Page 18 of Pack Scratch Fever

How could her parents not like her?

Piper sighs heavily. There’s a weight she’s carrying, one that I’m finally starting to get a glimpse of.

She could give me that burden, and I’d easily hold it for her.

I need to be patient—I know that.

But I also know my scent match is in front of me, ashamed of herself when she doesn’t need to be.

“I didn’t become what was expected of me,” she whispers shakily, her eyes shining with sincerity. “You say what I do is great, but in reality, I’m a college dropout that never left her hometown. I’m a constant disappointment to my family.”

The words couldn’t be further from the truth.

“What were you supposed to be?” I ask carefully. I fight the urge to pull her back into my arms, knowing she’d likely push me away.

“Whatever my sisters are,” she murmurs, wringing her hands. “One is in publishing and the other is a doctor. In my parents’ eyes, I’m supposed to be anything but this. ” She points to herself.

“I like this ,” I say, motioning to her. “You’re following your passion. You’re doing what makes you happy, and it’s also helping the community. Baby, you’re an angel for that.”

She rolls her eyes, and her cheeks flame. “Tell that to my dad, then.”

“Call him right now. Let’s do it.” I slowly wrap an arm around her waist, giving her time to move away from me. “I’ll tell him how much of a mistake he’s making.”

“Good luck with that, Maddox. It’s like talking to a wall.”

A flicker of rage builds inside me. How could her family do this to her? I’ve witnessed firsthand the passion and joy that radiate from her because of the rescue.

The fact that they would shun her for that is infuriating.

“For what it’s worth,” I murmur. “My parents would have loved you.”

Her smile is small and sad. “That’s very sweet of you to say.”

I can’t help it. I press another kiss to her hair, right in front of the gerbils that stare at us.

“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it,” I promise her, my chest rumbling with a comforting purr. She allows me to cradle her head, and I pull her into another full hug, wrapping my arms tightly around her.

No wonder everyone is so protective of her.

She doesn’t even know her own worth.

“Thank you again for today,” she murmurs into my chest, nuzzling me.

She’s marking herself with my scent.

“Of course, baby,” I whisper. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be helping these cats until I’m a hundred years old.”

She huffs a laugh into my shirt. “Promises, promises.”

She doesn’t understand how enamored I am with her just yet, but that’s alright. I’d rather show her than just tell her.

“I’ll save all the cats in the world with you,” I add, and she looks up at me and giggles .

That ruins the last of my self-control.

“I’m going to kiss you,” I whisper, my hand cradling her cheek. “Right in front of these damn gerbils, so you know who you belong to.”

Her mouth parts slightly. “Is that so ?” she asks quietly. “That’s pretty presumptuous of you, Maddox. I don’t belong to anyone.”

My thumb caresses her soft skin. “You’re right,” I murmur. “Not yet, you don’t.”

I lean in slowly, carefully.

She could pull away if she wanted to, but she doesn’t.

Instead, she stands on her tiptoes to meet my lips.

It’s soft and chaste, simple and gentle.

My inner Alpha is ravenous, though. The urge to take, claim, and own flows through my veins, but I push it down.

Piper searches my eyes. “You kissed me,” she breathes.

I nod, pressing my forehead to hers. “I did,” I admit. “I’ve wanted to do that since the first time I scented you.”

Her breathing quickens, and I wonder if I’ve made a mistake.

If I pushed her too hard after she was so vulnerable with me.

I let go of her waist and start to step away. “Baby, I’m so?—”

She attacks me.

With a soft growl, her hands tug at the collar of my sweatshirt and yank me toward her, crashing her lips against mine. Her scent explodes around me, sweet lemon mixing with that mouthwatering mint.

My cock turns to stone in my pants. She pushes her tongue into my mouth, tasting me, and my head spins.

Holy shit.

An embarrassing whimper leaves her mouth, and she pulls away quickly, panting. “If this is too much?—”

Now it’s my turn to attack her, chasing the sweet taste of her tongue. Piper groans into my mouth, clutching my shoulders and pressing herself against me until my erection is pushing against her stomach.

“You’re sweeter than I imagined,” I whisper frantically against her. “Sweeter and better than I thought you could be. You taste like sunshine.”

“Mark me,” she demands, tugging at my hair. “Get your scent on me.”

She doesn’t have to ask me twice.

At this point, I would do anything she asked me to do.

Including wear a fucking tail and whiskers for her.

I back her into a shelf of cat food, and a bag hits the ground next to us. I lean down and rub my cheek against her mating gland on her neck, taking my time, letting my stubble tickle her.

