The beta’s lips press into a thin line and his nostrils flare. For one second, I think he's going to stand up and walk out of the tent. But he doesn't.
“Adam,” Cliff whispers, and the beta’s eyes snap to Cliff’s face. “Please.”
“Okay,” Adam nods, the movement jerky, then he lifts one hand.
Moving slowly, he reaches between our bodies. A sharp, involuntary gasp escapes me as his cool fingers brush against my swollen, sensitive folds. They find the base of the knot alongside Cliff's own grip, and together they work it.
The touch is clinical, detached, a stark contrast to the feral claiming moments ago. Gentle, firm pressure, easing the swelling, creating just enough give.
Adam's jaw is tight the entire time. He doesn't look at my face. He doesn't look at Cliff's either. He focuses on his hands and breathes through his nose, and the steady, controlled rhythm of his breathing is the only thing anchoring me to reality.
Cliff shifts above me, a low groan rumbling in his chest as they apply more pressure. My body betrays me, clamping down, a desperate, instinctual attempt to hold on to the source of my pleasure, of my safety.
The stretch peaks, burning and impossible, a sharp, tearing pain that cuts through the warm fog of my heat. Then the knot slips free.
The loss is devastating.
It's a physical wrench, a hollowing void where there was blissful fullness.
A gush of warm fluid follows, slick and Cliff's release, coating my thighs. The sudden emptiness is an ache so profound it makes me want to cry, but then the air hits my exposed, oversensitive flesh, and I shiver violently.
I'm empty again.
Unprotected.
And the cold reality of what happened starts to seep in through the cracks of my fading heat.
Tears spill over, running hot down my temples and into my hair. A wail builds in my chest, raw and animal, pressing against my clenched teeth.
"Elowen." Cliff's hand cups my face. His thumb catches a tear. His voice drops into that low, resonant frequency that reaches the place inside me where words become commands. "Be quiet for me. Can you do that? Be my good, quiet omega."
My jaw locks and the wail dies.
I nod, shaking, biting down on the inside of my cheek so hard I taste blood.
The beta sits back on his heels. He wipes his hands on his jeans and stares at the ground between his knees.
"She doesn't smell like an omega." His voice is quiet and flat. It’s not a challenge, but a fact delivered by someone trying very hard to hold himself together. Then he looks up at Cliff, and the hurt is right there, plain and unguarded, written across his face in a way that makes my chest ache even through the haze. "She doesn't smell like anything, Cliff."
Cliff reaches out and squeezes the beta's shoulder.
"I know." His voice is low, almost sweet. “And I promise I'll explain everything. But right now I need you to help me get her dressed, because we have to get her out of this camp before anyone figures out what she is. Can you do that for me?”
The beta's jaw works. His eyes shine. He blinks once, hard, and when he opens them again the hurt is still there, but it's been pushed behind something functional.Something that can move and act and deal with the breaking later.
"Yeah," he says quietly. "Okay."
Adam looks down at me. His gaze moves over my face, my tangled hair, the tear tracks cutting through the sweat and dirt on my cheeks, the bite mark on my neck still beading with blood. The hurt in his expression shifts. Softens. Something gentler moves in behind it as he takes in the full picture of what's lying on the floor of this tent.
I must look… Wrecked. Used.
Half out of my mind and shaking on the hard ground like a wounded animal.
The beta takes a deep breath. His chest expands, holds, and releases slowly through his nose. When he opens his eyes again, the softness is still there, but it's been tucked behind something steadier. He's pulled himself together.
Not all the way. But enough.
He leans down so I can see his face clearly. His voice is gentle. "Hey. I'm Adam." A small, tight smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm going to help you get up, okay? Can I do that?"
