Kell made it to twenty-two hours before his resistance faded to nothing. Six surges, each one more painful than the last. Ronin, bless him, remained present, if distant, preferring to keep Kell at arm’s length during each surge, and then attempt to coddle him afterward. Kell allowed it to an extent, but he still asked for help from Serge or an approved beta nurse for his showers.

After he was cleaned up and fed, he’d put up with pampering from Ronin. Sweet sugary treats, long hugs, lengthy compliments about how strong Kell was. Sometimes Kell wanted to tell him where to shove those compliments; mostly he basked in his alpha’s praise. He no longer truly knew what he wanted. He only knew that his skin was on fire, his ass ached to be filled, and he was tired of writhing on the cool tile floor with no relief.

His seventh surge would hit at any time, and he couldn’t recall so many so fast in his life.

It’s because your bondmate is here. It’s all Ronin’s fault.

But he wanted Ronin there. He didn’t want anyone else to see him in the throes of a surge. It was embarrassing as hell to tip his ass into the air like an animal, but it was somehow made better knowing no other alpha would ever see him like this again.

Only Ronin.

Ronin, who would barely touch him. Who seemed to hate his own erections, which were biology and did not offend Kell. It warmed him that Ronin had been aroused for the past twenty-two hours, just like Kell, and yet he’d controlled himself. Jerking off in private, never in front of Kell. Never once pressuring Kell into accepting his help with the physical aspect of heat.

The entire production was so confusing that Kell wanted to weep. He also wanted to cheer for the amazing alpha who’d chosen him—for his restraint and his patience, when the urge to mate had to be killing him.

Dr. Troi had come by to see him twice, and each time he seemed impressed that they hadn’t knotted. Kell caught a tinge of concern, as well, but Dr. Troi never voiced any issue with them staying apart. And as his passage began that familiar aching tingle, Kell realized he didn’t know if it was healthy to go through an entire heat without taking at least one knot. He’d never had to try. Surely if it was, Dr. Troi would have mentioned it.

Right?

“Oh.” Kell wrenched away from the light embrace he was sharing with Ronin. They’d settled on the floor, resting against a wall, since Kell’s slick constantly soaked through the bed linens. He crawled a few feet away and dragged the hospital gown off. “Not again.”

Ronin glanced up at the wall clock. “That seems fast, compared to the last one.”

“It is. Ugh.”

“Kell?”

“I don’t think I can do this again, Ronin.”

“You’re so strong, little one. You can do this.”

He caught Ronin’s golden gaze and held it. “What if I don’t want to?” Another wave of arousal made him gasp, but Kell didn’t look away. He needed to get this out before the surge took hold, or Ronin might not act. “Please, my alpha.”

Ronin sat up straight, his expression going sharp. “What are asking me, my omega?”

“This surge, please, give me your knot. Please.”

In a flurry of movement, Ronin was kneeling in front of him, his warm hands holding Kell’s cheeks. Tipping his head up to meet Ronin’s now-blazing eyes. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. It hurts.”

That flipped a switch in his alpha. Ronin stood and shed his clothes, not seeming to care where they landed, until he was gloriously naked. Kell stared at the swaths of bronze skin and hard muscle, the soft pelt of hair over his chest and on his thighs. More of that black hair surrounded his erect cock, which dripped with precome.

Kell knew this part well—what do to when presented with a hard alpha. He reached for Ronin’s cock, intending to service him as a good omega, but Ronin caught his hand. Curious and confused, Kell dared meet his eyes again.

“This isn’t about me, little one,” Ronin said. “This is for you. I’m here to make you feel good. My pleasure is a small bonus.”

Before Kell could question that, Ronin scooped him up off the floor with his powerful arms and carefully deposited Kell on the bed. It was large enough for both of them, and Ronin wasted no time climbing on. Kell tried to roll and assume the traditional position of hands and knees, but Ronin grabbed his hips and held him still. With his alpha so close, their combined pheromones made Kell’s cock pulse with need. He clenched his hole, desperate to be filled.

This time, he not only need. He also wanted.

Ronin bent at the waist, pressed his nose into the thin thatch of hair around Kell’s shaft and inhaled deeply. “Oh little one, you smell so delicious. I can’t wait to taste you.”

To do what?

Kell didn’t have a chance to ask what Ronin meant, because Ronin clasped the base of Kell’s cock and sucked the head right into his mouth. Shock and pleasure rolled down Kell’s spine as one, rippling out to his fingertips and toes, and he cried out sharply at the unexpected pressure. The awesomeness of it. No one had ever put their mouth on him before, and Kell didn’t protest or wonder. He threw his head back and existed in it.

