Omega's Harem (Feral Wolves of the Arctic Book 3)

by J. L. Wilder

  She trembled in his arms, and he heard her let out a sob of pure joy.

  Pax lost track of time as they fucked. Time didn’t matter. Even his own pleasure didn’t seem to matter that much. All that mattered was her. She was a goddess, and he was making his offering. She was a queen, and he was worshipping her.

  But eventually, his body began to tense up and his own release began to make itself known, and Pax knew that he wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer.

  “Lily,” he gasped. “I—”

  He didn’t have to say it. She knew. “Do it,” she groaned. “Do it, Pax. I want you to. Come for me.”

  She was impossible to resist. A spasm of pleasure passed through him and he thrust into her furiously, spending himself within her.

  He eased himself away, crawled down her body, positioned himself between her legs, and began to lick and suck at her.

  “Oh, my God.” Her thighs clamped around his head. He could feel her pulse pounding against his tongue. She whined and writhed.

  He wrapped his arms around her legs to hold her in position and buried his face against her, taking in her sweet taste.

  They stayed like that for a considerable length of time. It was easy for Pax to lose himself in sex with his omega. Everything else in the world seemed to fall away at the sound of her cries of pleasure. God, but he could do this to her forever and call himself a happy man for the rest of his days.

  Eventually, though, he tired. He crawled up to lie beside her, pulling her head onto his shoulder.

  Her eyes were closed. “You’re amazing,” she murmured. “You’re the most amazing thing in the world. Has anyone ever told you?”

  “You have,” he said, unable to keep a smile off his face. “But you’re wrong.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “Look at yourself.” He rested a hand on her massive belly. “Look what you’re doing for our family. There’s no one more amazing than you, Lily.”

  “Mmm.” Her eyes blinked open for a moment, then drifted closed again, and she sighed.

  “Hey,” he said. “Don’t go to sleep.”

  “Why not?”’

  “You have to eat,” he said. “Those babies will be wanting their dinner.”

  “Yeah, I suppose you’re right.” She opened her eyes again. “Will you help me sit up?”

  He maneuvered his way behind her and eased her up, propping her shoulders against his chest for support. Then he picked up the plate Caleb had brought them and carefully balanced it on her stomach.

  Lily laughed. “A built-in table.”

  “Might as well use it while we’ve got it.” He surveyed the food. “Looks like we have some rabbit, some cloudberries, and some chestnuts.”

  She took a strip of meat from the tray. “Looks good,” she said. “What about Victor and Donovan?”

  “They’ll be eating wild, I’d think. They’re out hunting today.”

  “I never would have thought they would be willing to do that,” she admitted. “They used to be so repulsed by the idea of hunting your own food and eating as a wolf.”

  “We’ve all learned a lot since we came to live up here,” Pax said. “Everyone is adapting well to this new way of life.”

  She looked up over her shoulder at him. “Are you glad?” she asked.

  “Am I glad? For what?”

  “That you came up north to live for good,” she said. “I know it was never part of your plan.”

  “I would have gone anywhere for you,” Pax told her. “You could have told me you wanted to live at the bottom of the sea and I would have figured out a way to make it work.”

  She nodded. “I know,” she said. “But I don’t want to think that you’re only here because it’s what I want. That if you had your way, you’d rather be somewhere else. I want you to be happy.”

  Pax pondered. It was a fair question.

  “I am happy,” he said. “You’re right that I never thought living up here was something I would want. But there’s so much that I never thought I’d want. I didn’t think I wanted to belong to a pack, for example. I was on my own before I met you, and I was happy with that. I definitely didn’t think I would ever be able to live with Donovan. You changed that for me.”

  “I think it’s wonderful how close you and Donovan are,” she said. “And Victor too. It makes me so happy to see the three of you together.”

  “That wouldn’t have been possible if we hadn’t imprinted on you,” Pax said. “They’re my best friends in the world now, but without you, we were rivals. We couldn’t stay in each other’s company for more than a few days without coming to blows.”

  “Then I’m glad you imprinted,” Lily said. “It would be such a waste if the three of you weren’t able to be friends.”

  “And by bringing us north, you also helped us to get in touch with a part of ourselves that was missing,” Pax said. “At least, you did that for me.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “We always used to think that northern wolves were wild,” Pax said. “We thought that the northerners had fallen out of balance with their human sides. But the truth was, we were the ones who were out of balance. My animal nature is a part of who I am. I had been using it like a tool, something you pick up for a specific job and then put down. But I can never put it down. It’s a part of me. That’s what the northerners have always known, and what I’m just beginning to learn, thanks to you.”

  She smiled. “I love every aspect of who you are,” she told him. “And I can’t wait to see the father you’re going to become. That’ll be a whole new part of your identity to explore.”

  He leaned in and kissed her. “I’m glad we get to do it together,” he said. “All four of us.”

  They finished the plate of food and set it aside. Then Pax lay down and helped Lily into a position of comfort against him.

  The tent flap lifted. Donovan peeked in at them.

  “We’re home,” he said softly.

  Pax smiled. It never failed to put his mind at ease to know that the four of them were all together. He leaned in and rested his forehead against Lily’s, feeling at last as though he would be able to sleep.

