Safe Haven

I moved in, inch by inch, while her pussy tightened around me. I wanted to feel every single second of this. Even if we were both desperate to feel each other’s touch, to know we were okay, this was a big moment. As an alpha, I wanted nothing more than to bite her, mark her as mine, but we weren't ready for that. That was something we needed to discuss. But even if we weren't taking it that far, I wanted to savor the feel of her, the scent of her, the sound of her coming undone for me.

When I was finally buried deep inside her, I stilled, giving her body a moment to adjust. I knew she wanted to feel this one, but when she looked back on this, she needed to remember the sensation of pleasure. I watched her breathe heavily, waiting for the pain of the stretch to ebb away. While she adjusted, I brushed my fingers over her clit again, helping her relax. The moment she wiggled against me, all bets were off. I fucked her hard and fast, hitting her as deep as I could in just the right spot so that she sang my praises. But even though I wanted to hold onto that control, I longed to see her taking it for herself. Her fight and fire were some of my favorite parts of her, and I wanted to watch her fuck herself on my knot.

Without warning, I shifted us, wrapping my arms around her and rolling so that she was now on top. She blinked for a few moments before bracing her hands on my chest.

“Ride me, Briar. You want my cock? Take it,” I challenged. A glint of excitement shone in her eyes, and she started to rock, tentatively at first.

“My alpha,” she moaned as she circled her hips, searching for the spot that would bring her to another orgasm. The moment she found it, she flipped from tentative to frenzied, fucking her hips over me as her nails dug into my chest. I rumbled happily, satisfied that she could find such pleasure on my cock. I’d be committing this one to memory even though I could fuck her any time I wanted now. It was foolish that I’d held myself back for so long.

“Keep going,” I ordered when she slowed, snapping my hips upward so she couldn’t hide from the sensitivity. When she shattered, her screams echoed in the room as her pussy clenched around me, and my knot started to swell in response. Before she could fully come down from that high, I maintained the same rhythm, bringing her right back up. Finally, my knot finished swelling, trapping me inside her while I continued to thrust as deeply as I could go. She whimpered, eyes wide, but I didn’t stop. Soon, her eyes were rolling back in her head, and she was rocking again, each movement of her hips sending a shiver through us both.

“You’re beautiful,” I told her, and it was no attempt at flattery. The way the moonlight spilled through the curtains made her look like a goddess. Her face was taken over by ecstasy as she came undone for me again and again, the softness of the moon’s glow giving me perfect glimpses. Fuck, I was hers. There was no turning back now.

One last swirl of her hips was all it took for me to lose my shaky hold on my control. My orgasm coiled from my stomach, shooting through my entire body. Pressure built moments before I spilled my seed inside of her, filling her with my cum. There was something so satisfying about marking her this way, about keeping it locked inside of her. She might have been pregnant with another alpha’s child, but right now, I was making her mine in a way that that bastard would never get to have again, and I would continue to do so every time she let me.

When my knot receded, I carried her to the bathroom and showered her, worshiping every inch of her in a different way—taking care of her, pampering her, was just as healing as that sex had been.

We snuggled under the covers, and although I was ready to pass out, I could tell something was still on her mind.

“What’s going on in here?” I tapped a finger on her forehead. She gave me a small smile and shook her head.

“How do you guys do that? I thought I was pretty good at keeping my thoughts to myself,” she said as she brushed my shaggy hair out of my eyes. I was in need of a haircut, but it wasn’t exactly high on my priority list these days.

“We know you.” I shrugged. “Being in a pack is more than just attraction, sex, and instincts. It’s about knowing each other in ways that no one else could, learning our quirks and tells and using them to make sure everyone is safe and happy. That’s what a worthy alpha does.”

“Damn, that’s deep,” she blurted out, making both of us dissolve into laughter. She had a way of saying the first thing that came to her when she was feeling too much.

“It’s the truth,” I promised, kissing her gently. “You don’t have to hide from what we make you feel.”

She sighed. “Old habits are hard to break, but I’m learning.”

“If you didn’t, Graham would torture you with long talks about feelings,” I teased.

She laughed. “I have a feeling our child will be so well behaved just to avoid those.”

“You aren’t wrong,” I agreed. “One time, I stayed with him for a week over the summer. My family had some work event, so I got shuffled here. He was a rich bachelor, and I may or may not have gotten into his expensive booze. He found me, shitfaced, and he calmly took care of me and got me in bed. I was positive he was just cool.”

“No way. There’s no fucking way he let you get off without anything,” she accused.

“Oh no. He struck the next morning when I was good and hungover. Served me scrambled eggs, toast, and the tongue lashing of a lifetime. But you know what the best part of it was?”

“His cooking?” she guessed. “Ugh, remind me to beg him for some toasted ravioli tomorrow.”

“Toasted what now?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “Is this one of those weird pregnancy things?”

“Uh, no,” she said with a laugh. “Have you never been to the Midwest?”

“I’m a strictly sunshine-and-big-city kind of guy,” I countered. “So that’s a no.”

“You’re missing out,” she sang out. “But we got sidetracked. What’s the best thing about being lectured during an epic hangover?”

“When it was done, I just apologized, and we didn’t talk about it again,” I admitted. “My mom wasn’t the same.”

“Not a good relationship with her?” The question filled me with dread. This was the moment I was dreading. Since I’d realized who my mom was to her, I’d been terrified to have this conversation.

“No, and she’s not a good person. Since the moment I realized who your attacker was, I’ve been trying to find a way to say this…”

“Hey, it’s okay,” she soothed. “Just tell me. It won’t make me run.”

“It might.” I laughed humorlessly. “Vivian Crane is my mother. She’s an awful woman, and one you know well.”

She scrunched her eyebrows for a moment, then realization flicked across her face.

“No. She produced you?! What the fuck, Ellis?” she gasped, eyes comically wide. “How?”

“Well, we don’t need to explain that tonight,” I said with a shudder. Really, I was relieved she was taking it this well. “If I’d have known sooner, I would have told you.”

“I know,” she said. “And her shitty outlook and actions don’t reflect on you, but I get why you were so worried about diving in if that was your example of normal growing up.”

“Well, I’m officially done with her. I was going to confront her, but the petty side of me kind of wants to just say that I met an omega before I show up to the charity ball with you on my arm,” I admitted. “Then we can get that confession, and I can rid myself of her toxicity.”

“I do love that plan,” she agreed, “but I’m exiled. There’s no way Vivian will let me in if she sees me.”

“They don’t check individuals, just pack names, and our pack is on the list,” I explained. “Plus, she’s all about that public experience. She’d never make a scene that others could witness.”

Her grin widened until she almost looked a bit scary. “It’s two months away, right? That means I’ll be showing up in a ball gown, with full baby bump, on your arm. Damn, that’s fucking gold.”

“Yes, yes, it is,” I agreed.

“Can’t wait,” she said around a yawn. Knowing she needed rest, I pulled the blanket over us and tugged her in close.

“Goodnight, Briar,” I whispered. She tried to respond, but a small snore escaped instead. I bit back a smile and kissed the top of her head. Until we met Briar, I had been content with my life and my omegas. Miles and Beckham still meant the world to me, yet here I was, falling hard, all over again. The way she fit in with all of us so perfectly was amazing. We might not have been looking, but somehow all of our lives were now complete. Fate was a crazy thing.