by Marian Tee
My fingers brushed against the waistband of his pants, making him freeze, his mouth still on my breast. Although I had him unzipped, his pants were still buttoned, requiring me to wriggle my fingers into the opened slit. My hand dipped in, lower and lower, and I slowly pushed the silk covering his engorged erection to the side.
Finally, it was skin against skin and Alejandro groaned against my breast when my fingers encircled his cock.
He started sucking and I started stroking. Long and leisurely, quick and hard, our rhythms matched, his tongue, my fingers.
I moaned silently in protest when he suddenly stopped kissing my breast, but he quieted me soon enough when his lips covered mine. His fingers replaced his tongue on my nipple, tweaking and pulling. Oh God, how he pulled and pulled until my nipples were practically pricking him. I cried out against his mouth, my fingers stroking him faster when I felt his hand leaving my breast and moving down.
When his fingers dipped into the flesh between my legs, I bit his lip hard.
He laughed, as if amused by my aggression, but the sound was abruptly cut off when I moved my fingers until I could cup his balls. He groaned when I squeezed them, and then it was my turn to moan when he slid one finger inside me.
My head dropped against his shoulder as he started to thrust his finger in and out of me. When a second finger slipped in, the pleasure sharpened, making my fingers tighten around his cock. When a third finger joined in, I started to sob against his neck, the sensation of having my pussy filled making my head whirl.
My body bucked with each thrust, muscles contracting and expanding, not wanting to let his fingers go as Alejandro fucked me long and hard.
“Alejandro.” His name was the faintest moan as I felt my body reaching for the peak, my fingers moving even faster as I stroked his cock.
He knew what I was begging for and he gave it to me. His heart might never be mine, but his body was and whatever I wanted from it, he would always give.
“Come for me, kitten.” His low growl was accompanied by one fierce downward push of his fingers, and that was it. I bit his shoulder as I screamed my pleasure, my body shuddering as I came long and hard.
My body was still shaking with the aftershocks of my release when I heard a knock on the door. “Prince Pasquale is looking for the princess, Your Highness.” I recognized the voice as belonging to one of the Moretti wolves who accompanied Alejandro, bodyguards of my bodyguard. The thought would have made me giggle if I wasn’t reeling from the numbing realization of what we had just done.
Looking straight into my eyes, Alejandro said coldly, “Distract him. We will be there soon.”
When I heard Alejandro’s man leave, I tried to shrug out of his hold, but Alejandro’s arms only tightened around me.
Unable to understand why he wasn’t letting me go after what we’ve been told, I jerked my head up in confusion. Our gazes met, and my own eyes widened when I saw the fierce and hungry possession glittering in his.
He hated it. It was clear in his eyes. He hated the fact that another man was calling for me.
Hope flared inside my heart and I whispered unevenly, “Tell me.” I knew I was laying my pride down the line once more with my words. I did it before, for him, and he had ended up shaming me. But here I was again, doing the same darn thing.
“Should I go to him?” I swallowed. “Tell me what I should do and I will listen.”
He didn’t say a word.
But a second later, I felt him gently lowering me to the floor. Over my head, his voice had become cold and clinical. “You’re already doing what you should be doing. You have a future consort to support your claim for alpha and you have me as Cavaliere to protect your independence. And at times like this, you’ve proven capable of comforting your dog when you need to.”
His hands dropped to his side as he turned away. “I will leave you to dress, princess.”
I nodded and bowed my head.
There went my pride again. The thought had me breathing deeply as I willed myself not to cry. Warriors did not cry and if they had to, it shouldn’t be over something like this.
This time I really had to accept the truth.
Alejandro Moretti would never forgive me for making him feel like he was nothing but a dog.
Chapter Two
ALEJANDRO
All noise inside the well-appointed conference room came to a halt when Calys entered, her bearing regal. Her blonde hair was combed straight, her deep blue velvet gown just the slightest bit wrinkled. She didn’t smell like him, which was a pity, but Alejandro had been the one to make certain of it.
