Chapter Eleven: Damon

R ex drove me home after the Christmas party became subdued, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to see that his protective instincts were in overdrive. From his eyes darting towards every shadow that moved, to the possessive hand on my back as we walked from the truck to the apartment building, the tension was vibrating within him.

"We're okay," I assured him as he led me into my apartment, even as he turned to lock the door and draw the chain across as well. I placed my hand on his bicep. "Rex, we're not in danger right now."

He spun around to face me so abruptly that I stumbled back a few steps. The expression on his face was the most serious I'd ever seen there. "I don't think you understand what I'm feelin' right now," he said, and I could tell he was choosing his words and tone carefully. He rubbed at his chest. "Just the thought of somethin' happening to you —to our son— because of what I am…" Pausing, he shook his head and took a steadying breath. "We're takin' things at your pace, Damon, but that doesn't change the way I care about you."

I swallowed convulsively, turned on by the steel in his voice. The timing was inappropriate, considering what we were discussing, but damn I did love an older man who could take charge of me…when I allowed it, of course.

"I care about you, too," I admitted, a little afraid to reveal that much. But, honestly, if he hadn't worked it out over the past couple of weeks of us dating, then he was an idiot. "And if those cult people come for you like they came for Beck…" I shuddered.

From what I knew of Ollie and Beck's story, I knew I wouldn't cope if the Moonmusic people got their hands on Rex. He couldn't even shift yet!

"We're gonna keep each other safe, kitten." Rex's answer was everything I needed to hear. I hadn't even realized how tense I was until his firm assurance washed over me.

And, man, it was so stupidly hot that he included me in the equation. It wasn't just the big, macho alpha protecting his helpless pregnant partner. It was that he saw us as equals in this mess, looking out for each other.

I squirmed in place, feeling myself slick up some more.

"You okay, darlin'?" His piercing blue gaze swept over me. Even though we were in the safety of my room, it was obvious that he was still on edge, determined to fight off even an invisible foe.

I smothered a snicker of amusement. The only foe here was my hormone imbalance.

But, fuck, his sudden confidence and possessive vibes were really doing it for me.

"I'm good," the words came out a bit breathy and I squirmed again as he raised an eyebrow in silent question. "Just… finding this whole…" I waved my hand over his form —back straightened, shoulders broad, expression stony— and sighed, " alpha vibe super attractive right now."

Rex's eyes shone with understanding and then turned darker with lust. His voice dipped lower, "That your way of tellin' me you need me right now, kitten?"

It was like we'd been transported back to the night we met. He was confident and assertive back then, too. It was like he had instinctively known which buttons to press and when to back off.

"Fuck yes."

All thoughts and talk about the threat from Morstein and his people ceased to exist and Rex dropped his lips to mine, kissing me hungrily. It was exactly what I needed. Sure, I loved it when he was soft and gentle, too, treating me with a respect and patience that nobody else ever had. But I also needed this side of him: unbridled, dominating, wild.

We moved the short distance to the couch, shedding our clothes with abandon along the way. At first I assumed Rex was going to bend me over the armrest, but he sat down and turned me to face the tv, nudging my legs apart.

"Gonna make sure you're ready for me, darlin'," he said, then gently bent me forward, holding me steady with one big hand while the other parted my cheeks.

I could see us in the reflection of the blackened tv screen, and worked out Rex's intentions only moments before I felt the first burst of his warm, moist breath over my dripping hole.

"So slick for me," he murmured appreciatively, before bringing the flat of his tongue to my rim.

I can't even describe the sound I made, but if Rex hadn't been holding me in place, I would have fallen forward.

He licked at me with long, firm laps of his tongue until I was almost sobbing, and then he changed tactics and speared the talented muscle inside me, making me cry out in ecstasy. "Fuck, Rex, more !"

My hands scrabbled back to grip at his where they were holding my hips, and I rocked back and forth on his tongue, fucking myself on it over and over again to the sounds of his appreciative moans. My dick was hard and leaking, begging for attention, and I knew that I must be practically drowning Rex with my slick. But, the more aroused I got, the more intense the thrusts of his tongue became, and I could only assume he was enjoying himself just as much as I was.

Then, just as I was on the precipice of orgasm, he pulled back. I whined, " Nooo ," pushing backwards in his hold.

Rex chuckled. He flexed his fingers on my hips and kissed my ass cheeks teasingly. "Need more, baby?"

"You know I do."

I was pouting and he leaned to the side to grin at me in the reflection of the TV screen. "I've got you, kitten, I promise."

