He shivers and presses himself closer. He gives a tiny, unsure nod and I tighten my arms around him. He feels good in my arms. Like he belongs.
“I thought you didn’t want me?” he says so quietly that I only just hear him.
My chest tightens. I did tell him that. On his first night here, as he climbed into this very bed. I declared that I was never going to go anywhere near him with my cock again. And that the first time had only happened as a one-off emergency.
“Another emergency,” I mumble.
“Oh,” he says softly and I swear I can hear disappointment in his voice.
He wants to sleep with me? Not just because of heat or moonlust? Suddenly, the skin on my back stings. He must have clawed me. I’m pretty sure it was in passion, not in hate. I’m surprised I didn’t feel it at the time but I like that he marked me. I’m proud of it. He likes the pleasure I give him.
“If you would just submit to Callum, we could let you out of the basement. You could join the pack,” I offer spontaneously.
Inwardly I wince. Some mind blowing sex and I’ve turned all soft. This is why omegas are so dangerous. The power they hold over alphas is absolute. A flutter of pretty eyelashes and we would do anything for them. Including following them into a trap and our own death.
Fitz’s expression is horrified and disgusted. Upset and scared. Is the idea of joining our pack really so abhorrent? I feel myself bristle in affront. Fitz flinches at my gesture and wriggles away from me.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbles. “I… I can’t… with Callum. I don’t. Please don’t make me.”
What the hell is he on about? “You just have to bare your throat to him.”
Fitz shudders and tears fill his eyes, he shakes his head desperately.
I cannot figure out what his problem is. I thought his constant refusal over the last month was mere belligerence. Fitz being stubborn and hateful, but now he seems really upset and scared by the idea. I guess if he has been living with humans, he might not have submitted for a while, or possibly ever, I suddenly realize. Maybe he doesn’t understand what it entails?
I regard him thoughtfully. What is he imagining that has got him so terrified of the idea? He thinks we are monsters so I guess he could have dreamed up anything.
“You just stand in front of him and bare your throat as a sign of respect. If you want to join the pack, you stand still and he places his teeth on your throat, and then because you are an omega, I and all the betas will do the same. That’s it. Then we will probably have some food to celebrate.”
Fitz stares at me for a long moment.
“We are not the monsters that you think we are,” I add and it sounds a little petulant.
Fitz continues to stare. He looks like he really, really wants to believe me, but maybe I’m just seeing what I want to see.
“No sex?” he finally whispers.
“What? No! What on earth gave you that idea?”
He flushes and looks away. “When I bared my throat to you and you placed your teeth on me…” he trails off.
But I know exactly what he is talking about. When we fought, I threw him to the ground. He submitted to me and I placed my teeth on him and threw him into a heat. Then I took him prisoner and let his heat burn for hours without helping him, before finally bending him over my car, taking his virginity and forcing my knot on him.
He thinks baring his throat to Callum will lead to a similar chain of events? I can see the logic of his conclusion. If he has no other frame of reference, why wouldn’t he think that?
He squeaks as I pull him to me again and press him close to my chest. No wonder he was refusing. All this time he thought that was what I wanted of him? For him to spread his legs for Callum?
“Joining the pack doesn’t require sex,” I clarify.
I tilt his head up, so I can look into his eyes. I want him to see how serious I am. He needs to know the truth of this.
“You don’t need to have sex with anyone you don’t want to,” I add.
Except here we are, naked together in my bed because I just fucked him without exactly asking him. As much as I tried to. Just like I did on the night we met. No wonder he thinks shifters are sex crazed beasts.
“I’m sorry about tonight. The moon…” it’s my turn to trail off helplessly.
“I don’t mind with you!” he exclaims before flushing a beautiful shade of red, biting his bottom lip and looking away.
