color my heart black @angelicduran - Tumblr Blog

not waiting for the wolves

pairing: lumberjack alpha!ari levinson x tall curvy omega!female reader

summary: when you're attacked by a group of betas while on a hike alone in the woods, an alpha comes to your rescue. he takes you home to recover and something blossoms between the two of you that could lead to the happily ever after you never thought you'd find as an omega so different from the rest of your designation.

warnings: 18+ content (minors dni!!!); reader is physically attacked, degraded and threatened with violence/rape by unnamed male characters; omegaverse AU tropes (heats, knotting, purring, mating, scenting); hurt/comfort, talk of insecurities, smut, piv sex, unprotected sex, creampie, cockwarming, vaginal fingering, tit/nipple play, dry humping, dirty talk, praise kink, teasing, begging, size kink, gentle-to-rough sex, check-ins, nicknames (sweetheart, omega), strangers to lovers, happy ending

word count: 20.3k

a/n: i wrote this fic for all the tall, curvy girls (like myself) who want to see themselves getting thrown around and manhandled by a big, strong alpha. i've been working on this fic for over a year now and i know it's a long one—and there's a lot of buildup to the actual smut—but i hope it's worth it! enjoy! ♡

Cold, bitter rain pelted down from the dark, late autumn sky, casting the wooded mountainside in dim shadows. Everything around you was tinged in varying shades of muted brown and dull gray.

In contrast, the eyes of the men who surrounded you were bright, manic—and terrifying for the hungry intensity with which they stared at you. Like wolves knowing they’d cornered their prey.

You didn’t know where they’d come from.

One minute, you were picking your way down the side of the mountain in the sudden deluge of pouring rain, your eyes trained on your booted feet carefully traversing the muddy hiking trail while you cursed yourself for believing the weather report when it had said there was only a chance of precipitation.

The next, you were suddenly surrounded by five men—betas, by the look and scents of them—all wearing mean, greedy sneers as they stared at you.

You’d come to an abrupt halt, your instincts going on high alert when you saw the way they were fanned out ahead of you, your hindbrain going haywire when the two on the ends began to creep around so they could stop any attempts at you running back up the mountain.

You knew it would’ve been futile anyway. Your legs were already burning from the hike, and the trek down had been so arduous in the rain that you had no hope of running—at least, not far enough to escape the men who were looking at you like you were their last meal.

“You look lost, omega,” one of the beta men said, snarling your designation like a slur. He stood directly in front of you and seemed to be the oldest and biggest of the group, with the meanest look on his face.

If you looked close enough through the pelting rain, you could see a cold deadness in his gaze, and it sent a shiver down your spine that had nothing to do with the freezing water flooding your body and soaking through your clothes.

Silently, you cursed yourself for not inviting a friend on your hike. You were an unmated omega, and you’d grown up hearing plenty of stories about the bad things that could befall an omega who was caught alone by the wrong person—or people.

You were so used to being unwanted, overlooked and alone that you hadn’t really thought danger could find you. And the universe had decided to prove you wrong in the worst way possible.

“We can help you down the mountain,” said another of the men in front of you, his voice sickeningly smooth, a condescending smile stretching across his face in what was clearly the beta’s best approximation of charm. It left a lot to be desired.

“Yeah,” another chimed in, this one behind you, and you turned slowly, trying to keep all five of them in sight. “And as payment, we’ll take turns using that ripe omega cunt ya got between yer legs.”

A look of disgust curled your lip and you shot a glare at the group of men, showing them all your fury at the way they allowed one of their group to talk to you in such a vile way. However, none of the men looked the least bit ruffled, and you had to work to keep your fear buried deep, knowing they’d be able to scent it if you didn’t keep a lid on it.

“She’s kinda big for an omega, ain’t she?” said a beta from your other side and you pivoted again, noticing that the men were creeping forward, caging you in. “I thought all omegas were small, dainty things, but she’s almost as tall as me—and she’s…thick.”

“The bigger she is, the harder she’ll be to break in and make into a proper fuckhole,” said the leader of the group, licking his lips lasciviously and grinning at you through the rain. “But we love a challenge, don’t we boys?”

Raucous shouts of agreement rose up from all around you, the betas sounding like a band of jackals, but you were hardly paying attention to their jeering taunts or their offensive words. It wasn’t much worse than what you’d heard all your life.

Ever since you’d presented as an omega, you’d heard it all. How you were too tall to be an omega, too curvy, too big—too something. You’d long ago learned to block it out, because no matter what anyone said, you were never going to look like a typical omega. And it was fine, you’d made peace with it.

Even if that peace had come at the price of your hope of finding someone to spend your life with.

As you’d told yourself many times, not everyone was destined for a happily ever after, and so you’d come to terms with the fact that you were going to die alone. But you hadn’t believed it might happen so early in your life, which made it hard to care much about the men’s comments about your body.

Besides, in that moment, you were far more concerned about finding a way to slip away from the group of betas who were circling you like a pack of hungry wolves to be worried about how you didn’t meet society’s conventional beauty standards.

Dread was growing in your gut as the circle of men tightened around you, all five of them seemingly working in tandem to make sure there was no way of escaping their trap.

Before you could stop it, a sharp whine rose up in your throat and spilled from your lips. The shrill, distressed noise was louder than you’d expected, carrying through the spindly trees of the forest, and you knew instinctively that it was a result of your omega hindbrain.

It was an alarm meant to alert an alpha to danger.

Unfortunately, as far as you knew, there were no alphas around for miles, and the betas seemed to relish the fear in the noise. They all grinned, hooting and hollering like they’d caught their prey.

“Listen to that,” one of the men crowed, a nasty grin on his face that only widened when you turned your most vicious glare on him. “She’s already whining for it,” he taunted, one of his hands grabbing the crotch of his pants and shaking it in your direction. “Bet the omega slut is already drenched in slick, ready to be a good little knotsleeve.”

Despite the fear coursing through your body, you snorted at the degrading name.

“How’re you gonna make me into a knotsleeve when you don’t have a knot,” you sneered as meanly as possible, your voice dripping with venom. With as much disdain as you could muster, you looked the man up and down with a condescending expression on your face.

The man’s face went entirely slack with shock, clearly not expecting you to talk back. It was so satisfying, even if it was a small victory, that you couldn’t stop yourself from continuing to taunt him. It was all the power you had in the situation and you clung to it desperately.

“What kind of coward needs to corner an omega in the woods and force her to fuck him? The kind with a tiny cock—I bet I wouldn’t even feel your pathetic little beta dick if you tried to stick it in me.”

You knew your words were playing into harmful stereotypes about betas and omegas, but in that moment, you didn’t care. You wanted to hurt the man in whatever way you possibly could, and if the twist of his features into a vicious snarl was anything to go by, you’d hit your mark dead-on.

A split second before the beta lunged at you, you felt the energy in the forest shift. The tension of the moment seemed to snap and your body reacted instinctively, your knees going loose and ready, your feet planting firmly in the soft mud beneath the soles of your boots.

For the first time in a long time, you were grateful for the body you’d been given. You weren’t a small or dainty omega, and you were going to be a problem for the pack of betas that had surrounded you. So you called on everything you’d learned about self-defense growing up as an omega, and hoped it would be enough.

It had to be enough.

No one was coming to your rescue, and you were alone, just like you’d always been. But you’d learned to take care of yourself, and you’d do it again. You’d distract and dodge the betas until you found a hole to slip through and then you’d run back to your car and get away.

It wasn’t the best plan, but it was all you had, so it had to work. It just had to.

The first attack came from the man you’d taunted. He lunged at you from straight on, which made it easy enough to dodge his flailing arms and furious, grabbing fingers. You knocked a hand into his shoulder blade, using his momentum to push him into one of his friends so they toppled to the wet, muddy ground together.

Before you could take a breath, another attack came from behind. The beta’s reaching, grubby hands brushed against your arms, his scent of putrid grease wafting over your shoulders. He tried to wrap his arms around you and pin you, but you spun out of his grip before it could close around your body, elbowing him hard in his side, below his ribs.

You felt a brief, fleeting moment of vicious victory when your second attacker stumbled, nearly tripping over the first two betas you’d sent to the mud, and hope flooded in. Maybe you really could fight them off long enough to escape after all.

But your hope was short-lived, turning to cold dread when the leader whooped in excitement and crowed, “Looks like we’ve got a fighter, boys!”

When you turned on him and the other remaining beta, his cold, dead eyes were alive with something that sent terror slicing through your heart. It was the look of a man who’d done this before, who’d overpowered an omega and taken what wasn’t his.

His eyes gleamed brighter as fear slipped through the mask on your face, and he grinned, the expression horrifying in its grotesqueness.

“This should be fun.”

His words were a low growl, and you took them as the warning they were. But you didn’t have time to brace yourself properly before he and the other beta surged forward at the same time.

Their hands were everywhere—wrenching the small hiking pack from your shoulders, tearing at your jacket, grabbing at your body, your clothes, anything they could reach, anything they could get their hands on to hold you down and stop you from fighting.

You did everything you could, clawing at the betas with your nails, kicking at them with your heavy, booted feet, but you could feel the tide turning in their direction. Another whine, loud and piercing, burst from your mouth, rattling the branches of the trees around you.

It nearly stopped your heart how much terror you could hear in the sound, and a sob bubbled at the base of your throat but you refused to let it loose.

You’d never felt as hopeless as you did in that moment—which was the exact moment the beta group’s leader wrapped his hands around your throat, finally catching you in his vicious hold.

He squeezed you tight and hard enough to make you choke. With a whimpering 2wheeze, your body went still as you instinctively tried to prevent him from crushing your windpipe.

“Don’t stop fighting now, knotsleeve,” the mean beta panted against your cheek. His disgusting breath ghosted over your mouth, making you recoil, only for him to tighten his fingers around your throat. His scent smelled like rotten fruit, and your stomach roiled.

When you cut your eyes to him in a glare, you were at least satisfied to see your nails had gouged deep scratches down the side of his face. Even if he and his beta friends did ultimately get what they wanted, a reminder of you would live on his face for the rest of his pathetic excuse for a life.

“C’mon, keep fighting, omega—it’ll make your cunt feel even tighter around my cock.”

If you could’ve spoken around the hand gripping your throat, you might’ve spit out some insult about it being the only way for him to feel anything with his tiny dick. But you couldn’t speak as the breath was choked from your lungs.

Black spots were edging into your vision, and all you could do was make pathetic little whimpering sounds. Your strength was flagging but your nails scoured into the beta’s wrist to try to tear him away.

Right before you lost consciousness, the man’s hand was wrenched from your throat and he was ripped bodily away from you. Without him supporting your weight, you were left staggering on unsteady legs, spots dancing across your vision as fresh air flooded your lungs.

Your knees lost the fight against gravity and you collapsed into the mud, tiny pinpricks of freezing cold rain hitting your face and neck while you gasped for air, your chest aching with the effort.

As you got your bearings, you forced yourself to take deeper breaths. Your fingers dug into the soft mud and fallen leaves of the forest floor to ground yourself while you fought against the darkness that was still blurring the edges of your vision.

A scuffle was happening around you, the beta men shouting words you couldn’t understand over the pounding in your head and your wheezing breaths.

There was a new scent on the wind, something earthy and warm—much too warm for the late autumn forest during a bitter rainstorm—and it was so pleasant that you wanted to find the source. You wanted to breathe it in and let it soothe and comfort your omega hindbrain.

But first, you had to stay conscious.

Your arms trembled and your legs shook, your limbs barely holding you up and stopping you from falling face first into the mud. It was all you could to stay awake and not let the darkness of exhaustion and fear take you away from the miserable forest.

Just then, you heard a ferocious, rumbling growl, like the sound of rolling thunder. Your ears perked up and you were suddenly more alert because you instinctively recognized that sound—that was the sound of an alpha.

