Longmead Woods Trilogy Page 3

  While the alphas were all acquainted, none of them were Frederick’s particular friends. He didn’t have many close acquaintances preferring to spend time with his brother, Cuddy, a widower, and his married sister, Eleanor, and her family. The alpha and omega community were somewhat disdainful of the duke and considered him too close to the king, while families outside of their group shunned him. From their pulpits, the clergy intoned on the alpha and omegas’ depravity, and the duke suspected they harbored a fear that he and his kind were not quite human.

  A bell jingling in the adjacent room had the duke tensing. He buried his nose in his drink and inhaled the overpowering sweet fragrance of brandy. He downed the remainder but droplets of amber liquid spilled and sprayed onto his jacket as his trembling fingers clenched around the glass. I can do this. I shall lean on the wall by the settee and smoke my cigar. It is always a frenzy when the omegas join the alphas. No one will bother me here in the corner. I am a gentleman after all. The duke smacked his forehead. You are such a fool, Frederick. You can barely stand and yet you expect to ignore that primeval tug.

  Conversation halted as the large doors that separated the two rooms slid open. The aroma, more intense than previously, had the duke shove a cigar between his lips and clench his teeth around it as he inhaled the bitter smoke. He coughed and spluttered as the putrid air filled his lungs but relished the diversion, however uncomfortable.

  Tears clouded his vision but without glancing up, the duke was conscious of what was happening as he had frequented the salon on other occasions. Mr. Harvey would lead the alphas into the drawing room and servants would offer them cider as the two groups mingled.

  The proprietor was a nervous sort who barked instructions at the staff while he shuffled his feet and glanced anxiously around the room. Mr. Harvey had been castrated as a child when the local villagers discovered he was an omega. Despite his disability, he had prospered and now ran a fine enterprise for alphas and down-at-heel omegas. The omegas needed funds, and the alphas wanted a night of passion. It offered both groups an opportunity to forget their precarious position in the world.

  Mr. Harvey usually hovered on the edge of the room until pairs broke away and servants led each couple to a chamber.

  But this night was different. The whispered conversations and muted offers were absent.

  A sharp intake of breath.

  Glasses shattered.

  Cigars smoldered on the settee.

  A chair overturned.

  Port stained the patterned carpet.

  The duke eyed the reddish blemish as it seeped through the rug. Scarlet. Crimson. Cherry. Rose. Befuddled thoughts raced through his head as he pretended he was not in the midst of chaos.

  In his mind, the ancients whispered across the eons telling him to run like the wind and not look back. He is nothing to you. The old ones were wary of strangers and did not accept them into the pack. He can fend for himself.

  Grunts.

  Growls.

  Howls.

  Snarls.

  The shredding of a linen shirt interrupted the duke’s frenzied internal argument as copper buttons popped off the fabric and rolled onto the floor.

  Hissing.

  Curses.

  Snapping of jaws.

  Tension and passion mingled as the duke threw his glass against the wall and raised his head.

  Lord Elgin. Nathaniel. Green eyes. Mine. Not mine. No.

  “No.” The strangled shriek was raw and the ragged sound scratched the duke’s consciousness until he realized the cry was his.

  But Frederick caught a glimpse of the terrified omega, taller than most and almost as tall as the duke himself, standing alone with the alphas surrounding him just as the packs had done centuries ago. The alphas weaved around each other as they moved closer to his lordship.

  Both guilt and lust stabbed at the duke. Dear God, he will be ripped to pieces. I have to stop them. Earl Maudsley rammed his elbow into the stomach of a count while a third alpha threw his port in Earl Dalton’s face.

  Mr. Harvey’s distraught voice bellowed across the room. “Get Elgin out of here.”

  The alphas ignored the proprietor and one teased Nathaniel. “You must want a good fucking if you came here during your cycle.”

  Lord Elgin, his lips quivering, shook his head. “I-I…”

  “Quiet.”

  Another alpha rubbed his dick while two were undoing their buttons as their lengths strained against their trousers.

  Do something, Frederick. Stand up for him. But he is not my family. He arouses me. Nothing more. If I saved every damn omega from unpleasantness each time I wanted to fuck him, where would I be?

