by Kaia Pierce
We belong to each other.
I parted my lips to take a breath. Henry slipped his tongue inside, and I was overwhelmed by the taste of him. When he released my hands and took hold of my waist, what little breath remained in me promptly left my body.
He began unbuttoning my jacket and tugged it off. My hands immediately went to the knot tying the front of his robe together.
I got hard quickly. So did Henry.
With my skin growing hot and feverish, I struggled to get naked as fast as possible. Meanwhile, Henry slipped easily out of his robe and let it fall to the floor as he stood up in front of me.
As always, the sheer perfection of Henry’s body nearly reduced me to tears. His physique could have been the inspiration for classic Greek statues. I couldn’t resist touching his perfectly toned abs, feeling the ridges of his muscles as my fingers traced them down towards his cock.
Henry grasped my chin. I opened my mouth, knowing exactly what he wanted. I whimpered with need as he grabbed the back of my head and shoved his length into my throat.
“Mmm,” I moaned involuntarily.
My stomach tightened as I finally closed my mouth around Henry’s satisfyingly giant dick. He filled every inch of me, whether it was in my mouth or my ass. I would never get enough of him, and that’s why we were perfect for each other.
I explored Henry’s body with my hands as I sucked on his length. I could feel the muscles in his back twitching as he arched his spine, groaning deeply with pleasure. His ass tensed in my hands as I tongued the ridge around his swollen tip.
“Fuck,” he hissed.
I lapped at the clear, salty fluid leaking from the end of his cock.
“Not yet,” I whispered.
Henry shuddered as I trailed my wet lips down his shaft. When I reached his scrotum, I wrapped my fist around his cock and sucked one of his marbles into my mouth.
His thighs flexed against the sides of my face. “Oh, god! Lucas, get up.”
I held his ball between my lips, swirling my tongue over the smooth, taut skin.
“Get up!”
With a sudden growl, Henry lifted me by the shoulders and wrenched me around to face the bed. He gave me a single push, and I went sprawling. I was still in my wedding clothes, sans jacket. My shirt was unbuttoned only halfway.
I rose up on my elbows and tried to look at him over my shoulder. “Let me get undressed first,” I said with a breathless chuckle.
“No,” Henry said roughly. Gripping them by the waistband, he ripped open the back of my trousers.
“Hey!” I cried. You could have used the zipper, at least, was what I would have said, but I didn’t get a chance.
“I’ll make you come later,” Henry promised, “but I’m not going to wait.”
Henry’s cock sank into my asshole, and I screamed.
I was still screaming as he fucked me. There was no way it couldn’t be painful. Henry was just too big, too hard. But it felt so good, even though it hurt.
“Fuck me, Henry,” I said through gritted teeth, gripping the edge of the bed.
I pushed my knees down to raise my ass. Henry’s thrusts slowed.
“Lucas,” he said, gasping, “ride me.”
We exchanged places quickly, with Henry lying down on his back and me straddling his pelvis. Henry guided his cock into my entrance, and I let gravity take me the rest of the way. My legs slackened until I landed on top of Henry’s thighs. His cock was embedded deep inside of me.
Henry groaned. His eyes rolled back as I swiveled my hips, stroking his twitching rod with the inside of me. I rode his body like ocean waves, and I watched his handsome face the entire time.
He always made the same face when he got close. When I saw him make it, I sped up my rhythm.
Henry cursed. His expression tightened up. “Lucas—”
He came a split second later. His limbs stiffened as he cried out. The muscles in his neck tensed and pulsed as he emptied his balls into my cavity.
Distantly, I was aware that once I became a shifter, there was a chance we could have another baby. A sibling for Charlotte wasn’t something I’d ever considered before, simply because I’d never considered becoming a shifter until now. The thought excited me, but I forgot all about it as soon as Henry grabbed my hips and flipped me onto my back.
The mattress was still shaking under me as Henry’s smirking face hovered over my own.
“Now, future husband,” he drawled, “it’s your turn.”
Chapter 13: Anastasia
It was good luck to see rain at a wedding.
But a perfect night is a much better omen, Anastasia thought.
She pondered on this as she sipped bark wine under the clear night sky. Wood snapped and crackled in the blinding heat of the bonfire. The encircling ring of dancing revelers threw moving shadows across the estate grounds.
“To Prince Damon!” someone shouted ten yards away.
“To Prince Damon!” the surrounding mob echoed.
There was a short pause, which was immediately followed by a cheer as the guest of honor was undoubtedly thumped on the back for finishing whatever drink had been thrust into his hands.
Everybody was drunk, which was good for barely-buzzed Anastasia. It made her look that much better. Out of all the wedding guests sober enough to dress themselves after the hunt, Anastasia was the most eye-catching. She strolled around the perimeter of the party, kicking up the heavy skirt of her dress as she pretended to sip wine.
Thank god Lucas tracked it down, she thought. Without that dress, all her planning would have gone to waste. The man she’d been hoping to see was Lord Renton, the dashing noble she’d had a fling with in the Hamptons last summer.
He was also the man who paid for her abortion.
