Sneaking into the Recovery Room

Kofi

I slowly shut the door behind me, being careful not to let it click too loudly. The nurses just completed their evening rounds, which means I have twenty minutes until Carys is checked again.

“Omega?” I whisper at the lump of blankets in the center of the bed. The machines beep softly, her heartbeat slow and steady. “Carys?”

The lump jerks, then the blanket moves. “Alpha?” She rolls over, and I’m floored by the beautiful omega staring up at me. Her beauty always stuns me.

Carys is simply exquisite.

Her sleek dark hair frames her pale face. The slight bump on the bridge of her nose accentuates her doll-like lips. Even the long, thin scar that runs down the side of her face is somehow lovely.

“Kofi.” Carys's gorgeous smile takes hold. She always looks at me as if I were a dream. A fantasy come to life. I desperately want to be that for her.

“Good evening, gorgeous.” I move to her, sitting on the stool next to her bed.

“I didn’t think you’d come,” Carys says, reaching for me. Her fingers slip down my chest and over my forest green tie. My girl loves me in green. She says it brings out the warmth in my brown eyes. I don’t know if that’s true, but I’ll gladly wear green every day for the rest of my life if it keeps her smiling.

“I’m sorry for taking so long.” I lean in and kiss the top of her head. I want to taste her sweet lips, but that didn’t go well the last time and I shouldn’t push things. Carys's system is still very delicate. “How are you feeling?” I take in the dark circles under her eyes. “You look pale.”

She circles her fingers around my tie. “I feel wonderful now that you’re here.” She always insists that she feels amazing after her treatments, but I’ve never believed her.

While she hides her pain well, I can see it in her big gray eyes. She hurts. But I truly feel that my touch is helping. When I whisper her name or stroke her hair, the tension in her shoulders lift and her smile becomes more genuine. Even her voice is stronger. However, the one time I kissed the precious omega, she did throw up. I’ve forced myself to go much slower since, simply hugging or touching her hands or face. She’s getting better with each passing day, but she’s not cured. Not yet. But once she is, I’ll never stop kissing her.

“Will you sit with me?” Carys pats the spot right next to her, but all I can see is the shape of the off-white blankets, encircling her.

“Are you sure?” I ask, making my reservations clear in my voice. “You don’t look like you feel very good.”

Carys's smile falls slightly, but she quickly recovers, beaming up at me. “I feel amazing.”

It’s a lie.

I can see it in her pretty gray eyes. There’s so much pain in them.

I lean in, whispering, “Omega.” I keep my tone gentle to keep her from thinking she’s being scolded. “You have to be honest.” I’m always careful not to raise my voice with her. “If you don’t tell us the truth and you are re-mated, the effects could be horrible.” Deep worry settles between my brows. “It would be extremely painful and could even kill you. We have to be sure your previous mating is completely scrubbed from your body.” I place my hand over hers, squeezing gently. “Please, tell me the truth.”

Carys's smile grows tight, and her gaze drops to her lap. “Is there a reason you don’t believe me?” she mumbles. The fact that she’s questioning me is such wonderful progress. When I first met the omega, she acted like a mindless robot, obeying each and every request as if it were a command.

“You’ve created a lovely, little nest,” I say simply, eyeing the blankets pooled around her plush hips.

I can smell her emotions rush into the air. It’s a mixture of deep sadness and growing fear.

“It’s okay.” I cup her cheek, urging her to look at me. “You’re safe with me, little one. You can tell me anything.” Her lashes lift and her eyes meet mine.

“I do hurt,” she whimpers, and my heart breaks. “I want to be free of him. It’s nowhere near as bad as it was, but I want these horrible treatments to be over. I want our new life to begin.”

“I know.” I scoot as close as I can. “Are you nauseous? Headache? Chills?” I can’t help but slip into doctor mode.

Carys gently shakes her head. “It’s barely a dull ache. I’m not sick or anything like that.” She presses her lips into a tight line, and it takes everything in me not to accuse her of lying.

“Did you get sick after your treatment this morning?” I ask softly. She drops her gaze, shaking her head at her lap.

“Carys,” I warn gently. “Tell your alpha the truth.”

“Only once,” she whispers even lower.

I place my hands on her upper arms, squeezing to comfort her. “Only once?”

“Yes.” She finally looks up. “I promise,” she says a little more firmly. “Only once. And I only gagged. Nothing came up.”

