by Tanya Chris
~~~
Time passed and Gage and Leo didn’t come back. Neither did Macy and Carmen. Fuck sitting in his office alone; Ryker was going home. He stomped across the market, sniffing at the air to see if he could identify Gage’s location, but the only scent trail he picked up led him straight to his own house where he found the lights on and Gage in the kitchen cooking something that smelled almost as good as he did.
“Carmen stopped in to pick up her backpack,” Gage told him.
“She’s staying at an omega house tonight?”
“No, at Macy’s. She seems to have taken a real interest in Macy.”
“Macy’s a great wolf.” He had no idea why Macy would want to spend time with a cranky child like Carmen, but he was totally on board with it.
He went over to Gage and lifted him up so he could bury his face in Gage’s neck. If the doctor made Gage smell like an omega, would he still smell like Gage? He sniffed through the various layers of scent, searching for the part that marked Gage as a beta. The notes blended together for him now, but somewhere in there he could pick out a tone that was flat where it should be sweet.
“How come you’ve got clothes on?” he asked as he lowered Gage back down to his feet. His house was over a hot spring and stayed cozily warm all winter. There was no reason for Gage to ever wear clothes in it. “New rule. When you’re in the house, you’re naked.”
“When we’re alone, you mean?”
“Why would I mean that? You’ve let your wolf side lay dormant too long. You need to let him out more, let everyone see that pretty little omega.”
Gage’s wolf was pretty—lithe and graceful and covered in short, russet brown hair—and Gage practically purred at the compliment. It was so easy to work him up. Ryker could smell the arousal coming off him.
He still had his clothes on though.
“My mother left a sewing kit here somewhere.”
“What?”
Buttons pinged off the floor and cabinets, as he ripped Gage’s shirt down the front.
“Oh.” Gage looked down at his now-naked chest. Ryker moved his hands to Gage’s fly. “Wait, wait. I’ll do it. Naked in the house. I’ve got it.”
Gage shimmied out of his pants and draped them over one of the kitchen chairs. He had on a pair of those short thingies underneath, which was just ridiculous. Ryker had already destroyed one pair of those. How many did Gage have?
He used his claws to eliminate these as well. Hopefully that was the last of them.
“And, uh, go commando. Understood.”
There. Pretty Gage, naked and hard, the yeasty-sweet smell of arousal wafting up off him. Ryker wrapped his hand around Gage’s cock and squeezed until Gage started to sag in his arms.
“Ryker,” he squealed. His hands clung to Ryker’s biceps for support. Ryker squeezed harder, definitely too hard. “Ryker, please! Please! Alpha!” he yelped, finally getting it.
He relaxed his grip back to something more pleasurable than painful and stroked Gage up and down to reward him.
“Call you Alpha. Another rule. Got it. Can you maybe give me the rules before punishing me for breaking them?”
He growled at the word punishment. Too fucking hot. He ran a hand over the curve of Gage’s ass, imagining turning Gage over his knee and spanking him like in every domestic discipline porn vid in his collection. Not if he was really angry at Gage, of course, but for not calling him Alpha, say. He’d have Gage’s ass in the air and his little feet kicking. He bet Gage would like that too, considering the way he was currently melting under Ryker’s hands.
“I’m going to fuck you now.”
“But wait, I’m in the middle of— Fuck, I need to start planning meals that can be interrupted.”
Gage’s impertinence probably deserved a swat or two, but Ryker released him long enough to let him turn off burners and cover pans before throwing him over his shoulder and hauling him into the bedroom where he raked across Gage’s nipples with his claws while fucking him instead. He was too wound up to play at punishment right then. They’d have plenty of time—or no, not plenty of time, but he was going to fit in every fantasy he’d ever had while he could.
“You love being fucked,” he told Gage as his knot started to swell.
“Alpha!”
“You’d love it if I turned you over my knee and spanked your bare ass, too.” He rammed his knot in and out of that ass, reveling in the force required to smash his way through the wrinkled barrier and into that hot heaven.