With a great deal of effort, you sat back on your heels and lifted your head to the brawl happening around you in the forest. You blinked rain from your lashes and willed your gaze to focus. When they did, you sucked in a sharp breath of surprise, and something that felt a lot like desire.

Despite the dim, gray light filtering through the bare trees of the forest, your eyes found the new man—the alpha you’d heard—easily. Even with his back to you, it wasn’t difficult to tell him apart from the betas because he was massive.

The alpha stood a full head above even the tallest of the betas, and his shoulders were so broad, they dwarfed the leader of the group of men who’d attacked you. The alpha’s arms were thick, straining the confines of his flannel shirt, and his thighs looked like tree trunks the way they filled out the dark denim of his jeans.

As you watched, the alpha launched his fist into the side of a beta’s head, and the man crumpled immediately to the ground, though whether he was just unconscious or dead, you couldn’t be sure. Just as quickly, the hulking newcomer dispatched the rest of the men, all but the leader falling to the muddy ground at the alpha’s feet.

With an angry growl, the remaining beta launched himself at the much larger man, enough meanness carved into his haggard face that you almost thought he might stand a chance. But, though the alpha roared and stumbled a little over the slippery ground, he didn’t topple.

Instead, he used the beta’s momentum against him, spinning and taking the man to the ground. The alpha pummeled the beta with his fists, raining down punches as sickening cracks and crunches filled the forest. Finally, the beta stopped fighting and the alpha relented, his back heaving with harsh breaths while he stared down at the beta as if making sure he would stay down.

It occurred to you that you should be afraid—perhaps even more afraid of the alpha than of the betas who’d cornered you in the forest. He was big, much bigger than any alpha you’d ever met before, and he clearly possessed an ability to wield violence with his bare hands.

But his scent permeated the smell of cold rain and damp forest, smelling like amber and moss. It filled you with warmth and a surety that you were safe, that no harm would come to you from the alpha.

Before you could wrap your mind around the idea that he wasn’t a threat, your body was already responding to his presence.

As the need to fight drained out of you, exhaustion swept in, replacing the adrenaline that had flooded your limbs, leaving you shaking in the mud. The piercing cold of the late autumn rain that soaked through your clothes was beginning to set into your body, your muscles going stiff and numb.

A little whine slipped from your lips while you wrapped your arms around yourself, trying to conserve what little heat your body was producing.

The sound seemed to snap the alpha from his trance and he finally stirred, his face downcast as he took in the men littering the ground around his feet. He shot them all one last vicious glare before leaving them where they lay.

Heaving a weary sigh, the alpha rose to his full height. His hand raked through his drenched hair, pushing a wave of brown locks back from his face, and you noticed the knuckles were busted open. They were a bloody reminder of the punishment he’d meted out against the betas who’d attacked you.

But all thoughts of the betas and the attack fled your mind when you got your first look at the alpha’s face.

Oh.

Even in the gloomy light of the forest, you could see he was handsome, devastatingly so, with kind blue eyes that looked tortured as he stared at you across the small stretch of trail where he’d fought off no less than five men to protect you. His mouth was pressed into a grim line, the expression nestled deep in the scruffy brown beard adorning his face.

His gaze didn’t stray from you as it swept over you body methodically—not in a hungry, greedy way like the betas had looked at you, as if you were their next meal. The alpha’s eyes were more caring, as if he was checking for any serious injuries, though you knew he’d find none.

However, his mouth turned down in a frown and a small rumbling growl vibrated in his chest when his gaze settled on your throat.

With tentative, shaking fingers, you reached up and brushed against the skin where he was staring. You flinched at the tenderness of your neck, and realized the beta group’s leader must’ve left a mark when he’d grabbed you and choked you.

A whimper of residual fear escaped you before you could bite it back and the big alpha strode to you, his long legs eating up the trail in quick strides. He dropped to his knees at your side, his fingers almost unbearably gentle as he tipped your jaw up so he could see the bruises forming on your neck.

The alpha’s eyes darkened, a muscle in his jaw ticking like he was grinding his teeth. Even though you could feel the fury radiating off him, you knew it wasn’t directed at you, but the man who’d dared lay a hand on an omega in violence. You got the impression that if the men weren’t already unconscious, the alpha would’ve knocked them out again.

The thought made a question rise to your lips and it spilled free before you could think better of it.

“Are they dead?”

At the husky rasp of your voice, the alpha’s eyes flicked to yours, and you could see wariness in his bright blue gaze.

“No.” His reply was curt, but his voice was deliciously deep and the tenor settled deep in your bones, feeling as if it was warming you from the inside out. The alpha swallowed, his adam’s apple bobbing in his throat, and he cast a glance around the trail. “I don’t think so…”

You could hear the beginning of regret in his tone, like guilt and shame were creeping into his heart and you had the urge to stop them in their tracks. You had much less sympathy for the fallen betas. If they were dead, you wouldn’t even care.

“Good riddance,” you muttered, another wave of exhaustion sweeping over you. Your body swayed into the alpha’s chest, drawn by the warmth he offered.

His scent was thicker now that he was closer, invading your senses and making you feel safe and comforted. You had to stifle the urge to burrow into him.

“Are you alright?” the alpha asked, his hands settling gingerly on your shoulders like he was about to push you away.

It was only because you felt his voice rumbling against your cheek that you realized you had pressed your face into his chest. Still, you couldn’t bring yourself to pull away, your voice half muffled by the flannel of his shirt when you spoke.

“Not hurt,” you mumbled, shivering violently when a gust of wind whipped through the trees and cut through your body like a scythe slashing through a field of wheat. “Just tired, and cold.”

The alpha seemed to notice your ripped clothes then, finding your jacket barely hanging from your shoulders in shreds, and he cursed viciously. His arm wrapped firmly around your shoulders, and you expected him to help you up to stand so he could guide you down the mountain to your car at the base of the trail.

Instead, the alpha hauled you up into his arms while he stood, making you gasp as your eyes flew open—though you couldn’t remember closing them. Your arms circled the alpha’s neck, fearing he’d drop you when he realized how much you weighed, and you looked at him with alarm.

You weren’t the easiest omega to pick up. You were so tall and curvy that none of your previous partners, even the alphas, could manage it. But the massive man had lifted you easily and was carrying you through the forest as if you weighed nothing more than a sack of potatoes.

He held you securely against his chest, and your heart fluttered with something you didn’t know how to name. If the alpha noticed the way you’d tensed when he lifted you, he didn’t say anything. But the longer he held you without his grip slipping, and the longer he carried you easily down the mountain without breathing harder, the more you relaxed.

The alpha’s warm scent draped around your shoulders like a cozy blanket, and you let your head fall to his shoulder, your cheek pressing to the soft flannel covering his broad form. A small, contented sigh fell from your lips as you allowed yourself to take comfort in the alpha who’d rescued you.

It wasn’t long before his steady, loping stride lulled you into a kind of sleep, your body relaxed and certain that no matter where the alpha took you, you were safe with him. You didn’t know his name, but you knew you’d always be safe with him.

The rain was still pelting down from the rapidly darkening sky, and it was miserable enough that you were relieved when the alpha brought you to a cabin near the base of the mountain instead of the parking lot where you’d left your car. You couldn’t imagine attempting to drive home when you were soaked to the bone and so cold and exhausted, you weren’t sure if your limbs would work properly enough to operate a shower, let alone a vehicle.

If your sense of direction was correct, the alpha’s cabin wasn’t too far from the trailhead where you’d begun your day. It was a modest little structure, clearly made for one, and had been hidden within the trees of the forest.

Looking at it, nestled in the small clearing, you were certain that no one who hiked the nearby trails would know it was there if they didn’t already know to look for it. It struck you then how lonely it must be to live so close to others but still apart…

Unaware of the bleak direction your thoughts had taken, the alpha carried you over the threshold of his cabin, and heat washed over you like a wave of the most delicious comfort you’d ever felt.

A soft moan slipped from your lips and you sagged further into the alpha’s arms. Your eyes fluttered closed as you were enveloped by the warm scent of him embedded in the cabin. It was so earthy and exquisite, you wanted to bathe in it.

At your sound of pleasure, the alpha seemed to startle and he paused just inside the door, peering down at you with concern etched into his handsome features. A slight frown pulled down the corners of his small mouth, the edges disappearing into the full, bushy beard decorating his jaw.

You had the almost irresistible urge to card your fingers through the alpha’s beard, to rake your nails over the skin beneath and see if you could coax a purr from the large man. But you managed to hold yourself back, curling your fingers against your soft stomach and resisting the urge.

Instead, you gave the alpha a small smile to show that you were okay.

Appeased, the alpha carried you up a set of wide wooden stairs to a lofted room. It was clearly his bedroom, with all the standard accoutrements, but your eyes couldn’t seem to look away from the massive bed taking up so much of the space. It was huge, clearly custom-made for the big alpha, and was covered in a very cozy-looking flannel blanket that called to your omega hindbrain.

But the alpha didn’t deposit you on the bed. He kept walking, passing through a door on the other side of the room that you hadn’t noticed. It led into a modern bathroom with state of the art plumbing—including a massive shower.

You nearly moaned again in relief and excitement. A scaldingly hot shower would go a long way to warming your tired body.

The alpha carefully set you down on the counter beside the sink and immediately retreated, like he was worried about crowding you or scaring you after what had happened in the forest.

A flash of memory of the beta male’s hand around your throat, his snarling mouth and snapping teeth, made you shudder and you pushed the images aside. You were safe, the alpha had seen to that.

Raising your head, you realized the alpha had been busy while you’d been caught in your memory. He’d already turned on the shower and cranked up the heat of the water. He was just returning to the bathroom with a pile of clothes that he set down on the closed toilet lid, his limbs moving slowly like he was taking care not to spook you.

Once done, the alpha turned and made to leave the bathroom, but he paused in the doorway. His hulking form was so big, it took up the entire frame, blocking your view of his bedroom, and the massive bed that you couldn’t seem to stop thinking about.

He turned his head, speaking to you over his shoulder.

“Take as much time as you need,” he said, his voice a low, gruff rumble, like it didn’t get much use. “You’re safe here, you have my word, but this door has a lock—use it if you need to.” His knuckle rapped once on the inside of the bathroom door, a little above the doorknob, and then he stepped out into his bedroom, closing the door behind him.

For a long moment, you stared at the doorknob, knowing you should use the lock the alpha offered. You were alone in a cabin in the middle of the forest with an alpha whose name you didn’t even know. Your situation was exactly how an omega horror movie might start, and the audience would be yelling at you from their seats to lock the door, to not trust the strange alpha.

But you couldn’t seem to make yourself be wary of the alpha who’d saved you. Aside from picking you up without asking first, he’d been nothing but careful and courteous. And if you were honest with yourself, you were grateful the alpha had picked you up. You wouldn’t have been able to walk the rest of the way down the mountain without his help.

Besides, there was a not insignificant part of you that was intrigued by how easily the big alpha had lifted you into his arms. He’d done it without thinking, without even considering whether he was strong enough. He’d simply known he’d be able to carry you, despite your height and size.

You’d never met another alpha so strong, and so certain in his strength. It was…compelling.

Shaking your thoughts away, you pushed yourself to the edge of the counter. You were just about to stand and get into the shower when you heard noises on the other side of the bathroom door.

The alpha was moving around the loft, his steps heavy but measured. Then, there was the unmistakable sound of wet clothes smacking against wooden floorboards.

Inexplicably, your body warmed at the thought of him stripping out of his wet flannel shirt and denim jeans mere feet away from you.

Your mind immediately jumped to the question of what the alpha looked like beneath his clothes. He seemed like the type of big, burly man to have a chest covered in hair—and you suspected he had hair everywhere. The kind that would feel delicious against your bare skin.

