Leon snarled. “You finally decided to show. I thought you might’ve turned tail and run, since you can’t seem to stomach business anymore.”
I stalked around the table until I was standing beside him. Fangs bared, I leaned down until I was right in his face. “Taking care of my business was what made me a few minutes late. Was I keeping you from something pressing? Did you need your fur shampooed or your claws painted?”
Leon growled and started to rise, but I placed my hands on his shoulders and slammed him back into his seat. “I’m the leader of this council, and the meetings start when I arrive.”
“If you can’t be on time, you don’t deserve your place here.”
“No one has more contacts in this city than me. You hardly have the strength to be on the council, much less run it.”
In defiance of the rule against shifting in any way during a council meeting, Bernice clicked her claws against the glass tabletop. “Do we have to listen to this pissing match between the two of you, or are we actually going to have a meeting?”
I stepped back, straightened my jacket, and walked slowly and deliberately to the far end of the table. When I’d taken my seat, I looked around at each of the council members. “I’m ready to begin. Damian, I believe you wish to make a report on police presence by the docks.”
Damian told us about raids that were being made on incoming shipments believed to contain drugs. Then Serena informed us of a new dry-cleaning franchise that had opened in the city which she believed was laundering money for a xekrum dealer. Previously, the foxes had controlled the xekrum trade within the city. Next, Bernice discussed a new weapons supplier who’d gained her trust. The entire time, Leon alternated between scowling and looking bored with our civilized proceedings.
I knew I could only remove my family from criminal dealings one step at a time. My hope was to bring some of the other shifter leaders with me by forcing them to see the benefit of working within human law. We could build businesses that would earn us just as much without the constant danger and the fear of losing everything. But if I were going to get there, I had to play in the world I was already in. So I listened and advised until it was Leon’s turn to speak.
“Since the Howlers broke their contract with my family, I move that King be removed from his leadership position. He’s clearly unfit to head the council.”
I growled, letting my claws extend as I rose from my seat. Fur spread down my arms and my teeth began to extend. Leon would not be allowed to insult my family’s honor.
Damian growled. “There’s no shifting in this room,” Damian said. “That is a rule we have all agreed upon.”
He was right. Leon was goading me; that was likely part of his plan. I took a deep breath and let my wolf recede. When I opened my eyes, I was human again. I glanced at Damian and the others except for Leon. “Pardon me. That won’t happen again.”
Leon snarled. “I deserve an answer to my challenge.”
“I did not break a contract. I chose not to renew it as the terms were not favorable to me.”
“You are my supplier for natcylid, and you refused to provide it to me.”
“Not giving you what you want is not breaking a contract,” Bernice said. “Stop wasting our time with this fucking bullshit, Leon. We’re here to settle real problems, not your personal issues.”
Natcylid forced shifters into their human form. While I wasn’t opposed to its use in certain circumstances, it didn’t need to be easily available, and it certainly didn’t need to be in Leon’s hands. “Is there any other business affecting the entire council?”
Leon snarled. “My business isn’t done.”
“Yes, it is. You challenged me based on my breaking a contract. No contract has been broken, therefore your challenge is invalid.” Somehow I managed to keep my voice even and my form completely human. Inside, my wolf raged. I wanted to grab Leon by the throat. I wanted him to come at me so I could defend myself.
“You are too weak to be in charge of us. Your club is so full of rules now it might as well be run by humans.”
Fight. Kill. I ignored my wolf and kept my outward calm. “I’ve done nothing to harm you or your business. You’re welcome to find any supplier you’d like.”
“For God’s sake, Leon, just drop it,” Ingram said. “We all know how dangerous it is for all of us to be in one room. Anyone who opposed the counsel could move against us. I’m ready to get out of here.” He pushed back his chair and walked toward the window, unlatching it and pushing it open. He turned to look at me. “Am I dismissed?”
“You’re all dismissed.”
Ingram shifted and flew from the window. Damian closed and locked it again before walking out, followed by Bernice and Serena.
Only Leon and I remained. Not a situation I relished, but I wasn’t turning my back on him.
He circled the table until he stood before me. He raised himself to his full height, obviously enjoying looking down at me. He was broader and likely stronger, but he was lazy, unused to doing anything for himself. He hired others to do all his dirty work. That was never a good idea. My father had taught me to never ask anyone to do something I wasn’t willing to do myself. I’d lived by that even as I tried to get our family out of the life he’d created for us.
“I will take this counsel from you. I’ll take your clubs and your brothels. I’ll even take your family. You’ve crossed me for the last time.”
Leon had always been overdramatic. He made everything far more personal than it needed to be. But that didn’t mean I could take his threat lightly.
I extended my claws and drove them into the hand he’d set on the table. He roared as I pierced his flesh, pinning him to the table. He moved to hit me with his other, now-clawed hand, but I slammed my knee into his balls. My father had also taught me never to hesitate to fight dirty. Leon crumpled, ripping the flesh of his hand as he fell toward the floor. I tore my claws from him and planted a foot in the center of his chest, resting my weight there.
He drew in a raspy breath. “I’m going to make you pay for this.”
