Chapter 17

Seeing Petyr Antorelli’s blood had relieved Gabriella’s pain momentarily, but true relief had set in the moment Matthew walked through the door. It was wild how she could be suffering so heavily and not even be truly aware of where her pain levels were at until it subsided. The sight of him had changed everything. A whirl of emotions and thoughts had flooded through her, the pain having sharply increased at random and then turned into an odd sort of bubbling...

Numbness. She was numb the moment he said her name, and she responded with his—asked, really, as he was almost too good to be true. The idea that he might be a vision had crossed through her mind, but Petyr’s whining told her this was far from a dream and the fact he wasn’t kissing her already...

The kissing. Kissing . She wanted to kiss him and touch him and be with him and all other thoughts...

She spoke, moved, and acted, but everything was numb until he was there, picking her up, holding her, and still not kissing her. And then she was throwing a fit or a tantrum, and he was not moving, slow to act, dragging it all out...

Maybe the numbness was affecting him as well. It made sense, after all, that he would be suffering much the same as her. So, she cut him some slack until finally, finally...

It was all a blur after he kissed her until they arrived at a building she didn’t recognize.

All a blur, all numbness, all fleeting, fading, overwhelming and then—

Everything came into focus as Matthew stepped in front of her, and she remembered multiple clicking locks sealing them in behind her. They were alone, according to him, in a place her uncle had offered as a safe house until they were done. Done with what, she didn’t need to ask or clarify.

Done having sex. Done with his rut. Done with her heat. Done with fixing all the things inside of her that were shattered, thanks to her biological changes.

Hopefully, at some point, a shower and a nap would be involved but... she had no idea where to even start.

“Hi,” Gabriella whispered as she looked at Matthew.

He was so big and strong and muscly, with the fabric of his shirt pulled tight around his arms and chest and his backside as well. She wanted to peel him out of it, but that sounded far too exhausting, and she needed something...

Not sleep—although, yes, the idea of a nap later sounded amazing—but something else. Something... fitted into place. Something secured.

That, she had no idea what it was. But it was important, and until then, she was just...

Empty.

“How are you feeling?” Matthew asked, not touching her but hands hovering. “Do you need something to drink? Something to eat? Do you want to talk or—”

“No,” she answered, wavering. “No. I need... I don’t know.”

“That’s okay. Whoa—” He stepped closer, his hands going to her shoulders to steady her, and she nearly cried at the pain of being touched.

As he jerked his hands away, her knees gave out, which had him grasping her hips next, only for her to cry out again. It was too much, too overstimulating, and she wanted to scream or shoot or hit. Something needed to be done to take away the emptiness and the pain.

“Talk to me. You have to tell me what to do.”

“I don’t know,” she gasped, feeling the urge to cry once more. “I don’t know. I don’t know anything.”

She hated the urge, hated the crying. She wasn’t one to get all emotional about things and certainly wasn’t big on crying about things that upset her. Yelling and getting angry? Yes. Crying because things overwhelmed her? Not even during finals week. Not even when her father was at his worst. The crying was a recent thing, so she had to blame it on her heat, and she hated it, hated him.

“Okay, tell me what you do know,” Matthew prompted, going onto one knee. He was so tall it brought his head to the same level as her own, and she could lean into him, her head resting on his shoulder. “What do you know, Gabriella?”

“That I’m tired,” she answered with a shuddered breath. “And that everything hurts in a way that doesn’t feel right.”

“Probably your heat. You’re not supposed to be on edge like this for so long.”

“I know I’m an Omega.” She had choked on the word, still unused to the idea of it. “And that my father kept it from me.”

“Yes.”

“And I know that you knew I was an Omega, but I don’t know for how long.”

Matthew was quiet, and she feared the worst as she waited for him to answer her unspoken question. “I suspected it from the start, but you have to understand, you didn’t smell like an Omega. You just smelled like something more. It wasn’t until being around you put me into a rut that I was almost certain but then the other night, in the car... There was no doubt.”

“I put you into a rut? I didn’t realize that was something I could even do.”

“It has to be the meds. The suppressors. Whatever they are. Omegas aren’t supposed to just go into heat unless their Alpha is in rut, but here you are.”

“So, you aren’t in a rut? But—”

“Oh, I am now, but I wasn’t before. Not in the car. Just... very fucking horny. I was really fucking close.”

“Oh...”

She didn’t know what to say, too tired to think of anything else, but Matthew wasn’t prompting her for more, so she wouldn’t fight it. Instead, she closed her eyes and listened to his heartbeat.

“We’re going to have to talk about your father.”

