by Nora Phoenix
Kean was torn. On one hand, he wanted nothing more than to join them, but that would require shifting back, and he wasn't ready yet. It wasn't just the thrill of being a wolf, the deep sense of freedom this shape brought him. It was also that he’d literally felt himself heal in those first minutes of having shifted. It was crazy, but the pain had subsided, the bruises faded, the ache in his ribs slowly declined. He didn't want that to end yet, too scared that if he shifted back, he’d be hurting like a motherfucker all over again.
He was so engrossed in watching Bray and Ruari that he didn't sense him until a hand landed on his head, scratching him between his ears. He knew who it was, even before he looked up at the pack alpha. Lidon seemed unembarrassed by his nudity, even though he, too, was sporting a giant erection. And man, his cock was a work of art. Kean could honestly say he had no intentions toward his brother-in-law whatsoever, but his brother was a lucky man to be on the receiving end of that.
Lidon dropped to the earth, patting a spot next to him, and Kean obediently laid down. He wanted to obey him, but it also felt like he had no other choice, even though it didn’t seem Lidon was using alpha compulsion. It was just the strength, the power that he emitted. That hand came down on his head again, and he reveled in the calming effect it had.
"It can be hard to shift back," Lidon said, his voice so low that only Kean could hear it. "Especially when you're hurting so much in your human body, physically and emotionally. It's easier as a wolf, because that pain disappears. Grayson said we heal up to ten times as fast in wolf shape, did you know that?"
Kean made a little noise to indicate his surprise. It was what he had experienced, but he hadn't realized it was a known effect.
“Vieno was struggling after he gave birth. It’s not my place to share more about this, but he wasn’t fully himself again until after he’d shifted. The shifting healed him, both physically and mentally. And I know you've been hurting, Kean. Your body took a hit, but your mind maybe even more."
If nothing else, Kean was surprised that it would be Lidon who would bring this up. He’d expected this line of conversation from his brother or from Enar, but not from a former cop. The pack alpha was such a tough guy. What did he know about the guilt that Kean carried?
Lidon smiled, then tapped his nose in a teasing gesture. "You have a lot in common with your brother, including the fact that your face is an open book, even as a wolf. It makes it easy for me to read you. I know you're surprised that I'm going all soft and mushy on you here, but bear with me for a minute."
Kean nudged his thigh with his nose, a little embarrassed Lidon had seen straight through him.
"No need to apologize, Kean. Look, I've been where you are right now. Years ago, I was part of a team that did a huge drug bust. Ten of us went in and nine of us came out alive. The guy to my right didn't, and I held him as he bled out, just like you held Jawon. That experience damn near broke me, and I was already used to a hell of a lot more violence than you. My guess is, you're experiencing guilt for not saving him, combined with survivor's guilt, guilt that you should've been the one to speak up first. That’s a lot of weight you’re carrying."
Kean let out a little whine, deeply hit by how well Lidon had guessed his emotions.
"Are you having nightmares?"
Kean licked his hand.
Lidon let out a sigh, then scratched his head again, and Kean leaned into his touch. "I thought so. It's all normal, Kean, I promise you. But you have to start talking about it. To Bray, to Enar, to me, to someone you trust who can help you process this. Don't try to keep it bottled in, because it will come out at some point. Let us help you."
Kean whined again, a rather pitiful sound, even by his own ears.
"I know you want to stay a wolf, but you can't. Your men need you, and you need them. And they can't take care of you the way you need when you're in this shape."
Oh, that was a low one, bringing his mates into this. Didn't Lidon understand that that's why he wanted to stay a wolf? So he wouldn't be that sad, depressing Kean he'd been since the attack? They deserved better, and as a wolf, he didn't feel that same hopelessness.
"Forgive me for what I'm about to share with you, because this definitely falls into the category of TMI, and if you ever tell your brother I shared this with you, I will kick your ass," Lidon said, and Kean couldn't wait to hear what he had to say after that introduction.
