by Jorja Kish
Their haunted eyes perked up when they saw the bundle in Setti’s arms, sound asleep with a soft smile touching her sweet lips.
“What is this? I don’t understand,” Keene blurted, and stood as he followed Setti to their bedchamber with Mackenzie bundled in his arms. Braydok was a few steps behind them with a worried pinch to his features.
“She claimed me for all days,” Setti replied solemnly, awe deeply laced in his tone.
Braydok sucked in a sharp breath.
“She said those exact words?”
Setti gravely nodded and motioned for Keene to turn down the thin top sheet of their bed before placing Mackenzie on the luxurious surface.
Keene busied himself, tucking in Mackenzie as he exclaimed over his shoulder, “She had sex with you in the audience chamber!” Shocked and a bit envious of his mate, Keene turned to look at Setti with wide, expressive eyes that clearly shined with an aroused light.
“No.” Setti shook his head. “She submitted to me, giving me her mouth and taking my seed in as the Old Ways.”
The chamber was silent, only Mackenzie’s soft breath heard.
“How would she know to claim you in such a manner?” Braydok murmured, giving Mackenzie a speculative look. “She doesn’t know our ways.”
Keene huffed and stomped his foot, sending his bond mates a penetrative look.
“Don’t the two of you listen to me when I talk?” He scowled. “I said that she is the One, as in, capital O.”
He snorted and threw up his hands in helplessness, mumbling under his breath about overbearing, stubborn men.
“Hey.” Braydok bristled. “I listen to you.”
Keene rolled his eyes and snorted. He didn’t make a comment. However, he did give Setti a pointed stare that spoke volumes.
The giant commander opened his mouth to defend himself, but snapped it shut. He looked away in shame as the horror of what he did sank in. He nearly lost his bond mates due to his need to keep them from the pain of loving Mackenzie and losing her because of his darker needs. He was a fool.
The bronze hue of his rich skin tone blanched a sickly grey from the magnitude of his gravest error. He almost sacrificed his pod for something that would have never happened.
“I thought I was doing the right thing by giving her up. I didn’t want to make her cry like I did when I took her that morning,” Setti whispered.
“What happened?” Keene asked, touching Setti’s forearm and sharing a quick glance at Braydok’s concerned features.
“Both of you were gone and I was in the library when she woke up. One look at her and I was consumed with the need to dominate her. I tried to ignore it, but the devil in me pushed. I had her in my arms, feeding my darker nature, and she submitted. I gave her pleasure, but at what cost? She burst into tears and sobbed, then told me to leave.”
“That was why you stayed away from us, from her,” Keene said as another thought dawned on him. “More importantly, that was the reason you gave your oath to the audience chamber.”
Braydok’s astonishment rocked his solemn face.
“If she stayed, I would have hurt her more by keeping my distance. Eventually she would hate me, and the strain would have affected our bond. Our pod would have collapsed and she would have been taken from us anyway.”
Braydok clenched his fists and took a few steps away as he turned his back on Setti and Keene. Of all the stupid things, this was a doozy. He gritted through his teeth and tried to force down the helpless rage he felt, as well as the fear.
“You took a chance to fix something that didn’t need to be fixed. And by doing that, you would have destroyed our bond and pod if you brought another woman to our bed. I wouldn’t have accepted anyone else to share our lives with, Setti.”
Braydok scowled at his Alpha with narrow eyes. He jerked away and walked toward Mackenzie’s peaceful slumber.
“She is my woman also. You had no right to take her away, even for the greater good. She is the greater good,” he passionately said as he slowly undressed and crawled into bed, gathering her in his strong embrace.
“You had no right,” he fiercely whispered, and kissed the silken hair that brushed against his nose when he snuggled close.
Setti inwardly cringed at Braydok’s words and knew they were brutally right. He had almost destroyed everything that he desperately wanted to protect and cherish. Feeling queasy and less the Alpha that he was, Setti wearily sighed and walked out of their bedchamber and into the adjoining library.
