In Bed

Izan

T he look on Mari’s face guts me.

Her expression is blank, and her eyes are unfocused. It’s almost as if she’s left her body.

This has to be a response from something traumatic she suffered in her past. It’s obvious she was attacked at one point. I felt the deep scars between her thighs when I cleaned her in the shower. I didn’t linger on them, not wanting to upset her. But now, I wish I had refused to rut her tonight. She clearly needs more time.

Why didn’t Havenfield warn me? The angry thought cuts through me.

There’s no helping it now, but at the very least, I can be gentle with her and make this quick.

“It’s okay, omega,” I whisper, placing gentle kisses on Mari’s lips and cheeks. “You’re doing so well. You feel so good.” I slowly pump my cock in and out of her, the puddle of slick growing beneath her. “You are so perfect.” I moan when her pussy tightens around my shaft.

I can’t tell if she’s on the verge of coming or not. Her expression hasn’t changed. She’s still completely blank.

Hoping I can make her feel good, I grip her hips, angling them up. Then I thrust, hitting that bundle of nerves deep inside her. Mari’s breath catches and her eyes close. I do it again and again, trying like hell to pull even an ounce of pleasure from her small body. She jerks like a rag doll beneath me, her fists curling tight, and her legs squeeze my hips. All at once, her cheeks flush bright red and her pussy spasms hard. The omega’s face scrunches and her chin quivers. For a second I’m worried she’s going to cry. But then, as swiftly as her orgasm hit her, it fades away.

Slowly, Mari opens her eyes. Her pupils are fully dilated as they stare unfocused at my face. She looks lost in a trance, unable to really see me.

I have no idea what to say.

This isn’t the passionate evening I expected.

I’ve heard the stories of omegas that fight their first mating tooth and nail. Alphas resort to taking them by force to ease the wild creature’s mind. I’ve also heard of romantic pairings, where an alpha and omega are so well matched it’s as if fate brought them together. But I didn’t expect to be claiming a vacant doll, completely disconnected from her body.

“It’s okay,” I say, pulling my cock from Mari’s hot pussy. I’m still rock-hard, my balls aching with the need to come. But I ignore my discomfort, focusing entirely on the fragile omega in my arms.

Rolling onto my back, I pull Mari’s limp body to me, draping her across my chest. Deep lines settle between her brows and her words slur as she raises her head. “What happened?” She squints at my face as if confused. “Why aren’t you?—”

I quickly shush her, cupping the side of her face, and forcing her to lie back down. “You’re safe with me, omega.” I begin to purr. “Sleep,” I command her softly.

Mari’s eyes flutter, then close. Too exhausted to fight it any longer.

Her breath evens out, and her body goes slack.

And before I know it, she’s fast asleep.

I wake long before Mari does, giving me the chance to admire the sleeping omega pressed against my side. She’s so stunning, lying on her back, completely naked. Her golden hair frames her face in wild waves, and her pouty lips are parted, allowing soft snores to leave her mouth. It’s a delicate, breathy sound. But my eyes keep pulling to the delicious curve of her hips and her pretty tits. One nipple pokes upward, and the other hides inside her soft flesh.

She seemed to enjoy it when I played with her nipples last night, but I’m not so sure she enjoyed anything else. I’m thankful I was able to make her come.

Deep worry churns in my gut, as I try like hell to figure out what I should do next. It’s obvious I can’t mindlessly fuck her and hope it grows our connection. She has to be present in her own body for that to happen, and the poor girl completely disassociated last night.

I’m going to have to change how I approach this.

I’m just not sure how.

My phone chimes from the bathroom, and I tense from the startling sound. Thankfully, Mari stays dead asleep.

“Are you awake?” Everly’s voice drifts into the room a second before she does. Her beautiful face pops into the crack in the door, and she smiles when our eyes meet. “I brought breakfast.” She steps inside, carrying a heavy tray and some kind of pink garment draped over one arm. I assume it’s clothes for Mari.

“She’s still asleep,” I say softly, motioning the beta to come a little closer. I should ask Everly to leave since Mari’s naked form is fully exposed, but the smell of bacon is too tempting. I didn’t get a chance to eat dinner last night, and I didn’t want to crawl out of bed and risk waking the omega. “You look beautiful.” I smile at my beta, taking in her tight jeans, fitted white blouse, and simple ponytail.

“Thank you.” Everly blushes, coming to a stop at the foot of the bed. Something on the tray shifts and glass clanks together. She probably shouldn’t be carrying that. Everly isn’t the most graceful.

My phone chimes again and Mari stirs. I wince. Why didn’t I put it on silent?

“Where?” Everly asks.

“The bathroom,” I grit out. “In my pants.”

Everly sets everything on the bed as another chime cuts through the quiet room. This time Mari moves, and I frown.

Arching her back, Mari lets out a soft groan then she slowly lifts her head. She looks at where our bodies touch along our side, and her expression twists as if confused.

“I’m so sorry.” Everly grimaces as she walks toward the bed. She holds my phone clutched to her chest, acting as if it were a delicate bomb. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

Mari doesn’t say a word as she reaches for the edge of the blanket. The omega tugs it toward her, awkwardly wrapping it around her naked form.

Everly averts her gaze as the omega covers up, then the beta presses her palm to her neck. She always touches her mating bite when she’s nervous or scared. She’s obviously craving a connection with her alphas to calm her, but sadly, none of us have that kind of bond with her.

