpants stretches to its limits, forcing him to wince as he adjusts his eager shaft.

And I want to blow him more than ever.

I grip his hips with my thighs, locking my ankles behind them to draw him closer. Noah swipes his hand over his wet lips, stumbling forward as his chest heaves to catch his breath.

“Can I lick you into lasting longer too?” I ask.

Noah steadies his breath, still licking the taste of me off his lips. “Fuck, I-I’d like that.”

I bite back my smile. Noah freezes, sensing I’m about to pounce.

Hoisting myself up on shaky arms, I flounder on my way to him. We both laugh at my wiggly limbs, still weak with how heavily Noah pleasured me. He helps me reposition myself onto my knees, and I bend to kiss his shaft. Noah’s warm hand skates down my spine, my shirt still hiked over my breasts and leaving my lower back exposed.

I can’t contain my yearning for Noah. I want him to feel how much I cherish him. How connected I feel to him.

But Noah doesn’t expect the fervor in me; his lungs hitch as I drag my tongue over his cock, loving his soft warmth against my lips. I coat all of him in my affection, massaging the sensitive underside of his shaft with my thumbs to hold it in place for what I really want to do—kiss the fluid from his leaking tip.

As I stroke him, I kiss his reddening glans, again and again, until his hips jerk from the sensitivity he must feel, gripping my hips to stabilize himself. I purr, satisfied by how desperate he sounds. But that only makes Noah grip my pelvis tighter.

My pussy clenches, craving more of his reaction. I suckle my lips over his swelling shaft, applying soft pressure over it until his entire tip slips past them. I greet it with soft teases from my tongue. My eyelids flutter shut at the pleasure humming through our bond, Noah’s shaky breath warning of how good he feels even though I’ve just started. Noah stoops over the bedside, his knees shaking. It only encourages my tongue to work faster. Harder.

I purr around his warm tip, drawing him deeper, and he huffs, jerking further into me. His tip brushes my soft palate on its own accord, forcing me to swallow hard.

Heat pools in my groin, building into a marvelous ache. It only makes me moan around his bulging tip again, spurring Noah into heavy, unrestrained groans.

Noah’s stomach shudders against my head as I pull him as deep as I can. “O-oh, my fucking—”

Let yourself enjoy it, Alpha. I won’t let it hurt me.

He softens his tense abdomen, flexing into my lips as they skate back over the end of his tip to catch my breath, giving him quick kisses.

But when I bob back down this time, I take him as far as I can stretch my jaws, holding him there. I swallow back spit, my eyes watering at how massive he is. But this makes Noah whimper out a moan, his torso squirming on the edge of release.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck—”

I hurriedly pull back, suckling over his tip. Using my leftover saliva dripping down his shaft, I stroke every inch of it, deepening my massage.

Noah groans, hardly able to keep himself from fucking my mouth as I suck faster and faster—until he can’t take it anymore. Hot fluid spurts into my mouth, cutting off my breath as it spills from my lips before I can swallow it all.

By the time Noah stops moving, his gasps are raspy and heaving. And my groin aches with an intense need for my mate.

“O-oh, fuck, Luna, I—” Noah’s voice shakes as he lifts my chin to gaze into my eyes.

When I meet his darkened cheeks and heavy-lidded stare above me, I shiver with excitement, knowing I made him feel just as good as intended.

A sly smile creeps over his face. “My feisty, feisty Luna. Let’s clean those gorgeous lips.”

I flop back onto the mattress, partly in submission as my wolf begs me to roll over for Noah. He pauses, taking in the sight. His smile is replaced by a serious, focused growl, leaving no inch of my body untouched by his stare.

As his big thumbpad swipes his cum from my lips, I skate my fingertips up his chest. He relaxes over me, his wet cock pulsing with arousal against my belly all over again.

Except this time, his muscles are fluid, his shoulders drooping over mine in a low prowl as he stoops to kiss me. Noah’s lips are relaxed and pliable, filling our bond with absolute adoration for me.

But their tingly pressure against my swollen lips also fills me with a need I can’t ignore.

“I want you inside of me.”

My whisper escapes on its own, but I’m not embarrassed in the least. My limbs are loose and eager for Noah, my fingertips massaging his scalp until he lets out a hungry growl.