Gabriella waved him off.

She didn’t want to talk about her father. Didn’t want to think about him either. Dealing with her father would have to come on a later day, when she could think clearly.

“I don’t want to talk about my father,” she insisted, feeling winded. “Dealing with him and Marco and my uncle and—”

“I know, I know. But before we leave here—”

“I currently stink of Petyr despite the fact that I’m leaning against you so if you’re going to make me listen to bullshit, at least let me have a shower while you do it.”

Matthew tensed against her cheek, and she looked into his unfocused eyes. His hold on her tightened as well, but oddly enough, it brought only comfort. Given the increase in his scent, she suspected what it was.

“You do,” Matthew murmured, his voice deepening. “You stink of another Alpha.”

Gabriella shuddered in his arms as she looked up at him, their eyes finally meeting once again. “Please... Please wash him off of me.”

“Omega... Gabriella ...”

“I’m tired of talking, Matthew. Tired of thinking. Tired of... breathing . I just... I want to stop existing in this current state, where there’s something between us and I feel so empty. I need—”

“You need an Alpha ,” he answered, and she shivered at the word. “You need your Alpha. You need your Alpha inside of you, filling you, knotting you, breeding you.”

“Yes. Yes, please, I need—”

It was all she wanted. All she needed.

“Tell me you want it, Gabriella. Words. Tell me what you want.”

She was tired of talking and tired of thinking and tired of being separated from him. But this was important. After this... after this, everything would change. He would change, and she was never going to be the same again.

She took a deep breath. “I want you,” she whispered, as though speaking too loudly would shatter their delicate bubble. “I want to be your Omega. I want you to be my Alpha. I want you to fuck me and knot me and breed me and... and mark me. I want you to mark me.”

Matthew’s face dipped toward hers so close their lips almost touched. He took a deep breath, probably looking for falsehood or fear. None of that came forward, not even a fear of the unknown or nervous energy.

She knew her own mind and desires.

The only question, really, was his. Did he want the same?

“You want me to mark you,” Matthew confirmed, as if they could stop themselves. “You want me to be your—”

“I want you to mark me and mate me for life. I wanted it before I even knew I was an Omega.”

“There’s no turning back. You can’t undo it.”

“The only thing that will ever separate us is death and if you should fall first, I’ll be just behind you, after I kill the one who takes you from me.”

“Gabriella—”

“Don’t question me on this. Don’t question my own mind. I want this. I want you. I’ve dreamed of you. I’ve dreamed of us. I want it more than I want my next breath, more than I want my next meal. I want you to touch me and possess me and in me and—”

His lips silenced her demands, silenced her words, and with that, he silenced her mind. Nothing else mattered save for him, save for his kiss and his touch and his devotion to her.

“I will,” he growled against her lips as he pulled away for a single breath. “But it would take the devil himself to rip me from your side and I would kill him before he even tried.”

From there, it was, once again, a blur.

Gabriella felt his hands pulling her dress upwards until it got stuck at her waist. She turned to show him the zipper on the side but he already had his knife, the one he had hooked onto her garter, in his hand and flipped open. The slit he had begun up her leg continued higher, until she felt her breasts freed from the tight bust and the fabric give way. She sighed with relief, letting the straps slide down her arms, and the fabric puddle around her.

Matthew groaned as he pushed himself away from her, no longer supporting her weight, but she didn’t have to wait long as he leveraged his weight up to stand and picked her up. Her legs went around his middle, but it was impossible to lock her ankles, given how thick he was and how short her legs were. It didn’t take long, though, for him to carry her into a bathroom and set her on the counter.

Not a word was spoken between them as he went onto one knee to remove her shoes. He struggled with the tiny buckle, and not wanting one of her favorite pairs to be damaged, she leaned forward to help him. His pheromones flooded her nose again, a delicious scent overpowering the stink of Petyr.

Matthew was fixated on her breasts falling out of her strapless bra just in front of his face.

In another world, she would have teased him as she undressed herself and made him beg to see every inch of her body, but she wanted to be naked and clean and with him sooner rather than later. The tease would have to wait until another time.

Matthew kept brushing the black leather garters with his finger she had worn for zero reason other than wanting to feel sexy, and she shivered.

Even as she smelled like another Alpha, he couldn’t resist her.

“Hands on my shoulders,” he commanded, and she did so as he lifted her. Hooking his thumbs into the sides of her underwear, he pulled them down, the soaked fabric leaving her pulsing sex...

They never touched the floor, as Matthew balled them up and shoved them into his pocket. She wanted to ask if he would keep them as a prize, but given the way he was looking at her, she knew he was fully aware of the truth.

