STORY EXCERPT

“S-Surrogacy?” Adrian stammered, clinging to the armrests of his seat so tightly he was surprised they didn’t snap. “I... I didn’t think that was possible. For Omegas, I mean.”

Mrs. Noble shot him a reproving look over the rim of her glasses. So far, she’d been perfectly polite with him, but he couldn’t help but feel she disapproved of him, somehow. “You’re not wrong, Mr. Cross. Since the Omega Protection Act in 2003, Omegas have been banned from surrogacy. However, Omega’s Gift has been campaigning against that provision and has secured an exemption. I assure you, it’s perfectly legal.”

Adrian swallowed around the knot in his throat. He knew she was telling the truth, and even if she hadn’t been, he wasn’t sure he’d have cared. The Omega Protection Act—which had been meant to provide Omegas with rights and the assurance they’d always be more than broodmares—was a notorious failure. There were no provisions for subsidizing Omegan education or encouraging Omegan employment. While it absolved Omegas of legal responsibility in a lot of criminal matters, it mainly focused on Omega reproduction, restricting them further, and tying them down to prospective Alphas.

Adrian presumed that Omega’s Gift had gotten around the surrogacy issue precisely by using that need—the notion that Omegas had to belong to Alphas to breed. It was unfair, but if it got Adrian what he wanted, he was happy to go along with it. After all, the Omega Protection Act had done jack shit to protect his mother—or him, after her death.

Still, a part of him couldn’t help but feel bitter, that he’d even have to give this up, his own baby, the child he’d carry in his womb. Surrogacy was a perfectly legitimate practice. Adrian respected it, since he was aware of how much it meant for couples who couldn’t have children. But if the Omega Protection Act was right about one thing, it was that Omegas and surrogacy didn’t mix. Omegan motherly instincts were so strong it caused them physical pain to separate from their children.

Sadly, Adrian was all out of options, and this was by far the best alternative he’d been faced with. The other one was becoming a glorified prostitute—which was honestly, what Adrian had thought he’d do here. He suspected the surrogacy would pay far better and cover all of his debts.

Besides, male Omegas were an anomaly, weren’t they? He could hardly afford to be picky, or pretend he’d ever get anything better.

Mrs. Noble went on to confirm that guess. “As you can imagine, Omega’s Gift is aware of the implications, and how difficult the task would be, particularly for a young Omega like yourself. You’d be handsomely compensated. In fact, the clients that have recently come to me emphasize price is no object. All they want is a healthy pregnancy, fast.”

The latter word seemed like a sentence in itself. Adrian surmised not a lot of Omegas were in a rush to jump into this sort of thing. But he was desperate and definitely needed the money. No wonder she’d turned to him, even if she had never assigned him to a customer after their first interview.

“I’d... I’d be willing,” he said. “Do I have to meet the couple?”

He wasn’t sure he wanted that or not. It might make things more difficult, and on some level, he’d have preferred to handle the whole thing through Mrs. Noble.

Perhaps it was Adrian’s lucky day, because Mrs. Noble shook her head. “It’s not necessary. In fact, the couple insisted on remaining anonymous, and prefer a no-contact policy.”

The fist squeezing Adrian’s heart clenched even tighter. Surrogacy implied he didn’t have a chance to get to know his biological child, but he’d hoped he could at least see them once or twice, even if only from the distance. Clearly, that wasn’t going to be an option.

He tried very hard not to cry. This was for the best. It was an excellent opportunity. He just had one more question to ask.

“Can you at least... Can you tell me if they’re good people? If my... If the baby will be in good hands?”

It was probably stupid of him to ask that. Mrs. Noble didn’t actually owe him anything, and she had every interest in sealing the proverbial deal. Per her own admittance, it was exceptionally lucrative.

But Mrs. Noble was an Omega, too, and she understood what he was going through. For the first time since this conversation had started, her expression softened, her eyes glowing with warmth.

“They’re a stable, well-off couple,” she said. “Circumstances do not allow them to have biological children, but I’ve spoken to them and they assure me the child will be cared for. I won’t lie to you. The reasons they decided on having the child now aren’t ideal. But I believe in their integrity, and I genuinely think the baby will grow up in an excellent environment.”

