Absolute Devotion (An Omega’s Preference #3)

5. Nala

five

NALA

The heat is nearly unbearable as I scramble from the bed, embarrassed to realize that the shirt I stuffed myself in earlier is hardly enough to cover anything. Another whine tears from my throat as tears fill my eyes, both Zahria and Xylo confused as fuck at my reaction. I slap a hand over my gland, the bandage still there. Unfortunately, my scent has blasted through it, the heat spike readying my body for the inevitable.

Neither one has moved from the bed.

Just like Bear, they haven’t charged. They haven’t tried to attack me. Their concern is palpable, the hurt in their eyes more than I can stand. They’re not like the Alphas at the academy, Nala. My body trembles with need as slick gathers between my thighs, my scent so thick that I could choke on it. When another whine tries to make an appearance, I suck my lips into my mouth and press myself along the wall.

Zahria is there in the next second, softly brushing my hair from my face. “Nala, sweetheart, take a deep breath for me.” I try to and choke on it, a mess of tears and a sob accompanying my skyrocketing fear. Her hand settles just over the bandage before she presses her lips to my forehead. “Keep taking those deep breaths for me. Neither one of us are going to leave you to deal with this on your own unless you want us to.”

“It’s not you,” I cry out, hoping they’ll understand. I used to enjoy my heats once upon a time. The feeling of being loved and completely consumed and taken care of. That was before the cages every Saturday night.

“Keep breathing for me,” she purrs, the rumble softening my anxiety until I’m clinging to her for support. Slick slides down my inner thigh as my body rests against hers, Zahria holding me until I can find my voice.

“Just don’t hurt me.” My words are barely above a whisper but it’s the only reason I’ve been holding out for as long as I have. I don’t want them to hate themselves and I don’t want to ruin the fantasies in my head. Zahria pulls away just enough for me to see the confusion plastered on her face. “Promise me that you won’t hurt me. Promise me. ” A wave of heat tears through me as I cling to her, waiting for her to respond so I can give in.

Not that they’ll be able to help me. I need a knot, something neither of them have.

“Nala, I promise I’ll never hurt you. None of us will. We’re here to protect you and love you, and make you ours. Whatever you need, you’ll have it.” She kisses my forehead again and then angles my chin up to steal a kiss from my lips. She tastes warm and cozy, like a campfire if that could even be a taste. “Let us make you feel better, sweetheart. When you need to stop, just tell us.”

“It’s not you,” I repeat.

“I know, Nala. I know.” Zahria leads me back to the bed, allowing me to scoot into Xylo’s open arms. The anxiety is still there but the fear is gone as he sits me between his thighs, his chest against my back. I squirm for relief, whining again when his hands fall to the underside of my legs. Then he drags them over his thighs, spreading me out for Zahria.

My breath catches in my throat as more slick gushes from my pussy, this time coating the sheets and blasting my scent through the room.

“Settle, love. We’ve got you,” Xylo purrs in my ear.

Zahria crawls between us, her tongue darting out to lick her lips before she meets my gaze. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”

My cheeks heat at the way I’m displayed for her, Xylo’s firm grip keeping me from hiding away. I glare at her and then twist to look up at Xylo, just as my eyes roll into the back of my head. He chuckles as he reaches down between my legs and swipes two fingers through my mess, shallowly slipping into my pussy. A strangled moan comes from me as I fall apart, gushing more slick and cum. “You can’t… knot .”

Embarrassment races through me as I wiggle again but that only serves to sink Xylo’s fingers deeper inside of me. I grasp at his hand, unsure if I want to push him further or pull him away. Zahria laughs, her eyes dancing as she lowers herself until she’s at eye level with my pussy. Xylo is still shallowly pumping in and out of me as I try to find my bearings. The discomfort I thought I’d find is gone, their scents heavily wrapped around me, offering me the comfort I’ve so desperately needed.

“Love, female Alphas are the most compatible with a male Omega. However, they have something the rest of the population doesn’t have.”

“Like what?” My words come out on a gasp as I come again, the heat building in my belly starting to get worse. The momentary relief of an orgasm isn’t enough to stave off the pain of a heat spike. “Please, make it go away.” I hate feeling helpless like this, twisting and turning in his hold until Zahria scoots forward.

My eyes widen as I scramble backward, my body melting as Xylo’s cock thickens against my ass. She gently places her hands on my knees to keep me there before meeting my eyes. “Nala, you need us to stop, you tell us and we’ll back off immediately, okay?”

“My scent… you’re not… why are you not lunging?”

Those were the wrong words to say, both of them holding back growls despite the situation. “Nala, look at me. Your scent might be worth its weight in gold but that is no reason to attack or diminish your worth. I would be honored to taste you, to love you, to have you in my arms. It’s not a right or a given. I will not take if you do not give.”

No one has said that to me before. There’s never been a conversation. They take and I submit but in this instance, it’s my choice. Even as they’re both gripping me, needing me, wanting me—I get to choose.

