by Nora Phoenix
“That’s three days from now,” Ruari said with a sly smile. “I think we can wait that long.”
Kean cocked his head, studying Bray. “Oh, I don’t think that’s the biggest issue, is it?”
“What do you mean?” Ruari asked, looking from Kean to Bray and back.
“I think Bray’s dad had more advice, something Bray is a little reluctant to share with us.”
“How did you know?” Bray asked, looking a little chagrined.
“Because I know you, big guy, and you looked like you were going to the dentist. Spit it out, what did daddy-dear suggest?”
“Todotheclaiminginfrontofthewholepack,” Bray mumbled.
“Come again?” Kean asked, thinking he must’ve misheard.
Bray let out a long-suffering sigh. “Look, we don’t have to, okay? But he’s been doing research and apparently, in the days of old, claimings were done in front of the whole pack.”
“Bray!” Ruari let out, his face showing the shock that Kean felt. “I’m not having sex with you in front of the whole pack.”
Bray shifted, playing with his hands. “I know. It’s majorly awkward. But my dad said—”
It sank in, that Bray had been serious, and Kean chuckled, then broke out in a full laugh. “Oh my god, Bray, you’re killing me,” Kean said between laughs. “The man who protested hardest against people getting their dirty on in public wants to claim his mates in front of the whole pack.”
He locked eyes with Ruari, and then the omega started laughing as well. To Kean’s relief, Bray joined in seconds later. “I know. It’s ridiculous, right?” the alpha said, a big smile on his face, but there was something in his tone.
“Bray, are you serious about this? You know what a claiming entails, right?” Kean checked, his laugh fading.
Bray rolled his eyes at him. “Of course I do. And I don’t know… Kinda, I guess? It’s just that it could impact the pack in a positive way.”
“Your father didn’t claim his boys in public,” Kean pointed out. “And even the pack alpha did his claiming in private.”
“He didn’t know it then. He said he talked to Uncle Leland and did a ton of research since the funeral on old traditions, and this was one he came across,” Bray said. “We don’t have to. I didn’t tell him we’d do it. I just said I’d talk to you.”
“Just out of curiosity, what would the effect on the pack be?” Kean asked.
Bray shrugged. “He wasn’t sure, but it could be similar to what we saw at the funeral.”
“Maybe non-mated pack members would be able to shift?” Ruari suggested.
Kean whistled between his teeth. “That would be a biggie.”
“But Bray, would you really be okay with it?” Ruari asked. “We were joking about it, but you did have an issue with PDAs, so this is kind of a huge one-eighty.”
Bray raised his chin. “I’d be proud to claim you both in front of everyone,” he said quietly. “I’m proud to be your alpha, to be together…you know, officially.”
It mattered to him, Kean realized. Maybe because he wanted to do this for his dad or for the pack, but he clearly also wanted to do it because he was proud. And wasn’t that the most heartwarming thing ever?
Kean looked at Ruari, who met his eyes and then smiled softly. He didn’t care that much himself anyway, since he’d never been much of a prude, so it was down to Ruari now. “You’re under no obligation to do this,” Kean told Ruari. “If you say no, we’re not doing this. No pressure.”
Ruari scrambled to his knees, kneeling between Bray’s legs. “Is this what you want?”
“Only if you’re really okay with it,” Bray said. “I know it’s awkward and that I’m a huge hypocrite, so what Kean said. No pressure at all.”
“I’d be proud to show everyone I’m yours,” Ruari said, showing off one of his sweet smiles that always made Kean go weak inside.
“Me too,” Kean said.
“We’re doing this then?” Bray asked, his face lighting up.
Kean and Ruari looked at each other, then nodded. “We are,” Ruari said.
Their mouths met in a chaotic kiss, three mouths seeking and finding, and then Bray pulled both of them close and they shared a long hug that made Kean’s heart sing.
“Hey baby,” Ruari whispered, and Kean could tell by his tone he was addressing Bray. “Now that we’ve agreed to do this, maybe we should, you know, practice a little? Just to make sure we give them a good show and all that.”
