by Bianca Cole
“Well don’t just fucking stand there. Find them.”
“Sir.”
We wait and listen. “I’ll find you, Rhys, mark my words, you aren’t getting away with this.” I tense.
The lights go out, and then the door bangs shut, leaving us in pitch black, holding each other. I can’t believe my father just ruined such a special moment.
9
Rhys
“Asshole,” I growl, standing and punching the wall. Landon had to turn up and ruin the end of a sacred and special moment between my mate and me. He may not have caught us, but he tainted it. I can’t believe I just took her virginity here—It’s not exactly the most romantic place, but my wolf couldn’t be tamed.
“You could say that again,” Anastasia says, nodding her head. “He’s my dad.”
My eyes widen as I stare at the still naked beauty I just claimed as my own. The teeth marks in her shoulder are still bleeding. My mark on her, but I can’t help but feel angry that I hurt her.
“Your dad?”
Did I just fuck my arch nemesis’s daughter at his place of work?
I shake my head, running a hand through my hair. I begin to pace back and forth.
“Yeah, is that a problem?” she asks, staring at me like I’m mad.
I look her straight in the eye. “How old are you?” Her age hadn’t even occurred to me until now, but since I went to school with her dad, it means I’m old enough to be hers.
Her brow furrows. “Twenty-three.” She crosses her arms over her breasts, suddenly shy. “How old are you?”
Shit.
“I’m forty-eight years old... The same age as your father.” I run my hand across the back of my neck. “We went to high-school together.”
Her mouth drops open. “You don’t look a day over thirty.”
I smile. “Perks of being a shifter.”
She glances over at the door, twirling a strand of her fiery red hair around her finger. “We need to get out of here before we get caught.”
I’m surprised she doesn’t seem more concerned about the fact I’m old enough to be her dad. “Yeah, I know a way out.” I grab her hand, electric heat shooting through every vein in my body the moment I touch her again. My cock grows hard instantly, and she notices. I groan as she licks her lips.
“Don’t we have time for round two?” she asks.
“Anastasia don’t tempt me,” I grumble, trying to focus all my attention on anything but her. “We need to get out of here, but believe me, once we do, I’ll give you round two, three, four, and five.”
Her eyes spark with lust as she nods her head. “Okay, what’s the plan?”
“First, get my clothes.” I walk over to one side of the room where Landon’s men discarded my clothes. Thankfully, they are still there. We’ll draw much less attention to ourselves dressed rather than naked.
She starts to dress, sliding on her vest and then slipping on her shirt, which no longer has any buttons. I grab a pair of pants and shirt discarded on the desk, slipping them on as quickly. The last thing we need right now is to get distracted. At least clothes are a barrier between us. It gives us a fighting chance to resist the pull to fuck until she’s pregnant with my pups.
That’s what my wolf wants—Anastasia’s beautiful fucking body growing big and round with my babies. I want it too. It’s all I could think about as I claimed her on that desk.
I grab her hand. “This way.”
She yanks her hand away. “I don’t need my hand holding. I got here just fine.” Her independence is sexy. I feel my cock thicken in my boxer briefs.
Why can’t she keep her mouth shut while we get the hell out of here?
I clear my throat and lead the way, ignoring my wolf’s carnal instinct to mate with her repeatedly. He doesn’t see≠m to care about the danger we are in.
It doesn’t help that the full moon is still in full strength, considering it’s only four in the morning.
A side door to the left is unlocked. I open it and nod for Anastasia to go on ahead. She walks in front of me down the dark corridor, stopping the moment she hears voices.
This isn’t the first time I’ve been in the City Hall’s restricted area, and I know no one comes down here, not usually.
I grab her shoulder, pulling her back against me. Her scent overwhelms me, but I push it to one side.
The voices are distant but clear. “We need to block all exits. They could still be inside.”
It looks like I’m going to have to spill some blood to get us out of here. “I’m going to take the guards out. Otherwise, they will lock us in here,” I whisper into her ear.
She nods, taking a deep breath that I feel right to my cock. If it weren’t for the circumstances, I would have been fucking her all night long.
“Brace yourself, princess, I’m going to shift.” I move forward and grit my teeth, forcing myself to shift silently. The pain never gets any better, but I’ve got used to it over the years.
Anastasia gasps as I turn into my wolf, her eyes wide. She’s not scared, though. Her expression is curious as she regards me with intrigue. I give her a nod and bound toward the voices silently.
In my wolf form, not only am I stronger, but stealthy. They won’t hear me coming until it’s too late. The two guys are bickering over how to lock down the area, while I sneak up from behind. I swallow hard as I realize Anastasia is about to see just what I’m capable of. The lengths I’d go to protect her—to save her.
I leap at the first guy, ripping his throat out with my teeth in one move. The other guy shrieks and starts running the opposite direction, grabbing for his radio to signal the rest of Landon’s men.
I’m too quick. I pounce on the guy’s back, sinking my claws into his flesh and pulling him to the floor. He holds his hands up, eyes wide.
I snarl above him, blood from his friend dripping onto his shirt. “Please, don’t kill me. I’ll do anything, just—”
I force my paw onto his arm, stopping him from moving for his radio. His eyes widen, and the fear is practically bleeding into the air.
