Page 9 of Alpha Talk

We stayed up late that night all cuddled up naked together in bed talking our lives in circles again. It was clear that our inner beasts wanted a break from the lives we’d been living. Cody’s wolf was already desperate to den down and both of our hunting instincts were running wild. It was like negotiating with a business tycoon who didn’t want to budge. In the end, I agreed I’d do one group a week at Alpha Talk – Coil’s group and we’d both go to the biweekly coregulation classes at Dark Soul for as long as Cody could comfortably lead them.

I fell asleep stroking Cody’s soft hair. I’d miss it when it was shorter but it was hair and hair almost always grew back. I’d rather have him bald and happy than snatched bald and frustrated with our pup. I tried to imagine who might be growing in his womb. Our pup for sure but who would that little baby grow up to be? Our girls surprised me at every turn with how much like us they were and how different too. Coda even preferred classical music. While I didn’t have a problem with it the genre was never going to be my favorite.

My phone vibrated off the hook until I finally looked over to see a line of texts from Kodiak. Apparently, he waited until Silas and Creon passed out before trying to get a hold of me. Before we started our serious discussion, we shut ourselves off from the pack link. We didn’t want anyone to think we were arguing when really we were negotiating with our traumas more than each other.

“Yes, Kodiak?”I yawned at him over the pack link.

“One of your guys are strange.”

“Is Coil still rambling about not getting laid?”I groaned.“The couples’ group really isn’t the place for him to do that.”

“No. Sidney came with him today. Couples groupafterall. I wasn’t sure Sidney would come but they seem to have exchanged their claiming vows. I haven’t smelled Sidney so relaxed since before the pair of them had their true-mate response. Raziel. At least, I think it was Raziel. As soon as Creon walked in he walked out. Creon shrugged it off but thinks it’s probably something to do with his past. Maybe Raziel is a you fanboy or something and…”

“Raziel is the most levelheaded guy in the group,”I said, rubbing the bridge of my nose.“I’m sure it’s not that. Hell, I don’t even know why he comes to the groups. If he has any hangups, he’s not talking about them. I’ll ask him. Did you want me to get him to apologize or something?”

“Not exactly. I just want to make sure that I don’t need to kick his ass to make a point. He moved here from the extended Hemlock Territory.”

“Heartville?”I yawned.

“No. The other one. The one Star runs. He’s Star and Zeke’s kid. That’s why I think maybe it is about Creon even if it’s not about you.”

“Maybe he got upset at seeing Creon in the flesh,” I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ll talk to him. Well, I’ll try to,”I said and explained the new agreement Cody and I had come to.“But Raziel is definitely Raven Hollow then. So, chill. I don’t think he’s dangerous. I don’t think he’s here for trouble. I think if I saw my dead granddad’s true-mate I’d freak out too.”

“Don’t say it like that. Creon isn’t related to that little jerk.”

“No, he’s not. Zeke was Hans and Uriel’s baby.”

My wolf made a huffing noise, and I told Kodiak I had to go before all the drama woke up Cody. I wasn’t sure what annoyed my wolf but a wolf with a pregnant mate wasn’t that difficult toirritate. I wiggled down onto the bed properly and Cody moved so that his head rested right above my heart. I relaxed into the pillows and our heartbeats synced up. What Cody called coregulation was part of the true-mate pact. Maybe not for some of the other relationship pairs but for true-mates it was.

“Coregulation can be magic and still called coregulation,”my wolf yawned into my thoughts.“Now, shush and let him sleep. We’ll deal with Raziel when it’s time.”

“What do you mean when it’s time?”I thought back at him, but mum was the word with the furry ass as he curled around Cody’s wolf and pretended not to hear anything else I said.

That night I dreamt that I was flying on a magic carpet with Cody. Magic carpets were real but weren’t used often. They certainly weren’t part of the Gilmore Witch magic but per usual my dreams knew no bounds. There we were on the cynosure of a carpet. Every eye below us was locked on the magical artifact as we soared through the sky. We kissed, near oblivious to the shifters watching below us. I ran my fingers through Cody’s thick, soft hair and when I woke up his hand was on my dick.

“Good morning,” I said, the words coming out a growl as my wolf stirred awake too under our mate’s soft hand. His fingers curled around my dick, tightening his grip as our lips met for a good morning kiss. Cody’s lips were as soft and supple as ever. Kissing him had long been one of my favorite things to do. His lips parted under mine, and I slid my tongue into his warm, welcoming mouth.

He shifted his weight, moving closer to me and his hard dick brushed against my thigh. I swallowed hard as the tangy scent of slick arousal filled our bedroom. Romping whenever and wherever we wanted in the house would be off the table soon but it wasn’t yet. As much as I looked forward to the birth of our pup, I knew their arrival would signal the end to early morning sex.Babies usually wanted attention at this time of the morning and our children always took priority.

“That’s why I have to get you while the getting’s good,” Cody teased, pulling away from the kiss to straddle my thighs. He stroked me, almost lazily. The smell of sleep clung to his skin and hair but the sleepy little smile he wore said it all. Hormones or time had made him horny. During his first pregnancy our lives were too messy for us to squeeze much romping around in. I had just lost my hand, and his pregnancy was a rough one.

“How are you going to get me?” I asked, quirking up my eyebrow.

“I already have you,” he said and squeezed my dick for emphasis.

I let out a long growl. It vibrated up my throat, releasing some of the pent-up pressure from all the stress. I was worried about Cody. I was worried about Coil and Sidney. Maybe even Raziel after my short conversation with Kodiak the night before but all of that faded away to background noise as my mate ran his soft hand up and down the length of my shaft. Everything and everyone except me and Cody faded away.

I trailed my fingers across his chest until I found his nipples. He leaned into my touch, and we kissed again. Long and hard this time, with our tongues battling it out between our mouths. He leaned in closer, and I ran my hands down his stomach to his hips and then finally to cup the firm, round globes of his ass. Cody sighed into the kiss, and I would’ve grinned if my mouth wasn’t already busy. I loved coaxing and teasing little sounds of pleasure from deep within him.

He rose up slightly, just enough to move over my dick and line up our bodies. My brain zipped to condoms for a second. An old habit that hadn’t quite died even while we were attempting to conceive.

“Already put the pup in there,” Cody teased and then bit his lip as he rubbed the hard head of my dick over his slick omegahole. I let out a long, slow breath and fought off the urge to thrust upward. I loved burying myself inside my mate. Loved how his body contracted around me, holding on for dear life when we were together. A hot blush dashed across Cody’s face.

“What?” I teased, realizing he’d picked up my thoughts over our mating link. “It’s true.”

“For dear life, huh?” he smirked.

“Yep. That’s what it feels like,” I nodded. “Like you’re never going to let me go.”

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