Anastasia refused to cry over it. Still, she couldn’t help but feel the tiniest sting in her eye as she watched the bonfire’s flames, her mind skimming through memories of last summer. That, and what had followed after it.
C’est la vie, Anastasia reminded herself. She waved one hand absently as she banished any lingering feelings of regret, as if she were fanning away cigarette smoke. It was time to move on with her life.
That didn’t mean she was forbidden to make Lord Renton insanely jealous.
Anastasia knew how gorgeous she looked, thanks to Lucas. Where is he, anyway? She couldn’t remember if she’d thanked him properly.
Just as she began scanning the crowd, her heart leapt into her throat. It was as if it had reacted before her brain could process what her eyes were seeing.
Lord Renton…
All the preparing, the dieting, or the social media stalking couldn’t have prepared her for this moment. Because as Anastasia stood there, having caught Lord Renton’s attention from just a few meters away, she finally realized how unprepared she was to see him again.
He was in the company of a loose cluster of nobles, most of them wearing plush robes. Like Anastasia, he was back in his formalwear. He looked incredible, even after a two-hour long hunt through the wilderness in his wolf. His eyes lit up when he saw her, and he excused himself to begin walking in her direction.
Anastasia had no choice but to gather her wits as he came closer. She waited for him to say hello first.
“Your Majesty,” he said, bowing low in a show of affectation that was somehow both charming and condescending.
“My lord,” Anastasia said, barely inclining her head. “How did you find my brother’s wedding?”
Lord Renton turned his gaze to the side, which gave Anastasia the opportunity to study his face. He had a square jaw, stylishly bearded at the moment, and blue-green eyes that reminded her of the Caribbean Sea. She wondered if he’d recently traveled there, because he’d managed to stay tan as toast in the middle of winter.
Of course, it only made him that much sexier.
“Personally,” Lord Renton said, his gaze returning to meet hers, “I found it hard to focus on the happy couple.”
Anas
tasia felt her heart beginning to race, and it took every ounce of discipline inside of her to keep her anxiety hidden. “Why’s that?” she said demurely.
Lord Renton’s shapely lips parted, and Anastasia’s heart rate increased by just a touch as she waited for his answer. You know I find you irresistible in red, he could’ve said, or Those butterflies remind me of our ‘picnics’ on the manor grounds.
Instead, they were interrupted by a series of shuffling footsteps and a high, flirty giggle.
“Oh, there you are, my lord Renty,” Opaline said as she appeared at Anastasia’s elbow.
Renty? Anastasia thought, cocking an eyebrow. She noticed that Lord Renton had begun fidgeting.
Opaline slipped a gloved hand around Lord Renton’s arm and beamed at Anastasia. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you how gorgeous you look, Anastasia.”
Lord Renton’s jaw tensed, and Anastasia’s face grew hot. Only a fellow royal was allowed to address her by name, and Opaline…
Opaline continued to smile. The crescent of her deep plum lips remained as fixed as a clown’s painted-on grin.
It’s not worth it, Anastasia decided. She drew herself straight and replied, “Thank you,” and left it at that.
Opaline blinked. Her lips twitched. “Renty, let’s go stand closer to the food,” she said, raising her voice. “The smell over here is turning my stomach.”
“Of course, your Majesty,” Lord Renton said.
Without meeting Anastasia’s gaze, he allowed himself to be pulled away by Her-Royal-High-Ass like some sort of—
“Spineless, grassblade-cock bitch!” Anastasia muttered, rearing back the hand holding her wine goblet. It was still half-full, and if she aimed just right, she could ruin Opaline’s frosting-white dress forever.
Just before her anger could overtake her, she felt a hand closing around her wrist.
“I don’t think you want to do that, your Majesty,” a deep voice said.
Anastasia froze and turned slightly to her right. There was a strange, young man holding her wrist and pinning her down with his stare. Smiling cautiously, he plucked the goblet out of Anastasia’s hand before releasing her. He turned the goblet upside-down, and the rest of Anastasia’s bark wine rained onto the grass.
Anastasia backed away as she tried to figure out who this dark-haired man was. Her nose said he was a wolf shifter, but she didn’t recognize his scent or his face.
“Who are you?” she finally asked.
“My friends call me Edward, your Majesty,” he said with a low bow.
“Edward what?” Anastasia said as Edward clasped his hands behind his back.
“Just Edward, if it pleases your Majesty.”
Anastasia regarded him suspiciously. “Were you eavesdropping on our conversation? You know it’s treasonous to do that to royals.”
Edward raised his hands. “I had no ill will. I was just close by and couldn’t help overhearing. Besides, there was only one royal in that conversation that I could see.”
He was smirking.
He’s flirting with me, Anastasia thought. Suddenly reassured, she let a smirk of her own slip through. “I suppose you can keep your head just this once.”
In a gallant show of thanks, Edward offered her his arm. “May I accompany your Majesty to retrieve a fresh cup of wine?”
“I guess that would be all right,” Anastasia said, pretending to be annoyed. She was actually thrilled. As she slipped her hand through the crook of Edward’s elbow, she marveled at how giddy she felt, no matter how badly her reunion with Lord Renton had gone.