“Alpha!”
“You’d love anything I did to you. Anything!” His knot embedded itself deep in Gage’s clenching ass. Come exploded from it, pumping up his shaft and filling Gage as Gage’s own cock overflowed between them.
“Alpha.” Gage’s voice was soft, reverent, so beautifully pliant, so absolutely confirming. “Anything, Alpha.”
This was what mating was all about. This was what claiming was all about. His teeth descended as he nuzzled into Gage with that fierce combination of victorious pleasure and tender protection Gage brought out in him. He wanted to bite. Gage was an omega and he’d knotted him and claiming was what happened next and his wolf ached for it.
If only Gage would stay with him. He’d bite him so hard. He didn’t know if Gage’s body would take a claiming bite the way it should, so that the scar would linger forever—his claim embodied—but he’d bite Gage every day if that was what it took to keep it there. Gladly. He’d gladly bite Gage every day.
Chapter 7 Gage
Gage waited on a wooden chair with a woven rush seat, trying to avoid the eyes of the large, matronly beta in the starched nurse’s outfit. Flo seemed determined to get a thermometer in him, even though he’d tried to make it clear that a) he wasn’t sick and b) he wasn’t there to see her. He was there to see Dr. Petra, the endocrinologist Ryker had told him about who apparently shared an office with the pack shaman.
Flo kept sniffing at him. He hadn’t bothered to correct her when she’d misidentified him, even though hearing the word beta next to his name had been a letdown after the unanticipated joy of both Prince Angel and his husband Leo accepting the title of Omega for him.
If Ryker had been there, he’d have made Flo use the right title. Ryker was probably the best alpha ever—an amazing wolf and an amazing man besides. If Ryker would just keep him prisoner in his alpha den, like in one of those old-fashioned romance stories Carmen hated, he’d be pretty happy.
Imprisoned. Naked. Cooking for Ryker and being knotted by him. Punishment spankings, maybe some bondage.
He shivered, arousal washing through him. He wasn’t wearing underwear beneath his clothes today, as commanded, and the rough scratch of fabric on his cock and balls kept him constantly on the edge of an erection. Wolves didn’t blink at those kind of displays, but he’d lived too much among humans recently to feel comfortable popping a boner in front of Flo. She’d probably want to measure it.
“Hi.” A woman’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. The beta who’d just walked into the reception room wore a white lab coat buttoned all the way up, but there was no indication she had anything on beneath it. Wolves.
“I’m Dr. Petra,” she said, coming over to offer her hand.
“Omega Gage,” he tried.
“Yeah? Why don’t you come in here and tell me about that.” She led the way into the office and closed the door behind him, then gestured to a chair that had actual padding on it. She must have brought it from human territory. She took the seat next to him and picked up a notebook and a pen. “Prince Angel stopped by yesterday to give me a heads up, but I’d rather hear what’s going on in your own words.”
He poured out his story while she took notes.
“So your primary concern is scent?”
“It’s not such a big deal in human territory ’cause they can’t even tell we’re wolves, never mind tell us apart, but I was thinking I might like to move back to pack land for, um, reasons.”
“Mating reasons,” she st
ated, so Gage knew Prince Angel had probably filled her in on that too.
“Yeah, and that’s the other thing. I can’t do it right. The mating.”
“In what way? Alphas do engage sexually with betas. That’s not uncommon.”
“Not, like, knotting.”
“Your sex partner is knotting you?”
Gage nodded.
“And how is that not working out for you?”
Well, that was a relief. He’d sort of expected Dr. Petra to be horrified at the very idea of a beta body being knotted, but she sounded like it was no big deal.
“I don’t do it right.”
“He can’t raise a knot with you?”
“No, he does. That part goes fine. He knots me and I’ve been taking it OK.” By OK, he meant he loved it more than anything else on earth. He’d kind of like to walk around with Ryker’s knot in his ass if that could be arranged. “But when we’re locked together, I can’t keep an erection. I don’t come over and over the way omegas do.”