She whimpers and tugs at my hair, eliciting a growl from me.

“When’s the last time someone marked you besides Avery or me?” I whisper, pulling away.

She shakes her head. “Years,” she pants. “I…” she hisses in pain and grimaces. “Something’s happening.”

“Tell me what you need,” I demand, ready to pull down all the pet beds and create a massive nest for her in the store. “Whatever you want, I’ll give to you.”

I don’t know how close to her Heat she is. All I know is that her scent is filling the entire aisle of the pet store.

I have to take care of her.

It’s early evening; thankfully, everyone else has left the store besides the two employees at the front.

She tugs at my shoulder and kisses me again, grinding herself against me. “I need…”

“Let me take you home,” I whisper. “Let me get you home and take care of you properly.”

“ No ,” she whines. “No, just make me come. I need to come .”

Oh, fuck .

There’s nothing I would rather do than make her fall apart. I want nothing more than to scent her after she comes, when her pussy is sweet with slick.

I want to lap up every drop until I smell like Piper .

But I don’t want her to hate me the next day if we do that in a pet store.

“Baby,” I chuckle. “Let’s get you home.”

“ Alpha .” Her eyes are wild, her pupils blown wide. “I know what I’m saying. Make me come. Please.”

I stare at her for a long moment, searching her eyes.

“Maddox,” she whispers. “I need you.”

It’s my undoing.

“I can’t argue with that,” I murmur, kissing her. She runs a hand down my chest, sighing into my mouth. My own hands reach down to grab her ass, and she jumps, causing another bag of cat food to fall.

I pull away and try to regain my control. I know there are a million different ways to make her come, but they probably shouldn’t be done in front of a security camera.

I glance up at the ceiling, frown at the black lens above us, and grab her hand.

“C’mon, baby,” I murmur, leading her down the aisle. “We’re not doing this here.”

She lets out a sound of protest, but I lead her to the back of the store quickly, keeping my eye on the two employees in front. They’re chatting with each other and laughing, not even glancing our way.

I should take her home—that’s what a gentleman would do.

But my scent match is asking me to make her come.

I’m not going to make her wait any longer than she needs to.

“Maddox,” she gasps as I stop in front of the stockroom. “It’s hurting badly.”

“I know, baby,” I soothe her. “I’m going to take care of it.”

I peer into the room, still keeping Piper’s hand firmly in mine. It has a large desk with a computer and shelves piled high with pet supplies. A dimly lit bulb hangs from the ceiling and casts the room in a yellow shadow.

There are no security cameras in sight, but we need to be quick.

My Omega needs to come—but I’ll be damned if anyone but me or my packmates gets to see it.

“We can’t do this in here,” Piper pants, and I turn to cup her face in my hands. Her beautiful face is flushed, her eyes glassy, her scent sweet and thick. She grimaces and huffs, exhaling slowly.

“You need to come, don’t you?” I ask her, and she nods.

“Then we’re doing it here, baby. Can you be quick?”

“Yes,” she whispers, and I get to work. I push the desk chair against the door, then move the paperwork to the side of the desk.

“Maddox,” she groans. “ Alpha .”

“Hang on, baby,” I murmur. “Just hang the fuck on for me.”

I rummage through the shelves until I find a giant fluffy pet bed, bright pink and obnoxious.

It’ll have to do.

When Piper sees it in my hands, she half laughs, half groans. “What the hell is that?”

I grin. “It’s what we’re working with, baby.” I arrange the bed so it’s on top of the desk, part of the soft fabric hanging off the edge. “Come sit here, princess, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

Is this how I imagined I would be making her come the first time?

No.

But my life has always been unpredictable.

Besides, we’ll have a great story to tell our friends in the future.

It’s one of many memories we’ll make together.

“I can’t believe I’m about to sit on a dog bed,” she chuckles weakly. But she hops onto the desk, spreading her legs, and I finally see the dark stain between her legs.

She’s soaked through her jeans with slick.

I almost drop to my knees at the sight.

“Fuck, baby,” I breathe. “Get those off and let me see you.”

I stand over her as she sits on the desk, watching as she unbuttons her jeans. She shimmies out of them quickly, and I groan when I see her soaked blue panties.

I can’t stay standing.

Not when my scent match is before me, soaking wet and needy.

I drop to my knees, and Piper scoots toward the edge of the desk in the bed, her cunt inches from me.

We have to be quick.

I don’t have time to savor her the way I want to, or memorize the glorious image of her cunt, soaked in her slick and ready for me.

Piper mistakes my awe for hesitation.

