Chapter 9

Ari

Iclosed my eyes and tried to fight off the creeping, prickling sensations that pulsed through my body. I knew what they meant, but I didn't want to think about it yet.

I wanted to think about how amazingly fun that last heat wave had been. Even though it had just happened, I wanted to remember the way Samson and I had committed to our fantasy as I'd tried to get away. It had been thrilling. The struggle had been fantastic. Adrenaline and heat hormones had poured through me, but it was the even deeper feeling that Samson got me, and that he knew how to give me what I wanted, that had made the whole thing so fucking awesome.

And then that breeding orgasm….

I twitched in Samson's hold, moving just enough to feel the thickness of his cock spearing all the way into my womb and the swell of his knot stretching my ass beyond what I usually would have been able to endure. There weren't words for how much I adored being possessed by him like that.

Except this time, this wave, instead of wanting to fuck myself into a bunch of aftershock orgasms, I wanted him out of me. For the first time since Samson had popped out of the darkness of the forest and scared the shit out of me, I genuinely wanted to get away.

Not all the way away. I didn't want to leave his presence. Maybe even more than before. But his body now felt like a foreign invader instead of an extension of me. I wanted him out and away from me so I could hunker in on myself and give everything I had to protect the spark growing within me.

Yeah, I knew what it meant. Heats were supposed to last three days before they abated. It had only been a day and a half. I absolutely knew what it meant when your heat suddenly stopped, right as it reached what should have been its peak. I knew what it meant to feel icky instead of delighted at the curl of Samson's body around mine.

I just didn't know what to do or say about it.

"It's okay," Samson said, ghosting a hand over my back as I shivered. "You're going to be okay."

He knew. I mean, how could he not? He was an experienced alpha, and although I hadn't bothered to ask how old he was, my guess was early thirties, which was a decade older than me. That meant a decade more experience and knowledge of he world. In our initial meeting, he'd said he'd done this before, so it wasn't a stretch to think there were kids with his DNA out there somewhere. Hayden had mentioned to me that some omegas used the Dark Fantasies Club to get pregnant without the complication of an alpha in their life.

Something within me rebelled hardcore at the thought of Samson impregnating other omegas. It caused me to tense and writhe, just as Samson's knot went down.

Samson completely misunderstood my revolted reaction and pulled out of me quickly.

I hated the fact that that came as a relief.

"Let's get you taken care of," he said, still one hundred percent in control of the situation, but in a completely different way. "You need water and food to start with," he went on, standing and pulling me up with him, even though his hands on my battered body felt like fire. "Then a long, warm shower. I've got some spare clothes you can put on, too, since yours are out there in the forest somewhere."

That bit of practicality shook me out of my post-heat stupor, and I turned to him. "You have clothes for me?"

Samson shrugged and stepped away from me, toward the kitchenette on one side of the cabin's main room. "I dropped by one of those big box stores after our meeting the other day and picked up a few things, since I knew I'd tear your clothes off before we got here. It's just sweatpants and a t-shirt. Definitely not up to your usual standards."

I smiled sheepishly, taking his comment as the teasing it was. He must have noticed I'd been wearing designer jeans and shirts, both at our meeting the other day and when he'd surprised me the other night.

"Thanks," I said. I stretched and rolled my shoulders. "I could use a glass of water."

I could use a lot more than that. My body felt used and wrung out. I noticed the bruises that covered me now in a way I hadn't while getting them. As I walked over to the kitchenette, I rubbed my wrists, where bruises from the cuffs he'd had me in for part of our play and his hands were starting to show.

I had similar bruises on my thighs. Noticing those bruises sent a jolt of lust through me that had slick leaking from my ass, along with what would probably turn into a gallon of Samson's cum as my womb expelled the excess that it didn't need anymore.

Oh God. My womb didn't need his cum anymore. It didn't need it because the inordinate amount he'd shot up there had done its job brilliantly. I put a hand on my belly as Samson filled a glass from the sink, his back to me. It was still distended, but it felt warm, tingly, good.

