by Lexi C. Foss
But I focused on him.
His shaft.
The salty pre-cum teasing my tongue.
His guttural sounds as he drew closer to the climax he craved.
Each primal shift of his hips, lodging him to the point where I could no longer breathe.
I accepted it all, fighting back with my mouth in the only way I knew how—by forcing him closer to that edge with each suck, nip, and lick.
He cursed, his face contorting into beautiful lines of aroused agony. He didn’t want to like this, didn’t want to need it, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. His dick pulsed, signaling his pending release, and then exploded down my throat.
“Silas,” he hissed, his nails clawing at my scalp, his opposite hand around my nape, forcing me to take every inch as he came over and over again.
My own grip tightened, indicating to him that I couldn’t breathe.
But he didn’t seem to care, too lost in his oblivion to notice.
Or maybe it was on purpose.
Maybe he wanted me to die like this, on my knees, with his cock buried in my throat.
The idea of it angered me, had me forcing him backward with a shove that seemed to stun him from his orgasmic bliss.
He released me long enough to catch a breath, then wrapped a hand around my throat, dragged me up to my feet, and pushed me up against a wall. I gasped at the sudden move, my back protesting the savage treatment.
His eyes resembled smoldering black orbs, his jaw so tight I thought it might break. But then his mouth landed on mine. Not gracefully. Not kindly. But ruthlessly. As if he didn’t want to kiss me but couldn’t stop himself.
And my tongue responded in kind.
Because I didn’t want to kiss him either. Didn’t want to be anywhere near him. And yet my fucking dick practically begged me to touch him, to stroke him once more, to do something.
As if he heard the plea, he aligned his groin with mine, his damp skin—from my mouth—heaven against my aching flesh.
I couldn’t stop myself from pressing into him, seeking friction, heat, relief.
His teeth sank into my lower lip, drawing blood.
I bit him right back, earning me a snarl from the beast.
My hands grasped him just as cruelly, my nails digging in just as much as his, my need to fight him harsh and apparent. And still we kissed as if we were old, angry lovers fighting through a haze of violence.
I hated him.
Wanted him.
Loathed him.
Desired him.
And his responding growls told me he felt the same.
It wasn’t unheard of for alphas and royals to pick harem members of the same sex—most enjoying a good degradation.
But this went deeper.
This wasn’t about Edon needing to humiliate or tame me. I sensed it in his movements, his mind, his snarls, his strokes, his kiss, his general handling, that this went beyond societal platitudes and games.
We were connected on a bizarre level, his turning me into a wolf binding us in a forbidden dance that left us starved.
“Jack yourself off,” he said, his hand moving to my throat. “Do it now.”
Fuck off, I wanted to say, but I couldn’t, my palm already moving toward my swollen flesh. I hissed at the first pump, my back bowing off the wall and directly into the wall of male before me.
He didn’t kiss me again but watched each of my strokes with a hungry gleam that only turned me on more.
I’d never felt anything like this, all my previous experiences almost clinical in comparison. We weren’t allowed to engage in sexual activities outside of classes, not that I’d ever desired anyone enough to try. Rae and Willow were my best friends, not my fuck buddies. And none of the men in my courses ever intrigued me, despite the sexual things we had to do to each other in our classes.
But Edon… he made my blood burn.
And Luna, fuck, her scent drove me crazy.
It had to be my wolf, all the new sensations stirring a riot of insatiable yearning.
The pressure built in my gut, causing me to strengthen my grip and increase my movements. If he told me to stop, I’d kill him. Or worse, I would disobey him.
I needed this, earned it, fucking required it.
My sack practically twisted in its fury to find release, my lower abdomen threatening to explode beneath the onslaught of the exquisite eroticism of the moment.
Edon’s gaze lifted to mine, holding me captive against the wall, his grasp squeezing, endangering my airway.
And forcing me to erupt.
My groan vibrated beneath his palm, coming out as a choked sound that left me panting against the wall in a cold sweat. Ropes of semen decorated his abdomen, my arousal marking him in a way it shouldn’t.
However, it gave me a brief moment of joy to claim something that didn’t belong to me. To name the alpha as mine.
He must have known, must have seen the glimmer of pleasure in my eyes, because he mercilessly propelled me to my knees with a single demand. “Lick me clean.”
A shudder of annoyance rocked my spine. Not because of the task—which was indeed degrading—but the idea of removing my scent from his skin.
This is so fucked up. He couldn’t be mine, nor did I want him to be mine.
Ever.
And I proved it to myself by doing exactly what he dictated, laving every inch of his torso to remove the evidence of my arousal from his skin.
He remained in a towering position above me for so long I thought he might command me to suck him off again. His cock strained toward my mouth as if in agreement. His body hot and hard and clearly in need.
I didn’t dare meet his gaze. If I did, we’d repeat this entire dance. And I wasn’t sure I’d survive another throat fucking from him today. Anger radiated heavily from him, mingled with a lethal intent.
He wanted me dead for touching Luna.
I couldn’t blame him. Alphas were possessive.
