Daughters of Artemis

by Della Buckland

  "Rhyd."

  Sasha sat back a little, her brow furrowed. "Rhyd? He isn't the strongest alpha male in the pack."

  Aneria nodded. "Precisely. He's an alpha, but lower in the pecking order."

  It took Sasha a moment, and then she chuckled. "And here I thought Gauwyn was the only manipulative one in all of this."

  Aneira pounced and rolled Sasha onto her back, and then straddled her thighs. She smiled down at Sasha, her fingers tracing little shapes on Sasha's breasts, making her nipples tighten and a moan lilt from her throat. "He will be good to you, to the child. He is suitable while not being too much male," Aneira purred.

  Sasha wormed her hand between them, her fingers finding Aneira wet and eager. Her fingers teased through Aneira's folds, her thumb rubbing gently at the swollen nub. Sasha's mouth watered. She wanted to taste Aneira, drown herself in her mate's scent and flavor. "Rhyd, then," she agreed, and then bucked, swapping their positions. "I'll call for him when I am ready to mate."

  "Yes," Aneira moaned. "And then we will conceive a child."

  Sasha smirked, kissing her way down Aneira's body, spreading her legs wide. "Together," she agreed before dipping down, burying her face against Aneira's sex.

  Sasha's heat was in full force, and the entire pack knew it. Left unchecked, she was likely to mate with any male who managed to hold her down. Fortunately, Aneira was there to dissuade anyone foolish enough to make the attempt, by the expedient method of dipping her dagger tips into a powerful sleeping draught and then throwing them at anyone who didn't give the door to Sasha's rooms a wide berth.

  The only exception was Rhyd, of course. While he wasn't allowed inside right away, he was allowed to at least approach before being sent running by a well-thrown—and deliberately missed—untipped dagger. By the third day of Sasha's heat, word had gotten around, and no one but Rhyd so much as sniffed around the alpha.

  On the fifth day Rhyd came around, the door had been left slightly open in invitation. When he inevitably ventured inside, Sasha was there just beside the entrance. She grabbed his arm and drove him to the ground, her knee pressing hard into his shoulder.

  "Think very carefully about how you want this night to go," Sasha hissed. "I desire a mate, and I have chosen you. If you can prove that you deserve it."

  Rhyd growled deep in his throat, pushing up against her. Aneira knelt on the bed, watching, and Sasha was crazed with the need to breed. It took one good shove, and Sasha was sprawled on her back. Rhyd scrambled on top of her, reaching for her wrists. If he pinned her, she'd never get out from under him. In a snap decision, she rolled to the left as he lunged to the right, and then pounced him again.

  She would growl; he'd snarl. They rolled and fought on the floor of the room, one trying to best the other. Each time Sasha thought she'd managed to win the fight, Rhyd would regroup and have her pressed to the stones again, his body hot and hard above hers. While men didn't necessarily move her, Rhyd's stiff sex rubbing against her thigh brought about all sorts of base needs she'd never let fill her before. But, she'd be damned if Aneira's plan was wasted by some fast, stupid rut.

  Sasha kicked up and sent Rhyd flying over her head. He landed with a solid thud, and then she was on him again. This time, she managed to grab his wrists and slam them to the floor, pressing all her weight into his chest and shoulders. They were both panting, flushed, sweating, and Sasha could smell how damn aroused he was.

  She was, too, but it was mainly her heat and Aneira's eyes on her.

  Rhyd tried to throw her once more, but he wasn't in a good position, and he was too damn spent. The wolf-green of his eyes faded a little, and he snapped at her with his teeth. She liked his spunk, how even now, he didn't give up. That was all she needed to know. A slow, pleased smile made its way to her lips, even as she heaved for breath.

  "This will not be your child," Sasha whispered as she leaned down, drew her tongue over his lower lip. "I am Alpha. I chose my Alpha-Mate a century ago. I breed with you, but Alpha-Mate will be father to this child."

  Another growl filled the space between Sasha and Rhyd, and Rhyd again tried to bite Sasha. "Any seed that takes root inside you would be mine."

  Sasha surged forward, sinking her teeth into Rhyd's throat. She tasted blood, which only made her wolf all the more eager to fuck. Her mind reached out to his. Any child will be the child of Alpha and Alpha-Mate. You will gain rank in the pack by seeding my womb, but you will not gain me, Rhyd.

