Bray lounged on his bed, watching some TV while forcing himself to eat a microwave meal. He’d worked out earlier, and after taking a shower, he was just too tired to cook. That happened too often, he admitted to himself. He worked long days and at the end of the day, he was often too tired to bother with a decent meal. 

It was stupid, because ever since the bunkhouse he was staying in had been finished—and Bray didn’t know why they called them bunkhouses, when there were no bunk beds—he had a full kitchen at his disposal. And it was stocked, too, the grocery ordering system Palani’s brother Rhene had developed assuring everything was restocked on time. 

They’d named the buildings that were ready. Omega One was the omega building that was finished, and it was the home of Sando, who seemed to be settling in well. Bray admired Enar’s vision of opening a safe place for omegas, especially those with the gene, but he’d be lying if he said it didn’t scare him a little as well. His encounter with Sven was still burned onto his mind, one of his biggest moments of shame ever. He could only hope that keeping the omegas separate would prove to be enough. 

The building he was staying in with Adar, Isam, and Maz—when the latter was staying on the ranch—had been dubbed the Alpha House for obvious reasons. Jawon, Servas, and Ori stayed in another one, which they called the Workers' House. As an omega, Servas could’ve stayed in Omega One, but since they were family, he’d opted to share housing with his brother and cousin. Kean shared housing with Lucan, who, like Bray, had left the main house when their dad had started seeing Lars and Sven. Their house was dubbed the Beta House, which wasn’t gonna win prizes for originality, but was aptly named.

Bray liked staying in the bunkhouse. It beat the hell out of the main house where he risked coming across his dad with one of his boys on his knees servicing him, as he’d been unintentionally subjected to once. The only downside was that it made seeing Kean difficult, at least without everyone else finding out. They’d met a few times now to hook up. He suspected others knew but were too polite to say anything about it. That worked for him. He didn’t care if people knew, as long as they kept their mouths shut.

He’d just shoveled the last few bites into his mouth and put the plastic tray on the floor when a wave rolled over him, sucking his strength out in a second. Bray lay down on his bed, gasping with the force of it. Lidon was shifting, he thought, but why? Palani hadn’t announced anything, so it was a spontaneous thing. Was something wrong? Or was it someone else?

He braced himself for what he knew would follow, and seconds later it came, this surge of power that made him jerk, his muscles contracting all at once. Damn, that shifting-shit was powerful. Lidon really needed to learn how to control that. His heart raced and of course, his cock was hard in an instant. Hmm, maybe the latter wasn’t so bad? He wouldn’t mind rubbing one out, though he remembered from last time, that hadn’t done much good. 

Now he really wished he lived in the same bunkhouse as Kean. He could find him, though. The beta had to be affected as well, right? They could help each other out. Before that thought had fully formed, he stood next to his bed. He found his shoes, didn’t even bother to tie them. In the hallway, he stopped when he heard unmistakable noises coming from one of the other rooms. Maz’s room. It sounded like the alpha was having one hell of a good time. Who did he have in there? Bray wasn’t about to wait and find out. Not now. Not when his cock was leaking at the thought of being inside Kean again.

He met him halfway between their houses, Kean apparently having the same thought. Bray grinned, then jerked his head toward Kean’s house. “Your place,” he said. “Maz has someone in his room.”

They spent precious little time talking, both stripping naked as soon as Kean had closed the door behind them. Bray had him flat against the wall a second later. God, he loved the strength in Kean’s body as he pinned him with his own. He relished that he got to be more aggressive with him, that Kean could not only take it, but welcomed it.

Their mouths met, hot and wet, fueled by the same restless energy. Bray gently bit his lower lip, and Kean moaned. “God, I love it when you do that,” the beta said.

“I love the sounds you make when I do that,” Bray said with a grin.

His right hand snuck in between their bodies, finding Kean as hard and leaking as he was. 

“I need to feel you,” Kean groaned into his mouth. “Hurry the fuck up, please.”

“Lube?” Bray asked.

“On the bed.”

“On the bed?” Bray said, smiling. “Were you expecting company?”

“I was literally fucking myself with a dildo when that surge hit. I came on impact,” Kean said, and Bray almost choked on his breath at the visual those words gave him.

