She tried taking deeper breaths, but nothing was working. She couldn’t shake the strong physical and unexplained attraction to this stranger. He’d saved her from One Eye’s men, killed one and most likely the other too, so she just couldn't ignore her feelings. But the overwhelming attraction and the way her body was reacting confused her. She’d never in her life had such a strong connection to a man she didn’t know.
"Sensitive, trust me, I'm far from that. I appreciate that you took care of those men for me, but it really wasn't necessary."
"Stubborn honeybee, aren't you?" he asked, taking another step towards her, and now he was only inches away from her body. Red stopped breathing altogether, staring into his rich whiskey eyes.
Seconds dragged, and she slowly began to realise that there was something hard poking her between the legs. Blood rushed to her ears when she discovered that the stranger had an erection.
Shock riddled her speechless, but she refused to acknowledge it. She had no idea if it was because of her or maybe because he was just enjoying making her uncomfortable.
"She should be your mate, William. You like fierce and independent women. Besides, you’ve been watching her in the tavern long enough," said one of the men standing to her right.
Red was melting, and a fine sheet of sweat appeared on her forehead. William—she had no idea why or how, but she liked that name. It was old fashioned and simple and …
Get yourself together, woman, this isn't the time or place to have a crush on some stranger!
"We’ve been coming to your tavern for a little while now," William admitted and winked at her again. "If you don't mind me asking, what are doing in the forest so late, honeycomb? Maybe I should walk with you, just to make sure that nothing else happens."
"It's none of your business, but if you must know I need to find the Alpha King," she explained, trying to remember all the times when the stranger and his men might have been in the tavern, but she only recalled that one time. She suspected that William was part of the alpha king’s pack. The fat baron was convinced that he was connected to King Caspian. Red had considered all the pros and cons of searching for the Alpha King and now that she’d gone this far, she didn't want to back out. "And stop calling me your honey. My name is Pamela if you must know, but everyone in town knows me as Red."
After a few seconds she managed to regain her composure and backed away from the wolf man. He was invading her personal space, and she had to get away from feeling trapped. She knew these men could most likely lead her to the alpha king, but for now she needed to get her head straight. On top of that, she wasn't entirely sure if William and his men were going to let her walk away. Deep down, she wanted to thank him, but she was too stubborn to admit that he was right.
Maybe if he hadn't been so cheeky she would have.
"Honey boo, I think you're heading in the wrong direction. You won't find the alpha king there," William said, when she was just about to vanish between the trees.
Her heart was still jackhammering in her chest. She was trying really hard to think about something other than his enormous size, great physique and those whiskey eyes that had been looking straight through her.
Annoyed, Red stopped in her tracks.
"And why is that?" she asked, turning around.
"Because you're looking straight at him, honeycomb. It's a pleasure to meet you, Red. My name is William, and I'm the Alpha King, well, at least that's what I go by around my men."
Red’s jaw hung open, and then she rubbed her forehead. She told herself that she was an idiot for not figuring it out sooner. After all, she just witnessed him turning into a wolf and he referred to the others as his men.
Red was ready to bury herself in the ground, knowing that she wasn't very nice to him after he’d saved her life. He was the reason she wandered off into the Forbidden Forest in the first place. She had no choice now; she needed to charm him somehow and convince him to help her.
"You're the alpha king that people in town are talking about?" she asked, walking back toward him. "If so, could you please put some clothes on; otherwise I won't be able to focus."
William's expression softened and he laughed out loud. It was a boisterous and pleasant laugh. He nodded to the man on his left.
"Connor, bring me my pants. I will meet the rest of you back at the camp."
Red's heart was still pounding, and she was smoothing her hair, trying to look anywhere other than at him. After several more awkward moments, the pack vanished into the forest talking loudly in a language that she didn't recognise. William put his leather pants on and buttoned up his shirt. Red was still picturing him naked, spread out on top of her. That image was already implanted deeply into her brain.
"I bet that you liked me more without my clothes, honeycomb," he stated, like he was reading her mind.
"You caught me off guard, and I just wasn't expecting to be rescued by you," she said in a small voice. He nodded and motioned for her to start walking. She didn't want to make this even more awkward, so she obeyed him. They were walking close to each other.
"You should have been more careful, Red. One Eye's men have been following you around for quite some time now," William told her. Red was a little taken aback by the fact that he knew so much about her.
She needed to keep her mouth shut if she wanted him to help her, but at the same time she was worried that he had been stalking her for some time and she didn't even notice.
"I was being careful, and those dirty bastards have been after me since they showed up in Farrington," Red replied, trying hard to be nicer to him. Her situation was complicated, and One Eye needed to be taken care of.
It seemed that William wasn't going to ask her anymore questions after that. For the next half hour they walked in silence. Her stomach was filled with butterflies. The real issue was that Red had already ruined the first impression. William was cocky and she’d bluntly refused to thank him. She kept thinking of ways to redeem herself.