Then he suddenly tugs my hips off the edge of the bed.

“Oh! Noah!?” I burst into giggles, but Noah captures my lips with a mischievous smile.

I melt into him with a happy hum. His kisses spread soothing tingles down my neck and breasts, tickling down to my toes.

Kneeling at the edge of our bed, Noah settles me onto his lap, compressing me against the side of our mattress. We've kissed millions of times, but the cushy pressure of his lips feels so good tonight that when Noah pauses, too distracted by reaching for a condom, I steal his searching hand to cup it around my ass.

He chuckles, nuzzling my nose. “Feisty, feisty Luna. I’m not forgetting about you. Come here.”

Smashing his lips into mine, Noah gives my ass a hard squeeze. I cup his cheek through a moan, kissing him even harder. Keeping Noah locked into our kiss, I dig through his bedside drawer with one hand, the other tracing teasing strokes up and down the length of his flexing shaft. It bobs harder and harder, nudging the condom as I slip it on. But when I lift my hips, walking my knees around Noah’s thighs to straddle his covered shaft, Noah slides his fingertips up my inner thigh to toy with my wet core.

“Mmm!” I lean into our kiss, my shoulders raising as Noah swirls thick fingers between my legs.

He’s so gentle that his touch feels even stronger, sparking warmth up my belly until I quiver through each breath. My pelvis presses down into him for heavier pressure. And Noah really gives it to me—all four fingers rubbing fast circles until my pussy gapes, begging him to enter me. With a harsh breath against my lips, Noah dips his fingers deep inside me, curling against my inner walls. I smash myself against his torso, desperate to plaster myself to him. My knees close in on his hips in an attempt to squeeze his wrist between my thighs, my pussy aching with want.

Noah slows, releasing a burst of soothing Omega scent. “Relax for me, gorgeous. It’s been a while.”

Nodding, I let out a pleased sigh. I focus on sinking into Noah’s touch, allowing my open mouth to rub against his lips as my eyes laze shut.

“Fuck, there you go, Luna. You’re doing such a good job.”

Noah switches from slow teases to tender presses into my pussy. Thick fingers slink further with every massaging touch, giving me the stuffed sensation I crave. I can’t help myself, panting against his lips as a flood of heat burns my cheeks. Noah growls, his free hand sliding up my rib cage until he can massage my breast just as tenderly. His thumb brushes my nipple back and forth between gentle squeezes, spurring a soft whimper from my throat.

“That’s it,” Noah purrs. “You’re literally dripping onto my thighs for me, Luna, and I can't get enough. Keep going.”

I moan into his mouth, nuzzling into him harder as his fingers ease out of me. They focus on a wider area, smoothing across every inch between my legs. But then his fingers slip deep into me in one swift motion, my pussy suckling over them like it's pulling him in.

My moan heightens in delight, puffing Noah’s chest. Each time he slips his fingers out of me, he plunges them in faster, raising my shoulders with a burst of tingles as he palpates my G-spot.

“Fuck, you’re such a good girl. Your body’s opening up for me on its own. It's so fucking beautiful.”

I can’t process Noah’s raw, dirty whispers, so I surrender to my wolf’s desires in primal bliss. I rub my head all over his neck and chest, leaning into the lulls in Noah’s musk until I encourage his scent to burst—coating every inch of me.

“Oh, Noah— Noah —”

Noah hugs me tight to his chest, kissing me with his full body. I purr, my tongue slipping across his in a tender makeout until my hips dip with need.

We can hardly breathe through our kiss, heaving into each other’s gaping mouths as we grapple each other’s backs, unable to press closely enough. With rapid flexes of my core, I yank his hand from me with a gasp, seconds away from coming again. I seek out his cock, grinding over it to coat it with fluid.

Noah leans into each of my rubbing thrusts, his golden eyes hazy with bliss. It sets a fire in me, and my grinding jerks over him in desperation.

“Fuck, I— I...” Noah groans against my throat, his hips pulsing upward to smash his cock against my pussy.

“I know. I need you inside me too.”

