Chapter 13

An agonized moan slips from my lips as I curl up in the fetal position. Ranger's smell is everywhere, but he ran. He woke up and bolted away from me as fast as he could move.

My eyes ache as I fight the urge to burst into tears. Being rejected by a compatible alpha is tough, but nothing compared to the feeling of watching him run away from me.

There's a deeper compatibility between me and Ranger than even a scent match.

My stomach aches with cramps so painful, my legs twitch.

Being an omega is awful and ridiculous.

It's legitimately terrible at times.

A miserable feeling hits me hard as my brain processes that I haven't had my suppressants in days. They were already starting to fail, and being around compatible alphas hurried along that process.

It takes about three seconds for my thoughts to move to how lucky I am that this didn't happen while I was with those other men. Plenty of the guys at that compound were alphas.

My eyes clench shut as I say a very heartfelt thank you to the universe or some higher power that protected me from that.

Another painful wave of cramps rips through my abdomen, and I struggle to sit up.

"Tanner?"

"Uh, yeah?" He clears his throat, sounding a little afraid.

"I'm going to need to borrow your knot for the next twenty to forty minutes." I nod, swiping my frizzy hair back from my face. "I'll give it back. I promise."

"Shit." He crawls out of the other bed and comes over to stand, staring down at me. "Okay, you smell ripe as fuck, but you also just went through something kinda traumatic."

I grunt, grabbing a handful of his T-shirt and tugging. "It'll be more traumatic if I have to suffer because you act like I'm a victim who doesn't get to make my own choices."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." His head tilts toward me as he wiggles his eyebrows. "No one said anything like that. I'm just trying not to be an opportunistic dick."

"You're not," I grunt, yanking harder.

It's clear I'm not strong enough to move him on my own, but his muscular frame crawls over mine.

"Are you in heat?" His blue eyes rake over my face as he brings his fingers to my cheek. "Fucking hell, you're hot. Like way too hot."

"Thanks," I groan, even though I know that's not what he meant. I struggle, trying to pull my legs out from under his. "I don't know. I don't think it's full-blown yet, but the first time I went into heat, they sedated me. After that, I went on suppressants." I finally manage to pull my left leg from being trapped between his. I circle his ass and work on freeing the other one.

"They sedated you? That sounds trauma-inducing."

"Tanner?"

"Yeah?

"You're not helping."

"Right," he says distractedly. "So, what am I supposed to do?"

I quirk an eyebrow as I maneuver my other leg around his backside. "I'm sure you, of all people,don't need a lesson about how alphas and omegas fit together."

"That was hurtful." His thumb spans across my jaw as he tilts my head to the side. "Maybe I wanted to get to know you before shoving my cock inside you. Did you ever consider that?" His warm breath fans over my neck, and my entire body trembles. "I'm also not enough of an altruistic dick to make you suffer through a wave of heat. I just need you to tell me what to do." The way his huge hand cradles my face, combined with the weight of his chest pressing against mine, makes me feel safe.

"I need your pheromones and to come. Maybe your cum, if that doesn't help." Using my feet on his ass as leverage, I push my pussy up and grind against the front of his sweats. My eyes widen as the weight of his shaft bumps around my lower lips. I can't hold back the whine that bounces around the room.

"Okay, so we have parameters," he growls, flicking his tongue down my neck. "If you don't like something, or you change your mind, all you've got to do is tell me." He keeps most of his weight off me, using his forearm that's wrapped around my head. He flattens that hand over the top of my skull, and it instantly gives me the confined, safe feeling omegas crave. "God, Laken. You're so fucking pretty."

"Thank you, but if you don't do something, I am going to have to toss you down and?—"

His lips tease over mine, shutting me up real quick. It's not just that, but the way he rolls his pelvis, bumping his tip against my slick core.

My nipples throb as heat pulses through my system, sending me arching toward him. He licks the seam of my lips, and I gasp from a combination of all the sensations.

Tanner kisses playfully, with a teasing energy that only makes me desperate for more of him. The bumps of his crown against my clit aren't enough, even if he is an excellent kisser. One of my hands leaves his shoulders to slide between us. My eyes widen as my palm circles his shaft over the material of his sweats.

"You're a naughty little thing. That's what you are. It makes my cock rock hard." He chuckles, pulling his hand off my cheek to knock my hand away. "But I'm in control right now. Not you."

He twists my arm above my head and holds himself up on his knees while he grabs the other, bringing it up too.

