A cabin would make a nice change from the tent, and I checked the map on my phone for Barcombe. It had a couple of B&Bs, but before I booked anything, I gave my snow leopard the choice. He said he didn’t care, before curling up.I wouldn’t make it to the town this evening so I’d be bedding down in the tent tonight, but I booked a room for tomorrow and the day after. A cozy room in a B&B and then a cabin for a few days or even a week would break up the journey before we stopped roaming for six months.Who knows, it might be our last stop.But my leopard was asleep or pretending he was.DANTEPerimeter runs had been my favorite job as Beta since I first became one. Sure there was something rewarding about protecting the den and letting my bear do what he longed to do by both exploring and sometimes marking our territory. But that wasn’t why I loved it. No, for me, I loved the alone time with Alicia, my fellow Beta.Alicia was my best friend. Not that I was allowed to call him that pre-A
I thought of spiders, mold, and goose poop in an attempt to shift and not have a hard-on. I mostly succeeded, my semi at least not super obvious. That was what I told myself.“What did you find?” I queried.He handed it to me. “It’s a penny.”I could see that. But what was special about it? “It’s shiny,” I noted.“And it was facedown, which means by giving it to you, we both have good luck.”“I don’t get it.” What did finding a random coin on our perimeter run have to do with luck?“It’s a human thing,” he explained. “If you find a penny and you don’t pick it up, it’s automatically bad luck.”“Okay.” It made no sense, but a lot of what humans did made no sense to me.“And if it’s faceup, then the finder keeps it and gets good luck.”I just watched him for a second, still not getting it but also not sure it was important that I did. “And this was tails up so you gave it to me?”“Exactly. You’re welcome. Now we both get good luck.” He winked and took his fur again, which was good, becau
When it was our turn, we both ordered the peach.“Here’s yours.” The teen handed Alicia his ice cream. “Sorry, but we ran out. Do you want another flavor?” He directed his question to me.I was grateful he’d given it to Alicia instead of asking us who wanted it. Alicia was the one who’d been looking forward to it, he of course should be the one to have it. But he would be nice and offer it to me, and then we’d be going back and forth until it was half melty and neither of us would have a decent ice cream experience.“I’ll have strawberry please,” I said automatically. Originally they carried chocolate, vanilla, and the flavor of the day. This season they added strawberry as one of their daily offerings and it was a huge success.We went and grabbed my cone for me, and Alicia and I walked over to the picnic tables to eat our yummy confections.“You can have this one.” He held out his peach cone for me.“It’s why you came,” I countered and licked mine as some sort of primal way of saying
“Alicia.”“Yes, Alpha.”“Were you planning on staying and playing with Oberon?”“Ummm.” I looked around to find Grant had disappeared, Alpha was on his feet, and Dante was at the door.“We were up late putting the finishing touches to a tourist cabin last night, Alpha. And Bert, the rooster, woke us all up very early this morning.” That was Dante, saving my ass and making excuses for my lack of focus. My mind wandered to us painting the walls yesterday and arguing about the color. I said it was eggshell and Dante insisted it was plain white.“That damned rooster tried to waylay me yesterday and Brian had to save me.” Alpha gritted his teeth. Dante and I shared a glance, and I stifled a laugh. Bert was one of the few creatures who could get the better of our Alpha.Dante took my arm and we left Alpha’s home. Grant was sprinting away in the direction of the library. “How about we do a perimeter run?”“Why?”My bear was suddenly awake and shaking his head at my response.Dante shrugged a
