24

corentin

I GOT TO the castle and the servants let me in. I was accepted into the place, given a room to settle into, even, but I was told that Aurelie wasn't there, that she'd gone somewhere with Nikolai.

I was disappointed, but I found myself following the scent of Dmitri down the hallway to a closed door. Inside, I could scent Johannes.

The last time the three of us had been together, we'd all expressed hatred for each other, so it was dumb of me to knock. But I did, anyway.

"Go away," came the sound of Johannes's voice from within. Maybe if it had been Dmitri, I would have felt compelled to obey, but the sound of that voice—pleasured and strained and so very fucking sexy—only made me turn the doorknob and burst inside.

Johannes was leaning against the wall, half-lidded eyes looking up at the ceiling, out of breath. His pants were undone and Dmitri was kneeling in front of him, sucking Johannes's cock deep. It looked like he was trying to get that knot in his mouth too.

I felt my body react, my scent rising into the air.

"You didn't lock the door?" said Johannes to Dmitri.

Dmitri spoke around the other man's cock, his voice distorted. "It's your room."

I shut the door behind myself and started stripping off my clothes.

"Look," said Johannes, "no one invited you."

"I know," I said, stepping out of my pants, totally naked, and coming for him. "Besides, we all hate each other."

"I mean, I don't know you," said Johannes.

I kissed him.

He sighed into my mouth.

I pulled away. "Let's get to know each other." I dropped to my knees next to Dmitri and started applying my mouth to Johannes's swelling knot, licking all the spots that Dmitri couldn't get to.

Johannes let out a long, low moan. "Fuck," he breathed.

Dmitri kept sucking Johannes, but he grabbed my cock with one hand and started jerking me.

I alternated between licking Johannes and kissing Dmitri's jaw and cheek and chin.

We did this for a while, and it felt amazing. I was riding a wave of warm, bright pleasure, and it kept building and building.

Eventually, Johannes came, but I was in the zone, and I couldn't stop licking his knot, even as he swore at me and begged me to let him be.

I crested, my body flooded with heat and excitement, and then I burst, spilling all over Dmitri's hand.

Dmitri rocked back, releasing Johannes's glistening cock from his mouth and began licking my release off his palm.

My eyes rolled back in my head and I panted, aftershocks of pleasure still going through me.

Dmitri stood up, still licking up my come. He looked down at us. "Johannes, you're too clothed."

Johannes was out of breath, too. "Okay."

"Apologize to your alpha," said Dmitri.

"Right, uh… sorry, alpha," said Johannes, sounding sarcastic.

"I'm going to take that defiance out of your ass, Johannes," said Dmitri.

"You can try," said Johannes, his scent rising. "Maybe I'm going to take it out of yours."

Dmitri pinned him to the wall, hand at his throat.

Johannes's scent was cloying. He whined.

"Try that apology again," said Dmitri in a low voice.

"Sorry, alpha," came Johannes's choked voice.

Dmitri let go of him. "Take everything off. And then I want both of you face down, bent over on this bed, right next to each other, and I'm going to slip my cock in and out of each of you. Fuck you both at the same time."

My mouth was dry, looking up at him. "Thank you, alpha," I breathed.

Dmitri smiled down at me, a satisfied smile. "You're welcome, Corentin. You want me in your ass, don't you?"

"Very much," I said.

"And you, Johannes?" said Dmitri.

"Yes, alpha," said Johannes, yanking off his shirt.

In moments, we were doing exactly what he said, bent over the bed next to each other, legs spread, cocks and knots pressed into the bedspread. I'd just come, but I was still hard.

Dmitri ran fingers over the curve of my ass, his voice soft and soothing. "You have a very pretty hole, Corentin," he told me, and then pressed his thumb against it.

I moaned.

"Yours is pretty, too, Johannes," whispered Dmtri. I could see he was touching Johannes.

Johannes sighed. His face was turned away from mine.

"Face each other," said Dmitri.

Johannes turned his head so that we were looking at each other.

Dmitri slipped a fingertip into my asshole. "Kiss," he ordered.

