10. Chapter 10

Lena awoke the next morning to the subtle sensation of Kara’s mouth on her throat and the distinct and pressing need to take Kara into her cunt.

It took her a hazy moment to grasp that she was breathing in full-on rut scents, and then she groaned from the new, heightened connection they shared. Kara was murmuring praises against her claim, quiet and unintelligible to rouse her gently, and Lena stretched as her omega responded to the affection.

Kara’s mated pheromones were so different from any Lena had experienced before and that realization moved her so much that she gasped. Unlike with Andrea, Kara’s scent gave commands without taking control of her or suppressing her omega just to make her own desires known. Andrea’s scent had always bombarded Lena to the point of selfishness, but Kara’s called to her with an assertiveness that was still cherishing of Lena’s omega.

“We slept through our alarm,” Kara exhaled against her neck, the warmth of each breath tingling through her skin.

“That’s to be expected when you have me taking your knot until 3am,” Lena rasped, not the least bit regretful that she had been up half the night with Kara. She bared her throat for her mate, submitting with a breathy whimper when Kara’s teeth scraped over her mark.

“I didn’t want to wake you, but you just looked so irresistible,” Kara confessed, and Lena smirked as the alpha bit her lip.

“Oh, you liar,” Lena teased and reached for Kara’s thick erection which rested along the length of her thigh. “You woke me specifically so I can take care of this.”

Kara’s cock was rigid and throbbing for her attention, and Lena curled her fingers loosely around the swollen tip just to feel Kara strain for contact.

“Can you blame me?” Kara groaned without any hint of her usual bashfulness. “I didn’t think it was possible for you to get any sexier, but seeing you with my claim...”

Kara’s fingers drifted down to her thigh and Lena’s cunt solicited attention with soft flutters. Her body was already extra sensitive because she had been excited for weeks about Kara’s oncoming rut. Being claimed on top of it added another level of anticipation and she pleaded with quiet whines for Kara’s touch.

Lena moaned and parted her thighs as her hand found Kara’s beneath the blankets. Her cunt was still tender from being used all night, and she whimpered when Kara pushed into her with three fingers. Usually they started off slow, but Kara could sense how aroused and eager her omega was and the sensual stretch brought a rosiness to Lena’s cheeks.

She raised her hips with wanton grace to keep Kara’s fingers knuckle deep, and mewled when Kara’s mouth latched onto her claim. Every teasing flick of the alpha’s tongue radiated through Lena’s clit, and her legs would have snapped shut if Kara hadn’t slid her thigh between them.

“I know we’ve gotta get up, but I don’t care. I’m not letting you out of this bed yet,” Kara intoned, her dominant nature unfurling as she slipped a fourth finger into Lena’s cunt and curled them all to rub into her rippling upper wall.

“If I’d known claiming me would give you this kind of confidence, I would have begged for it sooner,” Lena breathlessly exhaled and coiled her hands around Kara’s toned shoulders as her back arched.

Normally she was the one calling the shots in the bedroom, but she had no problem submitting to her alpha when Kara’s love permeated through the lustful musk of her pheromones.

“You can always beg for other things,” Kara murmured suavely, her lips wrapping around the claim that formerly held traces of Andrea. She sucked fiercely, as if demanding that only her mark remain, and used her thumb to massage into Lena’s clit.

Lena’s throat constricted around a moan so loud it would have woken up the house if Kara hadn’t kissed the sound from her lips.

The sweetness of Kara’s tongue gliding against her own resulted in Lena’s cunt tightening. Kara pulled her fingers free as the first spasm began in order to thrust her solid cock into Lena’s convulsing passage.

The heat of Kara’s girthy cock was almost as wonderful as the rapid strokes that Kara gave her in a rush to join her in bliss.

Lena encouraged it with strong clenches that drew Kara in deeper, and her fingers raked lines down the alpha’s muscled back. She gasped when Kara’s hips stalled after a few rough thrusts to pump seed into her cunt.

She would have luxuriated in it if they hadn’t gotten up late, and Kara appeared to be attuned to her omega’s idiosyncrasies, because she pulled out carefully and flung the blankets off them.

“We’ll continue this later,” Kara promised with a lingering look between Lena’s thighs, and then grabbed a pill bottle to dry swallow a capsule that Lena hadn’t seen before.

“What was that?” Lena asked curiously as she followed Kara into the bathroom. The alpha was already turning on the shower, and Lena raised a dark brow in question when Kara sheepishly ducked her head to avoid her eyes. “Kara?”

“It was just a suppressor,” Kara mumbled and then grabbed Lena by the hand to tug her into the shower as steam began to mist the air.

“For your rut?” Lena dumbly stated, so shocked that Kara would even plan ahead to buy the suppressors, let alone take them. “I’m not going to let you suffer through it. I’m more than capable of taking care of you, Kara.” Her full offense crept in at the end and she frowned when Kara laughed.

“It just takes the edge off is all.” Kara grinned, soaping herself up as she stared longingly at Lena’s breasts. “With the girls here, I’d never just walk around in rut.”

“But won’t it hurt to take them?” Lena pressed, like Kara was holding back some devastating truth so it wouldn’t upset her.

She felt stupid for the way she blinked up at Kara for answers, and thought back to all the years that Andrea had convinced her that rut suppressors were excruciatingly painful and damaging to an alpha’s ego.

Kara apparently came to her own conclusions about Lena’s probing, and her smile softened as she searched Lena’s eyes.

“They hurt as much as heat suppressors would for you,” Kara remarked after a moment, and Lena scoffed as she realized just how many lies her ex had really told her.

She wouldn’t let that revelation ruin their first day as a claimed couple, though she did spend a significant amount of time thinking of castrating Andrea while she scrubbed herself clean.

Miraculously even after they were dried and dressed, Andy and Sophia were still asleep, and Kara took full advantage by cornering Lena in the kitchen to nuzzle at her claims.

“You know,” Kara huffed warmly, using the tip of her tongue to tease each indentation. “We could head outside for a little privacy in the pool house.”

“Don’t tempt me,” Lena whimpered, her throat quivering from the intense stimulation of her fresh claim.

It was all very well that Kara was handling her rut, and her pheromones were beginning to lose some of their potency, but Lena’s omega was shameless in announcing how she wanted to have Kara inside her again.

“How about you eat breakfast on the sun lounge, and I’ll eat you?” Kara countered, her hands sliding up and under Lena’s skirt to palm her backside.

It was such a naughty suggestion and Lena’s omega was a fraction of a second from agreeing when someone’s bedroom door opened. The sound of footsteps trudging down the stairs broke them apart and Lena furiously stirred black coffee before handing it off to Kara, who gulped it without realizing how ghastly it would taste.

Lena pulled a cartoon of eggs out of the fridge and half a head of lettuce, and Kara intercepted her when she lifted a box grater. She was overcome with nervousness and it took Kara grasping her hands to make her snap out of it.

“If you want to cover your claims, I’ll understand.” Kara exhaled in a rush, her earnest smile just a tiny bit sad as she nodded towards the laundry room. “You have clean turtlenecks, and you can always use make-up later.”

“No, no,” Lena whispered, cupping Kara’s cheeks as she realized how her behavior affected her alpha. “I’m not ashamed of having your mark on me. I didn’t even consider covering them up, and I won’t, not ever. I’m just nervous because—”

“They're our kids,” Kara murmured, her knowing smile so damn attractive that Lena squeezed at her cheeks.

“Yes,” Lena uttered, her eyes welling with tears as she belatedly registered the choice of words Kara used.

Of course she had known for months that Kara was the right alpha for her and for her family, but to hear that there was no separation in the alpha’s heart when it concerned the girls really drove home how special Kara was as an alpha.

“Okay, so we should just act naturally then,” Kara proposed with a lift of her chin, and it might have worked if they both weren’t so self-conscious and atrocious at trying to appear normal.

Kara sat stiffly at the kitchen island spooning enough sugar into her black coffee to give Lena a toothache, and she cracked more eggs than any of them needed for breakfast just to keep her hands busy.

“What’s going on?” Andy muttered, dragging her slipperless feet across the wood floor as she wiped the sleep from her eyes. She took in the suspicious way they were acting and her shoulders slumped before she could hide it. “Have you guys been fighting?”

“What?” Kara croaked, so taken off guard that she almost choked on the syrup that used to be coffee.

“Of course not,” Lena uttered, and turned to face her daughter as her motherly instincts swept her anxiousness aside. “We’re just—”

“Holy shit!” Andy blurted, stopping in her tracks to gawk at Lena.

“Language,” Lena warned sternly, her hand self-consciously covering up one of her bites as she flushed a bright red.