She was the prize, and he was going to have her all to himself, for as long as he was able to handle her.

“Fuck,” he growled and shook his head. “Shower. I should get you in the shower—”

He was clearly trying to convince himself of what he should and shouldn’t do, but rather than argue with him, Gabriella had another idea.

Reaching behind her back, she unhooked her bra and let it fall off entirely, leaving on only her leather garters. She lamented not wearing a pair of stockings with them, remembering the pair she had worn the first night and the night of her date. Feeling his thumbs on the bare skin of her leg had her dismissing the thought, and she shuddered again while clenching.

“Fuck, don’t—”

Even to her untrained nose, she could smell and identify her own pheromones flooding the air. She had done that, when she clenched on nothing, and something wet ran along the inside of her thighs. It was more than normal, more than her basic lubrication, almost as though she had added synthetic lubrication.

Slick. She was producing slick. The sight of her Alpha on his knees, his rutting pheromones finally going free, and her sex exposed to him... She was an Omega producing slick.

And Matthew couldn’t resist.

His hands moved from her ankles to the back of her thighs, his thumb and forefinger digging into her skin as he lifted her legs upward, spreading her. She was helpless to do anything beyond move her free hand to the counter behind her and the one on his shoulder into his hair. His nose pressed against her cunt immediately, then pulled out as he nudged at the inside of one thigh and the other.

Her glands. Just like on her wrists and throat, which had been aching and swollen, the glands on her thighs were now protruding as he searched for them. She had scent glands on her inner thighs. They seemed to pulsate as she clenched her sex, yearning still for something within, and he groaned before latching his mouth onto one, sucking the gland and brushing it with his teeth.

Gabriella shrieked, the sensation far stronger than she had expected, and she tightened her grip on his hair. It was too much —far too much—and she tugged on the strands, wanting him to let go.

He did so, then turned his attention to the other one, licking from bottom to top before looking up at her.

All she could do as she met his gaze was giggle... and then tug on his hair again.

“Do not do that again,” she hissed and tugged his mouth closer to her sex. “Or so help me I will smother you.”

Matthew chuckled darkly but didn’t complain as he followed her lead, burying his face in her sex.

Something absurdly erotic came with being completely naked while her partner was fully dressed. Being eaten out by him while his cock was straining against his pants was indescribable. This was about her, her sex, her orgasm and—

And...

And!

She was screaming as he sucked on her clit, not his name nor any cohesive words, just a scream. The pain had flooded her without warning, something sharp making her want to choke or stab something, and then it was an overwhelming releasing of endorphins. It was pleasure and pain and white-hot bliss. All at once, her head felt on the verge of exploding, so close to combustion.

She sucked in a gasp of air and opened her eyes, which she had pinched shut. Throwing her head back, she panted, only for relief to course through her. All of her pain had vanished and not because it was numb but because her body was finally on the path to recovery. She took in another breath as she looked down at Matthew, whose mouth was still on her cunt. He wasn’t doing anything, but his eyes were fixated on her, his brows wrinkled with concern.

She smiled at him, finally feeling a little bit like herself, but then he licked her, and she—

She tried to pull from him, but his grip was too strong for her to get away completely. Her reaction, stiff as it was, had him pulling back from her sex and looking up at her.

“Too much? Need to breathe? Are you—”

“Breathing,” she answered and shook her head. “No—okay. Yes—no, but—”

“What’s wrong?”

Nothing was wrong. Nothing at all.

Except... she wanted to cry again, so maybe she wasn’t entirely feeling like herself just yet.

Sliding her palm to the back of his neck, she pulled, wanting him off his knees. He stood but kept her legs spread, fitting his covered cock against her cunt. Fuck, with no layers there, they could—

No. She was going to cry. No thoughts about sex or being fucked and bred right now.

“Gabriella. Omega . What’s wrong?”

“I’m crying again.” She gasped in panic. “I don’t... I don’t want to cry.”

“I don’t think we have a choice how we respond to things.” He pressed himself harder against her, his cock rubbing her, teasing her. “Fuck sorry, trying to not but—”

“Promise me this isn’t just the Alpha and Omega thing,” she gasped. “Promise me that it’s not just because I’m an Omega and you’re a horny Alpha.”

He could tell when she was lying, but she had no way to do the same.

“What?”

“I feel like I’m taking advantage of you! I’m... I’m in heat and in pain and Alphas, they have to care for Omegas in pain, even if it’s not their Omega so—”

It was all pouring out of her now, and she couldn’t close her mouth if she wanted to, and she desperately wanted to.