We kissed.

Dmitri started to work his finger into me more.

Fuck. He was going to lube me, wasn't he? You couldn't get butt-fucked without lube, could you? I didn't really want to find out, I didn't think. On the other hand, I wanted to be completely taken by Dmitri, in whatever way he wanted to take me, so I surrendered. It felt so good to surrender to him.

Dmitri moved his finger out of me. "Where's the lube, Johannes?"

"Drawer by the bed," said Johannes, eyeing me. "So, Corentin, I thought you had urgent business."

"Yeah," I said. "Well, everything went to hell, and then I scented the two of you, and… this a better use of my time."

He raised his eyebrows.

"Aurelie's okay with that Nikolai guy, right?"

"Definitely," said Johannes.

It felt less bad sharing her when I was surrendering in this way myself. Maybe being in a pack would be kind of awesome, actually.

"Shut up," said Dmitri, smacking my ass.

I yelped, mostly out of surprise.

"Bad boy," said Dmitri in a knowing and lilting voice. "Both very bad boys." He spanked Johannes, too. He paused, waiting. "Now, what do you say?"

We said it in a chorus. "Thank you, alpha."

"Good," said Dmitri. "Very good." His finger pushed into me again, but it was lubed this time.

I gasped. That felt good .

"You like that, don't you, Corentin?" said Dmitri, his voice silky.

"Fuck yes, alpha," I breathed.

"And so do you, Johannes," said Dmitri.

Johannes only groaned.

I heard the crack of Dmitri's hand on Johannes's ass. "Say it," said Dmitri.

"I like it, alpha," said Johannes.

"You like being mine," said Dmitri.

Johannes didn't say anything.

"Corentin, are you mine?" said Dmitri.

"Yours, alpha," I said. He had his finger way the hell up inside me now, and it felt fucking awesome, and I would probably say anything he wanted me to say. My cock was rock hard, and I was starting to move my hips against the bed, which had the dual effect of stimulating my erection and making his finger go deeper in my asshole.

"Good boy," said Dmitri. "Such a good boy. Since you're such a good boy, Corentin, I'm going to keep stretching this sweet little hole of yours before I fuck it. But Johannes, you need to be taught a lesson. So, that's enough stretching for you."

Johannes made a noise, but he also didn't move from his position or resist in anyway. His eyes were back to that half-lidded look of pleasure that they'd been in when I came into the room. "You want to hurt me, alpha?"

"You want to give me a very tight, tight little hole to fuck, don't you, Johannes? Do that for your alpha, because you like pleasing me. It's good for you, a sweet release to surrender and to give in. You know giving me what I want is also what you want," said Dmitri, who was still finger fucking me during all of this, though the angle of his finger had changed, and I could see that he was in position between Johannes's legs. He squirted lube all over Johannes.

Johannes gasped. "Cold," he breathed.

"Rubbing this lube right into you, because you want me to fuck your tight ass," said Dmitri. "Admit it, Johannes."

Johannes only smiled, a wide, blissed-out smile, as if he was playing a game and it was particularly enjoyable. He didn't say a fucking word.

"Mmm, I'm going to really enjoy teaching you a lesson, Johannes," said Dmitri, his voice thick and affected. "I cannot wait to fuck you into submission."

Johannes groaned, and he thrust his own hips into the bed, same as I was doing.

"You like this," said Dmitri, who was lining his cock up against Johannes's asshole. "Put me in, baby. Tuck the tip of me into your unstretched, tight little hole and take me just like you know you want to."

Johannes sighed and reached back and did exactly fucking that.

And then his eyes opened wide and his mouth opened wide and he made this noise in the back of his throat.

Dmitri had his fingers inside me, and they went still as he used his other hand to rub up and down Johannes's back. "Relax for me, baby, relax. I know, I know. That's a lot. My cock is very big. Shh, you're going to be all right. You can take this."

"Fuck," said Johannes, moaning. His eyes were watering.

"Does it hurt?" said Dmitri.

"You know it fucking hurts," said Johannes, his voice mangled.

"You'll get used to me," said Dmitri.

