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C ora’s moans wake me. She’s got her ass in the air and her mouth around Jax’s cock. Bear curls around me, still asleep like Roman, who’s a few feet away snoozing. My muscles ache from the cold stone floor. I should have grabbed some of the fabric scraps before we got started.

Some beta I am. How will I prove I deserve a place in this pack if I fail in taking care of them during their omega’s heat?

Well, maybe I can make up for it now.

When I stand up, Bear opens his eyes. He must see Cora, ‘cause he sucks in a breath and groans, “Omega.”

She reaches for him, and soon they’re a tangle of bodies. I squint and adjust my glasses. The room is darker. Why is it darker? The lenses are thoroughly smudged, but that’s not what’s making it hard to see. Behind Cora and her alphas, the red pool is gone. No, not gone. There’s still a soft glow from where it was, but it’s muted .

Stepping around everyone carefully, I walk to the edge of what was a full basin. The water is no longer right at the lip, giving the illusion that it’s part of the floor. It’s draining, fast, taking with it our one natural light source and only water supply—if it’s even drinkable. Jax swam through it and didn’t die, but without Jax’s supplies we can’t test it for potability.

“We’ve gotta get out of here,” I say, for what seems like the hundredth time. But no one’s listening. Their moans and grunts fill the air, as thick as their scents.

I find the flashlight next to our discarded clothes and shine it into the pool. There’s only a small puddle of water left. The only thing I can think of is that Cora must have triggered something when she picked up the necklace. Nothing happened immediately after she took it from the pedestal, but it was naive of us not to assume there wasn’t a booby trap there, as well.

“Fuck, guys!” No one answers me. I flash the light at the rest of the group. Bear is lying on his side behind Cora, holding one leg open wide so he can thrust deeply into her from behind. I’m glad I had the foresight to clean us up before I dozed off, because I have a strong feeling hygiene isn’t a priority for any of them at the moment.

Roman is awake now, on his knees near Cora’s head, feeding his cock into her waiting mouth. Jax is watching, touching himself, when suddenly he dives down to suck Cora’s clit even as Bear slams into her. All three alphas are entirely absorbed in their omega. And I don’t blame them. Cora looks like the goddess from those illustrations. She’s pleasure personified.

I want to go to them and slip between her and Bear. Maybe she’d suck me off while she rides Bear’s massive knot. The need to give in makes my already hard cock weep, but we can’t stay here. My mouth is dry, dehydration already setting in after all the fluids we lost.

I flick the flashlight on and off repeatedly, trying to get their attention. “We need to leave!”

Grunts of annoyance follow my proclamation, but nothing more. They barely notice me. They probably wouldn’t even know if I left.

I guess that’s exactly what I’m good for as a beta. Betas aren’t ruled by their hormones like alphas and omegas are, we don't go into rut. It’s what makes us perfect heat assistants. Perhaps I can contribute now by going to get supplies. Clearing the path so that maybe I can convince them to leave once they satisfy the itch. If they ever do. I’ve never been with an omega in heat, but I can already tell this is different. Cora’s never had a heat, so it would stand to reason this one would take her body by storm.

She moans as I slip on my pants and pull my shirt over my head. She’s happy with her alphas. They’re happy with her. I’m not needed for this.

A twinge of hurt stabs at my chest, my heart constricting as I realize I’m yet again unneeded and forgotten. But I remind myself this is different. They do need me, just in a different way than Cora needs them right now.

And I should hurry. The light is almost completely gone. Without it, one of them could easily roll over the edge of the empty pool and hurt themselves. I quickly gather a bunch of random trinkets from around the room and spread them out along the edge of the pool. Hopefully, it’ll be enough that if they run into them or push one of them into the pool, the noise will keep them from rolling further, like rumble strips on a highway. I don’t know how deep alphas get into their ruts, but they certainly haven’t heard me yelling at them.

The door has no handle from this side either, but now that I know how to use the puzzle box, it shouldn’t be hard to open. Everything works just as it did before, but the door remains closed. I pull harder, but it barely budges.

