39. SAVIN

SAVIN

The next few days pass in a tortured mixture of bliss and throbbing pain, the good moments spent curled up with Ellie and Macon kissing and teasing as my heat looms on the horizon. It taunts me with its arrival, testing my patience and just as I think that it’s going to arrive, I find myself needing a cold shower to stave off another wave of pain. Staying out of the maids and butler’s way is the best part. Especially when I’m nearly caught with my hands up Ellie’s skirt in the kitchen by Rhonda, those awful six beeps for the keypad ringing through the foyer.

I love being watched but I’m not sure that she would appreciate that kind of show.

Macon would also have a fit knowing that anyone else saw the way Ellie’s lips part when she comes, those soft sounds slipping through when she lets go. No, our Alpha would kill both the staff and us.

In the safety of this house, I have little to worry about even if I know that the shitstorm that photo caused is only making it worse out there. Macon’s warned the both of us to stay off social media in any capacity and all business calls have been redirected to him. Aside from Ellie and a few of the staff, I haven’t spoken with anyone else in three days. Aalya hasn’t even tried any funny shit of which I’m slightly surprised.

Not that I need anyone other than my two mates.

My ever-loving, caring Alpha and my beautiful pregnant Beta. She’s taken off the last few nights as well, working through her classes on a borrowed laptop from Macon’s office. While she studies, I find myself using her lap as a pillow until I get bored and decide that making her come is a much better mission.

Unfortunately, like now, Ellie is in the middle of a quiz.

“Five more minutes, Savin,” she purrs, trying to wiggle away from my grip. Ellie has her curls pinned on top of her head, Macon’s shirt hanging loosely off her shoulder but it’s the boxer shorts that I want away with. “Savin, this is a timed test!”

“Shoulda studied harder,” I snort, fingering the hem of one of the short’s legs. “Would have finished faster then.” Testing her resolve, I push my hand inside, fingers dancing along the sensitive skin. She squirms when my touch meets the apex of her thighs, wetness coating my skin. “Goddess, you’re soaked. Ellie, have you been thinking about this?”

“No,” she murmurs, eyes still focused on her laptop. “Three minutes.”

“Too long.” I stuff a finger in her pussy, grinning when she howls at the intrusion. Ellie grits her teeth together before she snaps the laptop closed and chucks it across the cushions. Realizing that I’ve won, I pull my fingers out and then shove them down the waistband of her pants for a better angle. Her hand fists into my shirt, dragging me in for a kiss, her tongue swiping across my lips and then slipping into my mouth. Her piercings heighten the pleasure as I pump my fingers in and out of her pussy, loving the way her hips meet me with every thrust.

The movement has her belly brushing against my arm, warmth settling in my chest that there are two babies in there. My babies.

“Erm, Savin, I’m going to come.”

“Of course you are, angel. Show me how pretty you are when you fall apart.”

She nibbles on my lips as I continue to pleasure her. Seeing Ellie relaxed has in some strange way soothed the pain of my heat. As if her release and the pheromones she emits help placate my usually needy ass. Without her in the house, I would have been curled up in a tight ball in my nest or the shower until Macon returned to take care of me. Even when my heats manifest somewhat normally, I’m stuck in this dizzying haze of neediness and knots.

Now?

I can at least breathe without constantly craving something shoved up my ass. It’s not normal but fuck I’ll take it.

Ellie whines through an orgasm, bucking wildly against my fingers. “Holy fuck, babe. Yes!” That sweet and spicy cider scent explodes through the room as she falls apart, sagging against the cushions. “Probably failed that quiz but it was so worth it.”

The little research I’ve done told me that Ellie’s need for sex during pregnancy might be heightened or she wouldn’t want us to touch her at all. She hasn’t sought us out but every time I start something, Ellie is more than happy to finish it. Just last night, she turned sweet kisses with Macon into getting knotted. I am not complaining about the wonderful show I witnessed and it’s amazing seeing how easily she’s fit into our lives.

Well, the life inside of this house.

I have no idea what to expect when we step outside tomorrow. Ellie has to return to school and I have contract obligations to fulfill.

