by Hawke Oakley
I frowned and tightened my grip on Angel, who had no clue about the conversation surrounding her. Maybe it was better that way.
Ryu sidled close to me and placed a protective arm around my shoulder in silent agreement.
“I don’t care who she came out of,” I growled. “I’ll fight to keep her, even if her biological parent is a legend. I’ll kick that guy’s ass.”
A small chuckle rippled among the table. My joke—although I was completely serious—seemed to lighten the mood, at least.
“Seeing as nobody’s seen him in hundreds of years, and that he hasn’t returned for her yet, I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” Gabriel said.
“Yeah. And you know what? Even if Halo decides to show up tomorrow, we got your back,” Dante exclaimed. He thumped his chest in a brotherly gesture.
“I don’t care who this guy is, abandoning a baby is just the worst,” Raja growled. “I’m with you two. You’re better parents to Angel than he’ll ever be.”
Lorenzo nodded. “Agreed.”
Their praise warmed my heart. They were right—Angel was our child, no matter who gave birth to her. I would fight tooth and nail to protect her, and never, ever give up on her. If Halo Fire-Eater wanted her back, he would have to pry her from my cold dead hands.
“So… What does this mean for us?” Ryu asked.
“I guess we keep doing what we’re doing,” I said with a shrug. “We raise our daughter and work on the second. There’s nothing else we can do.”
“Wait—work on the second?” Gabriel gasped, his eyes wide. “Are you two trying to conceive?”
The tension in the air disappeared as everyone sat up in excitement.
“There goes the secret, I guess,” Ryu said with a small laugh.
I waved him off. “Oh, whatever. It wasn’t a secret in the first place.”
Gabriel and Raja practically fell over themselves rushing to my side.
“This is so exciting!” Gabriel cried. “Have you tried? Are you pregnant already?”
“No,” I mumbled, suddenly shy from all the attention. “Well, we did try, but I didn’t get pregnant. The doctor said we should try on my heat coming up.”
Raja nodded. “That’s how I got pregnant. It’s practically a guarantee. You, uh, might want to get a babysitter for Angel in the meantime. You’re gonna have a hard time leaving your apartment, or doing anything that isn’t… You know.”
I scowled at him and rolled my eyes. “Listen, kid, I probably had my first heat before you were even born. I know how it works.”
Raja grinned. “Right. I forgot how old you are.”
I glared. “Call me old one more time.”
“Anyways,” Gabriel said quickly, “if you need a babysitter, I’m totally open.”
“I thought you were done with kids,” Ryu remarked, smirking.
“I meant kids of my own, dummy,” Gabriel muttered. “Babysitting is different. Besides, Angel is—well, an angel. She never causes any trouble. Isn’t that right?”
He booped her nose, and she laughed. My heart tightened with affection for her.
“Seriously, though, you wouldn’t mind babysitting?” Ryu asked.
Both Raja and Gabriel nodded.
“We can trade off for a couple days,” Raja said. “When Gabriel’s sick of dealing with two babies plus Angel, we can take her.”
“That’s a huge help, you guys,” Ryu said. “Thank you.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Gabriel shooed us away. “Now go and get busy.”
Ryu and I smirked at each other, remembering Dr. Lynden’s comment. “It seems like a lot of people have been saying that to us lately.”
I sighed. “I guess I’m gonna have to close up the bar for the next few days…”
18
Ryu
The moment I locked the front door to my apartment, I caught the scent of it.
The thick, musky scent flowed from my mate, rolling off in waves that indicated the start of his heat. My throat tightened.
“Well, I guess the doctor was right about when it would start,” Scar mumbled.
“Yeah,” I replied, my voice husky with arousal. My mind was fogged by desire, and I couldn’t think about anything except having sex with my mate. The urge was so intense that I bit my lip.
Scar looked similarly affected. His cheeks were flushed and his breathing was heavier than normal, and it wasn’t from exertion. Our bodies seemed to vibrate like magnets, wanting desperately to pull together and never let go.
