Page 9 of In Their Arms

The doctor keeps talking, oblivious to the way my fingers curl into tight fists at my sides, the way my breathing has grown shallow and uneven. His voice carries on as if none of this means anything beyond paperwork. "Once the bonding process is complete, I will inspect the bite, confirm that the claim was not coerced, and sign the official documents declaring the bond legally binding." The doctor clears his throat, shifting slightly in his seat. "This is usually done in a more private setting. A controlled environment—a hotel, a designated bonding space, the Omega’s home. But given the circumstances, this is the best we can provide."

I take in a breath, a sharp gasp that cuts through the silence that follows his words. Grayson wraps himself around me, kissing the top of my head. “I’ve got you, sweetheart. We do not have to do this, okay? We can find another way, something that will—”

“There is no other way,” I mumble into his chest, fisting my hands at his waist. With my luck, Hudson will show up at this very hospital and try to drag me back into that apartment. The sour tint to Grayson’s scent tells me that I’ve said the wrong thing. I pull back, looking up at my Alpha, determined to let him know that I want this. “I want you, okay? I’ve always wanted you, even before it was appropriate to. Every time you and Blake and Luther were at the diner, I wanted you. The fantasy of being your Omega was something I replayed in my head so many times. Grayson, I want this. I do. I just…”

I trail off but there’s an understanding in my Alpha’s eyes. He just leans down to slowly kiss me, taking his time. “Sweetheart, know that you’re loved and while today may be temporary, when I get the chance, it’ll be for a lifetime.”

A small whine falls from my lips as he whispers ‘just focus on us’ before his hands slide down, fingers brushing over my skin like he’s relearning every inch of me. Each movement is precise, steady, as he slips my shirt over my head with a patience that borders on reverence. He isn’t rushed, isn’t hurried, isn’t treating this like something mechanical, like something that has to be done just to satisfy a legal requirement.

He’s memorizing me. Like he’s trying to carve the shape of me into his hands, like he wants to replace every scar, every bad memory, every ugly thing that’s ever been done to me with something new. Something warm. Something safe.

Soft kisses trail down my neck, pressing into my collarbone, grazing the curve of my shoulder. The heat of his breath lingers, his lips marking a path of warmth across my skin. It should be enough to quiet my thoughts, to settle the unease curling inside me, to drown out the weight of everything pressing against my ribs.

A slow, quiet shaking starts in my chest, my fingers twitching where they cling to his sides, my breath hitching, my chest rising and falling too fast. And then a sob slips out before I can stop it, breaking the quiet, clawing its way up my throat, choking me before I can swallow it down. The moment shatters, everything unraveling too fast, too much all at once.

"This is going to work out," he murmurs, pressing a kiss back to my forehead, a quiet certainty beneath every word. "We’re going to be okay. We’re going to be together again."

A sharp sigh breaks the moment and the doctor shifts in his chair, the sound grating, his tone flat when he speaks. "The Omega needs to stop crying."

Grayson lets out a small growl, glaring at the doctor. “I get that this is just another procedure, another medical type of bullshit for you but for once in your life, spare a little emotion, alright?”

“It’s just part of the procedure, Mr. Keller. I’m here to make sure that he hasn’t been coerced but it’s damn hard to tell anything when he’s crying like he’s heartbroken.”

My Alpha’s growl heightens, rumbling through his chest and I think the only reason he isn’t strangling the doctor is because I’m in his arms. “Heisheartbroken. One of my Omegas is in a fucking hospital bed and my Alpha is being unjustly accused. He is allowed to break. He’s been through more than you could fucking imagine.”

The doctor mulls over what to say next, dragging his tongue along the top of his teeth before nodding. “Would that explain the bruises? Luca, where did those come from?” It’s the first time he’s addressed me and it’s also the only question I don’t want to answer.

However, my silence will have him thinking Grayson is the aggressor. So, I force the words out. “My ex,” I whisper, voice rough, raw, scraped down to something barely there. “Hudson.” I lift my chin despite it, blinking through the tears, my vision blurring for a moment before I find the doctor’s face again. My chest rises and falls in uneven, broken movements, my breath still coming too shallow, but I still make myself speak. “Grayson would never do that to me.”

The doctor studies me for a long moment before giving a single, curt nod. Then his voice comes again, softer this time. “I need to ask again. Is this what you want?”

I don’t even hesitate. “Yes.”

The doctor steps back, satisfied. “And you can confirm that the Alpha bonding you right now, Grayson Keller, is doing this because of a mutual decision?” I nod, Grayson turning me to face him until he becomes my whole world, just us two with the doctor’s voice in the back. “And you can confirm that the marks on your body were not made in any way by Grayson Keller.” Another nod. “And you can confirm that you are here of your own volition, not under duress.” One last nod.

It feels more like I’m saying vows, ones that never happened with Hudson. He took from me what I did not give but with Grayson, I’ll gladly give everything.

“Then I, Alpha Asher Thomas, will allow this bond to proceed.”

Grayson cups my face in his hands, gently pulling me close until I’m flush against him. “The next time we do this, I’ll be inside of you, you squeezing my knot, my name on your pretty lips. For now, though, I’m going to take what’s mine.”

And then he kisses me, a sharp pain spreading through my bottom lip as I realize he’s broken through the skin. I gasp into the embrace, Grayson swallowing down the sound as a faint bond forms between us, connecting me further to Luther and Blake. It feels like heaven and too much all at once, chaos flooding my chest and my brain. My body responds to his touch, my cock filling in my pants, my hips moving against my will.

He chuckles as he breaks the kiss, stilling my movements. “I’ve been waiting so damn long for that, Luca. God, you feel like heaven and honey and warmth.”

I smile up at him, dragging my tongue along my bottom lip where he bit. “You feel like home.”

I’m not even listening as the doctor starts saying something about how he approves the union, dragging Grayson into another kiss.

5

Maceo

Every few seconds, another sound breaks the quiet. A click. A whir. A sharp, rhythmic beep. The steady echo of Blake’s heartbeat threads through the room, a mechanical reassurance that he’s still here. But it’s not enough.

I keep my eyes on him, watching the way the wires trail from his body, thin and fragile, looping over the edge of the bed, disappearing into the machines keeping him stable. The IV line is taped against his arm, the slow drip of fluids seeping into his veins, feeding him what his body is too weak to take on its own. The blanket is pulled up to his chest, swallowing him, making him look even smaller beneath the harsh white light overhead.

All that lone wolf bullshit I used to spout feels so distant now and I can’t imagine a moment without the Keller pack surrounding me. I’m sure in some part I forced myself to be alone because of how everyone treated me when they found out I was living as a Beta despite my body. But here, with them, feels like home, even if I’m dying inside not being able to help Blake.

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