I was pregnant. Samson had done exactly what he'd said he would do and bred me. And while part of me cooed and preened inwardly that my body had submitted to my alpha and accepted his seed, it was going to cause a world of trouble.

I would have to somehow fake a heat starting on my wedding night. Maybe that way, I could convince Clyve that the baby was his. Plenty of couples conceived without breeding orgasms. Most in the circles I was part of, if the whispers I'd heard were correct. But what if Clyve couldn't produce a knot when we had sex because my body wasn't giving off the right chemicals.

Ugh. The very idea of having sex with Clyve now made me want to puke.

Maybe I should come clean to Clyve right from the start, without naming names or getting Samson in trouble, and admit to Clyve that I was carrying another man's child. Maybe he'd let me off the hook and go marry some other high society omega who didn't mind being arm candy. My parents would disown me, but I could make my way in the world with what I had in my bank account now.

Maybe.

Unless they pulled all that money from my account, which they would do. I wouldn't put it past them to find all sorts of ways to yank every cent I had out of my reach.

Would Samson take me in if that happened? Did I really want to saddle him with myself, a useless omega toy, and a baby to boot?

First thing when I got back home today, I needed to head to the bank and withdraw as much cash as I could. I would keep it with Hayden. I trusted Hayden and knew he'd help me if worst came to worst. I could pack up some of my more valuable clothing and jewelry to sell when I needed more cash. I might have to leave town, create a whole new identity for myself, and hide out for a few years, if my parents, or worse, the Ingrahams, decided to get really vindictive, but I could?—

"Ari?" Samson's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Hmm?" I blinked and glanced at him. He held a glass of water in one hand and offered it to me. "Thanks," I said, taking the water and drinking it like my life depended on it.

"Hey, it will be okay," he said as I gulped down the water, like he'd been able to see my thoughts. He'd probably been able to read the emotion in my expression. "I understand you're in a precarious position, but whatever help you need from me, I'm more than happy to give it."

I finished downing the water and pulled the glass away with a sigh. "Thank you. Really," I said, handing the glass back to him. "I…I don't know what I need to do next."

Samson smiled at me. He set the glass aside, then moved toward me, like he would take me into those huge, strong arms of his.

I flinched back on instinct, then immediately felt bad about it.

"Whoops. Sorry," Samson said, making light of something that felt impossibly heavy.

"No, I'm sorry," I said. "It's the post-heat aversion. At least it's not anywhere near as bad as it felt that first time, with the ESA from Bangers Mash."

Samson's expression pinched. I felt like he wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth shut.

Instead, his posture relaxed and he walked past me toward the bathroom. "Why don't you start with a shower, since I can see you're getting a bit sticky."

Another blast of embarrassment hit me. The entire back of my legs were dripping with slick and cum. I'd been too caught up in anxiety to notice.

"Yeah," I said, shuffling forward so I didn't drip on Samson's floor. "A shower is a great idea."

Samson showed me where the soap and shampoo were, then brought the clothes he'd bought for me into the bathroom, along with some big, fluffy towels. I was used to showers that were as big as Samson's entire bathroom, designer toiletries, and bath sheets made from the finest cotton money could buy. One thing wealthy people knew how to do well that I didn't have the slightest problem with was pampering and self-care. But that shower in Samson's cottage, even though it smelled faintly of mildew, felt like heaven.

It took a long time to wash the sweat and slick and cum off. There was a discreet enema in the shower too to help clean out on the inside. I'd thought it would feel wrong and gross to wash that thoroughly, but my inner, knocked up omega was desperately grateful to get the last remnants of alpha invasion out of me.

After I got out of the shower and dried off, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the clothes Samson had bought for me fit reasonably well. That is to say, they were baggy and loose, but that was exactly what I wanted. He'd even guessed my shoe size close to perfectly. I didn't think I'd ever worn bargain basement, generic sneakers with tube socks before.

"Feeling better?" Samson asked once I joined him in the main room.