“Gabriella, you are so damn smart and so fucking beautiful but... I... I can’t... I can’t find fucking words when all I can think about is branding my name on your skin and embedding my scent in your soul so—”

“Make me stop talking then,” she begged. “I just... and get this scent off of me! I can’t stand it anymore!”

Arguably, still reeking of Petyr Antorelli would make anyone cry.

“Gabriella, I don’t think anyone could make you do anything,” he growled, a hint of a smirk on his lips. “But I can take care of the scent.”

“If my mouth was busy, I wouldn’t be able to talk,” she huffed, looking him up and down.

He should kiss her again. Or better yet...

“Uhh...”

Mmm. Yes. She knew exactly what to do.

“Why are you still dressed?” she asked and rocked her hips against him as a reminder. “And why am I still unfucked? And why isn’t the shower on? Are you actually in a rut or—”

Matthew growled again, darker and deeper this time, and she let out a sigh of relief before his lips pressed to hers. She ran her hands over his shoulders, into his hair, then onto his chest as she shoved him away. He let go of her and backed away before looking toward the shower and sliding the glass door open.

“How hot?”

“I’m in heat. I want it as hot as it goes,” she snapped, harsher than she meant to. “Burn his scent off of me.”

With Matthew working on the shower, Gabriella slid off the counter to kneel in front of Matthew. If he wouldn’t keep her mouth full, then she would do it herself and finally taste her prize. She had been waiting so long, aching for him inside of her, and he seemed to be unable to focus long enough to get himself there.

It had to be the edging and the buildup. If one orgasm was enough to clear her head a little, how much better would she feel after he was inside of her? Or after she had been knotted? The same had to go for him. No wonder he kept struggling to find the right words or what to do next. All of the blood had left his brain and hardened his dick.

Her fingers brushed the front of his pants when he seemed to realize what she was doing. His hands covered her own as he mouthed the word No , so she licked her lips, slowly, teasing. All that escaped his mouth was a whimper as he relaxed his hands.

Good.

“Start undressing,” she instructed, then tugged at his belt. “And hurry up. Sucking on cock makes me want to finger myself, and I’m pretty sure you would rather it be your fingers inside of me.”

Matthew gave her another noise, one which spoke of a complete lack of oxygen and blood to his brain, but Gabriella wasn’t worried. The second her tongue slid across his cock, he was going to be gasping for air, and after that, she would have his cum down her throat and the blood flowing in his veins once more.

From there...

It was said an Alpha could fuck for days. She fully intended to test that out.

With his belt unhooked and the front button undone, she wasted no time in continuing her exploration. Another time, she would explore every inch of his body, perhaps while they were knotted together. The very idea had her shuddering, but she needed to stop thinking about it. That was coming soon, very soon, and nothing would separate them. Undressing, cock in her mouth, shower, cleaning off rancid scents and then his cock in her cunt, fucking her into the wall, the floor, the bed, and...

Orgasms. So many orgasms. So much cum. So much slick. And knotting. And breeding. And marking.

All coming very fucking soon.

His heavy, pulsing cock fell right into her waiting hands. He groaned, fumbling with the buttons of his shirt.

It was open enough to show his slick sports shirt, keeping her from seeing his chest, something she had long desired for. He was always wearing his suits, often with a jacket and another shirt inside. He was working or whatever, but it was stupid. She wanted bare skin.

Her mouth would speed that up.

She was somehow, despite being barely over five foot tall, the perfect height on her knees to access his dick. His gaze was locked onto her hand, rolling back the foreskin as she stroked him, exposing the head of his cock. She licked her lips again and kept her eyes on him as she leaned forward. The tip brushed her wet lips, and her tongue flicked out again, this time teasing the slit. Shuddering, he ripped his shirt open, buttons tapping the floor as they bounced and landed.

Well, then. Good boy.

With Matthew now on the same page as her, she stopped looking up and closed her eyes, sinking his length down her throat. Her hand cupped around the base. It would take practice for her to be able to swallow his entire length down her throat, but that was a goal for the future. Right then, she didn’t want to be gagging unless she planned for it.

He was moving above her, still undressing, and she tried taking a little bit more of his cock, unwrapping her thumb, so she could tease the vein running there. He groaned again, followed by a deep growl that made her cunt throb, and she remembered the other part of her threat.

She would need to enjoy this before it came to an end. The way he was pulling off his clothes told her he had realized how serious she was. As she slid her free hand between her thighs and rubbed at the slick pooling along her lips, she tried to remind herself her next orgasm would be a gift from him and not her own touch.