It occurred to you that you could open the bathroom door, just a tiny bit, and peek out to see if you were right. But you stopped yourself before you could let that thought go too far.

The alpha had been nothing but kind and respectful toward you, bringing you into his home and doing everything to make sure you were safe and cared for. You couldn’t repay the favor by spying on him like some degenerate, perverted omega. Even if the idea of seeing the alpha naked called to something deep in your omega hindbrain.

Brushing it off as your instincts being closer to the surface after you were attacked in the forest, you stood from the sink counter and began shedding your sodden and muddy clothes. Still, despite your best efforts to keep your mind free of filthy imaginings, you couldn’t help thinking about the alpha.

At first, your thoughts remained relatively innocent. You wondered what he did for a living, and why he lived alone in a cabin in the woods. You wondered how he possibly could’ve known you were in trouble, and what he’d looked like crashing through the forest to get to you.

When you stepped beneath the hot water of the shower, you gave a senseless little moan, tipping your head back away from the stream of water and letting your mind wander even further. You wondered if the alpha tasted as good as he smelled, and how delightful it would feel to get beard burn on your cheeks from kissing his mouth and slipping your tongue between his lips to taste him straight from the source.

You wondered if he was big everywhere, and whether he’d be a soft, gentle lover, or if he’d torture you deliciously with the girth of his cock, stretching you until you thought you couldn’t take anymore, and then sinking another exquisite inch inside your aching body.

As you wondered if his knot would even fit inside you, your fingers began trailing down over your soft belly and gently teasing the curls at the top of your mound.

The smell of your scent, heady with arousal, brought you back to the moment and you realized you’d been seconds away from touching yourself in the strange alpha’s bathroom. Heat filled your cheeks and you quickly started rifling through the products in the alpha’s shower, shoving your dirty thoughts to the back of your mind.

You hadn’t been so uncontrollably horny since you were a young omega going through your first heat. And, unfortunately for you, you didn’t have the excuse of a heat to explain away your inappropriate thoughts and behavior. There were no cramps, no copious slick coating your thighs. Just your attraction to the large alpha and your burning curiosity about him.

But you forced yourself not to think about the alpha, or anything that had happened in the forest, as you showered and cleaned yourself. You were determined not to dwell on the past—you were safe, that was all that mattered—and resolute in your decision not to embarrass yourself in the alpha’s bathroom.

Because if you got yourself off, there was no doubt he’d be able to smell it. And he’d been so worried about scaring you, taking care to show you he wasn’t a threat, that you didn’t want to repay his kindness and courteousness by marking his home with your scent. Even if the idea did hold a certain appeal to a nefarious part of your omega hindbrain…

The wooden floorboards of the loft were warm and smooth beneath your bare feet, the faint aroma of the alpha’s scent clinging to the grain of all the furniture and fabric in his bedroom. You paused partway across the space and breathed deeply, letting the smell of amber and moss fill your senses and calm all the last little bits of tension the hot shower had failed to ease.

Slowly, you padded across the bedroom, taking in all the details you’d missed when the alpha had carried you into the bathroom.

The loft, like the rest of the cabin, had been constructed from a lighter wood, while the furniture—the bed, the matching side tables and the dresser—had all been made from a darker wood that complemented well. And if you weren’t mistaken, it all looked hand-made.

You had to wonder if the alpha was the talented person responsible for constructing the cozy cabin and the matching furniture, or if he’d commissioned them from someone else. You trailed your fingers ever so gently over the soft flannel of the blanket on the bed, and you wondered idly if the alpha knew how to construct a nest—if one was hiding somewhere in the cabin, ready for an omega to move in and make it their own…

Shaking your head, you chastised yourself silently for the too-forward thoughts. You still didn’t even know the alpha’s name, and though you could tell from his scent that he wasn’t mated, it was possible he already had his sights set on another omega.

There weren’t any other scents in the loft, as far as you could tell, but that didn’t mean much. A courting alpha may not bring an omega back to their home right away, especially one as secluded as his cabin.

Besides, you had a hard time believing the big alpha was wanting for interested omegas. He was so tall and strong, so fiercely protective, based on what you’d seen in the forest, and seemingly capable of making a safe and happy home for whatever omega he chose.

A wistful sigh escaped your lips and you finally made your way to the stairs, hand lightly gripping the smooth wooden bannister. You tried to push all inappropriate thoughts from your mind as you descended to the main floor of the cabin, but you came to an abrupt halt when the alpha himself came into view.

You paused halfway down the stairs and took the opportunity to simply look.

Somehow, in your short time in the shower, you’d forgotten just how massive the alpha was. But, even as he sat slumped forward in a chair in front of the fire, you were reminded all over again of his sheer hulking size—and the masculine gloriousness of his face.

His head was turned toward the flames in the fireplace, giving you his profile, but even that was wondrous, with his straight nose and full beard, glowing golden in the light of the fire.

The alpha’s shoulders were twice as broad as yours, his biceps thick and straining against the sleeves of the plain white t-shirt he wore. Despite his seated position, you could tell he had a trim waist, though there was a healthy layer of softness packed over the muscles he undoubtedly had.

Your eyes lingered on the alpha’s thighs, clad in soft grey sweatpants. They were as wide around as some of the trees in the forest beyond the walls of the cabin, and you were nearly panting by the time your gaze moved to his forearms, which were covered in a thick layer of hair and braced on his knees.

It was only when you noticed the blood still dripping slowly from the cracked skin on his knuckles that you were brought back to the moment.

Spinning on the balls of your feet, you raced back up the stairs as quietly as you could, heading back to the bathroom and opening the cabinet beneath the sink. It took you a moment of rifling through extra bottles of scentless shampoo and body wash, but you found a small first aid kit buried in the back.

You descended the stairs again, clutching the plastic kit in both hands, and approached the alpha carefully, trying not to startle him. He was clearly lost in thought as he stared into the blazing flames of the fire, and if the somber expression on his face was anything to go by, whatever he was thinking wasn’t particularly cheerful.

As you moved closer, you realized the chair he sat in was bigger than normal, and it must’ve been custom-made for the alpha, like all the bedroom furniture in the loft. It was made from the same dark wood and looked sturdy, able to hold the alpha’s considerable weight. And without armrests, it gave him the freedom to spread his thick, muscular thighs wide.

You tried not to stare, but the alpha had pulled on a pair of gray sweatpants that left little to the imagination, and your eyes couldn’t help but wander between his spread thighs. There was the shadow of a bulge in the front of his pants, the hint that another part of the alpha’s anatomy was thick and sturdy…

You had to cut off your thoughts abruptly before you started thinking more about what might be beneath those sinful gray sweatpants. If you weren’t careful, your scent would give away how curious you were about the alpha and what was beneath his clothes.

Stepping close, you brushed your fingers against the alpha’s broad shoulder and even that light touch seemed to startle him a little. He sat up quickly, leaning against the back of the chair and raking his eyes down your body as if he was checking you for injuries again, even though it had only been a short while since he’d left you in the bathroom.

His blue gaze froze, then darkened, as he took in what you were wearing.

“The pants didn’t fit?” he asked in a low, gravelly voice. He was so quiet, you barely heard him over the crackling of the fire and the pounding of the rain on the cabin’s roof.

“No, they were too big,” you whispered in return, your fingers fiddling with the hem of the flannel shirt you wore, feeling suddenly shy in the presence of the big alpha who’d saved you.

The long-sleeved flannel shirt had been the only thing in the pile of clothes the alpha had given you that fit, but even then, you’d had to roll up the sleeves quite a few times so your hands weren’t buried in fabric.

You’d thought it covered enough of your body that it wouldn’t be a problem, but the way the alpha was swallowing thickly and glancing away, all while shifting uneasily in his chair, made you think it crossed the line to inappropriate.

“Is it okay?” you asked, your voice even quieter and more unsure.

The alpha’s eyes flashed with emotion when they met yours and his hands reached for you, but he seemed to think better of it, letting them fall to his thighs.

His fingers flexed, like he was struggling to restrain himself from touching you, and a wild corner of your mind wished he wouldn’t hold himself back. Something deep inside you craved his touch, but you quieted that desire as best you could and focused on his response.

“Omega.” That one word was little more than a rasping plea, a desperation in the alpha’s eyes that you understood, because you felt it too.

There was a gravitational pull between you and the alpha, and you took a tiny step forward, moving tentatively closer.

He broke eye contact, looking into the fire as he swallowed thickly again. You got the distinct impression that he was biting back whatever words he’d been about to speak—an impression that was proven correct when he changed the subject.

“I don’t know your name,” he said gruffly, keeping his eyes fixed on the fire, like he was purposefully avoiding looking at you.

You couldn’t tell if it was shyness, a sense of propriety because you were wearing only his flannel shirt, or something else, but you shrugged it off and reminded yourself that you’d been intent on tending to his busted knuckles. Using his distraction to your advantage, you stepped between his parted thighs and placed the first aid kit on the mantle of the fireplace.

As you dug through the meager supplies, you offered your name to the alpha and he repeated it, like he was testing how it sounded on his lips. Warmth trickled through your body at the sound of your name in the alpha’s rough voice, and you tried not to show a reaction. Thankfully, he didn’t test it again.

“Ari,” he said and you glanced at him. He was staring at you, watching you with a patience like he was simply happy to have you in his presence. “Ari Levinson.”

“Ari,” you echoed, the hint of a smile playing around the edges of your lips. The name fit him, somehow, and you ducked your head to hide your giddy smile. Pulling some antiseptic wipes from the first aid kit, you turned back to the alpha and gave him a more polite smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Ari.”

“You too,” he said gruffly, like he wasn’t used to dealing with such normal, everyday interactions, before looking away again into the fire.

With the alpha’s focus elsewhere, you took the opportunity to take a proper look around the cabin as you fiddled with opening the antiseptic wipe.

The fireplace was set into the wall toward the front of the cabin, leaving the space in front of it open. Aside from the chair the alpha was sitting in, there was an oversized and overstuffed couch facing the fireplace, with no less than five blankets draped over the back of it. Along the front wall, there was a tall bookshelf, filled to bursting with novels that you wanted to take a closer look at, and a TV tucked into the corner.

At the back of the cabin, under the generous ceiling of the loft, was the kitchen and a small dining area. Just like the bathroom, the kitchen was outfitted with modern looking appliances that managed to match the rough-hewn look of the cabin. The table only had two matching chairs, and only the space in front of one of them was clear. The rest of the table had mail and various tools strewn across it.

Like the loft, all the furniture looked hand-crafted and a little larger than normal. You supposed Ari had either made it himself to fit his size or ordered it custom so he wouldn’t feel too large in his own home. And just like his bedroom, there was no sign that anyone else lived in the cabin with him, no lingering smells beyond his amber and moss scent.

It seemed like Ari wasn’t in a chatting mood, with the way he was broodily staring into the fireplace, but your curiosity was burning a hole in your heart and you couldn’t help but voice the question that was rattling around in your head.

“So what’s an alpha like you doing living alone in a cabin in the woods?” you asked lightly, finally ripping open the antiseptic wipe and picking up one of Ari’s big hands to begin dabbing at the cuts on his knuckles. You kept your attention focused on your task, hoping Ari would answer your inappropriately forward question.

“I’m a lumberjack,” Ari answered after a short pause.

His tone wasn’t unfriendly, but there was a reluctance that made you think he was reticent to talk about himself.

Glancing up at him, you found him watching your small fingers gently clean the wounds on his hand, and you realized he hadn’t given any reaction to the antiseptic. He was simply sitting patiently for you.

