Falling Together (The Omega Haven Book 1)

by Claire Cullen

  Jake blindly reached for him, fingers snagging an elbow and pulling Will closer.

  The Alpha huffed out a laugh. “Fine, fine. I get it.” The mattress dipped next to him as the Alpha climbed in beside him.

  “Sleep, Jake. I’ve got you.” His words were accompanied by a kiss, pressed to the soft skin just behind his ear.

  Will was conspicuous by his absence when Jake woke again. Waking alone wasn’t what he’d been promised and jerked him from sleep more surely than an alarm clock. There were voices close by. He held still and listened, hearing Will, Dave, and Chris. They were talking in Will’s office, the door slightly ajar, their voices quiet. Will hadn’t left him alone, he just hadn’t wanted to wake him.

  Their words washed over him, bringing a smile to his face.

  “Then he forced his way through the doors, slipping onto the road, ran into an alley, shifted, and came back to Snakes. Found him fast asleep in my bed when I got back.”

  Chris gave a low whistle. “He didn’t do a half-bad job rescuing himself. The modern Omega, huh? I think we should start recruiting.”

  “Not a bad idea, except you’d have all the Alpha officers within reach going into protective overdrive at every mildly dangerous situation.”

  “You’re right,” Chris said. “But he has a lot of potential. I’d hate to see it go to waste.”

  “So would I,” Will agreed. “But right now, I’m more concerned about ensuring his ongoing safety. He’s lucked out twice now, I wouldn’t want to be risking a third.”

  “I should think not,” Dave interjected. “What with a baby on the way.”

  Chris interrupted, sounding surprised. “Wait, baby? Jake is pregnant?”

  “Yeah, he is,” Will said.

  “Is it yours?”

  There was a pause and Jake sat up, holding his breath as he strained to hear Will’s reply.

  “Yes. Officially, at least.”

  He let out his breath in a whoosh of surprised relief. Why did it mean so much to hear Will say it?

  “And unofficially?”

  “His sister wanted a baby, couldn’t have one of her own, wanted Jake to have one for her.”

  “And he agreed to that?”

  “No, he didn’t. But that didn’t seem to matter all that much.”

  “I’d like to say that’s the first case of its kind that I’ve come across, but forced pregnancy among Omega is more common than you’d think.”

  “Forced everything seems more common for Omega,” Dave grumbled.

  “It’s not so bad everywhere. A lot of the Packs take prodigious care of their Omega. Good education, the same freedoms as any other Pack member. But they’re vulnerable by nature and there will always be people willing to exploit that kind of vulnerability,” Chris said.

  “We need to start doing more about it,” Will said. “It seems like nowhere purported to be safe for Omega actually is.”

  “It might be an idea to look to getting your own house in order, Will, before you start making plans to save the world.” Chris’ words might have seemed harsh, but his tone was even. “This city is a flash point at the moment. Too much free rein, no oversight, no consequences for anyone stepping out of line. We’ll do what we can, but we can only police the worst of it.”

  “I know. I’ve let it go too long without taking action. That’s on my shoulders.”

  “Not just yours. This was a responsibility that should never have been left with you, given the condition you were in when Stephen passed away.”

  Chris was good at that, Jake could tell. Pointing out the issues without laying blame. Blame, and the guilt that came with it, would immobilize Will. Had immobilized him. Chris was doing the opposite. Motivating, pushing for action.

  “I can give you two months. Two months and then we’ll need you back to work. Does that sound fair?”

  There was a sigh that was all Will’s and a laugh that was Dave’s.

  “Charming bastards like him always get their own way, Will. Best let him have this, or he’ll be taking your firstborn, too.”

  “Two months is better than nothing,” Will agreed, his footsteps nearing the door that separated them. It pushed open a moment later, the Alpha’s blue eyes peering in at him. “I thought you were up. We were trying not to wake you but I didn’t want to go far. Are you feeling up to coming out and saying hi to Chris?”

  “Sure.” His body felt well-rested and not half as sore as he’d been expecting. There were advantages to being a wolf, and he’d take what he could get.

