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T he poor professor looks like he’s about ready to fall over in shock. His fingers brush the cheek Cora kissed, and I have to admit, I’m a little jealous. I pull Archer to my side and kiss his temple.

Jax picks the snake up off the ground.

“What are you doing with that?” Cora asks. Roman is still staring at her, mouth half hanging open, but she’s got all her attention fixed on the limp reptile.

Jax lifts it over his head like a trophy. “Dinner.”

Roman covers his mouth like he might gag, daze broken.

I chuckle. “It’s actually pretty good.”

“You’ve eaten snake before?” Cora asks.

I shrug. “Only once.”

Her expression makes it clear she’s waiting for an explanation.

“It isn’t some epic survival story or anything. You know how young alphas can be, always trying to one-up each other on the manliness scale.” I shrug. “What was that show with Gear Brylls? Alpha Versus Wild ! Anyway, in one episode he cooked up some snake, and the next day my buddy Sean caught one in the woods behind his house and dared us to try it.”

Roman rolls his eyes when I finish my story. Like he didn’t do a little posturing with his friends growing up.

“It’s not an uncommon food in some parts of the world,” Archer adds. “In fact, I read an article recently that argued it’s more sustainable and better for the planet than the meats we typically eat. High in protein. Low in saturated fat. And it doesn’t require a lot of resources to raise snakes.”

I kiss Archer’s temple again. He’s so cute when he’s being all knowledgeable about shit. Cora watches us with the slightest blush on her cheeks.

“See, dinner.” Winking at Archer, Jax slings the snake over his shoulder, then takes Cora’s hand.

“It can’t be dinner time already.” Roman looks at the fancy analog watch on his wrist, his brows drawing together as he shakes his head. “Shit, it’s after eight.”

My empty stomach rumbles, glad we’ll have something to eat. That, combined with all the exertion and adrenaline, and I’m sure we’re all feeling hungry and tired. Jax said he has some granola bars, but those will only last so long between five people. We need to use any natural resources we can in case we end up stuck down here for a while.

Snake is far from the worst thing I’ve ever eaten. It’s bland, but not bad. And that one is big enough to give us a semi decent meal .

Jax leads the way around the slight bend in the hall, toward the blue glow.

Our steps slow to take in the sight before us. It can only be described as ethereal, like something out of a fairy tale. The hall opens into a spacious area, with a pathway along the outside and alcoves along the wall. But what’s giving everyone pause is what’s in the middle of the space.

An underground oasis.

Sunk into the floor are several pools of varying size and shape, each one surrounded by lush tropical plants and vibrantly colored flowers. Steam sits low on the surface of the water. They have to be fed by a hot spring, but I sure as hell have never seen a hot spring glow before.

“Goddess above, it’s gorgeous.”

“Hmm,” I hum my agreement, but I’m not looking at the pools. Cora and Archer are standing side by side wearing equal expressions of awe. If this place is a fairytale, the two of them fit right in, their beauty only enhanced by the soft blue light reflecting on their faces. I’d certainly love to see them frolic through paradise. Preferably naked.

Cora catches me looking and offers me a shy smile before glancing away. “Do you think the water’s safe?”

“How ‘bout we test it?” Earnest as ever, Jax digs around in his bag and pulls out a little device that tests water, the kind people take camping.

“Is there anything you don’t have in there?” Roman asks.

“Condoms,” Jax says with that signature wink of his.

Archer’s gasps at the same time as Cora. Their matching expressions of shock draw a laugh out of me. Somehow, it doesn’t surprise me that Jax would say that as freely as he would talk about the weather.

“Actually, I do have a few condoms. I just wanted to see your reaction.” He brings Cora’s hand to his lips. “I’ll never pressure you to do something you’re not ready for, but I can’t wait to fuck you raw and knock you up.”

Cora’s mouth drops open. Roman sucks in a breath, but I blow one out, unable to block the image of Cora big and round with my child. I’d never make a comment like the one Jax just made, but thinking it is another matter altogether. My cock presses painfully against my jeans as I imagine Cora’s wet heat surrounding it with nothing in between.

I take a step toward her before forcing myself to stop, clearing my throat. Archer raises his brows at me. I shrug and mouth, “ What? ”

Jax tests the water in two of the pools with his little tool and gets the same results for each. “Not drinkable. Too much salt. But perfect for bathing. It’ll probably help ease those muscles and get us all nice and relaxed.” He winks at Cora again, this time licking his lips as if he’s imagining how relaxed he wants to make her.