  Rhyd's hands balled into fists, a pained sound rumbling against Sasha's teeth. "A child of my seed is still my child, Alpha. I deserve to know it. It deserves to know me."

  Aneira spoke softly from the bed. "Yes, you do."

  Sasha lifted her head, lips bloody from leaving her mark on Rhyd's throat. "What?"

  "Would we take a child from him the way he would from us?" Aneira shook her head. "We would be no better than the men who have used us for millennia." Her eyes shifted to Rhyd. "This child will know his father. It will be raised by the pack as all children are, and you will have your place in that just as each pack member will."

  Rhyd's eyes darted from Aneira to Sasha. "You will not challenge my right to be known as father?"

  Sasha nodded once. "Aneira is generous... and right. If you don't want what this breeding offers, I'm sure there is another we can choose. I want you, though." She tilted her head, and then ducked down, bringing their faces very close. Her voice was low, tempting. "Do you consent?"

  The wolf swirled in Rhyd's eyes again, and he growled, "I consent."

  "Good," Sasha snarled, pulling Rhyd up and dragging him toward the bed.

  Aneira took her place against the stacked pillows against the headboard. They'd discussed this moment so many times, Sasha was able to lose some of her unease as she mounted the bed. She crawled between Aneira's legs, kissing the insides of her thighs, her eyes never leaving her mate's face. This was happening because of Aneira, because of Aneira's strength and love, and Sasha tried to show her own love and gratitude in every thought, look, and touch.

  Sasha jumped when Rhyd's large hands smoothed up her thighs and over her ass. She didn't want to stare at Rhyd while they mated; she wanted to gaze up into Aneira's eyes. It wasn't really Rhyd she was taking this step with. He was merely a means to an end. This was her family's beginning with Aneira, and it was Aneira Sasha wanted to focus on.

  "Use your mouth on her," Aneira murmured, ordering Rhyd with an ease Sasha hadn't expected. Aneira smiled down at her, and Sasha was again struck by just how beautiful her lover was. "Sasha hasn't been with a male."

  Even expecting it, Sasha gasped when Rhyd pressed his mouth against her. It wasn't exactly like Aneira, but it was something she could understand. It was good. Rhyd knew how to use his tongue, and as he circled her clit, a moan filled Sasha's throat. Sasha closed her eyes for a moment, that slick slide of tongue against smooth flesh making her pant slightly, and then Aneira's musk filled her senses. Aneira was aroused! Sasha's eyes opened, canted up, and Aneira was flushed, lips parted, and her hands carded through Sasha's hair.

  "Now you," Aneira purred, and the sound of it made Sasha shudder, "will use your mouth on me."

  Aneira wasn't usually so sure, didn't command her like this, but right now, Sasha needed it. She needed the direction, and she didn't hesitate to follow the order. Sasha ducked down and drew her tongue up the seam of Aneria's sex, and Aneira's soft sigh only made Sasha's clit feel incredibly sensitive between Rhyd's lips. As he sucked at her, made her shift impatiently on her hands and knees, Sasha circled her tongue around Aneira's nub, teasing under the hood where sensation was more intense for her lover. Aneira's hands tightened in her hair, pressed her face closer, and Sasha didn't care if she died then and there, her nose and tongue thick with the scent and taste of Aneira's arousal.

  Release didn't come easily for Sasha, but then again, she hadn't expected it to. Her body knew the mouth moving over her, the tongue pressing inside, wasn't Aneira's, and that made it hard for her
to peak. In fact, the longer Sasha licked and sucked at Aneira, the more and more sure Sasha was that Rhyd simply wouldn't be able to make her come. By the time Aneira bucked against her, cried out and tugged at her hair, Sasha had decided that Rhyd's efforts to pleasure her were in vain. Her body didn't want him, only what he could offer as one of the opposite sex.

  Sasha sat up, panting softly as she licked Aneira's juices from her lips. Aneira was flushed and spent, her eyes beautifully dazed, and confidence filled Sasha once more. She pulled away from Rhyd and turned around, leaning back into Aneira's welcoming arms. Sasha spread her legs wide, moaning as Aneira began to pull and twist at her nipples. She met Rhyd's eyes, almost feeling sorry for not coming for him. It couldn't have been much of a bolster to his pride, but his pride wasn't really her concern. Sasha closed her eyes, slid her hands down her own body, and used her own fingers to rub at her clit. Aneira kissed her throat, fondled her breasts, and whispered the sexiest damn things in her ears. Even with Rhyd kneeling between her legs, the male scent of him invading her nose, Sasha focused entirely on pleasuring herself and the feel of Aneira's hands and lips on her body.