Before I could come up with a sassy retort, he pulled me down onto his lap, keeping his legs spread enough to keep me stable. I could feel the sticky head of his cock at the small of my back, but then in a smooth move I could only attribute to enhanced reflexes, Rex guided me up again, removed a hand from my hip to position his cock under me, and then helped me to sink back down onto him.

We let out matching groans of relief at the sensation of him finally filling me up.

Now that he was inside me, I half expected him to return to being slow and gentle, but I was glad to be proven wrong. Though he was obviously still mindful of my condition, Rex helped me bounce in his lap at a fervent pace, his desperation seeming to match my own.

"You're so tight, kitten," he muttered into my shoulder, where he was sucking hickies and nibbling at the skin as we moved together.

I wasn't afraid that he would bite me anymore. In fact, some part of me half-hoped that he would claim me after all. Sure, when the lust faded I might regret thinking it, but in that moment, I wanted him to dominate me. I wanted him to make me his. He'd already bred me; a claim was the next logical step between an alpha and an omega.

But he didn't go anywhere near the juncture between my shoulder and neck, just continued to lavish attention on what parts of my back he could reach with his mouth, interspersing the wet kisses and suction marks with filthy praise. "Your slick tasted so good, baby, but it's somethin' else when it's spilling around my cock… Yeah , just like that."

I was lost to him, whimpering and begging, feeling heated all over in a way that reminded me of the night we'd met. I was insatiable and dripping for him, and the wet slapping, squelching sounds our bodies were making as I bounced on his cock were obscene.

I loved every moment of it.

"Nnngh," I moaned as one of his hands finally slid around to grip my neglected dick while I continued to ride him, "R-rex…"

"I'm gettin' close, baby," his voice was gravelly and strained. "Gonna need you to come for me. Can you do that? Can you come for your alpha?"

"Fuck!" I shouted, my back arching of its own volition as his words took me over the edge. I came hard, still bouncing on his cock. I clenched around him in waves of additional pleasure as I felt his knot swelling as he filled me up with his own release.

"God, Damon, you feel so… ugh …fucking incredible…"

Slumping bonelessly back against him, I had no idea how he had retained the power to speak through all of that. His cock twitched inside me again, his knot reacting to my movements.

"Still not used to—" he moaned and his cock jerked once more when I snuggled as best I could against his chest "— that ."

"Mmm," I acknowledged, feeling the soporific effects of the orgasm, combined with the huge meal I'd eaten earlier, taking over.

There was a subtle irony to our position at that moment being almost a direct echo of the first time he knotted me. I couldn't help but mentally catalogue the similarities and differences. I could feel things changing for me emotionally and mentally just by comparing the two situations.

I'd needed this from him.

The question was, now that I'd gotten it, what was I going to do about it?

* * *

New Years Eve was a quiet affair. Some of the townspeople planned on small fireworks displays, but I declined any invitations to attend. With how easily tired I was, I didn't think I'd make it to midnight. Even though I encouraged Rex to go and celebrate, he insisted that all he wanted to do was hang out with me.

Ever since Christmas, he had become more protective, and I wasn't sure if it was because of the threatening words the Moonmusic leader had posted online, or if it was just because we'd gotten closer.

To be honest, we were pretty much spending any free time we had together by then. Despite my initial resolve, I could feel myself falling harder and harder for him every day.

How could I not when he was so attentive and thoughtful?

He was working hard at Sam and Becca's farm, then taking me on dates and making sure I wanted for nothing in his down time. Somewhere in the middle of all that, he was also trying to buy a property from Eric, and was arranging help from some of the townspeople to help him fix it up enough to make it properly livable. He had to be running himself into the ground, but he did it all with a smile on his face…and damned if I didn't think that was the hottest thing ever.

Not that I liked the idea of him exhausting himself, mind you. But my omega preened at his unspoken attempt to court me. To prove that he was a worthy mate.

I was beginning to believe that he was.

It was a belief that only seemed to cement itself further when we were snuggled up on my couch on New Year's Eve, streaming an old season of Kitchen Nightmares and bantering about the drama.

With his nose screwed up watching Gordon Ramsay yelling and swearing at a guy who was convinced his menu was epic, Rex mused, "Y'know, I'm now wonderin' if any of these people he's yelled at were shifters."

Even though the show was no longer on the air, and I had seen all the reruns, I snorted. "Could you imagine a bear or something losing their cool?"

