AT THE SAME TIME
XAVIER'S POINT OF VIEW:
Everything's hot. And no, not in the good way, not yet. I'm a mess, limbs tangled in the soft sheets of the nest they made me, skin burning, breath catching every time I shift too much. My body feels like it's betraying me again. Too sensitive. Too needy. Too aware and they know it. Jaxon's scent hits first, smoke and cedar, bold and wild, curling through the room like a promise I am not sure I'm ready to cash in on.
"System update... Sync progress: 88% Proximity to bonded alphas increasing intensity. Marking Protocol Unlocked. Would you like to initiate the first bond?"System asked.
"What was that?" Jaxon's voice is low and lazy, too smooth, like he already knows what the system just whispered in my ear.
"Nothing." I muttered, but it comes out shaky.
Michael crouched beside the nest, his blue eyes sharp, patient.
"System said something interesting?"He asked.
I glare at them. Well, try to. It's hard to look threatening when your entire body is one heartbeat away from begging.
"Don't." I said, voice thin. "Don't mess with me right now."
"But you're so close, omega. I can smell it."Jaxon leaned in, nose brushing against my throat. I jumped back, but he just grinned. "Your scent's practically screaming for help."
Michael's hand brushed my lower back, gentle, steady pressure that made me shiver.
"You're fighting it. I get it. But you don't have to. Your moans show us that, you know?"He said and smirked.
"I'm not… I'm not ready." I gasped, even though my hips betrayed me, pressing subtly toward the warmth of them both.
Jaxon pressed a finger to my chin, tipping my face up. "But your body is."He said softly.
"Task Update: At 90%, primary Alphas must mark omega. Consent required. Initiating the marking protocol will ease remaining heat symptoms and strengthen bond stability."The system said.
"Oh?" Jaxon murmured, gaze flicking to Michael. "We got the green light, didn't we?"
Michael doesn't speak. He just touched my wrist, slowly, then leaned in, his lips brushing the shell of my ear.
"Say the word, Xavier." He whispered. "And we'll make the pain stop."
"Say nothing." Jaxon added. "And we'll keep teasing you until you break."
My breath hitched as their presence became too overwhelming. And even though I should say no, I should push them back, something inside me wants it. Wants the claiming. The mark. The feeling of finally not being split between craving and fear. But it's still my choice.
They wait. The system hummed again.
"Awaiting omega response…"The system said.
And I just didn't know what to do next. Gods help me, I don't know how much longer I can pretend I don't want it.
Jaxon knows as he moved behind me like heat given form, I trying to stay still, to pretend I'm not affected, but the truth is I am burning.
"You're still pretending." Jaxon murmured, close enough that his breath fans across the back of my neck. "Still playing hard to get, sweetheart?"
His voice is a growl stitched with amusement, rough and warm and way too close. I clutch the blankets tighter, like they'll protect me from what's coming. From him. From them. From myself. Michael kneels in front of me, calm like always, like the eye in a storm. His hand brushes my cheek, then trails down, stopping at the curve of my throat. His thumb lingers there, right where the bond mark would go.
"If you don't want this." He said gently. "Say no."
I can't. Because I do. Gods, I do. My breath catches as Jaxon's nose presses into my hair, dragging down behind my ear. His lips ghost over my skin, not kissing, not biting just threatening to. And I hate that my body reacts before I can think. A soft whimper slips out, and I swear I feel him grin.
"Getting harder to hold back, isn't it?" He whispered. "You're right there, Xavier. Just let go."
I try to pull away. I try. But Michael's hands are warm on my thighs now, grounding me, guiding me without force. His lips brush my temple.
"We'll stop if you tell us to." He said. "But don't lie to yourself. You're aching."
I am. Every nerve in me feels raw and exposed. My skin's too tight. My mouth's too dry. The heat is pulling me under, and I'm tired of pretending I'm not drowning in it.
"Sync: 91%. Omega restraint detected. Final marking strongly recommended. Instinct override approaching threshold."System said.
