My pussy hadn’t even stopped throbbing from his attentions. Taking him exactly like he wanted to have me would fully remove my ex’s claim, washing it all away and leaving me my own person, making my own choices. Even beyond my mission, I wanted this alpha with a desperation, and I tried not to think too hard about why.

“Hurry up.” I dug into his ass cheeks with my heels.

“You’re going to give me the biggest ego in the world. Have some patience. I haven’t even gotten you out of your bra yet.”

I didn’twantto wait. I needed him rightnow. I reached beneath myself and unhooked the garment, whipping it to the floor. He chuckled and bent down to feast, cupping both breasts and taking his time sampling each with his tongue while I wriggled beneath him.

“Hurry,” I repeated.

“My greedy omega. Did I not give you enough orgasms to satisfy you for a few minutes?”

I shook my head.

“I’d better take care of that, then.” He stripped out of his remaining clothes and I tried not to stare at his cock. If the next bit was anything like having his mouth on me, I wasn’t sure I would survive.

He tucked the tip into me before leaning back down to kiss me, rocking with agonizing slowness to tease my body into accepting him. I held on to him with every limb, nails biting into his skin, and breath panting against his neck. Each maddening quarter of an inch drove me to distraction. He wouldn’t move when I tried to press against him with my feet, so I did the opposite and used my legs to drawmeontohim. A gasp and groan twined together as he stretched me to capacity and my eyes nearly rolled back in my head.

“So, so impatient.” Affection dripped from the words. “You’re going to hurt yourself being reckless.”

“I’m only being reckless because you’re teasing me.”

“I was trying to ease you in, but since you insist…” His first real thrust struck every nerve inside me, and I clung helplessly to him as he kicked off a pattern that had me seeing stars. Some combination of feral growls and moans tore from my throat. He ruined me so easily. I would have said he wasn’t even trying, but that was truly the difference between him and what I had experienced before. Effort and desire changedeverything.

I came all over him in a rush of slick. Pleasure ricocheted through me and he kept up that same pattern, pushing me up and over the edge until his movements stuttered and he fucked deep, his knot setting off a chain reaction in my body that whited out my vision and froze every sound in my chest.

When I surfaced, we had changed position, with him stretched out on his back and me draped over his chest. Overwhelmed by every second and all that it meant, I burst into tears.

Tension ratcheted through him and his arms locked around me. “Whoa, there. What’s wrong? What’s happening?”

“I’m sorry. You were just m-my first since the d-divorce. I wasn’t expecting it all to be so—so much. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to start crying.”

Fully expecting derision, I was instead met with a purr and hands that were soft on my hair, stroking a soothing pattern. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. Did I do something wrong?”

“No.” I sniffled.

“Did you have fun?”

I nodded, still trembling, my cheeks wet.

“That’s the most important thing. I wouldn’t have minded knowing tonight was going to be a big thing for you so I could’ve been prepared, but I’m glad you told me now. Whoever managed to lose you has to be kicking himself.”

“I don’t think so. He was having an affair. Probably a few, honestly.”

“Then he’s even stupider than I thought. Take some deep breaths for me, duchess.”

I did, though a few were broken. He kept purring for me, kept gently stroking my hair until I hovered on the edge of sleep. I stayed right there even though his knot eventually went down enough that I could’ve slid away. He dragged a blanket over us and I closed my eyes.

I should have left. I was in no condition to face a scent match when my blockers wore off, but I could rest first. Just for a few minutes…

Iwoke to the coldest silence I had ever experienced. The goddess I had taken to bed was nowhere to be found, though the taste of her still lingered on my tongue and her scent clung to my skin. It was different from last night—no longer the simple sweetness of an omega on scent blockers—with elements of buttery baked goods fresh out of the oven and the sharp, sweettang of lemon. Each breath locked in the knowledge that she was meant to be mine, the scent branding itself into my brain.

Except I didn’t even know her name. How the hell was I supposed to find her again and convince her we should be together?

I rolled over, shoving my face into the blankets to inhale what remained of her scent, memories of her perfect sounds and the feel of her body giving way to mine playing over and over in my head. Whoever had invented blockers needed to be smacked upside the head. In the old days, before that advancement, scent matches would recognize each other the moment they met, but now it was fucking luck of the draw depending on who was muting their scent at the time and how strongly.

Not much would’ve changed last night if I had known, except I would’ve made damn sure I had all of her contact information. Did she not know she was my match? My scent was all over my room. She could be on the industrial-strength variety that muted her ability to scent others. I couldn’t conceive of any other possibility that would have her disappearing before I woke.

“Good morning, sunshine!” The call carried through the apartment, my packmate, Dylan, sticking his head into my room. “I gave you that warning so you could cover up your cock. It’s way too early for me to see that.”