I adjust his tip between my legs, locking eyes with Noah. Then I wait, allowing him to catch his heaving, yearning breath.

We guide him into me together, sinking him in, millimeter by millimeter.

Noah lets out a soft, shuddering groan. “Ah— Luna... ”

I crave that sound, cupping his head and kissing him with slow, teasing licks of my tongue. I’m more than ready for him.

Dropping my hips, I sink Noah deeper each time, pressure hitting my cervix long before I can sink to the base of his shaft. Within just a few bounces, my body lifts my cervix out of the way, allowing me to shove him deeper. I moan helplessly against his lips, mating myself over his cock with slick, steady repetition.

The pressure his thick shaft applies feels so good that my inner walls grip him each time I rise in his lap, coaxing out more of his affection.

I can’t help it; my body applies a steady massage over his shaft, my pussy clenching with every bounce. It draws a heaving groan from Noah’s parted lips, intensifying his thrusts. Noah has to grip the bed behind me, pressing my back flush to it. His body rolls me into the side of the bed, each muscle grinding into my core with deep, satiating thrusts.

“O-oh! You're— Yes!” I can't even speak. He's so turned on that I'm stuffed full. My jaw drops; I’m overcome by overwhelming, tingling warmth that I can’t seem to escape, each tightening muscle over his shaft met with delicious counterpressure from his swelling cock. I’m being massaged from the inside in the deepest pleasure I know possible, heavy tingles pulsing throughout my torso as Noah mates me harder, faster.

Noah’s breath heaves against the mark he permanently left on my body. I grip fistfuls of his hair, unable to keep a hold on myself as I jerk in uneven, uncontrolled motions on his lap. I feel so loved, not only by how tenderly he’s mating me, but also by the soft whimpers escaping his lips, our bond singing with the purest affection for each other's existence.

As Noah picks up the pace, his soaked hips colliding with my pelvis in wet slaps, I whine at the edge of my orgasm.

“Noah, oh, Goddess— I love you so much!”

My sudden declaration rings so earnestly that we both have to roll our heads over each other, purring and moaning.

Noah suddenly scoops me up—his arms squeezing my ass and lower back to keep them in place—and plops me back onto the bed.

But he doesn’t hover over me to pound into me. He hugs me tight, dropping his weight over me as his hips return to deep, heavy thrusts—putting rolling pressure on my clit until my feet jerk into the air in delight.

My hands roam his back, coaxing out more affection with how good it feels to be doused in him. I physically can’t hold still; there’s too much pleasure whirring inside my belly.

I try so hard to cling on, staving off my climax to cherish this moment with him, but then Noah growls, his chest buzzing mine. “That's my good Luna. Keep feeling good for me, just like that. I love you to death. I will always love you. I can’t help it.”

His breath is heavy but his voice comes out weak. As his lips crash back into mine, he growls through throaty, desperate moans. The sound resonates through my abdomen, just enough vibration to aid his pelvis as it rubs faster against my clit.

I squirt hard, squeezing his cock inside me. Noah groans so loudly that I’m afraid he’ll wake up Ari.

But neither of us can bear to stop.

His torso rolls over me as he drops his forehead against mine, his cock stiffening until I’m stuffed tight with each speeding thrust.

“Goddess, I fucking love you—” Noah grunts before dissolving into deep growls. He squeezes my body even tighter, cinching my hips down over his and coming hard with short, tense grunts.

“O-oh! My—” I drop my head back, writhing over his pulsing cock as it puts more and more pressure on my cervix.

It’s been almost a year since he’s knotted me, and all I can do is cry out. I’m shocked at how big his knot swells by the millisecond, the hot, gorging mass filling any and all space against my inner walls until my body jerks with delight.

I come so hard that my moans cut off—breaths beating into Noah's open mouth until I finally let out a high, whimpering moan.

“ Good job —” Noah rasps, cradling my head to his as his jerking hips grind out every last wave of my orgasm. He can hardly contain his affection, nuzzling and rubbing me all over as we breathe each other’s air.

Noah skates heavy pressure up both of my arms, raising them over my head. Allowing his body to weigh down my squirming hips, Noah and I lace hands, squeezing as hard as we can.