I drag my fingers out and suck on them, smacking my lips obnoxiously until Ellie’s stomach growls. Goddess, when was the last time we ate? Ellie picked at breakfast and maybe took two bites of dinner last night. “Lunch, Ellie. Your sister will kill me otherwise.” I jump off the couch and pull her with me, still sucking that sweet taste off my digits. Carleen won’t actually kill me but she’s one of the few Alphas that terrifies me. She doesn’t push her Alpha status forward and yet her aura still demands respect. The way she confronted Macon was enough to have me on my toes around her.

Ellie starts rummaging through drawers as I wash my hands and then slide my phone out to check for messages. A frown takes over my face when there’s just one from Macon.

I’ll be home around lunch.

Even when we work different schedules, Macon sends me several sweet messages. Lately, though, he’s been a little more distant. Not enough for Ellie to notice, I don’t think but it’s the little things. Not as many kisses or touches. His whiskey scent is dry and almost uninviting. It could be stress but it feels like something else. Something bothering him that he feels like he can’t tell us.

I glance over at Ellie who’s humming her way through opening a bowl of microwaveable mac n cheese. “Wait, Ellie, angel,” I grab the processed food from her. “You’ve been eating this since you came over a few days ago. We all like cheese but you need real food.”

“That is real food. Besides, I have cravings.”

“Yeah, and I don’t need your Alpha sister up my ass because we haven’t been feeding you properly. There’s some leftover salad and the grilled salmon from last night that you didn’t eat.”

Ellie turns up her nose and then sighs, knowing that I’ll force her to eat something other than the cheesy noodles. “Fine, but just a little bit.”

“Not if you’re going to have ice cream afterward.”

A deviant smile spreads across her lips as she wiggles her brows and I can’t help but laugh at her playfulness. I grab the containers from the fridge, reheating the salmon in the microwave before plating two servings for us and setting them on the counter. Ellie snatches a fork from me the moment I procure one from the drawers and digs in. When she starts shoveling salad into her mouth, I start to comment on how she only wanted a little bit but am interrupted by my phone ringing.

Knowing that Macon will be home in an hour or so, I’m not inclined to pick it up. He’s not telling us something and it feels almost like lying. I just don’t have the energy to hash it out over the phone. Ellie, however, doesn’t have that same sentiment, her eyes narrowing at the device on the counter. “Why aren’t you picking up?” I don’t answer her, Ellie growling at my hesitation before she snatches it and answers the call. “Alpha?”

“Where is Savin?” He sounds panicked and I remember the last time Ellie picked up my phone, I had been unconscious on the shower floor.

“Right here,” I answer, stuffing a forkful of salad into my mouth. The crunch seems unnecessarily loud but I want to know what is wrong. Is it something I’ve done? Have the tabloids printed something again? Is it Aalya? There are too many possibilities swirling through my head and I hate that I don’t know the truth.

“I’m around the corner. Just… give me a minute.”

The call ends, both of us staring at the device in confusion. Ellie looks like the perfect chipmunk as she looks at me, her brows arched. “What the fuck was that? What’s wrong with Macon?”

“You noticed?”

“I thought it was stress and maybe I was hopeful that you would know and we could figure it out together. Well, shit.” Ellie quickly chews and then downs half a glass of water. “Do you think-”

She doesn’t get to finish her words as Macon bursts through the front door and into the kitchen before dragging me against his chest. He rocks me back and forth, his arms tightening almost painfully around me. As much as I want to return the embrace, I need answers. “Why have you been so distant?”

Macon releases me, warring with emotions I don’t understand. “You’re okay. Fuck. She… My mother has been playing games again. Whispers that you were packing up to leave and I just,” He clears his throat, pulling back enough to hold my face in his hands. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so broken, with the bags beneath his eyes, and the haphazardly shaven beard. “My mother threatened you and Ellie and the babies. I’ve been trying to handle it but this shit can’t be handled with a few nice words.”

My brows shoot up, horror filling my expression. “How the fuck does she know about the babies?” The thought of Aalya doing something to Ellie churns my gut, our sweet Beta’s sour scent filling the room. I twist around to look at her, anger staring back at me.