There were less than thirty of them inside the room, with only Stefano and Alejandro not belonging to the Hernandez pack. Standing at the back of the room, Alejandro was able to observe the panthers around him, and what he saw made him wary and vigilant. Calys’ appearance seemed to have made half the Hernandez panthers uneasy. The other half appeared furious, as if itching for a fight.
He glanced at Stefano. “Where are your men?”
Stefano answered reluctantly, “It’s only me.”
Fuck.
Alejandro didn’t like this. The numbers were too skewed, even if he had Hulk Barbie by his side.
Calys had finally reached her fiancé’s side. Pasquale was smiling down at her, saying, “I was worried about you, princess.”
Alejandro despised the possessive tone of the Hernandez heir. It made him want to punch Pasquale in the face.
Pasquale drew Calys close to him, his hand settling against her hip. Alejandro had never seen him being this touchy with Calys before, not even during their own damn engagement party. It was disturbing. If all this touchy-feely shit was supposed to make Alejandro jealous, the panther prince was definitely doing a great job of it.
“Why are we meeting here?”
Pasquale’s face turned grave. “I am afraid we have unfortunate news, princess.”
He tapped the table in front of him, and Calys looked down. The table had a digital display showing the map of the state. One of the marked territories was the Adelardi pack’s stronghold in the north.
Calys sucked in a quick breath at the sight of it. “What happened?”
“We’ve found out that your cousin Raoul has planned an ambush.”
Alejandro’s gaze met Stefano’s. The Adelardi pack leader’s right-hand man had an unreadable expression on his too-angelic face, but he sensed Stefano feeling the same skepticism about the news.
“An ambush? Targeting whom?” Calys asked.
Pasquale answered simply, “You.”
Her eyes widened. “Me?”
“You are the only one standing in his way to the throne, Your Highness.” This from one of the Hernandez nobles, his tone contemptuous, making it sound like Calys was an idiot for being surprised.
Calys didn’t even blink, didn’t even seem to care about the slur that was directed her way. But Alejandro did. In a second, Alejandro had the man against the wall, his fingers wrapped around the noble’s throat.
“Alejandro!”
Alejandro didn’t understand Calys’ shock. It was as if she hadn’t expected him to come to her defense. Looking at the man he held by the neck, he said grimly, “Apologize to the princess.” The air in the room was rife with tension, influenced by the aura of danger surrounding Alejandro.
“Release my man—” But Pasquale’s voice died down when he caught a glimpse of the cold fury glinting in the werewolf’s eyes. Dammit, why did this Lyccan care so much about Calys? The Moretti prince was the only blight in his horizon, an unpredictable factor that made Pasquale leery of making any unplanned move.
“I mean you no offense, prince—” The tone, rather than the words, had Pasquale’s teeth gnashing. The Lyccan’s voice was polite but bland, making it clear he didn’t really give a shit about what Pasquale said or not.
“—but I only owe loyalty to the princess,” Alejandro finished. He waited for Pasquale to argue. Privately, he hoped that the othe
r prince would argue. If he did, then Alejandro would have the right to kick his—
Pasquale looked at Stefano. “Are you not going to reprimand him?”
Alejandro was disappointed.
Stefano shrugged. “As the wolf said, he is only under the princess’ command.”
Humiliated fury turned Pasquale’s cheeks ruddy. Damn jaguar. He should have known he wouldn’t get any support from the bastard. Once Calys was his wife and he had her under his thumb, Pasquale would make the Guidicelli by-blow pay.
Summoning a smile, Pasquale said to Calys, “Surely you would at least side with me on this, my princess?”
CALYS
The look on my fiancé’s face made it obvious what he expected me to say. I bit my lip, trying to think of the best way to resolve the situation. Stefano and I were used to the insults that were directed my way, but I should have thought of warning Alejandro about it.
“Calys, my dear?” Pasquale was beginning to sound testy.
