Page 6 of Generation Omega: Claimed
I can’t believe I’m saying it, and it’s grudgingly spoken for sure. “And you, Gideon… we need you.”
Gideon is as surprised by the compliment as I am disgusted with myself for succumbing to this Ethan-inspired personality makeover.
“Do you feel it?” Gideon asks. “The sense that we have a real chance at survival, entirely because of the pack that’s assembled here—who and what we were before this and who we’re destined to become together. We have a chance, don’t we?”
Gideon’s looking to me, and I don’t know whether he wants my assurance or my belief. I know exactly what’s moving against us, just how broad and effective the many layers of resistance will be. That said, no pack has ever had the resources this pack has. More than that, I’m enraged at the thought of anyone taking anyone or anything from my omega.Dammit… that little minxis sinking her claws into me even as she’s getting railed by a Scotsman while her conflicted boyfriend watches.
Gideon’s waiting for my response and the pups remain at a respectful distance, probably worried I’ll decide they aren’t worthy and force them to swim laps around the yacht instead of boning their omega.
“We have more than a chance—we’re going to survive. But, Gideon, the war hasn’t even begun yet. Don’t forget that… or, actually,doforget about all of that. For the next three to five days, your job is to satisfy our omega. We’ll worry about everything else after her first heat.”
Gideon frowns attractively, the damn movie star. If Ethan’s reverence for the famousGideon Blakeever crosses into attraction, I’ll have to rearrange the actor’s face, possibly with sandpaper and a chainsaw.
“What if they find us here before the heat ends?”
I scoff, smug as fuck. “Don’t insult me by questioning whether I’ve planned for that unlikely possibility.” I nod toward the boy prince. “He’s now our leverage. If the worst happens, I’ll get the weapons, while you share with the world the identity of thelastalpha. But they won’t find us during the heat—they are about to be quite busy with some urgent and extremely public matters.”
At Gideon’s curious stare, I give nothing that will ruin the surprise, but I’m suddenly powerless against this infection of benevolent honesty. “You need to take care of our omega in the way I can’t. That’s your job right now. I’ve got the rest.”
Like a sensory explosion, waves of desire impact us, followed by the perfume of an omega in heat. I have never in my life scented anything more irresistibly arousing than her orange and spicy vanilla, more potent now than ever, influencing every cell in my body. The leash she holds to my heart—to her alphas’ hearts—yanks with fury. Our omega is calling us to the nest, tothe rut, to days of mindless fucking. But it’s more than that, and I can’t believe I’m just now remembering the purpose of the heat and involuntary rut. Mating.Breeding. Planting seeds to grow inside our omega.
My grimace is a villain’s, not a hero’s. My alpha stirs—no, my alpha battles like a berserker for control. To reach her. To fuck her. To drive into her and plant a seed. To see her belly round with my child.
Fuck!I don’t even want children. I would never do that to any child, bring them into this world to know only suffering and eventual death. But that’s me. My alpha disagrees. He trusts the infinite love of an omega to nurture a baby, to protect and cherish, to ensure that laughter rules a blessed childhood. She would know what to do, as one who was deprived that experience always does.
Flashes—tempting images—display my child in her arms, with Ethan always near, his indomitable love a shield against all darkness. My child would be safe with them, and fuck if that doesn’t make control even more elusive.
My erection strains for freedom, for oblivion, for the hot, wet slick waiting to bathe it. Even if my inner alpha weren’t on board, my cock is no longer my own. It exists to serve my omega, but she’s got plenty of cocks at her disposal. She doesn’t need mine, but this is going to be literal torture for me. Blue balls would be a blessing—I’ll be surprised if my junk doesn’t either detonate or shrivel and die by the end of the heat.
Gideon sways slightly, his eyes blown black as he fights for control and his humanity. It’s a losing battle, but I still find myself gripping his shoulder.
“Your omega needs her first alpha. Let go, Gideon. Don’t deny her what she needs. Free yourself so that you can free her.”
Gideon’s uncertainty surrenders as his feral alpha takes the helm. And just like that,Gideon Blake has officially left thebuilding. “You go first,” he mutters, his voice like some sort of evil, animated character. “Protect Ethan. Protect the nest and our future. You’re in charge.”
Fabulous—I’m now the master of ceremonies at our inaugural yacht, slicked-up sausage festival. How the fuck did this become my life?
Kaz, I don’t belong here. Please, I can’t be here. She’s not my Tillie anymore. I can’t…
Ethan’s anguish is like a hammer striking a thick sheet of glass, creating a spiderweb of fractures through me. I send him a reckless burst of power to let him know I’m on my way. I race up the steps, through the main level, and down the stairs that lead directly to the nest.
The door opens just before I reach it, and I’m hit by the omega’s surging perfume. A searing bonfire erupts in my chest, its singeing discomfort moving outward, sweeping across my skin as my body falls prey to the omega’s power. Electricity sparks in pulses that I’m quite certain are linked to the throbbing need within the omega. If she suffers, we suffer, and right now, my cock is tingling like it’s nearing an electric fence. The pain will intensify the longer I deny the cure, that hot, wet cunt already filled with another man’s cock.
For a moment, I’m lost in the sight of the kilted man ramming into her, her body almost completely concealed by his broad back and the kilt he still wears. A snarl tears free as I fight the demands of my inner alpha, to rip the man from her and claim her as my own. An unsettling truth makes itself known—no matter how much control I might still possess, I couldn’t leave this nest now, not even to save our lives. But even snared by the omegaverse’s chosen flower, one thing still reaches me and stifles the mind-wrecking urge to rut.
Ethan. He’s consumed by shame about his own arousal as he watches the Scot satisfy the love of his life. Guilt and horrorcruelly play with him, pushing him into the false belief that he’s not enough to please her and, worse, that he never would have been. His generosity is turned against him as he seeks to smother the possessiveness any man would feel about his woman in these bizarre circumstances.
He’swrong… that’s the word battering him. Wrong to be here. Wrong to stand by while his woman demands other lovers. Wrong to witness the actions of the omega in the body of his best friend. Wrong to desire her in this state. Wrong to be okay with this and also to be decidedlynotokay with this. Loyalty. Love. Courage. Steadfastness. Passion. All the traits that come so naturally to Ethan betray him in this epic battle raging within him.
I shouldn’t be here, but am I abandoning her if I leave?He can’t even voice those words, fearing she’ll hear and be harmed by his doubts.
Blocking the doorway with my body puts me in the undesirable position of having three feral alphas at my back. Before I address Ethan, I turn and assess the state of the alphas. Lips are raised, and growls continue to rumble in the narrow space.
“I know what needs to happen,” I say to Gideon as the idea forms, the only way to ensure Ethan’s safety even if I am drawn into alpha madness.
Gideon’s body trembles, and I know his heart is burning as fiercely as mine, but he gives me a tight nod. “Protect Ethan. We’ll wait.” Well, the actor just earned more points and even a debt from me, if I’m being fair.
My focus returns to Ethan, his blue eyes pleading, reminding me of the boy frozen in his childhood room while his home burned around him. These doubts about his worth and belonging are triggering a landslide he thought he’d overcome.