They all laughed, giddy with a joy that was hard to put into words, and then raced each other to Omega One. When Ruari couldn’t keep up, Bray simply lifted him up, much to the omega’s delight. Kean’s heart was full when they stumbled into the bedroom, clothes already flying everywhere. But when he stood there, naked, watching his mates get undressed as well, something changed.
It felt like a first time, even though they’d had sex before, and Kean tried to figure out why until he realized it. They’d had sex before, but this would be their first time making love. This was the first time all three of them had said those all-important words, that things were truly good between them. Hell, they were engaged to be married, to be claimed. It didn’t get better than this.
He looked at Bray, strong, proud Bray who had made the big gesture and gone all out to prove his love and devotion to the two of them. He’d dared to put himself out there, and Kean appreciated how scary that must’ve been for him. And Ruari, the center of both their universes, so sweet and strong, so easy to love. He’d taken the risk to love, even after what he’d been through.
Kean stepped up to Ruari, offering his mouth, and Ruari latched onto it instantly, wrapping his arms around Kean. That frantic energy transformed into something much sweeter, much deeper.
“I love you,” he whispered against his lips.
Ruari’s smile was sweet. “I love you too. We have our man, baby. We caught him.”
Kean smiled, then kissed him again, those soft lips too inviting to resist. “We sure did. And now he’s ours and we’ll love him forever.”
Strong arms wrapped around him from the back and he let his head fall back against Bray. His breath tickled Kean’s skin, and he let himself go slack in his hold. “I want you,” he whispered to Bray.
The alpha’s strong hand wrapped around his neck. “I wish that I had the words to describe what it does to me to see you surrender like this to me,” Bray said, his voice heavy with want. “To see you give yourself to me. It feels like a gift, every single time.”
“I love you,” Kean offered again, even if it seemed inadequate and not nearly enough to capture how big the feeling inside him was.
“God, I love you, Kean. So fucking much.”
Kean wondered if he’d ever grow tired of hearing those words, and then thought he probably wouldn’t, not for a long, long time. The hand on his throat slid down in an unhurried path, caressing him, until it found his hardening cock as Ruari’s eyes burned into Kean’s. Kean loved the way Bray splayed his hand there possessively, and he pumped his hips, seeking friction. Bray hummed in approval, increasing his grip.
“What do you want, my love?” he asked, and Kean was amazed all over again that a romantic had been hiding all that time underneath that tough exterior.
“Us,” he said simply. “I want us. You, me, Ruari, in any way I can get you. I’m yours. I always was.
Bray nuzzled his neck, then drew a hot, wet path around his ear with his tongue, his hand still wrapped around Kean’s cock without moving. It was frustrating and exhilarating at the same time, that sensation of being claimed. Owned. “You were always mine. I was just too stupid to realize it.”
“Don’t you dare call my alpha stupid,” Ruari said. “He’s the strongest man I know, the most honorable…and he would die to keep me safe.”
For a second, Bray’s grip tightened. “You forgot to mention how sexy he is,” he said, lightening the mood.
“Oh, he knows,” the omega said, making Kean smile.
His fingers ruffled through Kean’s hair, tugging it lightly. “Not as sexy as the two of you. Kiss him,” Bray told Ruari, who immediately obeyed. No wonder, when Bray said things in that low tone, Kean thought.
Ruari’s kiss was hungry, demanding, and Kean gave up everything, holding nothing back. He shoved his tongue deep inside Ruari’s mouth, and he allowed it, welcoming the wild invasion. The little growl Ruari let out fired Kean up even more, making his pulse race.
“I need you,” Ruari whispered, panting from their kiss. “I need you both.”
He took the words right out of Kean’s mouth.
Ruari’s head was dizzy with sensations, his legs weak and seconds from buckling.
“We’ve got you,” Kean said, and he lifted Ruari up and carried him to the bed, Bray only letting go of the beta long enough to install himself on the bed as well. Ruari found himself in the middle of the most delicious man-sandwich ever, and he wasn’t sure whether to kiss Bray or touch him, or kiss Kean and let his hands explore him.
The choice was made for him when Bray took his mouth in a deep kiss, and two pairs of hands reached out of him. Kean stroked his chest from the back, then traced his nipples with his thumbs, making Ruari’s back arch and break off the kiss with Bray.