Johannes groaned.

"Are you mine?" said Dmitri.

"Fuck, Dmitri, fuck," gasped Johannes.

"Say it, pretty boy, say it for your alpha. Tell your alpha."

"Yes, I'm yours. My ass is yours. You can do whatever you want with it."

"Better yet? Still painful?"

"Fuck you," said Johannes.

"You like it," said Dmitri, sure of himself. "It's good for you."

"Yes," said Johannes, shutting his eyes. "Yes, I like giving this to you, alpha."

"Trusting me to take you through this," said Dmitri.

"Yes, fuck yes," said Johannes.

"You trust me?"

"I do, alpha."

"Good boy. You feel very fucking good. You're so tight. I love the way you're gripping me, baby."

"Oh, shit, Dmitri, your cock is so big."

"I know, I know. You're doing a very good job taking me, though. Good, good boy. I'll take care of you, you know. I'm your pack leader, and your alpha, and you can trust me not to take more than I need from you. Does it still hurt?"

"Not as bad," said Johannes. "Feels good, but it felt good the whole time." His eyes were closed now, his face relaxed. His scent was starting to fill the room, twining up with Dmitri's, and they smelled so good together. "Want your knot."

"Mmm," said Dmitri, sighing. "Someday, Johannes, it will be my pleasure to knot your tight ass, but today, you only get so much of my big, alpha cock, because I need to fuck Corentin with it, too."

Johannes opened his eyes to look at me. "Yeah, okay."

Dmitri smacked Johannes's ass. "Say it again, baby. Say it again, good boy. Say that you're mine."

"I'm yours, alpha," said Johannes, his voice ragged.

"You like my thick cock shoved into you."

"I fucking love your thick cock in me," said Johannes. "Oh, hell, I love you, Dmitri. I feel it, the surrender, the submission, the…" He grunted. "The break. It's fucking good."

"I love you, too," said Dmitri.

Johannes shut his eyes. "You should let one of us do it to you. You'd like it."

Dmitri stopped fucking Johannes. He went still and then yanked his cock out. He moved over and shoved himself into me.

I was, uh, not exactly stretched, because Dmitri had been distracted by whatever he was doing with Johannes, and I had not minded watching it. It was hot as hell.

It stung as he shoved himself into me, prodding his way inside, forcing my tight hole to accommodate his length and significant girth. But then he hit me right in that spot , and I did not fucking care if it hurt at all. I let out a thin cry. "Thank you, alpha," I said.

"Oh, you're fucking welcome, Corentin," said Dmitri in a husky voice. "You have a very nice little asshole, don't you?"

"It's yours," I told him, breathless. "You can have it any time you want, alpha. Fuck, there , just like that, please?"

"You beg so nicely, don't you?" said Dmitri, his voice even huskier.

"Please, please, alpha?" Shit, he was going to make me come, and I'd never even had a prostate orgasm before, but this was intensely good. I was right there .

"You close, Corentin?" His voice was a deep caress.

"Yes, please, alpha, finish me," I gasped.

"Hold off, sweet boy," said Dmitri, though his own voice sounded a little strained. "Hold off for me. I'll tell you when, okay?"

Uh… no, I did not think I could stop it. It was barreling down on me like a freight train.

The sharp crack of his hand smacking my ass. "Corentin, answer me."

"Yes, alpha, I'll hold off," I said in a tremulous voice, but I was lying, there was no way I could manage.

Except… was there power in saying these things aloud to him or something? Because I didn't come. My orgasm built, instead, built quickly and intensely, like a skyscraper going up in a time-lapse video, ground to twenty stories in three seconds. It felt fucking wonderful, and it kept growing in intensity, and I was letting out these tiny little yips, which I couldn't control. I'd never felt this good in my life. I'd never felt like this—suspended in ever-growing pleasure—trapped here in the sweetness of the most erotic experience of my life.

"Thank you, alpha," I managed. "I love you, I love you." I mean, I did not . Love him? I hated him. I hated fucking everything about him. But I don't know, it felt different in that moment.

