by Leann Ryans
His control slipped as her nails bit into his back and his own pleasure mounted. Slamming into her hard enough to rock her body with each thrust, he moved his hands to brace against the bed as he watched the reddened globes bounce. He knew she was getting close by the increase in her cries and the way her core fluttered around him.
Reaching down to hook her thighs over his arms, he folded the little omega in half and plowed into her. Head thrown back and eyes clenched shut, her cries almost drowned out the sound of flesh smacking, each withdraw letting a fresh surge of slick slip from her stretched opening.
Feeling his balls drawing tight, his hips moved faster as he drew her nipple back into his mouth. Sucking in some of the surrounding flesh, he bit down as his release began to flood her depths.
Annalise screamed, back arching off the bed as her core clamped on his swelling knot, pulling a fresh surge of cum from him. Still forcing the growth in and out of her entrance, his hands gripped her hips and kept her in place as he held on to the flesh trapped in his mouth.
When her body began to relax, he slid a hand over to her clit. Squeezing it between two fingers, he let out a growl against her breast as he jerked it and forced his knot in one last time. Her hips surged up to meet him, legs clamping around his to hold him in place as she cried out again, another orgasm racing through her veins.
Letting go of her bruised flesh, a part of him was disgruntled that his teeth hadn’t pierced her skin. Little whimpers escaped the omega as he soothed the mound with his lips and tongue, working his way back up to claim her mouth.
She was slow to respond, belly and cunt full of Alpha cum. Relaxed after the orgasms, he could tell she was already starting to drift off into sleep.
Repositioning so she lay atop his chest once again, he ran his hands up and down her back, massaging the trembling muscles. His mind was clearer after emptying himself twice in such a short period, and he thought the intensity of her pheromones already seemed to be wanning.
Annalise shivered and tucked her nose closer to his neck, releasing a sleepy whine before a soft snore filled his ear. Tugging one of the blankets over them, he folded his arms around her back to share his heat as he waited for her next wave of need to hit.
***
Her cycle only lasted two more days, the ending of it apparent when he awoke to a showered and fully dressed Annalise. Staring at the bed with a wrinkled nose, she smoothed the expression away when she noticed he was awake.
“I have an appointment scheduled in a week to have the blood test done. Once we have the proof, your transfer will be executed.”
Liam pushed up onto his elbows, eyes trailing over the prim business suit covering a body he’d grown familiar with over the past few days. He couldn’t help smirking at the bruise he noticed on the side of her neck that she’d clearly attempted to hide with makeup.
“I already know you’re pregnant. You don’t want one last romp to get you through the week?”
Annalise sniffed, straightening her spine as she lifted her chin higher, but he didn’t miss the flare of heat in her eyes.
“That will be unnecessary. Thank you for your… services. I’ll be leaving now.”
Taking the handle of the suitcase beside her, she turned and left the room, leaving him staring after her with his brow cocked. Since no one came in to rush him back to his room, he shrugged and climbed from the destroyed nest, heading for the shower to get cleaned up.
Her heat had been short, the intensity dropping quickly after the first day. He’d noticed a change in her scent the day before, and his gut said she was carrying his baby. If she wanted to wait a week to confirm it, that was fine.
She’d be all the more desperate for him when he arrived in Eden.
11. Annalise
It was hard to hide the way his words affected her. She had to clamp a lid on the surge of hope that tried to fill her chest, not wanting to risk the disappointment if he was wrong. There was no way he could know if she wasn’t even sure herself.
Taking a deep breath once the door closed behind her, she blew it out and settled her shoulders. She’d wait for confirmation from the doctor. She’d gone ahead with the move under the assumption that everything would work out, but she wouldn’t put her heart in a position to be hurt more if it didn’t take and she had to try again.
Striding down the hall, she was met by Margot as she turned the corner.
“Oh, Miss Farah! I was just coming to see if you needed anything or if you were ready. We have some final paperwork to complete before you go.”
“Lead the way,” she said, biting back a sigh.
Paperwork was the last thing she wanted to do.
Margot nodded, turning to walk down the hall to the offices near the front of the building. Annalise followed, taking the seat she was offered and trying to hide her wince. She’d been surprised at how sore she was when she woke, and that her heat had only lasted three days instead of the usual five, but it was also her first time with an Alpha. She supposed she should have expected to be sore.
Turning her attention to the forms Margot wanted her to fill out, everything was filled in and she was informed that Liam’s transfer was ready to go.
“Ms. Haranne and Mrs. Nevouto have everything filed, so as soon as we receive the confirmation, he’ll be transported to Eden.”
“Perfect.”
Standing, she gave Margot a polite smile as the woman held the door for her to head out into the lobby. Passing through the bright space, she could already see her AutoCab waiting to take her to the Speeder. She was going straight back to Eden to begin catching up on the things she’d missed.
Once she was settled in the Speeder and her course was set, Annalise began working through her emails. Though she’d scheduled to have another two days off, there was no reason to waste the time and get further behind. By the time the Speeder signaled it was about to descend she’d already checked the market and responded to about half of her messages.
