Her legs wrapped around my waist, locking me in, pulling me deeper. Her body arched against mine, her head thrown back, her mouth open in a silent scream as she shattered beneath me, her orgasm ripping through her like a storm.
My own climax crashed through me with unexpected force. I buried myself deep inside her, my hips jerking as I spilled into her. And as I did, something strange happened. A pressure built at the base of my cock, an insistent swelling that caught me by surprise.
My knot. Trying to form. For her. A beta.
I pulled out just in time, confused and shaken by my body’s response. Knots were for omegas, not betas. But my body had tried anyway.
I’d claimed her, my teeth finding the perfect spot on her neck. The taste of her skin, the small sound she made as my teeth broke through…fuck, I’d never forget it.
A sound pulls me from the memory. The soft click of a door opening. I’m instantly alert, my body tensing as I sit up straighter.
It’s Zoe. She emerges from her room, padding down the hallway on bare feet. She’s wearing a loose t-shirt and sleeping shorts, her hair mussed from tossing and turning. She hasn’t noticed me yet, her attention focused on navigating the unfamiliar space in the dark.
I remain still, watching her. She looks small in the vastness of the penthouse. Vulnerable in a way I realize I don’t like. As she passes the threshold into the living room, her steps falter. She’s spotted me.
“Oh!” she gasps, one hand flying to her chest. “I didn’t know anyone was still up.”
“Sorry,” I say, keeping my voice low. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”
She fidgets with the hem of her shirt, seemingly suddenly self-conscious. “I was just getting water.”
I nod, jerking my chin toward the open-plan kitchen.
“Right,” she says. She takes another step, then hesitates. “What are you doing out here?”
I consider lying. Telling her I couldn’t sleep. That I’m working. Anything other than the truth. But lying has never come easily to me. “Keeping watch,” I admit.
Her expression shifts to something like surprise. “You’re on guard duty? Because of me?”
I nod once. No point denying it.
She sighs, running a hand through her hair. “That’s... excessive. But also kind of sweet, I guess. In a paranoid, alpha sort of way.”
The corner of my mouth twitches. Not quite a smile, but close. “We drew straws.”
“Seriously?” Now she does smile, a small, tired quirk of her lips. “That’s very democratic of you.”
I shrug. “Diego’s idea.”
“Of course, it was,” she says, and there’s a fondness in her voice that catches me off guard. “Well, don’t let me keep you from your very important guard duties. I’m just going to grab that water.”
She disappears into the kitchen. I pretend not to be aware of her every movement. I hear the faucet run, the soft clink of a glass being set down. Then she reappears, glass in hand.
“Goodnight, Dane,” she says, moving back toward the hallway. “Try to get some sleep, okay? Even superheroes need rest.”
“Not a hero,” I correct her. “Just doing my job.”
She pauses, studying me with a thoughtful expression. “And what is your job, exactly?”
“Keeping the pack safe.”
“And I’m part of the pack now?” she challenges, one eyebrow raised.
I meet her gaze steadily. “Yes.”
She inhales sharply, as if my simple answer has caught her off guard. For a moment, she looks like she might argue. Then she simply nods. “Goodnight, Dane,” she says again, her voice softer this time.
“Goodnight, Zoe.”