I frantically try to tug him back down with my feet on his rear end, but he's too strong.

Once he has my wrists crossed, he smirks, and even the look makes my pussy clench around nothing.

"If you leave them there, I'll get back to what I was doing." He chuckles. "Damn, it really shouldn't make my dick this hard when you glare, but…" He shrugs. "You're cute."

My eyes narrow as I lament not being strong enough to toss him to the bed and impale myself on his cock.

He tugs his shirt off with a hand at the back, and my eyes hungrily take in his multitude of muscles and bright tattoos. He's covered in ink, outside of just what I could see around the neckline and on his arms.

My shoulders shake as he slides his fingers down his abs and cups his cock over his sweats.

"You really are soaked," he muses, languidly running his thumb over the head of his shaft. "The material is damp, and it's got my dick throbbing. I'm aching to slide inside you."

I nod, biting my lip to keep from begging and demanding.

He leans over me and tugs up the bottom of his T-shirt that I'm wearing. "Is this okay?"

"Yeah," I whisper, studying the way his blue eyes glimmer.

He grins, pulling the shirt up to rest over my tits. "Damn, you're like every wet dream I've ever had come to life."

I intertwine my fingers to keep myself from working my aching clit. My feet leave his ass as my knees fall to the bed to show him exactly how wet I am. "Don't make me beg. I feel like I'm burning alive. I need your A-game, Tanner."

His massive hands span my ribcage as he flicks my nipples with his thumbs. I'm vaguely aware of the fact I haven't bothered shaving since Will and I broke up, but the look on Tanner's face assures me he's not bothered.

He growls, and his weight falls on top of me again. I use my shoulders to push up to meet his mouth, since he told me not to move my hands.

He cups my sex, and even the warmth of his hand is enticing. I'm so lost to the kiss that it takes me a second to register the stretch of two thick fingers sliding inside me.

"Jesus Christ." The palm of his hand works against my swollen clit as he starts to really finger-fuck into me. "I don't want to sound like an idiot, but you're concerningly tight. Tell me this feels good."

"Incredible," I sob against his lips.

"Good," he growls, kissing me once more. He drinks down my sounds as I moan and beg. His fingers crook just right, and my whole body shakes. "Ahh, there we go." He pushes up a little on his knees and brings the other hand to apply pressure to my lower stomach.

I can feel the curve of his smile against my cheek, but I have no idea why he's pushing right there. His fingers brush that spot deep inside me that makes me ache to beg for his knot, and the pressure on my lower stomach actually starts to feel incredible.

"I've never felt anything like the way your pussy is rippling around my fingers." His arousal pulses in the air, and scenting it makes my head foggy. Pleasure builds in my abdomen until I'm teetering on the edge. "You're going to come all over my hand. Soak me in your slick like a good little omega." He pecks a kiss on my lips. "I wanna feel you gush for me, firecracker."

My nipples tighten painfully as my core locks tight on his fingers.

He growls, and my hands fly to his shoulders, but he doesn't make a move to restrain them. His thumb slides over my clit, and I lose all control.

My begging moans get way too loud for the small hotel room, but Tanner swallows them as he kisses me senseless. My whole body shakes as he fucks me with his hand. My orgasm is so satisfying and goes on for so long that my entire body fills with a warm, euphoric feeling. It sticks around long after the orgasm ends.

I work a hand between us and slide it under the band of Tanner's sweats. My fingers cup his cock, and he thrusts into my grip. I'm a little heartbroken when he pulls back from the kiss.

"I'm so jacked up right now…" His head shakes. "Are you feeling any better?"

"A little," I admit.

"Okay," he says. "Yeah, I'm going to jerk off in the shower because my head is straight-up foggy."

I stare open-mouthed as he pulls my hand off his cock, his fingers from my pussy, then climbs off the bed and bolts toward the shower.

My chest gets tight.

It feels a lot like how I felt interacting with Will. That same feeling of me always being more invested in him than he was with me takes my breath away.

I glance between the door to leave the hotel room and back toward the bathroom.

The water turns on, and Ranger isn't back yet…

I really did hear what he said last night about putting anyone who knows where I am in danger. It's also a lot clearer this morning that I don't really know any of these guys.

My heat is going to start, and then I'll be mindless. Tanner's shirt falls around my hips as I sit up, moving to plug the phone back in.

I don't have a lot of time to try wrong numbers. As it turns out, I know one number by heart because we dated for so many months.

I swallow my pride and dial Will.