by Zoey Ellis
As he suspected, she was already soaking wet. She had been excited by the chase as much as he, and it infuriated him further that she’d had her legs wrap around another.
He drove in to the hilt as she wriggled and fought, but he didn’t miss the groan that came from her throat when he was seated all the way in. Pulling back, he exhaled gruffly as her channel gripped him, clinging on and massaging him so well. But this wasn’t the time for pleasure. She had to learn.
Thorec fucked Ria in long, hard jolts. He didn’t touch her breasts, or her stomach, or even caress her hips. Nor did he kiss her or lay his weight on her. He simply fucked her, holding her down on the ground so she couldn’t move.
Her dissatisfaction rose immediately. She wriggled and whined and whimpered, seeking comfort but finding none, and eventually she spread her knees wider and humped up to meet his thrusts. It still wasn’t enough.
She hissed and fought him for what she wanted, like he knew she would, kicking out her legs and attempting to lift from the ground.
“What?” Thorec barked. “What do you need?”
Ria’s gaze was deadly. “You already know.”
“Do I? I thought we Alphas were all interchangeable. I’m giving you exactly what you would have gotten from that Alpha.”
Ria snarled, clenching down on him, and the burst of pleasure was so intense, he couldn’t breathe for a moment. “If you can’t fuck me like I want, you’re no good to me, Alpha.”
Thorec grabbed her hair, a surge of annoyance bounding in his chest. “How do you want to fucked, Omega?”
Ria pressed her lips together, the lingering tears in her eyes building. He knew she wouldn’t say it—she couldn’t. Because she didn’t know. Everything between them was so innate, so instinctual, it was impossible to verbalize all the things he knew to do for her.
As their eyes remained locked, his hand trailed up her stomach, then pinched her nipple, the wet slam of his thrusts a rhythmic melody of his control over her. She keened, trying to arch her back, but couldn’t.
“Please,” she whispered, her hips pumping up, begging. “Please, do it.”
Thorec watched her struggle, trying to determine what he needed to do to dominate her heart. He knew he had her body, but he wanted everything; her heart, her mind, her soul—that was the only way to keep her with him, to stop her wandering away. Ultimately he wanted her to bite him—to choose to mate with him and claim him as her Alpha—but she was lost. And he needed to anchor her.
Thorec let out a gruff exhale and leaned in toward her. “I told you the first time I caught you that you will never win against me, Ria,” he growled as she panted, her eyes wide on him. “I want you in my home as my mate, and that will never change. No matter how many times you try to run from me, I will always win. Accept it.”
Ria pressed her lips together, narrowing her eyes at him.
“Accept it!” he bellowed, with a hard thrust.
“Fine,” she snapped, her eyes flashing. “I accept it. I will come with you and be a shell of a person for you to fuck and breed and waste away into nothing.” Her eyes were still filled with tears, and her lip trembled, but it was the defiance in her gaze that Thorec thrived on. Ria would never waste away into nothing. She was too strong-willed, too determined to be anyone’s meek breeder. And he loved that.
So he rewarded her well. He kissed her deeply, speeding up his thrusts inside her until he was ramming her the way she liked, the force of it shunting her across the floor. He grabbed her ass and yanked her even harder up onto his length as she moaned and sighed. Grabbing her breasts, he laved her hard, little nipples roughly, sucking and twisting his mouth around them until she was crying out, her back arched.
When she finally came, her whole body seized and shuddered, and Thorec held her through it, gratified to watch his Omega in such a beautiful state, before flipping her over, and driving in again.
By the time they were both spent, sweat and fluid saturated their clothing and covered every inch of exposed skin. Their mingled scent permeated the now empty hallway, and exhaustion ached in Thorec’s joints. Within moments, Ria was asleep in his arms, and as soon as his knot shrunk, he lifted her to take her back home. She might not realize she had a home with him yet, but she soon would.
* * *
Chapter Eight
RIA
The general didn’t waste any time taking her back to Ariyon. He also didn’t take any chances leaving her unattended, preferring to keep his hands on her at all times.
Ria didn’t care.
She told him she would go back with him, and she would… until she figured out what she was going to do.
Her disappointment in her brother scored her deep. She’d been sure he would understand how important it was for her that the two of them reunite and find a home together, but he didn’t care about that as much as she did. The Lox was his family now.
On reflection, she wasn’t sure what she expected. They hadn’t spoken for so long, and it should have been obvious, his life would be changed now. The general had even told her that Alphas were trained to be loyal to the Lox to the death. Maybe her intentions had been childish and naive, but people made sacrifices for their family all the time. She’d seen it when she traveled the Lands. The dedication Jaythen had to the Lox should not be stronger than his willingness to reconnect with his missing sister, should it? It soured her feelings for him that he could so easily suggest that she go with the general instead of figure out how they could be a family. But she had to accept that it wasn’t possible—at least not the way she’d envisaged it—and the thought made her hollow on the inside.