She was surprised to see Sandra waiting for her on the rooftop once again. Returning the younger omega’s smile, she tried to figure out what was going on.
“Is something wrong?”
“Oh, no! I was about to head to the daycare when I heard the Speeder coming in and thought I’d see how things were going for you. Did you get settled in okay?”
“Yes, thank you,” Annalise replied as Sandra pressed the button on the lift for them to go to the ground floor. “Everything went fine.”
They made idle chatter as they walked toward the building that housed the daycare and Annalise’s apartment. As they approached, she noticed a dark-headed woman standing on the sidewalk with two little ones in her arms.
“Hey! There’s my little man,” Sandra said, rushing forward to take the larger of the two children from the other woman.
Annalise froze in place as Sandra lifted the little boy to her face, rubbing his nose with hers as he made gurgling noises and tried to pull her hair. She noticed the other woman looking on and smiling as she rocked the little pink bundle she held before her attention turned to Annalise.
“Hello, I’m Penny. You must be Annalise.”
It took a moment for Annalise’s brain to kick into gear, realizing the other woman was holding out her hand. Forcing away the envy clutching her chest, she stepped closer to take it, scenting that the other woman was an omega as well.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Sandra said, looking up. “I should have introduced you. I was just too excited to see this guy.”
She lifted the baby in the air making him squeal and giggle before she placed him on her hip.
“Penny is the city planner and helps with pretty much everything. If there’s a store or product you need, she’s the one to go to. Her mate is from The Haven too. He’s the Chief Controller here, so you’ll probably meet him at some point.”
Annalise’s brows rose.
“Chief Controller?”
“He was the head of security at The Haven before we bonded
and moved out here. Since we’re an Alpha-camp we have to have Controllers, but since we’re still so small we don’t have a need for a separate Force division, so he heads them both. If you have any safety questions he’s the one to go to,” Penny said.
Annalise could see the pride on Penny’s face, another surge of envy eating at her. She may not be interested in a mate, but she couldn’t help wishing someone talked about her like that. Her parents had demanded perfection without praise, and her sister was busy with her own life, barely aware of what Annalise did outside of their visits and chats. It would have been nice to know someone was proud of her, and she hoped Penny’s mate knew how lucky he was.
“I see. And who are these two?”
As much as it hurt, Annalise was a sucker for children and couldn’t ignore the little ones. Her fingers itched to run through the blond curls of the little boy Sandra held and she wished she could get a better peek at the bundle cradled in Penny’s arms.
“This is Elijah,” Sandra said, turning the little boy closer to her. He waved a pudgy fist, gibbering as he reached for another lock of his mother’s hair.
“And this is Sophia,” Penny said, moving closer and pulling the blanket back from the sleeping baby’s face. Gorgeous hazel eyes blinked up at her.
Annalise smiled through the pain as she cooed at the little girl. Her free hand slipped to her own belly, cradling her hope.
When she straightened Penny announced she had to get home for dinner.
“I need to get this little man home, too. I’m glad you’ve settled in okay and hope to see you again soon,” Sandra said as she gave Annalise a smile.
Returning it, she nodded and murmured a goodbye, watching the two omegas leave with their children. Annalise never had many friends, and it was clear the women were close. She’d also never been friends with another omega she could ask questions that couldn’t be answered through her online research, and she couldn’t help hoping they might be willing to help her in that regard.
Continuing to her apartment, she pulled her luggage inside and heaved a sigh. She wanted to collapse on the couch, but she wouldn’t be able to relax until her things were cleaned and properly put away.
Annalise made her way to the clothing sanitizer, dumping everything inside before stripping and placing what she’d been wearing in the receptacle as well. She could still smell traces of Liam’s scent, and she was embarrassed to think the other omegas might have noticed.
Spraying a scent neutralizer on her luggage, she took it to her closet to put it back in its proper place before heading through to the bathroom. She gave the tub a longing look, but her stomach rumbled to remind her she hadn’t taken in anything but fluids for a few days.
Stepping into the shower, Annalise quickly scrubbed herself for the second time that day to be sure all traces of her heat were gone.
12. Annalise
Annalise settled into a routine over the following days, doing her best to block out the building nervousness. Her appointment with the doctor hung over her head like one of the ancient guillotines, threatening to cut her hope short. She did everything she could to keep herself occupied so she didn’t stress over the fact that she still felt normal.
Except the increased libido.
She chalked that up to her recent heat. The intense phase had been shorter than usual, so perhaps a touch of it lingered?
Or maybe it was that she’d never been so thoroughly fucked in her life. She couldn’t help blushing each time she thought of it, the memories fuzzy and disjointed, but clear enough for her heart to race and heat to pool in her belly each time one struck.
Standing from her desk, she stretched to work out the kinks after being seated for hours at her computer. She’d taken to going for a walk in the afternoons once she’d completed her tasks for the day, and it had quickly become something she looked forward to. Slipping on a pair of flats, she made her way to the elevator.