“Fuck!” I throw my gaze to the ceiling. Why the hell won’t it open? That’s when I see the bolt. Some kind of deadbolt like contraption has fallen over the top of the door.

Now the pool draining makes sense. Lock the thief in and rob them of light and water. We’re gonna die just like that guard.

There’s a table to the right that’s made of stone rather than wood. It looks sturdy enough to stand on, if I can get it over here. Huffing and panting, I push the table an inch, another inch. Thankfully, I’ve always found working out to be a stress relief, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to move the table at all. Finally getting it close enough that I might be able to reach the deadbolt, I climb up on top.

The mechanism is simple, but difficult to reach. This would be a lot easier if Bear could help. I flash the light behind me. They don’t even flinch. In fact, Jax seems to preen under the attention, like it’s a spotlight instead of a flashlight. He flexes his abs and his ass as he continues to suck Cora’s clit while Bear pounds into her. His cock drips precum, and my mouth waters.

No, focus.

I grab a chest full of loose gems and use it as a step stool on top of the table. I still can’t reach. A rusted sword catches my eye in the corner. The light is almost completely gone now, so I run for it, then climb back up on the table. The metal holds as I wedge it along the bar that fell over the door. The weapon isn’t sharp enough to cut or do any damage, but I manage to use it as a lever, working the bolt up by increments until it locks back into its original position while I hold the flashlight in my mouth.

“Yes!” I whoop, hopping down to try the door again.

I crack it open, shining the flashlight ahead of me. There are a few scorpions along the walls, but most of them have skittered back down the grates. I just hope my presence doesn’t draw them out again.

Taking a deep breath, I slip into the hall. For a moment, I panic, unsure how to handle the puzzle box. If I take it with me everyone else will be trapped in the vault. I want them to have a way out if something happens to me or if they somehow come out of the haze. But if I leave it on their side of the door, I won’t be able to get back in. Despite wanting to keep the scorpions out, I decide the best option is to leave the door open the tiniest crack, and leave the puzzle box attached to the door on their side.

By now, most of the scorpions have gone back underground, but I run down the hall, not wanting to take any chances. I move quickly and keep my eyes open, only stopping when I come to the thick stone wall still blocking the path. I should have asked Roman where he found the release before. But it’s too late now. Guess I’ll just have to search.

There’s a scraping behind me, and I jump. The flashlight doesn’t reach far enough down the stairs to see what made the noise. My heart hammers against my ribs. I need to find that damn release. I stick the end of the flashlight in my mouth and run my hands over the wall, searching frantically and praying I don’t set off yet another trap.

“Boo!” A voice says right behind me. I swing my fist.

“Fuck!” Jax jumps back as my knuckles graze his jaw. It’s not a hard punch, but it’s enough to smart.

“How’d you know I like it rough,” he says, all gravelly.

“What are you doing? You scared the shit out of me.” I rub my aching hand. “I didn’t think you knew I left.” The last part is softer, and to my horror, my voice shakes.

“I knew.” He leans into me. “Bear, too. But he’s knot deep in our omega, so he couldn’t really come after you.”

“I tried to get your attention,” I whisper.

“Admittedly, it’s a little hard to focus when an omega is squeezing the life out of your dick, but the second your scent started to dissipate, Bear panicked.” Jax drags his thumb along my jaw. “Why’d you leave on your own? It’s not safe.”

“I didn’t think… I was needed.” The confession surprises me. I don’t know why I’m suddenly spilling my guts to Jax, so I backpedal. “I mean, I wanted to help. The po ol’s draining, and we all need water, and if I can get this wall open, maybe you all can sober up long enough to get Cora back upstairs.”

“Shhh.” Jax’s thumb covers my lips. “You might not think you’re needed. But you’re wanted, Archer. Fuck, it’s taking all my willpower not to fuck you right here.”

“Me? Here?”

“Mmhmmm.” His hand skims down my neck to rest at the base, fingers slipping under the collar of my shirt.