"That would make for some gruesome viewing," he shuddered. "I'll stick to laughing at his creative insults."

I don't know why, but that was the moment something seemed to click for me.

Maybe it was his patience. Maybe it was his lack of expectations. Maybe his empathy. Maybe just the fact that we could have a silly conversation about an old TV show without having to talk through justifications of our opinions.

Whatever it was, I was a goner for him.

But that thought was a double-edged sword, because he was so warm and sweet, and I was…not. I kept my cards close to my chest. I was prickly and moody. I was so terrified of giving anyone control over my heart —of letting them hurt me— that I'd built a wall of snark and sass around myself.

Rex could do so much better than me.

And yet I was selfish and I had fallen hard for him.

When I started yawning, Rex clicked the little red power button on the remote and then helped me off the couch. I waddled into the bathroom to pee for the twelfth time since we'd first sat down, and after washing my hands and brushing my teeth, Rex switched out with me.

"I wish the bathroom was bigger," I grumbled, passing him the toothbrush that now had a permanent spot next to mine in the cup next to the sink.

Rex hesitated before he said, "The one in my cottage will be."

We hadn't really discussed the future beyond agreeing that he'd set up his second bedroom as a room for our son — an acknowledgment that he'd be sharing custody more than anything else. But there was a weight to his words now that I heard loud and clear. He wanted me sharing his bathroom. He wanted me sharing his home .

Deep down, I wanted that, too.

I couldn't deny that, as things stood, Rex had all but moved in with me. Even though he didn't always spend the night, he would come over after work to either take me out for a date or, if I was too tired, he'd spoil and pamper me in my apartment. He would even cuddle me to sleep on the nights we didn't have sex, and then he'd let himself out.

I was getting used to his constant presence. Relying on it, even.

I liked it. A lot. And so did my puma.

Having his scent permeating my home was comforting in ways I couldn't quite explain. Waking up without him was easier to bear when I could scent him in my sheets or on the couch. Ollie told me that those feelings would only intensify after I gave birth, because there would be some primal need to have my mate protecting our cub at my side.

However, even for all of that, we hadn't even been dating for a full month. Things had obviously been accelerated courtesy of the baby in my belly, but I'd only really just started to enjoy my independence from my old pack once I got to Shifters Sanctuary, with the preceding months spent full of anxious energy as I tried to make my way here.

Even if ninety-nine percent of me screamed "Yes!" to the idea of moving in with Rex, there was still that tiny sliver of doubt telling me I needed to slow my roll.

A baby did not mean we had to live together, no matter how convenient having someone to share the load with seemed. Even if my puma demanded that I nest with my alpha, my human brain said it was too soon. Or maybe that was my fear talking.

Rex held his hands up in the universal sign of surrender and offered me an easy, lopsided grin. He also gave me the out I was looking for, saying, "Just for those nights you come to my place, I mean. Once it's properly livable, we can alternate runnin' up the utility bills between both our homes."

He didn't seem hurt or disappointed that I'd quite obviously hesitated over his real meaning, and I kicked myself for worrying that he might. Over and over, he assured me that he would take things at whatever pace I needed, and yet I always got all up in my head about how to let him down gently.

I knew that was a carryover from the way I'd been raised, but I still hated that I did it. I trusted Rex. I had fallen for Rex. I wanted him to know those things. I didn't want him to think he needed to always walk on eggshells around me.

I wanted to give him a reason to stay with me. Not with our kid, but with me .

Meeting him halfway, I bit my lip and replied, "It will be nice to not feel like I'm sleeping in the living room and kitchen every so often."

My studio apartment had its pros and cons, after all. I liked it because it was the first place that had ever been my own space, not governed by anyone else, but it was tiny, and I knew it wouldn't work in the long run. Not once the baby got too big for his bassinet. But those were future problems.

"Less convenient for midnight snacking, though," he said thoughtfully, but then he shrugged and added, "but I'll be happy to walk down the hallway and get snacks for you anyway."

And there went my heart again, beating rapidly inside my chest.

I was such a goner for him.

* * *

"So…" Ollie's tone was suggestive as he sat on the edge of my desk in Eric and Brandt's clinic. He waggled his eyebrows and leaned forward for privacy, though there weren't any people in the waiting room at that moment, not that it would have made a difference with shifter hearing anyway, "tell me: how's Rex with rope? Inquiring minds want to know."

I blinked at him from where I was trying to make sense of the note Brandt had left for me. Did that say Mrs. Peterson wanted an appointment for Thursday? Or was it his lunch order? Pepperoni on rye, maybe?