She couldn’t bear the thought of traveling again right now, jumping from place to place and seeing others live their lives while she had nothing. So, she let the general take her back to Ariyon, and settle her in his house, and in his bed.
Strangely on the way back, he took her to his base where all of his men had gathered and introduced her to them. She barely said anything to them, although they all greeted her enthusiastically.
For the first few days, she lost herself in the general’s attentions. He kept her in bed, constantly sticky with his fluids and stretched to breaking point by his knot. It wasn’t as though she complained. In fact, she lost herself in the rapturous pressure that he offered, knowing that it wouldn’t last forever.
She thought he wouldn’t want her after she’d foolishly and emotionally thrown herself at another Alpha. She couldn’t believed she’d been so stupid—anything could have happened to her. But instead of discarding her, the general had tormented and dominated her in front of everyone. And she could say she hated the experience. She was thoroughly confused by him and her reaction to him.
After a week, he finally left the bedroom for the first time, and Ria remained in bed for about an hour before becoming restless. As she dressed and explored the house, she realized the general had left the house entirely. Uncertainty gripped her until she realized she was free.
So, she saddled one of the horses in his stables and rode away from the house, exploring the farmlands of Ariyon.
By mid-afternoon, she’d ended up by one of the ports near the border to Neka, a neighboring territory. The Ariyon sea looked beautiful in the afternoon light, and she sat and watched the waves for a long while.
“Excuse me, Miss Ria.”
Ria started at the appearance of a small woman with an apron standing next to her. She hadn�
��t even heard her approach.
“I don’t mean to startle you,” the woman said apologetically. “You have been here for quite a while.” She lifted a plate filled with cakes. “Would you like something to eat and drink?”
Ria smiled at her. “Thank you, but no. I don’t want to cause any trouble for you.”
The woman chuckled. “It’s no trouble at all,” she insisted. “We have been waiting for you.”
Ria tilted her head. “Waiting for me?”
“Yes. We baked for the whole week since you arrived, hoping that you would come this way.”
Ria stared at the woman, confused. “Why?”
The woman shrugged, grinning. “Why not?” She held out a hand to help Ria up. Ria hesitated, looking over the woman for a long moment. Her skin was worn, and her straggly brown hair was stuffed under material wrapped loosely around her head. But her face was open and honest and eager, and Ria decided to take a chance.
The woman led her to her house nearby and fed her full of tea and lemon cake while talking about her son’s land, her crops, and the state of trading in Nyek.
Ria let her talk mostly, comfortable to sit and listen, but as the sunlight began to dim, she took her leave, anxious not to overstay her welcome.
She wasn’t ready to return to the general’s house yet, though. So she sat close to the port, watching the boats in the harbor until heavy hooves caught her attention.
She didn’t bother to turn and look, she recognized the sound and knew whose steed it was. She listened as he arrived, dismounted, and strode toward her, but as he approached, she instinctively jumped up and ran.
And he chased.
The sudden exertion was exhilarating, and Ria enjoyed the rush of wind against her face and the harshness of her breath in her lungs. The general let her run for awhile before catching up to her, and when he did, he howled with satisfaction as he pushed her to the ground and mounted her.
It was an incredible experience. His heady scent laced with his sweat made her hum in delight, and his large hands squeezing her thighs sent goosebumps all over her body. He took her hard and rough, slamming so sweetly and expertly into her depths while the chilly night breeze stroked her skin. When he knotted her, she was panting, out of breath, clawing the ground and whining for more, even though she was exhausted. He gathered her into his arms and stroked her cheek as he gazed at her, her breathing returning to normal.
“Did you have a good day?” he asked, his voice gravelly and low.
Ria blinked in surprise, realizing blooming. “You let me leave the house.”
“You’re not a prisoner.”
Ria digested that for a moment. “The woman here is very nice,” she said, gesturing back toward the building. “She gave me cake.”
“Did you like it?” the general asked.
Ria nodded but said no more. It felt strange to be talking to the general about mundane things.
“You were born in the Ariyon mountains.” He said it as a statement, but Ria knew he wanted her to confirm it.
“Yes”
“You were taken as a child for the Omega cause.”
Ria nodded, feeling numb.
“You were a spy?”
“Sort of,” she replied. “I gathered sensitive information for my superiors, so they could disseminate it to the real spies.”
General Thorec was silent for a long while. “You have been trained to hate the Lox.”
Ria sighed heavily. “The Lox changed everything in the Eastern Lands. It fractured the Omega cause. I didn’t have a purpose after that happened.”
“So you traveled the Lands?”
