Page 18 of An Alpha's Commitment

There had been huge changes in my life over the last few months, turning everything in my world upside down. On the one hand it was exhilarating, having a new-found freedom to do so many things I hadn't been able to before, the love of two amazing men and a pack I was happy to call home. But having so much after having so little, also meant I felt a little out of control. I was allowed to go to town whenever and for whatever I wanted, I was going to learn to drive, I was looking up courses to enrol in, I was working on the farm as a farm-hand, not just as an omega expected to cook, clean and service as in my previous pack. By the Moon, I'd even been allowed - no, encouraged - to top one of my mates! Eek! I had to shake myself every time I thought of that.

But... I worried it was all so crazy and fast and... wild, that it could just as easily crumble to the ground. I joined this new life so easily... I could be let go as easily too. It was hard to feel truly secure in my good fortune, when all I'd had in the past was bad. I needed to feel boundaries, something locking me in to this new life, so I could relax and enjoy it without worrying about what might go wrong.

And I wanted to go on the run with the rest of the pack. I needed to belong.

We were sitting on the lounge after dinner talking, while Irian finished cleaning up the kitchen. We'd returned to the topic of whether or not I would run that month.

“I’m not concerned about our pack or even the Inverloch pack who are running with us this month. Lucius runs a pretty tight pack – they won’t step out of line. It’s the plus ones I’m concerned about. Some of them come from the city and they don’t always show the respect that we expect out here.” Talius frowned, looking thoughtful.

“What do you mean?” I asked him. “What are you worried about?”

“Well, Isca, they’ll know you’re a mated omega because of your scar, and well, your scent, but they’ll also be able to tell your bonded alpha isn’t nearby or running with us. In that case, given it’s the full moon, if they don’t have control over their wolves, they might not respect the mate bond.”

I huffed. “Ironic, isn’t it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I know you’re talking about the mate bond not being respected, but if it was, then the thing keeping me safe would be the bond created by the alpha who hurt me the most.”

“Huh, that’s true.” Irian had wandered into the living room while we were talking. He’d obviously been listening in on our conversation from where he’d been working in the kitchen. That wasn't surprising. Shifter's hearing was exceptional and anyway we weren't keeping secrets from each other. Irian leaned against the back of the couch.

“How much of a risk is it likely to be?” I asked. I didn’t want to take unnecessary risks but I was fed up with missing out on the full moon runs. It was a normal part of pack life and being the only one to sit it out left me feeling isolated, apart, like I wasn’t really a full pack member. My old pack was so decadent they hadn’t kept up the tradition of full moon runs, so it was a very long time since I’d been on one with a pack.

Talius nodded, as if he guessed my thoughts.

“There is some risk depending on who turns up,” he admitted. “Irian used to spend a bit of time down in the clubs in the city, and while most of the alphas were fine, there were a few that weren’t. Right, Irian?”

Irian moved to stand behind Talius, leaning over the back of the couch and pressing up against the alpha’s upper body. I wasn’t sure he was even aware he was doing it. They were such perfect mates, he always wanted to be as close as possible to Talius. Come to think of it, he was always touching and pressing into me as well. Maybe that’s why the lovemaking was always so spectacular between us three. We had such a strong desire to be close.

“Yeah. It sucks but it’s true.” Irian turned his eyes on me. “Like he said, most of the guys were fine, great even. But there was always one or two that wouldn’t take no for an answer. The other alphas always pulled them into line, but I can see how it could be a problem if someone like that came on a run.”

“I wouldn’t be able to keep eyes on you all the time,” explained Talius, “as I have to move around the pack. I would have preferred to have mated you before this, and then it would be a non-issue.”

“Isca and I could stick together,” Irian suggested.

“That's a start, but we'll need something more,” Talius said, musingly. “I’m the lead Alpha on the run, so that should count for something. If I mark you strongly with my scent, that will be enough to deter anyone that gets ideas about you. They’ll realize you’re under my protection even if they find it confusing with another alpha’s mating mark on you.”

“So, can we do that... please? Can I run?” I begged, and I might have widened my eyes plaintively, and drawn my brows together in a pleading sort of way. Irian had been showing me how to do it. Talius was a strong and powerful alpha, but he was putty in the hands of his omega. Irian knew exactly how to get what he wanted… most times anyway. And I was his willing student.

“Well…” the alpha hesitated. He passed a hand over his face, shaking his head slightly, whether to clear his thoughts or because he could see through my tricks or he recognized Irian's hand in this.

“Yeah, you can run,” Talius finally agreed with a sigh. “We’ll just have to be careful.”

There, I knew it, A+ student right here!

???

Of course, on the night of the run, I was considerably more anxious. There was a lot riding on this, and despite our precautions, things could still go wrong.

“Come over here,” Talius told me when I stepped out of the shower in the early evening. “I’m going to mark you with my scent now.”

My feet padded over the carpet to where Talius stood by our bed.

“Drop the towel,” he ordered, and I released the fluffy grey towel I’d had tied around my waist. I felt suddenly awkward and exposed, which was weird given all we’d done together already, but here his focus was firmly fixed on me, and without hormones running amok, I felt self-conscious under his scrutiny. I didn’t know where to look, so I kept my eyes on anything but him, until the sound of fabric rustling alerted me to Talius pulling his shirt over his head, exposing his well-sculpted torso - a sight that was too good to miss for the simple cause of shyness.

Then I couldn’t turn my eyes anywhere else. Talius without clothes – even if he was only half-naked - was always enough to make my mouth go dry and my cock pay attention. He was a stunning alpha, the most magnificent one I had ever encountered. I shivered a little with anticipation.

Talius’ jeans joined his shirt in a pile on the floor and he stepped up close. I could feel the heat emanating from him, smell his musky, masculine scent, feel the whisper of his breath on my face. Goosebumps rose along the skin of my arms.

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