He leaned into Kean’s touch, hungry for more, and Bray smiled, his lips still wet from the kiss they’d shared. Kean’s hand traveled south and Bray took over. He tapped Ruari’s right nipple with his index finger, then drew an agonizing path across it with his nail, and Ruari bit his lips to keep from crying out. When Bray flicked his nipples with a sudden move, Ruari’s mouth gaped open and a sound came out he barely recognized. Was that him, so needy and desperate?
“He likes that,” Kean said, his voice hoarse.
“Mmm,” Bray said, his voice so wonderfully deep. “He does.”
He did it again, and Ruari bucked against him, hot sparks running down his back. God, he was wet, so slick inside. The sparks quadrupled when Kean repositioned himself and then simply pressed inside him.
“Ugh,” Ruari moaned at that perfect pressure.
He didn’t get time to adjust, because Bray continued the assault on his nipples, twisting and flicking them, then kissing them softly, before full on sucking on them. His touch was pleasure as much as torment, and Ruari didn’t know if he wanted him to stop or beg him to continue. Bray’s brown eyes were dark, heavy, and Ruari couldn’t look away from the fire they radiated.
Kean started a slow, deep rhythm inside him, moaning with every thrust. “You feel so good,” the beta grunted. “So slick and hot.”
“Can I?” Bray asked.
A deep shiver tore through Ruari as Kean pulled out, and he lifted his legs and canted his hips to let Bray slide in. Ruari’s breath caught in his lungs as he took him in. God, that cock, that big alpha cock. The stretch was perfect, riding that edge of pleasure. And god, he was so beautiful. Bray’s body never failed to take his breath away, no matter how often he got to admire it. It was all muscle, power, gleaming curves and smooth planes.
He reached out with his right hand, placing it on Bray’s chest, feeling it rise and fall as he breathed. The alpha’s eyes never left his. “You take my breath away,” Bray whispered, and Ruari thought he could’ve said the same, if only he’d had words. They failed him as all he could do was feel.
Kean rutted against his back, his dick sliding between Ruari’s ass cheeks to bump up against Bray’s. Someday, he’d want both of them inside him, Ruari thought. Then Bray lifted him off his cock and handed him back to Kean, who surged right back inside him. They tag-teamed him like that until he was crazy, his orgasm agonizingly close but just out of reach.
Drops of sweat slid down between his shoulder blades, trickling a teasing trail downward, and Kean licked them from his hot skin. He choked out a moan of ragged need. “Please, please…”
Bray turned on his back, taking Ruari with him. “Ride me, my love,” he ordered him.
Ruari sat up, taking him deep inside, and his cry of pleasure at the penetration echoed through the room. His breaths became moans, then grunts and whimpers as he rose higher and higher. Bray’s thrusts upward were brutal, violent, and Ruari twisted and bucked, trying to take in more, deeper.
He rode Bray’s cock like a cowboy on a bronc until his muscles were on fire and each breath had become like sandpaper. Kean wrapped his hand around Ruari’s dick, and with a few firm strokes, made him explode at the same time as Bray poured himself inside him with a low grunt. Seconds later, Kean’s cum splattered on Ruari’s heated skin as the beta brought himself to a roaring climax as well. Ruari dropped on top of Bray, too worn out to even lift a finger.
21
This was by far the craziest thing he’d ever done, Kean thought as he walked hand in hand with Bray on his left side. Ruari held Bray’s other hand, and it was fitting that the alpha was in the middle, since he’d be the one to unite them.
Publicly.
In front of the entire pack.
Oh god, why had he ever agreed to this? But when he looked inside, Kean knew it was the right thing to do, just like he knew tonight was the perfect night. The moon was strong, the earth powerful, even the crickets subdued by the strength of nature.
And so Kean raised his chin and walked, still dressed in a pair of shorts, but commando underneath. He figured he’d better make things easy. That’s why he’d worn a plug for the last hour, so he’d be stretched and ready and all slick. Damned if he’d let twenty people watch while Bray had his fingers up his ass. Bray and Ruari were similarly dressed, so Kean guessed they’d all had the same idea.