  Pushing the covers back, he was surprised to find he was dressed in what he guessed was an old t-shirt of Will’s, paired with sweats that were definitely not his. While he didn’t remember getting dressed, he guessed it was Will taking care of him. He took his first few steps tentatively, testing out his feet. There was an ache but nothing like the pain from before. Even his wrists, which had been an angry red the previous night, had faded somewhat. Padding out after Will, he found himself under scrutiny from all three Alphas.

  “Nice to see you again, Jake,” Chris said, stepping forward and holding out a hand. Jake shook it readily, the Alpha's grip gentle.

  “So, I hear that while we had teams scouring the country, raiding places left, right, and center trying to locate you, you engineered your own escape, right to your front door.”

  Jake wasn’t sure whether to apologize or not. “I… well…”

  “That’s a pretty amazing feat, Jake. Our team is very glad you’re safe.”

  “Sorry to put you to so much trouble.”

  Chris waved it off. “That’s our job. And besides, we did rescue Colin, too, so we’re claiming that as a win. And hopefully, our intervention helped to delay their ability to track you down once you’d got away. It would be nice to think we were of some use.”

  Will elbowed him gently. “He’s just messing with you. What you did was…”

  “Brave, exceptionally brave,” Chris interrupted. “And resourceful. Will is going to need someone like you by his side.”

  Will threw an arm around his shoulder. “Let’s let him heal up and catch his breath before we start throwing responsibilities onto his shoulders.”

  Jake didn’t mind so much. He liked to be useful. Omega were always portrayed as so passive, as if they couldn’t affect change in their own lives, let alone anyone else’s. He had always dreamed bigger.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  The next week was quieter than Will had any right to expect. The calm before the storm. He knew the storm was coming because he’d invited it.

  A week before, he sat down with Jake and tried his best to warn him.

  “So, my family will be here next Monday.”

  “I know,” Jake replied, looking up from the laptop he was working on. “I was there when you decided the date you were inviting them, remember?”

  “Yeah, I know you know who and when. I was hoping to give you a sense of what and why before the whirlwind descended.”

  “The ‘why’ is the city, right? Coming to some sort of decision about the leadership.”

  “Exactly. My sister and my cousins all grew up here. They all had some sort of involvement in the running of the shifter side of the city, until Stephen went off the rails. He effectively ran them out.”

  “And now you’re asking them to come back.”

  “That’s the plan. Whether it’ll work is anyone’s guess.”

  “And you’re going to tell them what you told Chris. That I’m your Omega.”

  “And you’re carrying my child. Yes, that’s the long and the short of it. The fewer people who know the truth, the safer for all concerned. Especially you. I made an exception for Chris, because I know I can trust him to keep that to himself.”

  Jake closed the laptop, apprehension on his face. Will couldn’t blame him. He knew what his family was like and was already dreading their arrival. Jake would easily pick up on his feelings.

  “Is that all this is? A cover to keep me safe?
”

  Will blinked, the assertion coming from out of the left field.

  “I… what?”

  “It’s just, it’s been a week and I know I’m staying in your room, sleeping in your bed but you haven’t… we haven’t…”

  A week of strained nights trying to sleep next to Jake and keep his hands to himself. A week of every shift, every movement, every tantalizing scent driving him slowly to distraction.

  “I was… I’m giving you time, Jake. You’ve only been back a week, and you were injured. I didn’t think jumping you the first chance I got was the right way to go about it.”

  From the way Jake’s lower lip was trembling, from the Omega’s downcast eyes, he could see his attempts to be chivalrous hadn’t gone over too well.

  “I just don’t know where I stand.”

  Jake sounded so lost, it cut at him.

  “Come here,” he demanded, holding out a hand. Jake took it, letting Will pull him towards where he sat, so he was standing between Will’s knees, held steady by Will’s arms.

  “What I said the night you came back, I meant every word. You and me, we’re doing this together.”