Not trusting myself to reply, I plastered a smile on my face.Go. My bear was happy to be anywhere Dante was.“The market?” I squeaked. We’d reached the river and I kneeled beside it and splashed water on my face, hoping that would cool my frenzied longing. It didn’t, so I dunked my head in the cool water and held my breath.But my lungs were screaming at the lack of oxygen, and I got up, or staggered was more like it. Dante steadied me. Just what I didn’t want—his hands on me. But I did. Every night, I’d dream of his hand on my dick pumping, and his fingers in my ass while mumbling, “Do you want my cock in you?”“I do.” Wait, did I say that out loud? I did. Fuck. Shading my eyes from the sun, I studied the cabin we’d been working on yesterday.“Excellent.” I could hear the smile on his voice even though I was gazing in the opposite direction. “I’m looking forward to it. It should be fun.”“We should check if the paint’s dried.” I pointed at the cabin. Once that was done, we could han
I set my bag on the floor and walked in. “I know I said I would be here longer, but I need to leave today.”“I was suspecting as much when you had to go out for your walk.” She gave me a knowing look. But how could she? Mrs. Tyler was human. At least, she scented that way.“You caught that.” I didn’t want to tell her anything that could give me away in case I was assuming too much.“Yeah, my Harry used to get like that when he was still alive.” She pulled down the front of her shirt to reveal her mating mark, faded and old and not in the typical location, and very much not in a place I was comfortable looking. “Squirrel.” She let her shirt go.“He hadn’t meant to do that… best thing that ever happened to me but not intentional at the time. He… it’s a long story, but his family was not approving of me, and for a long time, I thought he was just a tame squirrel. You know, the kind that come up to humans to beg for food at the parks.” She shook her head. “I’d been so oblivious… but regar
“Nice to meet you, Clarissa. Let’s find your paperwork and go from there.”It wasn’t long before everything was straightened out, and he led me to a small rental I’d be calling my home for the next five days, or if my snow leopard didn’t change his mind, quite a bit longer than that.“Everything is ready for you, including those mini bars of soaps that human hotels have and some minimal canned foods. But you’ll probably want to head to town for some basics tomorrow or the next day.”He led me to the kitchen to show what he meant by canned foods, and upon seeing them, I determined it would more likely be right after check-in that I’d be heading out for staples. I wasn’t a picky eater as a rule, but the idea of my only meat coming from a can didn’t sit too well with me. It was nice to have the option though. I could stay in the room for a couple of days, no problem. I just didn’t want to.Julian explained shifting rules, which were mostly don’t be a dick, and stay in the designated area
DanteThe omega rushed inside as if he was being chased. A human had run from my beast once when I shifted in the forest, a little too close to a farm. And Clarissa had the same expression, with his mouth set in a hard line, the eyes wide with fear, and the scurrying legs reminding me of the cartoons humans had grown up with which Alpha and Kit introduced us to.Not that the pair were human, but they’d lived and worked with them, and those animated figures were always dashing off in a cloud of dust. But Alpha and his friend called it a cultural touch point, something that resonated with humans and reminded them of their childhood. That was becoming increasingly relevant for us as we were interacting with humans.We would always be a bear den, but to market our services and provide excellent customer assistance, we needed an insight into how humans lived their lives.Enough!Okay sorry. My bear wasn’t interested in silly cartoons where anvils dropped on characters’ heads.I did my own
“Không, nhưng tôi nghĩ tối nay anh ấy sẽ cầu hôn,” Liam nói. “Nó chỉ hợp lý thôi. Hôm qua, tôi tình cờ nghe được cuộc trò chuyện qua điện thoại của anh ấy với ai đó - tôi nghĩ là một nhân viên PR nào đó. Westcliff nói rằng nhà vua sẽ đưa ra thông báo sau vài ngày nữa - ý tôi là về Hoàng tử Haydn. Westcliff cũng muốn thông báo về việc đính hôn của chúng tôi vào khoảng thời gian đó. Nó có ý nghĩa. ”Jules đã nghiên cứu kỹ lưỡng về anh trai mình.Khuôn mặt đáng yêu của Liam rất khó đọc, nhưng đôi mắt của anh ấy không hẳn là ánh lên hạnh phúc.“You don’t have to say yes,” Jules said, feeling painfully uncomfortable. He was so damn torn about the subject he didn’t know what advice to give. He didn’t want Liam to marry an alpha he didn’t love for the sake of their family, but… He was scared that if he told Liam not to marry Westcliff, it would be selfish advice.To make things more confusing, there was a small, horrible part of him that did want Westcliff as the alpha of their family. That