Tonight, by a miracle, Mackenzie claimed him and saved his heart and his pod. If she hadn’t, Setti shuddered at the price he would have paid. Perhaps still did.
* * * *
“How could I have been so stupid and so blind?” Setti murmured.
“Well, first of all, your brains must be in your ass and sitting on them doesn’t help with the thought process. As for your blindness, blame it on love,” Keene answered, sauntering into the room and pulling Setti to an oversized chair.
“What?” Setti asked, startled, watching as his little bonded mate shoved him in the chair and climbed on his lap.
He shivered when Keene’s slender arms wrapped around his neck and gently caressed the nap of his neck, which was extremely sensitive. Setti lost his train of thought as the imp brushed his lips against his neck. He swallowed a soft moan before pulling away slightly to gaze into his mate’s crystal-blue eyes.
“Why should I blame it on love?” he asked.
Keene gave his mate a winsome grin and tapped the tip of his arresting aquiline nose.
“Because when you love, all that matters is keeping the ones you love happy, protected, and cherished. That’s all you see and feel, so nothing else matters. You’ve been a blind man for a very long time, Setti.”
Keene brushed his forehead against his alpha mate, then kissed the smooth surface. His plush lips pressed against Setti’s eyelids, to his nose, and finally, his gently panting mouth. His touch was soft, lingering until Setti pulled him tighter and plunged his hot tongue into his mouth. Keene gasped and softened even more when his lover took over and ravaged him.
He loved feeling the power of his alpha, the insistent need and unwavering control that made his blood burn. Most importantly, Keene loved surrendering to Setti’s touch. His cock was stiff and aching, pooling a steady stream of pre-cum against the soft material of his lounge pants. His shaft rubbed against the rippling muscles of Setti’s abs as he loosed a ragged moan.
Breaking free of his mate’s masterful kiss, Keene leaned back just far enough to pull his tunic over his head when Setti’s strong hands stopped him.
“Setti,” he sighed, shivering from being blind and immobile.
Setti’s answer was a hot, languid lick to a perky, pink nipple that glistened from the wet saliva coating its pebbled surface.
Keene groaned and bucked his chest forward.
Setti growled and took a gentle nip on the rosy tip before sucking on the tasty morsel. The flood of sweet arousal, uniquely Keene’s, plumed in the air, causing Setti’s cock to harden even further. He planted hot kisses and gentle suction all across Keene’s svelte, hairless chest and captured another nipple to torture with his wicked mouth and tongue.
Keene grinded his dick against the washboard abs. He strained to get the friction he needed for release. His tiny, puckered hole quivered, needing the sharp bite of his mate’s giant cock.
He lifted himself up and scrambled to free a leg from his pants, whimpering with impatience to feel the crisp hairs of his lover’s thighs against his ass and tight balls. Moaning loudly and squirming on the heavily muscled thighs, Keene curled into Setti’s warm body and sighed.
“I need you inside me, my mate, please,” he begged unashamedly, wetting Setti’s ceremonial tunic with his sweet-scented pre-cum. It inflamed him even more, knowing his essence marked his alpha.
Setti trembled from his raging desire to take Keene’s ass, to squeeze his ten-inch cock in the small, tight hole and g
lide inside the quivering, tight sheath that gave him so much pleasure and solace. He released his hold on Keene’s hands as he ripped the rest of the tunic off.
“Baby I don’t have any lotion to ease my way.” Setti groaned, trying to gather his thoughts that strayed to the sexy little body that fit so perfectly in his arms. His love for his pint-sized mate seized his heart and made it gallop harder in his broad chest.
“Don’t worry, honey, I have it under control,” Keene panted as he grabbed his dick and jerked it hard, focusing on the streaming pre-cum on the tip.
He coated his fingers until they were wet and sticky, then slipped between his open thighs and covered his hot, puckered hole with his essence. He moaned as his entrance loosened. It knew what it wanted and eagerly let in the first wet finger, gently pumping. Keene moaned louder, taking his pleasure from his finger. But he needed more. He slipped in a second, causing a slight burn to hiss through his teeth. It fuelled his passion, filled by his mate even further.