Bray squeezed his hand in a reassuring gesture, and Kean pressed it right back. Bray didn’t need to know he had second thoughts. Well, not so much second thoughts as nerves, he guessed. Which was normal, he told himself. Everyone would be nervous if they were about to take a massive alpha cock up their ass in public, followed by a bite.
It was the part after he worried about most. The sex frenzy, as Palani had described it. His brother had been brutally honest when Kean had asked him about his experience. Apparently, those four had fucked for hours after Lidon had claimed them, much like being in heat, Palani said. That in itself wouldn’t be an issue—hello, like he would object to hours of hot sex with his men—if not for the public part. That was a little more of a live porn show than he was comfortable with, but it wasn’t like he had a choice.
They’d picked a spot in the outer fields, at Grayson’s suggestion. Something about the power of the earth being strong there. Bray had put thick blankets on the soft grass, he’d told Kean and Ruari, so comfort wouldn’t be an issue. Because of course, comfort was what Kean was worried about most. Oh god, kill me now.
Instead, he sucked it up and plastered a smile on his face as they arrived at their destination, the entire pack waiting for them, including some newbies. Kean’s eyes searched until he found Palani, who sent him an encouraging smile.
“Friends, we are together to celebrate Bray’s claiming of Kean and Ruari. And I know this is a bit awkward,” Grayson said, earning some chuckles. “But I’ve done research into the old ways of claiming, and this is how it was done. Society has gotten much more prudish, but the ancient ways have always been more liberal, so to speak. The shifters had no problem with sex in public, even when it concerned blood relatives.”
“Well, that’s good to know,” Kean commented dryly. “Considering your son is claiming me and my two brothers have a front-row seat.”
A wave of laughs rolled through the pack, and it helped Kean relax a bit. Maybe he should try to see the humor in all of this. It certainly beat getting all worked up about it.
“My point exactly,” Grayson said. “So we asked Bray and his mates if they were willing to do the claiming according to the ancient ways under the full moon, and they agreed. We ask them to please step forward.”
They stood, Kean’s hand trembling ever so slightly in Bray’s, and he received another encouraging squeeze.
“Alpha, do you swear these men have voluntarily agreed to your claim and have not been coerced or pressured in any way?” Grayson asked.
“I swear upon the life of the alpha heir,” Bray answered, his voice rich and strong.
“Alpha, claim your men.”
Bray pulled them both close, kissing first Kean, then Ruari. And with that simple kiss, Kean’s nerves were gone. “I love you,” he whispered to Bray. “I can’t wait to belong to you.”
The look Bray shot him was so full of love and pride, something tight unfurled in Kean’s chest. He never looked at the others as they undressed, only had eyes for his mates as they lowered themselves onto the blanket. They hadn’t discussed who would go first, but Kean knew it would be Ruari. He nodded at Bray when the alpha wordlessly asked him for his blessing, then watched as Bray blanketed Ruari’s body, surging inside him with one powerful thrust.
“Ruari, my love, do you accept my alpha as your mate for life, sealing our unbreakable bond as long as we both shall live?” Bray asked, his voice steady and clear.
“Yes, my alpha.” Ruari’s voice was soft but clearly audible, “Do you accept my omega as your mate for life, sealing our unbreakable bond as long as we both shall live?”
“God, yes, my omega.”
Bray thrust deep inside him, and then he lunged forward, his lips peeled back and his teeth aiming for Ruari’s shoulder. The second they connected, Kean felt it in his soul, like a strengthening, a deepening of what already was.
“Bray!” Ruari cried out, throwing his head back.
Bray’s hips snapped as he took him hard, but it wasn’t even sexual, Kean realized, much to his own surprise. It was power he was watching, like a force of nature, a natural phenomenon that held your breathless attention by its sheer raw beauty. And so Kean looked as Bray fucked Ruari into a shattering orgasm within seconds, the both of them moaning as they came.
Bray held him tenderly, licking the small trail of blood on Ruari’s shoulder with his tongue until it stopped bleeding. “Thank you,” Ruari whispered, tear-stricken and dazed.