Before I could answer, we heard a yelp of pain, and I winced in horror when I saw Alessandro extending his arm, effortlessly carrying the man’s weight as he pushed the panther further up against the wall.
“Alejandro,” I protested. “His head might—”
“Are you going to apologize?” Alejandro asked.
The man spit at my Cavaliere.
Alejandro’s arm shot straight up, and this time his captive’s head did hit the ceiling. Repeatedly. There was no change in Alejandro’s expression as he hammered the ceiling with the panther’s head.
“What are you doing?” Pasquale shouted, making no move to help his pack member.
“Is it not obvious, prince?” Alejandro hit the ceiling with greater force, causing the man’s temple to start bleeding. “There,” he said in a very helpful manner. “Is it obvious now, Your Highness?”
I was torn between horror and amusement. Maybe I really was a human monster, but I just couldn’t make myself feel sympathetic for the panther Alejandro was currently treating like a jackhammer. I had never done him any harm, but like most shifters, he had hated me on sight.
Pasquale stalked towards Alejandro and struck him from the back.
I gasped. “Pasquale!” Without thinking, I moved towards them as well, but Stefano was suddenly there, holding me back.
Stefano said in a low, grim voice, “Stay, princess. He cannot be your Cavaliere if it’s you who comes to his defense.”
Knowing Stefano was right, I tried to appeal to Pasquale instead. He had never been this confrontational, so I couldn’t get why he was being so antagonistic. “Pasquale, please don’t—”
But it was as if he didn’t hear me. There was a twisted look of satisfaction on Pasquale’s face as he looked around him and saw all his men. He had the numbers on his side, giving him a sense of false bravado.
Pasquale shoved Alejandro from behind. “Let him go.” Another hard, taunting shove.
Alejandro stiffened, and the air around us suddenly became heavier.
Stefano muttered under his breath, “Your fiancé has it coming now.”
Pasquale didn’t seem to know it. “Damn you, let him go, d—”
Without letting go or stopping his hammering, Alejandro’s head slowly turned to face my fiancé.
If he wasn’t mad before, he was now.
“Before you finish what you’re saying, prince…” My Cavaliere’s voice lowered, turning his next words into a threat. “You need to remember one important thing.”
“Is that so?” Pasquale sneered, but his voice shook in the end.
“Yes.” A smile slashed across Alejandro’s lips. “You are in my city. My territory. So if you think having this paltry few will keep you alive, think again. This hotel is surrounded by Moretti wolves. Right this very moment, they’re all around us. Outside our door, on top of us, below us. They’re everywhere.”
My head snapped to Stefano, but he didn’t seem surprised. He must have sniffed out their presence well before now, and it just showed how ill-trained Pasquale’s pack was. I looked back at the panthers and saw the same truth dawning on their faces as fear filled their gazes.
How many? I mouthed the question to Stefano. Dozens? Scores?
Stefano shook his head. Hundreds.
My jaw dropped.
Alejandro’s voice became silky. “You were saying, prince?”
Pasquale’s face was white with humiliation, but it was clear Alejandro wouldn’t let him go so easily.
Behind him, one of the older panthers said nervously, “Your Highness, we wouldn’t want a war on our hands with the Morettis.”
It was true. No sane alpha would want a war with the Morettis. The Lyccan pack alpha’s heir might be persona non grata right now, but it didn’t mean the Morettis were poorer or weaker than they were before. If the periodic reports my father commissioned were correct, the Morettis had one of the strongest shifter armies in the world.
Alejandro said mockingly, “Your Highness?” He dropped the man he was holding, as if finding him no longer interesting. The panther fell to the floor and curled into a ball. His pack members rushed towards him, exclaiming over the huge bleeding bump on top of his head.
“Prince Pasquale?” Alejandro was slowly and steadily walking towards my fiancé while the panther prince backed away.
“Stop. I command you to stop!” Pasquale was clearly freaking out.
Alejandro didn’t. “I’m truly interested in what you had to say earlier. What was it? Damn you, let him go—” He lifted his hand.