This is even better, Anastasia decided as they began strolling in the direction of the wine keg. After last time, this was the only way she wanted to be seen by Lord Renton: arm-in-arm with an extremely handsome man.
Thank god he’s good-looking, Anastasia thought, regarding him as they walked. Edward had a straight nose, shapely lips, and wide-set eyes that reminded her of a tiger’s.
“Who did you come with, Edward? I approved every draft of the guest list from the Northern Kingdom, and I don’t remember seeing your name on any of them,” Anastasia said.
Edward kept his gaze trained straight ahead, but there was a hint of a smile in the corner of his mouth. “That’s because I’m not from the Northern Kingdom.”
“So the South, then?” Anastasia said. “Or the Midwest, perhaps.” When Edward didn’t answer, she added a coquettish, “As the princess of this kingdom, I order you to tell me.”
Suddenly, Edward jerked them to a stop and grabbed Anastasia by her upper arms. He spun her around to face him.
“A royal can’t order another royal, your Majesty.”
Anastasia’s heart was pounding so loudly in her ears, she thought she’d misheard him at first.
Edward simply stared into her eyes, smirking.
Anastasia didn’t try to wrestle away from his grip. She kind of liked it. She couldn’t remember the last time her heart had raced so fast with a man looking at her like that.
She kept her chin up, trying hard not to let her discomfort show on her face. Still, her lips quivered slightly as she opened them to speak. “What on earth are you—”
“There he is! Unhand the princess!”
Anastasia never got the chance to finish her thought. As Edward released her, she turned to see the hulking silhouettes of three security guards sprinting in their direction.
“Gotta go, your Majesty.”
Before Anastasia could demand an answer, Edward backed away and immediately began to shift. Within seconds, a sleek, gray wolf leapt out of his clothes and vaulted into the trees.
“Are you all right, your Majesty?”
Anastasia blinked as one of the burly security guards planted himself in front of her, blocking her view of the woods. Behind him, his two colleagues barrelled past, shifting into their bear forms. They roared as they bounded after Edward, marking their trail with the shredded remains of their uniforms.
“I’m fine. Who was that?” Anastasia said quickly.
The security guard shook his head, a look of disgust on his face. “A wedding crasher. We spotted him trespassing onto estate grounds in the surveillance bay. “Did he hurt you, your Majesty?”
“No.”
“Did he say anything to you?”
Anastasia nearly told him the truth, but something stopped her. “Nothing interesting,” she finally said. “Would you escort me back to the refreshment table? I need some more wine.”
* * *
The party finally quieted down with the bonfire’s last fading embers. The remaining guests stumbled off to sleep, either in their tents or back in their rooms. Hours later, Anastasia left the drawing room, followed by the two kings and the newly-appointed prince.
They’d been discussing the implications of this supposed wedding crasher.
A hundred theories had been exchanged over Edward’s true identity, but the one posed by King Henry made the most sense.
Perhaps Andrew Yates wasn’t King Harrold’s only bastard.
The thought haunted Anastasia, although she wasn’t sure why. Her father had never cared to teach her about politics or diplomacy. The troubles of the neighboring kingdoms had never interested her until now. If an illegitimate son could lay claim to the royal throne, what did that mean for her? For Johnny?
As she sat at her vanity, cozily sheathed in her French silk pajamas, Anastasia began missing her mother. Queen Sophia had possessed a rare balance of grace and decisiveness. If anyone knew how to support a reigning monarch in need, it had been her.
Opaline, on the other hand, had so much more to learn. There was more to being a princess than just the title.
I hope Edward knows what he’s in for, Anastasia thought. She found herself wishing that she’d asked more questions, at least. Demanded answers instead of flirting the way she had. But it wasn’t because she was so invested in the safety of the realm. She’d simply had no idea there were anymore eligible princes left on this continent.
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Anastasia watched her reflection as she brushed her hair. Just over her shoulder, she could see her glittering dress hanging over the top of her changing screen. Beside it, the balcony doors were propped open barely an inch.
A flicker in the sheer curtains caught Anastasia’s eye.
She set down her brush and stood, senses flaring. She thought she could hear the faint tread of footsteps outside. But when she crept forward and flung the doors wide, all she saw was the balcony, completely empty except for a single wine goblet placed just outside the threshold.
About the Author
Hi, I’m Kaia. I love drinking wine, knitting, hiking, and petting other people’s pets. My books feature shifters, slow-burning passion, and men who love men. I appreciate all my readers, so thank you for reading my book. Please consider leaving a review, whether you enjoyed the story or not. Reviews help me as a writer, and they help your other favorite indie authors stay relevant in an increasingly challenging marketplace. Your support is needed and appreciated by all of us.
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Other Works by Kaia Pierce
Riverrun Alphas Series
SCENT OF AN OMEGA
HEAT OF AN OMEGA
SPELL OF AN OMEGA
LOVE OF AN OMEGA
RIVERRUN ALPHAS: THE COMPLETE SERIES
Royal Alphas Series
OMEGA BLOODLINES
OMEGA RECKONING