“So good,” Keene panted. “More, Setti, give me more.”
Setti’s chest rumbled with a feral growl. He swiftly unbuttoned his tunic and undershirt and exposed his silky-haired chest before unlacing the ties to his breeches. His hands shook as his passion-darkened eyes watched the slender fingers of Keene greedily pump into his reddening hole.
He grabbed his cock, pulled it and his heavy balls from his breeches, and squeezed its tip to pour more of his pre-cum to his hand and fingers. Once slathered in his pungent and musky juices, Setti glided his fingers to the pumping ass and slipped in two of his thick digits.
“Like the feeling of my fingers in your ass, Sheeal? Enjoying how I stretch you?” Setti rasped against Keene’s silky skin, using the male version of the endearment to strike deep into his love for his pint-sized mate.
His feral grin deepened when Keene gasped and bucked against his hand. His little mate slammed his mouth and shoved his hungry tongue into Setti’s mouth.
It shocked the alpha. Normally he was the aggressor, but at this moment, Setti enjoyed Keene’s unusual dominance and surrendered to the wild kiss that inflamed his passion further.
Setti twisted his cock in his other fist and pumped the heavily veined muscle, moaning his pleasure. His balls grew tight, forcing him to pull his fingers from Keene’s tight entrance and pull away from the ravaging mouth that made him burn hotter.
“Open up for me,” he commanded harshly, giving Keene that hungry, predatory look that made his mate whimper and obey.
His dark eyes strayed to Keene’s fingers and watched as slender fingers entered his reddened prize and stretched the tight entrance wider. Setti squeezed the base of his cock to stop the eager release of his seed. He growled and guided the wide, flared tip, the colour of angry red, and pushed it in with a pop.
Both men moaned, each feeling different sensation, but both tied to the exquisite pleasure of each other’s bodies.
Setti set a hard pace, pumping into Keene’s welcoming, tight body that massaged his cock with tight hot muscles. He gasped, grunting from the pleasure of his mate, driving his cock deeper, harder and faster. The alpha in him gruellingly took ownership of what was his, pumping and grinding his dick, giving his mate as much pleasure as he could stand.
He felt the tiny quivers in Keene’s ass, sparking deeper tremors until his mate tightened around him, lodging his dick in the convulsing muscles of his ass. Keene’s scream of release was silenced by Setti’s ravaging mouth, swallowing the pants and whimpers of his precious mate.
Setti pulled his mouth away once Keene melted against him and gritted his teeth. His neck clenching, bulging his muscles as his release tore from his body and spurted his seed deep into the eagerly waiting channel of his mate. He groaned deep and pumped until the tip of his cock thickened and wedged itself deeper into Keene’s body.
He panted against Keene’s soft wisps of hair, trying to control his breath and his heart. He rubbed his chin against the silky heat and sweet scent that he loved so much and gently pressed his lips in a sweet, lingering kiss.
They sat entwined in each other’s arms, giving Setti the time that he needed to release all his seed into Keene. The touches they shared were loving, giving Setti the peace he needed from his mate.
Keene leaned back and tenderly traced his mate’s powerful and sexy-as-fuck masculine features, love burning deep in his electric blue eyes. “Have I told you today that I love you?” Keene asked, rubbing his nose against Setti’s.
Setti shook his head and whispered, “Not yet.”
“Well, I love you with all my heart,” Keene said, kissing his mate sweetly.
Setti moaned and fell into Keene’s tender embrace.
“She said she loved me,” Setti solemnly confessed, pulling away from Keene’s gentle touch.
Keene’s eyes filled with tears and he nodded his head. He kissed Setti tenderly and gave him a sweet smile.
“Do you think she’ll love me and Braydok as well?”
Before Setti could reply, a chime from the front entrance of their domicile rang. His features furrowed in confusion as he gently lifted Keene off his lap and quickly stuffed his cock into his pants, grateful he had softened enough to slip from Keene’s body.