"Huh?" I asked, bewildered as my brain tried to process far too many conflicting concepts. "Ropes? Why?"

"I mean, he's an honest-to-God cowboy," Ollie answered, as if that explained anything. "Please tell me his roping skills carry over to the bedroom."

It was a testament to how exhausted I was that I hadn't explored this theory already. I had actually thought about it once or twice, but I'd never brought it up with Rex. Not even after I'd mused about how much I'd enjoyed him taking charge and being more dominant.

However, despite my near-constant fatigue and aching back, my cock perked up at the flood of images suddenly whooshing through my brain, encouraged by my friend voicing those same previously glossed-over fantasies.

I shifted in my seat and swallowed. "We, uh, we haven't really gotten kinky yet."

Ollie looked horrified, dramatically clutching non-existent pearls as he gasped, "That's a crime, Day. An actual crime."

I pointed at the basketball I appeared to be smuggling under my sweater. "Do you remember being like this?"

"Yeah," Ollie shrugged, "and I was horny all the time. Like… all the time. I needed Beck's knot practically lodged in me permanently."

It was strange to think that we'd only known each other a month, considering how candid we were with each other. But being the only two omegas to turn up pregnant in a few hundred years made for a unique bonding experience, I supposed, and I'd never exactly been prudish.

I nodded. "Yeah, I can relate to that. But I'm also the size of a house and I can't lie on my front…" Letting out a huge sigh, I lifted my hands at my sides in a ‘what can you do?' kind of gesture. "What's he gonna do? Hog tie me sideways?"

Even though I was joking, I did feel another thrill of pure arousal shoot through my veins at the idea of being tied up and completely at Rex's mercy.

"Or break out the shibari patterns? Get on your knees on the mattress and experiment. Build up a wall of pillows to support the bump if you have to. Oh!" Ollie whipped out his phone and tapped at the screen with a manic energy before he let out a quiet "ah ha!" and then turned the device to face me.

Staring at the picture on the screen, it took me a moment to work out what I was looking at. It was like one of those inflatable pool loungers, quite thick, with a large hole in the middle, a rectangular hole just above that, and then another face-sized hole near the top of the device.

"You stick your belly in the hole," Ollie said with excitement, as though I hadn't just cottoned on to his idea, "and then you can lie on your front again. "Lena said she bought one for her sister-in-law for Christmas." He turned his phone back around and looked at the screen wistfully. "I wish I'd known about these things when I was pregnant."

"Maybe next time, then," I teased.

Still looking at his screen, he nodded. "Maybe I'll just borrow yours."

"I'm not—"

"Too late; I'm clicking buy now."

"—buying one." I finished lamely, shaking my head. "Where are your rugrats, anyway?"

"Beck's got them." Ollie grinned. "He's got a council meeting and he's convinced that he can use their cuteness to distract the others from going off on their tangents or arguing over nonsense. I'm imagining total chaos."

"Which is why you're hiding out here instead of hanging out in your own house?"

His grin turned wicked. "How else will he learn?"

I was still laughing when the front door opened and a stranger walked in. Ollie and I seemed to scent him at the same time, both of us straightening as the now-familiar scent of dragon registered.

The man walking across the room to come and stand in front of my desk was completely unassuming at first glance. He was tall and lean, with short brown hair and a smattering of freckles over his long face. His eyes were a murky sort of blue, and everything about him seemed sharp, even his smile.

"Hello," he greeted us stiffly. "I'm looking for the Weldman family. I was told I'd find them here."

Ollie climbed off his perch on the side of my desk and turned to face the guy properly. He smiled back but jutted his chin upwards in challenge. As the Pack Alpha's mate, he was more defensive of our town than almost anyone else. "This is the best place to find them, yes. And you are…? "

The stranger's lips twitched with a hint of amusement. "Forgive me, my manners are always shocking after a long flight." He held out his hand, "Dexter Burnside."

Ollie's defensive countenance changed to excitement in a blink as he took Dexter's proffered hand. "Oh, the infamous Dexter! Welcome to Shifters Sanctuary. I'm Ollie."

"Ah, yes, the one bonded to the first alpha in centuries," Dexter cocked his head, looking Ollie up and down. "You bounced back well after the baby?"

"Babies," Ollie corrected, seemingly completely unfazed at what I thought was a kind of rude appraisal. "And yeah, I think I have." He shrugged. "Mostly."