Silently, I took his hand and pulled him towards the bedroom. He didn’t protest, or even speak at all. We didn’t need words to know that this was exactly what both of us desperately wanted.
Before I could make the first move, Scar growled and grabbed me by the shirt collar and crushed his mouth against mine. The heady scent of his heat and the hot wetness of his tongue flooded my senses, dizzying me. The kiss was ruthlessly passionate, and lasted until our burning lungs forced us apart.
Panting and breathless, I stared into Scar’s eyes. They flashed with unashamed lust right before he growled and kissed me hard again. We melted into a pile of limbs, hot and sweaty, kissing and roaming our hands over each other’s bodies. All sense of humility disappeared as our base instincts rose to the surface.
We were reduced to an omega in heat, and an alpha who needed to breed him.
The dragon inside me growled, deep and feral, as the urge to dominate him took over me.
I pushed Scar’s shoulder down into the bed and straddled his waist. A brief glint of excitement sparkled in his eyes, and I quickly realized why—I felt the bulge of his cock poking up underneath me. He was already just as excited as I was.
We made quick work of our clothes, nearly ripping seams and tearing buttons in our struggle to strip as fast as possible.
I stared down at Scar’s now-familiar body and traced my hands down his collarbone, over his chest, finally stopping at his hips. His cock strained against his skin, painfully hard from the overwhelming arousal of his heat. I grasped him low near the base of his shaft and squeezed up. Scar gritted his teeth together with a groan. He was tight and wound up, and I got the feeling one more touch would send him spiraling over the edge.
I tightened my grip on his cock and pumped him quickly twice, and that was all it took. He threw his head back with a loud moan as his cum burst all over my hand and his skin.
But even after his powerful orgasm, his cock remained hard.
It must be because of his heat, I realized.
Scar’s face was flushed and desperate when he cried out, as if in a form of agony. “Gods, please…”
“What is it you want?” I demanded, my voice thick from arousal.
“I want you inside me,” he growled.
I didn’t miss the way the fluids slipped down from his overflowing entrance. I thought last time was wet, but it didn’t even compare now that he was in heat. His body was completely prepared for me to enter him.
I tested him first, pressing two fingers to his hole. They slipped inside with a wet noise without any resistance at all.
“I don’t want fingers,” Scar protested, scowling. “I want your cock.”
I smirked. “If that’s what my omega wants, then I won’t make you wait any longer.”
“Good,” he grunted.
After slipping my fingers out, I readied the tip of my cock against his wet entrance. Scar tensed with need and excitement. My cock entered him just as easily as my fingers had earlier—it was completely different compared to the first time we had sex. Scar’s ass clamped down on my dick, as if trying to pull it further inside. I groaned at the tight, hot pressure.
“You better get me pregnant this time,” Scar growled.
“I will,” I promised. “I’ll fuck you over and over until you’re full to bursting.”
He shuddered with a smirk. “Looking forward to it.”
I edged closer while pushing deeper. Carefully, I lifted hi
s prosthetic leg and braced it against my shoulder to get better access to his hole. Scar bit his lip in anticipation. Even now with my cock halfway inside, his slick hole gushed lubricative fluids all over our skin and the sheets.
An omega’s heat is really something else, I thought in awe.
Using his other leg, Scar hooked himself around my lower back and jerked me closer. I grunted as my cock buried inside him. It throbbed painfully as I neared the edge with every passing moment. Needing to hold on to something, I grabbed his hips for leverage as I thrust harder.
My entire cock slipped inside his ass as deep as it would go. We both cried out in pleasure as a new wave of intensity sent sweat rolling down our skin. My muscles tensed, electrified by the overwhelming sensations. We both remained dead still, afraid that if we moved now we’d both be sent sprawling over the edge of our impending orgasms.
Finally, when the looming wave passed, I slowly started thrusting again. Scar relaxed with a sigh, allowing himself to enjoy the shocks of pleasure spreading throughout his body. I was pleased that I could make him feel so good. He deserved it, after everything he’d been through.
