As he pulled into the parking lot, he grumbled with annoyance that he had to come out and shop. It’d be nice if the base had a canteen specifically for shifters’ needs so he wouldn’t have to drive away from where he felt safe to get what he needed. That was another thing the military didn’t do for shifters. They had buildings to cage them up during their heats and ruts andthe clinic staff to administer their suppressants but that was it. There was a lot more they could do to help their shifter soldiers through this unavoidable biological process.
Hoping to quickly get what he needed so he could get back to base, Hazard headed inside Murphy’s. The store was neat and clean with a small mom and pop feel. It reminded him of the store his grandparents owned back home. Grabbing a hand basket from the stack near the door, he headed straight to the section for sex aides.
Hazard looked over the rows of dildos. There were multiple choices. Different colors. Sizes ranging from small to so big the package needed two hooks to hold it up. Some that vibrated. Others with a warming option. Curved ones. Straight ones.
He already had a dildo back in his bunk, but he picked out one that had an inflatable knot. On suppressants, his heats weren’t that intense, and sometimes he could make do without being knotted. However, he had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to do so this time. He was already way antsier and hornier than usual. His clothes felt abrasive against his sensitive skin and he was flushed with warmth.
His main need taken care of, he headed over to the food aisle. Getting up to go to the mess or even using the barracks kitchen to make himself a meal while he was pumping outfuck mepheromones was out of the question. Meal bars specially formulated to supply the calories his body required even when he mostly lost his appetite would keep him fed. He put two boxes of the bars in the basket, one peanut butter and one blueberry, his two favorite flavors.
Next, he made his way down the aisle where they kept the non-sexual heat aids. He wanted cold packs for the literal heat that would burn him from the inside out. They’d feel good on his skin. Plus, there were some that were formulated to release alpha and beta scents — which could help omegas goingthrough heats solo. The choices included pine, baked bread, and petrichor. They even had some that smelled like charcoal. Hazard wrinkled his nose in mild disgust. That was not a scent he wanted to breathe in while he got himself off.
He scanned the section, looking for one that smelled like cedar. He found it on the second shelf. The package had a green label, with a picture of a pile of curly cedar shavings, held in a pair of cupped hands. He took the cold pack off the shelf, weighing it in his hand. If he used this one, he would have a scent similar to Ice’s in his nest. It wasn’t the alpha himself, or even clothes or a blanket marked with his scent but it was something.
Except, it would be beyond pathetic to use this pack so he could imagine he was spending his heat with an alpha that didn’t want him. “Fuck that,” he cursed and threw the cedar scented cold pack back on the shelf. He found one with a neutral scent, snatched up three of them, and tossed them in the basket.
After grabbing a few gallons of water from the cooler, he went up to the counter. One of the two cashiers, an omega with brown curls framing a pleasantly round face, rang him up. She put all the small items in two brown paper bags with handles and gave him a cheery smile along with his change and receipt.
His purchases made, Hazard made the drive back to base and returned the borrowed vehicle. When he walked back into the 448 barracks, there were about six hours left on the eight-hour countdown Dr. Gleeson had given him. His entrance was much calmer this time. It was quiet, the common area empty. He took his bags of heat supplies and gallons of water into his room and prepared to settle in.
His heat was approaching fast, so he didn’t waste time before getting set up. He stacked his meal bars, cold packs, and one of the gallons of water on the nightstand. Went in the bathroom and washed his new knotting dildo. Then he worked on his nest. When he’d transferred to Fort Grove, he’d broughtextra blankets and small pillows specifically for nesting with him. They’d been stored in his wardrobe. Now, he took them out and piled them on his bed. He also tossed in his favorite hoodie. For a second he wished he had something of Ice’s to put in his nest.
With a curse, he ruthlessly pushed that thought aside. He didn’t need Ice or anything from him to get through this. Determined to get through his heat on his own and hopefully as fast as possible, he stripped off his clothes, and laid down on the bed. He was tired so he might as well take a nap while he could. Curling on his side, he closed his eyes and cleared his mind so he could drift off to sleep.
Chapter 31
Hazard woke with a start. His bedroom was dark. Fire licked over his skin and his forehead was damp with sweat. And yet he wanted to pull another blanket over him. When he adjusted his position on the bed, he felt the backs of his thighs were wet with slick. He hoped the seal on his door was holding strong because his scent was thick in the air.