“That means you’re…”

“Yes. No prep needed,” Kean confirmed. “So hurry the fuck up.”

The bossy beta was a far cry from the more timid omegas Bray preferred, but he’d be lying if he said Kean’s verbal matches didn’t amuse him. And turn him on, because that impatience was intoxicating. 

“Bend over, hands flat against the wall,” he told him. 

The wicked grin Kean shot him as he obeyed made his cock even harder. He grabbed the lube, found a condom on the nightstand, and rolled it on with impatient fingers. When he turned around, Kean stood ready for him, a bronze display of smooth lines and curves, that pale ass sticking out, demanding to be seen. 

“You really need to sunbathe naked some time. Your pale ass could use some sunlight,” Bray said as he walked over and slapped said ass, resulting in a satisfying jiggle. Oh, there was a sight. He did it again on the other side, his handprint leaving a mark. “Though I have to admit, that’s a damn fine ass you have. I think it would look even better after a solid spanking,” he decided. 

Kean rolled his eyes at him even as he moved his ass backward against Bray’s hand, which was kneading it none too gently. “You’re such a romantic. What’s next, Shakespeare? You’re gonna compare my ass to a summer’s day?”

Bray shoved his head down to make him bend over deeper and lined up behind him. “There’s nothing summery about your ass.”

Whatever Kean wanted to say turned into a long grunt as Bray pushed in with one deep surge, not stopping until he was buried deep and his balls slapped against Kean’s cheeks. Kean pressed his face against his arms, pushing back, and how Bray loved to see him like this, so greedy for more. He slammed in hard, the choked gasp from Kean music to his ears. 

Bray found himself wanting to hurt Kean just a little more because of the glorious sounds the beta made. He might not be a sub, but he endured Bray’s rough treatment so beautifully, his strong body taking what Bray dished out. He wanted to explore that more, to see what other intoxicating sounds he could elicit from him.

His orgasm snuck up on him, slamming into him before he realized it, making him pant with the force as he pumped the condom full. 

“Bray…” Kean said, coming close to whining. 

He pulled out and got rid of the condom. “You’re even prettier when you’re desperate.”

That got Kean to look over his shoulder. “You think I’m pretty?”

Was that a weird term to use for a beta, Bray wondered? Maybe he should’ve used handsome or gorgeous. “You are when you’re in a little pain,” he said, his voice hoarse. “Those sounds you make are addictive as hell.”

Kean’s eyes widened before a blush crept up his neck. “I’ve been tested recently,” he said after a beat. 

Bray raised an eyebrow. They all were, courtesy of a requirement for monthly testing from Enar. What did…? Oh. He considered it, then decided he’d love to see his fantasy of his cum dripping out of that bouncy ass come true. 

“You sure?”

Kean nodded, a slow smile spreading over his face. Bray’s heart skipped a beat. He grabbed his cock with his right hand, Kean’s throat with his left, and held him tight as he pushed in.

“Dammit, Kean, I wanna keep doing this until we’re both too exhausted to come,” he grunted as he rammed right back in again. “Can you take this? Can you take me?”

Kean’s breath came out a half-sob. “Anything,” he promised. “Anything you dish out.”

His fingers dug into Kean’s hips as he fucked him relentlessly, his cock throbbing deep inside him, unencumbered by even the thinnest barrier between them. Kean’s arms buckled from their hold on the wall and Bray reached under his arm and held him up with his left arm, continuing his assault on his hole with long, deep strokes. Both their breaths came out harsh now, shallow puffs increasing in frequency. 

Bray found Kean’s neck with his mouth, sucked hard, then bit down. Kean was now making sounds Bray had never heard before, almost animalistic. The beta’s body trembled against his, and Bray held on tight in case his legs gave out. He sneaked around with his right hand, gripping Kean’s cock with a tight fist. He swiped his thumb over the slit, catching his precum, then stroked him firmly. 

It only took four, maybe five strokes before Kean exploded against the wall, shooting rope after rope, tremors wrecking his body. Instinctively, his ass clenched, and that was enough for Bray to release. He fucked Kean brutally through his orgasm, not stopping until he’d deposited every last drop of cum inside him, both of them shaking with the effort. 