Lidon leaned close to his ear. "There is growing evidence that alpha hormones and proteins are healing, not just for omegas with the gene, but for their mates in general. There's a reason I fuck my mates on a daily basis and have them suck me, and it's more than just me being horny. You need to let Bray in, Kean. Literally. Trust me when I say that having him unleash that sexual high he's experiencing right now on you will make you feel a hell of a lot better."
Kean let out a low growl, both in embarrassment and in arousal. This had to rank as the most embarrassing, awkward conversation ever, especially considering it was Lidon. If it had been one of his brothers, that would've been one thing, but coming from the usually serious pack alpha, this was taking TMI to a whole new level.
"Look at him," Lidon said, his voice dropping even lower as he gestured at Bray, who was watching them, Ruari plastered to his side. "He’s shaking with need for his mates. All he's waiting for is you. Don't deny your mates and yourself. Have a little fuck-fest. You'll thank me for it tomorrow."
Kean wasn't sure if it had been Lidon’s words or his own desire, which he couldn't deny any longer, but as soon as he wondered how he would even shift back, he was human again. He lay on the dirt, his heart beating fast as he took a quick mental inventory of how his body felt. He tried to move his arms and concluded to his astonishment that he could without gasping in pain. He pushed himself into a sitting position, then looked down at his naked torso. The bruises were still visible, but very faint, as if they were at least a week old.
He looked at Lidon, who was meeting his eyes with a mix of amusement and impatience. "Fuck off, Kean. It's one thing to have this conversation with you when you're a wolf, but I'm not talking about sex with you while were both naked. Now, stop ogling my dick and find your mates."
Lidon gave him a hearty slap on his shoulder, then fluidly rose to his feet and walked off to where his mates were waiting for him. Oh yeah, being naked around the rest of the pack definitely took getting used to, though Kean already saw some perks, his eyes glued to his brother-in-law's ass.
"That's a great view," Ruari said with a laugh.
Kean turned around to find him and Bray right next to him, standing hand-in-hand. "That man has damn fine ass," he admitted.
He reached out a hand toward Bray, who carefully pulled him to his feet. When his mates saw his chest, they gasped in unison. "That's amazing," Ruari said, trailing his index finger along what had been the deepest cut on his body but that had faded into a fresh scar. "It's almost gone."
"How do you feel?" Bray asked.
Kean nodded. "So much better. Lidon said that we heal ten times faster in wolf shape. Who the fuck knew?"
"Is that what you were talking about?" Ruari asked. "It seemed a rather...intimate conversation."
Kean figured the more serious part of his talk with Lidon could wait till tomorrow. For now, he would follow the pack alpha's advice. "It was. He basically pimped me out to Bray," he said with a teasing laugh.
Both his mates’ eyes bulged. "He did what?" Ruari asked, disbelief dripping from his voice.
Kean wrapped one hand around Bray's cock, which was still hard as iron. "He said I should let you go to town on my ass, basically. That it would make me feel better."
"I would imagine Bray would feel better afterward as well," Ruari said with a giggle.
Kean slowly pumped Bray's cock. "I don't think the alpha was too concerned about Bray’s feelings in all of this. He seemed pretty content to let me use Bray for my own pleasure."
A slow, sexy smile spread across Bray's face. "I don't mind be
ing used," he said, his voice barely above a dark whisper. "It's a dirty job, satisfying you, but I volunteer."
Kean let go of his cock. "Good, because I'm inclined to take him up on his offer."
"What about me? I volunteer to be used as well," Ruari said with a cute pout.
Kean leaned in for a quick kiss. "I'm sure we can find a use for you," he teased him.
Hand in hand they started walking toward Omega One, which had sort of become their house now. "So," Bray said. "You think Lidon has damn fine ass, huh?"
Kean laughed, amazed at the joy he still felt inside, even after shifting back. He let go of Bray’s hand for a second and slapped his ass. "No worries, alpha. I'm kind of partial to your spectacular ass."
6
Complicated was a word Ruari often used to describe things. The relationship with his parents, for example, was complicated. His feelings about his father still being held prisoner, maybe pressured and forced to give up information, were complicated. Parenting was definitely complicated, even with a baby. Trying to figure out what was happening between the three of them, however, was easily the most complicated thing in his life.
