Light really does make all the difference. For instance, when we were rolling around in the dark, I had no idea that Rafe and I were frolicking on a king-size mattress in a massive room that dwarfed Alpha Nolan’s study. I was also blissfully unaware of how beautifully decorated the space was. In fact, beautiful is an understatement.As I scan the area, now bathed in sunlight, I’m gagged.This is his home? How can it be?This room looks like something out of a palatial tour pamphlet. I’ve only seen places like this in magazines and picture books at the library, and that was nearly two decades ago.“It’s a bit much, isn’t it?” Rafe laughs, snuggling against me from behind. His arms trap me against him, so I can’t get a full view of just how decadent the room is. But the parts I can see are enough to confirm a few things for me while raising countless other questions.“A bit much?” I scoff, pursing my lips at him and his underwhelming comment. “I think the word you’re looking for is opul
My mate is insatiable. And his audacity, ugh.To claim that he wants me to rest and recuperate, and then to spend all morning doing his best to leave me breathless and exhausted. I lost count of how many times we did it. All I know is, by the time he was finally satisfied, I was a mess. My back is sore, my legs are like jelly, and I have no idea what time it is.I manage to get to my feet and wash off in the on suite bathroom, which, again, is larger than any bathroom I’ve ever seen.Must everything be gilded in golden scrollwork? Must every surface reflect impeccable skill and craftsmanship? Must even the toilet call me poor?I’m not actually bothered by how nice everything is. Especially considering Rafe declared, in no uncertain terms, that this is just as much my home as it is his. I’m just pissy because he dodged my questions earlier and had his way with me for most of the day. Not that I mind that much either.Warm water cascades down my body, soothing my aching muscles and stre
He wraps his arms around my waist and rests his chin on my shoulder.“I don’t know,” I mutter, twisting in his arms to face him. “I didn’t hear you come in.”“I’ve been back for a little while.” Rafe kisses my cheek and breathes into the curve of my neck. “I called out to you, but you were staring out the window so intently, I didn’t want to disturb you.”Back for a few minutes? What is he doing back so early?The light in the room is different. And a chill hangs heavy in the air. I face the window again, expecting bright sunlight and green grass fields filled with passersby, only to find the sun setting at the horizon and the lawn outside abandoned. But… It was just around high noon. I could tell from the light and the sun burning in the sky.What is happening? Am I finally going insane after all these years?“I noticed the flower in your hair when I came to hug you.” Rafe plucks the flower from my hair and twirls it in his fingers in front of us. “It’s beautiful. Where did you say y
Another three days passed with me confined to the room. The only people I interacted with during that time were Rafe, Christobel, and occasionally Alpha Thane when he would stop by to pry Rafe away from me.Three days.I haven’t dared stare out the windows since the little girl last appeared. I haven’t done much of anything aside from eat, bathe, and, well, Rafe. And I’m pretty sure the mate bond isn’t the only reason he’s so… intense. I mean, yes, I feel this unending, burning attraction for him. Every day, it gets more potent, and I find myself pacing while I wait for him to return to the room.And he’s even more passionate than I am.We hardly get more than a few sentences spoken between us before he lifts me up and I straddle his waist. He adores me; he can’t get enough. That’s what he says when he covers my mouth with his, stifling my questions and requests. Every time I mention touring Io or leaving this blasted bedroom, he shuts me down in the most infuriatingly pleasant ways.
Rafe laughs at my question as if it is the most absurd thing he’s ever heard. It’s the kind of laugh that shakes the room but still sounds hollow. I’m probably projecting. “Protect you from Io? Is that really something that I have to do?” he asks after catching his breath. “Why on earth would I have to protect you from your own people?” My own people. It’s only natural that he looks at Io that way. I’m his mate who abandoned her “birth pack” to join him. That makes Io my new home, and these wolves are my people. Technically. Off the record, though, I’m sure that I’ll be considered public enemy number one the second everyone discovers who my mother is. Goddess, I jumped out of the frying pan and into the pits of hell. “I’m not from here. I don’t know the ways of your people. I’m sure I will rub someone the wrong way eventually,” I mutter my half-truth, trying my best to keep my composure and not let anything else slip. I jump when his warm fingers gently rub between my tented brow
My whole body is exhausted. But he’s not stopping. Why isn’t he stopping? Why isn’t he as tired as I am? Where does he get the energy to torment me like this?“Keep your eyes on me,” his gruff voice drags me back into my overwhelmed body and I do my best to obey his command. I know better than to protest now.My legs feel detatched from my body. The only reason I know they are still on me is because I see them draped over Rafe’s broad shoulders. His head of dark curls is nestled between my thighs and his eyes burn up at me.He nips at my thigh before kissing the same spot.“Pay attention. I want you to watch me make you cum,” he growls. “I want you to see how much I enjoy you. How much I adore you.”“Rafe—”I’m breathless. His mouth covers me and I lose focus, my head falling back against the pillows. He’s been doing this for at least thirty minutes. It’s so good. My entire body is buzzing from pleasure as he sucks and licks and strokes me with his tongue.“Eyes. On. Me.”I’m trying.
I smelled him coming a mile away.My father only ever comes to see me when he reeks of cheap whiskey and rage. He needs a target to attack and someone to blame for all the various misfortunes of his life. I'm guilty of only having been born to the bitter tyrant.I press my face against the dingy wallpaper inside my run-down trailer tucked away in a corner. My heart pounds with an all too familiar dread, despite having endured this scene many times in my life. It's all burned into my body, like muscle memory.The sound of his heavy footsteps echoes outside with the uneven crunch of gravel under Deadrick Pride's stumbling gait. He's here for me, fueled by the liquor that consumes his inhibitions and ignites his rage.The trailer, my paper-thin sanctuary, closes in around me. Its walls, worn and rusted, bear the scars of countless altercations. The only physical evidence remaining of the many wounds inflicted by my father, my family, my pack. The half-broken windows allow slivers of moon
"Get up, bitch." Wesley sneers down at me, his voice dripping with venom. "Or do you need more time to finish crying to mommy dearest?" His words sting, but I'm used to them, along with his slaps, his kicks, his punches. His words are probably his weakest weapon, but that doesn't stop them from stirring something wounded within me. I pick myself up and get on my feet despite my aching, tense abdomen. I know the drill and keep my eyes lowered. Grit and bear it. That's all I have to do. Just grit my teeth and bear it. "Not much of a mother, though," he sniffs, circling me and her grave. "Took the first chance she could to leave you behind. I guess that's where you get that coward streak from." Wesley Wrest knows just what to say to cut me deep. He's had years of practice. Of course every insult and barb is carefully calculated to prick at my raw nerves. He also knows that I can't do anything against him. As the future Alpha of River Crest, he's already got more power than he knows w