Ace sighed. “Sorry, man. Kelly's driving me nuts.”
“You and me both,” Zack muttered and shrugged at the look she gave him.
“Sorry, baby. But your pregnancy has us all on edge.”
“Yes. Isn't it fascinating?” Doc said, excitement in his voice. “After Roane and Caitlyn mated, we thought the mating heats would cease for joined couples. Turns out we were wrong. That anomaly lasted only until Kelly became pregnant. Now, not only Hale, but the rest of you will continue to experience the mating heat. It's probably worse now because of Kelly's hormonal surges. And speaking of which, Kelly? I'll need you to sit down with me for some more tests after I'm done with Hale.”
“I'm done, Doc.” Hale sat up and swung his legs over the table. He looked around for his shirt, wanting to cover up. He'd never admit it, but the way Caitlyn stared at him made him uncomfortable, like a helpless rabbit waiting to be eaten by the big bad wolf.
“Told you,” Roane said under his breath as he handed Hale his shirt.
“Is it hot in here, or is it me?” Kelly asked, fanning herself.
Just when he'd willed his erection away, Kelly spiked the room with her scent.
The others groaned, caught in the grip of a genetically enhanced desire.
Doc waved them away with a blush. “We all know what's going on. Kelly, I'll see you later. Hale, let me know if you feel any aftereffects from what happened last night.” Everyone filed out of the lab in a hurry. Zack, Ace, and Kelly left the house for their smaller cottage a few hundred feet behind the main house. Derrick and Sabrina headed for Derrick's room on the third floor, next door to his own. Hale wanted some space, to get away from this cloying sexual desire. He wasn't mated and had no need to procreate. He tore away from the others and hustled to his room, determined to escape the chaos of feeling invading his body. Because as much as the lust hit him, an odd craving struck him numb.
His beast wanted that woman. Paige Masters. And with Paige came remembrances of the recurring dream he couldn't stop having. The one where she rode him hard while another male took her from behind. Only it wasn't just another male. Hale struggled to ignore the truth, needing an escape more than ever.
Sweating and trying to fight his need, Hale shut himself in his room. Ignoring the moans and groans so close, he hurriedly packed a bag and exited the house at a run.
Though he'd never before gone without Circ-induced satisfaction, he didn't want to join any of the other mated couples because he had to. Hale wanted to dominate his inner beast when it came to sex. To be in control of it all, just once.
Focused on getting to his vehicle and driving the hell off the compound, he didn't notice Roane and Caitlyn until it was too late. The transformed couple, naked and writhing on the cold, hard ground, entranced him. Without realizing it, he dropped his bag, shed his clothing, and changed.
Roane and Caitlyn lay on the ground, fucking like animals. The larger male covered Caitlyn as he thrust into her, over and over. She clawed at him and moaned, her changed form so beautiful, Hale could only stare. Her hair had grown, strands of brown and gold weaving with the lighter wheat color. Her nails scored Roane's arms as she clawed toward her own orgasm. She cried out just as Roane stiffened and moaned, tensing between her powerful thighs.
Fully aroused, Hale approached them. Roane clearly wasn't done, because he began pumping again.
“You need more? I'll give it to you,” he growled at Caitlyn when she squirmed in his hold. “But you remember who's in charge.” He glanced up at Hale and motioned him closer. With a grunt, Roane pulled out of Caitlyn and forced her onto her hands and knees. “Suck him off, hellcat.”
Hale hissed as she pulled him closer by digging her fingers into his thighs. The pain only enhanced his pleasure, and he hurried to his knees. The minute his cock was close enough, Caitlyn settled her hot, wet mouth around him. She sucked him balls deep, accommodating his girth with ease.
“That's it,” Roane crooned and slammed into her from behind. “Swallow all of him, mate.”
Caitlyn moaned but didn't disobey. Hale loved watching Roane master her and knew the two got off on their power plays. He didn't mind. The squad knew their pecking order. Roane led them, and Hale seconded his leader. Bonded to Roane and the others through violence, blood, and sex, he would do anything for his friends.
Having sex with Roane and Caitlyn was a joy, despite his beast's frustration that all wasn't as it should be. Not the right pair. Not the right blonde, not the right male…
Forcing himself to stop thinking about a woman he didn't even know and a man he didn't want to know, Hale closed his eyes and threaded his fingers through Caitlyn's hair.
“That's it. Let it go,” Roane commanded, and though Hale didn't know who Roane spoke to, he obeyed, easing into the moment. Caitlyn moaned and sucked harder.
When he opened his eyes, he saw Roane's face contort into pleasured agony, his eyes shuttered, his fangs exposed as he gasped for breath. Coming again, he gripped his mate's hips and jerked. The joy of Circ sex—the ability to go for hours without tiring.
Even in human form, Hale could perform again and again without rest. But with Caitlyn, he didn't have to soften his libido.
On the verge, Hale gripped her head tighter and began fucking her mouth.
Roane pulled out and stood up behind her, watching Hale take his mate. “Good, playboy. Now come inside her.”
Hale moaned, not needing Roane's order to push him over the edge. The light press of Caitlyn's teeth over his sensitive crown shot him into orgasmic bliss. She swallowed all of him, even as he inwardly cursed himself for wishing she were someone else.
Finally spent, Hale withdrew. That took the edge off. Now I can get the hell out of here before—
Roane shoved him on his ass and glared.
“Wh-what?” Hale asked, trying to catch his breath.
“You're not right. Something's off with you.” Roane walked over him, until Hale looked up at the underside of Roane's rising dick. “Get up.” Knowing what his friend intended and for once not in the mood, Hale shook his head. His beast confused him. The damned thing wouldn't stop thinking about his dream couple. Paige Masters and that fucker, McKinley. God, please let that be a nightmare and not a preview of things to come.
Caitlyn stared, glued to the byplay.
“I said, get up.” Roane held his dick, waiting for Hale to assume the position.
Roane loved him but wouldn't tolerate disloyalty. To reassure his beast, he had occasionally fucked his men into submission. But since the others had mated, they'd become much less problematic. As far as Hale knew, Roane only fucked him to fuel Caitlyn's desire. Hale had never before questioned Roane's right as alpha. Until now.
For the first time since the mating heat had initially struck, a foreign part of him rejected their sexual association.
Confused and a bit worried, Hale didn't give Roane the timely response he wanted. Roaring his fury, Roane flipped him over onto his hands and knees. Wanting to please his alpha despite his uncertainty, Hale didn't fight him. Instead, he groaned as Roane rammed into his ass. The natural lubricant that coated a Circ's cock made the entry easy, but the tight fit still stole his breath.
Roane gripped his hips as he fucked him. “Come back to me, Hale. Remember where you belong.”
“I know, I know,” Hale rasped, once again reveling in his alpha's possession.
Roane tunneled into his ass, the abrasive intrusion heating into pleasure when he continued to hit Hale's sweet spot deep inside.