“Ah. That’s actually a misconception. Omegas only come once. What happens from there is that the knot being lodged against their—your—prostate causes the prostate to release whatever ejaculate remains, giving the illusion that additional orgasms are being triggered. It’s normal to go soft during that process. In fact, the shortening of the urethra as the penis returns to a flaccid state contributes to the continued release of ejaculate.”
“That’s so not sexy,” he said, a little disgruntled.
“Science isn’t sexy. But knotting, those endorphins that are released and the sensation of multiple orgasms, happens here—” she touched Gage’s head “—and here—” she touched Gage’s chest “—not here.”
Gage grabbed her hand before she could touch his penis. He didn’t think Ryker would like it being touched by another wolf, even in a science-y way.
“Are you enjoying the feeling of being knotted?”
He nodded vigorously.
“Then you’re doing it right. Relax and enjoy it. As far as knotting goes, you have all the necessary equipment.”
“What about slick?”
That was the other thing about his body he hated—Ryker having to take the time to slick them up before they could fuck. In wolf form, where Ryker wasn’t so well-endowed, he just crammed his dick in there and Gage didn’t mind the burn of it too much because it was him taking his alpha’s cock, but in human form it was a lot easier and more enjoyable to use lube.
“Ah,” Dr. Petra said, “slick. It’s part of our mythology, but the reality doesn’t always match the expectations. A lot of omegas don’t produce enough slick for pain-free sex, especially as they age. They just don’t talk about it because it makes them feel sexually impotent, like an alpha who can’t get an erection.”
“There are alphas who can’t get erections?” He’d definitely never considered that possibility before. He’d always assumed that all omegas were wet and all alphas were hard.
“There’s a wide range of normal sexual responses, even within castes.”
He feel a little better hearing that, but it didn’t change the fact that he couldn’t make slick. Dr. Petra wrote something out on a pad and handed it to him.
“What’s this?”
“A prescription for Arti-Slick. It’s lube, essentially, but it’s made from ingredients wolves find more palatable, and it comes in a suppository. Insert one suppository anally ten to fifteen minutes before expected penetration and your body heat will melt the gel cap producing an effect very similar to natural lubrication.” She smiled. “I’m told your alpha might not even be able to tell the difference if you keep him busy enough.”
He fingered the paper before tucking it into the pocket of his pants. It seemed too good to be true, both the Arti-Slick and the idea that he wasn’t alone in feeling this way.
“You can get that filled at the general store, in the back where they keep the lotions and potions. It comes in a nice discreet box. Like I said, you’re not the only omega worried about how much slick he produces. Feel better now?”
Gage nodded. “But I’d still like to …”
“What?”
“Smell right.” That was the main reason he’d come after all.
“Hm.” She inhaled, and Gage knew she was verifying with her nose that, yep, he still smelled like a beta. Although the total number of people who’d referred to him as an omega had moved from zero to four since coming to North Leland, he couldn’t stay there if everyone else he met referred to him as Beta Gage.
“It might be possible to change your smell,” Dr. Petra said after thinking about it for much too long. “We’ve identified the gland that differentiates omegas from other wolves. It’s responsible for the production of osterone, the hormone that sends omegas into heat, and facilitates the production of slick from the mucus membranes present in the anal cavity.”
Again, not sexy. Dr. Petra made slick sound like snot or urine or anything else the body produced, not the elixir of passion Gage had always thought of it as.
“Up to this point, my research has concentrated mostly on suppressing osterone.” She paused, considering again. “I’d never try this with a human. Human regulations would never allow me to, for one thing. The number of studies I’d have to do before I could progress to human trials, or wolf trials as the case may be, you don’t even want to know. But wolves have fast metabolisms. We could start you off slow and if you reacted badly, your system should flush it in a day or two.”
“Flush what?” he asked, feeling like he’d missed a step.