“That’s good.” I smile widely, pleased when the lines between her brows fade. “That’s a wonderful improvement.” I lean in, hugging her the best I can. I want to crawl into her bed next to her, but once I start touching my beautiful omega, it’s pretty hard to stop. “You’re making wonderful improvements.”

“I guess.” Carys lets out a frustrated huff, resting her head against my shoulder. “Sometimes it feels like I’ll be stuck here forever.” She inhales deeply, her upper body sagging against me. “When I first came here, I wanted to be left alone. I didn’t want to find another pack. But now,” she lifts her head, her lips right at my ear, “I just want to be with you and your pack.”

“You will be soon.” I rest my cheek against hers. “I promise.”

But something is off.

Carys's whole body goes tight, and her scent edges sharp. She’s scared. Maybe even angry. But I don’t understand why. At this rate, she’ll be placed in the dating pool before the summer ends.

“You’re doing so good,” I whisper into her hair. “If you remember, when you started your treatments, you were in so much pain you had to be sedated. And when you woke, you were sick for days.” I cup the back of her head, holding her close. “You are getting better, Carys.” I caress downward, stroking the full length of her back. “You’ll be ready for a new mate before you know it.”

Carys tucks her hands under her chin, snuggling even closer. She clearly wants me to hold her. “Tell me about them.”

Unable to help myself, I grip her waist and pull her into my lap, cradling her. It’s dangerous to be this close to her, but I need to comfort her. It’s more than a desire. It’s a compulsion. A demand. It’s my fucking job as her alpha.

“Tell me about Swanley and Isaac.” Carys drapes her arms around my neck, and I let out a deep chuckle.

“Again?”

Despite the fact that she talks to them every week during our approved phone calls, she always asks to hear more. I love it. She wants them as much as she wants me, and that makes my heart so damn happy.

“Yes.” Carys slips her hand up my chest and over my shoulders. It’s almost as if she needs to touch every inch of me. I understand the desire. “I like it when you talk about them.” She looks up at me. “Tell me what they look like. Please.”

“Okay.” My fingers smooth over the long silver scar that runs from her temple down to her neck. “Swanley is a big alpha, with perfectly styled bright-red hair and a temper to match. But he’s always kind and tender with Isaac so I know he’ll be just as gentle with you.”

“I love talking to him on the phone.” Carys smiles sweetly. “He has a really kind voice.”

I nod, knowing exactly what she means. Swanley has a special voice he uses for Isaac—and he uses it for Carys, too. It’s deep but soft. Caring. It’s a wild contradiction to the kind of alpha he has to be at work. “And Isaac has long dark brown hair that falls easily into his eyes. He’s beautiful, smart, and very organized. He asks about you every day when I come home.” I laugh, thinking about all the ways Isaac has prepared our house for Carys even though we haven’t gotten approval to mate her yet.

“And they both want me, too? Right?” Carys has asked this question a thousand times. Some might be frustrated with her uncertainty, but I understand her fear. Rejected omegas spend their whole lives terrified they’ll be tossed aside at any moment.

“They want you just as much as I do.” I cup her cheek, kissing the top of her head. She smells like fresh peaches. Ripe and sweet. “I can’t wait to bring you home.” I slip my hands down her curvy form, squeezing her lush hips. My cock instantly plumps, but I force myself to ignore it. If I were a smart man, I’d set her back on her bed, then walk right out of this room. But I can’t release her. Not just yet.

“Kofi?” Carys whispers as she looks up at me. Her face is so close to mine and her body is so warm pressed up against me.

“What is it, gorgeous?”

“Do you think we could try again?” Carys drops her gaze, her cheeks blushing as if embarrassed. “It might help…” she mumbles, “...maybe we could...” I know exactly what she’s trying to ask. She wants a kiss.

My cock grows to full length, my body urging me to give in. “It’s not a good idea,” I say, turning her down gently, even though my heart races and my chest tightens with the urge to growl.

“Just one?” Carys looks up at me with her big gray eyes, and all thought falls from my head.

“I guess one can’t hurt.” I lean down, feeling her warm breath fan across my face. She smells so good. So sweet and soft.

And then our lips touch.

Every instinct in my body pulls hard, urging me to plunge into her wet mouth. To taste her tongue and swallow her moans, but I manage to hold myself together.

Soon.

We’ll be together soon.

“Carys,” I growl, breaking the kiss.

