by Lexi C. Foss
And as she came into view, I could see why.
The blonde, curvy beta oozed sex.
“Bianca, have you met Luna yet?” The way he asked it told me he knew we hadn’t met yet. He was escalating the stakes of our game by introducing me to one of his mistresses—because I had no doubt there were several throughout the clan. All alphas had a harem of humans and wolves. Edon would be no different.
It was part of the psychological madness that broke alpha females. We were a possessive breed, and to share our mates with others went against our natural instincts.
I didn’t even claim Edon as mine yet, and my wolf already wanted to shred Bianca to pieces. Especially as her arm slid around his waist in a knowing caress that spoke of their intimate familiarity. That he leaned down to kiss her on her perfect blonde head only infuriated me more.
“I’ve seen her exploring,” Bianca replied, a note of disinterest in her tone. “She’s not very friendly,” she added in a loud whisper.
Edon chuckled. “No. She’s really not.”
Fuck you both, I thought, turning around to dump my coffee in the sink.
If Edon wanted to taunt me, so be it. He wouldn’t win.
I turned around with a serene smile, meeting his gaze without hesitation. “I’ll give you both some privacy and go for a run.” I pulled my shirt over my head, unfastened my shorts, and shimmied out of them while focusing solely on him.
His smile died at the sight of my naked breasts, his eyes traveling lower to the well-groomed thatch of hair between my thighs.
He would be able to smell my arousal, the way my body naturally responded to his. Maybe it would fuel his time with Bianca.
I refused to even think about it.
“You two have fun now,” I added, smirking at his conflicted expression.
His arm blocked my exit, his hand curling around my hip to tug me into him as his mouth descended over mine.
Bianca growled in annoyance, which, for some reason, only made me want to kiss him back to piss her off more.
I didn’t even know the female, and I hated her on sight.
Mostly because she had the audacity to walk into Edon’s house without knocking, knowing that he had me here. Her boldness spoke of her confidence, of her desire to throw our mating bond off balance, and I found myself wanting to return the favor in kind.
Because even if Edon entertained a harem, it would never compare to what we would have together.
So I allowed his tongue to slide inside my mouth to explore and pressed my body into his at the same time. He rumbled low in his throat in approval, his hips angling toward mine as he deepened the kiss.
It wasn’t my first time embracing a male like this, but it was the first time I reacted to it.
What began as a hint of fun and revenge turned into something primal. Hot. Overwhelming.
My wolf stretched inside me, roaring to life and taking over my instincts. I slid my arms around his neck, pressing my breasts flush to his bare chest. He growled in response, his groin hot against mine.
Fuck. This was far too arousing, far too right. I’d meant to play with him, but now I couldn’t release him. I wanted more. To feel his prowess, his dominance, his skill in the bedroom.
He kissed me with the same vigor, his tongue skillfully mastering mine into submission as his palm spanned my lower back.
I wanted to climb him like a tree, find out what else he could offer me.
Until his lips left mine to travel to my ear. “Thank you, Luna. Bianca will handle the rest. I wouldn’t want to force you, after all.”
My blood went cold, my arms freezing around his neck.
His amused chuckle soured my stomach.
Bastard, I thought, livid.
My nails bit into his nape, drawing blood, marking him as mine, before I released him completely. His nostrils flared, his amusement dying.
“Enjoy your playtime,” I said, hating myself for the yearning in my voice.
Bianca practically purred beside him, her fingers trailing over his chest—a chest I’d just vacated—all the way down to his belt.
I refused to stay here to observe what happened next, to hear him fuck her in the home we were destined to share.
But it gave me a nice dose of reality regarding my new life, one I would not accept.
I’d spent the last several days testing the boundaries. I knew where to go. How to run. And it seemed Bianca had just provided me with the distraction I needed to keep Edon off my tail.
He wanted to fuck her? Fine. I hoped he enjoyed it. Because I wouldn’t be returning to find out.
I shifted in front of him and bolted from the house.
No more Clemente Clan.
No more Edon.
No more fate.
I chose my rules, my life, my destiny. Not anyone else.
Fuck all of you.
7
Silas
It took me several minutes to orient myself as I stirred to awareness.
A mattress, not leaves, cushioned my back. Instead of tree branches, wood beams decorated the ceiling above me. And an open window beside me graced my senses with fresh forest air.
My eyes stung with an emotion I didn’t want to acknowledge. Relief.
Fuck, I couldn’t remember the last time I slept in a bed. Intellectually, I understood it’d only been a few months since my time at the university. But that all felt like several lifetimes ago, between the fight for immortality and my transition to Clemente Clan life.
Everything inside me ached. Not from physical strain, just from the pain of existing. I had killed so many people, all in a game meant to entertain others. My reward? Being turned into a lycan and essentially exiled from the pack just for being alive.
You could be Willow, my subconscious whispered, causing me to flinch.
Being forced to fuck humans or lycans for the rest of my brief life was definitely worse. As were several dozen other avenues available to humans in this world. Hell, I could have been picked for a moon chase.
I groaned at the thought, digging my palms into my eyes.
