Page 6 of This Pack of Ours

We moved in together the next week.

When his heat came the next month, his aunt Dee found and vetted a pack, and he nervously asked if I’d be his heat buddy, too. I didn’t think there was anything he could ask that I’d say no to—at least when crazy omega hormones weren’t involved. My heat was coming soon, and I kept having massive territorial blowups.

“I’m so sorry, Kit,” I said again, my lip trembling as I tried not to cry. It was the stupid hormones. And maybe a little bit of the wine we’d shared.

“S’not your fault,” he said, his head sliding down a little farther so it rested gently on my shoulder. I was always hyper-aware of him when we were close, and my cheeks heated at the touch.

He was really cute. He had those adorable, dorky glasses and a mop of pink hair over his dark, hypnotizing eyes. Seeing him during his heat, though, had flipped my attraction to him into overdrive.

I started just like he had, treating it like a job. I was there to protect and ground him—I even brought my laptop to have something to do. I knew it was likely I’d have some kind of response, but I thought it’d be manageable. Ignorable. I wasn’t prepared for how beautiful he’d be with his pack. I wasn’t prepared to see his slender body, his long elegant cock bouncing as he whined and begged for more. His sweet almond perfume had been over the room like a haze, and the worst part was when he looked over as he came, his bright eyes meeting mine before fluttering closed. Fuck. He left me slick and desperate, my pulse throbbing between my legs, and when I tried to relieve it by myself, he told one of his alphas to go to me.

I thought I might actually have to add that to my list of ‘life-changing moments’, in which case, he could claim two. Though he might get a third soon, because I was sure it wouldn’t be long before he moved out on account of my crazy mood swings.

“It’s just these stupid pre-heat omega instincts,” I whispered, turning the glass of wine in my hands. He’d actually gone through the same thing before his last heat, and it was so tense that week. It sucked because hormones didn’t care how much we liked each other.

I wondered if all omegas got it like this, or if it was because neither of us had ever had a truly safe, stable heat.

“Maybe we just got to accept that we can’t do this roomie thing. We’ve tried everything at this point,” I said, sadly.

We even scoured the internet for tips on getting non-packed omegas to co-exist peacefully. Start by exposure therapy to the other omega’s scent. Ensure each omega has their own dedicated space. Then, try eating a meal in a shared space. Not helpful. We were way past that.

I’d been staring gloomily at the wall, and Kit nudged me, a smile twitching on his face.

“Are you talking about that list? Because that was total crap. I’m pretty sure Dee did the same things when she had to get her cats to get used to each other.”

I caught Kit’s eye, and we both burst into a fit of laughter. He shuffled closer, and I gave him a sad smile.

“I just don’t like that we keep losing it on each other. Maybe we’d be better friends if I moved out.”

He lifted his head, blinking at me, and gave a sudden grin. “Wait, I just had another idea.” His eyes were locked with mine, shining behind his round, gold frames, and I could see the freckles on his nose.

“What if… webiteach other?”

My heartbeat sped up as he held my gaze.

“What do you mean?” I asked, my voice squeaking a bit.

“You know,” he said as his gaze had dropped to my neck, “like… if we claimed each other. With a bite.”

“Omegas don’t bite each other,” I said breathlessly as he leaned in closer, his nose nuzzling against my pulse. The touch had warmth pooling between my legs.

“Yeah, but like, maybe it’d trick our brains into calming down.” His breath was tickling my skin as he spoke, his teeth so close. I didn’t know if his logic made sense, but now he’d suggested it, I desperately wanted it anyway. I wanted his bite and his claim, and I wanted to do the same to him.

“O—okay,” I said, and he hovered there a moment more before moving again, his nose nudging me as if to find a good spot.

He gave a satisfied little huff, then he bit down.

I let out a gasp as his teeth broke my skin. It was a properbite. Like he did actually want it to last, to show his claim. I clutched the couch as his touch receded and then he was looking at me with a grin. A faint, temporary connection had lit between us, and I could feel his buzzing happiness as he looked down at me.

“See?” His eyes glinted with satisfaction. “Mine.”

He paused for a moment and then flopped back on the couch, exposing his neck to me.

“Your turn,” he said, tugging me closer. It was doingsomethingto my brain to see him so vulnerable. It felt natural to lean closer, to bring my lips to his neck. His almond buttercream, always so delicious, was almost intoxicating now. I could see his pulse racing, and he swallowed as I opened my mouth.

Kit. Mine.

My teeth bit down into his neck, tasting the iron tang of his blood as I marked my claim. Oops. I was too tipsy to hold back. He twitched, but didn’t pull away, and the connection between us strengthened, his contentment mirroring my own.

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