Page 15 of Saving His Omega
Tripp frowned. “What are you doing here? You’ll be missed and I don’t want you getting into trouble.”
“Don’t worry. No one hovers over me in this pack. It makes for a nice change. Even the humans kept an eye on me during work hours. As long as I get my assigned tasks done on time, it’s fine for me to take a break.” He leaned in and peered at him. “Are you all right?”
Tripp shrugged. “Sure. Why wouldn’t I be.”
Blake lowered his gaze and furrowed his brow. “You weren’t at breakfast and there was talk that the beta took you to the healer this morning. I…did he hurt you?”
The lingering ache in his ass caught his attention. He still answered his brother’s question with the truth. “He didn’t. I swear,” he added when his brother didn’t appear to believe him. “Graham takes good care of me.” He patted his belly. “Of us. And he worries too much. It’s his only fault.”
Blake smiled as Tripp had intended. “I worry, too. And for good reason.”
“He’s not like Victor.”
That was all he could say. Graham came trotting up. He put a basket, a soft cloth bag and a blanket in the back seat.
“Hey, Blake. I’m taking your brother to see the mill. I’m sure you’ve got work to do,” he added with a pointed look.
“Yes, Beta.” Blake backed away.
“See you at dinner.” Graham got behind the wheel and started driving down a dirt road behind the longhouse. “You’re going to love this, sweetheart.”
****
Tripp did love it. The small glade where Graham laid down the blanket was a grassy and warm bank by a rushing river. Insects buzzed lazily, birds chirped and the sound of the tumbling water lent a soothing background noise to it all. Not far away, the wheel of the mill churned, the unnatural sound of the paddles cutting through the water providing a steady bass to everything else. The sigmas working there came into view from time-to-time, but they made no effort to disturb them. Without those glimpses of other shifters, Tripp could imagine that he and his mate were all alone in the world. Far from being frightening, it was amazingly peaceful.
He focused on his task of finishing the blanket, creating chain after chain with the quick and practiced movements that had returned to him. Graham had made it easy for him to get comfortable sitting on the ground by giving him a living chair to lean against. With his long legs spread wide and knees bent, the beta provided a nice space for Tripp to settle his body. He’d been reluctant to let his full weight rest against the man’s chest. It hadn’t taken long, though, for his mate to relax him by providing a steady brace. And the beta used his strong fingers to massage Tripp’s neck and shoulders, much as he’d done with his feet. Tripp had never known such touch existed, let alone appreciate how pleasurable it was.
For the both of them.
Pressed as he was against the man’s crotch, he had no trouble discerning the hard ridge that proclaimed arousal. It should have alarmed him. He’d seen plenty of dominants mount servients out in the open, their needs overriding any sensibilities of others, especially the one being mounted. The mill sigmas were probably of no concern to Graham. And it was a beautiful spot to enjoy oneself. He could easily envision the beta putting him on his hands and knees, lowering his pants and plunging into his ass. As achy as he was from the previous night’s knotting, his cock swelled at the possibility. He couldn’t stop himself from wiggling his ass.
Graham’s fingers stilled and he rested his chin lightly on Tripp’s head. “Don’t worry about that. I can’t help getting aroused when I’m touching you. There’s no way I’m going to act on it.”
Tripp didn’t feel relief as he would have expected to. He stopped crocheting, resting the needle and wool on top of his belly. “I’ll understand if you do. You’re a dominant and your…ah, needs come first. Is there a place we can go where the sigmas can’t see us?”
“Tripp.” The beta’s tone was sharp. “You have to trust me. When I say I’m going to do something or not do something, I mean it.” He slid his large hands down Tripp’s arms and cupped the heavy mound of pup. “We’re here to spend some quiet time—all three of us. Besides, the healer said your hole was swollen both outside and in from the knotting. I would never dismiss how I’d hurt you while chasing a bit of fun for myself.”
He couldn’t help remembering how Victor paid had no attention to whether he was hurting Tripp or not. The beta’s pleasure was all that had mattered. And the horrible man had fucked him extra hard after delivering a beating. Causing pain, making him cry had seemed to arouse him more than anything.
Graham is not Victor.
It was difficult to believe this mating was different, even though he and his wolf sensed only kindness. They hadn’t known each other for more than a few days, however. Letting go of fear so soon was a challenge.
Tripp didn’t have a chance to figure out the right way to respond. The pup chose that moment to waken and squirm.
Graham gasped. “Wow, touching you while she moves makes her more real to me than even seeing the scans.” He rubbed his fingers along the top-most bulge of Tripp’s belly. “Is this her head, or her butt?”
Tripp couldn’t help laughing. “It’s hard to tell, I know. But the healer said she’s in position for whelping so I think it’s her butt.”
His mate made light circles with his fingers. “Amazing. And scary. I don’t know how to be a sire.”
Hearing the dominant voice uncertainty in himself surprised Tripp. “I have no doubt you’ll be great at it.”
“Really? Why?”
Tripp wasn’t used to being asked his opinion. Not even Blake had done so, taking command of him as soon as they’d fled their old pack. He worked to put his feelings into words.
“You…you’ve been so good to me. I expect it will be the same with the pup.” He’d almost said “our”, except he remained apprehensive about how much his mate saw the pup as his own.