But this? This passion that had captured the three of them, causing them to tumble onto the bed in a mass of arms and legs, hungry mouths and eager cocks, this was easy. This was as simple and uncomplicated as it got, and Ruari was grateful for the respite. Today had been hard, not even a smile from Kean, who always had such joy to spread. And to see him smile now, it was everything.
He kissed him, needed to taste him, the flavor rich on his tongue. Bray hung back a bit, uncertain, maybe, but Ruari dragged him close for a kiss as well, switching from one mouth to the other without missing a beat. Then he had them both close, pressed together cheek to cheek, and it was a three-way kiss. It was messy, sloppy, and the furthest thing from elegant ever, but he soared on their connection.
They kissed for minutes, none of them pressing for more, which was a miracle considering how hard they all were. But it wasn't sex that Ruari craved, it was the connection with them, and maybe it was the same for his mates.
"Bray, I need you," Kean said, sounding more vulnerable than Ruari had ever heard or seen him.
No, not even vulnerable. Fragile. The strong beta looked unbelievably fragile just then, a mere shadow of his usual confident, radiant self. But Ruari didn't have to worry about Bray's reaction, as the alpha seemed to pick up on Kean's need as well.
"Whatever you need," Bray said, his voice soft.
"I need you inside me," Kean said.
"My pleasure," Bray said, and that answer was super sweet, if a little formal.
"I'll get you ready for him," Ruari said, gently pushing against Kean's shoulder until he got the hint and rolled on his stomach. "Is this comfortable for you?" he checked.
The response was a little hum. Ruari touched Kean’s legs, and without being prompted, the beta spread them wide, pulling them up slightly, so his ass came into perfect position. Ruari let out a little appreciative sigh. Kean might have waxed poetic about Bray's ass, but his wasn't anything to sniff at either. Figuratively speaking, at least, since Ruari loved the musky scent.
He trailed a soft hand down the smooth planes of Kean's curves, first the left cheek, then the right. His skin was surprisingly soft for someone who worked outside so much, for someone who was so strong. It betrayed his soft insides, Ruari thought, his heart warming.
"You're so beautiful," he said, his voice a little dreamy.
He bent in to kiss those dimples at the base of his spine, maybe his favorite spot on Kean's body. They mirrored the dimples in his cheeks when he smiled. Kean made a little purring noise as Ruari traced a path with his tongue downward, then sideways from those dimples in an unhurried exploration of that gorgeous ass. He'd seen him naked before, but the novelty was nowhere near wearing off. He was still stunning, and there were so many things Ruari wanted to do with him, to him.
His two men, they were so different. Bray was all hard, solid ridges of muscle, rough and strong. With him, Ruari wanted nothing more than to bend over and take whatever he was dishing out. Nothing filled him better than that alpha cock, especially when he was knotting Ruari. Nothing compared to that full, perfect sensation.
But Kean was smooth, strong and soft at the same time. With him, it was a toss-up between wanting to allow Kean to do whatever he had in mind to Ruari or cherishing him, making his body sing, much like he intended to do right now.
His tongue found the top of Kean's crack, and he trailed a wet path south, his tongue insisting on exploring every bit of terrain. He blew a little hot breath, watched with hungry eyes as Kean's hole twitched, then gave it an experimental lick.
"Ruari, baby," Kean moaned, his voice with that husky edge it took on when he was aroused.
It was all the encouragement Ruari needed, and he spread Kean's ass wide with both his hands and went in for the kill. Kean's entrance tried to keep him out at first, but he licked it and kissed it until it softened under his tongue, then allowed him in. By that time, Kean was making noises that were more animal than human, and Ruari drank them all in, almost high on the taste and smell of him.
He wanted to pleasure Kean until he screamed with the force and need of it, until he would beg for Ruari to stop or for Bray to take over. He wanted to make him explode with bliss, make him soar all the way to the stars and back.
Behind him, Bray let out little appreciative sounds, and Ruari could hear him fist his cock, slick with lube. God, he loved that sound almost as much as the filthy sound of his tongue inside Kean. He dug deep, tonguing his hole until Kean jerked and trembled underneath him.