Her oldest daughter raised her arm to point at Lena, though her eyes darted to Kara as she exclaimed, “Is that—”

“Andy, I know this might be a surprise,” Kara began tactfully and stood up to stand by Lena in solidarity.

“You claimed my mom,” Andy uttered, her mouth opening then closing as she processed the meaning of that.

“Yeah,” Kara admitted, releasing proud pheromones into the air as she gazed lovingly at Lena. “We—well, we’ve been discussing it for a while now and—”

“So, you’re not leaving us?” Andy cut in, and this time it was Kara who floundered in surprise.

“No, she’s not,” Lena stated, taking Kara’s hand to entwine their fingers. “She’s here to stay.”

Lena wasn’t expecting her daughter to fling herself into their arms any more than Kara was, yet they both embraced Andy wordlessly as she latched onto them with so much emotion that it brought new tears to Lena’s eyes.

“When are you telling Sophia?” Andy asked, her voice thick and smile too big to hide behind her well-practiced stoicism.

“Telling me what?” Sophia sighed, fully dressed and pinched lipped as she stared at the three of them standing so cozy together.

Lena started to lift her hand towards her neck, but she dropped it and waited instead.

The engraving of Kara’s teeth was in such an obvious location that it took Sophia a mere glance to figure out what was happening. Sophia squinted at the marks that suffused reds and purples into Lena’s skin.

Uncertainty turned Lena’s stomach until Sophia approached with fast steps and circled both arms around her middle.

Lena breathed in relief when they all separated and Sophia smiled up at her. “Congratulations, Mom.”

Andy gave her sister an approving nudge and they both hopped onto stools at the counter where they often ate their breakfast. With a gentle encouragement from Kara, Lena took the seat next to them and tried to field some of her daughters’ questions.

“Can I text Sam about this?” Andy asked and pulled her phone out of her hoodie pocket like she wanted to snap a group selfie.

Sophia scooted in close for the picture and Lena found herself wedged between them as Andy zoomed in on her as the focal point.

Lena could think of several other ways she would have preferred to inform the world about her claim, but Andy’s enthusiasm was catching. She let the girls text Sam and their grandmother, and braced herself for the attention that would bring.

Kara grinned at her while she whipped up a breakfast frittata, and Lena silently thanked every star she had ever wished on for letting her be lucky enough to finally get the family she had always wanted.

The fact that Sophia hadn’t rejected Kara or her claim still hadn’t sunk in and Lena caught herself staring at her daughter in wonder.

It had taken Sophia longer to finally come to terms with her seeing Kara and longer still to accept that their relationship wasn’t casual. Lena expected the pushback to some degree, but this was different. It was like the air between them had cleared and she was getting her daughter back.

“Don’t be weird,” Sophia muttered under her breath, aware of Lena’s eyes on her despite how focused she was on texting.

Lena laughed, the sound catching in her throat as she risked all of the progress they had made by slinging an arm around Sophia to pull her in for another hug.

Sophia tolerated it for all of three seconds and Lena noticed the distinct lack of scent around her daughter.

“You’re wearing the new perfume?” Lena asked casually, her eyes flicking to Kara as she tried to telepathically call her over.

Maybe it was the new connection that bound them together or Kara was covertly eavesdropping as she cooked, but whatever it was, Lena was grateful when the alpha joined them.

“Yeah, I really like it. Smells good, right?” Sophia asked, and despite the very shrewd and ambivalent aura she tried to create, Lena could see the vulnerability that resided in her eyes.

“Anything’s better than your usual stink,” Andy stated dryly, the corners of her lips twitching as she leaned on the counter to glance at her younger sister.

“I shower more than you do!” Sophia hissed, her chin jutting out petulantly as she glared at Andy.

“Yeah, because you're gross,” Andy fired back, and Lena noticed that Kara’s shoulders were shaking as she tried to stifle her laughter.

“Seriously?” Lena asked in faux exasperation. “I get five minutes of happiness before you two start fighting?”

“She started it,” Sophia spat incredulously, so riled that she had no idea that Andy was doing it deliberately to stop her from fixating on presenting as an omega.

Lena let the girls continue to bicker until Kara served up their breakfast. By then, the only disruption to their peace was the sound of forks scraping against plates.

After they cleaned up the mess, they moved outside to sit by the pool and take advantage of the rising spring temperatures.

Around early afternoon, Lillian showed up in what appeared to be a new dress—crisp, navy and perfect for a claim party. She typed in the security code on the fence to enter their yard, and then Natty ran over the grass, following Kara’s rules for the pool safety as she took the long route to reach them.

Natty held a small bunch of flowers with two or three sprays of foliage and five large roses in different colors. She struggled to keep it upright as she climbed straight into Kara’s lap.

“Kara, I picked these all by myself!” Natty exclaimed and grabbed for one of the roses with her whole hand. She plucked off one of the petals and dropped it before shoving the flower at Kara. “They’re for you, because you love Mommy and she loves you back.”

“Wow!” Kara declared with a dramatic amazement that never failed to bring a smile to Lena’s lips. “These look like unicorn roses. Did you know they only grow when a unicorn runs over the soil?”

“No,” Natty blinked and looked at the roses again, like they were more special than she could have ever imagined. “Can we grow unicorn roses, too?”

“Probably,” Kara replied and scooped the little one up to stand her back on her feet. “Let me go check and see if we have any seeds.”

As Kara located a few pouches of seeds and the tools they would need to plant in the flower beds, Lena glanced towards her mother, who took a longer time to walk around the perimeter of the large yard.

Lillian carried a stately bouquet and a large gift with a bow and crinkled ribbon. She delivered them both into Lena’s arms and bent down to give her a kiss on the cheek. “Congratulations, sweetheart. Now I’m hosting your claim party and I won’t hear any arguments about it.”

“Absolutely not. Today is a day for family,” Lena protested, though she kept a smile on her face so Kara wouldn’t think anything was wrong. She waved to her alpha, who was already digging holes for Natty and admired the way Kara didn’t mind getting her hands dirty. “You saw how upset Sophia was yesterday, and I frankly don’t have the energy to dress up and exchange pleasantries with half of your country club.”

“Then I have some good news and bad news for you,” Lillian remarked and cupped Lena’s cheek with a keen eye to inspect the new marks on her neck.

The faintest hint of relief carried in the breeze as her mother honed in on the older of the two, where Kara’s bite eradicated Andrea’s claim.

Lena pursed her lips together in silent judgment and waited for Lillian’s assessment.

“I’m allowed to be happy for you,” Lillian defended as if she could already hear the thoughts forming in Lena’s head.

“You’re also happy that Kara’s claim has obliterated Andrea’s,” Lena pointed out with a smirk.

It was a foreign sight to behold when she was so used to it being there. The faded and half removed claim was completely replaced, and Lena had spent a good while staring at it in the bathroom mirror that morning.

“I can be both,” Lillian insisted without any hint of guilt as she openly released jovial pheromones. “Now, what news do you want first?” She asked, getting them back on track with a sly smile that sent dread through Lena.

“Better start with the good,” Lena muttered, peering up at her mother through the shades she was wearing.

“Sam helped me with the guest list to keep it an intimate soiree,” Lillian informed her with a lift of her chin that hardly stopped the smugness from entering her smile.

“I’ll kill her,” Lena sighed, finally sitting up to brace for the worst as she envisioned dragging Kara and the kids to some overpriced venue to meet people Lena only saw once a year. “So, what’s the bad news?”

“Everything starts in a few hours.” The mirth on Lillian’s face was practically diabolical, and Lena understood why when her mother casually announced, “Right here, so you can’t avoid it or leave early.”

“You’re wretched,” Lena gasped, offended by the fact that her best friend had conspired with her mother to trap her into a party she couldn’t ditch.

“Only some of the time,” Lillian lilted with a flick of her wrist, like this was normal for a weekday. “Now, where are my grandchildren and why haven’t they hugged me already?” She over enunciated just to get Andy and Sophia’s attention.

While the children placated their grandmother with hugs and compliments on her dress, Lena dragged herself up from the comfortable place where she had been sunbathing.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a large catering van and a decorator with a whole team at her disposal. They began unloading tents along with pieces of furniture that made Lena realize this had all been planned with painstaking effort. Her mother’s personal touch was on every part of the setup — from the tablecloths to the cutlery, plates and crystal glasses.

“How long have you been plotting this?” Lena asked with the suspicion that Sam must have been communicating with Lillian for a while to have pulled all of this off.

“Oh, maybe a few weeks,” Lillian shrugged, which was hard to do when she was framed by two of her granddaughters. “I just wanted to give you the celebration you always deserved. I rightly guessed that when Kara claimed you it would be spontaneous, so I made my arrangements flexible.”