  As his eyes drifted closed, as she let out a sigh in his arms, he thought of the fact that he was soon to become a father. His life was about to change completely again.

  Epilogue

  LILY

  Lily went into labor the following morning.

  It was a surprisingly easy delivery. The first baby arrived after only two hours. “A boy,” Donovan announced, holding him up for Lily to see.

  She lay back in Victor’s arms, exhausted, bathed in sweat, but happy. “I knew he would be,” she said. “Our little alpha.”

  “What are we going to call him?” Victor asked.

  “Van,” Lily said.

  “Van?”

  “In honor of Vancouver,” she explained. “The place where I fell in love.”

  Pax, who was kneeling at her side and holding her hand, smiled. “I think that’s a great name,” he said encouragingly. “Welcome to the world, Van.”

  Van waved a fist in the air.

  Donovan laughed. “Let me give him to one of your sisters to clean up,” he said. “We’re far from done here.” He ducked out of the tent, the baby in his arms.

  A spasm of pain gripped Lily. She gasped and gritted her teeth.

  “Breathe,” Victor urged, massaging her shoulders. “You’re doing really well.”

  “I thought I’d have more of a break before the next one.”

  “I guess he’s in a hurry,” Pax said, squeezing her hand. “It’s all right. We’re right here with you.”

  “Donovan?”

  “I’m here.” He ducked back into the tent. “I didn’t miss anything, did I?”

  “Is Van okay?”

  “Getting washed up now. He’ll be back in a moment.” He surveyed her. “But it looks like we’re about to have more company.”

  Lily groaned as
her muscles contracted.

  “Here he comes,” Donovan said, one hand rubbing the back of her thigh.

  A moment later, the pain and the pressure eased, and Lily fought to catch her breath as the sound of crying filled the tent.

  “My mistake,” Donovan said. “Here she comes.” He held the baby up for her.”

  “Is she okay?” Lily asked.

  “She’s fine,” Donovan said. “Pissed off that she’s out of her comfortable home, that’s all. But she’ll be nice and warm again soon.”

  A shadow appeared outside the tent. “Did I hear—?”

  “Hey, Carolyn.” Donovan leaned out. “Baby number two.”

  Lily felt as though her heart was being carried away as her sister disappeared with her child. “I want to hold them,” she breathed, stunned by how much it hurt to have them out of her sight. She had thought nothing could be more powerful than the physical desire she felt for her alphas, but she had been wrong. The desire to hold her children was even stronger.

  “They’ll be back soon,” Pax assured her. “Keep your mind here. You’ll be finished soon, and we’ll have all our babies.”

  She nodded. She knew he was right. The best thing she could do was to keep going. But God, it was difficult. She had held her babies inside her body for months now, and suddenly, just like that, two of them were gone—away where she couldn’t feel or see them anymore. It felt fundamentally wrong to be apart from them.

  But her delivery wouldn’t wait. The next four children came in quick succession, one after another, barely leaving time for Donovan to pass each of them out to a pair of waiting hands before he had to turn back and receive the next one.

  Finally, it was over. Victor eased Lily gently back on a pile of pillows and knelt at her side.

  She felt empty. “Where are they?” she asked. “I want to see them. Please. I have to see them.”

  Donovan opened the tent flap and tied it to the pole. “Come on,” he said to Pax and Victor. “Help me move her outside. It’s a nice day.”

  Careful not to jostle her too badly, they dragged the sleeping bag she was lying on out into the sun. Several of her sisters were walking toward her from the direction of the river, babies in their arms.

  Lily’s arms raised automatically, reaching out for her children.

  Carolyn knelt beside her and placed her daughter in her arms. The baby squirmed slightly and then nestled into Lily’s shoulder, snuffling as she did so.

  Lily thought her heart was going to burst with love. “She’s beautiful,” she whispered. She looked up at her alphas. “Isn’t she perfect?”

  They had each been handed babies as well and were gazing down admiringly at them. The two who weren’t in their parents’ arms lay on a blanket in the grass, feet kicking.

  Victor, who was holding Van, chuckled as their firstborn waved his fists in the air again. “I think someone’s hungry,” he said.

  Lily nodded. “Give him to me.”

  With Victor’s help, she arranged Van and his sister in her arms, holding one to each breast and allowing them to suckle. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of utility, reveling in the fact that her body was able to nourish her children. She had never been prouder of herself.

  When the babies were finished eating, her alphas helped her replace them with two more. “It’s good that we had such a nice even number,” Pax commented. “Three feedings, and all six of them will be taken care of. That’s not so bad, right?”

  “Not bad at all.” Lily felt as if she could do this all day. She would be sorry, she thought, when they were finished.

  “Here.” Donovan held a cup to her lips. “You should drink some water. I don’t want you getting dehydrated.”

  In the past, Lily would have been reluctant to give in and allow herself to be cared for like this. She might have been tempted to say that she was all right, that she wasn’t too thirsty right now. She might have felt inclined to take the cup from Donovan’s hand and drink on her own.

  But things were different now. The lessons her mother had been trying to teach her all her life were finally sinking in.

