Chapter 3

Alpha Alaric stopped in his tracks upon hearing those words.

"First?" he sneered, pertaining to the heat cycle Castellana was going through. Clicking his tongue, he continued to walk away with clenched fists.

"She calls that her first? Then, what does she call the heat she went through that night?" he muttered to himself. "A fucking liar you are, Sullivan."

When he was a few feet away from Castellana, he saw a group of guys walking towards the garden. He chose not to mind them and swore that he had no intention of doing anything even if they found that woman.

"Hey, can you smell that?" one of them asked.

"Yeah. It seems like someone is in heat around here."

Alaric clicked his tongue. He immediately removed his coat and rushed back towards Castellana.

"Damn it," he cursed under his breath.

He used his scent to cover hers before carrying her over his shoulder and walking away from the garden. He had no idea what came over him to do such a thing, but he still brought her to his room without anyone else knowing. The last thing he wanted was for anyone to ever think that his view about the Sullivans changed just because he helped the eldest daughter.

After letting her occupy the bed, he went through his drawer to find if he had any suppressants. Much to his disappointment, however, he found none. He was about to leave his room to get some from the other members, but then Castellana had left the bed and now suddenly stood right before him.

"Don't show me those vampire skills of yours. It's making me hate you even more," he snarled. "Get back on that bed. I'll get you some suppressants."

Castellana raised her head and met his gaze as she gripped on his collar and pulled him close. She seemed to be in a complete daze and unaware of what she was doing, but the alpha right before her felt something that he shouldn't be feeling.

Looking right into the woman's eyes, everything felt like they snapped into their right places. Her mere touch created sparks between them as if they were a couple falling in love at the same time for the first time. Her usual scent of faint purple orchid suddenly grew stronger as if tempting and seducing him to have a taste of her. Alpha Alaric refused to accept it. He refused to accept the fact that the fated woman the moon goddess had given him was someone tainted with vampire blood.

With both hatred and temptation brewing inside of him, he held Castellana's arm and threw her right on the bed. He grabbed a tie lying on the table before gripping the woman's hand to tie her to the bedpost. The last thing he wanted was to repeat the same mistake he did just the other night. However, even before he could restrict Castellana's movement, she clutched his hand and forced him to lie on his back on the bed. Now that she was on top of him with her legs on either side, a grin formed on her lips.

"Let me... Taste you..." she said in between her ragged breaths.

Castellana removed her shirt, however, before she could fully undress, Alaric sat up and pinned her down.

"As if I'd want to spend another night with a disgusting vampire like you," he said with clenched teeth.

He grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around Castellana so she would not try anything crazy again. Cursing under his breath, he fixed himself and attempted to leave his room. Before he could open the door, Castellana ripped the blanket in half and pounced on him. This time, she held onto him with one hand while the other covered the alpha's eyes. In just a matter of time, her fangs pierced through his neck.

As much as he hated to admit it, it somehow turned him on. Still, it was not enough to make him lose control of himself. He elbowed Castellana without hesitation and upon feeling that her grip on him loosened, he grabbed that chance and threw her right across the room. Her back hit the hard wall before she slid down and seemed to have lost consciousness.

"Such a handful woman," he sneered.

He thought he had finally gotten rid of her since she was not moving an inch. However, it was too early to say so. The moment he opened the door, he froze in place upon sensing the scent of Castellana stronger than before. It seemed to be a vine crawling and gripping his entire body in place. If the door remained open, any male werewolf would be able to catch a whiff of her heat so he had no other choice but to shut it.

"Damn it," he cursed as he leaned against the door.

"Touch her... Feel every part of her... She's right there, waiting just only for you," a voice from the back of his mind whispered to him.

"Never," he said, despite his breathing going ragged every minute.

His pride, however, kept him from walking towards Castellana. It was already humiliating enough for him to have spent a night with her and to have her as his mate so he wanted it to end just there. As he continued to fight against his urges, his resolve started to shake once more when he felt Castellana's hands snaking around his torso. When did she regain consciousness? He had no idea.

"I will fucking kill you," he warned, but it was useless.

"Can you really do it?" Castellana teased before running her hand over the blood from his neck and licking it as if it was the most delicious thing she ever tasted. "I can feel your arousal, alpha. Why don't we satisfy each other? Hmm?"