“You’re lucky this didn’t happen in front of the entire council. I know how embarrassing that would be for you.”
He snarled and I could tell he was about to shift, so I pulled a bottle from my pocket and sprayed it into his face. It was the natcylid he’d wanted to buy from me. He gasped and choked, then huffed as if trying to blow the drug from his lungs. Natcylid not only rendered a shifter unable to call their animal form, it initially left them weak and dizzy. I stood over Leon, staring down into his eyes. “You will not win. I will see you off the council and put another lion in your place. You’re weak, and you won’t be able to hold on to power much longer.”
Now I was the one being melodramatic, but he brought it out in me. I stepped over him and left the room, listening carefully for any sign he was stirring. I couldn’t count on the drug to keep someone his size down for long, but all I heard was the wheeze of his breath. I took the stairs, not wanting to be trapped in an elevator. When I finally stepped out of the building into the night, all I could think of was how desperately I needed to see Emerson. I felt like I was drowning in all the responsibilities that weighed me down, but if I could touch him, I might survive.
10
Emerson
The more I tried not to think about the cock cage, the more it plagued me. Thinking of it made me think of King, and thinking of King made my cock try to swell, only to be restricted by the cage. In my mind, the cage was an extension of King, of his power over me. It might as well be his hand preventing me from even growing hard or coming to the memory of what we’d done earlier that day.
I tried foolishly to touch myself through the openings in the cage, even though I knew it was too restrictive. My cock ached constantly, and my whole body felt strange—prickly and as if my skin were stretched too tight. I needed King. I needed him to take me again, to hurt me, to use me. I craved it like I’d never craved anything before, but it wasn
’t only that. If I could just see him or touch him, I knew that I would feel better. Just being in his presence would bring me some measure of relief, not for my poor cock, but for the sensation that something was wrong, that I wasn’t complete anymore without him.
I spent some time worrying if maybe Brady had been right all along. Was being with a shapeshifter bad for me? How could I feel such an obsession for him in such a short time? Sure, he was hot, and the way he expected my complete surrender was the most incredible thing I’d ever experienced. But even that shouldn’t have made me feel the way I did. This intense craving wasn’t normal, was it? Was there a pheromone or something that could make shifters irresistible once you’d given in to them? Some humans believed shifters had magic, but scientists said that wasn’t true.
I flopped back onto the couch. “It must just be me. I’m fucked up.”
A snarl made me jump. “Don’t say things like that. There is nothing wrong with you.”
It was King. How could he have gotten in the house without me hearing him?
“H-How did you get in?”
“Through the door. We really aren’t magic.”
Surely he hadn’t read my thoughts. “You can turn into a wolf.”
He laughed. “I can, but that’s biology, not magic.”
“Can I see?”
“Not now.” He grabbed me, yanking me against him. He cupped my face and kissed me, and I forgot everything I’d been worrying about. My need consumed me as I slid my tongue along his and opened to his exploration of my mouth. I clasped his shoulders, holding him against me. His hand slid to my ass, kneading the still-sore flesh. I ground against him. My cock was desperate to be allowed to harden like it needed to. “Please take the cage off. It hurts. I need you so bad. I’ve needed you all day.”
He chuckled against me. “Not tonight, little one.”
I sucked in my breath. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that one of the ways you learn obedience is by learning to wait. Your desires aren’t what matter right now; mine are. You earn your pleasure by obedience, by pleasing me. How can you learn that if I give you everything you want?”
“But—”
He growled. “Do not contradict me, or you’ll have to be punished. If you think a day is hard, I could always leave you in the cage for a week.”
“King, please. I’ve been going crazy all day. I’ve never needed anyone like this. I’m worried there’s something wrong with me.”
“There’s nothing wrong with you. Our connection is intense, and there are reasons for that, but I don’t wish to explain them now.”
I sighed. “You won’t explain anything to me.”
He growled again and I glanced down. “I’m sorry.”
“You need to trust me. Trust and obey me.”
“This isn’t easy for me.”
He stroked the side of my face. “I know, little human. This is all new. I’m proud of you for trying so hard. You’ve taken a lot from me, but I warned you this wasn’t going to be easy. I’m going to forgive you for what you’ve done so far tonight, but if you disobey or contradict me again, I will punish you, and you will not like it.”
I drew in a breath. There was a hard glint in his eye, and I was more scared of him than I’d been earlier, scared of how far he might push me. I still didn’t think he would truly hurt me, but I saw the harsh master he could be. There was a part of me that found it hot, but I knew I’d gone as far as I could. I would obey King, no matter how much my cock screamed at me to do otherwise.
“Another reason you’re so restless and needy is because the more you’re told you can’t have something, the more you crave it. That’s why the cock cage is such a perfect device—it makes you desperate for the one thing it won’t allow you to have.”
“That’s cruel.”
“I never said I wasn’t cruel. Ask anyone, and they’ll tell you I’m a dangerous, sadistic man, one you don’t cross, one you should fear.”
“You won’t hurt me.” My voice shook as I said the words. Did I believe them? Had I gotten in way over my head?