Lena was torn between feelings of debilitating panic and a strange and sudden elation. She never thought that she would celebrate the claim so traditionally, but her daughters both seemed excited.

“What are you going to wear?” Sophia interrupted and motioned at Lena’s blouse and casual mom skirt. “That’s an abomination. You and Kara both have to look nice.”

“I don’t think it matters what they wear,” Andy deliberated and came over to inspect the outfit Sophia condemned. “What matters is that they’re celebrating their love and that we’re all very happy for them. I’m sure they can find something nice in the closet.”

“Spoken like a true alpha,” Sophia scoffed with an exasperated eye roll, which ended when she became self-conscious over her choice of taunts. “This is an important day to omegas, okay? I read about it, and a lot of my friends are omegas, so I know about these things.”

Lena tried to keep a straight face as she listened to her middle child schooling her eldest. She handled it by biting at the corner of her lip and staring at her gloating mother.

“Fear not, girls, I have a plan for everything,” Lillian intoned and turned to signal some of her helpers with a snap of her finger. “My friend Rhea owns a local boutique and I had her put together a collection of her best party attire for your mother and Kara to choose from.”

“Of course you did,” Lena sighed in defeat, and turned around to find Kara with her hands all covered in dirt, and Natty stomping on the soil and pretending to be a unicorn.

“I suppose I should warn Kara that our stress-free day is officially over.” Lena’s overly dramatic words couldn’t conceal the joy she radiated, and Lillian smirked at the effort she made to pretend she hated all of the fanfare.

She tried to call to her mate with sweet, private scents, and grinned when Kara turned to smile at her.

“Is there a birthday that I’ve forgotten?” Kara asked with mild concern as people bustled around to set things up. She covertly tried to wipe the dirt off her hands and Lena offered her the towel she had been lounging on.

“No, my mother has just decided to spring a claim party on us,” Lena dryly stated as she crossed her arms, knowing full well that Kara could smell the excitement that clung to her skin.

“Nothing too formal,” Lillian was quick to mention, and ignored the way Lena pointed to a waiter dressed up in a suit as he walked by with trays of champagne.

“Is it so wrong to want to welcome Kara into our family with style?” Lillian needled her daughter, her lips pulling into a pleased and brief smile when Lena couldn’t fault her for that.

“Now then, you come with me so I can have a word with you,” Lillian insisted and took Kara by the arm to lead her away from Lena.

“If you want your friends to attend, you had better give them a call,” Lillian was saying as she guided Kara inside the house. “You know, after our little conversation yesterday I was hoping you’d claim Lena soon. I can see how wild she is about you.”

Lena shared a lingering look with Kara when she turned her way and mouthed a silent I love you. Her omega perfumed the garden with scents of adoration and Sophia promptly dragged her off by the hand to put an end to it.

Lena was grateful to find the dresses were placed on a temporary rack in one of the lounges downstairs, and she reached for a fancy little black dress just to have Sophia slap her hand.

“Mom, this isn’t a gala,” Sophia chided, as if fashion expertise was something she gleaned off of her other mother. She stepped around Lena with a critical huff of breath and then muttered, “You need something colorful, not basic. You always wear black or red. This should be different.”

“What do you recommend?” Lena asked casually, not to put pressure on her daughter, but to allow her the freedom to browse through the collection.

Sophia’s tastes copied whatever Andrea deemed worthy of a wealthy alpha. This was the first time Sophia had ever shown an interest in what an omega would wear for such an occasion, and Lena didn’t want to spook her.

“Not white. That’s boring, and not pink, because this isn’t one of Natty’s tea parties.” Sophia cringed, shifting hangers along the rod as she swept aside the dresses she hated on sight.

“Try this one,” Sophia finally exhaled when she had gone through them all twice.

“Green?” Lena mused, lifting the elegant dress up to hold it in front of herself so Sophia could inspect it. “What made you pick this?”

The emerald green dress pooled at the floor and had one high ruffled shoulder. The diagonal cut would leave her other shoulder and neck exposed and she could imagine several ways to style her hair to allow everyone to see her claim bites.

“It will complement your eyes,” Sophia explained, her chin jutting out when Lena didn’t confirm that she was correct fast enough. “You want that, right? To highlight your beauty?”

Lena sensed Sophia’s vulnerability long before the pheromones reflected it, and she fought the urge to pull her daughter into her arms.

“Always,” Lena deadpanned, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears when Sophia smiled with pride.

“Good, now we need to accessorize,” Sophia stated, as if Lena hadn’t been dressing herself for the past three decades. “Maybe some gold earrings, nothing too flashy but just enough to make the color pop, but no necklace, unless it’s long, so it doesn’t get in the way of that.” She blushed as she motioned to Lena’s neck while she avoided her mother’s gaze.

Lena touched her claim and debated skipping any talk about it, but that wouldn’t be great parenting and Sophia was obviously unnerved. She set the dress aside to level with her daughter and opened with a soft, “Does it bother you that I’m displaying Kara’s claim instead of your mother’s?”

Sophia’s jaw tightened and she shrugged as she worked through her emotions. “Not really,” she admitted, chewing on her lip like she was trying to hold back what she wanted to say. Lena waited her out, and after a prolonged silence, Sophia’s lip trembled as she whispered, “Did it hurt a lot when it happened?”

“Oh honey, no,” Lena cooed, her hand instinctively cupping at Sophia’s chin. Fear permeated the room fleetingly and Lena did all she could to smother it with calming reassurance and love. “It’s one of the strangest, most wonderful things when it happens, Sophia. The discomfort barely registers because suddenly you’re connected to the person you love and that feeling is one of the best in the world.”

“You promise?” Sophia whined, sounding every bit the age she was instead of the tough teen she so often tried to present herself to be.

“I promise,” Lena choked out, knowing better than to pull Sophia in for a hug when she was trying so hard to appear brave. “I will always be here to answer any questions you want, no matter what the topic is, okay?”

Sophia gave a curt nod, and to save her from trying to hold in her emotions, Lena coaxed her to go outside. “I’ve got the rest. You go make sure your grandmother isn’t feeding Natty all the cake.”

“I hope it’s fondant and not buttercream,” Sophia exhaled, and Lena chuckled as she disappeared through the door before lifting the dress to take it up to the master bedroom to get ready. She undressed fast and then paused when she noticed her reflection.

Lena lingered in front of her floor length mirror clad only in her panties and bra while she touched the older of her claim marks. Kara’s perfect teeth imprints pressed deeper into the places where Andrea’s used to be.

Andrea would never have sway over her again with a bite like that. There had been too many times that Andrea meandered in and out of her life and resorted to flexing the claim as a means of maintaining a certain power over her. Kara treated her so much better than that, and Lena smiled at the mark on her throat that bonded them together. She traced along the surface of her bite until she shivered pleasurably, and then began rummaging through her jewelry box, unaware that her longing had called Kara to her.

“Lena?” Kara whispered from the doorway, her eager scent forewarning Lena that her alpha was near. She glanced up just in time to witness her mate dash into the room in only a shirt, socks, and pair of boxers. Lena smirked at the state of her and raised a perfectly sculpted brow.

“I could get used to having you come running whenever I want,” Lena saucily remarked, if only to see the way Kara blushed.

The softness of her alpha was just as sexy as the take-charge attitude she had that morning, and Lena’s fingers itched to get ahold of Kara.

“You say that like I don’t usually.” Kara slowed her steps to appreciate Lena’s lack of clothes, and then stopped just short of entering her personal space. “Is it stupid that this feels like we’re breaking the rules by seeing one another?” she asked, her brows drawn together as she hesitated in case Lena sent her away.

“It does feel a little forbidden,” Lena lilted, her smile widening as Kara moved closer to hold her. “To be honest, I’m excited about today. I didn’t think I would want a claiming party, what with all the stress they can induce—”

“Lucky for us we didn’t have to do any of the planning,” Kara gleefully noted, her lips grazing Lena’s shoulder in a subtle seduction. She slipped away to open her bedside drawer and retrieved a long slim box that she clutched bashfully. “I’ve actually been hoping that we’d have a party so you could wear this.”

Inside was a beautiful emerald in a teardrop cut that was perfectly set in gold. Kara lifted it by the delicate chain to let the light reflect on the precious stone and Lena stared at it in wonder.

“I bought this after our two-month anniversary,” Kara confided with a shy laugh as she opened the clasp to step around Lena. “I wanted to get you something that was as mesmerizing as your eyes. Even then I knew you were the one, and every day since then has just proven how right we are together. I was saving it for the day I claimed you, but we were a little busy last night.”

