52. Chapter Fifty-One

Chapter Fifty-One

Owen

S ex isn’t always the answer to a problem, but it can make everything feel better for a while.

Shadow knows it’s what I need, and I realize it’s what he needs even more than I do once we’re standing in front of each other. The first taste I get of his perfume, and it hits me harder than any drug ever could. It’s thicker on the air than I’ve ever tasted it, and I can’t help the smile that curls the corners of my mouth as I look back at him.

“You’re getting close to your first heat.”

I guess that means Lana’s the last true mate we’ll ever meet.

Shadow laughs. “Come on, Owen. I’m twenty-six. If I was ever going to have a heat it would have been back when I met my Alphas.”

“I don’t know,” I murmur. “Some Omegas need their pack to be complete to feel ready.”

“I know Lana is awesome, and I can’t wait for her to be a part of this, but seriously?” he asks in earnest. “We felt pretty complete to me.”

Maybe he didn’t think we’d meet another mate, but he’s been restless all this time.

Despite everything I did to try and put down roots for us, I don’t think he ever saw that house as our home. Why would he? Ezra was hardly ever there. An Omega needs all his mates to feel safe and secure enough to nest, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen Shadow do any nesting.

It’s not something every Omega does, but I think with the happy ones, it happens.

I’ve been so fucking blind. How could I not notice that?

This city is going to have to be what changes that.

It’s where Lana is, and it’s where my mates want to be.

Whatever I need to do to be okay with that, I’m going to have to do.

Shadow gazes back at me, eyes full of lust.

“We were never whole,” I tell him. “We’ve been split too often to feel like a real pack. That ends here. It ends now.”

He blinks and starts to smile. “Wait … Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“If what you think I’m saying is I’m ready to give up the house in Platinum Valley and move out to this cesspool of a city to make a real home with my mates.”

I grab hold of the front of his shirt, about to pull him in for a kiss, when I notice how much material I’m actually holding.

I look him up and down.

“What in the hell are you wearing?”

“I didn’t bring a change of clothes, so I borrowed stuff from Ezra.”

Okay, that explains the bagginess.

I can’t believe it took me this long to notice.

That talk I had with Ezra really messed with my head.

Shadow leans back and hauls off the T-shirt, tossing it onto the desk.

I drop my hands to the belt he’s using to keep the jeans up, and I unbuckle it.

They fall straight to the floor.

He gives me an amused shrug. “Easy access.”

“That’s one advantage,” I admit, my gaze moving down over his pale, slender frame. “Turn around and bend over.”

“The desk?” he asks, before he steps out of his shoes and the oversized pants to do what I told him to do, resting his elbows on the teacher’s desk.

Like I suspected, his slick is coming in thick and fast, lubricating his entrance to get it ready for my knot. I run two fingers up from his balls to his hole, capturing a few stray drops of the clear arousal fluid and bringing them to my lips.

It’s thicker than usual, and the taste of his sweet perfume with it’s spicy kick is extra strong.

He must be so damn close to going into heat. His slick is like syrup, and the taste …

Fucking hell, the taste is making my knot swell inside my jeans.

I haul off my jacket, letting it fall behind me as I get on my knees behind my Omega.

Not wanting to waste another second, I dip my head forward and start to lick my way toward teasing an orgasm out of his needy body.

He gasps when my tongue rolls over his balls, but he doesn’t start to shake until I suck them into my mouth. If he didn’t love it so much, he wouldn’t keep them shaved smooth to make it so easy to feel every flick of my tongue.

“I am not going to come from having my balls sucked,” he whispers, trying to convince himself of that as I tease him with my mouth.

If I really wanted, I could make him come like that, but I’d much rather have him shaking with desire and begging to be knotted because I’m making him come while I’m eating him out.

I take my time licking my way upward, concentrating on not missing a single drop of the syrupy arousal fluid that’s making him wet in preparation for my knot.

My dick is going fucking crazy with every tiny drop that hits my tongue.

I undo my jeans and hook my thumbs into my underwear to push both down at the same time.

It helps ease the pressure, but I’m still swelling up more than I should be considering I’m not inside my mate yet. The point of my knot is to lock my dick inside my mate, not to make it too big to fit before we even get started.

Hopefully, I’ll be able to control my cock once Shadow’s had enough of my tongue.

My Omega has more control over it than I do, at least half of the time.

His needs dictate what it does, and how long it lasts.

I’m just along for the ride, willing and eager to please.

He moans softly as I part his cheeks.