“Huh,” you said, carrying on the conversation when Ari didn’t seem inclined, switching to cleaning his other hand. “I didn’t think that was a real job.” You caught Ari’s eye from under your lashes and shot him a small smirk. “I thought alpha lumberjacks only existed in omega romance novels.”

As you watched, a faint blush bloomed on the big alpha’s cheeks, giving you a glimpse of tinted skin above his dark brown beard before he ducked his head. His free hand scuffed bashfully against the back of his neck, ruffling his golden brown hair while he stared down at his feet.

“I’m not the type of alpha anyone’s gonna write a romance novel about,” Ari mumbled, looking decidedly uncomfortable, “‘m too much of a big bastard—I only scare omegas away.”

Your heart clenched in your chest at the straightforward, yet negative way Ari talked about himself, like it was fact that he was too big and too scary to have an omega by his side. It dawned on you, very suddenly, that the cabin wasn’t just a cozy home he’d built for himself, it was the prison he’d built for his self-imposed exile.

But even as you realized the truth of Ari’s existence in the woods, you couldn’t, for the life of you, imagine being afraid of the shy, sweet alpha.

Sure, back on the hiking trail, you’d watched him tear through five beta men like he was ripping up weeds from fresh soil, but from the moment he’d turned to you, he’d been nothing but gentle. He’d carried you to his home, given you safety and shelter when he could’ve just as easily sent you on your way.

And you wanted to repay him by dispelling the beliefs he had about himself. After all, you knew too well what it felt like to be looked at as too big or too tall or too something by society’s standards for your designation.

Your heart went out to Ari. The judgement of others had clearly affected him enough that he’d consigned himself to a life alone in his cabin, but you’d be damned if you left his home without making him see that he was perfect just the way he was.

However, something told you that if you tried to correct him, he would just brush your words away like water off his back. So you tried a different tact.

“When I presented as an omega, everyone in my life was shocked,” you began, keeping your head ducked as you began to apply thin bandages over the cuts on his knuckles. “No one had expected someone who looks like me to be an omega.”

A low growl rumbled in Ari’s chest, distracting you for a moment from your story. Instinctively, you knew the growl wasn’t directed at you, and perhaps the smart thing to do was stop before you upset Ari further, but you needed to get the words out—for him, you told yourself.

“I heard it all. I’m too big, too fat, too tall, just too much to be an omega,” you said, hearing a slight waver in your voice as you blinked away tears. Instead, you focused on smoothing the bandages over the broken skin of Ari’s knuckles. “My own mother told me I’d never find an alpha who’d want an omega like me.”

At your admission, something in Ari seemed to break and he batted your fingers away so he could gather you up in his arms, crushing you gently against his chest. The rumbling beneath his ribs changed, becoming something hesitant, stuttering.

It took you a long moment to realize he was trying to purr, but he was so out of practice, it took him a few moments to get the hang of it. Once Ari’s purr strengthened, you melted into his embrace, fingers carding through the hair at the back of his head while his face pressed against your sternum.

“You’re a perfect omega, sweetheart,” he growled in a voice so fierce, you could feel the fearsome, protective alpha that resided in Ari’s heart. “You’re beautiful and kind and you smell so fucking good.” Ari let out a quiet groan as he breathed in, his big shoulders expanding as he pressed his face deeper into your chest. “Any alpha that doesn’t want an omega as perfect as you is a fucking idiot and doesn’t deserve you.”

A soft chuckle slipped from your lips and you squeezed the big alpha tight in thanks, then you carefully extricated yourself enough that you could look down into his handsome face. Ari’s expression was twisted into a look of indignation on your behalf, and you couldn’t help but smile fondly at him.

“And you’re a perfect alpha, Ari,” you said, holding Ari’s gaze, your hands cupping his bearded face, fingers stroking idly through the coarse hair on his jaw. “You’re strong and protective and gentle—and you smell…” you trailed off as you took a deep breath, letting your eyes slide closed as you reveled in his scent. “Like the forest on a warm summer day.”

When you opened your eyes again, you found Ari with his eyes downcast, looking past your arm, a faint flush back on his cheeks. You nudged his jaw gently, ducking your head until you caught his eye again.

“Anyone who thinks you’re too scary to find someone to love you is a fucking idiot and doesn’t deserve you,” you said, deliberately echoing his words. All the while, you held Ari’s gaze firmly, willing him to hear you, to believe you.

Even if the big alpha couldn’t heal from all the judgement and scorn he’d endured in a single night, you were determined to start the process. And if he wanted to keep you around, maybe let you tell him every day how handsome and perfect he was… Well, you certainly wouldn’t complain.

“Are you really not scared of me, omega?”

Your heart tugged in your chest, and you had the thought that if you could take it out and show him how calm it was, you would’ve. But then it occurred to you that you had another way to tell him and show him how unafraid you were.

Bending down, you brushed a soft kiss to Ari’s brow. The mossy scent of him filled your senses, and when you really paid attention, you could smell the undercurrent of stress, like a thread of rot in the forest. So you bent further and tilted your head away from him, baring your neck to the alpha.

“I’m not scared of you—breathe my scent, see if there’s any fear,” you said, glancing at Ari out of the corner of your eye. His brows scrunched in uncertainty, and you tacked on a murmured, “Please, alpha.”

With one big hand on your hip, Ari drew you closer, his other palm pressing between your shoulder blades, until he was able to bury his face in the curve of your neck. The tip of his nose dragged down the side of your throat, and his beard rasped against your collarbone as he pushed the collar of your shirt out of the way.

His scruffy beard tickled and you couldn’t help but let out a breathy giggle. When Ari breathed in, though, you went silent, liquid heat pooling low in your belly at the deep rasp of his breath. You held still, giving him the time he needed to realize you’d been telling the truth. You didn’t have any fear in your heart while you were with him.

“Omega,” the big alpha rumbled gruffly, exhaling his breath against the thrumming pulse at the base of your throat. His warm breath ghosted over your bare skin, slipping beneath the edge of your shirt like the most tantalizing tease, and it took every ounce of your control not to squirm in his hold.

Ari made a rough sound in his throat and wrapped his arms tighter around your body, tugging you even closer until your bodies were pressed flush together—your soft curves molding to the hard planes of his muscles. He buried his face in your chest, panting like he’d just run around the entire mountain and back.

Instinctively, you knew there wasn’t anything sexual about the way Ari held you in that moment. There was gratitude, and maybe a little bit of wonderment. He was reckoning with the fact that you disproved everything he thought he believed about himself—that you could feel safe with him, that neither his size nor his designation scared you.

While you held each other, your fingers stroked idly through Ari’s golden brown hair, appreciating the softness of it. Occasionally, you raked your nails through the hair at the nape of his neck, which had dried with a little curl and felt silky against your skin.

Gradually, the tension eased from Ari’s shoulders, his back rising and falling as he kept breathing in your scent. The longer he held you, the longer he smelled you, the fact of your comfort with him must’ve burrowed deeper into his mind until he began to believe it.

After a time, his hold on you loosened so that it no longer felt like he was clinging to you for dear life. He tipped his head back, his eyes filled with awe, his pale pink lips parted in a stunned expression

The movement put his face very close to yours, and your eyes dropped down to Ari’s mouth. It looked so soft and inviting, nestled so perfectly in the dense thatch of beard on his handsome face.

You wondered what it would be like to kiss the big alpha. Would he be devastatingly gentle or blisteringly rough? Would he steal the breath from your lungs, then replenish you with long, luxurious licks of his tongue? Would he crush you to his chest or hold you like something fragile?

The urge to kiss Ari—to seek the answers to your curious questions—was strong, and only made stronger by the scent of him filling your senses. He smelled like laughter and light and warmth. He smelled like home—not the apartment you lived in, or even his cabin, but the sense of belonging that only came when you were with the right people or person.

A soft, stuttering growl came from Ari and, despite its gentleness, it knocked you free of your thoughts. Flicking your eyes up to meet his, you found the alpha staring at you, his gaze gone dark for how wide his pupils had blown. He looked like a predator poised to give chase, and the realization had your heart beating excitedly against your ribs.

“Don’t look at me like that, omega,” Ari rumbled gruffly, his big hands settling on your hips through the soft cotton of the flannel shirt you wore.

The warmth of his touch was delightful, tempting you to curl into the big alpha’s chest, your instincts telling you there was no safer place in the world. You wanted to burrow your face in the base of Ari’s neck and breathe his scent until it was imprinted in your mind—and then you wanted to live like that for the rest of your days.

Gently, Ari eased you away from his body, pushing you back a step, and you only just bit off the whine that rose in your throat in response. Still, a whimper slipped past your lips, and you squirmed in his firm hold, pushing against his hands in an effort to get close again.

“Omega,” the alpha bit out, just a hint of a bark in his tone that had you quieting. “You’ve just been through an ordeal—you shouldn’t be looking at me like…” Ari trailed off, searching the cabin like he could find the words to explain how you’d been looking at him in the fireplace or the couch cushions. “Like ya wanna swallow me whole.”

You sucked in a breath at his words, desire pooling hot in your belly as they conjured images in your mind—images of your mouth wrapped around the cock Ari was doing a poor job of hiding in his sweatpants. The imprint of his dick had been tempting you the entire time you’d been standing between his thighs and it had taken all your effort not to ogle him.

But your gaze dropped to his bulge then, and in the space between your bodies, you saw the thick ridge of Ari’s cock straining against the soft cotton of his gray sweatpants. You wanted desperately to go to your knees and press your cheek against it, then your lips. You wanted to tease him through the fabric until he was panting your name.

Only then would you hook your fingers in the waistband of his sweatpants and pull them down. Then you’d take your time tracing the veins of his cock with your tongue, enjoying the weight of him on your lips before taking him deep into your mouth and sucking him dry.

“Omega,” Ari growled, his hand slipping beneath the hem of the shirt you wore to pinch your thigh, right where it met the curve of your ass.

You let out a soft yelp of surprise, your eyes focusing back on the big alpha sitting in front of you. The spot he pinched ached a little, but the pulse only had more wetness gathering between your thighs. Secretly, you were delighted that Ari felt comfortable enough touching you there, but you pushed your lip out into a pout.

Ari’s handsome face was arranged in a stern expression, his brows lowered, eyes dark, and it came as no surprise when there was a hint of censure in his tone.

“You’re in no state to be thinking whatever dirty thoughts are in that pretty head of yours, sweetheart.”

Huffing an annoyed sound, you crossed your arms over your chest, purposefully pushing up your tits until they were nearly spilling out of the flannel shirt, the buttons straining to keep the fabric fastened together.

Truthfully, you hadn’t thought about what had happened in the woods for a long while, and being around Ari had soothed away whatever stress and fear you’d felt. Plus, you weren’t injured—you had a few scrapes and bruises from the betas, but the clothes you’d been wearing were in a much worse state than you.

Still, his comment had your eyes raking over the alpha, assessing the injuries you hadn’t attended to yet. His knuckles were cleaned and bandaged, but he had a bruise blooming on his cheekbone. It no doubt matched the ones forming on your body, and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes at his overprotective statement.

“The state I’m in is no worse than you, mister big alpha,” you retorted teasingly, reaching out and tugging playfully on the curled ends of Ari’s hair.

Your comment struck more of a nerve than you expected, though, because Ari’s gaze dropped to your neck and his expression crumpled. The lines of his face were stark with guilt and shame. You could tell by the look in his deep blue eyes that Ari felt a sense of responsibility for the bruises forming on your neck, which was only confirmed by his next words.

“I should’ve gotten to you sooner,” he muttered, self-recrimination in his tone. The big alpha’s shoulders bunched up as he hunched forward, staring broodingly past your hip into the fire.

Stepping close again, you threaded your fingers through the alpha’s beard under his chin, gently tugging his gaze away from the fireplace. You used your hold to tip his head back until he couldn’t avoid looking at you.

