“I had her first, but you two are stealing the omega cuddles?” he demanded.
“I need omega cuddles to heal.” Conrad made a big show of tilting his head to the side, showing off his neck bandage.
The doctor had checked him over earlier—he was perfectly fine. Alpha healing had almost completely closed the wound, leaving barely a scar. He didn’t even need the bandage anymore.
West knew that, same as I did. He glared at his packmate.
“I’m pack lead, doesn’t that give me first rights anyway?” Mercer asked with a smirk.
“You assholes.”
I rolled my eyes. Pushing myself up, I swung a leg over Mercer’s hips and pressed my chest to his. Our lips brushed together once before I sat upright and glanced over my shoulder.“It’s OK, West. I had a different kind of cuddling in mind, anyway.”
Mercer’s hands went down to rest on my hips, his cock already throbbing beneath me. I ground my covered pussy against his cock, eliciting a moan from him.
“I want to do naked cuddling,” I said in case they hadn’t gotten the gist.
“I’d better take your clothes off then.” Mercer’s husky voice sent a shiver of desire running through me.
He grabbed the hem of my t-shirt, but I stopped his hand.
“No, let West do it. Considering you were going to be rude and steal his cuddles.”
Mercer narrowed his eyes at West, but dropped his hands. A warm blanket of wool and smoke enveloped me from behind as West came closer.
Kneeling behind me, he grabbed the hem of my shirt and pulled it up one pain-staking inch at a time. His thumbs traced along my stomach, then over my nipples, until finally my skin was bare and on display.
Conrad groaned. “Fuck, I love naked cuddling.”
West cupped my breasts from behind, his lips pressing to the back of my neck before he abruptly pulled back. “Sorry. That was too close to the mark, wasn’t it?”
He was so quick to realize his mistake and correct it, I’d barely noticed. I appreciated the mindfulness, but at the same time… Benjamin didn’t deserve to intrude on moments like this with my alphas.
Could it be different this time?
I knew what my reaction would be when he got too close to the mark, based on last time it was nearly touched. The feelings it brought up had been similar to ones I’d worked through with Dr. Jalisco.
What if I could breathe until those negative feelings dissipated and left only the pleasure of West’s touch?
Hesitantly, I tipped my head to the side and bared my bondmark, still covered by a bandage. “Can you try… kissing my neck? Please. I want to test something out.”
West’s eyes widened. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
He swallowed hard. I wasn’t sure if he would do it. I should have asked Mercer—someone who wasn’t as terrified to hurt me.
“Alright.”
I tried to relax as he leaned in, but my posture was stiff. The bite throbbed as West’s lips touched my shoulder, slowly kissing a line toward it. Fear and anger—remnants of the moment I’d gotten the mark—bubbled up, growing like a living thing.
Four counts in.I drew in a deep breath.
Hold.
Four out.
Hold.