King bent and brushed a gentle kiss across my lips. “I will torment you. I will hurt you in ways that you haven’t even imagined. I will expect you to serve me, and I will challenge your limits, but I won’t damage you. I will cherish you and worship your body and revel in the honor of your surrender, because I need that as much as you need the pain I’ll give you.”
My heart pounded, and my cock pressed against the confines of the cage. I licked my lips and looked back up, meeting his eyes. “Thank you. I needed to hear that.”
He stroked his hands down my arms, then took my hands in his and squeezed them. “I know. I needed to say it. I’ve craved you all day too.”
“But—” I’d almost contradicted him again and I barely caught myself in time. Would he punish me for that small slip?
He raised his brow and studied me, but then he smiled. “I see how hard you’re trying. Just because I craved you doesn’t mean I will give in when it’s not what would be best for you. I always have your best interests in mind. And right now, I’m angry, not with you, but with others in my world who are working against me. My control is too close to the edge. Even if I’d planned to release you from the cage and give you what you want, I’m in no shape to do that tonight. My wolf is desperate to come out. I need to be harsh. I need to be cruel, and you’re not ready for that. I must go, before I convince myself otherwise.”
He let my hands go and turned. His steps were slow and measured, as if he were forcing himself to move forward. When his hand rested on the doorknob, he turned, and I thought I heard him say goodbye, but the words were so soft, I might have imagined them. He stepped into the night, and the door closed behind him.
I sank to my knees, tears welling in my eyes. I needed King. My body needed him. My mind needed him. My soul seemed to need him too, and he’d walked away. I understood why, but he was hurting. I was sure of that, even though I didn’t understand what was happening, since no one would tell me why there was danger surrounding him, why I needed protection, or what it was that had disturbed him. He was unsettled, and he needed comfort. He needed me.
If that meant I had to hurt for him to feel better, that was so much better than watching him walk away, knowing he would be upset and alone. He had his brothers, but I didn’t think he would go to them. From what I’d gathered from Storm, Bryce, and Garrett, he took far too much responsibility on himself. All my instincts screamed for me to get to him, that I was the one person who could ease the pain he was holding inside. But I couldn’t do that if he’d ordered me not to. I dropped my head to the floor and lay there curled in a ball, crying for this man I now knew I loved.
A while later, I wiped my eyes and picked myself up off the floor. My stomach growled, and I realized I was hungry. While I’d been with King at the club earlier in the day, someone, I assumed one of the numerous Howler family servants, had thoroughly stocked the guesthouse kitchen. They’d even left a large pan of homemade lasagna in the fridge. I cut myself a piece, heated it, and, for lack of a better phrase, wolfed it down. I felt dehydrated after all the crying, so I drank several glasses of water. After I’d washed my dishes, I wondered what I was supposed to do.
I’d spent enough hours today pacing the place, literally aching for King. My ass was sore inside and out, and my cock was desperate to be freed from the cage he’d wrapped it in. I could deal with those things if I weren’t just alone with nothing else to focus on. Had King meant for that to be part of my training?
He needs you.
The voice in my head was insistent. I knew it had to simply be my conscience, but it felt like it was something outside me, some force drawing me to King.
Was he feeling as alone as I was? To hell with staying put. He could punish me if he wanted to, but I was going to find him and make him let me comfort him. I might be his submissive, but I had to stand up for what I knew was right, for what was best. I couldn’t ser
ve him if I couldn’t take care of him or get him to take care of himself.
I didn’t bother changing out of the sweats I was wearing. I just grabbed a hoodie and pulled it on over my T-shirt. King certainly hadn’t seemed to mind my appearance before.
I opened the front door and stepped out on the porch. Jax emerged from the shadows. “Did you need something, Emerson?”
“I need to find King.”
Jax stepped in front of me. “It’s better for you to stay here.”
“Let me be more clear. I am going to find King.”
“He’s in the rose garden. That’s where he goes when he needs to think.” It was Storm. He stepped out from close to where Jax must’ve been standing. Had he come to give Jax more orders?
I glanced around, not sure how to get there. “Which way should I go?”
Storm pointed to a path leading away from the left side of the guesthouse. “Follow that path. It ends at the garden.”
I squeezed his shoulder. “Thank you.”
“He needs you.”
“I know.” I turned to Jax. “Are you going to follow me?”
“There’s no need for that,” Storm said. “I sent a man there to keep an eye on King. I’ll let him know you’re on your way. We also have the perimeter well-covered. There’s been no sign of any danger.”
“I suppose you’re still not going to tell me what those cryptic statements mean.”
Storm smiled. “King will eventually. But I’ll let it be his story to tell.”
“Will he send me away when I get there?”
Storm shrugged. “He’ll probably try, but I have a feeling you can be very convincing.”
I hoped he was right. Because King would have to fight me to make me go back to the house.
I followed the tree-lined path Storm had pointed out. It was narrow and dark. I couldn’t help but think about all the times King and Storm had spoken of danger. An owl called from a tree, and I jumped. Then I heard something rustling in the leaves. I ran until the path opened up into what in the daylight must be a gorgeous rose garden. In the dark, the roses were black and gray and the thorns seemed menacing.
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