Alphas and betas don’t have the same kind of bond as alphas and omegas. At best, some can feel whispers of emotion from their mates, and at worst, we feel nothing. And that’s the kind of bond we all have with Everly. None of us can feel her and she can’t feel us. It’s disappointing, but there’s nothing that can be done about it.

“Are you hungry?” Everly hands me my phone, before sitting next to me on the bed. I can tell she wants to crawl over me and wrap Mari up in her arms, but she’s clearly trying to be respectful of Mari’s space. “Did you sleep okay?”

“I slept okay.” Mari rubs her puffy eyes, before glancing around the room. She stares at the window next to me, squinting at a thin cut of light at the edge of the curtain. “I didn’t mean to sleep so hard.”

Everly lets out a gentle laugh. “You didn’t mean to sleep hard?” She tilts her head to one side, trying to understand. “Why wouldn’t you want to sleep well?”

Mari makes a face as if caught in a lie, then she forces a laugh. “I don’t know.” She shrugs and her usual sweet expression takes hold. “I guess I mean that I’m surprised that I slept so well. I normally wake up a lot at night.”

“Nightmares?” I ask, unable to help myself. I’m desperate to know more about the omega. What keeps her up at night? What haunts her?

“Nightmares?” Mari looks at me with her wide eyes, seemingly shocked by my question. “No. I just…” she shrugs again, clearly at a loss for words. “I don’t normally sleep well. That’s all.”

I meet Everly’s worried gaze. I texted her about Mari’s troubling past the second we got in the car yesterday. I’m sure the little beta has a thousand possible reasons for Mari’s memory loss. And if I know Everly, she’ll do everything in her power to help Mari move through her trauma.

“Here you go.” Everly picks up a tiny plastic cup off of the tray. “Your meds.”

“Oh,” Mari stares at the cup, clearly not wanting to take it. “You know, I actually don’t take those pills every day. I only take them when I?—”

“That won’t do, omega,” I gently cut her off, taking the cup from Everly. “Take your medication.” I hold the small cup up, waiting for Mari to take it. For half a second, I think she’s going to fight me, argue a bit more. But then, as if deciding better, she takes the cup and tosses her head back, swallowing the pill in one go.

“Drink?” Everly holds up a little glass of orange juice.

Mari’s eyes go wide as she notices the tray of food for the first time. “Actually, yeah.” She turns to Everly, giving my sweet girl a smile as she pats her belly. “I’m kind of hungry.”

Everly jumps up, grabbing the tray and rounding the bed to Mari’s side. She sits down, placing the tray right in front of the omega. Mari’s dark eyes drift over the various plates, taking in the variety of meats and pastries Everly prepared. Our chef is pretty amazing .

Mari picks up a piece of perfectly cooked bacon. She eyes it for a second, before taking a big bite. She hums from the flavor before taking another bite, then another. I can’t help but smile. Even though last night didn’t go as planned, she’s obviously feeling better this morning.

“Would you like something to eat, alpha?” Everly asks as she hands me a cup of coffee.

I take a small sip, refusing to take any food away from Mari. “I’m not hungry,” I lie, setting the cup on the bedside table. “I need to get some work done.” I scoot to the edge of the bed, deciding to grab something from the kitchen so Mari can eat her fill in bed.

“Where are you going?” Mari looks up at me as I stand. Her cheeks bulge as she chews a huge bite of a chocolate croissant.

“I’m not leaving the house,” I assure her, pleased when her gaze drops down my exposed chest, settling on my slowly plumping dick. Her cheeks flush red and she abruptly turns away, hiding her face from me.

I’m not sure if her reaction is embarrassment from being intrigued or if it’s fear. “Hutch, Dassy, and I will all be home today,” I say, pulling a pair of boxers out of a dresser drawer. I palm my cock, adjusting it in the overly tight fabric. My body is still pretty amped from not being able to cum last night, but I refuse to take Mari until I’ve had a chance to talk to Hutch about what happened. When I’m too concerned to think straight, he’s my voice of reason.

“When you're done eating, I can give you a tour.” Everly twists, grabbing the clothes off of the foot of the bed. “I also brought you something to wear.” She holds up the dress by the shoulders, so Mari can see it. The sight of the familiar garment makes me sigh. “I hope you like pink.”

Mari freezes up as she looks over the dress, then she forces a smile and nods. I might not know the omega well, but even I can tell she hates it. Maybe it’s the color. Mari mentioned in the car that she hated pink, but it’s a lovely dress. It’s omega-made with a high neckline, lacey capped sleeves, and tiny opal buttons down the front.

“It’s great,” Mari says through a stiff smile. “Thank you so much.”

Everly smiles as if relieved. “Hopefully it’ll fit.” She sets the dress next to Mari, patting the precious garment. “I wanted to get you some clothes before you got here, but I didn’t know your size and Havenfield wouldn’t tell us.” She huffs loudly, clearly annoyed. “They are so guarded about the dumbest things.”

Mari snorts, quickly agreeing. “They really are.”

“You two have fun shopping,” I say as I round the bed. “Text me if you need anything.” I kiss the top of Mari’s head, then Everly’s.

“I love you,” Everly says sweetly.

“I love you too,” I curl my fingers around the beta’s neck, squeezing ever so gently. She hums at the sensation, making my cock twitch and my balls draw up.

I’m definitely going to need some release. And soon.