Dexter nodded and then his attention drifted to me. I watched his eyes widen when his gaze landed on my sizable bump. "Another one?" He looked between me and Ollie with incredulity. "Another alpha?"

There was no use denying it, so I inclined my head. "Yeah. One more and I'll call it an epidemic."

The dragon laughed at that, and some of the weird tension in the room melted away. "I'll kick Sage's ass for keeping that tidbit to himself. He'll tell you Eric is the attention whore, but Sage is just as bad. He likes a bit of drama."

"We've had enough drama to last us a lifetime," Ollie told him. "Evil religious cults, kidnappings, surprise pregnancies…I'd just like to settle into a normal existence now, please."

Holding up my hand for a high-five, I said, "Amen to that."

Ollie slapped his palm against mine and then tapped at his phone screen again before bringing the device to his ear. "Hey," he spoke, presumably when the person on the other end of the line picked up, "are you working right now?" He looked over at Dexter and smiled. "There's a surprise at the clinic for you."

* * *

Watching Sage and Dexter reunite was fascinating. The redheaded dragon stood in stunned silence in the doorway for a moment before he stomped forward and slapped the brunette hard across his cleanshaven cheek, then wrenched him in for what appeared to be a bone-crushing hug.

"You asshole," Sage hissed, but he was squeezing Dexter tightly, "you took your time getting here! And not even a phone call, or an email, or even a text!"

Dexter just laughed. "Consider it payback for not telling me there was another alpha in this hick town."

"Hey," Ollie cut in, "we're standing right here."

Dexter didn't seem at all apologetic. "You're not hicks. You're the alphas' mates."

Ollie, I had learned, was particularly protective of Shifters Sanctuary. He folded his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Nobody living here is a hick, Dexter. We're all outcast shifters. We're a pack of good people who care about each other."

"Uh-huh," Dexter waved a dismissive hand, and I was back to thinking he was a bit of an asshole, "And you've all chosen to settle down in the middle of God-Knows-Where, Iowa. Why not a city, or an idyllic town in Europe or something?"

"He's just stirring you up," Sage cut in before Ollie or I gave in to the temptation to hurl a stapler or something at his dragon buddy. "Pushing boundaries is kind of his thing."

I didn't see it as pushing boundaries so much as being a jerk, but I held my tongue. Ollie made a non-committal sound that suggested he and I were on similar wavelengths.

"Anyway," Sage was perceptive enough to catch on to the vibe in the room, "I'll get Dex out of your hair. We've got a lot of catching up to do."

Dexter smirked at me and Ollie as he was dragged back out the door, calling over his shoulder, "Nice meeting you! We'll talk about what it's like to be knotted later!"

When we were certain he was well and truly out of earshot —even for shifter hearing standards— Ollie and I looked at each other and laughed.

"That dude is so bringing more drama," I told my friend, who groaned.

"Which dude?" I looked up to find Rex leaning against the doorframe, his head cocked in curiosity.

Just seeing him made me smile. I probably looked deranged.

"New dragon," Ollie answered, shaking his head. "He's a friend of Sage's, apparently, and a real smartass."

"Oh, so Dex has finally shown up?" Eric interjected as he led his last patient out of his office. The elderly hedgehog shifter nodded and waved at us all as he ambled past and out the door, but I was more focused on Eric. "He's not a bad guy. He's…well," he sighed and shrugged. "One of those people who'll soften once you get to know them."

"Right, well, Beck's going to love that," Ollie rolled his eyes and tapped at his phone. "I'll call and give him the head's up." Before he pressed the call button, though, he looked at me pointedly. "Aren't you going in for your ultrasound?"

I'd completely forgotten about that! No wonder Rex had turned up; he'd been excited about getting to see our kid on the screen.

Ollie snorted before I could answer. "You forgot, didn't you? Why did you think I came down here? I'm taking over reception while Eric gets his jollies treating you like a lab rat."

"And here I was thinking you just wanted to chat," I feigned hurt as Rex crossed the room, before I dropped the act and replaced my pout with another goofy smile when he kissed the top of my head, murmuring a sweet, "Hey, darlin'."

Channeling the big cat in my soul, I rubbed the top of my head against his jaw.

Ollie just rolled his eyes and pointed towards the hallway. "Get your ass in the consultation room. Your cowboy looks like he's about to combust."

Sure enough, when I stopped snuggling and actually looked at Rex, it seemed that he was practically vibrating with anxious energy. It was cute, and the urge to keep bantering with my friend evaporated.

Instead, I turned to Eric. "Are you ready for us, doc?"