But he also seemed to be struggling with something deeper—this bizarre connection between us.
In the end, it was the connection that won.
He released me without a word or a strike and left as quietly as he’d arrived.
I remained motionless on my knees in his wake, unable to speak or move.
Because my fate still hung in the balance.
He’d merely spared it for another day, to be handled whenever he saw fit.
Somehow, that was almost worse.
10
Luna
Edon’s house reeked of beta bitch. My jaw clenched in response, any and all residual guilt riding my wolf gone in an instant.
I shouldn’t have submitted to Silas. It was stupid. Really, really fucking stupid. Not that I had much choice. He was a hell of a lot stronger than I expected, his prowess very uncommon for a newbie. Most humans resembled pups after a change, at least from what I’d heard. I’d not met any, as it was extremely rare, but Silas struck me as far more extraordinary than usual.
Unfortunately, he was now a dead wolf walking, thanks to me, and was probably being punished right now, hence Edon’s prolonged absence.
Fuck.
Okay, maybe some guilt remained.
I buried my head in my hands, hiding in my room and dreading Edon’s return.
He knew. His growl shook the ground beneath me out in the marsh, heightening the sensations in my core to a dangerous level.
Because I’d thrived from the chase, my body reacting unspeakably to the adrenaline that coursed through my system. That, coupled with Edon’s assaulting kiss not even an hour before, and I’d been hopeless to my need.
Oh, and Silas’s tongue. Holy hell, that man’s tongue could win wars. He had me coming faster than my hands ever had, leaving me hot and needy and screaming for more.
Until Edon’s growl rumbled the earth.
It sounded an awful lot like the one echoing through the home now.
I swallowed. Shit. He was back. I felt his anger in the air,
thick and intoxicating and overwhelming.
He didn’t knock on my door. He opened it.
I nearly drowned in the furious dark pools of his eyes.
“Did you enjoy your run?” he asked, his voice deceptively calm.
“Did you enjoy your playtime?” I countered, noting his healthy glow.
His lips curled. “Oh, you have no idea. Best head of my life. You’ll have a lot to live up to.”
A growl built in my throat, my blood heating while my stomach constricted. How could he be so blatant about fucking another woman’s mouth?
I nearly snorted. As if I had the right to be pissed. I just ran back from having another wolf’s tongue between my thighs.
And Edon had just come from delivering punishment. I smelled Silas all over him. Whatever punishment he’d received, it wasn’t good. It was also all my fault.
My shoulders fell, leaving behind a defeated feeling. It was a sensation I hated. A weakness. But I couldn’t help it. My actions had led to the death sentence of another wolf, someone who, for all intents and purposes, didn’t deserve that fate.
“What? No offer to prove me wrong?” Edon taunted.
“You look pretty well satisfied,” I muttered, nodding at his well-endowed, yet clearly appeased, groin. “If you need more, then go fuck yourself.”
A feral sound came from his chest, sending a shiver down my spine. “Careful, Luna. Or next time I’ll make you watch while I fuck someone else.”
I swallowed. The way he said it made it sound like a promise, not a potential situation. My father forced my mother to observe his activities over the years, each one breaking her more.
“What? No fiery comeback?” He waited. “Don’t tell me your defiance is gone already.”
I said nothing. He wanted my submission. Instead, I gave him my silence.
“Your ground privileges are officially revoked. The next time you want to run, you’ll have to ask. If I catch you outside the boundaries of the village without my express permission, I will punish you. Do you understand?”
I met his gaze. Did I understand? “Yes.” Would I comply? Fuck no.
The tilt of his lips said he knew, too.
And that he would enjoy administering whatever punishment he had in mind.
Fine.
It didn’t scare me.
He had no idea what sorts of punishments I grew up enduring. I was so incredibly well versed in the art that he would have to be extremely creative to even consider impressing me.
So good luck to him.
Edon left without another comment, the air thick with promise and sex in his wake.
I wanted to vomit.
Today, I tried and failed to escape.
Tomorrow, I would try again.
And the next day.
And the day after.
Until I either died trying or succeeded.
Edon thought I’d given up? Hardly. I was just getting started.
I woke to blissful silence.
Either Edon stupidly expected me to obey his command or he had a trap waiting for me.
Regardless, I was going for a run. No one grounded me. Especially not him.
Pulling on a pair of jeans and a tank top, I decided to take a walk through home base first and see what they were saying. Because if Edon informed them of my little house arrest, then I needed to know whom to evade.
It would also give me a cover if he asked where I went today. Oh, you know, around.
Only, the second I set foot on the main property of Clemente Clan’s headquarters, I regretted it.
Bianca stood with a group of friends, her face positively glowing as she spoke—loudly—about the things Edon did to her last night.
You went to her? Again? I thought, irritated beyond measure. It was so illogical, so completely unfair given that I’d shared an erotic session with his progeny, but to know he went to this bitch in his aggression-filled hormonal state pissed me off to no end.
Which was how I justified my fist meeting her face.
Twice.