Fuck. I’d be expected to participate in a moon chase one of these days. Would I be able to hunt and kill my old kind? Doubtful.
I rolled to my side, my stomach churning from both the motion and the thoughts running rampant through my mind.
Eating a full meal last night had not been a wise decision. I’d barely kept half of it down afterward. Everything was so rich. So crisp. Not at all like the food from my previous life, or even my new one.
Raw fish from the streams hadn’t been my favorite, either, but at least they mostly stayed down. The meat from Edon’s fridge was too flavorful for my taste buds.
Yet the wolf in me craved more.
It was so fucked up having this creature inside me dictating my wants and needs above my common sense.
With a deep growl, I forced myself out of the soft bed. I had no idea what time it was, nor did I really care. But it felt like I’d been sleeping for days, not hours.
I frowned at my appearance in the mirror. Maybe I did sleep for days. Because I looked a hell of a lot better than I did last night, or whenever I’d lain down.
The hollows beneath my eyes were gone.
My hair still resembled a blond mop of locks, the shaggy strands hitting just below my ears. I really need a haircut.
There are scissors in the kitchen, a cool male voice replied, giving me pause.
Are you always in my head? I demanded, feeling slightly violated by this whole sire-progeny bond bullshit.
Yes. He didn’t elaborate. Not that I expected him to. The alpha hadn’t proven to be all that chatty, just authoritative.
And maybe a tiny bit sympathetic—a trait that left me conflicted. I didn’t want to like him. However, I couldn’t deny feeling a hint of gratitude for giving me a place to rest.
I blew out a breath and consoled myself with a hot shower. The water beat against my back, giving me a brief glimpse of heaven.
I’d practically lost myself the first time I stepped into this marble enclosure, my body so thankful for a proper cleanse. Now I just indulged in it because I wasn’t sure if I’d be allowed to take another again. Who knew when Edon would change his mind about the arrangements? They were definitely temporary.
He wanted me to keep an eye out for him.
Fine.
I’d do it because there was nothing else to do out here. And also because I appreciated the shower.
It took effort to leave the soap and water behind, but I managed in favor of the scissors Edon mentioned. Then I stared at my reflection once more. I had no idea where to start or how I would reach the back.
“Fuck it,” I said, giving it my best shot. It wasn’t like I had anyone to impress.
Thirty minutes later, I appeared almost human again. Minus the feral glint in my blue eyes where the wolf peeked out. I’d seen my reflection in the water numerous times, knew what I looked like, but it seemed even more real now as I stood here before the mirror.
You’ve missed two days of rounds, Omega, Edon said, intruding on my thoughts once more. There are whispers about it floating around. Go make an appearance to shut them up before someone tells me to look for you.
Two days?
You needed the sleep was his reply.
Shit. No wonder I felt better.
Pushing away from the sink, I ventured into the kitchen to snag another piece of the too-savory meat. It nearly made me gag as I chewed and swallowed, but the wolf in me grinned. I chugged some sweet orange liquid after it, grimacing the entire time, and wandered out into the midafternoon sun.
The solar panels Edon mentioned were high up in the trees, their wires looping down the trunk like a vine to feed into the cabin. From what I gathered, the water came from a nearby well. Something about the system pumped it into the home and through a filter. I actually liked the taste of it.
Closing my eyes, I focused on calling my wolf to the surface—something that came to me surprisingly naturally now. The transition shifted over me, reforming my bones and lowering me to the ground onto four paws. It wasn’t as sleek as Edon’s. Not even close. But it felt right for me, and that was all that mattered.
With a shake of my fur, I bounded off in the direction of the main grounds. Hopefully, an appearance was all they needed. If anyone demanded an explanation, I’d just tell them I fell asleep out in the marshlands.
But something told me no one would care enough to ask.
I was the pack omega. The newbie. The grunt.
I only existed because of a game that left me on the clan’s doorstep.
Most would say I was lucky to be alive.
Today, for the first time, I sort of agreed.
A rusty scent caught my nose, causing me to pause mid-run. Vampire. But that didn’t make any sense. We were hundreds of miles from the nearest vampire territories. I knew my geography, understood Clemente Clan’s position on the globe, including the heart of the capital. Vampires shouldn’t be anywhere near here.
So why did a dead one appear the other day?
And now this one?
I sniffed, tracking the source. Unlike the first visitor, this one permeated the air with life. His scent didn’t match any of the visitors from the mating ritual, and the blood lacked the rich quality of a royal.
Was it a rogue of some kind? A vampire without a liege?
The trail took me deeper into the marshlands, away from Edon’s cabin and the clan headquarters. All that existed out here was swamp and wildlife. Why would he choose to muck through—
A bolt of white in my peripheral vision caused me to spin on my haunches.
My instincts triggered the chase before I could register that I was running, my paws bounding over the earth toward whatever had caught my eye.
Several yards later, the scent of orange blossoms hit my nostrils, causing them to flare. Luna.
I knew that little she-wolf was going to make a run for it!
By the looks of it, she was heading south, likely with the ocean in mind. Where she intended to go from there was anyone’s guess. But I didn’t plan to let her get that far.
