Page 111 of Alpha Awakened

Shaking his head in amusement, he got out of bed. He was in a pair of sleep pants, but pulled on a T-shirt too. He didn’t bother with a balaclava. Quietly leaving his room, he went next door and slipped into Hazard’s.

“Don’t think that was proper use of military communication technique,” he said as he closed the door behind him.

Dylan lay in bed on his side, propped up on one elbow. His chest was bare, the covers down around his waist, falling low enough to reveal that he was naked beneath them. A mischievous grin curled his lips. “I won’t tell if you don’t.”

“What’s one more secret between squadmates?” he asked dryly.

Dylan lifted a corner of the covers. “Join me.”

Royce got in the bed and slid between the sheets. The bed wasn’t made to hold two people so it was a tight fit. To make up for the lack of space, Royce pulled Dylan to lay across his chest. It already felt as if the omega belonged there. Royce brushed a thumb over Hazard’s lips. “You gonna make it worth my while for making the journey to get here?”

“You went two steps from door to door.”

“That’s worth at least two kisses.”

“Ugh, fine.”

Dylan grumbled as if annoyed, but his eyes sparkled with humor. He lifted his face and brushed his lips over Royce’s in a barely there kiss.

“One.”

For the second kiss, Dylan kissed Royce slow and lingering, then nipped at his bottom lip with his canines.

“Two. Satisfied?” he asked with a dark brow raised.

“Hmm... For now.”

Dylan gave a soft laugh before resettling in his spot on Royce’s chest. They lay there quietly for several minutes. Blanketed by Dylan’s warm, naked body, Royce closed his eyes and started to drift into sleep.

“You have a lot of tattoos,” Dylan whispered.

Royce opened his eyes again and looked down at Dylan. He was trailing his fingers up and down his left arm.

“Yes, I do,” he answered simply. Both of his arms were tattooed from wrists to a few inches below his elbows.

“They’re gorgeous.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah. I like this one here. And this one,” he said as he traced his finger over the black ink. “But you have blank spaces above your wrist. On both arms. Why’d you leave those spots empty?”

“It’s a tradition in my pack majora to leave that space free.”

Dylan brushed his thumb over the empty space.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“You never talk about your pack. Would love to hear about the tradition, if you don’t mind sharing it.”

Surprisingly pleased at his lover showing an interest in his home pack, Ice told him the history behind his tattoos. “I wasborn into the Mystic Storm pack in Washington state. Tattoos are a big part of their culture. Alphas often get full sleeves on both arms.”

“What about omegas?” Dylan asked curiously.

“They get their alpha’s name tatted on their ass when they get mated.”

Dylan raised his head to look at him in surprise. “You’re lying.”