Chapter Twenty-One
Ronan’s rut reached its peak just before midnight, petering off around five a.m. Exhausted and thoroughly sated, they fell asleep on his bed.
He woke at breakfast time nearly two days later, finding Noah fast asleep next to him, lying on his stomach, the bedclothes twisted around down by his legs. Carefully, Ronan unwound them and covered Noah up, unable to resist pressing one light kiss to the omega’s shoulder.
The mating mark he’d given Noah stood out on the pale, scarred skin of the omega’s neck. He was torn between pride and amazement that they’d managed to achieve it. And not only that, but Noah had taken his knot, no mean feat for any shifter.
Not wanting to wake Noah just yet, but knowing the omega would be starving when he finally woke, he snuck out of the bedroom and downstairs to the kitchen. It seemed like he met half the household on his way down, everyone all too aware of Ronan and Noah’s situation and wondering how they’d got on. Good thing he wasn’t shy. He found Griffin at the kitchen counter, eating breakfast with Quinn.
“Well?” his brother asked. “Can we take it from the smile on your face and the fact that you reek of sex that things went well?”
Ronan’s smile became a grin. “Yeah, it went well.
Griffin cocked his head to the side, his expression curious. “How well?”
“Bedded, mated, and bitten, just like you asked.”
The omega dropped his gaze for a moment before meeting his eyes again.
“Congratulations, Ronan. I’m very happy for you.”
Quinn’s response was more energetic. “Wait, what? I thought he couldn’t… you mated? Fuck, yeah.”
He found himself pulled into a bear hug, his brother saying something about how it was about damn time. Ronan wholeheartedly agreed.
“You next, little brother.”
“Someday, maybe,” Quinn threw back, giving an embarrassed shrug.
“Your time will come,” Griffin said with a grin. “We just have to hope that, whoever they are, they can keep up with you.”
Ronan busied himself gathering breakfast while Quinn and Griffin threw questions at him, most of which he ignored. The details of his mating didn’t need to be shared with all and sundry.
But, as he went to leave, Griffin caught his elbow and leaned in to speak to him.
“Bring Noah to see me this evening, before dinner. Five o’clock. I’ll be in the library.”
“Sure thing, Finn.”
Noah was still asleep when Ronan returned so he climbed back into bed and lay down next to him, content to wait until the omega woke. He’d earned his rest. Ronan had lost count of the sex after the dozenth time, lost in the heat of his rut, and the power of Noah’s scent.
When Noah did wake, it was sudden, his head jerking upward as he looked around.
“Morning,” Ronan called softly. “Take your time, everything’s fine.”
Blinking owlishly at him, Noah rubbed a hand across his eyes and let his head fall back into the pillow.
“Good morning,” he said with a sleepy smile. “Did I have a really sexy dream or did you and I have bucketloads of great sex?”
He rolled over onto his side and a sound of pain escaped him, his eyes going wide.
“Not a dream,” Ronan confirmed.
“So not a dream,” Noah agreed, making a face. “Ow.”
“You know what’ll help those sore muscles?”
“More orgasms?” Noah asked innocently.
Ronan snorted a laugh. “A shower,” he said, shaking his head.
“But,” Noah started to argue. “Orgasms cause happy hormones to increase and they relax your muscles, right?”
“So does hot water,” Ronan countered.
“But…”
Snorting again, Ronan yanked back the covers and bodily picked Noah up, balancing him over his shoulder as he carried him to the bathroom.
Setting Noah down on the floor, he turned on the shower, waiting a moment for the water to heat up. Noah huffed at him, arms folded, looking decidedly unimpressed. Grinning, Ronan stalked toward him, backing the omega into the shower, and hearing his ‘oh’ of surprise when the hot water splayed across him.
“Better?”
His only answer was another moan, Noah closing his eyes and dropping his head forward to let the water play across his back.
Never wanting to be one to withhold something his mate desired, Ronan sank to his knees in front of the omega, grasping his hips as he leaned in to press a kiss to the base of Noah’s shaft. A hand slid into his hair, fingers tangling themselves in his curls before Noah gave a sigh of relief. Ronan grinned and kept going.
After their long, long shower, Ronan helped Noah dry off and guided him into the kitchen.
“Food is key right now. Your body needs to stock up its energy reserves again.”
Noah surveyed the table laden with food before turning back to him. “Okay, but what are you going to eat?”
Ronan tackled him, pinning him against the wall while the omega squirmed, giggling, and gasping out apologies as Ronan tickled him mercilessly.
“Okay, okay. We can share,” Noah finally agreed, halfway between laughing and crying.
“Good. Then sit yourself down and get to it.”
“Yes, Alpha,” Noah replied with an impish grin.
Ronan was beginning to think he hadn’t realized what a handful of an omega he’d mated.
They moved their chairs next to each other as they ate, sharing bits of food, each holding out things for the other to taste. Ronan quickly learned that Noah liked sharp tasting things; cheese, vegetables. And he also had a sweet tooth, demolishing almost a whole bowl of raspberries.
“We never have fresh fruit at home, unless we pick it ourselves, in the summer,” the omega explained, his fingers stained red from the juices.
Ronan took Noah’s hands in his and sucked each finger clean in turn, drawing low moans from the omega, whose face heated as his pupils grew wider.
When he’d recovered, the omega did a quick search of the table, grabbing a dish of soft cheese and scooping some out.
“We are not having a food fight,” Ronan started to argue, stopping when Noah smeared the cheese across the pulse point in his neck then leaned in to suck and lick it away. With a growl, Ronan lifted Noah bodily into his lap, capturing the omega’s chin and kissing his lips. He could still taste the cheese, sharp and moreish. Underneath that was Noah’s own taste, one the alpha knew he would always crave. That was just the way it was. Even if Noah were to disappear off the face of the earth tomorrow, no one and nothing would ever replace him in his memories, from the scent of his skin to the exact color of his eyes.
Ronan broke the kiss and nudged Noah back to face the table.
“Eat.”
“I’m almost full.”
“Then eat until you are. Your body needs it.”
Noah made a face but didn’t make any move to take more.
“Let me put it this way,” Ronan murmured into Noah’s ear. “The more you eat, the quicker you heal. The quicker you heal, the sooner you and I can do some more exploring.” He cupped the swell of Noah’s ass so the omega couldn’t mistake what he was saying.
Noah hesitated only a moment before reaching for a piece of toast and munching on it.
“What happens now?” the omega asked between bites. “We’re mated, like Griffin wanted, right? Does that mean I can go outside?”
“First things first,” Ronan replied. “Later this afternoon we go and see Griffin. He’ll tell us what’s what.”
“He doesn’t seem to like me,” Noah said, leaning back against Ronan’s chest.
“He doesn’t know you. And you don’t know him. You met once, remember? After I literally sprang you on him at five in the morning before he’d had his coffee. Anyone would have been grumpy under those circumstances.”
“But what if he still doesn’t like me? What if he thinks I’m no use to the pack.”
“You’re my mate. Ergo, you’re useful to me. Ergo, you’re useful to us. You make me stronger, therefore, the pack is stronger.”
He wasn’t sure he’d said enough, but Noah lapsed into a thoughtful silence for a few minutes, before changing the subject.