Pasquale’s eyes widened, and he yelled, “Dugong!”
Silence fell.
Alejandro’s hand froze in the air.
Slowly, I covered my mouth. Dugong…like…the cousin of the manatee, a heavy, slow-moving creature that was so ugly it was considered terribly cute?
Stefano just as slowly looked at the ceiling, as if suddenly finding it fascinating.
In my mind, I was imagining Pasquale saying those very words. Damn you, let him go, dugong! Oh God, was that better or worse, calling a Lyccan royal like Alejandro Moretti a…dugong? Did dugong shifters even exist?
I looked at Alejandro, and again the words replayed in my mind. Damn you, let him go, dugong!
I tightened my hold over my mouth. Dear God, please do not let me laugh.
ALEJANDRO
Alejandro bent over the sink and splashed cold water on his face several times, hoping it would work like a dose of reality. He had always prided himself for being able to keep his cool. Unlike his twin Alessandro, he preferred to be more subtle when fighting. Or at least he used to be all that before Calys came into his life.
Switching the tap off, he straightened and glared at his reflection on the mirror. What the fuck are you doing, Alejandro Moretti?
He had sworn to himself he would no longer be emotionally involved in any way with Calys Adelardi, but no, he had done the opposite earlier. He came to her defense, even knowing she didn’t really need it, and ended up adding Pasquale Hernandez to the already long list of enemies of his pack.
His phone rang, the screen showing his older brother’s name. “Domenico,” he greeted.
“Alejandro. I’m sure you know why I called.”
Even though the heir to the Moretti pack’s tone was lazy, Alejandro could still feel himself flushing. Only Domenico had the knack of making him and his twin feel like they were adolescent boys again.
Alejandro tried to sound blasé. “I have no idea what you mean, brother.”
“The last time you were here, you told me you were just trying to cure your boredom, and that’s why you became the princess’ Cavaliere. But now I’m receiving reports that you’ve just made an enemy out of the Hernandez pack.”
When Alejandro didn’t say anything, Domenico continued in a sober voice, “I know you don’t want to hear this, but you will hear it anyway. You and I both know the princess means more to you than you’re willing to admit.”
Alejandro’s jaw clenched. “L
et’s just put it this way. Your wife was – is – nice, but look what happened. My princess? She isn’t half as nice as Misty is, so we’re better off this way.”
There was a moment of silence before Domenico spoke again. “No. You’re not, but I think you have to learn that the hard way.” His voice turned brisk. “Just take care of yourself. Hernandez may seem like a wimp, but I’ve always considered him cunning. He would never have maintained his position among the Panthera if he wasn’t.”
“Understood. I appreciate the warning.” Ending the call, Alejandro was about to leave the restroom when he heard voices outside the hotel’s men’s room. He recognized the voices immediately and he stopped, his hand falling from the doorknob.
“Be serious, princess.” It was Stefano, his voice a mixture of exasperation and anger.
“I am being serious, and that’s why I am commanding you to go back to our den and stand guard. I have the rest of Pasquale’s pack with me.” This was Calys, her tone adamant.
Alejandro grimaced. He knew that tone. When his hellcat used it, there would be no way of getting around her.
“Do not be so stubborn—”
“I’m not.”
Stefano cursed under his breath. “I just don’t like this. Your cousin has never acted so openly against your father. It’s not in his character.”
“People change. You know it’s true.”
Alejandro stiffened at the way Calys spoke. There was something she wasn’t saying, something that made her very emotional.
Stefano said in a low voice, “If you are talking again about—”
“Yes, you know I am. And that’s why I am giving you this order as heir to the alpha. Go back to the den and stand guard.”
A beat of silence, and then Stefano said, “Yes, Your Highness.”
“Thank you. I’ll go back to Pasquale’s side now. If you see Alejandro, please let him know we’ll be leaving tonight for the north.”
When Calys left, Alejandro opened the door and came out. He was absolutely certain Stefano had detected his presence, so why not tell Calys about it?