Except even that fantasy wasn’t enough. Thinking about the Xeus just made his broken bond ache. Ache and hurt like an old wound that was starting to bleed again. The pain somehow amplified the desire, and soon Jules was half-sobbing into his pillow, his hips pushing greedily onto the dildo. Need him, need him, can’t need him, need him. Gone, need him, gone. I need—I need—I need. It was fucking horrible. Jules had never felt worse in his life, his muscles trembling, his cock sore, his body oversensitive and needy, and his bond aching.So he tried not to think about his Xeus. He made himself think of other alphas, trying to tell himself that any alpha would do. Any alpha with a thick, hard cock would do. He was desperate enough to almost believe it.He imagined going to a ball, his cock stiff and his slick dribbling down his leg. He imagined alphas turning toward him, their nostrils flaring and their cocks straining their pants. He would be attractive to alphas for once. They would want
Julian flushed. “It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing, after…”After sex.Devlin gave a clipped nod, clasping his hands behind his back. His fingers and his jawline itched, as they did when he was on the verge of transforming. Through sheer willpower, he managed to keep his claws in.It was a normal enough reaction, to feel protective of a young omega he cared about.It was.“But the bond took?” he said, his voice very neutral.Julian nodded, not looking at him. “We were naturally compatible.”Devlin’s claws dug into his palm. He turned away and walked to the window.He took a deep breath, staring at Dainiri’s nearly full disk, and then another, until he had his claws under control.“I see,” he heard himself say. “The risk still exists, then. Medical intervention might be needed.”“What do you mean?” Julian said. “More suppressants?”“Increasing the dose again might do more harm than good,” Devlin said stiffly. “I’m hardly a doctor, but even I know that you can’t keep changing yo
Ignoring the question, Devlin studied him carefully. “Do you feel better?”“What?” Julian said, his brows knitting together.Devlin looked at him sharply. “Your brother said you didn’t feel well.”Julian averted his gaze. “Right! Of course. I feel better now. Much better—”“You didn’t want to go with us.”The omega winced, but he didn’t even try to deny it. So it was true.It shouldn’t have bothered him. It really was none of his business.“Why?” Devlin said.Julian shrugged. “It’s not exactly fun being a third wheel.” He still wouldn’t meet Devlin’s eyes.“You’re not telling the truth,” Devlin said, becoming more certain of it the longer Julian avoided looking at him. Stepping into the room, he closed the door behind him.It shut with a click.“What are you doing?” Julian said. “And I’m not lying. You think it’s fun—”“Julian,” Devlin said quietly. “Look at me.”After a moment, the omega finally did as he was told. There was a half-scowl on his face but some other emotion in his eyes
“All ri—” Liam started saying, but Devlin cut him off.“Your brother can’t leave the ball with me,” he said, looking at Julian. “You don’t want any nasty rumors to start flying around, do you?”He could actually hear Julian grind his teeth.“Fine,” he said, still sounding a mix of annoyed and bewildered.The helicopter ride to the Blake house was a strange one. Liam was the only one talking, chattering non-stop about the perfection that was Viscount Nasr while Julian determinedly didn’t look at Devlin.Devlin bored his eyes into him, his fingertips tingling, his claws itching to come out. He curled his hands into fists and breathed shallowly, trying to ignore the way Julian smelled. It was impossible. Julian fucking reeked. He reeked of another alpha. Devlin wanted to fix it, run his hands all over the brat, until he smelled right.It was probably a good thing that Julian was the first to jump out of the helicopter when they arrived, because Devlin didn’t trust himself.Tearing his ga