  An omega got in Baron Levington’s way and the taller man shoved him sideways into a chair. It shattered and spat out wood splinters. Another omega shrieked and fled back into the dressing room, followed by the others. Mr. Harvey raced after them and slammed the doors leaving Lord Elgin alone encircled by the alphas.

  Primitive growls and screeches filled the air and the dark-haired omega’s dazzling green eyes were dim and bulged in his bloodless face. His eyes flicked around the room as if searching for an escape, and he took a tentative step backward. But as Frederick caught sight of Nathaniel between the broad shoulders of the advancing alphas, he froze as ripples of desire flooded over his body.

  I should help him. I must. It is the right thing to do. But… I want to save him. Him alone.

  The omega’s lips quivered as his back slid over the wall toward the large glass doors that led onto the terrace. But Lord Bolton was quicker and snatched at his necktie hissing, “You are mine for the night,” while Count Richmond elbowed Lord Bolton who lost his balance and fell onto a side table upending glasses and spirits.

  Frederick took a step toward the melee, but he struggled to make out the lonesome figure that edged toward the glass outer doors. His vision, blurred by brandy and mingling with the robust scent that beckoned him, had his head spinning. Earl Dalton stretched out a hand and wrenched off Lord Elgin’s cravat, but the omega ducked away. As the duke blinked and squinted, the emerald-green eyes beseeched him, and despite his terror, Nathaniel’s cheeks were tinged with pink.

  Heat. Fear. And something more. What?

  Baron Levington threw off his jacket and ripped his shirt, showering the other men with shredded cotton. But Frederick lurched forward and shoved the men aside. The omega with the green eyes that taunted him fixed his gaze on the duke. Nathaniel reached out to him just as Count Richmond lunged, but Frederick flung himself at the embattled omega and his weight lifted the two into the air.

  For a second the pair hovered, in one another’s arms, above the destruction and lust, and men whose instinct outweighed reasonable behavior. Conflicting thoughts raced through Frederick’s head.

  Strength and passion.

  Fear and self-loathing.

  And then the two flew through the glass doors into the courtyard.

  Glass shattering and pealing like a thousand church bells rained over them as the two thumped onto the weathered stones outside the drawing room. White light exploded in Frederick’s head, and he gasped, trying to fill his lungs as air was sucked out of him. He brushed slivers of glass from his face and spat out more that coated his tongue.

  But as his head stopped whirling, he bent his knee and nudged something pliable and warm that lay beneath him. A something that molded against his body, matching each curve. He peered down and stared into emerald-green eyes framed with long dark lashes and bushy eyebrows sprinkled with glass. His engorged cock twitched and struggled to escape his tattered clothing. Despite the danger, Frederick fought the primitive urge that coursed through his veins, wanting him to rip off his attire and fuck the younger man on the terrace.

  But a shadow loomed over the two. “Get out of the way, Longmead. This one is mine.”

  Nathaniel

  Count Richmond, a middle-aged alpha with thick, meaty hands, heaved the duke off Nate who was winded from the fal
l. The count was a huge brute, with a corpulent chest covered in dark curly hair, and he leered at his prize. His jacket and waistcoat had been discarded while his shirt was in tatters and his trousers unbuttoned. His gigantic erect dick hung out of the cotton flap and he stroked it while licking his lips. As he took a step toward Nate, his eyes were glazed.

  The count’s fetid rum-scented breath wafted over Nate, and the omega trembled as he imagined being taken by this alpha—and the others. Not him. No. I cannot. He will tear me apart.

  Count Richmond’s cock, rigid and pink, dripped with moisture and his seed dribbled from the tip. Nate grimaced, and his stomach roiled as the alpha grabbed his member and pointed it toward him like the weapon he intended it to be.

  I will not surrender to this pig. “Get away from me.” The terrified omega raised his head and thrust his legs out, kicking and pummeling the count, and then he slithered his behind over the cold stones. The count grabbed Nate’s foot, and a boot came away in his hand as the younger man wriggled away. But the count jammed his foot atop Nate’s belly. “You are not going anywhere.” Spittle pooled on his lips, and Nate struggled under his weight.