  She had to take care of her body. She owed that to her children because they needed her healthy and strong.

  When her alphas babied her like this, they were really just babying the children. And Lily couldn’t object to that.

  She drank her fill, and when she had finished and Donovan had moved away, she handed off the babies in her arms and accepted the last two.

  “How are you feeling?” Pax asked, somewhat anxiously.

  “Tired,” she admitted. “But I don’t want to go to sleep. I want to stay awake and spend time with them. I just want to look at them. Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?”

  “Never,” Pax agreed. “But you do need to sleep. You’ve been through a lot today.”

  “I’m all right,” she insisted.

  “I know you are,” he said. “But you’ll be completely wiped out in a few hours if you don’t rest.”

  “Pax is right,” Victor said. “You’re not going to miss anything. These babies have had a hell of a morning too, and now they’re all full and happy. They’re going to sleep. They’ll be up later, and so will you, and you’ll be able to spend time with them.”

  Lily nodded. The truth was that she was already having trouble keeping her eyes open, and she was glad for the excuse to give up and let herself fall asleep.

  “But you’ll wake me,” she murmured as she began to drift off. “If anything happens...if they need me...”

  A hand came to rest on her forehead. Though her eyes were closed, she recognized the shape of it as belonging to Donovan.

  “We’ll wake you if anybody needs you,” Victor said softly. “Go to sleep now.”

  She pulled her blankets up to her chin. The wind gusted, kissing her cheeks, and the sun warmed her. Nearby, she could hear her babies gurgling softly as they too drifted off to sleep.

  I’m a mother now.

  It was her last thought before sinking into dreams.

  WHEN SHE WOKE, IT WAS to see that the sun had almost disappeared below the horizon. In the middle distance, she could see a flickering light that she recognized as fire. Someone was singing.

  Lily struggled to sit up, looking around to see where her babies were.

  “Hey.” Hands caught her shoulders.

  “Victor.”

  He eased her up and propped her against him. Now that she was a little more upright, she was able to see that the babies were lying side by side, swaddled in the blankets her sisters had made for them, on a quilt her mother had put together over the years.

  Victor saw her looking. “We talked about putting them in their cradles,” he said. “But none of us really wanted to separate them. It felt wrong.”

  Lily nodded, her heart warming. “That’s what I would have decided, too,” she told him.

  A hoot went up from the crowd that was clustered around the fire.

  “They’ve been carrying on for hours,” Victor said. “Celebrating the babies’ birth. Your parents are losing their minds, they’re so happy to have grandchildren. Caleb’s been telling everybody how he’s going to spoil them rotten.”

  Lily laughed. “I don’t doubt it.”

  “You ready to eat something?” Victor asked.

  She hadn’t realized it until he’d said it, but she was absolutely ravenous. “Definitely,” she said. “What is there?”

  “Reindeer,” he said.

  “That’s hard to get.” She was impressed.

  “Well, everyone agreed we needed something special for tonight,” Victor said. “All the betas went out together. It was the largest joint enterprise I think I’ve ever seen. It took four of them to bring down the deer, and I think ten to carry it back to the area.”

  “The meat won’t be wasted, will it?” Lily asked.

  “No,” he assured her. “Honestly, I’m not convinced there’s going to be any left over. They’re all eating like the
y’ve never seen food before in their lives. But if there is any extra, we’ll make sure to cure it and keep it for the weeks ahead.”

  Lily nodded.

  “Hey, Donovan!” Victor called. “Pax!”

  Two figures broke off from the group and made their way over to the place where Lily and the babies lay. “You’re up,” Donovan said happily as he approached. “I was hoping you’d be awake soon. I’ve been beating those betas away from your share of the meal with a stick.” He set a plate down beside her.

  Lily inhaled the aroma of freshly cooked meat. “It smells wonderful,” she said approvingly.

  “You’re hungry?”

  “God, yes. I feel like I could eat a whole reindeer myself.”

  “Well, I’ll go get you another one if you really need your own,” Donovan said with a smile. “But not until morning.”

  “No,” she agreed. “You stay here. I want you three with me now.”

  They sat down on either side of her and took her hands, shoulder to shoulder with Victor, forming an arc around her head. She had never felt as comforted by anything in life as she did by the presence of her three alphas arrayed behind her.

  “I never could have dreamed that it would be like this,” she said. “I would never have imagined being here, in the home where I was raised, with three alphas who are as good to me as the three of you are. I could never have dreamed how wonderful it would feel to have a family of my own. Children of my own.”

  As if in response, one of the babies cooed. They all laughed, and Pax leaned over and picked her up.

  “We’ve got to come up with a better way to tell them apart,” he said.

  “What are we doing for that now?” Lily asked.

  “They’re lying in their birth order,” he said. “That’s Van on the left, and they’re in order from there.”

  “So she’s the youngest?” Lily took the little girl into her arms.

  “That’s right,” Donovan said. “The omega of her own pack someday, maybe.”

  What a strange thought that was. Lily wondered what her mother must have felt like when she was born, wondering whether the little baby in her arms would grow up to be the new pack omega. The heart of the family.