Alpha Alaric's eyes glowed purple as his teeth clenched tight. He held Castellana's neck and in a blink of an eye, he had her pinned against the bed once more. What annoyed him even more was the look of victory plastered on her face. She grinned from ear to ear with her light pinkish eyes looking into his filled with excitement and lust.

"You asked for this," Alaric said, his urges taking control over his rational mind.

Castellana licked her lips.

"Yes, alpha. Submit yourself to me as I do to you," she said.

She watched him remove his shirt while he knelt in between her legs. His toned physique made his broad shoulders and abs more prominent, making him more delectable in the eyes of the woman in heat. When Alaric hovered over her smaller framed body, Castellana took a deep breath. She relished his minty scent before wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Undress me, alpha," she instructed.

Alpha Alaric did not hesitate to do just that. He gripped the sides of her shirt and ripped it apart with ease while he indulged himself with her addictive orchid scent. As he planted small kisses around her chest, he removed her bra and threw it behind him. Now that he came to know that she was his mate, her pull towards him became stronger than the first night they spent together. Even the hatred he held against her for being half-vampire did not matter at the moment. He just wanted to take her and relieve himself.

"Fuck, you're already this wet?" he whispered. "Two fingers slid in so easily."

"Says the man whose dick is bigger than before," Castellana countered.

She even went as far as lightly biting his ear with her other hand stroking the alpha's manhood. She loved hearing him moan, but she would love it better if he called out her name.

"Moan my name, alpha," she tempted, slowing down with how she caressed his manhood.

"In your fucking dreams," he countered.

He could feel her desire to make him fully submit to her, which he would make sure to never, ever happen.

"Stubborn little piece of shit." Castellana giggled before she pushed him back and made him lie on the bed right before her. "Even if you act hostile towards me, this..." She stroked his manhood. "It does not lie, doesn't it?"

When Alpha Alaric tried to sit up so he could switch their positions, Castellana pushed him back. Her hands were against his shoulders as she looked down on him with hunger. She leaned towards him, closing the gap that separated them and pushing her tongue into his mouth.

The alpha hated it, but his body betrayed him. It craved for her, wanting her closer, wanting to devour her more. As their tongues fought as if fighting for domination, he held his manhood towards her entrance and slowly entered.

Castellana moaned. She gripped on his shoulders tighter as she tried to get used to his large size. Feeling his hand snaking around her waist and holding her in place, she bit on his lower lip accompanied by a satisfied groan. She could hear his ragged breaths and his pounding heart, seemingly in complete synchronization with hers. Unlike their first night, she felt him better. His warmth burned her skin in the most pleasurable way. His kisses became sweeter than honey and his touches turned her on in more ways than she ever imagined.

"Of all people," she muttered as she looked into Alpha Alaric's eyes mixed with pleasure and what seemed to be... hatred. "Why did it have to be you?"

"Don't ask me that 'cause even I hate this fucking situation," he replied as he pulled out of her and forced her to turn her back on him. "Lie on your stomach."

"You don't get to order me around, bastard. You lie on your back and I'll ride you."

He clicked his tongue and pressed her back on the bed with more strength just so she wouldn't be able to overpower him once more.

"Lift your ass," he demanded, but Castellana didn't listen.

"You wanted this position so you do you," she said as she relaxed over the pillow.

That did not change the alpha's mind. He just went on and raised her hips before entering her once more. He noticed how she tightened her embrace on the pillow, making him smirk and more eager to make her want him more.

Hovering over her, he grabbed a handful of her hair and drew closer to her.

"Why don't you moan my name, Castellana Sullivan?"

"Never, you asshole."

Despite their verbal hostility towards each other, neither could deny the fact that they needed one another to satiate that hunger which they never experienced before. They no longer cared about the assembly they were supposed to attend and paid no heed to whatever the consequence may be.

Castellana held onto Alpha Alaric as she felt like she was about to reach her peak. He pounded into her at a rhythmic and fast steady pace with one of his hands holding onto the headboard.

"I'm close..." Castellana breathed.

This pushed the alpha to fasten his pace, most especially when he felt her nails digging into his flesh.

Castellana's fangs emerged and the moment she reached her climax, she bit Alpha Alaric on the neck. Pleasure coursed through her body, a pleasure so much better than the sexual encounters she had before that she feared she might get addicted to it. Along with it was the sweet and savory taste of the alpha's blood, a rare delicacy as she called it.

"You disgusting vampire."