I guessed one cathartic moment and watching Breaking Dawn together wasn’t going to magically solve all our problems, but I was still frustrated by how unsettled things felt this morning.
Josie and I were in the kitchen. She was gazing out the window, her eyes unfocused. Her wavy hair surrounded her face in a tousled halo, and she was wrapped in a thick, pink blanket that carried all our scents. She kept burrowing her head into it when she thought I wasn’t looking.
We’d all fallen asleep during the movie in the early hours of the morning, and Josie had slept in, to all of our relief. Theo had been the first to get up, leaving our sleeping omega with the excuse of having to do some work for the Alliance. Shortly after, Cam headed to the basement gym to torture himself and his body. They were both dealing with the guilt we all felt in their own way, but I wanted to demand they all stay and cuddle and spoil Josie. We needed time together as a pack after what we’d experienced, but as usual, Cam was drowning his emotions with physical pain, and Theo was doing the same with work.
Josie had woken up disoriented. She had looked around groggily and whined—fucking whined—when she saw Cam and Theo missing. I held in a growl, wishing I could knock some sense into my two idiot brothers, but instead, I wrapped her up in a blanket and curled my body around her, purring until she settled.
As she’d woken up more, her scent had soured with embarrassment as she apologized for her emotional reaction the night before. She had nothing to be embarrassed about. I couldn’t imagine what it was like for her to have her body’s agency stripped away again. She had every right to be pissed and throw things and cry. What my heart couldn’t handle was seeing the hopelessness that had filled her eyes last night. I would do anything to stop her from feeling that again.
“It’s almost lunchtime,” I said, trying to get Josie’s attention on me. She kept glancing at the doorway, as if hoping Cam and Theo would materialize. “What are you in the mood for?”
“I’m not very hungry,” she said, chewing on her lip.
I pulled it gently away from her teeth and soothed it with a kiss.
“You haven’t eaten all day,” I said, trying to keep the censure out of my voice. But I couldn’t stand seeing her go hungry. Feeding her was one of the few useful things I could do.
“Sorry,” she whispered, her eyes downcast.
Nope. Wasn’t going to tolerate that.
I got up from my chair to grab food and Josie whipped her head to look at me, fear in her eyes. My heart clenched—was she afraid of me? But then her hand shot out to grab my wrist.
“Please don’t leave,” she said. “I’ll do better, promise.”
I growled as I wrapped my arms around her and placed her on the counter. She whimpered, clinging to me. I took a deep breath and purred.
“I wasn’t leaving, precious. I’m going to be stuck to your side like glue from now on.”
“Okay,” she responded in a small voice.
I held her there for several long minutes, the soft music trickling from the speaker, my omega’s arms and legs wrapped around me.
“Are you not eating because you’re worried about your weight?” I asked, working up the courage to voice my fear.
Josie’s breath hitched, and I pressed her face to my chest, trying to provide any reassurance I could.
“My body’s all messed up,” she whimpered, her hand reaching up to touch her bandaged upper arm.
I grasped her hand in mine, pulling it away. The image of her clawing at her arms in the gym last night haunted me.
“Not true,” I growled. She wouldn’t meet my eyes.
“I just… I just want to disappear,” she choked out.
My chest seized in pain as my heart broke a bit more. I wished I could take all this suffering from her.
“Please don’t say that, precious. Please.” Tears spilled down my cheeks, and for a moment, I felt that familiar shame that told me to hide them, that real alphas didn’t cry. But then Josie wiped my tears away, looking at me with love and tenderness beyond what I deserved.
“I’m not saying I want to die,” she said, biting her lip again. “I just don’t want to be in my body anymore. It feels ruined.”
“No one could ever ruin it, Josie,” I said, wrapping my hand in her hair and fighting the urge to run out of the house to destroy Glen Jacoby. “This beautiful, wonderful, soft, perfect body is yours. No one can ruin something that belongs to you.”