My predator drive honed in on her sprinting form, pushing me to a speed that sent shivers of delight down my legs. It felt good to run this fast. Really good.
Luna was quick.
But my strides were longer.
I caught her back leg with my jaws, yanking her to the side. She whirled on a snarl, her jaws going for my throat without preamble.
Fuck.
I dodged her, then found myself in a ball of rolling fluff as my wolf took over my reactions. Subduing her became my primary objective, the inclination laced tightly with survival.
She was wild.
Fierce.
Furious.
But no matter how agilely or swiftly she moved, she couldn’t get a hold on my throat. I refused. And when I saw an opening to go for her neck, I took it, slamming her into the ground beneath me.
It happened in a matter of seconds that felt like minutes.
She stilled on a growl, her defeat written into the lines of her form.
And then she began to shift.
I jumped backward, confused.
Until she attacked me again—on two legs.
The woman was fucking crazy!
But then I realized why she’d done it.
If I left a mark on her with my teeth, Edon would have my balls in a vise.
Damn. I was almost impressed by her wit. Except I was more focused on turning human as well, something that happened faster than ever before.
She took off in a dead run instead of hitting me while I was vulnerable.
And I gave chase.
Two legs felt natural to me, my athleticism in this form superior to my performance on four paws. I caught her in seconds, tackling her to the grass once more.
She pushed and shoved, sending us sprawling until I seized her around the waist and yanked her under me.
Her resulting snarl vibrated against my chest as her fist sailed toward my jaw. I captured it just in time, pushing it to the ground, then did the same with her other hand. Which left her writhing beneath me in an effort to throw me off her.
“Stop,” I growled.
She didn’t.
Her legs squirmed, trying to gain the upper hand, and I knew exactly what she intended, so I pressed my groin into her sex, belatedly realizing how bad an idea that was. I’d just wanted to stop her from kneeing me in the jewels.
Instead, I’d aligned my hardening length right against her slick folds.
She immediately stilled.
I took a moment just to breathe, my heart racing in my chest.
Her light brown eyes held mine, her pupils enlarged in a mixture of fright and something else. Something darker.
“Do it,” she said. “Dominate me to completion.”
It was a dare that held a touch of a plea that I didn’t understand.
“I don’t…” I swallowed, my blood running far too hot for my liking. This position stirred chaos in my mind. A primal part of me—the wolf—wanted to fuck her. Hard. While my human side knew that would be wrong.
And yet I couldn’t let her up.
She’d just run again. I could see it in the stubborn set of her jaw.
“Coward,” she taunted.
My eyebrows rose. “You’re calling me a coward for not raping you? That’s charming.”
Her teeth sank into my lower lip before I realized she’d moved, her bite deep and drawing blood.
“Fuck.” I yanked my mouth away from hers, cursing again at the resulting sting of the open wound.
She grinned up at me, my blood tainting her lips.
“You’re insane,” I accused, half-crazed myself by the feral sight of her. What is wrong with me? It was the wolf inside. Instincts overriding reasons. I pushed it back down, needing my head clear.
But Luna rubbed her soaked pussy against my length, a low mewl of yearning
emanating from her chest.
“You don’t even know my name,” I marveled.
“Silas,” she hissed. “Newbie. Dominant. Male.”
The broken speech confused me. Then I realized the wolf had completely stolen her senses. Because it was a pair of black irises that stared up at me now, not light brown. “Luna…”
“Take me,” she begged, pressing against me once more.
“No.” I rolled off of her, then jumped up onto my heels as she came after me in a haze of brown hair and white skin.
Her nails slashed across my chest, her knees came at my groin, and her fist attempted another hit at my face. I caught her and whirled her into my arms, forcing her back to my front. She tried to stomp on my foot and kicked back at my calves.
It fucking hurt.
“Stop this, Luna.”
“Never.” She completely lost it in my arms, fighting for her life—and clearly coming for mine.
Her one goal seemed to be to kill me, leaving me no choice but to defend myself once more. I blocked hits and kicks, dodged her claws, and tried to find a way to subdue her that didn’t end up with us on the ground again.
Hurting her would be a mistake. On some base level, I understood that. But years and years of fighting for my life came to the forefront, taking over my vision and painting it in red.
I hadn’t survived this long to be taken down by an angry little alpha wolf.
And I’d killed men twice her size in battle several times over.
“Luna,” I snarled, demanding her submission, demanding she cease this before I really fought her.
She didn’t heed the warning, her lithe form dancing around me in a wave of violence that called to my inner animal.
“Yield, little alpha,” I demanded, giving her one last chance to do the right thing.
“Fuck you,” she seethed, her claws swiping across my cheek and leaving a burn in their wake.
Primal need vibrated through my veins, stirring a reaction from within I couldn’t repress. I had her on her back in a second flat, her hands clasped above her head, my other palm at her throat. “Yield,” my wolf roared.
And she did.
Oh, how she did.
Her nostrils flared, her eyes resembling obsidian pools of lust, her mouth glowing with traces of my blood.