Blake flicked his gaze away, trying to make it look like he hadn’t just been staring at Pember like a fucking pervert.
“Yeah,” he whispered. “She’s trying to make toast.”
Pember wriggled up from beneath the blanket, letting out the warm air that their bodies had created overnight. He slowly sat up, stretching his arms above his head, causing the hem of his T-shirt to ride up. There was a freckle there too, right next to his belly button. Blake wanted to put his mouth on it.
“Morning, Va?—”
“Shh,” Blake said softly, covering the omega’s mouth and bringing him back down onto the sofa. “Let her come to you,” he whispered.
Pember’s mouth was hot against his palm. Unnaturally hot. But he only nodded and twisted his body, lying on top of Blake so he could watch Val from behind the arm of the chair. Blake inwardly groaned, hips pressing up into Pember’s groin and making them both shudder.
Tipping his head back, he watched the old alpha upside down.
Eventually the smell of burnt toast died away and Val shuffled over to them.
“M-morning,” Pember said, staring up at her with an apprehensive expression.
Val only narrowed her eyes and shoved two plates into their hands. “You both stink,” she said, somehow making her nose even more wrinkled. “This isn’t a brothel.”
Pember flushed, taking a huge bite of toast. He coughed, causing powdery black crumbs to shoot from his nose and mouth.
“Th-thanks for the toast,” he said, spluttering as Val walked away. “The doctor’s on his way,” he called after her.
Val frowned, baring her blunt fangs. “What do I need a doctor for? I told you, I’m dying already.”
Pember set his plate down on the coffee table and clambered off the sofa. Blake growled at the loss of his body weight but didn't stop him.
“Don’t say that,” Pember called. “Please just come and sit down, I’ll make you a cup of tea.” He tugged at her sleeve andtried to usher her over to the recliner, but she yanked her arm away.
“Oh, have off with you. I don’t need the doctor, and I don’t need a fussy little omega worrying over me. Those days are long gone”
Huffing, Pember followed her towards the back door. “But I do worry, Val. We both do.” He threw an arm out towards Blake, who was now perched on the edge of the sofa with his own plate of burnt toast. “You were out in the woods again. You were freezing cold. Blake had to put a fire on!”
Val growled, rounding on Pember. Blake jumped up, cleared the room in three steps and inserted himself between them.
“You should have left me out there!” Val shouted, making Cherry flap and squawk. “Put us all out of our misery for crying out loud!”
Wrenching open the back door, the old alpha wobbled into the garden in nothing but her nightdress.
“Val!” Pember cried, moving to follow her.
Blake somehow managed to grab both Pember and Cherry as they made a beeline for the door. “Leave her,” he said. “She’s always like this the morning after. I’ve locked the back gate. She can’t go anywhere.”
Pember groaned and covered his eyes. He turned, tugging Blake’s arms apart and pressing himself between them. He fit perfectly, like the missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle.
“I feel like I’m making things worse,” he mumbled against his chest.
Blake sighed, squeezing him. “You aren’t. Usually she’d have tried a round of fisticuffs with me by now. Toast and a minor dressing down is mild.”
“Are you sure?” he replied, rubbing his face across Blake’s T-shirt. When he looked up, the golden-green of his eyes were blown almost black, pupils completely dilated. Blake’s throatwent dry. He hadn’t noticed it before, but now they’d moved to a different part of the house, the scent wrapping around them was unmistakable.
After a half a second of confusion, Blake’s brain kicked back into gear. “Y-yeah,” he stuttered, wetting his bottom lip with his tongue.
Pember’s eyes tracked the movement, and he sucked his own bottom lip. His hands slid up Blake’s stomach, dragging over his chest and around his neck. It made Blake’s heart skip a beat.
Pember was in heat, or would be very soon, and that made Blake’s wolf awaken with primal desire.
Cherry squawked again, and Pember seemed to catch himself for the briefest of moments. Dropping his arms, he scuttled towards the sink.
