Page 19 of An Alpha's Commitment

Talius closed the distance until only the smallest gap separated our bodies. He bent his head and ran his nose behind my ear, snuffling around my hairline, and running a wet trail down the back of my neck. The warm, wet slide of his tongue over my skin sent shivers down my back, and I shuddered. He continued down to my collarbone, nuzzling and laving the tender skin with his tongue. He spent a lot of time hovering over the mating gland, licking the silvery scar again and again as if he might lick it away.

A finger tipped my chin up, and the licking continued up along my throat. I squirmed, ticklish. Half a giggle fell out of me before I clamped my lips tight to hold the rest in.

Talius repeated the process on my other side, then he picked me up and tossed me onto the bed, following me down, his larger body covering mine, his firm lips demanding entry to my mouth, tongue licking and plundering inside.

I felt his cock against my thigh, warm and hard. As he moved against me, a wet trail smeared across my leg. Talius rubbed himself on me, covering me with his scent. Flipping me onto my stomach, he did the same to my back, slotting his erection between my ass cheeks and rubbing it up and down my crease, his copious precum easing the way.

I wondered if he would come on me. I wouldn’t have minded, but he didn’t. I guess it made sense. He was trying to make it look like I belonged to someone, not to make me look like a slutty omega or one that could be taken without any consequences. Hormones ran high on full moon nights, after all. I briefly wondered, as an unwelcome finger of fear ran down my spine, whether joining the run was a good idea after all.

Though the memories were locked away in a part of my brain I never wanted to access again, I knew what it was like to be taken without consent. I had proven I could survive it, but I never wanted to go there again.

“Talius…” My voice trembled.

“What is it, Isca?” Talius’ muffled voice rumbled from behind my ear where he had his nose stuck in my hair again.

“I… I’m having second thoughts,” I admitted.

“About running tonight?” Talius’ voice was gentle.

“Yeah.”

“You don’t have to, if you don’t want to.” Talius broke from what he was doing, rolling me over so he could search my face. “I won’t make you.”

“I do want to,” I insisted. “It’s just… I’m scared.”

Talius’ face softened, the lines around his eyes and mouth easing, his expression warming. “You'll be safe, Isca. By the time I’m done, you’ll be covered with my scent and it’s very unlikely anyone will bother you. And Irian will be running with you, he’ll call me if he thinks there’s a problem. I might not be beside you, but I won’t be far away. I can get back to you in seconds.”

He stroked the hair back from my face with a gentle hand. For an alpha, he could be incredibly tender. He had a reputation as a fierce fighter, though according to Irian it was many years since he’d had to fight, but with Irian and myself he was unfailingly kind and forbearing.

He slid his hand over mine, entwining his long fingers with my finer ones. He lifted our joined hands to his lips and kissed the back of my hand while fixing me with an earnest look.

“It’s your choice, my omega. No harm will come to you. I’ll make sure of it. I’m your alpha, and it’s my responsibility, mating bond or not. But you absolutely don't have to run if you'd rather not. No-one will think any less of you for it.”

“Thank you, Talius,” I whispered. His conviction was reassuring, and I was fairly certain it was his words and not simply his pheromones that were making me feel secure. “I want to do this. I don't want to let fear rule my decisions. I’ll run.”

“Good,” he nuzzled me. “It’ll be fun. Now, it’s still early, so let’s get under the covers. We can rest for an hour or so before we need to get up.”

“What about Irian?” I asked. “Isn’t he joining us?” We always slept together.

“Not this time. I don’t want there to be any confusion with scents. I want you to smell of no-one but me. Now rest, you’ll need your strength later.”

Chapter 10

IRIAN

“Oh my Goddess you stink of him!” I exclaimed. I loved how the pink flush crept up Isca’s neck, and the two pink spots that formed in the middle of his cheeks. He was so much fun to tease.

“Oh,” he said, eyes fixed on the floorboards, embarrassed. Then suddenly he looked up, eyes locking on mine, brows raised in concern. “Is that okay? You’re not upset, are you? It’s just to keep me safe...” his voice trailed off.

I loved getting him flustered, because it was just so easy to do, but I didn’t want him feeling bad… especially when I had no objections at all to what Talius was doing with him. Isca was my mate as much as he was Talius’, and Talius was keeping him safe for us all.

“You know it’s fine. I want you to run with us. And we can run together. It will be awesome!”

I wanted to hug him, but I knew Talius didn’t want his scent mixed with anyone else's tonight, so I held back. Talius came out of the bathroom at that instant, which saved things from getting awkward.

He had been resting with Isca, making sure Isca was thoroughly covered with his scent. I hadn’t minded. I’d been in the kitchen preparing food for after the run. Two of the betas had been helping me and we’d laid it out in the large mess hall attached to the beta house. It would be waiting there for people to graze on over the course of the evening as they straggled in after running.

Talius dropped his towel over the back of a chair, revealing his perfect V-shaped torso, slim hips and the dark thatch of hair that nestled his half-hard cock. His pubic hairs were every bit as wild as the hair on his head, which had clearly been towel-dried and was fanning out around his head with a life of its own. His dark bushy eyebrows and the startlingly dark blue eyes gave him a fierce and dramatic vibe.

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