“You got there soon enough,” you said in a firm, gentle tone, staring him in the eye so you knew he heard you—really heard you. “It looks worse than it feels, and in a couple days the bruises will be gone forever.” You paused to make sure he’d absorbed those words before you went on. “I’m okay—I’m going to be okay.”

For a long moment, the two of you simply looked at each other, then Ari gave the barest hint of a nod, his eyes dropping to your lips, pausing for a second before glancing at your neck. He scuffed a hand against the back of his neck.

“Okay,” he said, taking a deep breath, then nodded again before looking you in the eye. “Okay.

A smile curved your mouth and you were just about to step back and clean up the detritus from tending to the cuts on his knuckles when a thought occurred to you.

“Hey, how did you find me anyway?” you asked, gathering the garbage into a small pile on the fireplace mantle and closing up the first aid kit.

Ari was quiet for a moment, and when you glanced at him, you found the alpha staring deep into the fire. A frown marred the perfect curve of his mouth, his beard twitching as the alpha’s jaw ticked like he was grinding his teeth. His eyes looked haunted by whatever thoughts were swirling in his head.

“I heard your whine.”

Ari’s words were rough, as if they were torn violently from his throat, like lichen off a tree. The expression on his face was tortured, devastated, a forest razed to the ground, and your heart squeezed sympathetically in your chest.

Gently, you turned his face so you could see him better. His gaze was unfocused, like he was trapped in his thoughts, but he blinked and looked up at you. It nearly bowled you over, the anguish in his blue eyes.

“It was the most terrifying sound I’ve ever heard,” Ari rasped, his voice a low rumble like distant thunder. “I was getting wood for the fire… I didn’t even think, just tore through the forest to get to you.”

Your heart thumped harder against your ribcage, like it was trying to escape and get to Ari, and you didn’t blame it. You didn’t think you or your heart would ever be safer than in the alpha’s arms.

“Oh Ari,” you murmured, blinking back tears. “You got to me—you saved me.” Ducking your head, you pressed your forehead to his. “Thank you, alpha.”

“Omega,” Ari rumbled, wrapping his thick arms around your waist and holding you close. The two of you stayed like that for a moment, basking in the safety and comfort of each other.

Taking a deep breath, you straightened and looked down into Ari’s open and genuine face, a soft smile flickering at the corner of your mouth. Your eyes roamed over the handsome lines of the alpha’s face, eventually wandering down to his mouth. It just looked so inviting…

It was becoming a distraction, the urge to kiss Ari, and you had to shake your head lightly to clear it. You reminded yourself, in no uncertain terms, that it wasn’t the time to be thinking about kissing your alpha rescuer—no matter how much you desperately wanted to. He’d made it clear he didn’t think it was a good idea, and you had to respect that.

When you managed to pull your gaze away from Ari’s mouth, you found him staring up at you, a flicker of heat in his eyes. Maybe you weren’t the only one thinking about kissing after all…

As an excuse to keep touching him, your fingers stroked softly down the side of Ari’s face, circling the edge of the angry dark bruise forming on his cheekbone. An idea popped into your head and your mouth pulled into a lopsided smile before you wiped it away, trying to maintain a serious expression as you refocused on Ari.

“The first aid kid doesn’t have anything for this bruise,” you began, giving the alpha a playful little smirk. “But let me see if this works.”

You leaned forward slowly, holding Ari’s gaze for as long as you could, looking for any kind of hesitance, but his eyes only seemed to grow darker the closer your face came to his.

When your mouth hovered a whisper away from the alpha’s skin, you paused, waiting for him to give his assent. Ari let out a rough sound, almost sounding impatient, and dipped his chin slightly, giving you the go ahead for what you were about to do.

Your lips brushed so, so gently against the bruise forming on Ari’s cheek, kissing the warm, smarting skin before shifting and doing the same closer to the corner of his eye. You pressed another butterfly kiss to the alpha’s face before pulling away and giving him a smile.

“How was that, did that help?” you asked, exaggerated concern in your tone while your eyes held his.

The corner of Ari’s mouth flickered, like he was holding back a smile. He smoothed his expression back into one that matched your fake seriousness.

“Mm, ‘m not sure, maybe you should try again,” the alpha rumbled, turning his head slightly so that his bruised cheek was tipped toward you in a wordless offering. His arms loosened around your waist, his big palms skimming down your sides until they rested on your hips.

His hands were so big, his pinkies could reach the bare skin beneath the hem of the flannel shirt you wore, and even the barest touch had sparks dancing between your thighs. Goose bumps raised up and down your thighs and you had to suppress a shiver while focusing on trying to stay somber.

Repressing a giddy giggle, you ducked your head and brushed another gentle kiss to Ari’s cheekbone. But you couldn’t stop yourself there, so you pressed another kiss to the warm skin of his temple, and another just below his brow.

A stuttering purr rumbled in Ari’s chest, still sounding a little rusty but growing stronger and steadier as he kept it up. The effect on you was immediate, liquid heat pouring from the crown of your head, over your shoulders and all the way to the tips of your toes.

It made you smile, and you brushed more kisses to the alpha’s face, moving beyond the blossoming bruise on his cheekbone to anywhere you could reach. You were all too eager to keep Ari purring, and he didn’t seem to mind having your lips on him.

Sure enough, the more you kissed Ari’s face, the louder and stronger his purr became, until it was surrounding you, wrapping you up in its comforting embrace. It was nearly as wonderful as being held in Ari’s arms, and you knew that if you ever got to experience both at the same time, you’d be ruined for any other alpha.

You were lost in the simple delight of the moment, too consumed by Ari’s purring and the scent of him swirling around you, swathing you in the deepest comfort you’d ever felt. The warmth of his skin beneath your lips and the coarseness of his beard between your fingers were too much and yet not enough.

It felt all too natural to trail kisses down Ari’s cheek, pressing your face into the scruff of his beard and nipping playfully at his jaw before finding his mouth nestled so perfectly amid the coarse hair. You gave in to the urge to kiss the big alpha, pressing your lips to his in a gentle brush.

Ari’s mouth was soft—so soft—and for a split second that was all you could think about. How much softer his mouth felt than you’d expected, and how perfect it felt against yours.

Then the alpha tensed, his shoulders going hard and rigid, and you finally remembered yourself.

Pulling away with a gasp, you met Ari’s eyes with a look of horror on your face.

“I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have done that without asking,” you apologized breathlessly, your eyes roving over Ari’s face, trying to discern how he was feeling. But the alpha’s expression was blank, almost…stunned. “Are you okay, Ari?”

As you watched him closely, the look of surprise on Ari’s face melted into something much more pleased, an expression that had heat swirling in your belly and desire dripping between your thighs.

A lazy smirk curled the edges of his mouth and his hands slid up your thighs, catching the hem of your flannel shirt and teasing you as it dragged up a little before falling back down. His warm palms roamed to your back, tugging you in closer while he looked up at you, molten heat in his darkened blue gaze.

“You never have to apologize for kissing me, sweetheart,” Ari rumbled, one of his hands sliding up your spine until he was cupping the back of your neck. He towed you down, pressing your forehead to his. “I’m yours, omega. You can kiss me whenever you want and I’ll thank you for it.”

Ari’s confession crashed over you like a clap of thunder. His words stirred a storm inside you, your heart thudding in your chest and your breathing speeding up. Excitement and happiness warred for dominance in your body, even as you still struggled to wrap your mind around what he’d said.

How many years had you longed for an alpha who wanted you just as badly as you wanted them? How long had it been since you’d felt any kind of hope that there was an alpha in the world for you?

You may not have consigned yourself to a hidden cabin the woods like Ari had, but you’d long resigned yourself to never finding your perfect match. You’d yearned for the companionship of someone who understood and appreciated you, but you’d believed that person didn’t exist.

It turned out the perfect alpha for you had been in the woods all along, waiting for you just as you’d been waiting for him.

“My alpha,” you murmured on a soft, happy sigh, closing the short distance between your mouths.

Kissing Ari felt…right. It felt like safety and comfort, like curling up in front of a roaring fire while it stormed outside the sturdy walls of his cabin. It felt like warm food and tasty treats, it felt like snuggling under the coziest blanket. It felt like coming home after a long, hard day and knowing you’d found your place in the world.

The alpha’s mouth worked against yours gently, his lips soft and his beard rough, but you could feel him holding back. You could feel the tension and desire caged beneath Ari’s skin, and you suspected it had to do with his fear of scaring or hurting you that he hadn’t fully shaken off yet, which wouldn’t do for you at all.

Wrapping your arms around Ari’s neck, you pressed closer, until your soft, curvy body was flush against the hard, solid planes of his chest. You coaxed the alpha into deepening the kiss, licking along the seam of his lips and seeking entrance.

Ari let out a low groan, allowing you to slip your tongue into his mouth and deepen the kiss. His arms banded tightly around your back, squeezing you hard enough that you let out a little gasp.

With your lips parted for him, Ari finally let himself unleash. He kissed you with a fervor that made you melt into his embrace even as your core throbbed with need.

While the alpha ravished your mouth, your body yearned to be closer. Without breaking the kiss, you climbed into Ari’s lap, lifting first one knee and then the other onto the alpha’s thick thighs, lowering yourself until your heated core pressed against his heavy bulge.

When your lips were plump and swollen, and you were panting for breath, Ari’s mouth moved from yours, leaving you to gasp for air while he trailed kisses along your jaw. With careful fingers, he tipped your chin up and brushed delicate kisses to the marks on your throat, giving them the same treatment you’d given the bruise on his face.

“I never want to see another mark like this on your skin again,” he rumbled into your throat, pressing his nose against the scent gland beneath your skin and breathing in deep. “As long as I’m around, no one will ever hurt you again, omega. If anyone touches you against your will, I’ll rip their arms off.”

A soft, breathy laugh escaped your lips, your heart racing at the thinly veiled violence in Ari’s voice. Maybe it was just your instincts, but your omega hindbrain went halfway feral for the possessive way he spoke about you—and about the safety he promised.

It struck you, perhaps not for the first time but with the most clarity, that Ari would make a perfect mate. More specifically, he’d be a perfect mate for you. He was gentle and kind, and he was capable of taking care of you the way you needed. He was everything you’d ever wanted.

Raking your nails greedily through Ari’s hair, you tugged on the ends until he pulled back enough that you could catch his eye.

“My big, strong, protective alpha,” you murmured, staring deep into Ari’s eyes and hoping he understood the depth of the meaning in your words. Your breath stalled in your lungs as you waited for his response.

A slow smile dragged across Ari’s face, his blue eyes sparkling with affection and happiness. “My fierce, brave, beautiful omega,” he rumbled, cupping your chin in his hand and pulling you in for kiss.

Ari’s mouth on yours was a promise—he was yours. And you responded in kind, pouring your hope and excitement and happiness into the kiss. It was too soon to commit to forever, but you and Ari had found something special in each other and you were eager to explore where it could lead.

The two of you kissed for a long while, learning each other together. Ari discovered the spot on your neck where he could suck on your skin to draw a low, debauched moan from your lips. And you learned where to bury your face in his beard and bite his jaw to make him growl with lust.

It was the most delightful, indeterminable amount of time you’d spent with anyone. You felt safe in Ari’s arms, the heat of the fire warm at your back while the expanse of his chest felt like a furnace against your front. His beard had begun to burn your cheeks, and your lips were so bee-stung from kisses they tingled a little, but you couldn’t get enough.

While you’d been kissing your big alpha, you’d grown damp between your thighs, wetness leaking from your slit and drenching the fabric of Ari’s sweatpants. His bulge twitched against your heated core and your hips answered by rocking in the alpha’s lap, grinding your dripping cunt against the thick ridge of his cock.