"Love you, too, sweet Corentin," he breathed. "Because you're mine, and I take you on, and I love my pack, and I will take care of you. I'll take care of your cock, your knot, your sweet tight ass, and your access to our omega. You belong here."

Something burst, but not it my cock, in my chest , at that word. I didn't know if I'd ever belonged anywhere, really. Maybe with Aurelie. Maybe there, but this felt different, better, real in some other way. I cried out.

"Wanted to wait, but I'm too far gone," said Dmitri, voice ragged. "Going to come in you, Corentin. Would you like to be pumped full of my come?"

"Yes, please, alpha," I said.

"You take it then, but you don't come yet," said Dmitri. "Understand?"

"Yes, alpha," I wheezed. Fuck, I didn't know how much more of this I could take. I was hovering right on the edge of tipping over, teetering right there, and I kept thinking I'd be nudged to climax, but instead, each nudge made my pleasure intensify.

"That's good. You're such a submissive thing, aren't you?" he said softly. "Like you were made to take me, to surrender to me? You're just perfect, and your ass is so fucking sweet, Corentin, shit ." I felt him coming in me, felt his cock rippling as he jerked inside my body.

It felt amazing, and I moaned and climbed and nearly came, but didn't, couldn't— "Please, alpha?" I gasped.

"Yes, good boy, you can come," he said in a tattered voice. "Come, Corentin."

I started to spurt, but he yanked us both up, off the bed, so that I was standing, and he seized my cock—wrapped his hand around the head of it and squeezed.

The pressure was exquisite.

I let out something like a sob as I crested again, my cock exploding like a fountain all over his fist.

He was kissing the nape of my neck, whispering praise to me, telling me what a good job I'd done and how much he liked my ass and what a good, obedient cock I had. "Comes just when your alpha tells you, doesn't that pretty cock?" he said, pressing his mouth into my skin between words.

Tears were streaming down my face. I'd never been fucked like this. I'd never come like this. I'd never… I had thought that Aurelie was everything to me, but I needed this man in my life, and I didn't even know what to do with that, because— fuck —I still hated him. I kind of hated that he had this power over me. It was terrifying.

"Johannes," Dmitri said.

Johannes was lying where he'd left him, legs spread, ass lewd and glistening from the lube and the penetrating. He looked delectable, naked and gorgeous, spread out and ready for the taking. I wanted him too.

"Roll over," said Dmitri. "Show us your hard cock."

"Yes, alpha," Johannes rumbled, rolling over so that his cock was pointing and pulsing, reddened and huge.

"You're hard as hell, Johannes, and you liked watching Corentin fall apart," whispered Dmitri, his voice silky. "You liked watching me fall apart. When I came in his tight ass, you felt sympathetic tremors in yours, too."

"I…" Johannes swallowed. "Yeah? Fuck, what is it about you, Dmitri?"

"You'll come for me now," said Dmitri. "I'll tell you when, and your pretty, stiff cock will get even stiffer, and your balls will get nice and tight, and you'll feel that good, sweet pressure and you'll come. On my command."

I remembered when he'd done this to me. My eyes rolled back in my head.

Johannes only panted.

"Agree, Johannes," said Dmitri in an iron voice. "Let your alpha care for you."

"Yes, alpha, on your command," said Johannes.

"Good," said Dmitri. "Very good, Johannes. I have to say that there's nothing quite like getting you to submit to me. It's not easy, and when you give it to me, it feels fantastic ."

Johannes sighed. "For me, too, alpha."

"Go ahead and come for me, then, Johannes, let go."

Johannes came with a shout, trembling all over at the force of his release. His semen hit me, painting my stomach and my pecks.

"Reach down and taste that, Corentin," urged Dmitri in my ear.

I did. Johannes tasted very fucking good.

Dmitri beckoned and Johannes got off the bed to stagger over to us. Dmitri kissed him, and then Johannes kissed me, and then we all kissed and it was hot as all hell, but I felt an echo of that explosion in my chest at the same time, that feeling of togetherness, belonging, some kind of bond?