“That’s terribly romantic,” Lena whimpered, vulnerable and overwhelmed by the loving scents that enveloped her when Kara fastened the clip around her neck.

The pendant hung low, close enough to her breasts that she was sure Kara would use it as an excuse to stare at them. It was a modest necklace, not gaudy or flashy, but infinitely more special because it came from Kara.

“I never thought to get you anything,” Lena murmured as an afterthought as she touched the cold jewel. She felt her lip quiver from the rush of emotion and Kara soothed her with a laugh and a kiss to her forehead.

“You already gave me your heart and opened your home to me. I think that’s more than enough,” Kara intoned, her earnest and sweet smile so endearing that Lena wanted nothing more than to memorize this moment between them.

“Not hardly,” Lena muttered under her breath, her omega willing her forward to smooth her palms across Kara’s shirt.

“When do you need to take your next suppressor?” Lena asked absently, her fingers curling into the waistband of her boxers.

“Oh, in about six hours.” Kara exhaled, flustered yet responsive to the advances of Lena’s omega. She stepped closer like she might initiate a kiss, and Lena tipped her chin up to breathe warmly over Kara’s lips.

“Good, because I don’t want you to take it,” Lena lilted succinctly, her hand following the curve of Kara’s underwear to cup her soft cock. It stiffened from the barest contact and Lena grinned when she saw the way Kara’s pupils dilated.

“But the girls—”

“Can stay with Sam tonight,” Lena reasoned with a smirk and stared up at Kara through her curled lashes. “She owes me after conspiring with my mother.”

Kara’s teeth pressed into her lower lip and Lena had to wonder if the suppressant was even working when Kara’s sexually dominant pheromones engulfed her senses.

Lena savored them and pushed her hand beneath the fabric to stroke the rigid length of Kara’s cock.

“I don’t know what’s harder,” She rasped, delighted that Kara squeezed at her backside with full palms. “Your cock, or knowing that we’ll have to behave ourselves for the next several hours with everyone around.”

“Only one way to find out,” Kara asserted, and without wasting another second, hoisted Lena up and pinned her against the wall.

She wrapped her thighs around Kara with a breathless moan and bared her neck as well as her pussy by tugging her panties to the side. The wet tip of Kara’s cock prodded her deep, and Lena mewled when the alpha rammed it straight in.

“You take me so easily,” Kara praised, her breath tickling the claim near Lena’s freckle. “Have you been thinking about this, Lena? Everything I’m going to do to you while I’m in rut.” She didn’t give Lena a chance to reply, and fluttered her tongue over the edges of her claim only to suck at her mark with a raunchy moan, pulling it between her lips to lavish with kisses.

Lena groaned at the burst of pleasure and threaded her fingers through Kara’s hair, restlessly scratching at the nape of her neck as she accepted rougher thrusts.

These were the type of moments she hoped they would always have, risky and fun memories that were only for them, that they could relive whenever they wanted as they grew old together.

She held Kara closer as she imagined a full life with her and tried to grind harder on her cock. Lena showed her appreciation with erotic and raspy moans when Kara began to buck, and the sharp bounce plunged her in deeper.

Lena was a slave to the friction, and rocked over the thickness of Kara’s cock to rub her clit over the webbed veins at the base.

“Should I give you a full pussy for the party, Lena?” Kara husked, not the least bit arrogant as she rolled her hips to spread Lena’s cunt inside. She rutted faster, her labored breaths interspersed with grunts of exertion, and Lena whined in submission, begging with her pheromones to have Kara’s seed.

“You know I’ll always say yes,” Lena whimpered, at peace with how greedy she was when it came to Kara. She worked her inner muscles in tandem with Kara’s thrusts, her core tensing as bliss began to blur the edges of her vision.

Kara tongued at her claims interchangeably and Lena cried out as her cunt went into spasm. The slick sound of her passage wrapping around Kara’s cock was almost as lewd as the noise Kara made when ropes of creamy seed flowed from her cock.

Lena dropped to her knees with the prettiest pout on her lips when Kara pulled out, and dutifully sucked all their essence from Kara’s erection with languid swipes of her tongue.

“If you keep doing that, we’ll miss the whole celebration.” Kara playfully warned, her hand settling on Lena’s hair to encourage her to keep going. It was the tiniest bit selfish, and ridiculously sexy, though Lena knew this was Kara’s rut manifesting.

The temptation to take Kara into her mouth was too great to resist, and the alpha’s throaty groan worked on Lena like the best aphrodisiac. She pushed her pillowy lips over the sensitive head and puckered just enough to get Kara’s hips moving.

“I bet you’d keep me here all evening if you could,” Lena murmured, gliding the tip of her tongue along the groove of Kara’s cock.

Kara agreed in the form of a moan, and Lena rewarded her honesty by hollowing her cheeks and forcing as much of her mate into her throat as she could. She was sloppy in her endeavor, using the flat of her tongue to lap the underside of Kara’s cock between sucking. She grinned when Kara steadied herself with a hand on the wall, and moaned just to send vibrations through Kara’s shaft.

Lena felt the tremor in Kara’s thighs as they tensed, and popped her lips off of her cock just to see the way it wept at the tip. The smile she flashed Kara was sinfully wicked, and the alpha gaped at her when she got onto her feet.

“I want you as desperate as I am for this night to end,” Lena confided, and ran her finger along the length of Kara’s cock. It twitched and bounced like a marionette puppet, except she didn’t need strings to make Kara’s cock come to life.

If she had pulled that kind of move on Andrea, her ex would have used her claim pheromones to get what she wanted, but Kara wasn’t like that even in rut.

Sexual frustration burned Kara’s cheeks, and she gave Lena a pitiful whimper when she moved to reapply her lipstick. “I don’t really know what it says about me that I love when you do this, but I’m definitely looking forward to getting you alone later.”

“No more suppressants,” Lena reminded the alpha when she fixed her boxers and retreated to the door, her stern tone sending a shiver through Kara.

“Yes ma’am,” Kara rumbled, her cock still rigid as she hurried down the hall to finish getting dressed.

Lena took her time as she got ready, choosing earrings to match her necklace and a perfume that wouldn’t dilute her natural scent so that Kara would be able to smell every shift of her emotion. She dabbed it to her wrists and neck, and then spent a good three minutes checking herself out so that she could leave Kara speechless with just the right pose.

Kara was waiting for her at the top of the stairs in a very handsome and form fitting suit. She had an emerald handkerchief tucked into her top pocket that Lena suspected was all Sophia’s doing.

“Wow, Lena, you look — so beautiful,” Kara exhaled a heavy breath and drank her in with soft eyes as she offered up her arm.

“You’re not half bad yourself,” Lena whispered in return, while her omega infused the air with heady, lustful scents.

They walked into their backyard arm in arm to discover that it had completely changed.

Fairy lights hung from a marquee, and chefs were hard at work plating appetizers in the catering tent. Roses and blossoming foliage clung to the arbors around the yard and floating bouquets rested on the surface of the pool.

Sam already stood with a full champagne glass in one hand and Natty on her hip. Sophia was nearby, happily chatting to Sam’s daughter Ruby, and Lena smiled at them before she glared at her best friend.

“I hope you’re pleased with yourself.” Lena flicked her eyes over Sam with a whole lot of attitude, but then cracked a playful smile. “I mean, you should be. I have you to thank for introducing me to Kara in the first place.”

“See, a lot of good does come from my meddling.” Sam gestured with her glass and transferred Natty into Lena’s open arms. “I promise to always interfere in your life. You deserve this happiness, Lena. The both of you do.”

They hugged each other and Natty settled against Lena’s shoulder like she was already tired from the festivities. Lena combed the wispy hair out of her daughter’s face as the guests began to arrive and she grinned as Kara’s face lit up at the sight of her friends.

Several of her own family friends and business associates came through the gate with them, and Lillian greeted them all while Kara excused herself to welcome her guests. She brought the group over with bubbling exuberance and introduced each one to Lena proudly.

“This is Winn. He raves about your work all the time,” Kara gushed, much to the beta’s embarrassment.

“Well not—not all the time,” Winn shyly whispered, ducking his head when the attention shifted on to him.

“All the time,” The rest of the friend group announced in unison.

“James is a photographer, but don’t get him started or he’ll never shut up about it,” Kara teased, her jovial spirit shining through as she poked fun at her tall friend. “And this is Nia, she’s a fashion blogger, so don’t let her check out your wardrobe, because she’ll never leave.”

“True,” Nia uttered sagely, her lips twitching into a smile as she shook Lena’s hand.

