Page 76 of Dragon's Revenge

“Adar,” Delton keened, voice breaking on a particularly deep thrust. “I’m close, I’m so close…”

“Me too,” Adar panted against his neck. He reached between their straining bodies to wrap a calloused hand around Delton’s weeping cock. “Come for me, baby. Want to feel you come apart around me.”

Adar’s fist moved over his cock in time with his thrusts, twisting on the upstroke in a way that made Delton’s toes curl. The dual stimulation was too much, the coil of tension in his core winding tighter and tighter until it finally snapped.

Delton came with a hoarse cry of Adar’s name, spilling hot and messy over the alpha’s fist and his own stomach. His vision whited out as wave after wave of intense pleasure crashed through him, his inner muscles clenching rhythmically around Adar’s pistoning cock.

“Fuck, Delton,” Adar growled.

He buried his face in the crook of Delton’s neck, hips driving forward once, twice more before he stiffened, a guttural moan vibrating against Delton’s throat as he found his own release.

Delton felt Adar’s cock pulsing deep inside him as the alpha spilled his release, filling him with liquid heat. They clung to each other, shaking and gasping, as the aftershocks of their shared pleasure rippled through them.

Finally, Adar’s hips stilled and he slumped against Delton, his face still buried in the beta’s neck. Delton stroked his hands soothingly over the alpha’s trembling back, savoring the solid weight of him, the intimacy of the moment.

They stayed like that for a long moment, hearts pounding in sync as they caught their breath. Delton had never felt so content, so utterly satisfied and cherished. Being joined with Adar like this, in body and soul, felt right in a bone-deep way he couldn’t fully articulate.

Eventually, Adar lifted his head from the crook of Delton’s neck. His dark eyes were hazy with satisfaction, but a soft tenderness in their depths made Delton’s breath catch. The alpha brushed a sweaty lock of hair from Delton’s forehead, his touch gentle.

“That was…” Adar trailed off, seemingly at a loss for words.

“Amazing,” Delton finished for him, voice hoarse. “Utterly perfect.”

Adar’s smile was blinding, crinkling the corners of his eyes. “Yeah. All of that and more.”

He leaned down to capture Delton’s lips in a slow, deep kiss, one that spoke of contentment and connection rather than the earlier urgency. Delton sighed into it, savoring the intimacy of the moment, of being with his mate, his man. His alpha.

His heart opened like a flower unfolding in the sunlight, and just like that, a part of it was no longer Delton’s. Adar had it, and all Delton could do was hope the alpha would treasure it.

ChapterTwenty-Nine

They were still trying to do daily classes for anyone who wanted to attend, and now that they had a whole group of new omegas, the meeting barn was once again packed. Delton loved sharing his knowledge with his pack mates. Knowing the traumas they carried with them, he always carefully chose his topics with the intent to give them practical tools that would help them.

This morning, he’d taught grounding techniques for staving off flashbacks and panic attacks, making them practice in small groups. As he’d walked around, making sure every group had understood the assignment, his heart was full of gratitude that he had the knowledge and expertise that could help them.

“That was so good,” Fallon told him after the class. “I realized cinnamon is a positive smell for me, so I’m gonna make some cinnamon pouches to carry with me.”

Delton put his hand on the omega’s shoulder. “I’m so glad to hear that. Oliver and I have made some for him with flower scents. Anything floral works for him.”

“Mr. Delton?”

Delton let go of Fallon and turned around. One of the new omegas had addressed him, a shy, frail dragon named Dominic, from the O’Connor clan. Delton had practiced until he knew all their names. “Just Delton is fine, Dominic. What can I do for you?”

Dominic bit his lip. “I had a question. Is that okay?”

Gods, it broke Delton’s heart how careful they all were, how completely conditioned to expect the worst. “Always.”

“If you have a bad memory associated with a scent, is it possible to replace it with a positive one?”

“Oh, that’s an excellent question.” Delton scratched his chin. “It should be possible, but you may need some pretty strong new positive associations. That may not be easy, depending on the scent. Are you okay to tell me what scent it is? Don’t say it if it will trigger you.”

Dominic swallowed. “Lemon,” he whispered. “From disinfecting wipes.”

Very slowly, Delton reached out, only continuing when he was certain Dominic was okay with being touched. He gently placed his hand on the omega’s shoulder. “I can think of a lot of good things that smell of lemon. Yitro’s lemon cookies, for example. They’re delicious. Or the shampoo Oliver uses. That’s also got lemon in it, and it always makes me smile. So yes, I think we could come up with some experiments to see if we can replace your bad association. Would you like us to try that?”

Before he even realized it, Dominic was hugging him. Not a quick, polite hug, but a full-on, wrap-his-arms-around-Delton, press-his-head-against-Delton’s-chest hug. After the initial shock, Delton recovered quickly and held him close. The dragon didn’t let go, and over his head, Delton’s eyes met Fallon’s, who’d grown teary-eyed.

Some people needed words, others needed to be left alone, and some, like Dominic, craved touch. Hugs could be so healing, and Delton never turned anyone away who needed to be held.

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