Annalise followed what had become her usual path. Striding down the street in front of her building, she glanced at the shops lining the road, but what she watched most were the people. Besides the novelty of seeing so many Alphas out and about, she’d been surprised at how many omegas she passed. It was rarer for her to run into a beta than one of the other dynamics.
Once she passed through the center of the growing city, she would turn and make her way down one of the trails that led to the river. She’d been worried on her first trip that her shoes weren’t up to a muddy, overgrown path, but the trails were well maintained, and she had no issues.
She wasn’t the only person who enjoyed walking along the water’s edge and her senses had gone on alert the first time she had to pass an unaccompanied Alpha. Obviously the city was a success, and it wouldn’t have been if Alphas were as dangerous as some claimed, but it still made her heart pound to be alone near the large male.
But besides a polite smile and the subtle flare of his nostrils as he passed by, nothing happened. While she was still very aware of the Alphas, her biology would never allow her to be otherwise, she’d grown used to their presence.
Settling on a bench under a large tree that provided shade, Annalise looked across the river. The gentle murmur of the water flowing through its banks accompanied by the rustle of leaves above her was far more soothing than she’d expected. The occasional trill of a bird with the vision of flowers bobbing in the field across from her only added to the beauty.
She sat and enjoyed the peace as the sun sank behind her. There was nothing so peaceful near her home, and she knew she would miss it when she left Eden.
Sighing, she pushed herself to her feet and turned to head back to her apartment. Her route left her almost directly behind it, the tree that had become her favorite place to sit a magnet for her eye during the day when she was trying to work.
After eating a quick dinner, she went through her evening routine, crawling into bed to read on her tablet until she couldn’t keep her eyes open any more. She was going to visit her sister the next day, and then her appointment with the doctor was the following morning. She hoped to wear herself out with the kids, so she’d actually be able to sleep and not fret through the entire night.
***
Her plan didn’t work out the way she wanted. Annalise did wear herself out chasing her nephew and oldest niece around for most of the day, but she still spent the night tossing and turning.
Waking to her alarm after getting little sleep, she tried to prepare herself for the worst. Even if the test came back negative, there could still be a chance that it was too early to tell, and she could test again in another week or two.
She also tried to tell herself that even if it hadn’t happened this time, she could always try again, but a part of her kept insisting she was running out of time. That she was too old. That she’d waited too long and focused on her career too much, and it was going to cost her what she’d always dreamed of.
Forcing those thoughts aside, she left her apartment. She’d debated going to her usual doctor while she visited her sister, but since she would be delivering the baby in Eden, she thought it best to use the one who would do the delivery from the beginning.
Sandra had shown her the hospital during her initial tour, assuring Annalise it was just as advanced as any other in the cities. The number of babies born to omegas in Eden convinced her that the doctor would be experienced enough to meet her standards, so it made sense to begin her care with the one who would see her through the experience.
She didn’t have to sit in the waiting area long, being taken to an exam room minutes after seating herself. Taking a blood sample, the nurse assured her the doctor would be with her shortly and left her sitting on the exam table in a cheery, pale blue room. Annalise had just enough time to let the anxiety build to the point where she was fidgeting when there was a knock on the door.
“Annalise Farah?”
“Yes.”
Smiling brown eyes met hers, all other details fading away as the words she’d
waited years to hear finally hit her ears.
“Congratulations. You’re pregnant!”
13. Liam
Time dragged by like frozen honey. The faster he wanted it to go, the harder he tried to make it move, the more it fought back. Mocking him as one minute slowly ground into another.
Liam’s thoughts were locked on Annalise. Even when his family stopped by for a visit, it was hard for him to pull his focus from her and what was growing in her womb. She may doubt it and need proof from a test, but he already knew she was carrying his child.
The primal part of him screamed that made her his. He seeded her, left her body covered in marks from his teeth, yet no tie connected them. And it made that animal part buried deep inside rage.
The passion and ferocity she showed during her heat surprised him. His two experiences with her outside that time left the distinct impression of a stiff, formal woman, yet that glimpse at her deeper self revealed a caring and feisty woman. One he might have chosen if the world was different and he was given that chance.
Sean announced he would be following Liam to Eden. He’d already contacted someone about an apartment and was looking into find a job. He said there were plenty of businesses opening in the new city along with ongoing construction that gave him plenty of options.
Though Connor couldn’t uproot his whole family to move to Eden for the few months Liam would be there, he did promise to visit and bring the kids to meet him, and even their parents mentioned looking for a place to be closer to him while they could.
Yet even with all the good news, Annalise pulled at his mind. The week felt like a month, his need to be sure she was okay growing with each breath he took that didn’t contain her scent.
He’d known omegas craved the Alpha who impregnated them, but he hadn’t realized how much his instincts would ride him as well. Though he doubted what he felt was as bad as it would be if they’d bonded, it still bothered him to be separated from her.