To add to this, I grasped his still-hard cock with one hand and began pumping it. His eyes clenched shut as he moaned. The expression on his face was pure pleasure.
Spurned on, I grasped his hip harder in one hand and continued pumping his cock in the other while thrusting. Eventually I settled into a rhythm doing both things at once and Scar was able to lay back and soak up the sensations to his heart’s content.
When I felt myself nearing the edge, I said, “I’m close.”
He nodded without looking up. “Cum inside. But don’t stop. You better do it again after.”
“Don’t worry about that,” I grunted. Just the scent of his heat alone made my cock rock solid at this point.
It came in a hot, staggering wave. I tensed just a moment before my load shot out, coating Scar’s inner walls. At the same time, my grip on his cock jerked up, causing the final stroke he needed to cum. He cried out, unable to hold back. Both our orgasms seemed to last an eternity before we came back down to earth, our minds foggy from forgetting to breathe.
But there was no downtime. Immediately, the slick wetness surrounding my cock and the musky scent of Scar’s heat perked me right back up to full arousal. I barely had a chance to breathe before my body began moving on its own. My hips thrust and my fingers dug into Scar’s sides.
“Do it again,” Scar commanded with a growl. “Fuck me until I’m pregnant.”
“That’s exactly what I’m doing,” I muttered. I braced myself, then reeled back and thrust hard and deep—as far as my cock would go. Scar gasped and moaned, his eyes screwed up in pleasure.
“More,” he mumbled desperately.
I gave him exactly what he wanted. Without pause, I fucked him steadily, enjoying the hot streaks of satisfaction coursing through our blood. My cock felt swollen and hard, ready to cum again thanks to Scar’s heat even though I’d already had a massive orgasm.
I could get used to this, I thought.
The familiar cresting wave threatened to crash over me again. I gritted my teeth, pounding harder. The knot of pressure below my stomach intensified.
“It’s coming again,” I muttered.
Too enthralled in ecstasy to speak, Scar only nodded vigorously.
I thrusted faster, harder, until the wave of pleasure finally broke. I cried out as my cock entered him entirely, my balls slapping against his skin, and a huge load of my cum gushed inside. My orgasm lingered as more of my seed burst out of me.
“Yes,” Scar cried, “I can feel all of it!”
Finally the wave settled and I collapsed backwards with a heavy exhale. Scar groaned and attempted to sit up for a moment before giving up and letting himself lay there.
“Come lay next to me,” he muttered. I joined him, and he rested his head between my shoulder and neck with a content sigh. “Well, if that didn’t work to make a baby, nothing will.”
I chuckled. “We’ll see. Aren’t you in heat for a few more days anyway?”
“I think usually becoming pregnant will stop a heat early, but that doesn’t mean we can’t keep having fun anyway,” he said. “I mean, I don’t know about you, but I could do that for a couple days straight.”
I kissed his cheek. “I think I could, too.”
* * *
Although the four days straight of non-stop sex and passion were amazing, both Scar and I were exhausted by the end of it. Gabriel promised he’d take care of Angel for one more day, to give us a chance to recuperate. We were glad to have her back the day after.
Then, there was nothing to do but wait.
The suspense waiting out the recommended two-week window before a pregnancy test was killing us both. The bar resumed its regular hours, both to get some extra cash and also to help Scar get his mind off constantly worrying about it.
Logically, I knew there was nothing to be anxious about. Dr. Lynden pronounced us both fertile and fit to conceive. Scar’s heat had indeed ended the first night we had sex, even though we continued to try for good measure.
So what am I so worried about?
“Do you think Angel knows she might have a little sibling soon?” Scar asked that night when we got home. Angel sat in his lap while he fed her a spoonful of peaches-and-cream oatmeal. “I mean, I know she can’t talk yet, but she’s so smart, y’know?”