“Bear told me to punish you for him.” Jax’s thumb drops to the divot at the base of my throat and strokes slowly up. “Apparently, you promised him you wouldn’t be reckless anymore.”

“It’s not reckless. I just wanted?—”

“To earn your place. Not necessary.” Jax takes the flashlight from me, clicking it off and plunging us into near total darkness. There are still a few glowing scorpions way down the hall, but it’s nearly impossible to see anything.

“W-what are you doing?”

“Don’t want to attract the scorpions, do we?”

My heart races at the feel of his breath on my cheek, his absinthe scent rich in the air. His lips skim my jaw until they reach the corner of my mouth.

“You can try to run and hide all you want,” he whispers, kissing me so gently it makes me shiver. “Believe you’re not good enough, go ahead. But not a single one of us is gonna let you get away with it. Run, and Bear will catch you. Hide, and I’ll fucking find you. Try to pretend that you aren’t the brilliant genius you are, and I know Cora and Roman will set you straight. You’re ours, beta.” His hand cups my throat. “ Ours. ”

He kisses me, tasting of licorice and lust. Every thought flies out of my mind. His tongue strokes into my mouth as he undoes the button on my jeans, letting them fall in a heap around my ankles. Cold air tickles my skin, sending goosebumps pebbling my thighs. He pulls back from the kiss, and I can’t see or feel him.

“Jax?” It’s so dark, it’s as if he vanished. The uncertainty of what he’ll do next makes my heart pound in my ears.

I don’t realize he’s on his knees until his breath fans my cock. He’s not touching me anywhere, but that hot breath may as well be a caress.

“You’re ours,” he repeats before licking up my shaft.

My head drops back against the cold stone wall. I want to believe him. Fuck, I want to believe him so bad, but years of going unrecognized no matter what I accomplished, of being pushed aside and ignored while my siblings were deemed more significant… that kind of damage isn’t easy to undo.

“Want me to prove it?” Jax blows a cool stream of air up my cock, following the wet trail his tongue left. The whiplash in sensation is nearly enough to have me spilling already, before Jax has even really touched me yet.

“Y-yes,” I pant.

“Can you show me how fast you can come down my throat? Our mates are waiting, so you gotta be quick, sweet beta.”

A moan is the only answer I can give, and the only answer he needs before he swallows me all the way down, his nose hitting my abs. My gasp echoes through the dark corridor. I can’t see him, no matter how hard I strain my eyes, but I can feel him. Oh, fuck, can I feel him. His grip on my hips is bruising. His mouth, warm and wet.

The pale green glow of a scorpion scampers along the wall a few feet away from me, the only thing visible in the cavernous darkness. Fear tightens my muscles, adrenaline spiking. Logically, I should make him stop, make sure the scorpion doesn’t sting us. But the danger, and the dark, and his command to hurry swirl together until I hit a new level of arousal. I can’t hold on much longer, and I don’t want to. This is raw lust. A claiming. It’s fast and dirty and?—

“Jax!” I explode, clawing at the wall with my nails to keep from falling over.

The scorpion scampers away, and Jax releases me. His weight suddenly presses against me as he stands. His lips meet mine, begging entry. The moment I open for him, he tilts my head back and spits my cum into my mouth.

“Such a good beta,” he coos, “Now, swallow, and next time I’ll give you my cum.”

Stunned, I do as he says. It’s filthy and shocking, and my skin heats with a mix of embarrassment and lust.

He kisses me again, then pats my cheek. “Now, let’s get this wall out of the way.” His tone is so casual it’s as if what just happened was a fever dream. If it weren’t for the taste of my cum on my tongue, I might question my sanity. But then he nips my ear. “Come on, hero. I know I’m good, but you can’t be rendered useless every time I suck you off.” He gives my ass a quick slap. “At least not right now. We got work to do.”

“Hero?” I ask, confused why he’s calling me that.

Jax scoffs. “Yeah, hero . Trying to sneak off to rescue everyone. It’s kinda hot when you get all save-the-day, though.”

Hero . No one’s ever considered me a hero before. A warm feeling settles in my belly. I kinda like it.