  Her breath hitched, a ragged moan pulled from her throat as her climax approached, and Aneira whispered against her ear, "Are you ready?"

  "Yes!" Sasha gasped, her fingers circling her own clit faster and faster, feeling the small nub swell under her touch. "Gods, yes, Aneira."

  Aneira's voice, low and full of a wolf-like growl, ordered Rhyd with such ease that it surprised Sasha as she balanced there on the edge of oblivion. "Take her, Rhyd. Be swift. She isn't your mate."

  "I know," Rhyd snapped.

  Through heavy lashes, Sasha watched him stroke his cock. It seemed terribly imposing to her, making her hand tremble against her, her heart jump. Perhaps they'd chosen wrong, should have chosen someone less—but there was no going back now. Rhyd braced himself over her supine body, bent his mouth to her throat, and when his teeth sank in possessively, his cock took its place within her. It wasn't slow or gentle; it wasn't meant to be. He took her quickly, his shaft moving in and out of her with a singular purpose, and Sasha lost her tenuous grip on her release.

  Rhyd growled, groaned, and grunted, all alpha wolf. It was nothing less than what Sasha had expected, but it pricked at her own wolf, at its need to be the one on top. She suppressed it. Being on top wasn't what was needed now, and this was her small, slight concession to Rhyd. If he was to seed her, he should have the right to the dominant position.

  It didn't mean she had to like it.

  Her hands raked down his back as he all but pounded into her, a feral cry pulled from her throat. Sasha wondered when it would end, and then Rhyd pushed deep into her, stilled, and threw his head. The primal, triumphant howl that left his lips sent a shiver through Sasha, and Aneira's hands tightened on her. That one sound, carried through the section of the compound allocated for Sasha's pack, would be all the others needed to know that Alpha had mated. The wet warm that spread inside her with each little twitch of Rhyd inside her was all she needed to feel her own sense of triumph in it all.

  Sasha's body ached, her throat burned from Rhyd's bite, and it took every ounce of restraint she had to not knock him off her the minute he ceased coming. Instead, she growled at him, bared her teeth. The wolf rose up in her, made her eyes shine amber.

  Rhyd chuckled, eased himself out of her, and sat back on his feet, panting. He ran his hand through his dark hair, a lopsided, sated grin on his lips, his cock wet, pulsing, wilting. The male wolf was the epitome of smugness. He stank of it, and Sasha simply wanted him to leave. She wanted Aneira's hands on her, easing the aches, helping to ensure the conception. Sasha didn't want to have to do this again too often if possible.

  "Go," Aneria ordered. Rhyd all but barked at her, and Aneira's soft growl filled the relative quiet of the room. "If you want to be invited back to ensure a seeding, you will go. Now."

  Rhyd looked from Aneira to Sasha and back again. "I will return."

  Aneira gave a short nod. "Tomorrow night."

  Sasha's eyes followed Rhyd as he pulled on his trousers and made his way to the door. He glanced back at them for a moment, and then that smug smile returned to his lips before he let himself out. Sasha tilted her head back. "Do I not have a say in whether or not he humps me again?"

  A fey smile curved Aneira's lips, and she dipped down to press a feather-light kiss to Sasha's mouth. "You never do anything by halves." She then deepened the kiss, her fingers twisting and plucking at Sasha's nipples as her mind brushed Sasha's. Besides, we don't want this all to be for naught. Best to rut now, as often as we can while you're ripe. Tilt your hips, keep his seed deep.

  A moan from Sasha was fed between the kiss, Aneira drinking it down while tormenting Sasha's nipples. The arousal she'd lost the minute Rhyd had taken her flared back into vicious life. She arched up, offering her breasts up shamelessly, her tongue battling Aneira's, taking control. Once she dominated the kiss, their thoughts touched once again. I want to feel you against me, feel you come around my fingers.

  Aneira shuddered, pulled back from the kiss to pant. "Gods, yes, Sasha."

  The atmosphere was so different, intimate now, and Aneira shifted from behind Sasha, laying alongside her instead. Sasha took her mouth again, the kiss hungrier, filled with all the love and need that boiled inside her for Aneira. Aneira melted against her, pliant and sweet, the musk of wolf and woman driving Sasha crazy. When her lungs felt as if they would burst, she broke the kiss, rasping out, "Straddle my face."