Her expression told me she didn’t believe me, but she didn’t pull away either. I wracked my brain for something, anything that could make this better. I remembered being in the pool with her one of the first days after she moved in with us. She had looked so calm, moved so freely.
“Want to come in the pool with me, precious? The water’s nice and warm. We can just float for a bit.”
Josie hesitated, glancing down at her body.
“Every one of your curves is a miracle to me. Every line of your body, the feel of your skin, like heaven.”
Josie blushed so sweetly that I couldn’t help but kiss both of her cheeks. She giggled and the sound felt like victory.
“Okay, I’ll go in the pool with you.”
I wanted to dance around the kitchen but kept my cool. I helped her off the counter and grabbed a few plates of food. She looked at them nervously.
“In case I get hungry,” I said with a wink, leading the way out to the patio.
“You’re so full of it,” she responded with a smile, leaving the blanket on the kitchen chair and following me through the French doors.
I placed the food down by the side of the pool, hoping that my scheme of getting her to eat something would work, and stripped off my clothes. Josie’s eyes were heated as she ran them down my naked body, and it made me want to puff out my chest.
I could see my breath as I stood before her naked, the fall weather finally having turned cold. She fidgeted with the bottom of her sweatshirt, looking unsure.
“Better move quickly, beautiful. Don’t want to keep me out here in the cold. Some of me might shrink,” I said, waggling my eyebrows suggestively.
“Don’t think we have to worry about that,” she snorted, her gaze lingering on my half-hard cock. She pulled the sweatshirt off, and I grew harder when I saw she had nothing on underneath. The gauze around her incision caught my eye.
“We should cover that so it doesn’t get wet,” I said, cursing myself for forgetting. “I’ll go get some plastic wrap.”
She nodded and I jogged back into the house, hating leaving her for even a second. When I returned, her arms were crossed firmly against her chest, her nails pressing into her palms. I unclenched her fists without saying anything and quickly wrapped up the gauze as her teeth started to chatter.
“Sorry, precious. Promise the pool is nice and warm.”
My alpha growled, not wanting her to be uncomfortable for even a moment, but at least the cold had helped her forget to be so self-conscious about her body. I stripped off her sweatpants and underwear, forcing my hands not to linger, even though I craved parting her lush thighs and licking her sweet core. I wanted to wake with her taste on my tongue every day.
I took a steadying breath, smiling at her as I grasped her hand and led her into the pool. A quiet moan slipped through Josie’s lips as she eased her way in. My cock jumped at the sound, and I couldn’t help but draw her body against mine. We floated quietly, weightless in the hot water.
“Feel good?” I asked.
She nodded, a blissed-out expression on her face.
“Good,” I said, kissing her on the lips. I wanted to freeze this moment and hold it forever in my mind.
We kept floating in the water, skating our hands over each other’s bodies, seeking comfort and reassurance. Suddenly, an idea bloomed in my mind and I couldn’t decide if it was terrible or brilliant. All my life, my fathers had told me I was too unserious, not aggressive enough, not alpha enough. I’d worried that an omega would think the same thing—that I needed to stop being so playful to be a good alpha partner. Josie needed tenderness right now, but I also thought she needed fun. I made a split-second decision, deciding to lean into my instincts. I pulled her close to me, placing my hands around her waist. And then, before she could react, I tossed her into the air. She fell back down into the water with a splash.
She came up to the surface with a shriek, a scowl on her face.
“That was mean,” she said, sputtering. She tread water with a glare. My heart clenched for a moment. Did I miscalculate?
And then a wicked smile spread across her face. “You better run,” she said with her adorable omega growl. Not that I would ever tell her I found her growl as non-threatening and cute as a kitten’s.
I laughed as she lunged towards me, trying to catch me in the water. I let her get close enough to touch me before moving away, repeating our game until she was laughing and breathing hard. I snagged her around the waist, drawing her against my chest and kissing her.
The soft press of her breasts against my skin was almost my undoing, my cock begging to be wrapped in her heat. I hesitated, unsure if I should see if she wanted to take this further. Was I just being selfish? Or did she want that, too?