We breathe through the last of our pleasure together, staring into each other’s heavy-lidded eyes until we fall into a puddle of contented, purring breaths.

Since we’re knotted facing each other, we lazily blink between gazing at each other for minutes upon minutes, not saying a word. We brush over each other's faces, chests, and sides, goosebumps replacing the blissful ache our pleasure inspired just minutes ago. We share low, luscious kisses, humming at how sweetly our bond stirs with happiness each time our lips meet.

Eventually, Noah's knot settles, yet we can't bear to let each other go. We’re both so deliriously sleepy that we force ourselves to get ready for bed anyway, compromising with heavy cuddles all the way to the bathroom. I can't stand—my legs wobbly and delightfully sore—so Noah holds me to his chest while I brush my teeth. He can’t even keep his eyes open above me, lazily stroking my head.

I let out a sleepy giggle. You accomplished your goal, my shy Alpha-Omega. I could sleep for a year with how satisfied I am.

Noah chuckles, but like me, he’s far too giddy and tired to speak.

But I know he’s feeling the same, peaceful bliss. Even outside of our bond, I can feel it in the heaviness of Noah’s breath, his clingy arms cinching our cuddle ball tighter than ever.

My ever-vigilant mate falls asleep before I do. It warms my heart, filling me with happiness. All I want is for him to feel at peace like this. And I want to be here to witness his peace.

Just before I drift off, I snuggle in deeper, pressing tiny nudges of affection into his cheeks as I give him one last hug for the night.

Noah purrs in his sleep, but in our bond, his wolf stirs. He tucks my wolf closer, interlocking his neck over my back just like I’ve done to him. With a deep, sleepy grunt, his wolf tells me just how good he feels to be cuddled up with me.

Especially because now, we’re not alone.

Between us is Ari’s little wolf, nestled into Noah’s fluff. Their tiny paws stick into the air while they sleep on their back—an even more awkward sleeper than Noah.

I’m struck by the life Noah and I have created—both our new life together in our home, and the new pup between our soft wolf bellies. I don’t just feel safe beside him, I feel free to be me. The thought of Ari growing up feeling the same peace in their heart brings smiling tears to my eyes; I never dreamed such safety to be possible.

And I get to live every second of it with Noah.

Sucking in a deep breath, Noah purrs. I freeze, worried I’ve woken him up somehow.

But big, eager palms squish me into him. He rolls over me with a low growl, drawing a squeak from my lips.

His deep, drowsy voice rumbles against my cheek. “Do you feel smothered with love yet? If so, it’s still not enough.”

I sputter out a laugh, squeezing him back as hard as I can. “That’s how I feel! I can’t stop thinking about how much I love every bit of you.”

Pulling back with a smile, Noah gazes down at me in the dark, his nocturnal eyes glimmering. With soft, slow caresses over my face, he sighs. “You hold my heart so tenderly, Aliya. It’s such a gift to love you in return.”

A momentous warmth fills my soul. When Noah presses his hot palm over my heart, I place my hand over his chest, copying him. Every beat thudding against my palm widens my smile.

“Thank you for letting me hold it,” I whisper.

Noah smiles alongside me, but as his body weighs me down in a cozy warmth, his eyebrows warp with emotion. I know fate might’ve brought us together, but I hope you know you’d still be my choice.

My smile gushes from me.

And you’re mine, Noah. Every piece of me knew it from the moment I dreamed of you, but once I saw you in the flesh...

I know. I felt it too; like it all felt okay again. Like I finally had someone who could see me at my worst, but still love me like I’m at my best. And you, do, Aliya. Just like I love you to the absolute depths of my soul.

Before we met, I never thought I’d trust someone again. But as my mate settles over me in a sweet, cuddling kiss, I close my eyes, a sense of surrender overcoming me.

Tonight, the unknown doesn’t scare me. Not because I’m no longer alone in it, but because I want to experience the unknown—with him.

And maybe this sense of peace is temporary, or maybe it’ll stay with me, ebbing and flowing as we traverse this life together. All I know is I love him. I love the baby we birthed together, the pack we hold dear, and the home we create whenever we morph into our cuddle ball at night. I love us, and I love who I am through us—flaws and all. I’m ready to be seen.