Page 54 of The Drama King (The University Players Duet #1)

thirty-seven

Oakley

I watched the transformation happen in real time: Dorian Ashworth, ruthless pack leader and calculated tormentor, becoming something else entirely in the space of a single breath.

His ice-blue eyes had gone wide with shock, then soft with a reverence I'd never seen in him before, his entire body language shifting from dominant to protective in the span of heartbeats.

All because of a scent. A perfect, impossible scent that had changed everything.

Fated mates.

Even hours later, as morning light strengthened through the windows of Dorian's suite, I was still struggling to process the implications. Fated mates were the stuff of legends, of romance novels and ancient pack lore. The kind of miracle that happened once in a generation, if that.

And we'd spent months systematically breaking her.

Guilt twisted in my gut like a living thing as I watched Vespera sleep between rounds of heat. She looked impossibly small and vulnerable curled against Dorian's chest, blonde hair spread across the pillows, claiming bites vivid against her pale skin.

Her scent had transformed completely from when we'd first encountered her: no longer wild jasmine but something richer, more complex, layered with our combined claims but dominated by the undeniable marker of perfect compatibility with Dorian.

And beneath that, something else. Something that called to me specifically, a secondary compatibility that wasn't as rare as a primary fated match but still precious beyond measure.

I leaned closer, breathing deeply at the curve of her throat where my claiming bite stood out against her skin. There it was: the subtle chemical signature that marked her as compatible with me too, a secondary bond that complemented the primary connection with Dorian.

My chest tightened with possessive satisfaction at the bond, protective instinct toward our newly discovered treasure, and crushing guilt over everything we'd put her through to get here.

"The secondary bond is strong with you," Corvus observed quietly from his position by the windows. His dark eyes missed nothing, cataloging every micro-expression with clinical precision. "Stronger than I expected."

I nodded, unable to find words. Corvus seemed less affected than Dorian or me, his analytical mind always maintaining distance even in moments of intense significance.

"Pack dynamics are shifting," he continued, his voice pitched low. "Dorian's primary bond is undeniable, but your connection..." He paused, studying me with new interest. "It's more than typical secondary compatibility."

Before I could respond, Vespera stirred, a small sound of distress escaping her as the heat began to build again. The scent of it filled the room: wild jasmine transformed by claiming and compatibility into something desperately enticing.

Dorian was instantly awake, ice-blue eyes sharp with protective focus. "Another wave," he murmured, his hand gentle on her flushed cheek. "Your turn, Oakley. She needs the secondary bond reinforced."

It wasn't a question. Pack hierarchy and biology both demanded it.

Vespera's eyes fluttered open, fever-bright but clearer than during the night's frenzy. When her gaze found mine, something shifted in her expression—recognition, need, but also a wariness that made my chest ache.

"Oakley," she whispered, my name on her lips sending heat straight through me.

"I'm here, sweetheart," I said, moving closer to the bed. The endearment slipped out naturally now, my caretaking instincts overwhelming everything else. "How are you feeling?"

"Hot," she admitted, her voice rough. "Empty. Like I need..." She trailed off, color flooding her cheeks despite the fever already burning there.

"Like you need to be filled," I finished gently, settling beside her on the bed. "That's normal during heat. Your body knows what it needs."

She nodded, biting her lower lip in a way that made my cock throb. Even in the throes of heat, she was still shy about voicing her desires, still fighting the biological imperatives driving her.

"Let me take care of you," I murmured, reaching out to stroke her hair. "We'll go slow. As slow as you need."

This time was different from our frantic claiming the night before. This time, I had the luxury of worship, of drawing out every sensation until she was trembling beneath my hands.

I started with gentle touches, mapping the curves of her body with reverent fingers. Her skin was fever-hot and silk-soft, marked with evidence of our claiming but still so responsive to every caress. When I traced the line of her collarbone, she arched into the touch with a soft gasp.

"So beautiful," I murmured, pressing kisses along her throat. "So perfect for us."

My mouth found the claiming bite I'd left on her neck, pressing gently against the sensitive mark. She whimpered at the contact, her body instinctively responding to the reinforcement of our bond.

"Please," she breathed, her hands fisting in the sheets. "I need—"

"I know what you need," I assured her, my voice dropping to something low and soothing. "Let me give it to you."

I took my time exploring her body, reacquainting myself with every curve and hollow.

My hands skimmed over her breasts, thumbs brushing across peaked nipples until she was gasping and arching beneath me.

When I replaced my fingers with my mouth, sucking gently at one tight bud, she cried out and buried her hands in my hair.

"Oakley," she moaned, my name a prayer on her lips.