He will alert Landon to our position, and I won’t risk our safety. I don’t enjoy killing, but I’ll do it if I have to. I slice my claws across his throat, killing him quickly. My body coils with tension as I end his life, as this isn’t going to give shifters good press. Landon will dress it up as an attack on the council. No one will ever know the truth.
I turn around to see Anastasia staring at me in pure shock. Her eyes wide as they go between the bloody man on the floor and me. This isn’t a side of me I wanted her to see.
I shift back into my human form, walking toward her.
She takes a step back, holding her hands up. “Stay away from me.”
I shake my head. “Anastasia, I was doing what I had to. They would have killed both of us if we got caught.”
She swallows hard, her stunning emerald eyes overcome with fear. I hate that she’s scared of me. It saddens me more than I can put into words. The love of my life—Anastasia may not realize it yet, but that’s what she is, my soul mate, the other half of my whole.
I hold out a hand to her. “Please, let me get you out of here.”
Her gaze moves between my hand and my face a few times before she reluctantly takes it. I can feel her trying to keep away from me. A sudden void opening between us. She had to see what I was capable of at some point. Why not now?
I open the door to the outside world, breathing a deep breath. “Run with me,” I say.
We break into a jog out of City Hall, but we’ve got to get out of the city.
Landon will have locked the city down again. He may never have lifted the barricades, even once he had me, fearing a retaliation from my pack. Luckily, I know a way out that is never blocked, an old underground mine system that is undiscovered by the humans.
“Where are we going?” Anastasia asks, pulling me to a stop in the alleyway we’ve slipped down.
“We need to escape the city.”
A growl rumbles through my chest. My wolf is opposed to leaving her side. She takes a step away from me, and it hurts.
I step forward, pushing her up against the wall, caging her in. Slowly, I bring my hand up to cup her cheek. “I’d never hurt you, princess. I’ll protect you with my life.”
She licks her bottom lip. “Why?”
I draw in a deep breath, knowing there’s never going to be the right time or place for this conversation. “You are my mate,” I say, my voice quieter.
“Your what?”
I draw in a deep breath, running a hand through my hair. “My fated mate or soul mate, whatever you want to call it.”
Her eyes widen. “That’s not possible.”
I smile, tucking a hair back behind her ear. “Believe me, it is.” I press my lips against hers and kiss her softly. My heart feels like it could break if she rejects me now. It would kill me. “You’re mine forever, Anastasia.”
She moans against my lips, and I know I’ve caught her again. The bond is too strong for her to resist.
“Come on. We need to get out of the city.”
She nods this time, lacing her fingers with mine.
My whole body relaxes as she accepts me. The bond is new and fresh, but it’s deepening with every moment we spend together. Anastasia will be mine.
I’m taking her home. We may have survived the council for now, but we’ve got bigger problems to worry about once we return to my pack.
Alphas, in particular, are forbidden from taking a human mate. There’s nothing they can do about it now. Anastasia is my queen. If they don’t like it, someone will have to challenge me.
They won’t win. No one has ever beat me, and I feel stronger than ever.
10
Anastasia
You are my mate.
Rhys’s words keep replaying over and over again in my mind.
How is it possible?
I’m human and an insignificant one at that.
When I saw him shift into the beautiful, huge, white wolf, I was in awe. A lot of people would be scared, but it increased my admiration for him. Then, I saw him rip out a man’s throat with his bare teeth and slash another with his claws. Ever since I set eyes on him, I knew he was a shifter.
There’s a difference in knowing what someone is capable of and witnessing it. I know it was the only choice. If the guys had caught us, they would have locked us away before executing us. I just wish Rhys could have handled it a different way.
He could have knocked the guys out and snuck away, although the risk would have been higher. If they had overpowered him in his human form, we would have been back at square one.
We’ve been walking in silence ever since we left the confines of New York City—the only home I’ve ever known. Despite it being a mild evening, I’m cold. A shiver skates down my spine as I glance at the man who has been keeping his distance ever since we got away.
Rhys hasn’t said a word since we escaped the city, not since he revealed that I’m his mate. I have no idea where we are going. The fact he’s my mate is insane, but it explains a lot.
What else could explain this ridiculous pull he has on me?
The way all my inhibitions were gone back at city hall. Despite the fact I was a virgin, all I cared about was having him inside of me.
I’m still sore but the heat floods me just thinking about how good it felt. My reservations over who he is and what he did to those men doesn’t stop me from wanting him. I might want him more, which is crazy.
He dropped my hand the moment we left the city, and every step he takes is tense and robotic.
My thighs clench as I think about how good his hands felt on me. I want him now as much as ever. We gave in to temptation back at city hall, but it wasn’t enough. I need to feel his hands all over me again. His teeth had dug into my skin. His big, hard cock stretching me—
“Stop thinking like that,” Rhys growls, making me jump.
Shit.
I hadn’t even considered the fact he can read my mind. “Can you hear my thoughts?” I bite my bottom lip, heat exploding through my cheeks.
