by Aria Chase
Elijah ran a hand through his hair, further disheveling the locks that framed his face and fell just past the base of his skull. “Mila, last night was perfect. For me, at least.” He sighed, a wistful expression taking over his strong face. “But I think you’ll regret it when you’ve had more time to think. You’ve wasted yourself on an Omega.”
“Wasted?” She rolled her eyes. “Please.”
“Don’t roll your eyes.” You know how pack politics work. A Beta giving herself to an Omega is bad enough. But the Alpha’s promised mate? It’s practically suicide. For both of us.”
“Our pack might not live in the present, but I do. I’m just as much woman as I am wolf. And I have the right to mate with whoever I choose. What right does my father have to promise me to someone without my permission?” Her eyes welled up with angry tears as she spoke.
Elijah furrowed his brow and reached up to wipe a fallen tear from her cheek. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.” He dipped his head, a typical display of deference to a higher-ranking pack member.
Mila touched his chin, forcing his head up. “Don’t bow to me. It’s demeaning, especially after last night.”
His eyes sparkled with independence, and he leaned forward, drawing her closer. “Showing you respect isn’t demeaning.” His lips brushed hers, sparking a renewed desire in her belly.
She edged her hips upward so the base of his cock was nestled between her thighs and raised a suggestive brow at him.
He sucked in a rapid breath and let out a moan. He glanced up at the sky, noting the sun was quickly rising. “You should go. Your parents will be wondering where you are.”
She sighed. “I know.” She brushed her thumb across his lower lip. “I don’t want to say goodbye, but I need to be home before my parents notice I’m gone.”
He nodded, looking into her eyes as he took her hand in his and kissed the pad of her thumb. “I don’t want you to be sorry about last night. I know should be, but I’m not. I had no right to touch you, but I can’t be sorry I did.” He enveloped her in his strong arms, drawing her naked flesh against his in a long embrace as he breathed in her scent. “You’re mine now,” he said. “You gave yourself to me, and that’s an honor I don’t take lightly.” He bowed his head to kiss the spot where he had bitten her. Marked her. Claimed her.
“Thank you.” Mila’s mouth curved, and she met Elijah’s lips for a slow, sensual kiss. His cock throbbed against her center as their tongues probed and swirled, causing her to grow wetter with every passing second. But she knew there wasn’t enough time. There would never be enough time in the world for all of the things she wanted Elijah to do with her, to her. For now, this kiss would have to be enough. She pulled back, steadfast in her resolve. She would defy her parents. She would defy her pack. She would move heaven and earth to have him inside her again — not just for right now, but for the rest of their lives. “I’m yours, Elijah. Whatever it takes, I will find my way back to you.”
He set his jaw and gave a slow nod. “I don’t know how we’re going to make this work. But I’d rather die trying than give you up now.” He held her face in his hands. “I promise you, Mila. I will come for you.”
3
Mila rose and ran into the forest, wincing as an occasional branch snapped under her bare feet, poking into her tender skin. When she wasn’t in wolf form, she definitely noticed the texture of the forest floor.
She tried to focus on the way ahead of her, forcing herself not to look back at the man she had left behind. Last night had been delicious insanity, but so many obstacles stood between them. The smart thing to do would be to forget about him. Move on with her life, marry the next Alpha and lead the pack as her parents always meant her to.
But how could she, when even now, every cell in her body thrummed with need for Elijah? There was something so primal, so carnal, about their mating. No one else — man or wolf — had ever made Mila crave him the way she craved Elijah. Even in the blackest moments of night, when he was nothing more than a shadow and a promise, she needed him.
If there was such a thing as destiny, Elijah was hers. And she had to keep her promise to him. Whatever it takes.
She was still telling herself that, still struggling to imagine how they could overcome the obstacles in their path, when she emerged onto Syringa Ridge. Her parents’ mansion dominated a bluff facing the sea. No one was visible on the grounds, and she moved with as much stealth as her human form would allow, trying to shield both her presence and nudity from anyone who might glance out a window and see her.
Mila availed herself of the trellis against the side of the house to get to the second floor. The roses weren’t yet in bloom, but the thorns tried to keep her from ascending, digging into her flesh and taking bits as trophies of the struggle. The minor pricks were nothing compared to the satisfied ache between her thighs, and she climbed rapidly, knowing time was against her.
Soon, everyone would awaken, and if she weren’t in her room, her night’s adventure would be exposed. Unless she wanted to live the next few weeks until the wedding under lock-and-key, she couldn’t let that happen.
She fumbled with the window to her room, clinging to the trellis with one hand, while pushing against the casement with the other, trying to force it up. Mila nearly fell when the window flew up, propelled by someone inside her room.
Whoever it was remained obscured from her view, forcing her to enter the bedroom without knowing who waited. With a deep breath, she clambered into her suite, squaring her shoulders in preparation for the coming confrontation.
A tiny breath of relief escaped her when she saw her mother standing before her.
Maeva, impeccably groomed even in a pair of satin pajamas and matching lounge socks, her expression betraying her disapproval. She thrust a robe at Mila.