I lavished attention on her breasts until she was writhing, then kissed my way down her body. Her skin tasted like salt and sweetness, with an underlying flavor that was purely her. When I reached the sensitive skin of her inner thighs, I could smell the evidence of her need—rich and intoxicating.

"What are you—" she started, then gasped as I pressed kisses to her heated skin.

"Taking care of you," I murmured against her thigh. "Making sure you have everything you need."

When I settled between her legs, she tensed initially, but the heat burning through her system quickly overrode any embarrassment. I started gentle, just soft kisses and careful touches, letting her adjust to the intimacy.

The first stroke of my tongue against her slick folds made her cry out, her back arching off the bed. She tasted like honey and desperation, like everything I'd been craving without knowing it.

"Oh god," she gasped, her hands finding my hair and gripping tight. "That feels—"

"Good?" I asked, pulling back just enough to speak before returning to my task.

"So good," she confirmed breathlessly. "Don't stop. Please don't stop."

I had no intention of stopping. I worshipped her with my mouth, using lips and tongue to drive her higher and higher. Her responses were intoxicating—the way she trembled beneath me, the soft sounds she made, the way her fingers tightened in my hair when I found a particularly sensitive spot.

From across the room, I could hear Corvus's breathing grow heavier as he watched, and I caught glimpses of Dorian's intense focus as he observed every detail of how I pleasured our Omega.

"Close," Vespera gasped, her hips moving restlessly. "I'm so close—"

I increased my attention to the sensitive bundle of nerves at the apex of her thighs, circling and stroking until she was sobbing with need. When she finally shattered, it was with a cry that seemed torn from her very soul, her body convulsing as waves of pleasure crashed through her.

I didn't give her time to recover. While she was still trembling from her orgasm, I positioned myself between her legs and pushed inside in one smooth stroke. The tight, wet heat of her was overwhelming, made more intense by the way she clenched around me.

"Fuck," I groaned, struggling to maintain control. "You feel incredible."

She was still sensitive from her climax, every movement drawing soft sounds from her throat. I started slow, gentle strokes that gradually built in intensity as her body adjusted to having me inside her.

"More," she whispered, her legs wrapping around my waist. "I need more."

I gave her what she asked for, increasing my pace until I was driving into her with steady, powerful thrusts. Each movement sent shockwaves through both of us, the secondary bond flaring to life with every connection.

"That's it," I encouraged, watching her face as pleasure built again. "Take everything I'm giving you."

Her hands roamed my chest and shoulders, nails digging in when I hit a particularly sensitive spot inside her. The slight pain only spurred me on, made me want to drive her even higher.

"I can feel it," she gasped suddenly, her eyes going wide. "The bond. It's like—like something connecting us."

"That's exactly what it is," I confirmed, my voice rough with strain and emotion. "You're mine now. Part of me."

The words seemed to break something loose in her. She pulled me down for a desperate kiss, her tongue tangling with mine as her body moved to meet my thrusts. The secondary bond pulsed between us, invisible but undeniable.

I could feel my knot beginning to swell, the biological imperative to claim her completely overriding everything else. But I forced myself to focus on her pleasure first, changing my angle until I found the spot that made her scream my name.

"Come for me," I commanded, my voice barely recognizable. "Come on my cock."

She obeyed immediately, her body clamping down on me like a vice as another orgasm tore through her. The sensation pushed me over the edge, and I buried myself deep as my knot locked us together, filling her with my release.

We stayed connected as my knot held us, both of us breathing hard. I could feel the bond settling into place, different from Dorian's primary connection but significant in its own right.

"How do you feel?" I asked softly, stroking her hair.

"Complete," she said after a moment, the simple word carrying more weight than any elaborate explanation. "Like I finally understand what I was missing."

From his position across the room, Corvus made a sound of satisfaction. "The secondary bond is fully established," he observed clinically. "Her scent has changed again—she carries your mark now alongside Dorian's."

It was true. I could smell it—the way our scents had begun to mingle and harmonize, creating something new and perfect.

"What happens now?" Vespera asked quietly.

"Now we make sure you're taken care of through the rest of your heat," I said, pressing a gentle kiss to her temple. "And then we figure out what comes next."

As my knot began to recede, I felt the shift in our pack dynamics settling into place.

We were no longer three Alphas who had claimed an Omega through force and manipulation.

We were becoming something else entirely—a true pack bond, complicated by guilt and the past but strengthened by biology and growing genuine feeling.

The transformation was far from complete, but it was a beginning. And maybe, if we worked hard enough to earn it, that would be enough.

"Rest now," I murmured as her eyes grew heavy. "We'll be here when you wake."

Whatever came next, we would face it together. As a pack. As mates bound by more than just biology, but by choice and commitment and the hope of something better than what we'd been before.