Weston
Meetingthe pack and seeing all of their happy, healthy children was bittersweet. Nishiki had mentioned that Nero and Remington were fated, but upon seeing all those other couples, it was clear as day that they wereallfated mates. Despite the stress of the situation, they radiated happiness—the kind of innate, pure joy that came with having everything you ever wanted in life.
I wanted that. Desperately.
But right now, there were other concerns to deal with. For one thing, my heat was fluctuating in waves. I had managed to control it up until this point, but the longer I spent around Nishiki, the more difficult it became. I wasn't sure how much longer I could manage without breaking down, or separating myself from him until it was over. The latter was an option I wanted to avoid. I didn't want Nishiki to think I was abandoning him at the moment he needed me the most. He'd already made it very clear that he wanted me to accompany him until this journey was truly over.
But I don't want it to end.
My heart and my hormones managed to keep themselves under control until we were some distance away from the pack. I silently thanked my body for behaving itself in front of all those people. Making a bad first impression upon Nishiki's extended family would have been mortifying. Though I had a suspicion that a few of them—the ones that seemed to be omegas—knew what I was going through, judging by the gleams of sympathy in their eyes.
But now that we were by ourselves again and a good distance away from the grove, the dam holding back the intensity of my heat shattered. I was breathless and my body was burning up. Despite trying to hold it back, slick fluid was trickling down my thighs with every step. I usually wasn't ashamed of my natural body functions, but I had to admit I was now. I didn't want to be a distraction or burden for Nishiki when he was so close to being reunited with his twin brother.
The fatigue crawled up my body until my knees were shaking. Unfortunately, we were no longer in the forest so I had no trees to lean on for support. Instead I ended up tripping and lurching forward, crashing right into Nishiki's back. A wave of embarrassment came over me and I shut my eyes. I was a mess. I didn't want Nishiki to see me like this.
"Whoa!" Nishiki said. He quickly caught me so I wouldn't fall.
I didn't look up at him. I couldn't. The places where his hands were holding me felt like they were on fire in the best way possible. To look him in the eye would only mean acknowledging my feelings. Making them real. A hot thrum of arousal pulsed through me, shooting down my spine and pooling below my belly. I heard my own breath coming out erratic and rapid.
I couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't hold it back.
"Let's take a break," Nishiki said gently.
A break wasn't going to help me at all, but I nodded anyway. I sat down, purposely choosing a spot a few feet away from him. Any distance I could put between us would be a slight help, but not much. There were only two solid options and neither of them were feasible.
"I… I won't ask you if you're all right, because I can tell you're not,” Nishiki said. "But if there's anything I can do, please tell me."
There was nothing he could do. Not without…
"Talking," I managed to say. "Distract me."
It wasn't much, but it was the only thing I could think of. If I couldn't have him on me or in me, I wanted to at least hear his voice.
Stop thinking about that, Weston. It's only going to make things worse.
"Okay," Nishiki said. After a short pause, he went on. "They sure do have a lot of kids in the pack, huh? They've grown up a lot since the last time I saw them. And there's a new one too." Even though I wasn't looking at him, I heard the bright smile in his voice. "I always thought I couldn't interact with kids, since I never really knew how. But I guess hanging out with my nephew Zak helped. It's not as difficult as I thought."
Despite my misery, I smiled.
"I love kids," I murmured. Something came over me. The agony of my heat was messing with my brain, shutting down logic and my ambitions, but I started speaking without a filter and couldn't stop. "That's all I ever wanted. A family. Kids of my own. But… it was never…"
I could've gone on and on. The only reason I cut short was because my body stopped cooperating. An almost painful throb of arousal jolted me, making me double over. Nishiki was so close to me. It would only take a moment to reach out to touch him. To have him touch me in return...
I can't do this. I can't be near Nishiki anymore.
I put every ounce of strength into getting up. But it ended up being useless. Nishiki gently grabbed my wrist, preventing me from leaving.
"Weston," Nishiki said. "I already said this to you before. Tell me what you want."
My heart raced like it was going to burst. There was something different in Nishiki's tone, a newfound confidence.
I turned to him. I saw my own lust reflected in his dark eyes. The grip he had on me was firm yet gentle. It was encouragement, not an imposition of his will.
Tell me what you want,he'd said.
I swallowed thickly.
I want this. I want you.
