Chapter 8

My knot pops free and wetness gushes over my thighs. I reluctantly pull my cock from my omega's tight heat and drop my face between her legs.

Unlike the salty sorrow leaking down her temples—which I couldn't resist licking as she slept—the sweet, tangy liquid flowing from her depths jumpstarts my desire. My softening cock pulses and hardens as I seal my mouth over her sex and consume our joined essences.

Slim fingers splay over my scalp. My tiny scorpion tries to push my head away, so in retribution, I nip her sensitive clit before sinking my tongue into her body. She squeaks, shudders, and closes her thighs around my ears.

I could spend the next millennia right here and never grow tired of tasting her.

Her breasts bounce as she sobs. I can't resist. She scratches her nails along my scalp as I reach up her body and pinch and flick her nipples.

As the flow between her legs slows, the urge to share grows, so I fill my mouth with our combined releases and cover her pussy with my palm to prevent the rest from going to waste and crawl up her body.

I don't give her the option to refuse my kiss, grinding the heel of my palm against her clit and taking advantage of her gasp. The moment I release my offering into her mouth, she groans and laps at my tongue, eager for more.

I live to please my omega, so I drop between her legs and return with another mouthful. Again and again, I ferry our essences from one hole to another, until nothing but a tiny trickle of white leaks from her folds.

Her stomach cramps and slick floods the nest. Animal instincts steal my control. I stroke my cock and smear my leaking tip over her lower belly, marking her with my scent, but it isn't enough.

Her blown pupils, swollen lips, and flushed cheeks enchant me.

I rut her again, lost in the feel of her soft skin against mine and drunk on the devotion emanating from her expressive eyes. She orgasms around me, testing my control, but I need more, so I pin her knees to her shoulders and drill her into the mattress until lava erupts from the base of my spine.

My knot inflates and constrictive heat engulfs my entire lower half as my omega accepts my fury.

Locked together with the most beautiful, resilient creature on the planet, I roll onto my back and pull our ruined nest over the top of my omega.

She trembles in pleasure and pain even as exhaustion sucks her away from the world. In her sleep, her tears flow freely and her misery infects our bond.

I know what I must do, but my pride balks. I've been on the warpath towards revenge for so long it's become a part of me.

My tiny scorpion is a bigger part of me, though.

As she quietly snuffles and whimpers against my chest, I draw soothing designs on her back and purr in delight as she accepts another wave of my release.

When my knot deflates, I seal my tongue over her pussy and ferry most of our mixed essences to her mouth with my cupped palm. Exhaustion weighs so heavily on her, she barely moves.

I rise and pull clean sweatpants up my legs, letting them hang low on my hips, before grabbing the filthiest blanket from the center of the mound and wrapping it around my limp omega. She rouses and gives a weak protest, but tucks her face against my bare chest as I stalk away from our nest.

I drop into the chair and force her to drink a glass of water. She doesn't show much interest. Despair wafts from her.

I grunt in annoyance and stalk through the greenhouse to our den's outer door. The locks prove difficult with my arms full of soft, fragrant female, but I open the door and step into the hall. Barefoot and shirtless, I stalk down the brightly lit corridor and growl at the sentry before disappearing into the dark.

My second in command meets me at the jail entrance. He obeys my silent command and unlocks the gate. Vynn startles awake at the sound of grating metal. I step through and wait in the antechamber as my second in command follows the proper procedures and locks the gate behind me.

A security guard unlocks the secondary gate from inside the control room. I stomp down the hall and stop between my intended cells.

Vynn clings to me. The harsh fluorescent lights beat down on her tangled mass of thick, dark hair. Her pale skin flushes as a cramp steals through her.

Fully in estrous, she needs my knot again, even though I've taken her twice already.

"Vynn?"

Her mother's strained voice floats out from the darkness behind the bars to our right.

"Omma?"

A cloud of exotic perfume fills my nostrils as my omega frees one arm from the makeshift cocoon. I snarl and tug the blanket closed again.

Four large beta males turn the corner and approach us from deeper in the jail.

I nod to the cell on the left. Three guards gather around it before unlocking the door and hauling the occupant from the darkness. Wrapped in chains and stumbling in the sudden brightness, Ru meets my stare. The fear emanating from him pleases me until my tiny scorpion wriggles and hisses. Her agony threatens to split my chest in two.

The remaining guard pulls her mother from the cell on the right.

My omega fights harder.

Without a word, I turn and lead the group through the gates and into the dark maze separating my den from the rest of the ship. No matter how hard my tiny scorpion struggles, she can't get free. I stole her stingers and claimed them as my own.

She's mine. Her stingers belong to me. Her parents belong to me.

Her future is mine and mine alone.

Which is why I lead the procession into the pod nearest our den and perch my ass on the counter closest to the door as the guards guide her mother and father past us to the table.

With a nesting area in the corner, a hygiene alcove—complete with working shower, toilet, sink, and curtain—a round table with four chairs in the center, and a kitchen along the front wall, the ancient officer's dining hall is now a fully stocked living space big enough for two people.

My tiny scorpion stills.

I nod for the guards to unchain Ru. The wariness filling his tense expression proves his intelligence. My aggravation grows as I stare at the alpha responsible for so many years of anger.

I turn and jerk my chin at Sera. Her guard removes the shackles from her wrists.

Tears glisten on her lashes, but the death grip of rage no longer squeezes my heart when I meet her wide-eyed stare. Time has weathered her face, but her features remain the same. They do nothing for me anymore. Although almost identical to my omega, she lacks the softness of youth and the plump lips her daughter inherited from her sire.

I recognize the hard edge of guilt in her eyes for the first time. When it morphs to yearning and joy as she turns to meet Ru's eyes, I know the truth.

She was never mine. Her betrayal wasn't to break me. It was to find her own happiness.

The knowledge eases my angst.

I instruct the betas to leave. Tension vibrates through the silent room.

"Fore?" My tiny scorpion's tremulous inquiry seals my fate.

I snarl and tighten my arms around her.

"What's going on?" she asks.

Sera steps forward. Ru holds up his hand in the universal sign for stop. She freezes.

"What are you doing, Fore?" Vynn asks. The hope in her voice echoes in our bond.

I rise to my full height and meet her father's eyes.

"Vynn is no longer yours. She's mine."

There's no goading or menace in my tone, just pure fact. The scent of tears wafts from her mother.

"I won't promise regular visits, but she'll rest better knowing you're nearby."

The bundle of beauty in my arms shakes with the force of her emotions. I pinch her chin with my thumb and forefinger. She lifts her gaze toward my face, but I snarl and force her to look around the room.

"Your beloved omma has every comfort an omega could ask for and your precious appa is safe. Now stop crying and focus on me," I growl.

Her cheeks glisten with fresh tears, but the morose cloud hanging over her lifts.

I'd do anything to see her eyes sparkle with this level of hope for the rest of our lives.

Including forgive her treacherous parents. Eventually.

Today is not that day, but for her I've started the journey.

She's my future. My spark. My reason for thriving.

She's my tiny scorpion. My Vynn.

As another cramp steals her focus, I spin and stomp into the hall.

I've got an omega in heat to satisfy.

I look forward to feeling the sting of her nails raking over my flesh for many, many years to come.

She's mine. All mine.