His scent enveloped me—that intoxicating blend of pine and winter that my body had been craving for months. My omega biology was practically purring, recognizing him on some primal level that bypassed all my carefully constructed defenses.
"Yes," I insisted, though the word came out embarrassingly weak. "Some of us have actual lives to get back to. Fascinating hobbies. Thriving social circles. A collection of succulents that need watering. You know, important things that don't involve being harassed by alphas with boundary issues."
His laugh was low and knowing, eyes crinkling at the corners in a way that made him look unfairly attractive for someone I was supposed to be angry at. "Succulents," he repeated, amusement coloring his voice. "Of course. Those demanding plants wait for no man."
"Mock all you want," I said, lifting my chin in defiance despite the way my body was practically melting at his proximity. "But my plants have higher emotional intelligence than you three combined, and significantly better respect for personal space."
His free hand came up to cup my jaw, thumb brushing across my lower lip with deliberate slowness. "I've missed this mouth," he murmured, gaze dropping to where his thumb was tracing theshape of my lips. "Missed the way it shapes those clever insults. Missed how it sounds when we break through all that defiance."
My breath caught in my throat, memories flooding back of exactly what sounds he'd drawn from me in the forest. Of how thoroughly he'd claimed my mouth, my body, my dignity—and how I'd spent every night since trying to recreate that feeling with my own hands, always falling frustratingly short.
"Don't," I whispered, the word barely audible. "You can't just show up after six months and act like nothing's changed."
"Has it changed, little prince?" he asked, leaning closer until his breath feathered across my face. "Or have you just been trying to convince yourself it has? Have you forgotten how perfectly you fit against me? How sweet you taste when you finally stop fighting what you want?"
"I don't want you," I lied, the words tasting like ashes on my tongue even as my body betrayed me with a visible shiver. "Any of you. I've spent six months forgetting everything that happened in that forest."
"Liar," he breathed against my lips, so close I could almost taste him. "Your body remembers us. Your omega recognizes who you belong to, even if your pride won't let you admit it."
"I don't belong to anyone," I hissed, pressing my palms against his chest to keep some semblance of distance between us. The solid warmth of him beneath my fingers sent electricity racing up my arms. "Especially not three alphas who think showing up unannounced at my home is an acceptable way to say good morning."
His smile turned predatory, eyes darkening as his hand slid from my jaw to curl around the nape of my neck. "Let's test that theory, shall we?"
Before I could process what was happening, his mouth crashed against mine, cutting off whatever protest I'd been about to make. His lips claimed mine with devastatingfamiliarity, like he was reclaiming territory he'd never stopped considering his. This wasn't a kiss—it was a possession, a reclaiming, a statement of ownership that left no room for argument.
I should have bitten him. Should have fought. Instead, a broken sound escaped my throat as six months of desperate midnight fantasies crystallized into reality beneath his demanding mouth.
His tongue forced past my parted lips without hesitation, thick and hot and overwhelming as it filled my mouth completely. I gagged slightly around the invasion, the sensation sending a shameful pulse of heat straight to my groin. The taste of him—pine and coffee and pure alpha male—flooded my senses with an intensity my memories hadn't even come close to capturing.
"Mmph!" My protest disappeared into his mouth as his free hand dropped to my waist, then slid lower to grip my ass. In one fluid movement, he lifted me slightly off the ground, pressing me harder against the tree while aligning our bodies with devastating precision. The evidence of his arousal dug into my stomach, massive and intimidating, while my own embarrassing hardness strained against the thin fabric of my sleep shorts.
The rough bark scraped against my back through the thin t-shirt, a sharp counterpoint to the burning heat of his body against mine. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think—could only feel as he consumed me with the desperate hunger of a starving man finally presented with a feast.
When his teeth caught my lower lip, biting down hard enough to make me taste copper, a traitorous whimper escaped my throat. The sound seemed to ignite something feral in him. His grip tightened on my neck, tilting my head to exactly the angle he wanted as his tongue delved deeper, stroking against mine with brutal precision.
My hands clutched at his shoulders, torn between pushing him away and pulling him closer as my body surrendered to sensations I'd been craving for months. Every sweep of his tongue against mine sent electricity straight to my cock, now fully hard and leaking against the confines of my shorts.
He pulled back just enough to suck my tongue into his mouth, teeth grazing the sensitive muscle before biting down just hard enough to send sparks shooting behind my eyelids. The whimper that escaped me this time was higher, more desperate—the sound of someone breaking apart completely.
My hips jerked forward involuntarily, seeking friction against his solid form. He responded by sliding his thigh between my legs, providing exactly the pressure I needed while making it humiliatingly clear how completely my body was betraying me.
"That's it," he growled against my mouth, the words vibrating against my swollen lips. "Show me how much you've missed this."
When he finally pulled back, I was trembling uncontrollably, lips swollen and raw, chest heaving with desperate attempts to refill my oxygen-starved lungs. My legs felt boneless, the only thing keeping me upright was his body pinning me to the tree and his hand still gripping my neck with possessive authority.
His cobalt eyes had gone nearly black, pupils blown wide with desire as he studied my wrecked expression with obvious satisfaction. A thin string of saliva still connected our mouths, obscene evidence of how thoroughly he'd claimed me.
"Just as I thought," he murmured, thumb roughly wiping away the moisture from my abused lips. "Your mouth remembers exactly who it belongs to."
I tried shoving against his chest, my palms connecting with solid muscle that didn't budge an inch. "Put me down," I demanded, voice embarrassingly breathless as my feet dangledabove the ground. "Before I rip your ears off and use them as coasters for myDismembering Alphasencyclopedia set."
His smile darkened, teeth flashing white against his tan skin. "Such creative threats from someone who just melted for me." His thigh pressed higher between my legs, the firm pressure against my painfully hard cock drawing an involuntary gasp from my lips. "Your body's more honest than your mouth, little prince."
The sensation of being completely at his mercy—pinned against rough bark, held off the ground like I weighed nothing—sent another treacherous pulse of slick between my thighs. The scent of my arousal bloomed in the morning air, unmistakable to alpha senses.
His nostrils flared, cobalt eyes darkening as he inhaled deeply. "You're dripping for me," he observed, his voice dropping to that commanding register that bypassed my brain and went straight to my hindbrain. "Now kiss me."
I blinked, confusion momentarily overriding arousal. "What?"