I shrugged. “She is very observant. But I still think she might be a bit too young to realize.”
Angel patted Scar’s prosthetic arm in an off-beat rhythm. He didn’t seem to mind at all when she did that—in fact, I think he thought it was cute.
“You’re probably right,” he said. After a pause, he asked in a concerned tone, “Do you think she’ll mind?”
“Mind having a sibling, you mean?”
“Yeah.” Scar frowned. “She’s gonna know, when she’s older. That she’s adopted. If she has a sibling that’s our biological child, do you think she’ll feel… You know, sad about that? Like she’s not wanted?”
I looked at him seriously. “Look at that child and ask me that question again. You and I both know we would die for her.”
Scar sighed. “I know…”
“It’s probably going to be a tough conversation,” I admitted, “but look at us. We’re not exactly a picture perfect couple in the first place.”
A wry smile crossed Scar’s lips. “Yeah, you’re right.”
But suddenly his smile faded, and it wasn’t due to the gravity of the conversation. He clutched his stomach with a wince.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Don’t feel so good,” he mumbled. “Take Angel. I’m gonna hop to the bathroom.”
Worried, I took our daughter while Scar shuffled away. When he wasn’t back within five minutes, I placed Angel in her seat and knocked on the bathroom door. “Are you okay?” I asked.
Scar responded with a groan.
“I’m going to come in,” I warned.
He didn’t stop me. I bust inside to find Scar sprawled over the toilet, still clutching his stomach and looking miserable.
“Oh!” I kneeled next to him, rubbing his back. “What happened? Did you get sick?”
“Sort of,” Scar muttered, not looking at me. “I dunno what it was. I didn’t eat anything weird, and I haven’t had a single drink since Angel came into our lives.”
If it’s not something he ingested, and he probably doesn’t have a virus… Then it can only be…
“Scar,” I began, “you haven’t tried the pregnancy test yet, have you?”
He frowned. “No.” Then his brows raised. “Do you think that’s why this happened?”
“It might be related,” I said. “Do you feel well enough to take the test?”
“Yeah, I’m not feeling so gross now that it’s over. Hand it to me,” he mumbled. As I did so, he asked, “Isn’t it a bit too early to be feeling sick, though?”
I shrugged. “I know pregnancy is different for everyone. This is the only way to be sure.” I paused as he set up the test, then asked, “Do you still want me to leave?”
Scar grunted. “Nah, just turn around while I pee on this thing.”
After he finished, it was more waiting. I briefly peeked out to the living room to see Angel had fallen asleep in her chair. I smiled, then returned to Scar.
“Check it now,” I said.
“Alright, alright…”
He picked up the test. I tapped my foot impatiently. Whatever his emotions were, his face didn’t betray anything—which stressed me out even more.
“Well?” I blurted out.
Slowly, Scar turned the test’s tiny screen towards me.
I gasped.
A plus sign!
“It’s—it’s positive?” I cried.
Scar nodded.
“Then, you’re pregnant?”
He smiled. “I guess so.”
I knocked the smug look off his face as I flew at him, grabbing him in a tight embrace. “You idiot! You could have smiled or something so I had some idea! Don’t do that again!”
“Sorry,” he muttered, not sounding sorry at all. “It was too much fun to mess around with you.”
Tears of joy and excitement formed in the corners of my eyes. “I can’t believe it… This is finally happening.”
I noticed Scar’s eyes shone bright and teary as well. “Yeah. I guess I should thank you for putting a baby in me.”
I almost groaned. “Please don’t say that when we’re having a tender moment here.”
“I’m serious!” He laughed. “Come on. Let’s go tell Angel she’s going to have a younger sibling.”
19
Scar
It turns out being pregnant fucking sucks.
Three months in—and only halfway through—my back hurt, my foot was swollen, I was always cranky, and I always wanted to eat disgusting, weird food. This was all made worse by the fact that I still went to work every night and had to deal with the stink of alcohol wafting in the air.