After some time, they reached what seemed to be the pack's camp. She spotted a few men by a crackling fire, and was relieved to see that they all had their clothes on now. Red didn't recognise this area, and she was stunned when she noticed that there was an old abandoned farmhouse hidden in the trees. She had no idea who it belonged to before. She could see that the alpha king had started renovating parts of it. Only a few men glanced at Red, but most of them nodded towards William.
She sensed that he was their king, and they all respected him.
"Let's go inside so we can talk without being interrupted," William suggested, with a note of amusement in his tone, gesturing for her to go into the house. To her surprise the open plan living room was mostly clean, considering a bunch of men were living in the home. There was a large stone fireplace in the centre, and some old dusty furniture. Red suspected that the alpha king and his people weren't originally planning to stay in Farrington for long, but circumstances must have changed.
"How long have you been here?" she asked, trying to kill the awkwardness between them. She regretted that she’d snapped at him a few times before, but now the uncontrollable desire was making her crazy.
When she looked at him again, she couldn't tear her gaze away. His pupils were dilated and Red swallowed hard. Warmth ran between them, blazing inside her core. In that moment, the two of them didn't need words—they just needed each other.
William was beside her before she could blink. He pushed her against the wall, and his touch burned her skin raw. Red lost control of herself, gasping for air when he pressed his lips to hers in the most demanding and urgent kiss. She was gripped by a primal need to have him inside her.
Only seconds later she realised she was in huge trouble, but knew she didn’t want him to stop.
Chapter Six
Red's body temperature was skyrocketing, while her heart thumped loudly in her chest. Her limbs felt numb, her skin burning with raw fire. No one had ever touched her like this before; no one had ever made her
feel like she was losing complete control over her entire body. William ran his long fingers down the side of her buttocks and when he squeezed them she gasped for air. He kept pushing his hard erection in her entrance, dry humping her, and she loved every second of it.
Her cloak fell to the floor and then his hands reached under her dress. Red wasn't thinking when he lifted her up. She quickly wrapped her thighs around his waist. William was devouring her mouth slowly and his lips tasted divine. Heat poured through her, sliding down to her core. When he pushed his massive cock against her, the ache between her legs was unbearable.
She wore panties underneath her dress, but she would gladly remove them, just so she could feel him filling her with his size. It was almost like she would suffer even thinking about pulling away, denying herself the pleasure.
"You're stunning. Do you feel the fire between us?" He rasped the question, but she couldn't form a coherent response. Then he grabbed her face and began kissing her until she was breathless. He was rough but gentle at the same time, moving his hand down to her left breast and circling his thumb over her hardened nipple. The pressure in the pit of her stomach kept increasing with every heartbeat, and when he stopped kissing her, she was dizzy.
Moments later he stuck his face in her cleavage and then started sucking on her nipples one at a time. Red needed more, it was like his touch wasn't enough. Her blood pressure kept rising fast. Memories from her night with the highwaymen and then with forest ranger were flashing in front of her eyes.
None of that mattered right then. She was ready to come apart when William’s hand wandered down to her knickers. He stroked her sex, and Red yelped out in ecstasy, and pulled his hair. William made a deep sound in the back of his throat. It reminded her of a wolf howling in the forest.
"Mine, mine, and so hot," he said, but she was in the zone. He kept rubbing her swollen clit and simultaneously touching her with his wet lips.
All of a sudden, something snapped inside of her. She remembered that she was supposed to be doing something. Her tavern—she went to the Forbidden Forest to ask the Alpha King for help. It was her and Gran’s whole life, and instead, she was making out with him.
In a split second, it no longer mattered how much she enjoyed him doing all those wonderful things to her or the fact that the fire inside her stomach was turning into an inferno. She somehow wiggled herself away from him, knowing that breaking their skin to skin contact would upset her. And yet she begrudgingly pulled herself away. She stood firmly on her feet, taking long pulls of air while her heart was beating into cardiac arrest territory.
"What the fuck just happened here? I don't even know you," she said more to herself than to him.
Her hair was sticking to her face, and a bead of sweat ran down her back. She sensed his primal desire for her. The pressure between her legs was uncomfortable and she was aching all over. William’s jaw was shut tightly, and his breathing was laboured.
Slowly he started to relax, replacing the super arrogant smirk on his face. Red's mouth watered when she glanced at his enormous erection, and she wondered how it would feel to have someone so big penetrating her. It wasn't even about his size, but the fact that she was instantly wet for him.
"Well, honeycomb, you seemed to be enjoying it more than I did," he chuckled, and his gaze moved down to her breasts. The buttons of her dress were still open, and when she glanced down, she saw that her cleavage was shimmering with sweat. Red had never lost control of herself like that. Yes, she kissed men before, but the alpha king took this speedy make-out session to a whole new level.
She was there to ask for his help, and instead she nearly let him fuck her. This definitely wasn't part of her plan.
"Stop calling me that. I have a name, you arsehole," she snapped at him, not caring any more that she was insulting him again.
"Sorry, honey, but you're sweet like rich and silky honey, and I really want to dip my fingers into your wet—"
"Just shut up already, and let's just pretend that this didn't happen. I lost my head for a second," she cut him off, aware that her face was burning. Red was trying to talk herself out of leaving, but then she remembered that One Eye wasn't planning to stop harassing her—she needed his damn help.