“Everyone, this is Lena, and the little one in her arms is Natty,” Kara finished and returned to Lena’s side to wrap an arm around her waist.

“What about me?” A voice asked from behind the group, and Lena jumped when Kara let out a shriek and barreled through her friends to crush the newcomer in a bear hug.

“Is that Kara’s sister?” Lena asked in surprise as she noticed the woman struggling to breathe had shaved auburn hair.

“Oh. Yeah. That’s her,” Sam confirmed with a muffled little groan into her champagne glass. “I’ll just be checking out the appetizers if you need me, okay?”

Lena had no time to question why Sam turned and ran after noticing Alex, because Kara was already bringing her over with an arm slung around her neck.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” Kara was saying through a smile, “I thought for sure it would be the end of the week.”

“What can I say, I’m full of surprises,” Alex smirked, though her eyes popped when she saw the marks on Lena’s neck and held out her hand in greeting. “Wow, okay, so you must be Lena. It’s really great to finally get the chance to meet you. I’m Alex. We spoke a few times on the phone.”

“It’s nice to finally put a face to the name,” Lena admitted as Natty squirmed and lifted her head to stare at the stranger. “This is Natty, our youngest.”

“Kara’s told me so much about you,” Alex cooed while Natty gazed up at her. For a moment they just smiled at each other, and then Natty reached out with both arms like they were already acquainted.

“Are you my aunt?” Natty asked with a serious blink and Lena chuckled at her daughter’s precociousness.

“That’s right, but you can call her Alex.” Kara nodded, and took Lena’s hand to brush a kiss across her knuckles. She was comfortable with showing affection, and while it wasn’t being rubbed in anyone’s faces, Kara’s pheromones certainly were.

Lena blushed from the uninhibited way Kara flaunted their love, and her omega returned the sentiment. She tried to tone it down as best she could before the whole gathering was treated to the knowledge of how she longed to be alone with her mate, and barely stifled a whine when Kara hugged her and pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder.

Everyone fell into pleasant conversation, and some of Kara’s friends teased her with embarrassing stories that Lena ate up. Alex shared a few of her own, much to Kara’s chagrin, and Lena had her promise to tell her more when Kara wasn’t within earshot.

It wasn’t until Kara checked her phone for the fifth time in an hour that she finally expressed sadness. “Hey Alex, have you heard from Eliza? I’ve been trying to call her, but she hasn’t answered all day. I was hoping we could FaceTime so she’s part of this.”

Disappointment broke through the scent of Lena’s love and she decided that they would have to throw another party that would include Kara’s adoptive mother. She was mentally calculating the perfect day to plan it for when Alex interrupted her internal monologue.

“Oh yeah, I was supposed to tell you that she’s flying down here as we speak.” Alex gestured vaguely with her glass of champagne and elaborated with a shrug, “Sam has been keeping us in the loop.”

“She’s been what?” Lena asked in shock and scanned the crowd for her best friend. “Kara, if I find out that she’s gone through your phone without your permission to get Alex’s number—”

“She already had it,” Alex informed her, and if not for the way Kara nudged her sister in the ribs, Lena would have thought she was joking.

It piqued Lena’s curiosity to discover a connection between the oldest Danvers sister and her best friend, and she recalled the line that Kara had fed Andrea about how she knew Sam through her sister. After the party, she would have to request an explanation.

“We meant to bring everyone together sooner,” Lena muttered in embarrassment as she thought back to the earlier months in the relationship.

She hadn’t been afraid of anyone’s judgment as much as she had been scared that Kara would lose interest. All of Andrea’s behaviors were ingrained in her and at that point Lena had still believed that no alpha would want to stick around. It took accepting Kara’s claim for that fear to truly disappear, and Lena was grateful that Kara had understood that about her and didn’t feel as though they were hiding their relationship from family and friends.

“Kara’s always been the type to be protective of the ones she loves,” Alex confided, her smile soft like she could detect the worry that was occurring within Lena. She side eyed her sister with a knowing smirk and ribbed her with an elbow. “I knew we’d get to meet you in person eventually.”

“Hey, you were the one who was gone for like, two years,” Kara deflected, her smile smug when Alex rolled her eyes.

“Uh huh, exactly,” Kara stated and took Natty from Alex’s arms when the toddler reached out for her.

“Well how was I supposed to know you’d fall in love while I was away?” Alex asked, her eyes narrowing as she smirked and cast a conspiratorial glance Lena’s way. “The last time you had a crush on someone—”

“Oh hey, look, there’s Sam. Shouldn’t you go say hi to her?” Kara cut in, and pointed towards the marquee, where Sam was pretending not to glance in their direction while knocking back a few drinks.

That diverted all of Alex’s attention, and she fussed with her hair and squared her shoulders as she nodded, “Yeah, you’re right, I’ll just—uh—go do that.”

Alex’s face burned with awkwardness and she nodded to herself before walking off.

Waiters began traipsing around with platters of delicate pastry and caviar and trays of chicken fingers and mozzarella sticks for the kids. Natty helped herself to the food like a small adult and ran off to play while Lena and Kara circulated in the crowd to speak to their guests.

Eliza arrived soon after the appetizers and Kara waved her over with all the grace of an excited child. She stuck both arms into the air to get Eliza’s attention and the older omega hurried over to greet them both with a wrapped gift.

“So, this is the wonderful omega that’s brought such joy to your life,” Eliza smiled, her kind eyes and gentle embrace one that Lena hadn’t expected, but certainly needed to soothe her nerves. “Kara’s told me so much about you that I feel like I already know you.”

“It’s such a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Danvers, I only regret that I didn’t get the chance sooner,” Lena rambled, her hand finding Kara’s for emotional support as she met the alpha’s adoptive mother.

She hoped that Eliza was as open minded as her children, and that she wouldn’t be quick to judge her for how fast she had fallen for Kara.

“Life’s too short for regret. Let’s not waste our time with that.” Eliza confided, her gaze returning to Kara as she cupped her cheek. “You’ve always had the biggest heart. I’m so happy to see you found someone who can match that.”

Eliza had brought a second gift, which she handed over to Lena — a special looking photo album that contained duplicates of every picture she had snapped over the years since Kara had become part of the family. They browsed it together while Kara ran after Natty and brought Sophia and Andy over to introduce them to their new grandmother.

“She didn’t talk much at the beginning. She was so quiet and sad for a long time,” Eliza whispered as they flipped through the book, her hand stilling on a page to point out a snap of Alex and Kara swimming in a lake, the first picture where Kara was smiling.

“It was Alex’s idea to take her down there. She thought the water would make her come out of her shell,” Eliza reminisced with a smile. “They spent nearly every day of that summer in that lake, and after a while, Kara started to bring that happiness out of the water with her.”

Lena couldn’t explain why she teared up at that, or how her heart ached at seeing Kara changing from a somber adolescent into the bubbly, extroverted soul she was now.

“Thank you,” Lena choked out, and Eliza took her hand like they had been family for more than ten minutes.

Lena sat with the photo album for half an hour and asked about different pictures. Lillian came over soon after and whisked Eliza off to welcome her into their fold.

Most of the people in attendance were personal friends of the Luthor family and Lena had known them since her childhood. It felt validating to stand before everyone with Kara at her side, charming all of the omegas with sweet compliments and talking about business with the alphas.

Kara fit in with everyone, and in the process of introducing her, Lena felt like she was meeting Kara all over again and re-discovering facets of her mate that made her so special.

The topics of their conversations varied, but all of the guests praised them as a beautiful couple.

As the waiters began passing out dinner plates, Lena pulled Kara aside at the first available chance to kiss her. Their table was set apart from the others and it gave them time to talk without needing to entertain.

“All of my mother’s friends love you, and they hate everyone,” Lena whispered and pointed towards an older omega who had lived in the house next to the home where she grew up. “Mrs. Cramer once called Andrea a vile fornicator. Do you know what she called you?”

“I’m afraid to ask,” Kara muttered after taking a big bite out of a dinner roll. “I guess if she called me a fornicator, that would be accurate. I can’t wait to get you into bed—”

“A perfect gentlewoman,” Lena dropped her hand over one of Kara’s knees, keeping it in plain sight but unable to contain her urge to touch. “I just want to be alone with you. I have no idea what time this party is ending, but the sun is already beginning to set—”

“I’m sure Lillian will wrap it up after dinner. She knows Natty will be restless by then,” Kara reasoned with hopefulness as she let her gaze drop to Lena’s breasts.

The atmosphere between them threatened to become even more sexually charged.

Being claimed brought new, though exciting challenges. While they could have sat and privately flirted with one another without causing a stir, all it took was Lena’s pinky moving half an inch on Kara’s knee and the alpha’s scent became moderately obscene.