“Alpha,” she pants when I squeeze her plush thighs. “Please, I need…” I’m relieved when she trails off, because right now, I’d give her anything she wants: my undying love, all my affections, my cock.

Fuck.

I wish I could roll her over and claim her hard and fast, but she’s too fragile for that.

“You are too good for me.” I pull in a calming breath to steady myself, but instead I’m hit with a full punch of her sweet, mouthwatering scent. It makes me dizzy. “You smell divine.” I press my nose to her temple.

“What…” Carys curls her fingers into my shoulders. “What do I smell like?”

I pull back, a little surprised by her question, but then Dr. Ambrose’s notes jump into the front of my mind. Her ex used to call her names, insulting everything from her intelligence to her weight, right down to the way she smelled. I’d love to find that piece-of-shit one day, and collect all the pain and suffering he owes Carys.

“Kofi?” Carys's timid voice pulls me from my dark thoughts. “Do I smell bad?”

“Oh, my sweet omega.” I look deep into her big, beautiful eyes. “You smell like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.” My words are warm and rumbly as they leave my mouth. “Most omegas smell like flowers and candy, but not you.”

She holds her breath, waiting.

“You smell like peaches, pretty girl.” I drop my head into the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply. Savoring her aroma. “You smell so bright and juicy.” My voice practically reverberates around the room. “Like ripe fresh fruit, begging to be devoured.”

The vein in her unblemished throat flutters from her quickening heartbeat, and her scent edges even sweeter. “Say…say more,” she whispers, tipping her head back, urging me closer. My eyes flicker to the scar on the other side of her neck. “Please.” She holds me tighter.

“You are the sweetest thing I have ever smelled.” I brush my lips against her jaw, traveling down to her neck. I stare at the long column of her throat. “Do you taste as good as you smell?” My question isn’t for her. “Let’s see.”

Then my lips touch her skin.

I kiss her at first, quickly falling into licking and sucking. The flavor that dances across my tongue is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. She tastes so vibrant and fresh, floating my veins with a wild electricity.

“Kofi,” Carys gasps when I nip at her. “Don’t stop.” She pulls at my shoulders, trying to bring me impossibly close. “Please. Touch me.”

I’m well aware of how reckless I’m being, but I can’t help it. I need to taste her lips one more time.

“Open,” I command, grabbing a fistful of her sleek dark brown hair. Carys obeys, parting her pink lips, and I fall into her.

I kiss her with everything I have.

Sloppy open-mouthed kisses and long, slow licks, filled with almost a year's worth of desire that has grown between us. She’s so perfect in my arms, moving her tongue with mine between sweet moans. It’s wild and messy and filled with an unimaginable amount of passion.

“Fuck me, Carys,” I snarl, forcing her head to the other side so I can see her old mating bite. It’s an ugly, gnarled mark, jagged along the top with coarse scar tissue. It’s not the loving, mating bite an alpha should give an omega, but something intentionally painful. Something evil.

“I can barely smell him,” I purr, nosing at the faded mark. “And soon you’ll have mine and Swanley’s bond flowing through your veins.”

“Yes, please.” She smiles as if that’s the greatest thing she’s ever heard.

I lean down, lapping at the mark once again. “Fuck,” I snarl. “I just want to devour every fucking inch of you.”

The change in Carys is slight at first, her legs tensing and her hands trembling, but then her whole body spasms. She jerks to one side, gagging and coughing.

“It’s okay,” I quickly say, moving her in my lap so she can heave onto the floor.

“I’m so—” she chokes, tears streaming down her face. “I’m so s-sorry.” she gags again, sniffling hard.

Shame slams into me and I silently curse myself for pushing her. “I’m the one that should be sorry.” I caress her back. “I got carried away. I shouldn’t have?—”

“No!” she practically yells, turning to face me. “Don’t say you shouldn’t have. Please!” she begs. “I wanted to. I still want you to.”

“It’s okay. Calm down,” I shush her, wrapping my arms around her waist. Using my palm, I wipe the tears off of her cheeks. “I want you, too. And we’ll be together soon,” I say. “You’re mine . And nothing will change that.”

Carys's expression changes and her eyes cast downward. “Soon,” she whispers the single word, hanging her head.

I narrow my eyes at the pretty omega, alarmed at her sudden shift. But I don’t have time to press her. Our time is up, and the nurses will be here shortly to check on her.