So, I say just one word.

“Please.”

Zahria dives in, her tongue thrusting into my pussy and lapping up my slick like a woman starved. My back bows forward as Xylo wraps an arm around my stomach and I cling to it for support. The pain from the heat spike dissipates almost immediately as she pleasures me, my hips riding her face. No one taught me this in biology—that a female Alpha could satisfy an Omega regardless of gender… just in different ways than an Alpha.

Breathy moans fall from my lips as I twist my head to catch Xylo’s lust-filled expression. His head dips, his lips hovering over mine, giving me the chance to pull away. But I don’t want to. I need this. I know some part of me will be terrified tomorrow and will find the need to apologize but that’s a tomorrow problem.

Today, I’m going to enjoy Xylo’s kiss. His facial hair tickles my face, his beard dragging along my chin and jaw as he dominates my mouth. His free hand shifts into my hair as Zahria fucks me with her mouth until I’m completely consumed between these two, the nightmares of the cage slowly slipping into the background.

This time when I come, the pleasure is incomparable to anything I’ve ever felt. I shout into Xylo’s mouth, the Beta’s tongue tangling with mine as Zahria continues her assault until I’m whining for reprieve.

She pulls back and sits up, a wild grin playing on her face, her eyes brighter than I’ve ever seen them. I try to catch my breath, still spread out across Xylo’s lap before I reach forward for Zahria. She moves closer and then I take her into a kiss of our own, tasting myself on her lips and chin. The euphoria of the moment fades away and with it the heat spike.

“It’s gone,” I whisper against her lips, mostly in shock. Wading through a heat alone, the spikes would last hours before I found relief.

Zahria sits back on her knees, her brows furrowed as she catches onto my meaning. She can read me like a book compared to Xylo and Bear and it can be daunting at times. “Nala, please tell me you haven’t been suffering alone. Please tell me that someone has been helping you through these.” I say nothing because I don’t want to lie to her.

I don’t want to lie to my Alpha.

I’m still wary of taking my patch off around them but for the first time, I have people in my corner. I also desperately need to apologize to Bear. Zahria chuckles as she pulls her phone from her pocket and hands it to me. “Call Bear like I know you want to and then we’ll rest. We can figure out everything else later but know that you don’t have to do this alone anymore if you don’t want to.”

I twist around to catch Xylo’s response, the Beta dragging me into another kiss. “You’re not alone, love. Not anymore.”

Quickly dialing Bear’s number, I’m not surprised by his panicked voice on the other side. “How is she? Fuck, I did something wrong, didn’t I?”

“No, it wasn’t you.”

“Angel? Baby, I’m so sorry. Whatever I did—”

“It wasn’t you,” I repeat, hoping that he’ll take a breath. “I… it’s not you.” I want to explain to them about the academy. They deserve to know but I can’t seem to get the words out just yet. “I do want you, Bear. I want all of you but I thought I couldn’t have you.” I crawl off Xylo’s lap, grimacing at the mess I made on the bed and all over his pants.

My gaze moves farther up the bed to the sizeable bulge pressing against the zipper, the Beta reaching down to cup his cock in his hand and massage it. A year ago, I might have dashed from the room. Now, I’m wondering what it will feel like on my tongue or between my legs. If they won’t lunge… the possibilities are endless.

A moan tears from my throat and then I hiss in frustration at the inability to keep my thoughts to myself. “Ah, you’re having a little fun with them, aren’t you, angel? I’ll leave you to it. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He hangs up as I chuck the phone back at Zahria.

She opens her mouth to speak but I just shake my head. “Thank you for helping me but I don’t… we have to go slow. Really slow. I know what my body wants, okay? Hell, everyone can smell it and it terrifies me.” The anxiety starts to creep back in as I try to weather through the rest of my emotions and the post-heat spike haze.

Xylo and Zahria climb off the bed, stripping it of its sheets and finding blankets in the closet. Before I know it, I’m curled back up between them, my face pressed into Zahria’s chest and Xylo’s stuffed in the curve of my neck.

“Nala, we’re not asking you to do anything more than you’re comfortable but I don’t want you to be in pain. I don’t want to watch you suffer.” Zahria tugs me a little closer. “We’ll give you all the time you need to realize that you’re ours, Nala. That you have a pack of your own. That you have mates and you have a forever if you want it.”

A forever?

That’s never once crossed my mind.

“And if things change? If something happens and I’m different than you thought I was? If…”

Xylo’s purr rattles through his chest, vibrating through my entire body and cutting off my anxious thoughts. “Love, unless you tell us that you don’t want us, nothing changes. You’ve been mine since the first night I saw you, since the first night I caught your scent and saw that fierce smile as you stood up for your family.”

I decide to give the conversation a rest and close my eyes, soaking up the warmth they’re both giving. You’re mine too, I tell myself. One day, I’ll be brave enough to say it aloud.