Existed in the absolute mind-fuck that was a big, bad alpha going down on him, when that was an omega’s job, but whatever. Ronin was no ordinary alpha, and he proved that by sucking Kell right into an orgasm and swallowing every drop of his spend. He licked his lips as if it was the sweetest nectar on earth, when Kell knew it was nothing but useless, tasteless fluid.

At least…that’s what Krause said…

Maybe Krause had been wrong about a few things.

Ronin crawled up his body and held his weight on his elbows while he kissed Kell. An odd flavor joined the familiar taste of Ronin—something sweet and also bitter, but not terrible. Ronin’s thick erection brushed Kell’s, which seemed wrong somehow, but also incredibly right. He and Ronin together were right.

To Krause, Kell had been a hole to fuck and a body to carry babies. To Ronin, he was a person worthy of love and affection, and that was everything. Kell tried to put his gratitude into his kiss, to show Ronin how much Kell loved him. Because he did love Ronin, and there was no sense in denying it anymore.

Ronin broke the kiss with a growl, and he tried to pull away. Kell cinched his arms around Ronin’s neck and wrapped his ankles around Ronin’s thighs, keeping the man close.

“Need to be inside you,” Ronin panted. “Need a condom.”

“No condom. Like this, please.”

Ronin’s nostrils flared, and every muscle went tense as he fought. Kell wanted nothing between them. He wanted to feel his true mate, for them to be mated. To take Ronin’s seed, and if a child was conceived, they’d take the next step.

But Ronin shook his head hard. “Can’t, not this time, little one,” he said. “I can’t risk the judge declaring a mistrial if we show up to court smelling as a mated pair. In your next heat, I promise, my omega.”

Disappointment flared brightly before disappearing. In your next heat.

Kell released his grip on Ronin, so he could retrieve condoms from the bag of goodies. He climbed onto the bed, and Kell tried to assume the position, but Ronin held him still, on his back. “I want to look into your eyes,” Ronin whispered. “I want to see you, and I want you to see me.”

“Okay.” Kell trembled, because he wasn’t sure how this was supposed to work while he was on his back. How could Ronin rut like this?

Ronin knew exactly what to do. He helped Kell rise up so he could push a pillow beneath his lower back, which tilted his bottom up. Ronin lifted Kell’s legs so his ankles rested on Ronin’s shoulders. Kell watched, flushed and needy, as Ronin sheathed himself in a condom—a first for Kell with his alpha. His lizard brain hated the barrier, needed that seed, but deep down he understood why it was necessary.

Why mate with the man weeks before I head to prison?

Kell banished the depressing thought and clung to Ronin’s shoulders as his alpha and bondmate pushed inside his body for the first time. The stretch was everything Kell had ever needed, his natural slick easing the way for Ronin’s big cock. Kell threw back his head and released a loud, breathy moan. This is what he needed. He needed to be filled. He needed to be fucked.

He needed Ronin’s knot.

“Oh goddess,” Ronin moaned when his hips met Kell’s ass. “You feel amazing.”

“Knot me, alpha, please.”

“Soon. Let’s enjoy this for a little while, first.”

Enjoying sex was a foreign concept to Kell. Yes, he orgasmed during heats, because that was biology, but he was programmed to expect a rough, brutal coupling. Not the slow, tender way Ronin moved inside his body. The gentle way he drew his cock out, and then pushed back in. The blazing intensity in Ronin’s eyes and the subtle trembling of his arms spoke to how much he was holding back for Kell. Fighting the instinct to mate, rut, and find his release.

Ronin bent down to kiss him, and the change in position glided Ronin’s cock across Kell’s gland—a gland normally only triggered by an alpha’s knot, and Kell cried out. He nearly bit Ronin’s tongue from the unexpected shock of pleasure that soared through his body. Time after time, Ronin scraped that gland, until Kell came a second time, streaking his own chest and belly with fluid.

Fluid Ronin licked right up, and what he couldn’t reach with his mouth, he used his fingers to collect. He didn’t waste a drop, and Kell’s heart turned over hard. No one had ever treated him like this during sex—like a man with needs. Like a man who was desired.

“Oh, alpha,” Kell whispered, his eyes smarting with tears. “You see me.”

Ronin paused his hips and gazed down at him with his heart in his eyes. “I will always see you, Kell Etting Iverson. You’re mine.”

“Yes.”

“And I’m yours.”

“Yes.”

“Say it.”

“You’re mine, Ronin Cross.”

Kell lost track of how long Ronin was inside of him, moving so carefully Kell wanted to weep, but also loving every moment they shared. Every moment they were connected like this, uncertain why he’d feared this so much. It was everything lovemaking between a bonded pair should be, and Kell wanted to stay in this bed forever.

“Getting close,” Ronin said. “Going to change our position a bit, so the knot will be easier to take.”

“Okay.”

