Page 73 of Laurels and Liquor

“We’ve still got one last string to cut,” Lex mutters darkly, eyes fixed on Lydia and Mateo.

I nod, keeping my face blank even as righteous fury fills me for a moment before Lucas is there, soothing it away. He casts me a quick glance, and I smile gratefully. Lydia whimpers, drawing our attention, and Lucas rolls away to assist, giving Mateo a little bit of a break. Not that he moves far, but he can only get it up so fast. I look down at Lex, frowning.

“I gave Jason my access card to the Wickland suite. He should be there by tonight, if not tomorrow morning,” I mutter, trying not to let my words carry.

“If I can get away to send a text, I’ll have Steph get in contact with him so they can get the documents to a forensic accountant,” she replies just as softly.

I shake my head, gathering her close. “We can worry about that later. I want to enjoy being back home, with everyone I love. Let’s get through this and through the holidays, then we can teach t’ose abusive fuckers tha lesson t’ey deserve.”

Lex chuckles, a low, dangerous sound that only feeds the petty, vengeful part of my soul. I can feel her own desire for revenge, to show the people who hurt our omega the consequences of their actions. But we have to be patient. Our moment will come. I know a thing or two about delayed gratification and how sweet the rewards can be for those who wait.

Lucas tugs on the bond, and I look up to find him buried between Lydia’s thighs, thrusting deep and slow, making her writhe and buck as she tries to get him to go faster. She’s reclining against Mateo’s chest, and he has a finger on her clit, tracing lazy circles. Their teasing has her panting and whimpering, and my heart twists at the noise. Lex kisses my cheek and sits up, gathering up the food before it can spill everywhere while I crawl toward my omega. She sniffs a little, her eyes cracking open as her hands stretch out toward me on instinct.

“Sir, please, I need you,” she mutters, tone almost bordering on pained.

I smile kindly, nudging Lucas out of the way. He leans down and kisses Lydia thoroughly, withdrawing to allow me to kneel in his place.

“No, don’t leave,” Lydia gasps, grabbing Lucas’s wrist.

He twists in her grip until he can reciprocate the hold, bringing her hand up to his lips and kissing her knuckles tenderly. “I’m right here, sweetheart. But our sir wants to ask you something, doesn’t he?”

Lucas looks at me, and I feel his meaning even as I can read it in his eyes. He’s seeing something we aren’t, some sign that Lydia needs an alpha, and it’s time for me to bond with her. I swallow at the thought, and my cock hardens so fast I go a little lightheaded from the sudden reallocation of blood in my system. I’ve thought about this moment for so long, dreamed about the day when I’d take this stunning woman as my bond mate. And as she looks up at me, my best friend still toying idly with her dripping pussy and swollen clit, I’ve never felt more sure of anything in my life.

“Look at me, sweet girl,” I purr, pushing an ounce of my alpha bark into the words. Not enough to force her compliance, but enough to get her attention on me.

I can almost feel the effort it takes for her to open her eyes and drag them up to meet mine, how hard she’s struggling to obey me. My heart swells with love, and I reach down and cup her jaw, running my thumb along her lower lip. Without missing a beat, she takes the tip inside of her mouth, swirling her tongue as she sucks, emerald eyes never leaving mine. I hum my approval, delighting in the spark of joy the simple sound brings to her eyes.

“I love you, my perfect girl. Will you take me as your bond mate?” I whisper.

She gasps as Mateo dips a finger inside of her slit, but her attention is entirely fixed on me now. The world falls away as I watch her climb toward release, higher and higher, until her chest heaves and she’s shaking with the effort to hold back. I wait to see what she’ll do, if she’ll give in to what her body wants, or if she’ll remember her training.

“Yes. Yes, sir… please,” she breathes, hardly able to get the words out.

“Such a good girl, my love. Can you hold it just a moment longer for me?” I prompt, leaning in and lining my cock up with her entrance.

She blinks slowly and nods, biting her lip. I press forward, her tight heat quivering around me. Her arms dart out, wrapping around my shoulders and clinging to me as I set a hard and fast pace, groaning low in his chest at the wet slide of her cunt. I whisper praise with each roll of my hips, my hands clutching her waist hard enough to bruise.

“You gonna come all over his cock, baby girl? Or do you want more? Want us to fill you up all the way?”

Mateo’s voice startles me, and I’m a little ashamed to admit I’d forgotten he was there. Lydia throws her head back, nodding as she moans her pleasure and frustration. I shift slightly, bearing her weight so Mateo can get himself into position. Lydia hitches her legs over my thighs, and I spread her ass for Mateo, presenting her rear entrance to his cock. She’s so wet and open that he’s able to slip past that ring of muscle without much resistance, and the feeling of his cock sliding against mine, only separated by a thin muscle, is incredible. Lydia shouts a string of curses, but quickly dissolves into wordless screams as we find our rhythm. One of us withdrawing as the other thrusts forward, chasing our release.

“Alpha, mark me, claim me, please,” Lydia begs, nails scratching my back as she holds on for dear life.

It’s like a tether snaps inside of my soul, and my vision goes black for a moment as my primal instincts flood my rational mind. My fingers dig into the soft flesh of her ass, and I don’t even care if I leave bruises. In fact, the image of Lydia covered in marks,mymarks, spurs me on harder, and I pound into her, snarling wordlessly. My knot swells, and I can’t stop even if I wanted to. It slides into her heat, locking in place. My spine zings with my release, but something more powerful pushes past those feelings, and I turn my head and lock my jaw around Lydia’s right bicep. Mateo shouts at the same moment Lydia’s blood fills my mouth, but it’s like he’s at the other end of a tunnel. I close my eyes, stars bursting behind my lids, and my body floats for a moment before I crash back into myself. But now, the balance of my life has shifted irreparably. My center of gravity, the sun at the center of my solar system, is now the woman in my arms.

A flash of pain along my back draws me back slightly, and then another at my shoulder has me releasing Lydia’s arm. I try to turn to look, but I can’t because Lydia has latched onto the spot between my shoulder and throat, her little teeth digging into me. I nuzzle her slightly, licking at my mating bond. She sighs, pulling back and doing the same to her own mark.

“Mine,” she whispers, over and over, her left hand smearing blood over my chest, over her chest, even onto Mateo’s arms, where they wrap around her ribcage.

“Yours,” Mateo replies, bringing her fingers to his mouth and licking them clean before kissing his mark.

I act on the overwhelming impulse that rises in my chest, and I take their clasped hands and bring them to my mouth, biting Mateo enough to draw his blood. He growls, but I soothe the small wound with a kiss before dragging a stripe of red across my heart, mixing my blood with his and Lydia’s on my skin.

“Mine,” Lydia says again, squeezing our interlaced fingers tight.

Mateo and I look at each other, and something blossoms between us, a connection that wasn’t there before. He’s been my best friend, my occasional lover, my pack mate. But now our threads are woven tighter, more completely. Our family is almost complete, a tapestry of love and support that grows stronger with each connection. And at our center is one omega, the piece we were missing.

“Ours.”

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