  A grin spread across Aneira's flushed face. She rose, swung her leg over Sasha's body, and then the wet, smooth lips of her sex was poised above Sasha's face, eager and ready. Sasha lifted her hands, spread Aneira wide, and drew her tongue from opening to clit. The flavor and scent, so damn potent now, rolled over her senses. Sasha groaned and dove in, licking and sucking, pressing her tongue within Aneira's pussy. Aneira's body trembled atop her, her voice raised high and proud in their shared pleasure. Let Rhyd strut about, his howl ring through the halls, it didn't matter. Aneira's cries were the ones Sasha wanted to hear—were the only cries that mattered.

  With her hips tilted up, Sasha was perfectly positioned once Aneira's hands slid along her thighs, pushed her knees out and down to the bed. Aneira's tongue snaked out, slid along her upper folds, over her clit. Sasha couldn't help but buck up, moan and press her lips closer to Aneira's sex. Aneira lifted her head, pulled back, denying Sasha the pleasure of that talented tongue. At Sasha's plaintive whine, Aneira chuckled.

  "Keep still," Aneira said, pressing down on Sasha's knees. "Don't want to spill a drop, and I also don't really want to taste Rhyd."

  Sasha let her head fall back onto the pillow and laughed softly. "You don't want to taste his fluids, but I had to let him thrust into me like a beast."

  Aneira turned enough to look at her, an amused light to her beautiful eyes. "It's how children are made."

  "I know that," Sasha said, giving Aneira's ass a playful swat. "Now, make me come. I think I've waited long enough."

  "You think so?"

  Sasha thrust two fingers inside Aneira's wet, eager body, shuddering when Aneira bucked and pushed back. "I know so," she growled. "Lick me, Aneira."

  Aneira moaned and bent down once more, her tongue swirling over Sasha clit. As her reward, Sasha lifted her head and began to lick and suck at Aneira's folds again. They moved as one, Sasha's hips always carefully canted up even when her body began to twitch with impending release. Aneira knew just how to drive her crazy, how to make her body twist itself into knots with need. Sasha gasped against Aneira, panted over damp flesh, her hands twisting in the bedsheets.

  "Aneira!" Sasha's legs fought Aneira's vise-like strength. She wanted to writhe, to squirm, to push up against Aneira's tongue. But, Aneira was adamant. Her legs remained splayed wide, her body kept as still as possible. Then, Aneira sucked her clit between tight lips, flicked her tongue over the captured nub over and over, and Sasha
screamed. She was lost to the fire of climax, her upper body thrashing as much as it could while her nails raked from Aneira's hips down to her knees.

  When Sasha came back to herself, Aneira was still suckling at her, making her muscles jump as her sensitive clit was abused. Her vision cleared, and that was when she saw Aneira's fingers moving in and out of her own cunt, the soft, moist sounds ringing in Sasha's ears. She watched, dazed, whimpering each time Aneira's tongue slid against her. Aneira spread herself, rubbed shamelessly at her own clit, and when Aneira's body began to tremble, her tongue lax against her clit, Sasha reared up and buried her face in the drenched sex. Her whole world narrowed down to the thick musk on her tongue, the jerking of Aneira's body, and those heavenly cries that filled the room as Aneira came against her mouth.

  Aneira collapsed onto her next to Sasha, laughing breathlessly as her hand stroked up and down the inside of Sasha's thigh. "Oh, my. I didn't expect it to feel so good."

  Sasha rolled over, confident that Rhyd's seed would do what it would need to. She wasn't about to lay on her back with her hips up in the air for three days! "Making love has always been amazing between us."

  "Yes," Aneira agreed, looking up at Sasha. "But it's never included foreplay with a male."

  Sasha's nose wrinkled up. "I would not call rutting with Rhyd foreplay."

  Aneira closed her eyes and hummed softly. "Of course you wouldn't."

  Shaking her head, Sasha pulled Aneira up, bringing them face-to-face. "I love you," she murmured. "I love you so much."

  "I love you, too." Aneira pressed her open hand against Sasha's firm, flat belly. "And I'll love our child just as much."

  The acceptance—the reality—rocked Sasha to her core. They'd done it. Gauwyn had been right all along. The choice hadn't driven Aneira away from her; the choice had made them a family and would cement the ties of the pack. It was real. It was here. There was no turning back.