Page 85 of In Control

I roll onto my side, the knot still locked inside me. “You really won’t mind if your alphas knot me?”

“Sweetness, I can’t fucking wait.”

We play with the dildos for the rest of the morning and over what must be lunch, taking it in turns to knot each other, Gabe carefully working me up to the larger knot. It’s still nowhere near as big as the one he can take, but then I’m not sure that knot is even anatomically possible.

There’s a lot more talk about knocking me up and when we take a break to snuggle up under the covers and feast on chocolate, I ask him, “Do you actually want children? I mean, why don’t you have any?”

They’re an older, well-established pack. They can certainly afford children.

He smiles, but the expression doesn’t reach his eyes. “I would love children. Like, really, really love them. We tried a few things. It didn’t work out.”

He snaps a piece of chocolate off and pops it into my mouth before diving in to suck on my neck, and I don’t press him. It’s clearly a topic he doesn’t want to discuss.

As the day wears on, his heat is obviously drawing closer. His scent becomes impossibly stronger and the first of his cramps hits his abdomen. He’s streaming slick and there’s little recovery time between his orgasms.

I’m pressing a heat pad onto Gabe’s belly to relieve his pain as he rolls around on the bed moaning, when the door of the cabin flings open.

I freeze. Gabe promised none of his alphas would be home until the evening. I planned to be long gone before they arrived. As much as three out of four packmates say they want me, I’m not pack, and I don’t belong here in a heat. Not if I don’t want to be the reason for breaking this pack apart.

But it seems someone is home early.

I squint against the sunlight, and my stomach plummets.

Esra.

It fucking had to be Esra.

“Omega?” he growls, and Gabe whimpers, immediately scrabbling up onto his hands and knees and crawling towards the end of the bed. I shrink back, hoping I can disappear into the shadows, maybe creep out before he sees me.

Esra strolls across the cabin in three long paces, clutching Gabe’s upper arms and staring down into his face.

“Are you OK?”

But Gabe’s too far gone to respond. It’s as if the appearance of one of his alphas has tipped him straight over the edge.

He nuzzles his cheek against his alpha’s, stroking his palms down his chest as he grinds his hips.

“It’s OK,” Esra whispers, stroking back his hair from his face, and rubbing his lower back. “I’m here.”

I’ve never seen them together.

Something in my chest spasms, and I suddenly feel alone. So very alone.

I clutch the heating pad to my body and stare at them, unable to drag my eyes away.

I’ve never felt alone before. I’ve always been content with my life and my relationships. I’ve never wanted anything more than casual. I’ve been happy to look after myself. And now? Now I find myself wanting more. Now this ache pierces my chest.

Was this a mistake? Tangling myself up with these men. Will I regret having ever trusted them?

As I watch them together, I finally catch Esra’s eye. We stare at each other over the distance for what feels like an eternity and his gaze is the fiercest I’ve ever seen it. I want to melt away.

“You,” he spits, clutching his omega to his body. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

I wait for Gabe to answer, to speak up for me, but he doesn’t. He’s too lost in his fever.

“He asked me to help,” I finally manage to say, determined not to let him cow me.

“He doesn’t need your help. You’re a beta,” he spits, “you can’t help him. He needs his alphas.” His eyes thunder darker. “You don’t belong here. Get the fuck out of my mate’s nest.”

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