A feral growl rumbled in Ari’s chest and he finally pulled away and looked down between your bodies, where your hips were squirming in his lap. With the alpha’s eyes on you, hot and hungry, you couldn’t stop your body from acting instinctively and you rocked closer, pressing your hungry pussy against his eager bulge.

“I can feel how wet you are, sweetheart,” Ari rumbled, his big hands sliding up your back and coming to cup your face. He tilted it toward him until you met his darkened gaze. “Is there something you need from your alpha?”

There was a slight teasing in his tone, and a little smirk curving his mouth. It made your heart thump harder in your chest, excitement and desire coursing through your veins.

After Ari had been reticent earlier because of your injuries, you hadn’t expected him to let things get so far, but kissing him had gotten you worked up, and you needed him to take care of you.

“Your cock,” you gasped, rocking harder against his twitching bulge. It only made the need swirling in your core more exquisite, and you whined loudly. “I need you inside me—please, alpha.”

“Oh fuck,” Ari grunted, his hips kicking up from beneath you at your begging whine. It took him a moment to regain control of his body, and when he did, he looked deep into your eyes, pressing one hand to your lower back to still your rocking hips. “Are you sure?” he asked in between heavy breaths.

It was on the tip of your tongue to agree immediately, but you still had enough presence of mind to really consider Ari’s question. You were a little tired from your hike, and a little sore from the fight in the woods, but Ari’s care and comfort had soothed your nerves.

All you felt was the need pulsing through your body, and the instinctual desire to be closer to Ari. You wanted to feel his skin pressed against yours, and you wanted his cock to fill you up—you wanted him to fuck you full of his come and then stuff you with his knot so you were tied together.

You couldn’t fully explain it, but you needed this from Ari. You suspected it had something to do with your omega instincts, that your hindbrain was desperate to be tied to the strong alpha that had saved you, but your rational mind wanted it, too.

So you took a deep breath and raked your fingers through Ari’s beard, tugging him back until you could look him in the eye. You wanted him to see the honesty in your gaze when you answered his question.

“I’m sure—I want you, Ari,” you said, your voice husky with emotion. “I want to be close to you, as close as physically possible. I want you to knot me.”

Ari’s throat bobbed as he swallowed thickly, and you could see his thoughts racing behind his blue eyes. After a moment, he nodded slowly.

“I want that, too, ‘mega,” he rasped, his hands falling to your hips and squeezing your plush curves. “I want that so much more than you could possibly know.”

That comment made your lips quirk up in amusement. “I think I have some idea,” you murmured teasingly, rocking your hips in his lap and grinding your wet pussy on his hard cock. “I think we both want this, wouldn’t you agree, alpha?”

You watched as Ari’s eyes fluttered closed, pleasure contorting his face into a tortured grimace, and your mouth curved into a self-satisfied grin. Your big alpha was so good at keeping calm and restraining himself that you loved seeing him just a little bit undone—and you were very suddenly ravenous for more.

You wanted to see him unleashed.

“C’mon, alpha, you have a wet, needy omega in your lap, what’re you gonna do about it?” you goaded him, leaning forward to press your soft tits against his hard chest while you kept grinding against his bulge. “I’m so empty, alpha, I need your knot so bad. Are you gonna take care of your omega, alpha? Are you gonna fuck me and knot me and make me yours?”

Ari’s eyes opened and flashed dangerously, a smirk as sharp as a knife slashing across his face. His gaze was so hungry, so feral, that your core clenched deliciously between your thighs.

Reaching over his shoulder, Ari yanked his t-shirt from his body and you were suddenly met with the impossibly broad expanse of his chest. His skin was golden tan and there was a light coat of brown hair dusted across his pecs and trailing down over his belly. You wanted to curl up in it—but that could wait for after you were done exploring him.

You wasted no time sliding your hands down Ari’s chest, appreciating the layer of softness that cushioned the hard, densely-packed muscles beneath. Ari’s occupation as a lumberjack had clearly made him strong, but he wasn’t all hard, rigid lines. He had a body made for snuggling—and you wondered all over again how anyone could think he was too big or too scary to be a perfect mate.

Leaning forward, you pressed kisses along his collarbone, ducking your head as far down as you could reach, nuzzling your face in between his beefy pecs. You inhaled the delicious earthiness of his scent, even more wetness gushing between your thighs as it filled your senses and made you feel like your head was filled with fluffy clouds.

“God, Ari, you’re perfect,” you purred, sitting up enough to look at him. A little pinkness tinged the alpha’s cheeks, like he was bashful, and that only made you want to praise him more. “My big, handsome, perfect alpha,” you said, threading your fingers through his beard and tugging him in to kiss you.

He purred against your lips, the vibrations flooding your body and making you melt into him with a moan. The alpha took the opportunity to let his hands wander as he plundered your mouth with his own, his big palms and strong fingers groping your soft curves.

Your hands clung to Ari’s shoulders, nails digging into his soft, freckled skin, and kissed him harder, your hips rocking in his lap. The alpha groaned into your mouth, his hands growing more desperate, grabbing at the soft cotton of the flannel shirt you wore like he wanted to yank it off entirely.

Before you could beg him to rip it off you, Ari leaned back, his dark eyes raking hungrily down your body, pausing for a moment on the way your tits heaved while you panted for breath. His hands smoothed down your sides, settling on your hips and holding you still.

“Seeing you in my shirt makes me so hard, omega,” Ari rumbled, his eyes heavy-lidded as he looked at you appreciatively. “I want you wrapped in my scent always—makes me wanna knot you real bad, sweetheart,” he confessed, finally dragging his gaze up to yours so you could see the near-feral hunger in his eyes.

With a playful smirk, you ran your fingers down your neck and toyed with the button of the shirt. “Is that right, alpha? You wanna knot me real bad?” you teased, undoing the button with a flick of your fingers, then trailing down to the next, enjoying the heat of Ari’s gaze as he watched. “How ‘bout you stop talking about it and just do it already then?”

At that comment, Ari’s eyes met yours and you could see the alpha’s control wearing thin. When you undid the next button, revealing a glimpse at the curves of your tits, he growled. “If you don’t take that shirt off right now, ‘m gonna rip it off, omega.”

A breathy laugh fell from your lips as you grabbed the bottom hem of the flannel and yanked it up over your head. You pulled it off in one swift movement and tossed it to the ground with Ari’s own discarded shirt.

You were left entirely bare in front of the big alpha, and your old insecurities suddenly flooded in. It took all your self-control not to try to cover your body, and you had to remind yourself that he wasn’t like your past partners. He’d never made you feel like you were too big or too curvy or just not enough like other omegas.

Thankfully, all you had to do was look at Ari’s expression to know just how much he wanted you. It was plain as day on his handsome face how much he desired your body—he looked like he wanted to devour you whole. There was also a slight wonder in his eyes, like he couldn’t believe he had the right to stare at something as beautiful as you.

After a long moment of simply looking, Ari’s big palms smoothed over your skin, groping gently at your plush hips before moving to cup your heavy tits. His thumbs brushed over your pebbled nipples, a slow smirk spreading across his face when you trembled at the pleasurable sparks his touch ignited.

“You’re so fucking gorgeous,” Ari said on a heavy exhale, his hands sliding back down over your waist to squeeze your ample curves. “So soft and so fucking beautiful.”

With a groan like he was being tortured, Ari’s palms slid further down, grabbing your ass and lifting you up so he could bury his face in your tits. You laughed breathily at the tickle of his beard but the sound soon dissolved into a throaty moan when he kissed and sucked on your tits like a man possessed.

“You’re perfect, sweetheart, so fucking perfect,” he mumbled into your soft tits, barely pulling his mouth away from your nipples to get the words out. “My gorgeous, perfect omega.”

He sucked one of your tight peaks into his mouth, and you felt your brain rewiring, rewriting all the things that had been said about you. All that mattered was that you were beautiful, you were gorgeous, you were perfect—not because Ari said so, but because it was the truth.

For long, luxurious moments, Ari worshipped your body while you squirmed in his arms. Since he’d lifted you up to reach your tits, all you could do was hump against his stomach, the softness and downy hair giving you just enough friction to drive you wild.

You tried to give the alpha time, you tried to be patient and simply indulge in the way he was feasting on your tits, but you couldn’t wait much longer. Your pussy was gushing and your body was thrumming with the need to be filled—to be stuffed full of your alpha’s knot.

“Ari, please,” you mewled into the crown of his head, your face buried in his hair and breathing in his scent, which just had your slit leaking even more. “Need your cock, need your knot. Please, alpha.”

Your head was spinning slightly from Ari’s scent and the pleasure of his mouth on your body. If it wasn’t for the persistent, empty ache between your thighs, you would’ve been the most blissed out you’d ever felt. But you couldn’t ignore your need any longer, so you pushed weakly at Ari’s broad shoulders to get his attention.

With one last nip to the curve of your breast, Ari lifted his head and caught your eye. His blue gaze was dark and dazed, and it took him a second to blink the mindless lust from his eyes. When he did, he grinned at you, shifting his hands lower on your ass, until his fingertips teased along the seam between your thighs.

“You sure you’re ready for me, sweetheart?” he rumbled, a teasing smirk on his handsome face. But when his finger pushed inside your wet heat and he felt how tight you were, his expression morphed into one of concern. “Ya know, ‘m big all over, and the last thing I wanna do is hurt you.”

A shiver of anticipation raced down your spine, making your shoulders tremble, and your hips squirmed, trying to fuck yourself further on the alpha’s finger, though he held you too tight for you to move much.

Huffing an impatient breath, you grabbed Ari’s face and dragged him to you for a kiss. It was short and brutal, your teeth nipping at his lips until he growled with hunger.

When you broke away, you pressed your forehead to his and whined softly. “I can take you, alpha, I’m so wet and ready for you,” you murmured, your panting breaths slipping past his parted lips while he inhaled deeply, drinking you down. “I feel like I was born to take your cock.”

Another pleased, stuttering purr kicked to life in Ari’s chest, and you instinctively melted against him, your body going soft and pliant in his arms. Closing the gap between your mouths, you sank into a long, indulgent kiss, your tongue exploring his mouth while Ari’s finger worked deeper into your tight hole.

With one arm banded around your lower back, holding you pinned to his broad chest, Ari fucked you open with his thick fingers, stuffing first one, then two deep inside your dripping pussy. His hot mouth swallowed your eager moans hungrily, like they were the sustenance that gave him life—or, at least, a reason to live.

The alpha’s thick fingers slaked some of the need in your core, but it wasn’t enough. You wouldn’t be satisfied until you were fully impaled on his cock. Still, Ari took his time, teasing you with the deep, gentle strokes of his fingers until you were whining too much to kiss him, and urging him to fuck you harder.

“You’re so warm, omega,” Ari purred in a gruff voice while you buried your face in his beard, whimpering mindlessly into the coarse hair. “Feel so fucking tight around my fingers.” He stroked a spot deep inside your body and your pussy clamped down on him hard while you moaned into his neck.

“Mm, you feel good inside me, alpha,” you hummed against his skin, dragging the flat of your tongue across the place where his pulse raced beneath his skin. Ari shuddered in your arms, and you clung tighter to the big alpha, your fingers tangling in the hair at the nape of his neck. “But I want more,” you murmured, pressing your teeth into his throat.

Ari let out a throaty chuckle, and you could practically taste the hunger on his skin, but he didn’t indulge you just yet. Instead, he lowered his head and nipped at your ear, the gesture a sweet recrimination.

“So greedy, my omega,” he murmured. His voice was warm with affection, but his fingers were merciless as they pulled slowly from your tight hole before plunging deep again.