Stroking herself, she groaned, amazed at how sensitive she was. Her orgasms had never been hard to achieve, but the way she had so easily come the first time with barely any touching had clued her in on how edged out she was. Another swipe, and she moaned around his length and took more of him into her mouth as her jaw relaxed. She had to force herself to think, to remember to pull from him as she dipped her fingers in. Instinct drove her lips back down again, and she pulled her fingers from her own sex and trailed them up to her clit.

Matthew growled, and her eyes opened to look up at him, wondering if he knew where she was exploring now. Her fingers retreated all the same, back toward her cunt and toward her scent glands.

She had yet to explore them and spread some of her slick and cum over them, shivering at the sensation, withdrawing her hand. He froze, his eyes on her freed hand. She considered offering it to him but switched her grasp on his cock and moved her slick-covered fingers to wrap around the base while she touched herself with the hand that now smelled of him.

“No, fuck, no,” Matthew groaned, but she sucked harder on him, reminding him who was in charge.

He groaned, slamming his hand against the wall, his body tilted, then shoved his pants down the rest of the way. “Fuck, my boots.”

Her tongue teased as her mouth slid off his cock, swirling until her lips were popping from the head, her hand quickly replacing her mouth. “Figure it out.”

Matthew choked on her suggestion, and she smirked as she resumed her work, licking the head before sinking her mouth back onto him. Her fingers continued exploring herself as well, dipping into her slit for more of her slick and spreading it onto her glands. He was struggling, reaching down with an awkwardly bent hand, but she didn’t let up, continuing her teasing and taunting. This was her punishment, for rejecting her in the car. He would have to play her game and suffer.

He got a single boot off and his sock and pants, allowing him to spread his legs a little more, exposing his own glands. The most sensitive of all the Alpha glands were at their throats, but seeing the ones between his legs, right beside where his balls were, she sparked a new idea.

Gabriella moaned as she dipped her fingers into herself, gathering more of her slick before withdrawing her hand and raising it to his leg. She touched the edge of it, spreading her slick on his skin, then up over the gland, only for the air to suddenly be knocked from her lungs. She blinked, startled she no longer had his cock in her grasp and, and looked up at him from where she was now fully seated on the floor.

“Fuck, shit, fuck, don’t do that,” Matthew scrambled as he grasped her by her upper arms. “Can’t, shit, I didn’t mean to—”

He had knocked her down. Her very teasing touch, spreading her slick over his gland, had caused the visceral reaction. Her Alpha, with one boot and pants leg still on, fumbled to pick her up, apologizing profusely.

“Gabriella, Omega , I never meant to hurt you, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

She leaned forward to kiss him, then pulled away just as her hardened, sensitive nipples brushed his chest. He moved up to chase it, but she was already backing away and grinned at him as she reached for the shower door. He would have to follow.

“Stop apologizing and get that off, Alpha .”

With both hands, she leaned forward to push her leather garters down, relieved at the sudden release on her skin. They had been pushing into her skin from how high they sat up, the of her legs swelling around it to keep them in place. Matthew groaned behind her, but she stepped into the shower, noting she would make him chase her.

The water pressure and heat were intense, but she relaxed, needing the burning sensation. She nearly reached for a bottle of soap but stopped herself. While her sense of smell was stronger in heat, Matthew’s would be stronger. It would be up to him as to whether any would meet his approval.

She tilted her head back, allowing the water to soak her hair and run down her body. She was still so tense and very much on edge, and the longer she was going without an orgasm... Discomfort crept in again. She felt off, her body aching for something only he could give, and she chuckled to herself as she realized what it was.

His knot. She wouldn’t find any peace until she had it.

Not much longer, though. Not when, less than thirty seconds after stepping into the shower, Matthew joined. She wouldn’t be waiting long at all, given how, a second after that, he spun her to face him and backed her up to the wall.

“You’re going to give me a goddamn heart attack,” he growled before silencing any retort she had with his lips.

With the water no longer hitting her body, his touch was cold versus her scorching skin. He didn’t shy away, though, as his hands moved down to her hips, and he picked her up with ease. As she wrapped her legs around his waist, he was grinding himself against her, his hard cock sliding between her slick lips.

They wouldn’t last long like this. They couldn’t. But the desire to fuck was almost as strong as her desire to be clean of any trace of another Alpha, so the few seconds they would manage would have to suffice. Her hands moved around his shoulders, into his hair, and she clung to him as he kept kissing, his tongue licking at the seam of her lips and then dipping within. There was no need for air, no need for words, as they both latched onto each other. His fingers massaged her hips and her butt, as though kneading the tension. Against his mouth, she sighed, then pulled back, knowing that, despite her not wanting to breathe anything other than his taste in, she still required oxygen.

