It was when he drew away from the kiss that he snapped his jaws onto the opposite side of my neck from Gabe, where his bite had been before, copying the mark and leading me up a treacherous hill, ever pushing me toward the peak. I wrapped my legs around his hips and cried out into the snow, trying to drive him to tie me, to secure his knot and claim me.
And in time, he did. His body locked with mine, I felt his climax intermingle with my own, our bond stronger than ever. It was the cold ground beneath me, the pine needles pricking my skin, the promise of more snow in the morning, the heat of his body over mine, the breath against my neck, his tongue running over the new scars on my throat. I took all of it in, writhed, bucked, and gave in to my pack.
Gabe took me next, as soft and passionate as Hudson was fierce. Xavion, then Leo, and I took each knot one at a time. I was blind with pleasure, quivering beneath the touch of my pack as I desperately gave them all of me and brought another to heel. As Leo rested within me, his teeth high on my neck just below my ear, I tried to catch my breath.
Never in my life had I been so fulfilled, so richly exhausted by any man. Had I always needed this, a bond so passionate? I didn't know.
But it was time for round two.
Night faded into dawn and we'd exhausted ourselves. The moon had come back out, leading to more feral pleasures than my re-initiation back into the pack. And when the mating had faded, when we'd worn ourselves to the bone, Hudson and Gabe had gone out to get us a deer. They'd brought Tommy back with them and, as a family, we'd feasted until we'd been fat with the venison.
Even then my stomach growled as it continued to digest the pile of meat I'd eaten. Streaked with blood, dirt, and the various mating marks of my men, I awoke to a late morning and Gabe's arms around me. I was surrounded by my alphas, my head resting on Xavion's chest.
Hudson stood outside, naked as the day he was born, a knife busy at work butchering the deer he'd killed. I wondered, briefly, if anyone cared about us hunting in a place that wasn't ours. After all, trail cameras existed and people just loved to see what wildlife was up to these days. Had he thought of that?
"Hey," I called.
A beautiful steak in hand, he paused and looked back at me. He smiled, sending warmth rushing into me. "Hey yourself."
"There're no game cams out here or anything, right?" I returned the smile, still half asleep.
He handed the steak off to Leo and turned back to cut more meat from bone. "No, this is some kind of preserve. No one's allowed out here other than national forest people. And they're never out. We disabled the cameras years ago and have someone check up on them every few days to make sure they're still down. We can't let them get footage of us or the dragons or whomever."
"Shouldn't we be hurrying back home, just in case they show up?"
Gabe purred into my ear. "It's safe enough, love. Those few times a year that they show up, they do it during new moons. There are too many rumors, mostly from decades long-passed, about werewolves roaming these woods. People frighten easily. We encourage it with donations to keep this place human-free and spread a few rumors of our own. It was where we ran before we bought the cabin and the property."
I relaxed against him and nodded. "Did we have someone go to the house?"
"Six staff, headed out as soon as we call them. We'd never leave the rescue by itself on uncertain terms like yesterday," Hudson said.
Yesterday. The past. It was all done, all over with. I watched as he continued to work the meat from the deer's bones, Leo deftly wrapping all of it. I wondered if every month would be like this, enjoying the quiet and hiring someone to watch over the rescue for the evening. I stretched and got up, comfortable in my nudity in the open.
I'd certainly never been that cozy before becoming a werewolf. I assumed it was all part of the process. "Guys?"
My question was greeted by looks in my direction, all of them ready to jump on anything I needed.
"How often do omegas go in heat?"
Xavion shrugged. "It differs from omega to omega. Usually about once every six months, like most canids. We're derived from them, by some ritual a million years ago. Longer lifespan, though."
"I only have to deal with a period every six months?" I asked, blinking.
They looked at each other, clearly confused. Finally, Gabe said, "Well. Yeah."
"God, if that got out you guys would have women coming out of your ears."
Xavion snorted. "Too bad for them. The only girl we need is you."
It was music to my ears. I smiled at him, walked over, and kissed him. He kissed back but let me go about my business. While Gabe started a fire to cook up even more meat for breakfast, I went to find some water source to... well, wipe off in, at least. It wouldn't be a real bath, not until I got home, but I felt sticky everywhere and the whole lack of fur made me feel a little dirty.
The