“Your mother threatened my unborn children?” Ellie spits out, venom dripping from every word. She steps around the counter, a few feet from us. “Macon, you-”

Her words drop off when our Alpha drops to his knees, the true weight of what he’s been trying to protect us from becoming clear. “I wanted to find some amicable way to end this, to give her what she wants. The problem is that I have no fucking clue what that is. She’s never been this outspoken about my choices or my needs.”

Ellie leans against the counter, tilting her head at Macon’s pitiful presence on the floor. “Have you thought that maybe she wants to stay relevant and with you pushing her out of your life, she no longer has a footing in this world? That one actor you have. Lily? She does something similar. If everyone is talking about her, then she feels like she’s still famous.”

A frustrated growl tears from Macon’s throat as he bows his head against my stomach. “Maybe. I don’t fucking know anymore but I can’t look you both in the eyes and tell you that I love you when my own flesh and blood-”

That’swhat he’s worried about? Goddamnit, this man has a heart of gold. Gently, I cup his face in my hands, willing for Macon to look up at me. Those beautiful brown eyes are hardened from their usual warm playfulness, trodden with everything he’s doing to protect us. “You seriously thought I would stop loving you, Alpha? After everything we’ve been through? You’ve been here, at my side, through thick and thin. When I’m seconds from passing out to my painful heats to my snarky ass popping off at people I should probably have more respect for. And you thought Aalya’s tricks would make me give up all that love you’ve given me? You thought I wouldn’t stick by you every step of the way to work through this?”

A tear falls down his cheek and I bend down to kiss it. “How can I be a father when I bring so much pain?”

The temperature of the room drops several degrees as I digest his worries. While Ellie and I have been enjoying each other’s company during the day, Macon has been worrying about how well he can take care of a family. Ellie clicks her tongue, stepping closer as her gaze narrows at her Alpha.

Her words could break our Alpha in this vulnerable moment but I know she’ll say just what he needs to hear.

“I asked you to prove that our feelings were more than just bonds. That it wasn’t just because you wanted to father the babies in my belly. You protecting me from a world I’m not ready for is the very definition of it. Since we reconnected a few weeks ago, you’ve told me that you love me or are in love with me more times than I can count. My own insecurities keep me from saying it back because I’m terrified that it might not be real. That all this shit is some fluke and it’s just because you feel this stupid biological pull.”

“Sweetheart,” he begins but she’s not done—our fierce Beta.

Goddess, I love her.

“No!” Ellie yells, jabbing a finger into his shoulder as she stands beside me. “You listen. I love you, dammit. Not because of any bond or because I’m having your children. And yes, Macon, they’re your children too. I love you, Alpha.” She twists his face toward her into a demanding kiss, swallowing the purr that vibrates through his entire body. His hands move to her waist before he drags her down into his lap, one of his hands moving to splay over her belly. Ellie tears her lips from his to look at me with a wicked smile on her lips. “Fuck, I love you too, Savin.”

I drop to my knees and pull her into a kiss of my own. “I know, angel. I know.”

I’ve known for a while that her feelings have shifted but I wasn’t going to force her. We sit there for several moments in each other’s arms, drinking in the warmth that each of us provides. Ellie sits up a little, pressing another kiss to Macon’s jaw. “You said this doesn’t work without communication, Alpha. That I have to tell you what I need. This goes both ways. For both of you. Macon, what do you need from us?”

He doesn’t answer, nuzzling against her forehead before mumbling something about a shower and cuddles. I’m 100% down for that but it seems the real answer is something Macon isn’t sure Ellie is ready for. When he deposits her on the floor beside me, Ellie turns to me for an explanation. “What does he need, Savin?”

“He needs an outlet. But that part of him has been dormant since my health took a sharper decline.” I feel like I have enough strength today and even then, I have my safe words if that changes.

“Do you mean we get to pull out the infamous toys?” Her entire face lights up and I realize that Ellie is more than ready. I just hope she keeps that sentiment when she sees Macon’s closet.