Lena wasn’t faring any better, because the barest glance from her mate was doing all sorts of things to her omega and her nipples were stiffer than the meringues the waiters brought out for dessert.

Kara noticed, and now it was a struggle for the alpha to stop staring at the little peaks.

“Would it be possible to sneak off while everyone’s eating?” Kara propositioned, sounding perfectly reasonable even though she was suggesting they rush off to fuck while their friends and family sat obliviously and ate.

“With the way everyone keeps looking over at us, probably not,” Lena sighed, her disappointment clear as she flicked her lashes and pouted up at Kara. She hardly touched her meal because of the distraction Kara posed in tight pants.

Kara had been suave and engaging the whole day, and Lena wanted nothing more than to show her appreciation.

She might have thought about it too intently, because Kara let out a groan under her breath and stuffed a piece of steak into her mouth to cover for the noise. The amorous perfume of Lena’s omega floated in the breeze, and she hoped that nobody else detected it as she bit her lip and pressed her thighs together.

“We’ll never last through dinner like this,” Lena whispered through a smile, her nails digging into Kara’s knee when she noticed the slight bulge of her pants. “I hate this. All I want is to take your—”

“Cocktail?” Kara asked, high pitched and wild looking as she bumped Lena’s knee with her own under the table to signal that Lillian was close enough to hear them.

Lena’s distressed scent at least clouded her arousal, and fortunately the appearance of her mother swiftly killed her libido.

“Come to tell us you have a surprise dance party planned?” Lena muttered, her lips pursing as she prepared herself for the night to never end.

“I’m sure I could arrange it,” Lillian intoned like she might go ahead and do that to flex her power and prolong Lena’s misery. She leaned down to fuss with Lena’s hair, pushing a few strands behind her ear in a move that Lena so often used with her own daughters when she wasn’t sure if a hug would be welcomed. “I just wanted to let you know that everyone’s enjoyed themselves. After dessert. I’ll round them up and send them off.”

Perhaps it was everything Lena was going through with Sophia that impulsively brought her to her feet to pull her mother into a heartfelt hug.

“Thank you,” Lena whispered when Lillian returned the affection after a surprised delay. “For all of this. You’ve really made our day so special by bringing everyone together.”

“I did, didn’t I?” Lillian smirked, her arrogance all for show as she blinked away the emotion that glittered in her eyes. She smoothed a hand down Lena’s arm as they shared an unspoken special moment, only to ruin it by muttering, “You know, I can take my grandchildren home tonight. I’m sure you two are just dying to celebrate with some alone time.”

“We appreciate the offer, but Sam is taking the kids for the night,” Kara helpfully mentioned while Lena gaped at her mother in horror.

“In fact, why don’t we get their bags so they’re ready to leave?” Kara suggested and then led Lena off before her mother could cause any more chaos by mentioning their sex life near them again.

They were barely out of sight when Kara’s hands were on her, and Lena whimpered when the alpha backed her into the living room to hike her dress up. The thrill of being touched when anyone might see them was shockingly euphoric, in part because it meant Kara desired her to such an extent that she was willing to risk being indecent.

“Did you just lie to my mother so you could have your way with me?” Lena gasped, equally impressed as she was aroused when Kara’s pheromones unfurled to loosen her inhibitions. Lena didn’t need the encouragement. She was already slick with need for her alpha, and Kara discovered that when the hand sliding up her inner thigh found Lena’s panties soaked.

“I did,” Kara husked, sending hot puffs of breath over Lena’s clavicle as she nuzzled up her throat. “And I’d do it again just to get five minutes with you, Lena.”

“You have about three before someone notices we’re gone,” Lena teased, her voice tapering off with a moan when Kara spread her cunt with two fingers.

“I can work with that,” Kara whispered, her self-assured confidence well-earned as she flicked over Lena’s clit with the pad of her thumb and curled her fingers to massage at her sensitive inner wall.

Lena bit at her lips to silence her moans, and Kara made it difficult by worshipping the claims on her neck. Pleasure sizzled in streaks through her whole body and condensed in her abdomen.

Kara moaned when fresh slick drizzled over her palm, and she used the extra lubrication to add a third finger. She rubbed into Lena’s mound with the palm of her hand and Lena’s cunt tightened wetly around Kara’s fingers.

“Fuck, just like that Kara,” Lena pleaded, the friction so sublime that she creased Kara’s jacket by snaring it in her fists. She would ruin the wall with the way she pressed her heel against it, though Kara caught her under the knee to raise her leg up.

The slick smack of Kara’s palm as she stuffed Lena with her fingers was louder than her moans, and all it took was a low, commanding growl from Kara when her cunt began to tense for her to shatter in the alpha’s arms.

Powerful convulsions kept Kara’s fingers in deep and Lena shuddered as her climax washed through her limbs, relaxing her muscles even as the ones in her cunt continued to spasm.

The heady scent of sex permeated the air around them and Kara made a show of licking her fingers clean. Lena begged with her eyes for her mate to take her upstairs and she absently fixed her dress as she remembered what they were supposed to be doing.

“Overnight bags,” Lena blurted as her omega rebelled against responsibility and gave off scents that enticed Kara’s alpha to the surface.

“I can’t wait to kick everyone out,” Kara admitted, the curve of her lips glistening with residual traces of Lena’s nectar.

Lena smirked at her honesty, and wiped Kara’s brow that was starting to bead with sweat. The suppressant was wearing off, and Lena was ecstatic about that.

“I’m tempted to have you do it now while I undress upstairs.” Lena knew her salacious smile could be interpreted as serious, and Kara seemed to be assessing if she was joking as someone knocked on the door.

Lena went to answer it with the expectation that it was a private car for one of the guests — but instead she came face to face with Andrea.

“Do you ever answer your phone? I’ve been calling all day,” Andrea spat, her usual hostility a standard greeting at this point. She pushed into the house without registering the claims on Lena’s neck and scrunched up her face as she faltered. Huffing the scent of sex with growing agitation, she glowered over at Kara, who stood by and observed her coolly.

“What are you doing here, Andrea? We have guests over,” Lena warned, the dopamine and oxytocin flooding her system keeping her in a good mood, despite how pissed her ex appeared to be.

Kara began packing Natty’s bag and gathering the stuffed toys she always favored for a sleepover while Andrea side-eyed her. “I wanted to drop off a new phone for Sophia—”

“You can leave it for her and she’ll call you tonight to say thank you,” Lena cut in, not to be rude, but so that Andrea understood she wasn’t being invited to stay.

Sophia wasn’t ready to see Andrea yet, and Lena wasn’t about to force an interaction when they were in the middle of celebrating.

“Why, so you can take the credit?” Andrea mocked, her gaze swinging back to Lena only to narrow as she finally noticed the fresh bites on her throat.

Andrea inspected them with the same expression Lena had seen on her face in the past when she was looking at her own toenails. Mild disgust appeared on her lips and curled them into a bitter sneer. Her anger came next, burning in her eyes as she hesitated with an insult on her tongue.

Lena could already feel those sharp words striking her, precise and as targeted as arrows. She prepared herself for the wounds in advance and forced her legs to straighten as she hardened her jaw and waited for Andrea’s condescending remarks.

The long silence unnerved her more than angry yelling and Lena took a full step into the front hall with the single thought of getting Andrea out of her home. It would have worked, except her ex’s attention flew to the necklace Kara had given her that morning.

“Qué bonito regalo, Lena. Did Kara give you this?” Andrea latched onto it with a sickening smile, and then wrenched it clean off.

The delicate chain snapped in two, flinging the emerald somewhere beneath the furniture, and Lena gasped and pressed a hand to her quivering throat.

“I guess it was cheaper than it looked,” Andrea commented without apology, her smile victorious until Kara stepped forward to block Lena.

Kara often concealed her anger, but this time it was obvious in every tight tendon in her neck, the low pull of her eyebrows and her threatening snarl. “GET OUT!”

Any sane person would have backed off, but Andrea just raised her chin defiantly and forced Kara’s alpha into acting.

“I warned you before that I won’t tolerate you treating Lena this way, and I won’t stand by while you hurt her!” Kara grabbed Andrea by the back of her jacket without warning and picked her up, shoving her through the open door with enough force to knock her off her heels.

Andrea would have fallen forward if Kara hadn’t carefully pushed her into the rails on the front porch.

“You think you can just move in on my family like this?” Andrea shrieked and picked up a stiletto just to throw it at Kara. “You might have put your mark all over Lena, but she will never be yours! I had her first and I’ll have her last! Soon she’s going to realize just how much she misjudged your character! You’re not as loyal as you pretend to be!”