He nods his head, “Only sometimes, particularly when you are thinking about me fucking you.” His shoulders tense more. He has hardly looked at me since we left the city.
“Why won’t you look at me?” I ask.
He stops but doesn’t turn around. His fists are balled tightly by his side. “I can’t risk it. The temptation is too much,” he says, his voice rough and gravelly.
The heat his voice sends through me is unmatched. I feel like I’m about to burn to a crisp. “Please, Rhys, I need you to look at me.” I’m not sure what is driving me, other than this desire. For some reason, I crave his hot and heavy gaze on me. It’s driving me wild that he won’t interact with me at all.
He still keeps his eyes straight ahead, stalking down the quiet road. “Anastasia, don’t push me.”
I drag my bottom lip between my teeth. The need to stop Rhys claws at me, and I speed up to get in front of him. My stomach clenches, seeing his canines at full length, and his eyes so wolf-like. “What is wrong?”
He shakes his head. “Nothing. I just need you to keep walking. Stop trying to get a rise out of me.” The irritation in his tone warns me, but it’s not enough to stop my hellbent quest to feel his touch.
“Or what?” I ask.
A growl rises in his chest and tears from his lips. “This isn’t the time or place for teasing, Anastasia. We need to get to safety first.” Every word he speaks is labored and forced.
He is right, but I’m too far gone. Our hot, frantic session hasn’t quenched my desire for him. It feels like someone else is controlling my body. I don’t do things like this. Less than an hour ago, I was a virgin for fuck’s sake.
I set my hands on his hard chest, dragging them down to his chiseled abs.
There’s a danger dancing in his eyes as he holds my gaze. “I’m warning you, Anastasia,” he growls.
I can’t understand why I want to tempt him to lose control. The thought excites me. My hand slips past his waistband, and I cup the hard length of him through his pants. “I need you now.”
He grabs my wrists harder than I expect, making me gasp. Rhys spins me around and pins my arms behind my back. “Be careful what you wish for, princess.” He pushes me toward a tree just off the road, forcing my front up against it.
Rhys unzips my pants, before roughly working them down my hips.
I jump as he spanks my ass in the process, making me moan.
“I’m going to punish you for teasing me, baby,” he purrs into my ear.
I whimper as his hard cock nudges against my soaking wet entrance, making me even needier. Rhys doesn’t warn me before he slides deep inside of me.
I cry out. The pain of stretching around him so suddenly bursting through every nerve-ending in my body. It feels like he has forgotten how inexperienced I am, but it doesn’t take long for the pain to break, turning into ecstasy.
Rhys grunts as he holds my wrists together behind my back, fucking me roughly.
My nipples are rock hard, rubbing against the fabric of my top and the bark of the tree. I’m at his mercy, and I love it. I never knew I’d love being dominated by a man like this—taken in hand by my mate. I moan as he moves one hand down my center, finding my clit and rubbing it as he fucks me.
He teases his lips against my ear lobe. “Is this what you wanted, baby?”
I nod, trying to find my voice but failing.
“Answer me.” He tightens his grip on my wrists and bites my ear softly, making me groan.
“Yes, Rhys, this is what I wanted.”
He spanks my thigh. “Good girl,” he purrs, setting my body blazing. “Are you going to come all over my cock again, coating me in your sweet juice?”
I moan at his dirty talk. It’s intoxicating. “Yes, fuck, you are g
oing to make me come so hard.”
He rumbles a growl of approval, thrusting his dick so deep it feels like he’s trying to split me apart. I can’t understand why at that moment I think about him getting me pregnant. It’s ridiculous. We should be using protection, and yet for the second time, he is bare inside of me. A man I don’t even know. The thought of having his babies makes me hornier, which is ridiculous.
“That’s right. I’m going to fill you with my seed, princess. Breed your tight little pussy and make you big and round with my pup,” he growls.
That shouldn’t be such a turn on, but it is. I haven’t even thought about having children before. I’m twenty-three years old for God’s sake, and until an hour ago, I’d never had sex.
He nibbles on my ear, making me forget everything else. My mind turns blank as the pressure builds inside of me.
Rhys bites my shoulder, sinking his canines in enough to break the skin. The pain tips me over the edge.
“Oh, fuck,” I cry, feeling my pussy clamp down on his huge cock. A flood of stars burst behind my eyelids. I bite my lip, trying not to scream.
He groans as he pumps into me two more times before exploding deep inside of me. Our breathing is labored as he holds me tightly against him, keeping his still solid cock embedded deep. He lets go of my wrists behind my back, sliding an arm around my waist.
I let him lift me like a rag doll. My limbs feel weak and jelly-like. He sits down against the tree, lifting me into his lap.
“Is that what you wanted, princess?” he asks, nuzzling his nose against mine.
I close my eyes, feeling my throat close up with emotion—an emotion that makes no sense. I don’t know the man holding me, caressing me, and yet I love him.
I don’t trust myself to speak, knowing I could most certainly say the wrong thing right now. “What’s wrong?” Rhys asks, cupping my chin in his hands. “Was I too rough?”
I shake my head, a tear spilling down my cheek. “No, I just don’t understand this.”