“Only greedy for you, alpha,” you shot back, angling your hips and pushing back onto Ari’s fingers. A moan spilled from your lips as he pressed them deep, until his knuckles were nearly swallowed by your wet, swollen flesh. “Please, alpha, I need you to…”

Words abandoned you when Ari added a third finger to your pussy, stretching you around his thick digits until you were mindless in his arms.

“I could get real used to this, sweetheart,” Ari rumbled, taking his time to work you open for him. He spread his fingers inside you, stretching you enough to have you panting into his beard, whines falling endlessly from your lips. “Could get real used to coming home to this, to you—my pretty, perfect omega.”

“Ari, yes,” you cried softly, both in response to what he was doing to your body and the picture he painted with his words.

It was all too easy to picture yourself living in Ari’s cabin in the woods, making breakfast together in the little kitchen, snuggling on the couch in front of the fire, curling up together in the massive bed in the loft. You could picture yourself working from the comfort of the cabin while he went off into the forest, and making a home in the nest the lumberjack built for you.

It was everything you’d ever wanted, and everything you’d resigned yourself to never having in your life.

“Probably shoulda asked you on a date first, huh? Before talking about moving you in with me…” the alpha mumbled against your cheek, bringing your attention back to him. You huffed a little laugh, leaning back to look into his eyes.

“Maybe,” you agreed, a happy smile on your face. “But I could get used to it, too—I like the idea of you coming to me. My big, perfect alpha,” you murmured, pulling him in for a sweet kiss.

You knew it was too early to actually discuss moving in with the alpha you’d just met, but it was nice to know you were on the same page about where things were headed.

This wasn’t some spontaneous fuck to satisfy your omega urges, or for Ari to slake his alpha needs. You were building something together, and the longer you kissed, the more you felt like you could spent forever with the big alpha lumberjack.

Ari’s fingers shifted deep inside your pussy, and you whimpered into his mouth. “Please, alpha, let me take your cock,” you begged shamelessly, pulling back so he could see how desperate you were. “I need you, I need your knot.”

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said again, resuming the strokes of his fingers, spreading you open, but it wasn’t enough—it wouldn’t be enough until you had all of him inside you.

Even with three of Ari’s fingers inside you, you still felt an ache of emptiness, and you knew you wouldn’t be satisfied with anything less than his cock.

“Ari, please, it hurts more not having you inside me,” you whined, the sound broken in your desperation. Tears were gathering in your lashes when you looked into Ari’s eyes, begging with your expression for him to finally give you more.

A violent shudder wracked Ari’s body when he saw the look on your face. “Christ, sweetheart, okay—okay,” he muttered, pulling his fingers from your dripping pussy and lifting you up higher so he could shove his sweatpants down over his hips.

You were jostled a little against Ari’s chest while he kicked them off, but you barely noticed because you were squirming around, trying to get a look at his cock. However, your core was still pinned to his stomach, your thighs spread wide across his body and you couldn’t see around your own curves.

But, hell, did you feel it when Ari wrapped his fist around his cock and dragged the thick tip through your folds. He was big—just like he’d said—and hot and hard. He was so perfect, your eyes fluttered closed and you moaned.

Instinctively, your hips shunted backward, trying to take the head of Ari’s cock into your tight hole, but his arm banded across your back squeezed you tighter and you were unable to move.

“Alpha, please,” you panted, burying your face in Ari’s beard and whining shrilly, the sound only slightly muffled by the coarse hair on the underside of his jaw. Your whole body was trembling with need, your fingers scrabbling uselessly at his shoulders trying uselessly to free yourself from his hold. “I need you, I need you, I need you—please, Ari!”

“You’ll tell me if it hurts,” the alpha rumbled, towing your head back and giving you a stern look. His voice brooked no room for argument and you nearly purred at the dominance in his low, growly tone.

“Yes, yes, alpha, promise,” you answered quickly, appreciating Ari’s thoughtfulness and care but unable to stop your eagerness from getting the best of you.

Unlike you, the alpha didn’t seem to be in any sort of rush as he brushed a kiss to your cheek and rumbled, “Good girl,” in your ear. The praise had you preening, your squirming body settling as you beamed at Ari.

For a moment, the two of you simply looked into each other’s eyes, a thrum of delicious tension crackling in the air around you. Then, finally, he began lowering you down, using his fist on his shaft and his arm around your waist to guide you onto his cock.

When the broad tip pushed inside your tight heat, you let out a sharp exhale at the stretch, urging your body to relax after clenching tight around the thick intrusion. He was big—so fucking big—and you were glad he hadn’t let you see his cock before allowing you to take it because you might’ve let the size intimidate you.

As it was, a thread of nervousness wiggled into your belly, and you wondered, a panicked edge to your thoughts, how all of him would fit. Just from the size of his cock head, you weren’t sure how you’d ever take all of him, given the tip was stretching you already.

Ari must’ve sensed the change in your demeanor, must’ve smelled the anxiety weaving into your scent, because he started purring, the sound immediately relaxing your tense muscles. You let out a grateful sigh, melting into Ari’s arms and pressing your face into his neck, where his scent was strongest, letting it further soothe you.

“You’re doing so well, sweet girl,” Ari murmured in your ear, stroking one hand down your spine while he held you pinned to his chest with the other. “Just be a good girl and relax for me—relax for your alpha, pretty omega, and let me in.”

His soft praise and low, gentle purr had your body melting even more for the big alpha. Every part of you relaxed until you were limp in his arms, your body slipping a little bit further down Ari’s cock. A mindless gasp fell from your lips but you didn’t tense again.

Still, for a long moment, Ari simply held you, giving you a moment to adjust to the size of him. Then, he spoke, his voice so gentle and warm against your cheek.

“Ready for more, sweet omega?” he asked, somehow knowing the moment when you were beginning to grow impatient and had begun to consider squirming in his arms.

“Yes, please, alpha,” you responded, your voice breathy and sweet in a way you’d never heard yourself be. It made Ari chuckle, the sound rich and indulgent and you smiled into his throat, pressing your lips to his warm skin so he could feel your pleasure.

The alpha shifted his hold on your body and guided you down another inch on his fat cock. It sank in easier than you would’ve expected, your slick and Ari’s fingers having prepared you better than you thought.

The stretch was exquisite, the ache riding the line between pleasure and pain so deliciously, your mouth fell open and a low, dirty moan slipped from your lips. You tried to muffle the sound in Ari’s beard, but he must’ve heard and felt it, because his cock twitched eagerly between your thighs, like his body was just as hungry for yours as you were for his.

Suddenly, Ari’s slow, careful entry wasn’t enough for you. It occurred to you that if the alpha continued at the rate he was going, the sun would rise over the mountain before he was fully seated inside you, and that just wouldn’t do.

On shaking arms, you pushed yourself up from where you’d been curled into Ari’s chest, lifting your head until you could see the alpha’s face. His brows furrowed at your sudden movement, his eyes tracking carefully over your face.

“Doing ok, sweetheart?” he asked, his low voice dripping with concern.

You nodded, taking Ari’s face into your hands—and you were struck with a pang of affection deep in your heart.

In just a few hours, his handsome face had become so dear to you that your chest ached with the promise of forever. You wanted an eternity to stare into the alpha’s gorgeous eyes and endless hours to kiss his perfect mouth and nuzzle your cheek into his warm beard.

You wanted it all—you wanted him—forever. You knew it deep in your soul that Ari Levinson was the alpha for you, and you couldn’t help but smile at the revelation.

A quizzical look pinched Ari’s brow, but you shook your head, tucking away the words you wanted to say for another night. Ari was the type of alpha who wanted to do things the right way; he wanted to take you on a date and court you, and you adored him enough already that you didn’t want to rush him past those things.

You didn’t want to deprive yourself of them either.

So instead of voicing your feelings, you leaned forward and kissed your alpha sweetly on the mouth. When you pulled back, you gave Ari a sultry smirk.

“I’m doing sooo good, alpha,” you cooed, leaning forward so your tits brushed against his chest, teasing your nipples through his thick hair. “Gimme more, Ari, please. I can take it—I can take all of you.”

“So greedy,” Ari huffed on a laugh, graciously moving past the moment and returning to what you were doing. Like the good alpha he was, he indulged his omega, giving you what you asked for and letting your body sink down further on his cock.

You gasped softly, your eyes going unfocused and your mouth rounding into a perfect ‘o’ as you felt Ari’s fat cock push deeper into your tight pussy. It was so good. There was a slight sting from the sheer girth of his thick length pushing into your tight hole, but it heightened the pleasure until it was nearly overwhelming.

Ari grunted, pushing deeper again, and you swayed a little in his arms. Your hands were braced on his shoulders, but they were barely holding you up as you moaned mindlessly, enjoying the feeling of the alpha burying his thick cock in your tight cunt.

A rumbling groan sounded in Ari’s chest, dragging you back into the moment. You blinked until your eyes focused on the handsome alpha, finding him looking a little agonized. His face was twisted almost like he was in pain, but his blue eyes were dark with a ravenous desire that called to something deep in your soul.

“Fuck, sweetheart,” Ari growled, his voice drenched in lust. “You’re already squeezing the life from m’ cock, and ‘m barely halfway inside your pretty pussy.”

At his words, your inner walls clenched around the thick intrusion of him, wringing another grunt from the big alpha. All you could do was smile dazedly, nuzzling your face into his beard.

“Can’t help it, your cock fills me so good,” you mumbled, your tongue heavy as pleasure consumed your body and mind. Still, you felt an ache deep in your core with the knowledge that Ari wasn’t where he was supposed to be—buried all the way inside you. “I need more,” you murmured on a soft whine. “I need all of you, please, alpha.”

“Jesus—jesus,” Ari cursed, like you were asking him to damn you to hell. There was a tremble in his hands as he shifted his grip on your body, pulling you down further on his cock.

Your whole body shivered at the mixture of aching burn and delicious pleasure that came from the alpha pushing a little bit more of his cock into your dripping hole. He was so exquisitely perfect, your eyes rolled back in your head and your mouth dropped open in a low moan.

And yet, you weren’t too far gone to beg Ari for more.

“More,” you whimpered on an exhale, letting yourself relax. You focused entirely on the feeling of Ari’s big cock spearing slowly into you, making room for himself in the most intimate place in your body, and filling you up like you’d never been filled before. “More, Ari, please.”

With a tortured groan, Ari obeyed, his fingers digging viciously into your hips as he lowered you further onto his cock. There he paused, letting your body adjust to the size of him, and you had to beg him again for more.

It went on like that for a few more moments, until finally—finally—your ass met Ari’s broad thighs and your pussy sank down to the base of his cock. A shiver wracked your body at the overwhelming feeling of fullness, and for a small eternity, all you could do was sit in the alpha’s lap and pant like an omega in heat.

You were stunned speechless by the way Ari’s cock stretched you so perfectly, but the alpha’s tongue didn’t seem to be tied. He murmured soft words into your ear, his mouth brushing kisses to your cheeks and brow, pulling you back from the haze of pleasure you’d been lost in.

“Perfect omega, sweet omega, gorgeous omega,” Ari rumbled, pinching your chin softly in his fingers and tipping your face to the side so he could press kisses to your jaw. “You’re taking my cock so well, sweetheart. You’re such a good girl for your alpha.”

Ari’s praise had a blissed out smile spreading across your face and when he lifted his head, he found your eyes focused on him. The big alpha brushed a calloused thumb reverently over your cheekbone and you nuzzled into his palm, pressing a kiss to his skin before looking into his eyes again.

“There she is, there’s my girl,” he said with a happy grin, cupping your face and pulling you in for a gentle kiss. The way his mouth moved against yours was worshipping and you nearly lost yourself in Ari all over again. “How’re ya doing, sweetheart?”

The corner of your mouth lifted in a smile, but before you responded, you took a moment to take stock of your body. The ache from Ari’s cock stretching you open was already beginning to abate, leaving your pussy throbbing around his thick girth, begging for the friction that would bring you so much delicious pleasure.