Ronin eased out, and Kell expected to finally be turned onto his hands and knees, but Ronin pulled Kell onto his side. He cuddled up behind Kell and lifted Kell’s leg so he could push back in. The position was strange to Kell, much like their previous position had been, but it also felt amazing. Ronin was draped over his back, a blazing hot weight of damp skin and muscle. The hair on his chest tickled Kell’s back and woke more sensitive nerve endings.

A hot hand clasped Kell’s dick and stroked, timed with the cadence of Ronin’s increased thrusts. Any alpha would lose control near the end, when the need to knot his omega overcame all self-control, but Ronin never lost it. Never pounded hard, or tried to bruise. He pushed deeply, and series of small, staccato thrusts were followed by an intense groan.

“Oh, Kell.”

Kell tried to imagine Ronin’s seed filling him, making its way toward his descended womb, giving him Ronin’s child. Only a fantasy, but it made him smile against the sheet. The swelling at the base of Ronin’s cock slowly expanded outward, just inside of Kell’s body. Stretching him so wonderfully, trapping Ronin’s imaginary spend inside, when it was actually trapped by the condom. The knot eventually pressed against Kell’s gland, and he cried out as his third orgasm took over.

Ronin caught his seed with a fist, and then licked his own hand clean. “You taste so wonderful, little one. Like honey and lavender, and like home.”

Kell chuckled at that description. “You don’t have to pretend you like it.”

“I’m not pretending.” Ronin dropped a series of small kisses along his shoulders. “I could taste you for hours, love.”

Love.

“Krause said omega semen is tasteless and unpleasant.”

“Krause fed you lies for many years, Kell.” He tightened his arms around Kell. “I know it will be a while before we can untangle those lies from what’s real, but I promise to be patient with you. I will never lie to you, especially not about sex.”

Kell drew one of Ronin’s hands to his mouth and kissed the knuckles. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure.” Ronin’s free hand slid around Kell’s hip and stopped with his fingertips bare inches from Kell’s unflagged erection. “And yours, I hope.”

“It was amazing, Ronin. I’ve never felt like this before, especially during heat.”

“Felt like what.”

He twisted his neck to look Ronin in the eyes. “Treasured. Adored. Seen. I never expected you.”

Ronin’s golden eyes flashed with emotion. “And I never expected you. I love you, Kell. Maybe tied to you with my knot isn’t the best time to say it, but I do.”

Kell’s belly swooped and his eyes burned. “I love you, too, my alpha.”

They kissed, despite the awkward angle, and then relaxed in each other’s arms to wait for the knot to go down. It happened far sooner than Kell wanted, because he liked being connected to Ronin like that. He liked Ronin being inside of him, helping him endure his heat.

But will I still want this when the heat’s over? When there’s no natural slick, no automatic stretch to my passage? When it could seriously hurt?

Kell shivered as Ronin’s cock slipped from his body. A soft plop told him the condom had been dumped to the floor. Instead of getting up to stretch before the next surge, Ronin remained curled up behind him, his own erect cock nudging against Kell’s thighs. Remaining erect for forty-eight hours was as taxing to an alpha as it was to the omega, but Ronin had yet to show a lack of strength or concentration.

Ronin kissed the back of his neck. “When you’re ready for a shower, let me know and I’ll call a nurse.”

“No. You can help me.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. If you think you can handle it.” Kell put a small amount of sass into the words, and he knew it worked because Ronin laughed.

“I think I can handle touching you between surges, yes,” Ronin replied. “How do you feel? Are you sore?”

That Ronin thought to ask about Kell’s health meant the world to him. Kell clenched a few times, but nothing ached. It could also be the high of adrenaline, pheromones, and release, but he didn’t feel any sort of pain or discomfort. “No, I feel fine,” Kell said. “Better than fine. This entire experience, Ronin.” He twisted around to face Ronin, unable to stop his tears this time. “It’s life changing, and that isn’t hyperbole. I’ve never in my life felt so treasured or safe. You gave me that.”

“I’m glad.” Ronin pressed a feather-light kiss to his lips. “You deserve to be treated like a king for the rest of your life.”

“At this point, I’ll settle for any tier above a slave.”

“Nope. King only. Nothing less for my bondmate.” Ronin brushed those stray tears from his cheeks. “None of this, little one.”

“They’re tears of joy, I promise.”

Ronin pulled him close, and they kissed for a while. A leisurely pace that, while they were still both hard, wouldn’t lead to orgasm. It was about loving each other, existing in these private moments, creating a few perfect memories to carry with them into the real world.

Eventually, they went into the bathroom for a shower. Kell didn’t object to his alpha washing every inch of him, including his hole, but he never took liberties. The touches were protective and loving, not sexual. Once they were both washed, dried, and dressed, Ronin helped him to one of the room’s chairs to relax while Ronin changed the linens. He also made a call, and ten minutes later, Dex arrived with food, and limping heavily against a cane.