It all happened so fast, my reaction to hearing her gloating—in front of me—about fucking my mate, that I couldn’t pull my wolf back in time before striking out.
That she smelled like Edon only made it worse.
Mine, my wolf growled, sending my fist into the bitch’s jaw a third time.
“Enough,” a male voice snapped, one underlined in authority.
One that belonged to an alpha.
Walter.
My knees bent without preamble, my head bowing in a submission I felt down to my very bones. Survival, my wolf whispered. Something that didn’t happen with Edon. Because somewhere deep down I knew he wouldn’t hurt me, unlike the alpha approaching me now.
Walter would gladly flog me, rape me, beat me to a pulp. I felt it in his intentions with every step, his interest in breaking whom he saw as the strongest female in his pack—a female who needed to learn how to properly heel.
The back of his hand met the side of my head, the strike sending me to the ground on a whimper. “You do not have authority here, Luna of Ernest Clan,” he said in a deceptively calm voice.
His foot connected with my midsection next, causing me to curl in on myself in protection, years of my father’s similar treatment flashing behind my eyes.
I can do this.
It only hurts for a little while.
Go to the happy place.
Think about sparring with Logan.
Don’t—
His next strike came to my back, shooting pain up my spine.
“Gentlemen, who wants to help me teach the little wolf a lesson?” he asked, the licentious notes in his voice sending ice through my veins.
Because I knew what he was proposing.
I’d seen my father do the same to my mother for misbehaving, had to watch her gang rape firsthand. It wasn’t meant for her pleasure but my father’s. And as he oversaw the treatment, he didn’t care about those seeking their own ecstasy through the use of her body.
He’d even fucked another woman beside her just to prove his point.
It’d made me so sick, stunned me so harshly, that Logan had to hold me all night to keep me warm. He promised that when he took over, things would be different, that he wouldn’t treat our people with such disrespect.
But now that I wasn’t there, who knew what vile things my father would implant in Logan’s mind?
A crowd formed, hungry male testosterone filling the air.
Violence seemed to rain down upon me in the form of jabs, kicks, touches I didn’t want to feel.
It all blended together, the chaos a cloud in my mind.
This can’t break me, I pleaded with myself. You’ve been beaten before. You’ve been drowned. You’ve lived outside in subzero elements for days. You can do this. You can do this. You can—
A furious growl rumbled the ground, one that seemed to shake the foundations of my heart and broke through the cruel fog circling my aching body.
“Mine,” the voice said. “You will not touch what is mine.”
“She’s a disobedient little bitch who needs to be taught a lesson,” Walter replied, a belt in his hand that appeared to be tinged with blood.
My blood.
I didn’t remember him hitting me, couldn’t even feel the remnants of any slash, but I felt certain he’d struck me more than once.
“And you will not be the one delivering that lesson.”
“Like hell I won’t,” the alpha growled.
Edon caught his father’s rising wrist, twisting it so harshly the bone threatened to snap. “You have no authority over my mate. If I want her beaten, she will be beaten. If I want her raped, she will be raped. But you will not dictate the punishment. I will.”
He shoved the alpha back with a force that elicited gasps from the crowd. So much power. So much command.
An alpha in his prime.
The rising heir.
I saw it now in his stance, in the way his mu
scles bunched across his bare back. Even in nothing but a pair of jeans—no shoes—he stood with an authority few others would ever possess.
This male required dominance.
And if I wasn’t already on the ground, I’d be kneeling at his feet beneath the aura of superiority rolling off him in waves.
Edon turned, his eyes pools of black that brought the majority of the crowd to their knees with a single glance.
No one would challenge him.
Not here.
Not ever.
“Luna is mine,” he said, his tone carrying across the village, and probably into the surrounding areas as well. “If anyone would like to fight me for the right to touch my property, I stand well prepared.” He stared down every male in attendance who remained standing until each of them bowed their heads. And then he returned to Walter, who had stood with an ambience of fury that chilled the atmosphere around us. “Your days are numbered, Alpha Incumbent. I bow to you no longer. Do not touch Luna again without my permission, or I will make you regret it, old man.”
Edon didn’t wait for a response; he scooped me off the ground and carried me through the throng of bowing wolves.
No one stopped us.
No one said a word.
Not even the furious alpha in our wake.
I buried my head against Edon’s neck, my face wet with tears I hadn’t realized I’d shed. Just the fear of those men touching me had destroyed my confidence, the helpless realization of my fate, and the knowledge that I couldn’t fight them all off.
They wouldn’t have killed me.
They would have subdued me and made it hurt so much worse.
Edon brushed a finger along my spine, his touch burning through the fabric of my shirt. Just a tender stroke, a notion of comfort, that somehow hurt even more.
I’d lost my shit over a female for bragging about him, for fucking him when he didn’t truly belong to me. I couldn’t even imagine what he had done to Silas.
The jealousy inside me had burned so hot, forcing my wolf to the surface.
And this was just the beginning.
Edon would always take other females, likely even in front of me. How would I stomach it if I couldn’t even handle it now?