He’s so wet and ready that I can’t resist circling his puckered pink slit with my finger, teasing before I push it inside. He groans as I add another finger before I start to run my tongue over the syrupy, sweetly perfumed slick that’s pooling around his entrance.

My fingers are thick with his arousal when I remove them.

He sighs softly. “I need your knot.”

“Well, there might be a slight problem with that request,” I admit, before I move back and take my shirt off.

He turns and his eyes widen when he sees the problem.

“What the hell?” he murmurs. “That’s your knot!”

“That would be the slight problem.”

I undo my boot laces so I can step out of them when I stand up. It only takes a second to get completely naked, but my swelling doesn’t ease in that time.

“There’s nothing slight about it,” Shadow says, moving closer to touch my knot.

“It’s your slick. One taste, and this happened.”

“Holy heck,” he mutters.

“Can you do something about it?” I ask.

“Me?” he asks, sounding shocked. “Why would I be able to fix this?”

“Maybe if you try not to want it so bad …” I joke, making him slap my arm.

“Don’t you dare blame me for this,” he says, his gaze still on the problem.

It still feels like it’s gradually getting thicker. I close my eyes and put both hands on it, trying to will the swelling to go down. It usually works, but I’m usually inside my Omega whenever I attempt to do this.

“I’m willing to see what happens …” Shadow starts.

“No. It won’t fit.”

“Part of it will.”

He’s not helping and concentrating on making my knot go down isn’t working.

“Turn back around,” I tell him, making him gasp.

He doesn’t waste a second.

I move in close and rub the head of my cock against his slick-coated slit.

He groans as I start to push inside.

He’s only going to get a few inches before it’s too swollen to fit, but that’s probably enough to get us both off, and there’s a chance the swelling will go down after I’ve come inside my mate.

It’s not the same as knotting him, but it still feels good.

I keep one hand on the knotted end of my cock while I start to thrust, placing the other on his hip. He moans softly as I fuck him slowly, careful not to push too hard.

He’s wet enough to handle a little more, but I don’t want to get stuck.

“How does it feel?” I ask.

“It feels like you’re teasing me with the tip and refusing to give me what I really need,” he confesses, before he rolls his hips and makes me push deeper. “Oh, my fucking fuck …”

My breath catches as I go still.

I’m in deeper, almost to the widest point, and it feels like the swelling just went down a little.

Oh, thank God. It’s going down, a tiny fraction at a time but it’s definitely happening.

“Okay, I think you can push in all the way now,” Shadow murmurs.

I give it another second, and then I take my hand away and hold both his hips as I thrust forward.

He groans deeply, and I suck in a breath as my cock swells back up inside his body.

“That’s it,” he whispers. “That’s exactly how I need it.”

I start to move, and he moves with me, rocking back against me and matching my thrusts to take me as deep as he can. He starts to moan louder, and louder, and I move a hand around to cup his balls and stroke his cock.

He’s getting closer and closer to his release.

His perfume gets stronger right before it happens, and then my hand is covered in his cum, and he’s gasping in breath while I fuck him harder, ready for my own release.

I’m edging toward that moment, but it doesn’t hit until I slow down.

As soon as I start to focus on the pure, visceral sensation of being buried deep inside my mate, I soar over that edge, groaning out my pleasure as my cum fills him up.

He moans softly under me, satisfied and spent.

My knot eases off, releasing me from his ass.

I hug him close as he moves back, standing up in front of me.

If we were in bed right now, we’d be ready to fall asleep in each other’s arms.

“Do you feel better now?” he asks.

“Infinitely,” I reply, kissing his shoulder.

“Then I’ve done my job as your mate, and you can thank me for that by taking me to the kitchen to find out what the chef wants to make us for lunch.”

I can’t help but laugh. “I knew you were thinking about food.”

“Well, duh. I’m always thinking about food.”

“And that’s one of the things I love about you.”

He almost drops the T-shirt he just picked up off the desk.

“Uh, what?” he asks.

“I love you, Shadow.”

His shock quickly turns into happiness.

“I don’t think I’ve heard you say that in years.”

“Well, it’s never not true. I’m just kind of an asshole, if you hadn’t noticed.”

He laughs. “Oh, I’ve noticed, but that’s okay. I love you, too.”

I know that, because he makes sure he shows it.

I haven’t been great at sharing my feelings, but speaking them out loud feels like a good start.

Getting Shadow whatever he wants from the kitchen also sounds like the right idea.

Other things might be more complicated to tackle, but I’ll figure those problems out when I get to them.