Primal (Alpha Brotherhood 2)

“Her name is Esme,” she said, her voice hardly audible.

“That’s a beautiful name,” I answered. “I can’t wait to meet her.”

Her eyes lifted to mine.

“But she isn’t yours,” she answered, and her lower lip tremored with fear.

“It doesn’t matter. She’s yours and that’s all that matters to me. I will care for her as if she was my own. Know that, omega. I’m your alpha and I take care of what’s mine,” I said firmly and she stared back at me for a moment in disbelief before she nodded in understanding. I knew she could feel me through the pair bond, and I pulled her close to me, feeling her body flush against mine.

“Do you understand me, little omega, or do we need to discuss this further with your bottom bared over my knee?” I pressed. I kept my hand possessively against her, splaying my fingers across her lower back. I felt her muscles tighten against me.

“I understand you, Alpha,” she answered. It was sincere.

“Good,” I answered, dropping my hand down to squeeze her ass. I smacked it hard after I let it go and she squeaked in surprise.

“What was that for?” she pouted.

“Because I could,” I replied.

Her mouth opened with some sassy retort, but when I lifted an eyebrow in warning, she closed it again with a heavy blush. My palm twitched, wanting to spank her naughty little bottom once again. Instead, I just grazed her backside with my hand, and she pressed even more firmly against me before I released her from my arms.

She was flushed, her eyes dilated with arousal once more.

I held her fingers within mine and led her along behind me. She followed me this time because she wanted to, not because I forced her to, and my heart swelled for her.

My omega. Mine.

Chapter Seven

Luna

It was over. I was free.

My heat had finally ended, releasing me from the endless need that had nearly driven me insane. The medicinally forced heats I’d been through before hadn’t been quite as strong and so utterly consuming, making this one far more intense than anything I ever felt before. I’d been so blinded by my arousal that nothing had seemed real. Time had lost all meaning and all I’d been able to see was the blinding white light of my endless bliss until my estrous had been subdued. No longer prisoner to the instinctual urges of my body, my mind started to clear, and I began to feel like myself again.

Now I had time to think.

The pair bond between us pulsed hard with his love and adoration. Absentmindedly, I brushed my fingers over his mark, feeling the place where his teeth had torn into my flesh and claimed me as his once and for all. His bite mark felt rough, but it was something the two of us shared now and I couldn’t change it, not even if I wanted to. Once an alpha claimed an omega and marked her as his, the two were bonded for life. Nothing could sever that connection, not even death. I could run to the ends of the earth and the bond would still be there between us.

Thranar had never marked me. He hadn’t wanted to have that kind of connection with anyone, let alone a woman and especially a lowly omega.

Vikar was so very different than him.

I stared at the back of his head as we walked through the forest, feeling as though I was safe with him. His hand remained intertwined with mine for the rest of the day and I was surprised that I didn’t want to pull away. Instead, his fingers held my own and I was comforted by the roughness of them against my skin. He looked back at me, his eyes full of warmth and I smiled back in his direction, allowing myself to feel happy for the first time in a long while.

When the sun started to dip low on the horizon, we looked for a place to make camp for the night. The stars glimmered high overhead and the silence of the night began to close around us. I could hear animals rustling nearby in the bushes. I wondered if the mother skotaur and her youngling were nearby, and I shivered at the thought.

Vikar chose a site close to the river. He went to gather firewood and I started to make a makeshift shelter for us for the night. When I was done, I sat on a rock by the river and put my toes in the water, trying to decide when I would do next. All alone, I wrapped my arms around my knees and gazed out in the direction of Ravenrath.

My fear had been forced to take a back seat during estrous, but now that my instincts were finally put to rest, it had returned with fervor. The Cult had my daughter. It had been far too long since I had seen her, and I was terrified that she could be hurt or worse. They could use her as an example to either try to force me out of hiding or for their own gain.

I needed to get back as soon as I could.

I trusted Vikar. It was obvious that he cared for me a

nd I was truly beginning to care for him too. He wouldn’t be able to hide any nefarious intentions through our connection, but that didn’t mean that I trusted those he worked for. I pulled my toes from the river and put my shoes back on.

Right now, I needed to make a decision and I needed to make it fast.