"Still fighting?" Jaxon murmured, teeth skimming my shoulder. "That's adorable."
I flinch at the contact. Not from fear, from need. Michael pressed his forehead to mine.
"One word." He said, voice barely a breath. "Say it."
I want to. I want to scream it. But something in me still clings to the edge of control. To the fear of letting go. Of what I'll become once I give in. I shake my head. They don't back off. Not really. Jaxon chuckled low in his throat.
"Then we'll just keep teasing you." He said, fingers trailing down my side, maddeningly slow. Until you break."
My body's betraying me with every breath. My hips shift toward the warmth, toward them, and my throat makes this desperate, aching sound I don't even recognize as mine.
"That's it. You don't have to hold it in."Michael whispered softly.
Jaxon's breath is against my throat again, and this time his tongue flicks the skin lightly, just enough to make my whole body arch in response. I hate how sensitive I've become, how even that tiny touch sends heat spiraling through me like lightning.
"I could just taste you right here." He whispered, voice a sinful rasp. "One little bite. I bet you'd melt."
"Shut up." I muttered, but it came out more like a moan than a threat.
Michael chuckled softly, his palm sliding down to press against the small of my back.
"You're at 91%, Xavier. Your body's begging us to mark you."He said. "But you haven't said yes." He muttered against my skin. "So we'll just keep playing."
His hand moved down, slow and deliberate, tracing the curve of my hip, then pausing, fingertips brushing sensitive skin under the hem of my shirt.
"You want to be strong." He murmured. "I get that. You don't want to surrender but this isn't weakness." He said, quieter now. "It's trust."
"Xavier, let us help you."Michael mutted as soft as I even knew were possible.
"I-" The word sticks in my throat.
But Jaxon's hand slips beneath my shirt now, hot against my stomach, and I can't breathe. I can't think. Everything is fire and scent and want.
"I can't-"I start.
"You can." Michael said, stopping me gently. "Just say it."
Jaxon's lips are back at my ear, voice lower than ever. "Say yes, little Omega."
I finally break. I feel it like a thread snapping inside me, pride, fear and hesitation all gone.
"Okay." I whispered.
But they hear it. Jaxon lets out a sharp breath, like he's been holding it forever. Michael smiled, not triumphant, not greedy, just relieved.
"Marking protocol initiated."System said.
I can barely sit up before Michael's hands are on my waist, grounding me. His fingers are firm but gentle, sliding under my shirt and helping me out of it like I'm made of glass.
"You're sure?" He asked one last time.
I nod. It's shaky. It's small. But it's real. Jaxon exhales behind me.
"Good."He whispered.
And just like that, they move. Michael's eyes catch mine one last time, and for a moment, I swear the whole world stops and then I feel his mouth against my throat. Warm. Gentle. I tensed instinctively, but he doesn't bite. Not yet.
"We'll go slow." He murmured. "You'll feel everything."
His tongue flicks over the spot, and I gasp embarrassingly loud. Then his teeth sink in. A sudden shock, sharp and deep, a burn and ache at the same time and then relief, blinding and raw, washing through my body in waves. He pulled back slowly, lips still brushing the skin, the wound already sealing with warmth and scent.
"You're doing perfect." He whispered, kissing the mark once.
Jaxon is less patient; he grabed my chin, turning my flushed face to him.
"My turn." He growled, voice all fire and frustration. "Been waiting too long."
His bite lands just below the first, rougher, deeper, sending a sharper wave through me. I cry out, clutching at his arms as my whole body trembles. His mark is heat. Wild. Raw.
"A-agh!"I gasped lightly.
Where Michael calmed the storm, Jaxon turns it into something feral.
They both leaned over me now, touching, soothing, scenting, and I couldn't stop trembling. I am marked. Claimed. And I feel different. Like part of me that was scattered is suddenly… aligned. Jaxon kissed my throat again. Michael's hand stroked my side.
"You're almost there." Michael whispered.
"Next step is soon." Jaxon purred. "But not until you beg for it."
Strangely I knew that I would want it having these two alphas so close to me right now.