Kean let out this whimper, a sound of despair and need, and he was so close to begging, Ruari knew it. He stabbed him with his tongue, spreading that ass even wider like a buffet, digging in as deep as he could.
At first, Kean tried to keep still, it seemed, but then he gave up, pushing back against Ruari's face, Ruari’s tongue spearing deeper inside him. Kean moaned as he twisted, writhing and grinding back in uncoordinated moves. He was pleasuring himself as much as Ruari was treating him, and he loved how in tune they were. He kept thrusting inside him with wet, deep stabs.
Finally, Kean broke. "God, please… Please, Bray, I need you."
With one last lick and kiss, Ruari let go. His job was done. He wasn't expecting the look of adoration on Bray's face as he met his eyes, let alone the gentle way he pulled him in for a kiss, his tongue roaming Ruari's mouth, taking Kean's taste with him. It was dirty and beautiful, raunchy and perfect.
Bray didn't waste any time when he let Ruari go. He didn't make Kean wait or beg anymore, and Ruari was grateful for it. That big body simply found a spot between Kean's legs, and then Bray positioned himself and sank inside him. He went slow, out of necessity because Kean hadn’t been prepped that well. Ruari wasn't sure why he hadn't opened him wider, maybe because on some level, he understood Kean needed to feel this one. As much pain as he had been in, this was a different kind of pain. Sometimes, pain could reconnect you with yourself, could make you feel more alive than anything else.
Bray sank in slowly, taking his time with careful thrusts until he was completely buried inside Kean. What a sight that was to see, the control the alpha had in his movements, the care he took to go slow. And then the look of ecstasy on both of their faces.
It didn't take long, Kean already on edge from Ruari's worship of his ass, probably, and Bray, fuck knew he never needed much to come. The benefit of being an eternally horny alpha, strengthened even more by having two mates, Ruari thought with amusement. But their coupling was such an erotic sight, two strong bodies in a perfectly coordinated dance of give and take, of pushing and receiving. And they gave and took and pushed and received so beautifully, their bodies slick with sweat, the sounds falling from their lips so arousing.
Ruari had planned to wait for his turn, but after watching them for half a minute or so, he decided on a change of plans. Fuck it, if they want
ed him, he'd get hard again in no time. His hand curled around his own dick, and he jerked off in the same rhythm as Bray's thrusts into Kean, their bodies slapping together with force.
He came seconds after they did, spraying his load all over the two of them, which he found strangely satisfying. Usually, it was him who was being fucked, and he reveled in that role reversal. Bray pulled out and rolled on his back, panting, and Kean followed by turning over as well. Ruari was on him instantly.
He threw his arms around Kean, not even able to circle him completely, and pressed his face into the damp skin of his neck. He smelled differently, earthy with a touch of animal and sweat—a powerful aphrodisiac that got him hard all over again. Kean hugged him back, not letting go until Ruari was shaking slightly against him with the force of his emotions.
"I hated seeing you in pain," he whispered against his skin.
Bray hugged him from the back, that big body providing so much comfort by its simple presence.
Kean cupped his chin, gently pulling him in for another kiss. "I'm sorry."
He had shifted. Enar still couldn't get over it, the incredible experience he'd had. He had shifted, turned into a wolf. It had been everything he had imagined it would be, even if he'd never expected to be able to shift this soon. He had figured it would take them at least a year to get there, and then all of a sudden, it had happened.
No disrespect, but that had to have been the strangest funeral ever. He had felt bad for Uncle Leland and Aunt Sophie, until he’d realized the joy it brought them to see the shifting, to witness what had been passed down to them in stories, memories, ancient tales of old. Uncle Leland had been so emotional, repeating over and over again that it had been worth it.
Enar had thought his theory that burying Jawon on pack land would empower the pack a little far-fetched, until he'd seen the results with his own eyes. Not just the shifting, though that had undeniably been a miracle all in itself, but the burial as well. They hadn't buried him; the earth had done it herself. Or maybe the moon, Enar wasn't sure how it had worked exactly. All he had known was that nature had been on their side. He'd felt the power, even before the shift, something dark and dangerous humming in his veins.