He, apparently, did not have the same need, as his mouth moved to her shoulder, down to her collar bone and then back up to the side of her neck. His lips brushed her scent gland, the area swollen from her constant rubbing while trying to self soothe in her cell. She wanted to pull away, to beg him to stop before he would lick and suck—or worse, bite her. She feared it, feared how overly sensitive she was and that it would be more painful than pleasurable.

Her fears were for naught, however, as he rubbed his lips again and then rubbed his cheek against her, much like a cat. His beard growth was sharp on her shoulder and chin, but on her gland, the slight prickle only gave her peace. She was safe, her Alpha was holding her, and soon, his scent would cover her own.

“Keep doing that. I want Petyr’s scent off me,” she whimpered, tightening her hold on the back of his neck. “I need it all off. I never want to smell like another Alpha again.”

His face moved to the other side of her neck, and she moaned as he continued the motion, rubbing and nuzzling into her. She wanted him to do the same to her thighs, which were still parted around him, and her wrists as well. Better yet, he had glands, so she released the back of his neck to slide her arms higher and rub her wrists against his throat.

Matthew growled on her skin, low and deep, which then turned into a near purr. The rumbling in his chest vibrated against her breasts, and a new wave of slick rushed out of her, straight onto his waiting cock. His hips jerked , like he could somehow sense the new moisture wasn’t from the shower, and she moaned again, wanting more.

“How many Alphas have you smelled like?” Matthew growled against her shoulder as his cheek rubbed her neck. She had to let go of his throat as he kept going, rubbing his neck glands against her own. “How many Alphas have you fucked?”

“None,” she gasped, amazed at the sensation of his body against hers. “Never. I’ve never fucked an Alpha.”

He was becoming more demanding, more possessive in his touches. This was something he already knew, that she had never fucked an Alpha before because she had confessed to wondering what it would be like and wanting to know with him. And yet, he had still asked.

“Untouched,” he growled, grinding himself harder against her. “A virg—”

Gabriella laughed.

He was not about to call her a virgin. He was not going to even go that route. She loved the possessiveness, loved the pheromones flooding the steamy bathroom. The scent was a reminder of the night in the car when she had sent herself into heat at just the thought of being with him, and it was turning her on, but she couldn’t even pretend to be such a thing. “I am not a virgin. A virgin can’t suck dick like that.”

“A Beta’s cock could never compare to an Alpha’s,” Matthew insisted, his voice cracking as though caught between indignation and his need to growl again.

She could only laugh. “And how do you know that? How many Alphas have you fucked?”

He stared down at her, not answering, and she giggled again before shuddering. Suddenly, she was very cold.

“Heat. I need the heat.” She reached over his shoulder to touch the hot water. “So cold.”

“Only my knot can give you the peace you need,” he growled, sounding a bit too smug. “And I’m not going to do that in this shower.”

“Then, get me out of it,” she sighed as he switched positions, scorching water running down her back. “I need it. I need you!”

“You have me,” he promised. She opened her eyes, which she hadn’t realized were closed. He was looking at her with only affection in his gaze. “Let’s wash that bastard off you so I can paint you with me.”

Gabriella’s feet touched the ground as Matthew released her, and she turned to face the water and moaned as Matthew stepped behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle. She forced her eyes to stay open as he plucked the unmarked bottles from the ledge. As he flipped the cap on one, she noted the lack of scent. Matthew took a deep breath behind her as well, then hummed his approval.

Was it unscented? She had to assume so. That would be the perfect thing for an Omega who wanted only to smell like her Alpha.

His hands worked up and down her body, and she lamented the lack of a washcloth. A full scrub would have to come later.

Matthew was doing an excellent job regardless, carefully running his palms over every inch of her and nuzzling her throat. He kept avoiding her scent glands, kissing across her collarbone and then rubbing her temple. His fingers worked over her own, washing away every drop of Petyr’s blood. Had she really rubbed her sex and his cock with Petyr’s blood tried on her knucks? Gross.

“No more scent of him,” Matthew insisted, his cock pressing against her back. “Soon, only us.”

They didn’t speak anymore, didn’t kiss, just washed their bodies until she was no longer shivering from the cold and until he was no longer sniffing. She could no longer smell Petyr at all, which meant she was ready for what was next.

Finally. Fucking finally .