“Where have you been?” Her tone of voice revealed her worry.
Mila wrapped herself in the white silk kimono and turned away from her mother to walk to the vanity table. She sat on the padded velvet bench to examine her unkempt reflection.
Her cheeks were flushed from the chilly night air — and her interrupted mating session. Scratches marred her creamy complexion. Wavy strands of auburn hair twisted in mad directions all over her head, and the pupils of her green eyes were dilated with a twinge of defiance. She lifted a wooden paddle brush and began detangling her messy locks.
“Where do you think? I went for a run.”
Maeva strode forward, the footfalls of her slippers cushioned by the thick cream-colored carpet. Her hand was rigid when it dropped on Mila’s shoulder.
“During a full moon, when you’re least able to control your impulses? You know that’s forbidden.”
She shrugged off her mother’s hand and made a production of brushing her hair.
“I’m tired of everything being forbidden. I’m twenty-three, and I have no freedom. I’ve never even been off this island without an escort.” She slammed the brush onto the vanity table. “I’m tired of it, Mother!”
Maeva sighed and replaced her hand on her daughter’s shoulder, patting gently.
“I know it’s frustrating, Mila. But things will improve for you after you join with Jared. You will no longer need protection from other males. No one would dare harm the Lupina.”
Mila swiveled her head to face her mother, a fiery resignation in her eyes. “Mother, I’m not marrying Jared.”
Saying the words out loud brought an accompanying sense of liberation Mila hadn’t expected. For more than a year, thoughts of rebellion had circled through her mind. But as the wedding date approached, and the unwanted pairing came closer to becoming a reality, Mila’s hopes of escape dampened with each passing day.
But then she met Elijah, and everything changed.
Maeva’s hand fell from her shoulder, and she gasped. “Don’t talk like that. If someone heard you—”
Her mother’s response only served to crystallize her determination. “I’m not marrying him.” She ra
ised her voice, hoping someone would stumble by her room and hear so they could carry the tale down the road to the Sundown family’s mansion, saving her the trouble of confronting Jared with the news.
Her mother’s face suddenly showed its age as it took on an inflexible expression.
“You have no choice. Niall and Vasek made the agreement the month of your birth.”
“This is the twenty-first century. Father had no right to promise me to someone. I am going to marry whom I decide, not your choice.” The sharp crack of Maeva’s hand against her cheek had her recoiling and touching her face with shock. The slap stung, but what amazed her was that her mother had done it at all. Never had she raised a hand to Mila.
Maeva appeared equally surprised as she balled her hand into a fist and shoved it into the pocket of her pajamas. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have struck you, but you frightened me.”
Mila raised a brow. “What?”
Her voice dropped, and she knelt beside Mila, physically turning her head so that she was forced to meet her mother’s gaze. “You can’t speak like that, Mila. There is unrest in the Sundown Pack. Rumors abound that another male will challenge Jared’s ascension. If you don’t mate with him as promised, it will weaken his authority. It will also give grounds for a challenge to anyone intent on usurping Jared. He must be mated before he can take over the pack.”
Nausea rolled through Mila’s stomach and her spark of rebellion flickered, almost going out. She hadn’t realized so much depended on her union with Jared. She glanced away from her mother, hoping to shore her defenses. “It’s not my problem,” she whispered.
“It will be if Jared is defeated. The first thing the new Alpha will do is reorganize the pack. He will force every member of the Sundown family to leave the island and remove any of their supporters. As Beta, your father would be in danger.” Maeva shuddered. “Should this usurper ascribe to the old ways, he could kill any opposition outright and no one would stop him.”
Mila turned in her chair, grasping her mother’s hands. “Then let’s leave now, before the ascension. Let Jared and his family worry about keeping their power. We don’t need to be here. Father’s business is not dependent on the pack for success. We can build a new life.”
Sadness filled Maeva’s eyes, and she withdrew from Mila’s hold. “Our life is here, Mila. Maybe if we were younger, your father and I could start over, but it’s too late. We live as humans, but we are still wolf-shifters. We need the pack, and they need us.” She shook her head. “And Jared needs you. You must do your duty for the pack.”
The flame fanning her rebellion went out with what she swore was an audible whoosh inside her mind. Mila’s shoulders sagged, and she nodded just once, not verbalizing her acquiescence, but knowing it was clear, all the same.
Maeva straightened from her crouch, bending forward to kiss the top of her daughter’s head. “You’ve made the right choice, darling. It’s best if you don’t mention last night to anyone. There’s no need to upset your father by telling him what happened. And there’s certainly no need to tell Jared.”
But no one cares if I’m upset, she thought with silent resentment as her mother left the room. Why were her wishes, dreams, and aspirations so unimportant?
She couldn’t understand why her parents clung so tenaciously to the status quo, but what could she do? The pack was all about family and unity, putting communal welfare above personal happiness. That pack mentality had been pushed on her since birth, and the responsibility of continuing their way of life weighed heavy her shoulders.
There was no escaping her destiny.