“Alright,” Roman says with a touch of an alpha edge. “We’ll camp here for tonight. Eat. Bathe. Get some rest. Then tomorrow we can look for a way out.” He points to a pool near the back, partially covered by pillars. “Cora, you take that pool. It’ll give you some privacy. The rest of us can spread out in these front pools.”

Any other time, I would give him a hard time about his bossy attitude, but I can tell his alpha is riding him hard right now, so I let it go.

“Someone needs to find something we can burn so we can roast this.” Jax holds up the snake.

No one volunteers, everyone too eager to get cleaned up and rest in the hot springs. Archer’s already sitting down and untying his shoes.

“I’ll do it,” I sigh, holding my hand out for the torch. Roman passes it over. They’ll have plenty of light here by the glowing pools.

To my surprise, Archer stands back up. “I’ll come, too.”

“None of those green vines,” Jax says. “Need stuff that’s dry.”

I cross my arms and stare at him. “If I can kill a snake, I sure as hell know what makes for good firewood.”

“Fair enough.” Jax claps me on the back with a chuckle. “You’re a handy man to have around.”

We’re only a few steps away when Cora calls after us. “Nothing priceless!”

“I think we can handle it.” Archer yells back as he joins me.

There’re probably dried vines we could use as kindling back where we came from. But neither of us have any desire to go toward the snakes, so we explore beyond the pools.

“Thanks for coming with me,” I say as we pass out of sight from the rest of the group.

“Thanks for jumping down a crevice for me.”

My eyes roll up to the ceiling, remembering the horror I felt. “Fuck, you scared me. ”

He takes my hand, and I stop walking.

“I really like you, Bear,” he whispers.

I tug him into my body and kiss his forehead. “Oh, yeah?”

“Yes, Noah , I do.”

I bust out laughing. “Nice guess. But my name is definitely not Noah.”

He cracks a smile. “Wyatt?”

I shake my head. Using my grip on his hand, I spin him until his back hits the wall, intent on kissing him until he’s too breathless to guess my name. But his back doesn’t collide with the stone like I expect. The surface gives out, and we both stumble through a splintered doorway.

“Guess we found wood,” Archer says, looking at the pile of ancient planks. “It’s a miracle these haven’t completely rotted, especially with the humidity from the springs.”

As much as I like hearing Archer get all nerdy on me, I don’t want to talk about the preservation of old things, and the only wood I care about, right now, is his. What is it about life threatening situations that makes you want to fuck?

Trapping him against the doorframe, my hands come to rest on his hips. After all the excitement and exertion, his scent blockers are wearing off, and I finally catch the slightest hint of him. Green tea and raspberries.

For a brief moment, I'm brought back in time to my first kiss. She was my next-door neighbor and we snuck out after dark to meet by the raspberry bushes between our parent's farms. She tasted like the tart fruit we fed each other before we kissed.

Archer smells like secret, stolen treats.

Mine .

“Alpha?” He breathlessly asks when I pause for too long. His hands thread through my beard and give the tiniest tug. Fuck, that feels good.

“Yeah, I’m your alpha, baby, and I’m gonna make you feel so damn good. But first,” a low growl shakes through me, “I’m gonna punish you for putting yourself at risk and scaring the living daylights out of me.”

“Yes, alpha.” His pupils dilate. He likes that idea.

“Turn around,” I command, though there’s no bark to it. I want him to act of his own volition, not be coerced by any alpha power. “Hands on the doorframe.”

He spins and lifts his arms, gripping the sturdy wood with his back to me. He’s not as tall as I am, so he can barely reach, stretching his body long, putting himself on display.

After taking a moment to admire him, I run my hands over his sides and back, watching for any flinching or indication of bruising. I don’t want to push him if he’s too hurt from his fall. His only response is a shiver and a needy sigh.

He’s damn lucky he didn’t get injured. So am I.

Without warning, I slap my palm against his backside, then lean in close and whisper, “Red, if you want to stop. Yellow, if you need a breather. Green if you want more. Good?”

“Yeah, I’m good.” He tries to look over his shoulder at me, but his arm is in the way. “All green lights here. ”

“That’s my man.” I nip his ear, sliding my hands down his chest from behind until I reach the clasp of his belt, holding there for a beat. “Still good?”

“Green,” he moans. “Take them off.”

Undoing his belt, I push his jeans down, taking his boxers with them. Then I step back to admire the view. I knew he had a nice ass, but seeing it stripped bare has my knot aching at the base of my already stiff cock.

Unable to resist, I crack my hand down on the round globe of his flesh. It jiggles from the contact before I rub the sting away. I do it again. Archer whimpers, swaying forward.

“I’ve never been spanked before,” he says.

I pause. “Still good?”

“Fuck, yes.”