No, I was not feeling better. I felt like a hole had just been punched in my life. I felt like what I wanted and what I would be stuck with were so far apart that I would never be able to bridge the gap. I felt like I'd created a world of trouble for myself, and I didn't have the first clue how I was going to get out of it.

"Yeah," I said with a tired smile. "I could use a bite to eat, but overall, I feel okay."

Samson smiled and nodded to the counter in the kitchenette. "You're in luck. I made a full breakfast while you were in the shower. There's eggs and bacon and sausage and toast. You'll need the protein for…to build up your strength."

"Thank you," I sighed gratefully, nearly running for the plate he had prepared for me. I was so hungry I could have eaten the cottage.

"I'm just going to pop in the shower now and clean up myself," Samson said, gesturing to the bathroom with his thumb. "Call your second while I'm in there to let him know the fantasy is over."

Never had such simple words depressed me so much. It was over. My beautiful, sexy, freaky fantasy was over.

"Sure," I said, mouth half full of eggs. "I'll do it."

Samson stared at me, long and lingering, like he had a whole world of things to say. I really thought he was going to say them, too. He wavered on his spot, fiddling with the tie of the robe he'd put on while I was in the shower. I wanted him to say he'd changed his mind, this wasn't just a fantasy, and he would keep me, even if he had to tie me to the bed and force me to stay there until the baby was born and beyond. I got a surge of excitement at the idea of being chained to Samson's bed as my belly grew round with his child.

"Okay, then," Samson said at last, turning and heading to the bathroom. "We'll call Jay, too, once everything is cleaned up. It's nearly eleven our time, so he should be awake on the West Coast."

I deflated once Samson stepped into the bathroom. It really was the end. I'd had about thirty-six hours of perfection, and now it was over.

I finished the breakfast Samson had made me halfheartedly. I was still voraciously hungry, but I could barely taste the sustenance anymore. As soon as the last bite was gone, I moved to the cell phone Samson had left on the counter and dialed my own number.

"Ari?" Hayden answered after just a few rings.

"Yep, it's me," I said, pretending to be cheerful.

"How are things going?" Hayden asked, inuendo making his voice slinky.

I laughed, not because I was happy or thought it was funny, but because I was so glad I had Hayden in my life. "It's over," I said.

"What, already?" I could imagine Hayden blinking with surprise, even though I couldn't see it.

"Yes, already," I said with importance.

"Um, Ari, you know that heat is supposed to last three days, right?" Hayden said, more seriousness in his voice.

"It's supposed to last three days unless the whole fantasy about being bred turns out not to be a fantasy after all," I said in a low murmur, even though there was no one for miles but me and Samson and I could hear the shower running.

"Holy shit," Hayden said in an equally awed voice. "Are you pregnant?"

I nodded, even though he couldn't see it, then whispered, "Yeah. I'm pretty sure I am. I mean, I need to do a test and all that, but…but you kind of can't mistake that moment when the breeding orgasm explodes into something more."

"You had a breeding orgasm?" Hayden asked, awe and longing in his voice.

"More than one," I said, staring at the bathroom door. "Almost every heat wave. Samson completely and utterly blew my mind. It was like…like we were meant to be or something. Like my body was designed to carry his babies."

"Whoa," Hayden said, clearly overwhelmed. "That's a serious problem, though." He caught onto my dilemma. "What's Clyve going to think? Are you going to tell him or are you going to pass the baby off as his? What about your parents? And the Ingrahams are really powerful people. Shit, Ari."

"Yeah, I know," I said, my insides fluttering with genuine fear. "I don't know what to do."

"Have you told your alpha friend?" Hayden asked.

I glanced to the bathroom door again. The shower had gone off, but Samson hadn't come out yet.

"No, but I think he knows," I said. "I think he felt it the moment everything…clicked, too."

"Can he help you?" Hayden asked. "Will he want you to stay with him? Could you marry him instead of Clyve? He's an ex-cop. If anyone can protect you from the Ingrahams, it's him."