I'd never felt anything like it before, but now that I had, I didn't know if I wanted to let it go.

nikolai

I HADN'T REALIZED how much I missed this. Hands training the gun on these men, the air in my lungs, the way I felt heightened, aware of every single thing around me, it was like being alive, really alive.

Was this why I checked and rechecked every room for danger? Was this why I'd done self-harm? Was I just addicted to danger and pain?

Fuck.

I trained the gun on one of the men and I threw every ounce of my alpha presence into my words. "Both of you need to set down your weapons very slow and easy."

They just gazed at me, teeth bared.

"Now," I said, and it was a bark.

It worked.

You could never be sure with alpha barks. They didn't mean you had absolute control over other people, after all. People could resist them. Sometimes betas did, sometimes even omegas did. But lots of times, you got lucky and barks made people want to submit to your wishes.

They both crouched down and set down their guns.

I rushed over to them. "Walk. Foreheads pressed into the outer wall of the shack, hands behind your backs."

They did it.

I didn't have anything to tie them up with. I was dimly aware of Aurelie's scent. I was pretty sure my bark had made her perfume. It was nice to think she'd perfumed for me, and I was working on a knot now, but I couldn't focus on that.

I pressed my gun into the back of one of their skulls and then against the other. "Corentin Sejour."

"Never heard of him," said one of the men.

"Sure about that?" I said.

"Swear to fucking God," said the other man. "Who's that?"

Annoying, but this had really been a long shot. Anyway, I'd just spoken on the phone with the guy who was trying to set up the rendezvous for dropping off the ransom money, and that was a better lead than this. We'd find Corentin. I should probably just let these sad sacks go.

"Ask them what they're doing to that man in there," said Aurelie.

"You heard the lady," I said. "What are you up to?"

"It's a procedure," said one of the men.

I put the gun against his jaw. "Can you be more vague?"

He stiffened. "It, uh, it's supposed to make you into an alpha."

"Supposed to?" said Aurelie.

The other man said, "Sometimes, it doesn't work."

"What are they injecting into him?" said Aurelie.

"It's alpha pheromones, alpha essence, whole bunches of different extracts taken from alphas of all different bloodlines. Sometimes it takes a specific alpha to make a guy present. Sometimes, it just doesn't work," said the guy.

"And once, the guy became an omega," said the other guy. "But he drank a bunch of whiskey the next night and tucked a gun down his throat. Blew the back of his skull off."

"These are just… regular people?" said Aurelie.

"Yes," said one of the men.

"Bullshit, no way it works," I said, backing off.

"It does work," said one of the men.

I pressed my gun into his temple. "Here's what you're going to do," I told him. "You're going to close your eyes and count to two hundred. I'm going to take your guns. You're not going to come after us. You're not going to try to find us. We clear?"

"Y-yes," said one of them.

"Yeah," said the other.

I backed away.

They didn't move.

"Start counting," I said.

Together, in hoarse voices, they began to count.

I seized Aurelie's hand and took her back to the car. We got in, her driving again. I told her to pull out and drive like hell was on her heels off this road.

She was still perfuming hard.

She smelled very good.

"Drive, sweet girl," I said.

She drove.

My cock was fucking hard as hell, and she smelled like heaven.

"Um?" she said, after we'd been driving for ten minutes. "Are you aware of how sexy you are with a gun, ordering people around?"

I laughed. "Yeah, sweetheart, I can scent how much you liked it."

She blushed, giggling. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry," I said. "We're going to find Corentin, okay? I got the rendezvous point to drop off the ransom. It's in two hours. We'll go there, intercept the guy, get him to take us to Corentin, and this will have a happy ending. First, though, if I'm going to be able to focus on that, I probably need to do something about this crazy hard-on I have."

"Yeah, you should be at your best," she said. "I think we can make it work in the backseat of the car. We just need to get clear of this shack and find a nice, remote spot for you to knot me."

"You want me to knot you, huh?"

"Oh, very, very fucking much," she breathed. "You don't mind if our first time is in a car?"

"Next time, we'll definitely do it in a bed," I said.

She smiled. "Next time for sure."