Avery didn't give Noël the chance to prepare this time. After teasing him just long enough to see his lips tremble, he slid his entire length inside in one swift motion. Noël's eyes flew open, his back arching off the bed as a strangled cry left his throat. The sharp sting of pain coursed through him, but just as quickly it melted into a sudden, shuddering wave of pleasure that nearly stole his breath. His body didn't know how to react. He had never felt two contradictions this violently at once.
"A–Avery!" Noël cried out, the sound half-broken plea, half-desperate moan.
A guttural groan tore from Avery's chest at the sound of his name, rut-driven hunger making his hips jerk before he even meant to move. The heat, the tightness, the raw sensation of finally being fully inside Noël—it sent a maddening rush of satisfaction straight through his veins. He began to thrust, at first slow and heavy, but the restraint was already slipping. His rut clawed at him, demanding more, faster, deeper.
"You're so tight," he growled through clenched teeth, every push into Noël dragging another sound out of him, cries that carried no clear meaning, only confusion.
Noël's fingers clawed weakly at the sheets. His chest rose and fell in uneven gasps as the war inside him raged on. It hurt, but it didn't. He wanted Avery to stop, but his body wanted more. The conflict blurred into something overwhelming, the lines between suffering and ecstasy completely erasing until all he could do was let the sounds tumble from his lips.
When a hot tear slipped down his cheek, Avery saw it. His heart clenched. He leaned down instantly, kissing him hard, rough, desperate. Swallowing that cry and replacing it with his own heat. "Hang in there," he whispered against Noël's trembling lips, his voice breaking with both command and promise. "I'll make you feel good. I'll make it worth it."
Something in Noël loosened. His arms lifted, shaky but determined, wrapping around Avery's neck as if anchoring himself there. He pulled him in deeper, their mouths colliding again in a kiss that felt less like surrender and more like clinging to the only thing holding him together.
Avery shifted then, lifting Noël easily into his lap and turning to sit back on the bed. The movement didn't break their connection; instead, Avery thrust up again, filling him completely. Noël's scream tore through the room, raw and unrestrained. The new angle left no mercy. Avery's entire length drove into him, stretching him, pressing against every trembling nerve.
Avery's rhythm was punishing now, rut taking the reins fully, his thrusts striking that sensitive spot over and over until Noël's body convulsed. His head spun, lungs empty, the scents in the air thick and dizzying. His skin burned, his stomach knotted with shocks of pleasure that bordered on unbearable. Was this Avery? The same Avery he had sex with before? Or something else entirely. This beast who couldn't stop, who couldn't get enough of him?
When Avery noticed the exhaustion starting to weigh down Noël's movements, he finally reined himself in. He flipped Noël back onto the mattress, never letting go, never pulling out. Hovering above him, eyes burning with heat, he murmured darkly, "Let me send you to heaven."
And then he did. His thrusts were deeper now, more deliberate, as though each one was carving his promise into Noël's body. Noël gripped the sheets with white-knuckled fists, his hazy eyes locked on Avery's face, the meaning of those words finally sinking in as the pressure coiled higher and higher the more Avery thrusted.
They went on until the climax broke over them together, Avery groaning low and raw as Noël's body shook beneath him, trembling with aftershocks of electricity that wouldn't fade. Avery stayed inside for a moment longer, rocking gently, savoring the last flickers of sensation before he finally pulled out.
He collapsed beside Noël, pulling him into his arms as if shielding him from the storm he himself had unleashed. Noël was still trembling, unable to control the shivers, lost between pain, exhaustion, and the blinding afterglow. Avery pressed a soft, lingering kiss against his lips, this time slow, tender, nothing like the beast who had claimed him moments before.
After kissing for a few moments, both of them finally pulled away to catch their breath. Noël's hazy mind began to clear, though his body still trembled from the intensity. He looked up at Avery with wide, glassy eyes—so innocent, so vulnerable—that Avery felt something stir deeper than desire. Noël pressed himself against him, clinging tightly as if he wanted to melt into his skin. Avery welcomed the embrace, stroking his hair with a steady hand.
"You did well," Avery murmured, his tone unusually gentle.
They stayed like that in silence, the room filled only with the sound of their breathing. Minutes passed, and just as Avery was about to ask if they should bathe together, he noticed Noël had already slipped into slumber. At first, Avery thought it was just exhaustion, but the stillness of Noël's body unsettled him.
"I hope he didn't faint…" Avery muttered under his breath.
He filled the bathtub with warm water before carefully lifting Noël in his arms. The Omega didn't stir, not even a flinch when Avery lowered him into the bath. His pulse was steady, his breathing even, but his complete lack of response confirmed it: Noël hadn't simply fallen asleep. He had passed out.
Avery exhaled a long sigh, guilt pricking at his chest. I should have been gentler.
Determined to take care of him, Avery washed Noël with deliberate tenderness, then dressed him in fresh clothes before laying him back on the bed. He quickly stripped the damp sheets, replaced them with clean ones, and checked once more to ensure Noël's breathing was stable. Only then did he allow himself to step away and shower.
When he returned, Noël looked almost angelic, his face relaxed, lips slightly parted, as though all the pain of the heat had been wiped away. Avery sat on the edge of the bed, gazing down at him.
"So cute," he whispered. "I wish I could sleep as peacefully as you."
The Alpha leaned back, conflicted. His body still hummed with restrained energy. He could have gone for more rounds; the thought crossed his mind more than once. But Noël wasn't a random Omega he could use to burn through his rut. He mattered. He needed to be handled with care. And yet, could Noël really endure Avery's unchecked libido for a week or two until the heat cycle fully ended?
The thought made his chest tighten.
Sleep didn't come easily. His mind wandered, he wanted to touch him self again but stopped him.
As many thoughts started popping in his head, the faint memory of Jay in the hallway earlier rushed in his mind. For a moment, Avery had been too distracted by Noël to think much of it, but now Jay's expression earlier gnawed at his senses. Rising from bed, Avery quietly made his way to Jay's room. The door was ajar, the space empty. The scent had faded entirely. Jay was gone.
Relieved yet unsettled, Avery returned to his room and picked up his phone. Dozens of missed calls and messages lit the screen. Miss Reed had been trying to reach him since he left the other estate.
She apologized repeatedly for the lapse in security and the inconvenience it may have caused. She reassured him that she had taken care of Jay, then asked if he needed anything else.
Avery read the messages carefully, his gaze drifting back to Noël's resting figure. His chest felt heavy with contradiction. On one hand, the Alpha in him swelled with pride, satisfied at having claimed Noël. On the other, his human conscience recoiled at that very thought. He was kind of scared of Noël's reaction once he wakes up.
His thumbs hovered briefly before typing back:
Don't worry.
Then another message:
Thank you for taking care of Jay. Have some painkillers, snacks, and anything else to make Noël comfortable delivered to the house.
He set his phone aside, turned off the lights, and lay back beside Noël. The clock read a little past ten, but his restless mind and body kept him awake. Only after midnight did sleep finally creep in, pulling him under despite the storm of thoughts still churning inside.