The water turned off, but he didn’t touch her. He was breathing deeply, and she turned to face him, staring back. She suddenly felt much like a doe facing a mountain lion. Never in her life had she been the prey, not allowing herself to be anything other than the hunter—but the way Matthew looked at her...

He would eat her alive.

“Fuck it,” he breathed out, then picked her up, tossing her over his shoulder.

She gasped in shock as her head went downwards, toward his butt, and her hair dripped, although half of it clung to her back.

Seeming to forget towels, he headed out of the bathroom. She nearly feared her ass would get caught on the doorway, but he dipped, and she cleared it with ease.

A sack of potatoes. She wasn’t a fucking deer. A damn sack of potatoes. Men .

Her back hit the bed as he tossed her onto it, and she bounced while trying to shove her wet hair out of her face. She hated the feeling of wet strands touching her damp skin and despised the sensation of her wet body on the comforter. He then crawled on top of her, grabbing her by her hips and tugging her to the edge of the bed...

Suddenly, all the shit that pissed her off, making her shudder and recoil, didn’t matter. Her Alpha had her legs spread and her cunt was slick, his cock ready to push in, to fill her and possess her.

“Won’t last long,” he warned, his gaze raking her body, then down to where they were about to be joined.

She looked between her breasts yet couldn’t see past her belly, but she didn’t need to see to know how good it must look to him.

A mirror next time.

“I don’t expect you to last, Matthew. In. In me. Your knot will last for ages regardless.”

He grunted his agreement and pushed in. A whole-body shudder ran through her, the tingling shooting from her core down her legs and up her torso. She couldn’t keep her eyes open, couldn’t breathe as he kept pushing.

She finally understood why Omegas would rather die than exist without their Alpha and why Alphas would destroy anything to reach their Omega.

It was better than anything. Better than any sex she had ever experienced in the past. Better than any meal she had ever devoured. Better than any massage. Everything about him being inside of her made sense, and all her nerve endings hummed together, finally at peace. The knotting, she knew it would be even better than this somehow. That was the whole big thing this was building up to. Just having him in her, having that emptiness filled, having a piece of herself filled with him in a perfect fit. It was... she was...

He moved, and she gasped for air, needing it to scream for him and beg for more. Pulling out, he dragged from her, his fingers digging into her hips and back in, his legs rubbing her inner thigh glands.

She reached down, reached for something, anything, and found his wrists. Her fingers wrapped around them as she dug her nails in, clinging to him, and he groaned in pain. She must have scraped the glands, but she didn’t regret it, fully planning to dig her teeth into all of him soon.

Hers. He was hers. Her Alpha. She was his mate. She was his. He was her bodyguard, her confidant, her supporter, her trusted ally, her closest advisor, and she was somehow with him, being filled by him.

His thrusts became more frantic, and she sucked in a gasp of air, feeling herself going lightheaded. She had to breathe, had to keep functioning, but with her hands on his wrists and her legs spread around his body, she could do nothing but feel. He was doing all the work, fucking her, trying to keep himself from blowing too soon, and she was just... feeling. She was on an everlasting high, floating, orgasming. When he swelled inside of her, she had thought it was just at the very base that got bigger. Maybe all her nerves were on fire or that he was so big his cock would permanently change her.

He was right. She could never compare him to being fucked by a Beta. No Omega could turn around from this and return to something so lackluster. He growled and the sound sent shockwaves through her body, telling it to release more slick. He slid a little deeper, making her a little bit fuller, and she choked on a sob as he stopped moving and roared. He was finishing, and she had no idea how long he had lasted, but he had lasted far longer than she had. She was floating or screaming or crying or something because it was all overwhelming. She wiggled her hips, trying to do... something.

No, that felt wrong but also right and also overwhelming, but then his hand left her hip, and that was going somewhere, moving to between her legs, to where they were knotted—

She shrieked as his thumb rubbed her swollen clit, and she tried to pull away, but they were stuck together, and he was grinning and then growling, telling her to take it all—

Already on the edge of another orgasm, she was thrown there by his thumb on her clit, her body clenching around his knot, and then suddenly nothing. Her body went ice cold, then burning hot, as she realized he was no longer touching her, nor inside of her. That was impossible because his was knotting her. Only it wasn’t anymore, and his cum ran out of her as he started groaning.

“No, no, no, no,” Gabriella gasped as her hands went to her cunt, and she tried to cover herself. “No, what, I don’t understand?”

Matthew was still groaning, and she couldn’t see him. She assumed she had missed the sound, that someone must have shot him—but even with that, how was it possible for a knot to just... leave? And so soon!