“Osterone. I’ve got some samples I’ve taken from some of our local omegas. Tell you what. Let me sleep on it, but come back tomorrow and if I still think it’s a good idea, I’ll give you an injection. Like I said, we’ll start you off slow and if your body seems to tolerate it, we’ll see if we can figure out what a therapeutic dose is.”
“So if you gave me a shot of osterone, that would make me an omega?”
“Well, don’t get too excited by it. It’ll take daily shots over some period of time, and I don’t know how far along the spectrum the shots will move you. Like I said, wolves have fast metabolisms. It might not be possible to load you up with enough osterone to have an effect, but it might. It’s worth a try, I think. A little risky—”
“I don’t care,” he interrupted. “If you can make me smell like an omega, or give me slick, or … could I go into heat?”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I have no idea what we can do.”
“But we’ll try?”
“We’ll try,” Dr. Petra agreed. She patted his knee. “Now scram so I can do some research on how best to deliver extracted osterone to a wolf.”
Gage cleared out fast. He bounced across town and into the general store where a beta with bored eyes filled his prescription for Arti-Slick without raising an eyebrow, making him wonder if North Leland was full of omegas who needed a little help when it came to getting wet.
Armed with a packet of suppositories, he practically danced over to the Immigration Office. He wanted to try them out right that minute, but when he barged into the reception area he found his sister. She had both arms on Macy’s counter and her head thrust all the way over it watching Macy work.
“What are you doing here?” he asked her.
“Nothing. Just talking to Macy. I can guess what you’re doing here.”
He wasn’t going to bother to deny it. “Well, leave Macy alone. She needs to work.”
“She’s fine,” Macy said even as Carmen said, “You’re not Dad. You don’t get to tell me what to do.”
All right, whatever. If Macy didn’t mind Carmen being there, why should he care? He didn’t want to tell anyone what to do anyway.
“Is Ryker busy?” he asked.
Macy snorted. “Go on in. I’m surprised he’s not out here already.”
Which was apparently Ryker’s cue to fling open the door to his office.
“Hey,” he said in greeting.
He came over and gave Gage a surprisingly chaste kiss, maybe in deference to their audience. “Macy, do I—?”
“Go,” she said with a wave. “I don’t need you.”
“Carmen—” Gage started.
“I don’t need you either,” Carmen said.
“I was going to ask where you’re staying tonight and what you’re, you know, doing. Like, have you found a place to live or a job …?”
“Macy’s got it all under control.” Carmen ticked off to-do items on her fingers. “Applications to two omega houses filed, an interview with Flo scheduled for tomorrow, and tonight I’m staying at Macy’s place again.”
“Flo? That’s the pack shaman. Are you all right?”
“I told you I want to be a doctor.”
“Carmen,” Macy warned softly.
“Well, I did tell him.”
“You should talk to Dr. Petra while you’re there,” Ryker suggested. “She’s got human training. Flo just gives people bandages and lollipops.”
“I actually have to go see Dr. Petra tomorrow,” Gage said. “I could walk over with you.”
“What do you need to see a doctor for?” Carmen asked.
“She’s helping me with something. Anyway, I’ll meet you here tomorrow, OK? We’ll walk over together.”
He wasn’t sure why Carmen was so prickly all the time. Maybe she was about to have her first heat. There’d been a flush on her skin and a sort of haze over her eyes when he’d walked in, though she wasn’t looking or acting hazy now.
“Can Dr. Petra help?” Ryker asked when they’d extracted themselves from the office and were on their way home with the groceries Gage had picked up and that one extra-special package nestled into the bottom of the basket.
“Maybe.” He told Ryker about the shots, but he didn’t mention the Arti-Slick. He wanted to surprise Ryker with it, so as soon as he’d cleared the dinner dishes, while Ryker was tucking into a slice of the youthberry pie he’d made for dessert, he excused himself and went to the bathroom. He inserted one of the suppositories and waited, jiggling from one foot to the other and clenching his ass in hopes of making the capsule melt faster.