He let go of Kean’s dick and rested his head against the beta’s sweaty back. “That was…”

“I need to lie down…my legs are shaking.”

Bray pulled out, and they stumbled to the bed, crashing on it together. A relaxed smile curved Kean’s mouth as he nestled against Bray’s shoulder. He looked blissed out, Bray thought, then realized he probably sported an identical look. 

“That was perfect,” the beta sighed. “Man, I love your cock.”

Bray decided Shakespearean poetry was overrated.

For the first time since his men had moved in with him, Lidon woke up not only alone, but feeling lonely. He let out a deep sigh as he pushed himself out of bed. A faint headache brewed behind his eyes. No wonder after the all-nighter he’d pulled, and the day ahead.

He wasn’t sure what today would bring, but groveling would be involved and lots of it. God, he'd fucked up. He had no idea how to make things right with his mates. It wasn’t just Vieno, he’d realized last night. Palani had been beyond angry as well. The man had stepped away from his touch. That said enough, didn’t it? And he had deserved it. Hell, Palani hadn’t even given him half of what he deserved. He’d been selfish, too caught up in his own pain to realize what he was putting his mates through. Lidon couldn’t believe he had been that stupid.

He debated taking a shower, then decided he wasn’t that much of a coward. He had to face the music. Wasn’t it strange how he had no problem facing a drug gang, but now shook in his metaphorical boots at facing his mates? He wasn’t used to failing on this level. 

Maybe it was good that he was taken down a peg. That was something Palani would say, and Lidon smiled. The beta was never one to mince his words. How angry and hurt he had been. Vieno had lashed out because of what he was going through, Lidon realized that. But Palani, that had been different. That had been fueled by the beta's love for him, by him being worried sick something had happened to Lidon, and that was not so easy to dismiss.

He got dressed before he could talk himself out of it, then made his way to the kitchen, where much to his surprise, his three mates were sitting at the table having a late lunch. They all looked up as he walked in, and the tension hung thick.

“I’ll make you something to eat,” Vieno said, not even bothering to greet him.

Lidon’s heart squeezed painfully. “Guys,” he said, his voice pleading. “I fucked up, big time, and I am so, so sorry.”

Vieno spun around and looked at him with eyes blazing. “Yes, you did. I hurt you with my words, and for that, I'm sorry. I didn’t mean it, you have to know that.”

“I do,” Lidon assured him.

“But if every time we hit a snag or do something you don’t like, you turn into a wolf and take off on us, this is not gonna work. You can’t run, Lidon, not when we can’t follow you. We were worried sick about you.”

How humbling it was to be chewed out by his omega. It was effective though, more than when Enar or Palani had spoken up.

Lidon swallowed back the bile that rose in his throat. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I was hurt and ran, and I swear I didn’t realize how long I was gone.”

Vieno studied him, both hands on his hips, and Lidon was so worried his mates wouldn’t forgive him that he went to his knees. He was not too proud to beg if that was what it took. “Please, baby, please. I never meant to make you worry.” He looked to the others, noticing the shock on Enar’s face and a look of approval on Palani’s. “That goes for all of you. I was so in the wrong, and I’m sorry.”

Vieno’s eyes filled with tears and that stabbed Lidon in his heart even more.

“You were running from me,” Vieno whispered. “I thought you regretted marrying me, claiming me.”

“Never,” Lidon swore, still on his knees. He yearned to close the distance between them, to gather his sweet omega in his arms, but he didn’t dare cross that line, unsure if his affections were welcome.

“What if I can’t have sex with you for a long time?” Vieno asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Then I will still love you, baby. Nothing will ever change the way I feel about you. But please, baby, don’t hide it from me, from us. Let us help you carry this burden.”

He spotted the doubt still lingering in his mate’s eyes, and it killed him. He hated that the old insecurities that had plagued him before were back.

“Do you promise?” Vieno asked.

“I promise. And baby, none of us will ever put pressure on you to do something you don’t want to. We want you to be with us, but if seeing us being intimate makes you feel uncomfortable, we understand. Talk to us, that’s all we're asking.”