  His words weren’t enough to push the doubt from Jake’s eyes. Getting to his feet, he walked Jake backward until his back bumped the desk, the Will lifted him up to sit on the edge, stepping right into Jake’s space, giving the Omega nowhere to go, no way to make space between them.

  His hands on Jake’s knees, he nudged them apart so he could step closer, bracing his hands either side of him on the desk. Jake watched his every move, before tipping his head up and meeting Will’s eyes.

  “You’re mine now. Every strand of hair.” He tugged lightly at the dark strands. “Every inch of skin.” He brushed his thumb across Jake’s lips before bending his head and kissing the pulse point on the Omega’s neck, feeling the fast thrum of blood against his lips. “Every beat of your heart,” he murmured into Jake’s neck.

  Jake broke his silence then, moaning when Will kissed him again. Will hooked a finger into the collar of Jake’s t-shirt and tugged it down and to the side, revealing Jake’s collarbone and shoulder. He pressed a long line of slow kisses down Jake’s neck, following the line of his collarbone until he reached the muscle of Jake’s shoulder. Jake was moaning breathlessly, one hand tangled in Will’s hair. The moan became as gasp as Will bit down on the soft tissue, drawing blood to the surface but not breaking the skin. He released the worried skin, smoothing it with soft fingers, happy to see and feel that he’d left a mark.

  “You’re mine,” he said again, taking Jake’s hand, and brushing his fingers across the bite.

  Jake smiled lazily at him. “I’m not sure one bite is enough. Maybe we should go to your bedroom and practice.”

  Though Will had a million and one things he ought to have been doing, he couldn’t deny Jake’s request. A million and one things could wait.

  Once they were in the bedroom, Jake seemed unsure what to do next, his hands on the hem of his t-shirt but making no move to take it off.

  “Jake?”

  “Can I undress you?”

  Will nodded, waiting to see what the Omega would do next.

  Jake stepped closer, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.

  “Before, when we…” He blushed as he spoke. “I didn’t really get a chance to get to know you.”

  Will guessed that was true. He had done most of the work, guiding Jake, giving him a night to remember.

  He smiled at the memory. “If getting to know each other is what you had in mind, can I suggest a change of venue?”

  Jake looked perplexed, a hint of a blush on his cheeks.

  “The shower,” Will added, loving how Jake’s eyes widened at his words.

  “Oh, okay. That sounds good.”

  Once ensconced in the bathroom, Will leaned against the sink, and handed over the reins to Jake. The Omega seemed only too happy to take charge, reaching for Will’s t-shirt, and slowly pushing it upward to expose his abdomen and chest. Will helped when he reached his shoulders, shucking the t-shirt up and over his head and tossing it towards the laundry basket.

  Jake spent the next few moments staring at him reverently before letting his palms rest on Will’s skin, one on his stomach, the other covering the tattoo over Will’s heart.

  His hands moved, fingers tracing the groove above his collarbone, circling his navel, tracing the defined muscles of his upper body as if trying to memorize him by touch alone.

  Then Jake sank slowly to his knees, reaching for the clasp of Will’s jeans. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as he undid the button, tugged down the zip, pushing Will’s jeans and boxers down with one smooth tug.

  “Jake, you don’t—”

  The Omega’s hands clasped the back of his thighs as he leaned in, nudging at the root of Will’s cock, first with his nose, tentative, scenting him, brushing against the soft skin, the coarse hair. His mouth was next, pressing soft kisses before his tongue darted out, tasting him. His hands tightened around Will as his confidence grew, and he lowered his head, working his way down Will’s shaft with long, drawn-out kisses, his mouth wet against Will’s skin.

  He hardened rapidly beneath Jake’s mouth, at full mast by the time Jake reached the tip, his hand circling the base of Will’s cock as his tongue swiped at Will’s slit.

  Reaching down, he ran the fingers of one hand through Jake’s dark head of hair, before lifting both hands and lacing his fingers behind his head, bracing his body against the sink. Jake would do this at his own pace.