“Give me a color, baby.” I growl in his ear. He needs to know I’m serious about our play.

“Green. So, so green.” His reply is breathy.

His enthusiastic consent drives me to slap harder. He lets out a beautiful moan.

“You’ve always been a good boy, haven’t you, Archer Hale? Smart, careful, always doing what you’re told. But I bet you’ve secretly wanted to throw off all that restriction, free yourself from all those expectations and rules, and do something bad .” I press so hard against him he almost loses his grip on the doorframe, but he doesn’t let go. “You want to be naughty for me, baby? Be my dirty fucking boy?”

“Y-yes,” he moans.

“Look at you with your pants around your ankles, ass out, begging for it right here in the middle of Lunara’s temple.” I drop one hand to tightly squeeze the ass cheek I just reddened. “How bad do you want my thick cock inside you?”

“So bad.” His groan is low and barely audible.

I spank him. “I can’t hear you.”

“So bad,” he repeats. “I want your cock so bad, I feel like I’m going to die if I don’t get it. Please, alpha, give it to me.”

“That’s better.” Ducking under his arm, I come around in front of him. Like the good boy he is, he doesn’t move a muscle, staying stretched in the doorway exactly like I told him to. I suspected from our few interactions that Archer would submit beautifully, I just didn’t anticipate how much I would enjoy it. This type of play isn’t new to me, but none of my previous partners have affected me like this.

Licking my lips, I take in the erotic sight of him. Then I lower to my knees.

“W-what are you doing?”

“Torturing you.” I lick a slow line up the underside of his cock with the very tip of my tongue.

“This doesn’t feel like torture.” He juts his hips forward.

I chuckle. “It will.”

He sucks in a breath as I wrap my lips all the way around his cock. Fuck, he tastes good. Like late summer nights, sipping tea and sucking raspberries off sticky fingers.

“Mine,” I growl, taking him deep, working him until his muscles tense and he’s right on the edge.

Then I stop. Popping off his cock to stall his pleasure .

“Noooo,” he moans.

“I’m supposed to be punishing you for being so reckless, remember?” I softly stroke the inside of his thigh.

He squirms, jerking toward my closed lips. Precum drips from the tip of his cock, weeping for me so beautifully. I turn my head away to drag my teeth along the skin I was just caressing.

“Please, alpha. I’ll never do it again. I’ll be careful. So, so careful.” Fuck, it’s so hot to hear him beg.

“Oh, I know.” I grip his base and swirl my tongue around the head. “Because I’m going to show you how much you have to live for. Color, Archer?”

“G-green. Gre—mmph,” he groans as I take him so deep my nose hits his abs. One hand drops to grab my hair, and I let him get away with it for one deep suck before I remove my mouth and growl up at him. “Hands. On the doorframe.” He swiftly obeys. “Such a good boy.”

I tease and enjoy him until he’s a whimpering, begging mess. Taking him right to the edge over and over again without letting him tip into ecstasy. I may have been doing this to torture him, but now I’m the one being tortured. My cock throbbing, my skin tight and tingling, I pull off and kiss my way up his body.

He’s fucking wrecked. Teeth marks mar his arm where he bit the flesh to keep from screaming out. His glasses are smudged and lopsided. His jeans around his ankles, his dirty shirt rucked up his hips. He looks vulnerable and delicious.

I kiss him hard, sucking his bottom lip the way I did his cock as I undo my cargo pants enough to free myself, taking both our lengths in hand. His spit-slicked cock in harsh juxtaposition to my untouched shaft as I shuttle my hand up and down our lengths, squeezing them together.

“ Please . I want you to fuck me,” he begs.

“I don’t have what we need for that, baby.” Even as I say it, I think of the sweet little omega back at the pools. Would she make enough slick for me to get Archer good and lubed for my cock? Would seeing us like this make her drip?

“Fuuuck.” I jerk harder, working us both into a frenzy of lips and limbs and grunts.

Only a few more strokes and Archer comes. My balls tighten, and I follow him over the edge. The sensation nearly knocks me over, limbs spasming, then turning to jelly. I knew it’d be good, but that was… wow .

Hot cum soaks our shirts, evidence of our pleasure combining to plaster the cotton to our abs. The aroma of green tea melds with black pepper, raspberries complement sweet honey. A perfect blend.

“You okay?” I kiss his neck, then his cheek as my body comes down from the high he just gave me.

He mumbles something incoherent, shaky arms dropping to rest across my shoulders. I’ve never been with a partner who followed my instructions so completely, who was so eager to please, who begged so beautifully. I kiss him again, softer this time, and whisper, “Such a good boy.”