Julian glared at him, his cheekbones a little pink. “That was a dick move,” he said, glancing back at Nasr, who was left standing in the middle of the dance floor.“He’s much too old for you,” Devlin said, stroking his thumb against Julian’s wrist.“Stop scent-marking me,” Julian gritted out, his color heightening. “And he isn’t too old. He’s half Korf’s age.”“That shouldn’t be your measuring stick,” Devlin said. “I told you I wouldn’t allow your uncle to give you to Korf. You deserve better.”Julian chuckled. “Better? Who?”Devlin’s lips thinned. “Someone better than Nasr.”“There’s nothing wrong with Viscount Nasr. He’s perfectly nice and pleasant, and he actually sees me for being me. I’ve known him forever—he has a neighboring estate. He was always nice to me when I was a child.”“That hardly says good things about him, does it? What a creep.”Julian stomped on his right foot. “You’re being an ass,” he said, his voice a mix of annoyed and bewildered. He blinked a few times. “I do
Their date that day was unexpectedly tedious.Devlin found it difficult to keep his attention on his date, his mood sour and distracted. He was aware that he was acting like a dick, his attitude probably too cold and unapproachable. Liam seemed to have given up on trying to strike up a conversation with him after a few hesitant attempts and focused his attention entirely on the aircar race. When Liam spoke, he spoke only to the beta chaperone who had accompanied them to the race.By the time the race was over, Devlin had a headache once again, his body brimming with tension and anxiety, the source of which he couldn’t pinpoint. He barely had the patience to smile for the paparazzi as they left the track, and his smile was probably very strained. Hopefully he didn’t actually look like he wanted to punch someone.He dropped Liam off, and then he hesitated, looking at the Blake house. It would be only polite to inquire how Julian was feeling.Devlin pulled his phone out of his pocket and
Several weeks passed like that. Westcliff called on Liam and took him out on dates, putting on that disgustingly charming mask he wore in public. More often than not, Jules accompanied them, serving as a chaperone, for appearances’ sake—officially. Unofficially, he kind of… he went because he wanted to be around the duke. It freaked him out that he felt addicted to the way Westcliff made him feel, but he couldn’t help himself. It felt so good, especially when Westcliff allowed him to rub his face against his scent gland—the euphoria was beyond his ability to express properly. Afterward, Jules felt so embarrassed, but thankfully, Westcliff didn’t make fun of him and always acted as if there was nothing weird about his behavior. “Better?” he would say in a quiet murmur, and Jules would flush and nod and look anywhere but at him. Every time he told himself it was the last time, but his resolve melted into a mass of goo the next time he saw the duke. It was horrible. Horribly addictive.
Jules ôm lại anh trai mình, nhưng cảm giác lo lắng, bất an dưới da anh không thể biến mất. Ngược lại với ý muốn của mình, anh thấy mình đang nghĩ đến cảm giác an toàn như thế nào trong vòng tay của Westcliff ngày hôm qua, như thể không gì có thể chạm vào anh hay làm anh bị thương. Có lẽ có Westcliff làm alpha của họ sẽ không phải là một điều tồi tệ. Có lẽ anh nên cho anh ta một cơ hội. *** Quyết tâm của Jules để cho Westcliff một cơ hội kéo dài chính xác cho đến khi Westcliff gọi điện cho họ - trên Liam - vào buổi chiều. Anh không biết điều gì ở người đàn ông này đã khiến anh nổi gai ốc, tự ý thức và chỉ trích thái quá. Đó là một sự kết hợp kỳ lạ giữa các cảm xúc, nhưng anh không thể không nhìn Westcliff bằng ánh mắt dò xét, hoài nghi khi công tước đang nói chuyện nhỏ với Liam và chú Wayne. Thằng khốn thậm chí còn chưa liếc nhìn anh một lần kể từ khi bước vào phòng. Jules khoanh tay trước ngực, sau đó không bắt chéo chúng. Nhặt chiếc máy tính bảng trên chiếc bàn trong góc, anh n