Fuck, no, it was supposed to last long enough that she orgasmed on it until she fell asleep and it was part of it. She wanted it, wanted it so badly, and she would beg for it and sob for it and—

“Matthew, what’s happening?” She tried to press her legs together, as though that would keep it in. Still so sensitive, she couldn’t do anything, could do nothing to make it stop. “What happened?”

“It’s, fuck— fucking doctors ,” Matthew growled, and she nearly jumped out of his skin as something hit a far wall. “Fuck. Fuck .”

Gabriella tried to find the energy to sit up but had to roll onto her side, then shift toward him. It was awkward and unpleasant, with the comforter sticking to her damp skin.

She didn’t know what was wrong.

“Dammit, dammit, fuck, dammit.” Matthew cursed, and she reached the edge of the bed when his fist slammed on the ground. “Shit, I don’t... Fuck .”

He was clearly angry and in pain, his body shaking, and she wanted to understand. He was hiding his cock from her with his other fist, which, despite his hands being large, should have been impossible because it was huge inside of her.

“It’s all coming out,” she said, talking about their cum. “I don’t... I don’t know what I did wrong. What did I do wrong?”

“Nothing,” he growled, shifting onto his knees and moving closer. She tried to inspect him, to see what was causing him pain, but he climbed onto the bed with her and covered her body with his own. “Nothing. You’re perfect. So perfect. It’s okay. We can...”

His fingers covered her sex, and he shoved his fingers into her, as though that would somehow help. It wouldn’t, not really. An Omega was meant to be knotted and stuffed full as an Alpha continued to ejaculate, breeding her as he kept her in place. It was supposed to last for ages, sometimes over multiple hours, bringing them both pleasure. It was the ultimate intimacy, to be locked with your mate. Yet, for them...

Seconds. She was knotted for seconds .

It wasn’t enough, and now, she was once again in pain.

“I don’t understand what I did wrong.” She cried because that was the only thing that made sense. It had to have been her. She was what was wrong. She felt rejected, pushed away, much like in the car. “I tried. I tried to take your knot. I tried to take all your cum. I don’t understand. I thought I was doing so good. I thought—”

“You are fucking perfect, the perfect Omega, do you hear me?” Matthew growled as he cupped her sex with his hand. “Taking every last inch of me, fuck. Tightened around me too somehow, when I was knotting you. Your slick, your scent, your nails digging into my glands, you perfect fucking creature. Look at me. Look at me .”

She did as told, opening her eyes even though it hurt, and turned her head to look at him. Immense pain crossed his face, and he rubbed her slowly as if that would give her pleasure. Although it did, she still couldn’t relax. It was his knot she needed, and only his knot could give her peace.

“You... are the perfect Omega,” Matthew said, and she sniffed softly, trying to suck back her tears. “It’s me. I’m the fucking problem. It... I was in and it was full and then—”

He looked down, and softness pressed against her rather than a hard cock.

“It has to be the medicine. The injections. I’ve been taking double, trying to fight my need for you and—”

“Petyr said we needed injections to clear our system out,” Gabriella breathed out, suddenly remembering what the other Alpha had said. “He gave me one, when he knocked me out. So, we just, we need to get the vial and then—”

“We can’t fucking leave here.” He grunted. She breathed in the flooding of pheromones. “No one can come near you. No one. You are mine until my teeth are in your throat.”

“But if you can’t knot me,” she whispered, reminding him there was something he was missing... Something he was forgetting.

It was only at their most vulnerable and most intimate that they could bind themselves to one another. If he couldn’t knot her, then he couldn’t mate her.

“Fuck. Fuck, Gabriella, I’m—”

“It hurts again,” she cried out as the heat overwhelmed her. “I... I need—”

“You need my knot. Fuck. I’m fucking failing you again, already, and just—”

“It’s okay.” She held back threatening tears. “We’ll... it’s not your fault. We can keep—”

He hardened against her leg again, his Alpha hormones kept his refractory period short. Thank goodness for that, at least, although she still was still crying and in pain.

“Fuck, we’ll fix this.” He pulled her close. “Somehow. And until then, we’ll keep—”

“We’ll practice until we’re sick of each other. And when it finally works, then you’ll—”

“You’ll never be rid of me, and I’ll never tire of you. Gabriella. Omega .”

He moved between her thighs but then he was inside of her again, and she told herself that maybe it would last this time. Maybe she would be good enough. Maybe, after the first time, he would last longer. She wanted to be a good Omega, the perfect Omega for him, wanted to be knotted and bred and marked and...

She was going to take it, keep going until it lasted long enough for his teeth to sink into her throat.

Yes. They just had to keep going.

Again... and again... and again.