“Well, you’re not as important as you think you are!” Kara shouted, her lips pulling back to bare her teeth viciously. She wasn’t Lena’s girlfriend any more, she was her mate, and Kara’s alpha wanted to reinforce that with dominant scents that infuriated Andrea.

“You’re a petty, spoiled, broken excuse for an alpha, and Lena deserves more than you could ever give her,” Kara seethed, like she had been holding that in for months while Andrea had undermined their relationship.

“Puta tonta!” Andrea yelled, her palm slicing through the air with the right amount of speed to make Lena flinch.

Kara blocked the slap with her forearm and grunted when Andrea tried to pull her outside instead.

The tug of war would have been comical if it was happening between children and not her mate fending off her suddenly enraged ex-wife.

“Stop it, Andrea,” Lena hissed, twisting her own fingers in a frantic grip as she thought of their daughters witnessing Andrea’s meltdown. “Let her go. You’re almost forty, for fuck’s sake.”

“Now you want to act your age?” Andrea spitefully griped as Kara shoved her off with a growl. “After opening your legs to her like a bitch in heat—”

Lena was sure that Kara was going to punch her, but the alpha just pushed her into the bushes with a throaty noise of disgust.

“I could stand here all night putting you in your place, but you’re just not worth it, Andrea.” Kara growled and clenched her hands into fists that shook by her sides. “Deep down in that vapid soul of yours, you know it, too.”

Kara stood her ground on the threshold of their home, and picked up Andrea’s expensive heel like she might fling it into the road.

“I’m keeping this,” Kara stated after a moment, just to spite Andrea as she climbed out of the bush with a crazed look in her eye. “Have fun driving home with one shoe.”

Andrea snapped her teeth in anger and likely would have continued her attack if the threat of being watched hadn’t forced her into retreating.

“This isn’t over,” Andrea bit out, only to slam her car door with unnecessary force so that even the neighbors would interpret the noise as a fuck you.

While Andrea sped off in fury, Kara remained on the path to make sure she faded into the distance. She turned once she was sure Andrea wouldn’t be coming back and cupped Lena’s face in her palms.

“Are you okay, Lena? Did she hurt you?” Kara asked in concern and touched the nape of Lena’s neck, tracing a finger around her throat where the necklace had been.

Even in rut, Kara had proven what kind of alpha she was by staying in control of herself, despite the anger that burned through her veins. Most would have used it as an excuse to get violent, and Andrea had certainly welcomed the physical aspect of their fight while Kara had shoved her out of the house to keep distance between them.

Lena would never condone violence, but she would be lying if she said she wasn’t aroused by the way Kara had stepped up to defend her. Her clit throbbed as she inhaled the protective and dominant pheromones of her mate and she ushered Kara inside the house with a whispery, “I’m fine. Let’s get the kids ready to go with Sam for the night.”

Kara dutifully began gathering up Andy and Sophia’s chargers and books, and Lena climbed the stairs to get fresh pajamas for each of her girls.

They packed the overnight bags in stunned silence while their guests dined out in the garden. It wasn’t that Lena was particularly shocked by Andrea’s outburst. Her ex had always been quick to anger, but it was her omega’s reaction that kept her in a reflective state.

There wasn’t a single instance in all of her previous arguments with Andrea over the years that ignited her libido the way Kara strong-arming her ex through the door had. It vexed Lena to be left so breathless and wet, especially when Andrea had ruined such a perfect day.

The necklace Kara had so thoughtfully purchased was destroyed and she could sense that the alpha was hurt because of that—and yet Lena wasn’t as upset as she should have been because all she could see was Kara’s muscles flexing under her suit, and that was enough to short circuit her brain.

She was in a haze as she smiled and thanked everyone before they left, her eyes constantly tracking Kara as she hugged her friends and chatted with Eliza and Alex.

Sam had to repeat herself twice as she was leaving and Lena only snapped out of it when her best friend poked her in the arm.

“When do you want me to bring the girls home?” Sam asked on her way out the door with Natty supported in her arms.

“How about one, and you and Ruby can stay for lunch?” Lena suggested, her smile giving none of her plotting away.

“See, this is why you’re my best friend,” Sam insisted and Lena rolled her eyes and kissed Natty’s forehead before waving goodbye and locking the door.

“Drink?” Kara asked like that was the first thing she imagined Lena might want when she kicked off her heels and prowled closer.

“I’ll pour you one.” Lena’s eyebrow popped up and she yanked Kara to her by the belt. She sidled in close in the flirtation of a kiss, her lips just hovering without contact as she smoothed a hand down the front of Kara’s pants. “Champagne?”

Her fingers rubbed at the semi-hard shape of Kara’s cock before she stepped off to fill up a glass with the sparkling drink.

All of the party leftovers were lain out in their dining room and Lena pulled out a chair to shove Kara into it. She delivered the glass into Kara’s hand and bent down, moving her hands over Kara’s slacks and unfastening them.

Kara exhaled a surprised and elated noise before admitting, “I thought you were angry with how I behaved. You were so quiet—”

“My mind was just filled with all of the filthy ways I wanted to thank you, and now that we’re finally alone, you’d better be ready to fill me elsewhere,” Lena whispered as she rucked down Kara’s pants with a rough tug.

Kara inhaled just to let it out with a quiet groan as she stared down at Lena positioned between her thighs. “I am.”

Lena was too aroused to leave this off until they were settled in the bedroom so she slipped Kara’s cock out to give it a warm reception in her mouth. She licked at the syrupy head, her tongue flitting over the small cleft where a taste of Kara spouted. Her lips stretched around the circumference and even wider as she pushed them down the shaft.

“Remember how much I wanted you before our night was rudely interrupted?” Lena breathed against Kara’s lap. “Watching you handle the situation was a major turn on. I hope your suppressant has worn off, because I’m feeling insatiable.”

Kara’s cock stiffened at her declarations and her hips shifted in excitement. Lena moaned into the tip of Kara’s cock and sucked at the droplets of arousal that collected just for her to lap away. She reached down to stroke it, her fast wrist motion and tongue work a combination that had Kara rocking in place.

Kara brushed a thumb over her high cheekbones and jawline as she swallowed. “If I had known it would please you this much, I would have thrown her out much sooner.”

“I’m sure you’ll get the chance in the future,” Lena husked as a joke and wrapped the sensual heat of her mouth around as much of Kara as she could.

“What part of it turned you on?” Kara asked with a restless buck and ragged groan that stayed on her lips.

“That you protected me. Seeing you so powerful and in control.” Lena sat higher on her knees and restrained her hair as she sucked on Kara.

The intense pucker and the gulping at the back of her throat must have been beyond pleasurable, because Kara’s hips lifted in sudden passion. Their sexual attraction had always been exceptional, but being with her alpha in rut was mating instinct and her omega was groveling for it. She slurped until her mouth was all wet and her mascara running, and even then she continued with a hungry moan. With breath control, she could slide Kara’s cock in deep and stare up into her eyes in an expressive connection. Her tongue curled and molded to the shape of Kara and at the same time she pumped with her hand.

Kara grasped at the back of her neck as she neared climax, keeping Lena close as she groaned from the glorious buildup. She brushed her fingers through Lena’s dark hair and only loosened her hold in confusion when Lena borrowed the glass of champagne.

Whatever Kara was expecting, Lena suspected it wasn’t the effervescent feel of her mouth wrapping around the head of her cock after she took a sip. Kara’s surprised moan was worth the tingle at the back of her throat, and she bathed the sensitive groove in bubbles as she swished her tongue in provocative swirls.

“Lena, that’s so—” Kara huffed, her back arching against the stiff chair as she pumped her hips up restlessly, “I’m gonna—”

Lena moaned for it, her short nails scratching down Kara’s thighs in excitement as she waited for the precise moment when the first contraction of pleasure pulsed up Kara’s shaft to swallow. She drank down the sweet champagne with the taste of her mate and sucked every last drop out of Kara until the alpha’s hips jerked and she whimpered for mercy.

“Holy—wow, that was amazing, I never knew you could do that,” Kara breathlessly laughed when Lena smiled up at her, smug as she licked her lips.

The alpha was flushed and her sweat was beginning to dampen patches of her shirt.

Lena stood up to unbutton it with a smirk, and leveled Kara with an amused squint. “I like that I can teach you new things,” she playfully intoned, ripping the rest of the buttons free in impatience to reveal Kara’s sports bra and toned abs.

“Maybe we ought to have a rule that when you’re in rut clothes are banned when we’re at home,” Lena proposed, like this only just occurred to her and wasn’t a private ongoing fantasy.