William laughed again, and that only annoyed her further. She was angry that he was so good looking and that she was attracted to him.
"But it did happen, and I want to do it again. I want to take you upstairs, honeycomb. Tell me what it is that you want, so we can get it over with and pick up where we left off," he said, and Red remembered that he was still hard. Everything about him was distracting and she felt like she was becoming another person—careless and needy. She just couldn't gather her own thoughts when he was so close.
William exhaled sharply and then walked up to the table. He opened a bottle of red wine. Red watched him when he approached her again and handed her a glass.
She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. She couldn't drink right now, because that would no doubt make her completely lose her head.
"You're annoying, you know that?"
"Am I? But I'm handsome too and I would love to shag you, not just once but many, many times," he said and his eyes flickered with mischief. Red exhaled sharply, wiping the sweat from her forehead, still battling with her own raging hormones.
"I came here because One Eye, the head of highwaymen, is harassing me. He’s been spreading rumours that your werewolves are robbing people and kidnapping children. He offered to protect the tavern for a small fee. I was a fool and I paid him once. Now he wants more. And I’ve barely had any customers lately. People are too scared to go out after sunset," Red explained, ignoring his earlier comment that sent a jolt of desire down her spine. She couldn't believe that she was asking for help from the Alpha King—a real werewolf.
William kept staring at her with his whiskey eyes. He took a sip of his wine and then put the glass down. Red watched how his Adam’s apple moved slowly as he swallowed the drink. Even that simple act was making her hot. Everything that he did was affecting her somehow.
Images of him pushing her against the wall flashed in her mind. She was having real trouble getting over what happened earlier.
"I heard about this. One Eye and his people showed up in Farrington several days after we stopped in this area to rest," Will said, sounding bitter. "We tend to stay away from humans, and he used that to his advantage. I was meaning to deal with him sooner or later."
Red had her arms over her chest, attempting to ignore the fact that she couldn't stop staring at his erection.
"I shouldn't have paid him, but it's too late now. My grandmother warned me that he would keep coming back," Red added, mentally kicking herself for giving One Eye her hard-earned gold. She’d made a mistake and now she had to deal with the consequences.
"Don't beat yourself up over it, honeycomb. We all screw up sometimes. That's why you’re here, because you need me," he said and gave her a warm smile.
She nodded, chewing her bottom lip. Red suspected that William was going to expect a payment of some sort from her too. Maybe in the past he’d done good deeds for people in town out of the goodness of his heart, but her situation was much more complex. It appeared that he wasn't planning to stop calling her honeycomb anytime soon either. Red hated that nickname already, but she wanted William more than she ever wanted anyone else.
"I know that he’s been sabotaging my business from the beginning. A few weeks ago my stock was stolen from the merchant who was on his way to the tavern, and my outbuilding in the back mysteriously burned to the ground one night too. The tavern might close down if things don’t change soon. I'm starting to run out of money and bills won't pay themselves," Red explained.
The alpha king didn't say anything for a moment, he only stared at her, but this time without his usual smirk. She felt like he was stripping the layers of her confidence away, looking straight into her tormented soul and cracked heart. Red was experienced, and she always knew what she
wanted in the bedroom, but the man in front of her was made from entirely different stock—he wasn’t like any other man she’d ever met.
"Pamela or Red? Actually, I prefer calling you Red. It makes you sound dirty and hot, honeycomb," he spoke again, with his voice hoarse. "I want you. I wanted you the moment I saw you in your tavern. My pack has been with me for years, and they’ve watched many women stand by my side, but none of them could truly love me. You’ve been too busy to notice me and I’ve used my abilities to make you forget me. I didn't want you to remember me at first. I just had to drink you in. You’ve become my addiction over the past few weeks."
Red didn't know what William was actually telling her. She was confused, because she didn't remember him coming into the tavern any other day apart from that one time. She was shocked that he was so up-front with her. Was he saying he performed some kind of magic on her?
"I don't understand. What do you want from me?" she asked.
"I want to mate with you, honeycomb. I’ve been looking for the right woman for years, but there was always something missing. I’ve never been so sure about anyone in all my years."
Red opened her mouth to tell him that she’d rather die than join some kind of wolf pack, but no sound came out. William wanted to mate with her, which meant that she had to give herself away to him. She was determined to save her tavern, but she’d always thought that she could protect her independence. It was one thing that she wasn’t prepared to give away—even if it could save her business.
William must have taken her silence as encouragement, so he kept talking.
"Killing One Eye won't solve the problem. We have to think about something else. People in town believe that my pack are the ones causing all the problems, so that might complicate my movement."
Red wasn't sure what to think. She needed to know if this was his only condition or if he was ready to compromise. She couldn't become his mate, and she had no idea what the act of mating with a werewolf actually entailed. To her it was a hell of a deal breaker. In the past, her relationships had always failed and she was never good with expressing her emotions.
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