The words were like a balm to Adrian’s wounded heart. Believing her on her word was perhaps a bit of a panacea, but he had to, if he was going to embark on this endeavor.

“Okay, then. Thank you. I’ll agree.”

ADULT EXCERPT

Being inside Adrian was like heaven and hell wrapped into one. The moment Max thrust his cock into the Omega’s willing body, he knew his world would never be the same again.

Normally, he would have taken the time to prepare Adrian for invasion, but when Adrian was in heat like this, he didn’t actually need it. His flesh easily parted around Max’s dick, welcoming the penetration. Adrian’s natural slick smoothed the way, making the glide even easier and more pleasurable for both of them.

In front of him, Bry buried his dick inside Adrian’s mouth. He clung to Adrian’s hair for dear life, his knuckles going white with the effort it took to not come on the spot.

His eyes glowed with the intensity of his desire, with the warmth and rightness only Adrian’s body could provide. It was the same light that burned into their mate bond, making it more powerful than ever before.

If Max had expected Bry’s presence to anchor him, he would have been disappointed. He hadn’t, not really. From the moment they’d met, Adrian had torn their lives asunder. The tornado of feelings they’d tried so hard to hide was finally coming out in their connection, and neither Bry nor Max could stop it. Max wouldn’t have liked it any other way.

Closing his eyes, he pulled out of his Omega and thrust back inside. He kept each thrust slow, but hard, aiming for his Omega’s prostate. Bry easily mirrored him, and they fell together into a smooth pace, fucking their Omega from both ends.

Adrian moaned and sobbed underneath them, his whole body shaking, the sounds he made muffled by Bry’s dick. At one point, his arms could no longer hold him aloft, so Bry took over, keeping him from truly straining himself. Adrian barely seemed to acknowledge the switch. He’d fallen under the spell of his heat, and his thickening scent was getting to Max’s head like a drug.

If he didn’t completely lose it, it was only because his Alpha knew this Omega had already been bred. His instincts reminded him to protect the baby growing inside Adrian, and that was something he couldn’t properly do if he succumbed to his baser nature.

Had things been different, he and Bry would have both fallen into a rut, aligning themselves to the demands of Adrian’s body. The surrogacy almost seemed like a waste now, when it was so obvious that Adrian had been made to be fucked, to be claimed by Max and Bry. Of course Adrian would take their dicks. Of course he would surrender to them. Of course he would carry their child. He was their Omega, and Max wouldn’t allow for anything different.

His hold on Adrian’s hips tightened at the thought, and his thrusts sped up. Adrian’s cries rose higher, even suffocated by cock as they were. He flailed, seemingly desperate to hold onto something, anything at all.

He ended up burying his fingernails into Bry’s thigh with surprising strength. Bry’s eyes widened. Pleasure and pain was often entwined for him and Max both, but he clearly hadn’t expected Adrian to be able to hurt him at all.

And yet, Adrian did, his nails breaking the skin, blood flowing down his fingertips. There was something savage and visceral about that, something so beautiful it almost drove Max absolutely feral. Bry loved it, and the pleasure he felt echoed straight into Max.

Max wasn’t surprised when Bry thrust one last time inside Adrian’s mouth and came, his body arching as he found his peak. He pulled away at the last moment, and several jets of spunk struck Adrian’s cheek, painting his face and hair with cream.

It was a claim that made Adrian let out another sob. “Bry... Max... Fuck... God, please.”

Max pulled Adrian upright, flipping him into his lap until Adrian was straddling him. He licked Adrian’s cheek clean of spunk even as he continued to thrust into Adrian’s body.

He was so close already. He could feel the echoes of Bry’s orgasm vibrating in his bones, gathering in his balls, making his Alpha roar in encouragement.

There was only one thing keeping him from mimicking Bry, the knowledge that they still hadn’t completely claimed Adrian. Adrian’s mating glands were right there, drawing him like a moth to the flame. His teeth ached and he leaned forward, ready to mark Adrian as his.

A familiar hand landed in his hair, jerking him away. Bry crushed their mouths together in a devastating kiss that didn’t let him think about anything except the here and now. He separated their mouths much too soon, only to whisper, “Come.”