“Who would be knocking on our door?” Keene asked, concerned, quickly grabbing his pants and hunting for his tunic.
Setti shook his head. “I don’t know, but get dressed and go to our bedchamber to wake Braydok.”
Keene did as his alpha asked and dressed swiftly as he watched his mate leave the library and walk into the living area. His heart pounded in his chest as cold dread entered him. Keene ran into their bedroom as unadulterated fear forced chills down his body.
Something bad was going to happen to them, and he didn’t need one of his visions to tell him that, either.
Chapter 29
“Alpha Setti Prime of the Tromere Clan, you are in violation of the Rights by Claiming issued by a complaint brought to the Pod Council. You are to accompany the Sentinels to a private chamber and await your summons. Your oath as an Alpha demands this respect.”
An elegant courtier dressed in the white ceremonial tunic and trousers of the Council inclined his head, respectfully keeping his eyes downcast. Three lean and finely muscled Sentinels stood at attention, waiting patiently for the Alpha.
Setti narrowed his eyes, suppressing the rage that rolled off his shoulders in waves. He caught from the corner of his eye a Sentinel shifting his weight into a fighting stance. The two others shifted as well when they caught the scent of rage from him.
“By any chance, do you know the name of my accuser?” he asked in a mild tone that caused the fine hairs on the necks of the surrounding men to quiver.
The courtier casted a wary eye at Setti, then glanced at the stoic expressions of the Sentinels to find some type of reassurance. Their impassive features made him visibly wince before he bowed his head at Setti.
“I was not given the name of your accuser. Only that it is another Alpha.”
Setti clenched his fist and nodded. How he managed not to growl was impressive.
A presence behind him had him turning to find Braydok, his Beta and bond mate, standing at the archway between the receiving room and their living space. His purple starburst gaze conveyed his willingness to defend his Alpha and his mate, if asked.
With a slight shake to his head, Setti faced Braydok, temporarily ignoring the four men standing in his elegant Receiving room. He cupped his mate’s jaw and placed a soft kiss to the full mouth. Leaning his forehead against Braydok’s, Setti closed his eyes and savoured the intimated moment.
He opened his pale eyes. The indigo ring bleeding into the white orbs committed a promise from his eyes.
“Protect what is ours, Braydok, when I leave contact the Pod Council and demand of them the Right of Protection. Don’t let anyone take Mackenzie until my summoning and the charges revealed. You have my heart and my strength. It is yours for all days.”
&nbs
p; Setti turned away and approached the silent Sentinels.
He heard his Beta reply, in a voice that spoke of love and determination, “I will protect our pod, Setti. You have my heart and my strength. It is yours for all days.”
Peace surged into Setti’s chest from the commitment that he and Braydok shared in front of four witnesses. His devotion and the devotion of his Beta and mate were undisputed. Setti waited by his entrance for the courtier to slip out of the foyer and a Sentinel to lead the way.
He followed and was flanked by the remaining two, as was custom.
His blood boiled from the summons, knowing an Alpha from the dais, a fellow leader, laid charges on his person to unmake Mackenzie’s claim on him. He was lethal when he was pissed. Right now, he was the storm that destroyed all in its path.
* * * *
Braydok approached the dimly lit room of their private bedchamber and found Keene and Mackenzie in the middle of their bed. Before he could say a word, the two scrambled off the bed and rushed toward him in a flail of limbs and worry.
“What happened?” Keene shook Braydok’s sleeved arm, apprehension distorting his beautiful face. He looked beyond Braydok and searched the alcove that led into their library. “Where’s Setti, Braydok? Why isn’t our mate with you?” His voice raised an octave as he tightened his grip on the sinewy forearm.
Mackenzie covered Keene’s hand with her own and stroked the trembling palm soothingly. Her troubled eyes found Braydok’s and saw the worry in his stunning eyes.
Braydok covered his hand over Mackenzie and Keene’s, giving a firm squeeze.
“A courtier of the Pod Council with three Sentinels was ordered to place our mate into custody while waiting for his summons to the Council.”