Caught up in my uncertain thoughts, I didn’t register Josie’s heels on the back of my knees. Instantly, she pressed them in, breaking my stance while putting all her weight on my shoulders. I went under, flailing for a moment in delighted surprise. When I broke the surface, she floated away and laughed with maniacal glee. I had done that. I had made my omega laugh.
I swam towards her, and she retreated with a squeal.
“Truce?” I asked, beaming.
She scrunched her nose, scrutinizing me, before letting out an exaggerated sigh. “I guess I can take pity on you. Since you’re so outmatched.”
“Truer words have never been spoken,” I said softly, wrapping her in my arms before kissing her tenderly.
She melted into my embrace, our kiss growing heated. She nipped my bottom lip before sliding her tongue into my mouth. I groaned, reveling in her sweet taste. I pulled us to shallower waters to keep us steady as I gripped my hands under her thighs. My cock was trapped between us and she squirmed against me, her slick core rubbing against my hard-on.
“I want you,” she murmured, her voice seductive as her lips grazed the shell of my ear.
“You sure, precious?” I asked, my voice strained. It would kill me to stop right now, but I would never push or pressure her.
“I want… I want to feel something good in my body,” she responded, her eyes shining with vulnerability.
“I want to give you everything good,” I said, tightening my hold on her thighs and grinding her against my dick. God, her curves were so fucking delicious.
Josie narrowed her eyes. “But I swear, if you knot me in this pool, the consequences will be severe.”
Laughter burst from my chest. “First, I can’t knot you in the kitchen, then in the pool…” I teased. “You have my attention, beautiful. What are the consequences?” I’d learned my lesson on appropriate knotting locations but wanted to pull out more of her playfulness.
“No more sex for you,” she said, scrunching her nose.
“Ever?” I gasped, trying to hide my smile as my cock nudged her entrance.
“Not ever… but like, for at least a day.”
“A very serious consequence, indeed,” I responded, gripping her neck. “Promise I won’t knot you… at least while we’re in the pool.”
She shivered, her hips thrusting against me.
“You’re in charge, precious.” I was still poised at her entrance but refused to push in. I wanted her to control this moment.
Josie didn’t break eye contact as she sank onto my cock in a single stroke, settling her hips against me with a quiet moan. I panted, keeping one hand on her hip and the other around her back, steadying her.
“You feel so good,” she said with a gasp.
“You feel like heaven, wrapped so sweetly around my cock.” I licked the column of her throat, and she threw her head back. Her pussy squeezed my dick, and I took a steadying breath to keep from coming.
Josie placed her hands on my shoulders and flexed her hips, trying to gain some friction but struggling to get the leverage she needed in the water.
“Help,” she whined, sticking her lip out in a pout.
“Help with what?” I teased.
She huffed, trying to thrust against me again. “Bennn.”
I chuckled, gripping her hips in my hands. “You want me to fuck this pretty little pussy? To make you come on my cock before I fill you with my cum?”
“Yes, please,” she gasped, her pupils dilated with arousal.
I moved us so she was pressed against the side of the pool, giving me leverage. Unable to hold back any longer, I lifted her off my cock before thrusting back hard, the water rippling around us. Her little cries spurred me on.
Josie threaded a hand through my hair in a stinging grip, and I groaned at the sensation, loving her taking control. She tilted my head so she could have access to my neck and sucked a patch of my skin, scraping her teeth against the tender spot. I shuddered and had to hold back from begging her to mark and bite me. I hoped the spot would bruise. I wanted to carry the evidence of this moment on my skin.
My knot was inflated and I tilted her hips so I could grind it against her clit with every thrust.
“Don’t stop,” she whimpered. “Feels so good.”
I continued the same rhythm until she tightened on my cock with a cry. She slumped against my chest with gentle whimpers as the aftershocks went through her body.