  The other alphas, injured in the brawl, crawled to their feet and stumbled over the glass splinters, raking their eyes over the omega’s body and shrugging off their remaining clothes.

  But a flicker of movement in the corner of Nate’s eye caught his attention. A loud snort followed by the unmistakable sound of hooves hitting the gravel grew louder as the Duke of Longmead, with blood streaming over his face and the skin on his hands torn and bloodied, staggered to his knees.

  The pounding grew louder, and a horse whinnied as it charged into the light and reared up and over the count. The stallion towered over the man and the other alphas, and as its hooves hit the terrace, they fell back. The saddle, hanging by one strap, loosened and slid off as the horse’s hooves hit the stones once, twice and three times.

  Count Richmond growled and punched the air but as Nate rolled out from under the horse’s massive forelegs, a hand wrapped itself around his arm and dragged him over the cobblestones and onto the grass.

  The screams and the menace faded for a moment as sweaty heated flesh placed on his fevered skin ignited a fire within Nate. A sweet fragrance of brandy enveloped him while in the background the other alphas cursed at the horse as it forced them into the building. The perfume, which had enticed his lordship at the palace and stunned him earlier in the evening, swept around him.

  Nate didn’t need to see the man’s face. It was etched in his memory. The scent and burst of desire that surged through him as their bodies connected for the first time told him he was bound to this alpha no matter what the future held. Beholden and pledged with every inch of his body clawing for relief.

  Longmead!

  “Vulcan!”

  My second savior. Vulcan.

  With one last squeal, which had the alphas cursing and nearly paralyzed Nate, the horse rounded and trotted toward its master. “You did well, Vulcan.” The duke flung himself on the horse’s bare back and extended his hand to his companion. As Nate eyed the gray eyes he’d dreamt about and the strong, muscular hand covered in cuts and scratches, he closed his eyes briefly.

  Is this a beginning or an end?

  “Give me your hand, you damn fool.”

  Nate’s skin prickled and as his blood heated further, his hole cried out to be fucked. A crunch and clatter of boots told him the alphas were not giving up their pursuit, so he placed his hand in Frederick’s and glanced up at him.

  The twinkling full moon lit up the surroundings and silhouetted the duke’s broad shoulders, but a stray sliver of light danced onto his face and defined the strong jaw and aristocratic nose.

  Lust.

  Power.

  Sadness.

  Betrayal.

  Desire

  All his emotions were bookended by passion.

  “For God’s sake, Elgin. Get on.”

  The duke wriggled backward and inclined his head in front of him.

  His lordship smirked and forgot the risk of lingering at the manor. In front, rather than behind. A position I have taken many a time.

  Nate heaved himself onto the stallion, but not before stabbing the duke’s chest with his one remaining boot. The horse took off with a gallop almost flinging Nate off. The duke did not speak as he seized the omega’s arm and pulled him upright. Do not let go.

  But Frederick threaded the reins under his lordship’s arms, and the two jiggled atop the horse’s back as they headed toward the gate. A subtle woodsy scent washed over Nate as the duke’s body balanced on Vulcan’s back, and the omega’s breath was choppy and his chest ached with each gasp of air.

  Nate turned his head and shouted above the wind. “We have not been introduced, Your Grace.”

  “For God’s sake, Elgin. This is not the time.”

  “Nate. Call me Nate.”

  The duke’s voice croaked. “Frederick.”

  A fierce wind nipped at Nate’s cheeks as the duke urged his horse forward, but the chill did nothing to dampen his fervor. As they charged along the drive, Nate gulped as the iron gates, sparkling in the moonlight, appeared at the far end. The duke urged Vulcan onward and did not slow the pace as the horse lumbered across the gravel with the gate looming up ahead. As Nate turned his head and cringed, fearing he had inhaled his last breath, the porter parted both sides of the gate and the horse weaved through the opening. His lordship flung his arms behind him, curling them around Frederick’s waist as his foot grazed the wrought iron, and it slashed his already frayed trousers and tore off his other boot.

