Page 60 of Threads of Fate

Nix’s head tips up to make eye contact, mouth open, and tongue resting on his bottom lip; he is both angel and devil, and Jay thinks they’ll always have to fuck with the lights on, forever.

But that will not be today.

Nix’s wolf is in charge, and it’s up to Jay to make sure Nix is fully aware before they do fuck. Jay would never hurt his Sunshine, especially not when his previous experiences have been so violent and entirely without his consent. He couldn’t live with himself if Nix experienced pain or regret when remembering their first time.

The thought of denying them both makes his wolf shove harder against Jay’s mental restraints, its demands growing louder, more insistent. Fear seeps through—fear they’ll lose their chance to bond with their omega.

It takes everything Jay has to pull his hips down and away, reducing the contact between them. Nix keens, trying to follow, desperate to maintain his frustrated rhythm. It hurts to deny his mate what he needs, but Jay jackknifes into a sitting position, tightening his grip on Nix’s hips and forcing him to still.

In this position, his omega’s sweet scent rises between their bodies, flooding his senses. Groaning, Jay’s eyes roll back in his head. “Nix, wait.”

At the sound of his name, Nix’s eyes flutter closed, but he still tries to move his hips, a soft whine escaping him. Jay briefly rests his forehead on his mate’s shoulder—just for a moment—to catch his breath.

“Nix, no,” Jay insists.

The “no” makes Nix tilt his head, tongue slipping out to lick his dry lips. “No?” His plaintive tone sends a jolt through Jay’s heart. His wolf immediately floods his mind with images of reasons they should give their mate what they both need: Nix on his belly while Jay pounds into him, taking Nix’s cock into his mouth and hearing him shout his name, Nix round with a pup in his belly.

That one almost breaks his resolve.

But Jay is not just his wolf; he is a man, and the man is in charge. He shakes his head in apology, voice soft. “Not right now, baby.”

Jay feels his mate press down again, chasing the feeling of Jay’s dick, but says, “Soon?”

“Yes, soon. If you want to.” Nix looks at him like he’s crazy, that there’s a universe where he wouldn’t want to be fucked by Jay. He has to smile, dimple popping out.

Nix’s eyes move to it right away, poking a—thankfully clawless—finger into it like he often had when they were kids, the little divot triggering something that breaks through Nix’s newly transitioned instincts. “Jamie?” It’s tremulous and uncertain, but Jay can tell his brain is slowly coming back online.

“Hello, Nix.” He feels two tiny hands on his face, and while searching his eyes, Jay can see he’s finally on his way to beingmore lucid. His adorable nose crinkles, and there’s a light touch on his lips.

“Kiss?” For the second time in a decade, Jay throws caution to the wind and kisses Phoenix Rena. He lets his mate take the lead. Just like their first one, this kiss is just a press of their open mouths, and it’s just as good as he remembered. When Nix pulls away, Jay’s lips are smudged with spit and blood.

“Hurt?” His mate starts prying open Jay’s mouth, looking for where he might be hurt. He doesn’t know the blood is partly his own.

“No, that’s not mine. I mean, itis, but I’m not hurt.”

The omega seems to remember Luca then, and in the blink of an eye, he jumps off Jay’s lap. “Luca hurt?” There’s a slight panic in his tone that Luca might not be where he left him, safe behind the bed.

Luca’s head pops up again for the second time, a bright smile on his face, ready to show their omega that he’s not hurt, either. “No, baby. I’m okay.” He climbs tentatively over the bed, looking a bit worried Nix might push him back, and Jay wonders how he ended up back there in the first place.

“Come.” Nix makes grabby hands toward the beta. When Luca is close, Nix jerks him down and points to Jay. “Jamie.” Then at himself. “Mine. My Jamie.” The pride in his voice tugs on Jay’s heartstrings. Makes it a bit easier to ignore his persistent and painful erection.

Nix’s new Were instincts are still stronger than his human ones, but he seems calmer and his behavior more deliberate. His pared-down speech is better than the virtually non-verbal mate he’d been faced with when he’d entered the room.

Turning to Jay, he points at Luca. “My Luca.” It’s like he’s a new Mama cat showing off her kitten to its human. “Mine.” He puts his nose in Luca’s neck and licks him, inhaling deep huffs of satisfied beta. Luca shivers and giggles.

Luca clearly came before, and his mocha scent is musky and sweet. Nix gets distracted for a minute while pressing his nose into Luca’s scent gland, then his chest, and looks like he might push Luca over to find the source of the musky Luca scent.

“Very nice, baby. Luca is perfect.” Jay stands up and Nix’s attention is diverted once again. His new Were senses are leading him around by the literal nose. Nix reaches for his hand, pulling them both up into a hug with Nix in the middle. Everyone sighs.

“Luca is perfect. Perfect for Nix and Jamie.” His voice is raspy, and he must be so thirsty because he coughs after so many words.

Luca pulls away just a little bit to reach for his water bottle for Nix. The omega is reluctant to let him move an inch, so they all shuffle so he can reach. Nix’s smile is blinding in thanks.

“Slow down, Nix, you’ll make yourself sick.” Luca tries to take the bottle back and is rewarded with a growl.

“You.” He pushes the bottle toward Jay, and Jay sees the minute Nix notices the blood on his shirt, the bite marks, and the missing buttons. Eyes wide, he drops the bottle with a loudclangso he can spread his shirt open for a closer look. “What happened? You said not hurt?” Two lines appear between his perfect eyebrows, accusation in his eyes.

“I’m okay. It’ll heal up quickly.” A disbelieving eyebrow quirk has him immediately thinking of his mate still out in the hall. Shit. Gideon must be climbing the walls. And the others? Now that he thinks about it he can hear whispers in the hall, then a quiet scuffle and a grunt.

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