“Soo good,” you murmured, pressing a kiss to the edge of Ari’s mouth before burying your face in his beard and moaning softly. With his fat cock buried inside you, you couldn’t stop yourself from babbling his praises. “Oh god, ‘m soo full—it’s s’good, Ari. I love your cock, I love it. It feels like it was made for me.”

A low chuckle rumbled in Ari’s chest, rubbing against your sensitive nipples, which tightened into peaks with the vibration.

“Ya love my cock that much, huh, omega?” Ari asked teasingly, rocking his hips experimentally and dragging an obscene moan from your lips. “Fuck, your pussy is perfect, sweetheart, taking me so fucking well—like you were made for me.”

“Yes, yes, we were made for each other,” you blurted out, so far gone in pleasure that you couldn’t be bothered to worry if the words might scare off Ari.

But the alpha only groaned right along with you, his head bobbing in a nod as his hands wandered your body, groping your soft curves like he owned them.

“Fuck yes, omega, that’s right—we were made for each other,” he growled, his big hands palming your ass and guiding you to rock with him, the sturdy chair creaking beneath him. “You’re so perfect. I gotta… Please, sweetheart,—please tell me I can fuck you. I wanna knot your pretty pussy and feel you squeeze my knot while I’m emptying my balls inside your perfect cunt.”

Your hips had found Ari’s rhythm and you were grinding shamelessly on his cock, rubbing your tits against his chest while your bodies writhed together. It was already so perfect, and his filthy, pleading words nearly sent you over the edge, but you managed to cling on and nod your head eagerly, nipping at his jaw through his beard.

“Fuck me, alpha, rut my tight hole with your big, fat cock and stuff me full of your knot,” you begged, feeling Ari’s cock twitch inside you at your dirty words. “I need it, I need your knot, Ari, please. Please fuck me—gimme your knot, alpha, make me yours.”

With a barely leashed roar, Ari stood from the chair, lifting you in his arms with his hands braced under your ass. You squealed a little in surprise, still unused to the big alpha being able to pick you up so easily, your hands clinging tightly to Ari’s shoulders as his cock shifted inside you.

It was only a few steps to the overstuffed couch in front of the fire, and Ari lowered you down gently into the soft cushions until you were spread out beneath him. His big hands skimmed up your body, pausing briefly to grope your tits and pinch your nipples until you were writhing for him, your hips fucking yourself shallowly on his cock.

“If you need me to stop or slow down at any point, you tell me,” Ari said, his big hands framing your face while he stared deep into your eyes. “Y’hear me, omega?”

“Yes, alpha,” you answered obediently. The warm light of the fire lapped lovingly at his handsome face, and you couldn’t help but smile up at Ari. He was yours, you could feel it in your bones, and you trusted him implicitly.

“Good girl,” he murmured, brushing a kiss to your lips while he settled between your thighs, his cock hitting a spot deep inside you. You hooked your ankles around the backs of his thick, muscular thighs, holding him there, deep inside you while you kissed.

When Ari pulled back, his eyes were dark, pupils blown wide. You could tell from the twisting of his features that he was holding onto the last of his control with a tight grip, but you wanted to see him unleashed. So you smirked up at your alpha and used your hold on his body to fuck yourself on his cock, teasing you both with the shallow, delicious drag.

“Now fuck me, alpha—rut your omega, stuff me full of your knot and make me come, please.” Your voice broke on the last word, making you sound more than a little pathetic, but it did the trick.

The last thread of Ari’s control snapped, and you sucked in an excited breath when a feral, hungry grin spread across the alpha’s handsome face. Holding your gaze captive, he pulled back until only the tip of his cock remained inside you, then he thrust forward with a brutal strength, filling you up ruthlessly with his thick shaft.

“You wanna be rutted like a needy omega, sweetheart?” Ari rumbled, burying his face in your neck and nipping at your throat, giving you a taste of a mating bite. “You want your alpha to fuck you and knot you until you can’t think about anything else but my cock, huh?”

“Yes, yes, yes, alpha, please,” you cried, panting beneath Ari as he fucked you into the couch, his hips slapping against your ass and thighs, filling the small cabin with the sounds of your joining.

“Then that’s exactly what my perfect omega is going to get,” Ari growled, pounding into you even harder, until you were screaming with pleasure. His strong arms dug beneath your body, holding you pinned against his chest while he fucked you hard and fast, his hips pistoning between your thighs.

It was all you could do to cling to the big alpha, your arms wrapped around his shoulders, your nails scoring into the golden skin of his back. Your thighs were hitched around Ari’s waist, the heels of your feet digging into the backs of his legs to urge him on.

It was the kind of glorious, savage fucking you’d always needed—and Ari was the first man who’d been able to give it to you. He was everything you’d ever needed. The perfect alpha, the perfect mate.

You didn’t know how long Ari fucked you, but it seemed like an eternity and no time at all had passed when he growled into your neck, “I’m close.”

“Come inside me, alpha,” you cried out, the words tumbling from your lips. “Fill up your omega and knot me, please, Ari!”

“Christ, ya want my come, omega?” he ground out, a hint of teasing in his tone, but it was almost entirely overshadowed by the naked hunger in his voice. “Want me to pump you full of my seed and knot your pretty cunt so none of it spills out?”

“Oh god, yes, alpha, yes—need your come, need your knot, need it all,” you babbled, lifting your hips off the couch to meet his brutal thrusts. “Knot your omega, make me yours.”

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Ari grunted, rutting into you wildly, his thrusts losing their rhythm as he reached the edge.

Then, he thrust deep into your cunt, burying his cock to the base and letting out a vicious growl as he came. His thick shaft twitched hard inside your pussy and then he was spilling inside you, his knot growing to lock you together and plug you full.

The pressure of his knot stretching your hole was exquisite, and the heat of his come flooding your womb was so overwhelming that all it took was your clit rubbing against the base of his cock to set you off. A mere second after the alpha began to come, you tumbled over the edge into your own release.

You came with a sobbing, pleasured cry of “Alpha!”

Ari’s arms tightened around your body and you clung to the alpha’s broad shoulders, your thighs wrapped snuggly around his waist while you buried your face in his beard and let the pleasure of your release wash through you. Ari’s head turned slightly, and his mouth met yours, your lips melding together for a shameless, messy kiss.

When you finally began to come down from the peak of your pleasure, you threaded your fingers through Ari’s hair and slowed the kiss to a delicious, decadent drag of your mouths against each other. With a soft, happy sigh, you pulled back to catch your breath while Ari brushed kisses to your cheeks, kissing away the few tears that had escaped during the height of your pleasure.

“You were so good for me, my pretty girl, such a good omega for your alpha, took my cock and my knot so well,” Ari murmured, his thumb grazing over the racing pulse in your neck as his fingers wrapped loosely around the back of your neck, holding you securely against his chest. “How do you feel, are you doing okay?”

You let out another contented sigh and let your lips spread into a wide smile, hoping the alpha could hear it in your voice when you spoke. “Yeah, I’m okay,” you answered after taking stock of your body. “A little tender, but I’m just so…I feel so good—like I’m right where I belong.”

“I’m so glad to hear that, omega,” Ari said on an exhale, like he’d been holding his breath waiting for your answer.

With a grunt, he turned your bodies until he was stretched out on his back on the couch, your form sprawled across his. You settled down on top of him while a purr kicked to life in his chest, allowing you to sink into the glorious heat of his body while his knot stayed nestled in your pussy.

Ari grabbed a blanket and tossed it over your cooling bodies, making sure you were tucked in and warm. Only then did he keep talking.

“For the first time I can remember,” Ari began, his voice low and cautious, like he was picking each word carefully before he spoke them. “My life—my existence—doesn’t feel like one big mistake. Everything that’s happened, it all led me to you, and I’m so happy I found you, sweetheart.”

You squeezed the big alpha tight in your arms, pressing your smile into the center of his chest, right above where his heart beat a steady drum in his sternum. You smoothed a kiss to that spot, briefly nuzzling the downy hair dusting Ari’s pecs, then lifted your head so you could look him in the eye.

“I’m happy you found me, too, Ari,” you said, the words tumbling from your lips like you’d waited your whole life to say them. “I’d given up on finding someone—alpha or not—who would like me as I am, but you’ve made me feel…cherished, beautiful, perfect just the way I am.”

“You are perfect,” Ari said, cupping your face in his big palm and staring up at you with open, honest eyes.

His praise made you smile softly and you turned your face to brush a kiss to his palm before you continued on.

“Well, I’m not waiting for the wolves to drag me from my door anymore,” you said, staring deep into the alpha’s eyes. “I want to live my life with you, Ari. I want to be your omega, if you’ll have me.”

The handsome man’s face softened with affection, so much warmth in his crystal blue eyes, it stole the breath from your lungs. “Sweetheart,” Ari rumbled, his voice gruff enough that he had to clear his throat so he could continue. “I’ve known you were mine since I heard your whine in the forest. I’m yours, all of me belongs to you.”

Emotion filled your chest until it felt like your heart was pressing against your ribs, attempting to escape and make a home in Ari’s sternum, right next to his own heart. Tears sprang to your eyes, but before they had a chance to fall, you lowered your head and captured Ari’s mouth in a kiss.

You kissed and kissed and kissed your alpha, for so long that his knot eventually deflated and your cheeks burned from the rub of his beard. Still, you kissed a little longer, unable to get enough of your alpha’s taste and his scent and the warm feeling of his mouth on yours.

Eventually, the two of you pulled apart, both breathing heavily, and your eyes dazed with pleasure. Ari’s gaze blinked back into focus a little quicker than yours and he helped you up from the comfort of the soft couch cushions.

With deft, gentle fingers, Ari eased your arms back into his flannel shirt, his eyes going slightly darker as he did up the buttons, his knuckles brushing against the soft curves of your tits. Once done, he grabbed his sweatpants, and pulled them up over his hips.

You checked each other’s injuries, then moved into the kitchen, where you threw away the garbage from cleaning and bandaging the cuts on his knuckles while Ari began taking out ingredients to cook a late dinner. He lifted you onto the counter to keep him company, then he made quick work of preparing the meal.

Over dinner, the two of you got to know each other better, almost like a date—though Ari insisted he would take you out for a proper date as soon as possible. You asked him about his family and his life as a lumberjack, while he asked about your job, your friends and your hobbies.

When you were done eating, you helped Ari clean up, talking all the while. Just as you finished drying the plates and putting them away, you let out a yawn, and Ari insisted it was time to go to bed.

Before the alpha could do something silly like offer to sleep on the couch, you grabbed his hand and dragged him up the stairs to the lofted bedroom. You were to weary from the day to argue about where he should sleep, and you wanted him beside you too badly to even entertain the thought of him sleeping elsewhere.

Ari helped you into the bed, and you snuggled up to your big alpha beneath the weight of his warm flannel blanket, feeling more content that you could ever remember feeling before.

In the quiet of the cabin, you could hear the soft pitter-patter of rain on the roof, and you knew from then on that you would think of it as the soundtrack to the night you fell in love with Ari Levinson.

The gentle sound of the rain, and the pleasant scent of your alpha lulled you to sleep, your face pressed into his chest and his body wrapped around yours.

You were warm and safe, and just as you were drifting off, you had the distinct thought that you weren’t going to be able to sleep any other way than in the arms of your alpha for the rest of your life.

Thankfully for you, Ari Levinson was just as smitten with you as you were with him, and it was only a few months after he saved you in the woods before the two of you were exchanging mating bites and promising to spend forever together.

You spent the rest of your life loving and cherishing your mate, and being loved and cherished in return—which was exactly what you both deserved.

thank you for reading! comments and reblogs are appreciated!! ♡

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