The potent scent of Kara’s rut engulfed her when Kara flung off the rest of her clothes like she didn’t belong in them. Her wild, carefree energy got Lena’s cunt rippling in need, and she whined when Kara took her by the hand to lead her out through the patio doors instead of upstairs.

Fairy lights and water bouquets still remained in the garden, and the romantic ambience it created was intimate now that they were alone.

“I asked them to leave these behind,” Kara murmured next to Lena’s ear, her fingers sliding the zipper of Lena’s dress down as she kissed over her bare shoulder seductively.

The gentle touch of Kara’s lips contrasted with how she gripped at Lena’s ass and slipped her panties down to her knees.

“This is how our relationship began, out here with you in rut.” Lena canted her head to the side as Kara’s mouth moved to her neck and covered her claim bite.

“Mmm,” Kara hummed against her throat, her teeth pressing into the indents that would forever remain on her skin.

It was obvious from the hopeful, loving pheromones emanating from Kara that she wanted to pay homage to the night that changed their lives, and Lena was more than happy to indulge her alpha.

The fairy lights burned around them, bright in Lena’s periphery as Kara took off all her clothes. She buried Kara’s face in her breasts, bold in demonstrating what she wanted. Kara sucked at a nipple, as fast as ever about pleasing her.

Her cunt fluttered along with Kara’s tongue, her clit throbbing for its turn. It continued as Kara’s lips dallied to draw out the anticipation and she exhaled breathy moans of desire when Kara circled her areola to leave her wanting. She stepped out of her panties as Kara went down on one knee, grasping the fabric to toss it away.

“I think about that night all of the time.” Kara kissed the constellation of freckles along her inner thigh and nestled in against her cunt. “How you rubbed your pussy right in front of me. Do it again, Lena. Rub your pussy.”

Lena groaned at the brazen request and spread her lower lips just like she had when she seduced Kara all those months ago. This time she was doing it close-up, flaunting her spasming entrance and how it clenched so much around a single finger. She swept the same wet finger up and around her clit. Her hips moved like the swell of a tide, with a slow fluctuation that pulled Kara into her.

The slick glide of Kara’s tongue was quickening Lena’s fingers, and she rubbed around the hood of her clit to better expose it. With a swipe of her tongue Kara took over, sliding her hands up Lena’s thighs to keep her steady as she lapped at the crease of her cunt. Each languid stroke strayed from Lena’s clit to the place Kara wished to be, and Lena whined as the alpha eased into her inner velvet with oral skill.

The temptation for more must have overwhelmed the alpha, and when Kara stood up abruptly, she took Lena with her.

The playful shriek Lena let out didn’t deter her mate as she carried her across the lawn. Lena squinted up at Kara when it looked like the intended destination was the pool house, a drastically less romantic spot than they had been in outside.

Lena showed her discontent with a pout and draped her arm listlessly around Kara’s strong shoulders for the theatrics of it all as she sighed out, “So, is this how it’s going to be now that you’ve claimed me? Trading one room for another, all of the excitement gone.”

Kara’s lips curled at the corners, soft and amused as she strode into the pool house to take one of the beach towels.

“That’s right, just plain old boring sex from now on,” Kara remarked, and took Lena to the brightest spot on the lawn beneath the fairy lights, where the stars were starting to speckle the sky.

Kara laid out the towel and Lena wondered what the crafty alpha had planned when she dashed off to grab the cooler they kept by the pool. She lugged it over with ease, her confident swagger made all the better by the solid erection that swung between her legs. Lena was shamelessly staring at it, her fingers drifting southward to strum her clit as she ogled the immense size that would prepare her for one hell of a knot.

“Who gave you permission to begin without me?” Kara demanded, setting the cooler next to Lena with the right amount of feigned attitude to snap Lena’s omega into submission.

She stilled her hand with a moderate whine, the jut of her chin sharp as she played along. “Well, what do you expect when you tease me and then leave me all alone? My cunt is in serious need of an alpha, and mine isn’t fucking me like she should be.”

“Is that a fact?” Kara muttered and positioned Lena onto all fours to pet her cunt in apology, smearing slick between her folds as she whispered, “Good thing I’m here to help you out.”

That was as far as their roleplay went and Kara slotted her cock against Lena’s cunt and pushed her legs closed. The bulbous head nestled between her pussy lips and Kara held Lena’s thighs together to keep them tight as she began a slow thrust.

Lena whimpered at the sudden friction of each thick vein stimulating her clit and the wide glans hit her on every pass. She was sensitive to the throb of Kara’s cock, a carnal beat that rippled through her cunt when Kara angled up to increase the pressure.

“Do you want to know what’s been on my mind all day?” Kara asked, propping Lena’s foot on the cooler to effectively expose her cunt. “That you’re not on birth control, and I have so much seed to give you.”

Lena’s inner muscles convulsed at the confession and she moaned as Kara forced her cock into her silken embrace. The risk of pregnancy shouldn’t have evoked such a strong and immediate reaction, and yet Lena’s cunt clamped around Kara. The wet smack of her pussy taking cock drove home the reality that it was a real possibility with Kara in rut, and Lena’s omega acted accordingly by shamelessly begging with her cunt.

“Lena,” Kara grunted, hooking her hands around her hips as she slammed her deep. “It’s like you’re trying to pull it right out of me.”

Lena’s fingers curled around the edge of the towel as Kara drilled into her cunt faster. The motion of their bodies rocked her forward and Kara dragged her back to spear her with every girthy inch.

They were rutting in the middle of the garden with nothing but nightfall to keep them from sight. Lena wondered if Kara had planned it with the idea that she could fall pregnant beneath the stars. She wouldn’t put it past the alpha. Her romantic and kind heart was unlike anyone else's, and that was why Lena was enjoying the gamble. She understood what she was getting into when she gave Kara full control.

Nothing compared to the thrill of Kara pounding into her bare, and there would never be a good enough reason to give it up.

The rapid plunge of Kara’s cock changed the moment Lena pushed her face into her forearm, the submissive bow so akin to a breeding pose that Kara filled her instantly with a hot surge of seed.

It was a green light to Kara’s alpha to give it her all, and she continued to buck through her release as the base of her cock steadily enlarged. Lena whined as it cleaved into her cunt, her thighs trembling from the swift change in size, and she mewled when it no longer fit.

Lena tried to soothe herself by fingering her clit when her cunt resisted the knot, and Kara tried to frantically squeeze it into her narrow passage when she smelled the distress of Lena’s omega.

Kara’s frustration was tangible and she growled through clenched teeth.

“Wait,” Lena whimpered, her cunt tightening in arousal and making it more difficult for Kara to thrust. “There’s another way we can do this.”

Kara reluctantly stilled her efforts and Lena caressed the frown from her brow as she whispered lovingly, “Let me help, I want it just as badly as you need to give it.”

She coaxed Kara onto the towel with a firm hand to straddle her hips as she uttered, “Lie back, darling. You’re going to watch as I take such a big knot for you.”

It wasn’t a common occurrence for an omega to ride an alpha in rut, yet Kara gazed up at her with nothing but adoration as Lena eased herself onto her straining cock. She took Kara in increments, her palms splayed across her mate’s thighs to begin a shallow bounce.

“Please, baby,” Kara pleaded, her hips jolting to push more of her cock into Lena’s sopping hole. She looked glassy-eyed and feverish from rut, and Lena guided the alpha’s hands onto her breasts as she sank lower onto her cock.

Lena rolled her hips to open her cunt and whimpered as she rested her weight on the knot. The scorching heat was nothing to the intimidating size of the thing, and Lena huffed at her mate's scent as she bore down on it. Her skin prickled from hedonistic desire, and she mewled as Kara tugged on her nipples and began to thrust.

Their combined effort spread Lena’s cunt the way spring opened flowers, and she quaked as Kara’s hands slid to her hips to force her all the way down. The pleasurable ache elicited a cry, and Lena fell forward and into Kara’s waiting arms as the alpha bucked into her greedy cunt for all she was worth.

They were moaning in unison, their lips finding one another as Kara crashed into her, and Lena bared her neck for the alpha to praise her with kisses. She came with Kara’s teeth on her throat, the alpha filling her cunt with blasts of seed while she trembled against her chest in euphoria.

Lena’s breathing softened from the total harmony of their bodies. She laced their fingers together in peace and settled down beneath the lights and stars, the close and distant luminaries that weren’t nearly as magical as the connection she now shared with Kara.

They stayed entwined like that for half the night, the heat of Kara's skin staving off the chill as they whispered all the ways they loved each other. When total exhaustion finally overcame Lena, Kara lifted her into her arms and carried her all the way to their bed.