"I can't just thrust myself on him," I said, lowering my voice, as I sensed Samson was about to come out of the bathroom any second. "Remember, he's done this before. He does this fantasy a lot. I wouldn't be surprised if he's gotten other omegas pregnant in the past. I can't just expect him to rescue me from some really powerful people who are going to be seriously pissed off about this and take on the burden of a useless omega and a kid to boot."

"You're not useless, Ari," Hayden said, true friend that he was. "You're smart and brave. And you've got me."

I let out a laugh that was very close to a sob.

Samson opened the door to the bathroom then and stepped out with a smile.

"We'll think of something," Hayden said as he did. "I'm not going to let you go through this alone."

"Thanks, Hayden," I said, directing my grateful smile to Samson as he moved cautiously forward, like he didn't want to interrupt a private call. "You're a great friend."

"You better believe it," Hayden said. He then went straight into, "Okay, here's what we'll do. It takes you about an hour to reach Barrington from where you are, right?"

"Yeah, more or less."

"So meet me at Halliday's in ninety minutes, after the lunch crowd leaves. I'll bring you your cell phone, and we can talk about what to do next. You don't have to marry Clyve, I swear. We can find another solution to this problem."

"Okay," I said, even though I didn't think we could. "I'll see you then."

We said our last goodbyes, and I ended the call.

"Everything good?" Samson asked, joining me in the kitchenette area.

"Yep," I lied. "I'm going to meet up with Hayden so we can, um, debrief on the whole experience."

Samson nodded, looking happy, but feeling sad.

I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be able to feel his emotions that strongly.

"Right, so we'll just give Jay a call and go through the proper end of fantasy protocols, then I can walk you back to your camp," Samson said.

I wanted to scream in protest. Way more than I did while pretending I didn't want him to forcibly fuck me. I wanted to scream, "Red! Red! Red!" and make the pain stop.

"Sounds like a good idea," I said instead.

The call to Samson's friend Jay was short. I could tell Jay was just as suspicious over the short duration of my heat as Hayden was. Jay also seemed to know a lot. He could probably guess the whole story, too. I wondered how Samson would deal with that.

All too soon, a little over an hour later, Samson and I were walking through the woods as the afternoon sun shone down on us and birds tweeted cheerily in the canopy.

"This really was amazing," I told Samson, walking as close to his side as I dared, what with the aversion to touch still bothering me. "Totally beyond my expectations."

"For me, too," Samson said. His hand twitched toward mine, like he wanted to hold my hand as we strolled through the pristine woodland.

"I wish we could do it again," I said, my face pinching as I looked at him. "I wish the fantasy could go on and on, and that I didn't have to leave."

Samson stared sideways at me for a long time before saying, "Yeah, me too."

I could feel the strength of his emotion, his longing and regret. I could also feel frustration and determination radiating from him, like he was silently racking his brain, trying to come up with a way to keep the fantasy going, maybe for the rest of our lives.

I couldn't explain how or why, but I knew I was meant to be with Samson. I belonged to him. He had made me his as if he actually had captured me in the forest and fucked me into bonding with him. I'd been claimed, and I wasn't sure I would be able to un-claim myself.

Which made the problems ahead of me even bigger than they already were.

"There has to be a way?—"

"I can help you if you want?—"

We spoke at the same time, both of us emotional and a little desperate. Despite my touch aversion, Samson reached for my hand, and I took his and squeezed it. To my surprise, it felt good and right to touch him instead of creepy and icky.

I didn't know what to say next, though. How did you buck everything in your world to run away with a virtual stranger…who felt closer to you than any of the people you'd known your entire life? How did you ask someone you'd just met to take on the burden you represented?

I prayed that Samson would know the answer. But instead of saying something that would solve all our problems, he glanced into the forest behind me with a puzzled frown.

I felt his confusion and turned to see what he was looking at.

"This is your campsite," he said.

"Yeah?"

It took me another moment before Samson's confusion made sense. It was my campsite, alright, but the tent I'd put up the night before last had been knocked over, the camp was scattered, and most importantly, my car was gone.