“You don’t have to do anything. We can just?—”

I grab her hips and pull her to me, her panties making contact with my mouth. I inhale deeply, my cock threatening to burst through my jeans as I scent her.

Mine. Mine. Mine.

I suck on her cunt through the fabric, soaking her juices up with my lips and tongue, ruining her panties even more.

She jerks at my touch and thrusts against my face, smearing her slick all over me.

I could make her come just like this if we had more time.

But we have to be quick.

I look up to see her biting her fist to keep from making noise, and I’m devastated that I won’t be able to hear her fully let herself go.

I reluctantly pull myself from her core, her sweetness lingering on my tongue as I pull at her panties. I help her kick them off, then turn my attention back to her perfect cunt, slick and swollen with a slight thatch of curls.

“Fuck,” I whisper. “You’re beautiful, Omega. Such a perfect pussy for me.”

She whimpers softly and trembles.

“I’m going to make you come now, sweetheart. Don’t hold back. Pull my hair as hard as you want. Smother me. Drown me in it.”

That’s all the warning she gets, because my inner Alpha has taken over, and he doesn’t hold back.

I lick up every bit of slick she offers me, my tongue immediately finding her clit and sucking softly. She remains silent above me except for a few high-pitched whimpers, so I take my cues based on the way her thighs tremble.

I let her guide me with her hand in my hair, pushing my mouth where she wants it most. When I push my tongue into her, she jolts and thrusts her cunt against me, rubbing her pussy against my face.

I’m in heaven. My balls ache and my cock thrums with neglect, but it’s worth every agonizing second to bring Piper pleasure.

She begins to rock her hips, and I pull back to catch a breath and slide two fingers into her, her cunt taking me greedily.

“I’m close,” she whispers. “I’m close, Maddox…”

I latch my mouth back onto her clit as I fuck her with my fingers, sighing contentedly.

Her cunt walls squeeze them so hard they almost cut off my circulation.

It’s the hottest thing I’ve ever felt.

I can only imagine how her cunt will feel squeezing my knot.

Filthy slurping sounds fill the room, mixing with Piper’s muffled whimpers.

I curl my fingers, searching for a certain spot inside her, and she grows rigid.

My mouth fills with syrupy slick as I smile around her pussy and Piper comes in my mouth.

She pulls my hair so hard my scalp burns and my cock twitches with pleasure. Little gasps and cries escape her as I work her through it, taking every drop of slick she gives me.

She doesn’t stop for a good minute, much to my surprise. She just uses my face the way she sees fit, and I’m happy to let her.

This is what I’m meant to be doing.

Not tech work. Not coding on my laptop all day.

No, I’m meant to be on my knees eating out my Omega as she relaxes in a fluffy pink pet bed.

When it’s finally over, she lets go of my hair and sinks back onto the desk, her back resting against the computer monitor.

“Oh…my... God, ” she breathes, and I chuckle.

“I could say the same thing, baby,” I murmur. I press one final kiss to her cunt, then pat her thigh. “As much as I would love to keep you in here, I don’t want you to get caught.”

At my reminder, she sits up and scrambles for her clothes. “Shit,” she hisses. “I can’t believe we just did that.” She hurriedly pulls on her jeans as I snatch her panties off the ground, stuffing them into the back pocket of my pants. “How long have we been in here?”

I glance at the time on the computer monitor. “You came in less than a minute, then rode it out for a minute or so. I’m sure the employees are still up at the front having a conversation.”

But she’s still frazzled as she smooths down her hair and reaches up to fix mine. “I didn’t hurt you?” she asks.

My eyes widen. “Are you joking? That would have been a hell of a way to go. Killing me with your pussy? It’s the dream.”

She covers her mouth and laughs. “Let’s get out of here,” she whispers.

“Let me take you to dinner.”

Her eyes widen. “Seriously? After all that?”

“I’m the one that got to eat, not you.”

Her face flushes, and she nods. “Fine. But we need to get out of here before we get caught.”

“You go on ahead; I’ll clean up here. I’ll be out in a second.” I move the chair away from the door, and Piper hurries out of it. My grin stays plastered on my face.

I rearrange the desk so everything is back to how it was. Then, I take the ruined pet bed, fold it, and toss it in the far back of the storage room.

I sneak out of the stockroom and hurry to the bathroom, cleaning up the remnants of Piper that stain my face and neck.

But her taste stays on my tongue, sweet and delicious.

If there was any doubt before that she’s our scent match, it’s gone now.

We’ve found our mate, and it’s only a matter of time before we bond with her.

This beautiful, brilliant girl waltzed into our lives, and we can’t let her go.

No matter what.