“You did so good, precious. So beautiful coming on my cock,” I said. It was my turn to wrap my hand in her hair. “Now you’re going to come again when I do.”
Her eyes were glazed with pleasure, and she pressed her face to my neck. “Make me,” she responded.
I growled at the challenge, no longer holding back as I thrust into her. I spread her ass cheeks and pressed a finger into her back hole with the next thrust.
“Can’t wait to take you here,” I said. “I’ll make sure you’re nice and ready, all stretched and relaxed for me. Then I’ll slide right in, filling you up more than you could even imagine. Maybe one day, I’ll even knot you back here.”
She shuddered as she came with a cry, my name on her lips. I came with a roar as she squeezed my cock, pleasure shooting down my spine like lightning.
“Oh my god,” she said, panting. “That was…”
“Unbelievable,” I finished. I wasn’t sure how every time with her got better. “One of these days, you’re going to kill me.”
“As long as you come back to haunt me so we can have ghost sex,” she said, eyes bright.
I snorted, keeping her body tight to mine as I tugged her over to the side of the pool where the food was. I crowded her against the edge, her back pressed to my chest. My cock was already growing hard again, although it really couldn’t be blamed with the way my mate’s ass arched back against me.
“Food time,” I murmured in her ear, reaching around her and bringing a sandwich to her lips.
She hesitated for a moment and I thought she might argue. But then she opened her mouth and took a bite. Relief flooded me and I kissed her shoulder.
“Thanks for taking care of me, Ben,” she said sweetly, leaning back against me.
I continued to feed her, delighting in the simple enjoyment of caring for my omega. I brought another strawberry to her lips and purred with satisfaction as she took it from me, her tongue darting out to lick the juice from my fingers. I groaned, imagining her tongue on my cock.
Josie rotated in my arms so she was facing me. My eyes were drawn to where her pretty pink nipples were sitting right above the waterline. I wanted to lick and suck them.
“My eyes are up here,” she said, teasing.
I tore my gaze away from her breasts. “I love you,” I blurted out.
She giggled. “I love you, too.”
The words I wanted to speak burned on my tongue, but I hesitated, unsure if it would upset her. But then I remembered the fear I’d felt when she was taken from us at the DC, fear that I’d lost her, and it spurred me on. Life was too short to not tell people how you felt.
“If it wasn’t for the device, I would already have demanded you put your mark on me. Permanently,” I added, reaching up to the tender spot on my neck. “The second it’s out, I hope you’re ready because I can’t wait a minute longer to be so tangled up with you we can never be separated.”
Josie’s eyes were wide, her lips parted. My brain started generating anxious thoughts as I waited for her to respond. But then she launched herself at me, wrapping her arms and legs around me with a splash.
“You still want that with me?” She cupped my face with both hands and studied my gaze as if looking for deception.
“Of course I do,” I said, bewildered at her confusion.
“I just wasn’t sure you would still…” she trailed off.
I growled at the thought that anything could make me want her less, that I would ever find her less desirable because of what they had done.
“I will never stop wanting you,” I said fiercely, holding her gaze.
Slowly, a wide smile spread across her face. “I want you, too. I want your mark on me.”
I spun her in the water, needing some way to express my excitement, and I was having trouble speaking around the whole, happy feeling in my chest.
“It’s all going to be okay,” I said, kissing her cheeks, nose, and lips. “They won’t win. I promise.”
Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears. “You’re so sure.”
“I have no doubts about my future with you. We’re going to have forever together, beautiful. It’s written in the stars.”
“Okay,” she said, a smile tugging at her lips. “If you say so, it must be true.” She held me tightly, her hot pussy pressing against my cock.
“Beautiful, if you keep doing that, I can’t be held responsible for my actions,” I teased.
“Then you better take me somewhere you can knot me, alpha. Because I want to be stuck with you,” she said, her cheeks flushing a beautiful pink.
“As you wish, sweet omega,” I responded, carrying her out of the pool and dreaming of the day we would be tied together forever.