But there was no way to hide the truth about last night. Maeva may not be able to detect Elijah’s mark on her, but any male would pick up on it the moment he got close enough. Including Jared.
If Mila had been smart, she would have accepted her night with Elijah as a transient moment of bliss, one they could never repeat. But now I belong to him.
The thought filled her with sadness, opening a deep hole in her heart, creating a desperate, aching need. As she fought back the salty tears stinging her eyes, Elijah’s mark on her skin grew warm and began to throb, the heat of it burning into her soul as memories of last night flashed through her mind. All at once, her sex flooded with desire for him,
She dipped a hand between her legs, caressing herself through the dampened silk of her robe. Her hips tilted forward to meet her fingertips, and as she stroked the fabric over her clit, she imagined his hands on her, his long, thick cock entering her.
She moved her robe aside and dipped one finger inside herself, then another, as she continued to stroke her clit, her pace quickening as she recalled the way Elijah’s cock pistoned in and out of her pussy as he brought her to the brink.
Mila. His whisper in her mind was as loud and clear as if he were standing right in front of her. I’m coming for you.
Mila gasped as her climax rippled through her, sending alternating waves of shivers and sparks through her body. Her surroundings blurred, and in their place she caught glimpses of Elijah’s eyes, fiery with his lust for her. Her mouth went slack, and final shudder wracked her body before she collapsed to the floor in exhaustion.
And in that moment, she knew the truth. Her destiny was no longer certain. Not by a long shot.
Because now that Elijah had marked her — claimed her — there was no escaping him.
Even if that meant defying the Alpha himself.
4
Business was slow at the D'Arcy Bar & Grill that night, affording Elijah ample opportunity to think, much to his displeasure. The last thing he wanted to do was spend time alone with his thoughts, replaying scenes from those final few moments before Mila left him in the clearing to return home.
He was still cursing himself for rejecting her advances this morning. He couldn’t rid his mind of her intoxicating scent, her soft skin and the way her lips curled into a slow smile as she straddled him. The way her sweet pussy slid like velvet against him as she teased him, practically begging for another round.
His cock couldn’t help responding to the stimuli provided by his brain, leaving him in a constant state of arousal, which only added to his frustration.
The last customer was long gone, and he had already counted the till, locked up the money in the office safe, and turned down the lights. But the stillness around him only exacerbated his angst and encouraged his illicit thoughts.
He should have fucked her again.
And again.
And again.
He wiped the bar with excessive force, hoping physical exertion would clear his thoughts of Mila and allow his erection to subside.
And then he should have taken her far, far away — away from her parents, away from Jared and away from the entire Sundown Pack. Somewhere safe, where they could live in peace and raise a family of their own.
A pack of their own.
The mahogany bar shone under his assault, but he took no satisfaction in a job well done. Wiping down the bar was only a reinforcement of his position in the pack as a lowly bartender whose only purpose was to see to the needs of those above him.
It hadn’t bothered him in the past. But now? He was furious. Mila had changed everything.
Elijah came from a long line of Alphas. Despite the unfortunate turn of events that led him to take a place amongst the lowest ranks of the pack’s heirarchy, he had always realized his own self-worth, had never felt inferior to any of the Sundown Pack who ranked higher than he did.
And in the past, he had never even concerned himself with the rank of any of the female pack members he had taken to bed.
Then again, none of his lovers had been the Beta’s daughter and future Lupina. Knowing where he stood in comparison to Mila, at least among those in control of the pack, was enough to make him cringe.
He could just imagine the look of derision Niall would give him when he found out—right before either he or Jared tried to rip him to pieces for his insolence.
It
wouldn’t matter to them that Elijah should have been the Alpha of his own pack, or that his father’s weakness — not his — was the cause of his former pack’s demise. That alone would be cause for rejection. Many pack members believed, strength, or lack thereof, flowed from father to son naturally, which was why sons automatically inherited the position of Alpha, unless challenged.
How could he not feel inferior to Jared?
How could he avoid contrasting what he could offer Mila with what the soon to be Alpha could give her?
As an Omega, he had nothing that was truly his own to put forward. His father had been defeated and died in the challenge before Elijah’s birth. The Alpha replacing him had spared no pity for Elijah’s mother, forcing her to leave her home, though she had been eight months pregnant with twins.
By the time he was born, his status as the son of a former Alpha of the Rodesia Pack meant nothing.
And if Mila had been anyone else, his lack of status wouldn’t have even mattered. Most members of the Sundown Pack it was permissible to have sex with whomever they liked. The majority could even choose their own mate without permission of the Alpha.
Only a select few, like Mila, had no control over who their partner would be.
He tossed the cloth into the bar sink with a sigh. One night of anonymous sex, and suddenly he was mated for life and in mortal danger due to his blatant violation of pack law.
And now that he had claimed her as his own, her very essence pulsed through his veins like a drug. Every cell in his body yearned for Mila’s touch, with every breath his desperation to be inside her just one more time grew. He needed her. And she needed him.
Consequences be damned.