Sitting up, he turned on the nightstand lamp. He poured himself a glass of water from one of the jugs, drinking it down in a few gulps. His pre-heat was rapidly sliding into the full thing. Between his legs his cock throbbed, but he ignored it for now. He’d have his hands on it almost constantly real soon.
He needed some fresh air. Even though his Instinct already had him reluctant to leave his nest, he rose from the bed and made his way over to the window, his stiff cock bobbing with every step. He fumbled with the lock before he managed to slide the window open. There was a heavy-duty screen over it so he wasn’t worried about anyone outside bothering him. And it was a windy night. The smell of his heat would dissipate before it had a chance to be noticed by anyone near their barracks.
As he stood there a breeze blew in, cooling his forehead. Hazard sighed with relief. He closed his eyes, letting the cold air wash over him for a few minutes before he went and flopped back down on the bed. He looked down his body at his cock laying across his stomach. It was already wet at the tip. Touching a finger to that spot caused him to shiver. The feeling wasn’tunpleasant so he did it again. He kept up the gentle stroking, getting himself ready for what was to come.
* * *
An hour later, he was in the thick of it. He’d given himself two orgasms already and was working his way toward a third. But even as he stroked his wet, straining length he knew it wouldn’t be enough.
A whine slipped from his throat. He bit down hard on his lip, trying not to make the desperate noise again. He’d stopped the sound, but not the feeling that caused it. He felt empty. His thigh and ass muscles clenched, wanting something inside him. There was only one thing that could satisfy that feeling and it was there on his nightstand, waiting to be used.
Hazard reached for the sex toy he’d bought that afternoon. Spreading his legs, he pressed the head of the dildo to his entrance. He was wet with slick and had fucked himself with his fingers just before his second climax, so it slid inside of him without too much trouble. He went slow anyway, enjoying the sensation of being filled.
Once the dildo was all the way inside him, Hazard paused, focusing on the way the toy stretched him, pressing on that sensitive spot that made him shiver. But it felt wrong. The thing was fake and cold. His senses were overly sensitive right now and the smell of the silicone made him wrinkle his nose in distaste.
“Should have paid extra for the deluxe heated version,” he mumbled, trying to make light of his desperate need to feel a hot, throbbing,realcock inside him. The toy would have to do, it was too late to find a heat partner. Besides, there was only one person he wanted and he wasn’t coming.
Hazard whined again even as he started to work the dildo in and out of his slick hole. It felt good but he wanted more. Hisbody was all mixed up, trembling on the edge of another release while wishing his mate was there to give him one that was even better. Biting back a curse, Hazard reminded himself that he didn’t have a mate. No one was going to help him through this. Gritting his teeth, he fucked himself faster, thrusting his hips up to meet each push in of the silicone cock.
With his jaw clenched tight and brows drawn down in concentration, it felt as if he was fighting his body rather than pleasuring it. When he climaxed, it was with a full-body shudder, knees drawing up as his cock spilled onto his already messy stomach.
After several deep breaths, Hazard relaxed and let out a sigh of relief. He tugged the toy out of him with a wet squelch and tossed it aside. His chest heaving, he lay there, legs sprawled, staring up at the ceiling. But as soon as the release eased off, the next wave of his heat began.
“I hate this. Hate it,” he mumbled resentfully. Male omegas couldn’t bear children. But there was still an echo somewhere in their biology thatthoughtthey could. Regardless of how an omega felt about having kids, something within their genetic makeup wanted them to be bred. And the best way for that to happen? Have lots and lots of sex. Days of it.
Their bodies did everything they could to make the sex marathon possible. He smelled amazing, sending out pheromones to entice virile alphas. His ass produced slick to make penetration easy. And a flip was switched in his brain that not only had him in a constant state of arousal, it also turned the strength of that arousal up far past usual, everyday levels. It was like turning the volume dial up on the stereo until the music was scratchy and overwhelming.
Hazard turned to his front, pressing his face into the pillow. The first day was always the hardest. Once he made it past thefirst twenty-four hours, the urge to be fucked wouldn’t be as strong and he’d have more time in between each wave.
Still on his front, he shoved a hand beneath himself and gripped his cock. Not wasting any time, he immediately started to stroke, hoping for a quick orgasm. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. No matter how fast or slow he moved his hand, or how he teased the tip with his thumb, he couldn’t get there. Nothing worked. The pleasure built higher and higher until he was filled with sensation from head to toe, but he couldn’t come.