  Jake seemed to spend a long time holding him in hand, mouth right at the tip of Will’s cock. Opening his mouth, he took just the tip inside, but even that small wet heat had Will groaning, his fingers itching to touch Jake. But he didn’t trust himself, not yet. It had been so long.

  “God, Jake. That’s amazing. Just like that, take it slowly, not too much, not too fast. Fuck.”

  Jake pressed forward, taking another half-inch into his mouth, his tongue running tentatively along the underside.

  Will let his head fall back, groaning as Jake took him deeper still, moving with newfound confidence. He glanced down, marveling at Jake’s dark head pressed against him, at Jake’s feet, his toes curling. He held himself still, not trusting that he wouldn’t give in to the urge to thrust into the seemingly bottomless heat of Jake’s mouth.

  Instead, he let Jake move and move the Omega did, taking Will deeper before pulling back. He did it again, and Will had to untangle his hands to hold himself steady against the sink, feeling Jake’s lips tighten around him, feeling Jake hum against him.

  He knew he wasn’t going to last long, not with the way Jake’s tongue was working him over, the way Jake’s hand was stroking down from the root even as his mouth pushed forward.

  “Jake, I’m going to come,” he warned hoarsely. His words only seemed to spur Jake on, the Omega taking him deeper, sealing his lips around him and letting go to place both hands on Will’s thighs. The depth, the heat, the friction, was all too much, and he came with a hoarse cry, Jake’s hands tightening around him as he swallowed every drop.

  Jake released his softening cock, kneeling up and turning his head to the side, resting against Will’s stomach as he caught his breath. Will released his death grip on the counter’s edge, and brushed his hands across Jake’s head, feeling the Omega lean instinctively into his touch.

  “That was… that was amazing. Are you okay?”

  Jake looked up at him, his expression dazed though he fixed Will with a blinding smile.

  “We can do that again, right?”

  “Sure,” Will said with a laugh. “And I can return the favor. Was it okay? It can be a bit strange your first time.”

  In response, Jake licked his lips, like a cat who’d got the cream. “I loved the taste of you in my mouth.” He sighed happily, letting his head rest against Will’s stomach again.

  Will ran his fingers through Jake’s hair, grinning when the Omega prac
tically purred under his touch. He’d be doing more than purring once Will got him into the shower.

  “Will?” Jake called breathlessly, pressing his body against the cool shower tiles. “Will, I need more.”

  The Alpha hummed behind him, but didn’t speak. The spray of the shower thundered over both of them, as Jake squirmed in place and gasped as Will slid a second finger into him.

  “Oh, I’ll give you more, Jake. Much more.”

  He glanced over his shoulder catching the wicked grin on the Alpha’s face.

  Torn between pushing back into Will, forcing him deeper and escaping the intensity that threatened to overwhelm him, he found himself frozen, unable to move forward or back.

  Will chuckled, taking advantage of his indecision to pull out and press three fingers into him, slippery with lube.

  Full, he felt full. But not full enough. Squirming again, he tried to turn, to see Will’s face, Will’s cock, which he needed so desperately inside him.

  A strong hand turned him back to face the tiles. “Nu-uh. We do this my way.”

  As the Alpha spoke, he angled his fingers, sending a burst of pleasure through Jake, making his knees weak. The Alpha pushed closer, one arm wrapping around his waist, keeping him upright.

  “Ready?” Will asked, slipping his fingers free.

  “I… like this?” he asked, looking over his shoulder.

  “Exactly like this,” Will whispered, leaning closer to press his cheek to Jake’s. “Close your eyes and just feel.”

  His fingers found Jake’s cheeks, gently parting them, before something slick and big pressed against him. Leaning heavily against the tiles, giving all his weight to them and Will’s arm, he focused on Will’s cock pushing inside him. He couldn’t see it, could barely hear the sounds passing between them over the roar of the shower, but he could feel.

  Feel the stretch and burn of his muscles, his body craving Will within him. He could feel how he tightened and relaxed against the Alpha, Will so in tune with him that he knew when to slow and when to move. His fingers scrabbled against the cold tiles, seeking a purchase that wasn’t to be found.