  Tobias will be cross with me.

  His shoulders shook with silent laughter as he contemplated his ruined garb while being pursued by a pack of alphas. A pack? They were a pack in the drawing room. Nate had only witnessed snippets of wolf traits in his peers and assumed those had long been bred out of them over the centuries as they first walked on two legs and then no longer shifted between their two identities. But tonight, they acted as one, and he trembled as he envisaged a different outcome.

  With their arms entwined, Frederick’s shoulders chafed against Nate’s side as the duke tugged and eased on the reins. His Grace’s voice was hoarse as he shouted instructions to Vulcan and coaxed him onward. As Frederick’s ripped coat, with wedges of flesh peeking through, brushed against Nate, his lordship trembled and a flush spread from his cheeks over his throat and covered his chest. The heat tormented him, and he tossed his head to the side as strands of damp hair stuck to his cheek.

  But the added warmth from Frederick’s body slid over him, and his cock squirmed within the confines of his trousers—or what was left of them. With his arms folded around the duke’s lean muscular body, Nate grasped his companion’s hips and squeezed. A snarl in his ear had his lordship quivering.

  With a quick glance over his shoulder, Nate caught a glimpse of a flash of light from Hammond Manor between the trees. It represented fear, shame and confusion, and now his thoughts were overwhelmed with passion, longing and thoughts of the future. But the vision he could not push away was of the duke, undressed and with his huge cock standing at attention, pushing Nate on all fours and planting his dick inside his slick opening.

  As the two galloped away from the turmoil, he frowned. I hope it is big. What if it is tiny? Do alphas have small dicks? Not in my experience.

  His lordship was giddy, but not from drink. He had laughed at and belittled his omega friends as they found their mate and droned on about their overwhelming emotion. Perchance I was naive. But is this a permanent bonding or a random fuck?

  “Sit still.” The low gravelly voice in Nate’s ear sent his dick quivering in an attempt to escape its fabric prison. Hot scented breath over the back of his neck had him clenching his thighs as he pushed his buttocks against the duke and ground on the man’s stiff cock.

  Not small at all. It is enormous and thick. And it is hard… for me? As I am for you, Your
Grace.

  Frederick transferred the reins to his left hand and his ragged jacket grazed the soft flesh at Nate’s side. His lordship closed his eyes as flames licked at his center and unfurled a raging lust that threatened to topple him off the horse.

  The duke muttered under his breath and Nate caught but a word or two. “Fuck… now…wait… home… never… must… here.” He is fighting his instinct, unlike me.

  Nate turned his head as a distant clamor of a man screaming at his horse reached his ears. They are not giving up the chase. But as his lordship gazed at the moonlit road behind him, fingers crept over his hip and pinched the flesh. Nate’s head fell back wedged in the crook of the duke’s neck.

  If I grab his dick, will he toss me into the woods and leave me to the alphas trailing us? Or will he throw me off the horse and fuck me at the roadside? Not a terrible end to the evening, me thinks. The fucking not the throwing off. I’ve been tossed aside enough for one evening.

  Despite his body’s desperate need to be taken, the burden of his father’s abandonment, the uncertainty at lack of money and the loneliness of having no family had been torn away. The Nate that remained was tortured, not with his past, but with an intense hunger.

  Though surrounded by flickering shadows and fitful bursts of moonlight, his lordship squinted at the powerful sturdy thighs of the alpha as he clenched around his hips. The duke’s cock pressed against his backside, and Nate’s breathing rattled in his chest as he pushed back against the alpha’s swollen dick.

  Heat blistered over Nate’s skin and the frigid breeze couldn’t cool him as he ground his rump against Frederick. His hole was slick and puckering and desperate to be probed, and the spicy aroma of his slippery wetness drifted around him.

  Vulcan swerved to avoid a rabbit and Nate’s head was flung onto his rescuer’s chest. The duke groaned and his smoky breath swept over Nate’s face. His lordship snuggled into his companion and snuck a glance at his face. Frederick’s eyes were staring straight ahead, but a muscle twitched and his lips parted to reveal him gritting his teeth.