Kell didn’t know Dex all that well, only that he was Serge’s husband, but Ronin trusted him to be part of their food deliveries. Dex and Ronin spoke privately by the door while Kell attacked a grilled chicken sandwich and sweet potato fries—and where Dex had found this particular food at zero dark thirty, he had no idea. Something about finally having sex with Ronin had energized his appetite, and he nearly managed the entire order.

It also distracted him from seeing the concern on Ronin’s face when he finally joined Kell to eat his own food. “What’s wrong?” Kell asked.

Ronin chewed and swallowed a bite of his sandwich. “Maybe nothing. Dex got the sense that someone was following him around the hospital, so he went through several departments and three different floors to make sure he’d lost any possible tail.”

Kell’s stomach churned, suddenly unhappy with what he’d eaten. “Shit, that means Senior Iverson knows who your friends are.”

“Maybe so, but my friends can handle themselves.”

“That’s not the point. They’re in possible danger because of me.”

Ronin reached out to squeeze Kell’s knee. “They’re in possible danger because your father-in-law is deranged. He wants to hide the truth about his son, and we’re not going to let him. This could be a landmark case, Kell, one that might encourage other abused omegas to speak out against their alphas. To give them the chance for a safe, happier future.”

“Without resorting to murder?”

“You don’t know you killed Krause.”

Kell sighed as old guilt stirred up. “I also don’t know that I didn’t.”

“And until you remember otherwise, we’re going on the presumption of innocence. The job of the prosecution is to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that you killed Krause with malicious intent, and so far, they’ve done a piss poor job of it. One fingerprint doesn’t prove you’re a killer.”

“And Constable Jenks never found any recordings or tapes?”

“Not that he’s shared with me, no.”

“He wouldn’t withhold them from you and share them with the prosecutor, would he?”

“No, I get the feeling Jenks is firmly on your side.”

Kell’s mind raced away on that, as clear-headed as he’d been in almost a full day, thanks to Ronin and his knot. “You don’t think he’d hide videos if he found them, in case one of them did show me killing Krause?”

“No.” Ronin shook his head hard. “Jenks is young, but he’s a professional. If he found evidence related to a crime, he’d turn it in, no matter his personal feelings on a case.”

“Then whoever called Braun must have been trying to stir the pot, or maybe give us false hope. I don’t know.” It kind of sucked, but Kell was also grateful. He didn’t want video evidence of the things Krause and others had done to him. “Tarek is doing everything he can to keep Braun safe, right?”

“Of course he is.” Ronin hesitated, then said, “They’ve had to move to a hotel.”

“What?” Kell sat straight up. “Why?”

“Mostly because of harassing phone calls that the constabulary hasn’t been able to trace. Braun’s scared, so they left last night.”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner!?” He flinched back, ashamed of himself for having shouted at his alpha, but Braun was his brother.

“Because this is the first time we’ve had a rational discussion since your heat began, love. I didn’t want to tell you while your hormones were out of control.”

Kell grumped and fell back in his chair. Need still pulsed in his blood, and his ass continued to produce slick, but at least he could think straight. “I don’t want my brother hurt because of my bad choices.”

“Oh no, you don’t.” Ronin was kneeling in front of him in a blur of movement. He took Kell’s hands and held them tight. “You didn’t make any choices that could hurt Braun. Your father arranged your mating to Krause. Krause chose to be a sadistic bastard and abuse you. Senior Iverson chose to be a sadistic bastard and encourage what his son did, and he’ll be facing the consequences of those choices soon enough.”

“Maybe.”

“Definitely. Once you get on the stand and tell your story, he’ll be done for. While it isn’t technically illegal for an alpha to allow other men to sleep with their omegas as long as the omega consents, incest is still quite illegal.”

“Senior Iverson isn’t related to me.”

“Not by blood, but he’s still legally family to you, and sex with immediate in-laws is incest.”

“He’ll blame me somehow.”

“He can try.” Ronin raised a hand to cup Kell’s cheek; Kell leaned into the warm, comforting touch. “He’ll lose, and I’ll cheer when he’s hauled off in chains.”

“You’re too good a man to cheer anyone going to prison.”

“Not that sack of shit. I’d slam the bars closed behind him, if I could.”

Kell believed him, because Ronin had never lied to him.

“Come on,” Ronin said. “If you’re finished eating, let’s go relax for a while. You need your strength.”

Ronin hadn’t eaten nearly enough yet, so Kell refused to budge until he’d finished his food to Kell’s satisfaction. Then they both crawled into bed. Kell curled up against Ronin’s broad chest, safe and relaxed in his arms, surrounded by his alpha’s scent. Hopefully, taking a knot would push his next surge off by a few hours and give them some peace. Because in that moment, Kell didn’t want to be anywhere except in his alpha’s arms.

Content. Happy.

Safe.