“Yes. But as I said, I couldn’t recognize the world anymore. I have no place in it.”
The general’s thumb brushed her bottom lip. “You have a place here with me, Ria. Always.”
Ria didn’t know what to say to that, so she said nothing, enjoying him stroking her face and neck.
After his knot shrunk, he took her back to the house to sleep in his arms.
The next day, she left the house soon after Thorec, and this time rode in the opposite direction. Passing a few fields, she came across an enormous farmhouse. She slowed as she passed by, amazed by the size of it, and several young men and women spilling out of the building waved at her, beckoning for her to stop.
“Welcome, Miss Ria,” one of them said as they approached her. “Would you like some cake? I think you’ll enjoy it. We can give you a tour too.”
Ria stuttered, unsure how to answer. This was too similar to what happened yesterday—it was strange. She tried to decline, but the young man’s enthusiasm had infected the rest of them, and they were so excited that she agreed and slipped down from her horse.
She discovered that the farmhouse building was actually a school where many children were educated on farming, Lox principles, and general studies about the Lox Empire, Alpha, Beta, Omega dynamics, and trade law. By the time Ria made her way back out, her head spun with everything she’d discovered.
She settled down nearby on one of the fields while her horse grazed and drank. It was so peaceful in Ariyon. She’d never stopped to consider it before, but this was much more preferable to the busy, bustling cities she’d been in.
As dusk arrived, so did General Thorec, and as he approached, she once again ran from him. She wasn’t sure why she did it. It seemed right to make him chase her if he wanted her. And she couldn’t ignore how aroused it made her when he did.
Of course, he caught up to her and took her brutally in the field, her ass high in the air as he worked in and out of her from the behind, dry grass scratching her face.
After he’d knotted her and pulled her into his arms as their panting calmed, the general asked about her day.
“I found a school,” Ria said.
The general nodded. “One of the Lox training centers.”
Ria was silent for a moment. She’d seen the Lox training centers when she’d traveled the Lands but had never been in one. It was different from what she expected. “I thought they trained Lox warriors in there.”
“Different centers provide different things in each of the territories.”
Ria nodded. “They gave me cake,” she said, watching him suspiciously.
The general just nodded. “Did you like it?”
“Why are people offering me cake?”
“You liked that particular type of cake when you were little.”
Ria jolted in surprise, her eyes widening on him. “How do you know that?”
“Your brother told me.”
Ria could do nothing but stare at him, her mouth dropped open. How had he managed to get information from her brother?
“Your brother isn’t averse to getting to know you, Ria,” the general said, his eyes examining her face. “Or giving you information. He just couldn’t do what you were asking.”
Ria nodded glumly. “It was unreasonable to ask, I suppose. I just thought he would be as passionate about finding me again as I was about him.”
General Thorec was quiet for a long moment. “How did you find out about him.”
“My superiors told some of us that we had family in the Lands. Non-omega sisters, brothers, and parents. It seemed to make sense to find him instead of wandering around aimlessly. I thought if he could remember things about me, it might give me a clue what to do next, or at least a sense of home.”
The Alpha nuzzled her neck as he nodded. “Do you know why he calls you Riora?”
“He said that is my full name.” She hesitated. “So you asked him for information about me, and he gave it?”
“Yes.”
Ria wasn’t sure whether she should be annoyed about that or not. She went to him for help, but instead, he’d helped her Alpha. She froze at her thought. Her Alpha. Strangely it didn’t send panic through her like it had when the empress said it. “So, you told everyone I like lemon cake?”
The general chuckled, a rough rumble in his chest. “The farmers are eager for you to like it here.”
Ria’s brows rose in surprise. “Why?”
The general brushed his lips along her cheek. “You are the first Omega who is openly living with an Alpha outside of Ashens. They want you to stay.”
Ria pursed her lips. “Are you not worried I will escape or be attacked? Letting me roam around Ariyon?”
The general tightened his grip on her. “Do you think I would let you roam around Ariyon if I hadn’t ensured that you were being protected at all times? Or if I thought you could escape? Everything has been made secure so you cannot—all ports and borders.”
Ria had to smile. “That sounds like a challenge.”
He pressed his mouth to her ear, his hot breath sending shivers down her spine. “It is not, little Ria. The challenge is for you to stay.”
The pattern of Ria’s day remained the same for the rest of the week and then extended to several weeks. It was only when the season changed, bringing with it blustery winds and smatterings of icy rain that she realized she’d been in Ariyon for at least three months. This was the longest she’d stayed anywhere.
Every day she considered where in the Lands she would go next. She’d been to almost every territory and knew what to expect when she got there, but she couldn’t decide her next destination. Even so, she tried not to settle where she was, knowing that within the next month or so, she would leave.