Vieno slowly nodded. “It’s the talking part that’s so hard,” he admitted. “My head is a mess, and there are so many thoughts in there, it’s hard to figure out which are truths and which are lies.”

Lidon had no idea how to respond, but Enar came to his rescue. “How about we promise we won’t get angry with you if you voice your thoughts or ask us to help you figure them out, no matter if they’re hurtful to us or not?”

And with blinding clarity, Lidon understood how deeply he had failed Vieno the day before. It wasn’t just that he had run and made them all worry about him. But he had run after Vieno had voiced a thought that felt true to him. Lidon had taken it personally, hadn’t given him the opportunity to explain or ask for verification.

He shook his head at his own stupidity. “I am sorry that when you told me something you experienced as real, I didn’t take the time to tell you it was a lie. This is all on me, baby, not on you. You have nothing to apologize for. God, I am so sorry.”

It was as if Vieno had waited for him to grasp that deeper level, and when he did, he closed the distance between them, almost knocking Lidon on his back with his hug. He sat down on the floor, pulled Vieno on his lap and held on for a long time.

“I am so sorry you’re going through this,” he whispered in his ear. “I promise I will do my best to be there for you. This is not something I'm good at, the talking stuff and the emotional support, but I’m willing to learn if you have a little patience with me.”

Vieno snuggled close to him, and Lidon realized again how much he had missed him. Not just the sex, though he had to admit he missed that, but the intimacy, the deep sense of calm and peace his alpha had when he held him.

“I always feel a little better when you hold me,” Vieno said softly.

Lidon thought of his realization earlier. Should he bring it up? They had just promised each other to be honest, hadn’t they? To communicate?

“Remember what worked before, when you weren’t feeling well?” he asked, keeping it vague so the omega would hopefully draw his own conclusions.

Vieno looked at him for a few beats before his eyes lit up. “Connecting with you,” he said.

“I don’t mean a sexual connection,” Lidon said quickly, before his words could be misinterpreted. “But you might benefit from being close to me, like during the pregnancy and the delivery. Maybe you can find a way to draw on my power, so it can help you. It was a thought I had when I was running. Fleeing,” he corrected himself wryly.

“I think that’s worth a try,” Enar said. “It worked before.”

Lidon waited for Vieno’s reaction, still a little scared the omega's trust had been broken too much for this. But Vieno nodded in agreement. “You realize that means I’ll be pretty much glued to your side, right?” he asked and Lidon had no trouble spotting the insecurity even in that statement. 

As if he would ever object to having his mate by his side. He looked him deep in the eyes as he answered. “Baby, it would be my pleasure. I will do whatever you need me to do. And if I do something that makes you feel uncomfortable, you tell me, okay?”

With Vieno now plastered against him, Lidon looked up at Enar and Palani. “Please, will you forgive me as well? I’ll do whatever you need me to to make it right.”

It was a little easier now that he knew he’d at least patched things up with Vieno, but he needed their forgiveness as well. This weight on his heart wouldn’t let up, not until he knew he hadn’t lost them.

Enar came first, rising from the table and sitting down on the floor right next to Lidon and Palani. He put his head on Lidon’s shoulder. “I was worried sick,” he said softly.

“I’ll never run from you guys again, I promise,” Lidon said, his heart lifting a little when Enar offered his mouth for a kiss.

He kissed him softly, almost reverently. When Enar snuggled close, Lidon raised his head to meet Palani’s eyes. His proud and strong beta, never scared to tell him the truth. He’d wounded him so deeply, and he worried his apology wasn’t good enough. God, how he wished he was better at words, better at saying what mattered so much.

Finally, Palani got up as well and kneeled on the floor in front of him, then leaned in for a kiss. It was hard at first, as if the beta was still angry, but then it softened as Lidon allowed him to set the pace for the first time. It was a deep kiss, a long one, but Lidon surrendered, his heart finally released from its heavy burden.

When he pulled back, Palani wiped the moisture off Lidon’s lips with his thumb. “Don’t do it again,” he said, his voice thick.

Lidon let his forehead rest against Palani’s. “You have my word.”