Chapter 35.-2
Claim
“Tell me you want this,” I rumbled as I slid my c**k between her closed thighs. “Tell me you can’t say no to this any more than I can.”
“We’re so fucked,” she muttered. “And you already know the answer.”
“I want to hear you say it.”
Her fingers gripped the sheets as she wiggled her hips. “I can’t turn it away,” she admitted.” Sometimes I feel like this is the only moment when I feel sane.”
Jerking her knees apart, I sank into her, grunting with pleasure. The force of my entry made her gasp, and she fell flat on her belly as I pushed her down on the bed. “If it’s too rough, you can tell me,” I said as I curved my hand around her throat. “Until then, I’m going to take you exactly how I
want.”
She never said a word, and I rammed into her so hard the bed bounced on the floor. Still, she didn’t tell me to stop, and after giving her two more shaking orgasms, I spilled myself inside of her with a
roar.
Shuddering, I fell on top of her and rolled so I could cradle her against me. That first night was the only time I’d held her. She didn’t pull away.
“Tell me about your brother,” she said quietly. “Tessa speaks of him like a lover. The others speak of him as an alpha. I don’t know what it’s like to have family who care about you. No one would
care if I died on this mountain.”
I closed my eyes. If she died on this mountain, I’d rip it up from the earth to find who’d killed her. ” He always seemed to be my exact opposite. My sister and I were rash and impulsive. He was steady and grounded. He’d been born to be an alpha, and he used to tell me that I was born to be a king. I always laughed it off because it seemed ridiculous. I had more raw power, but he was so much more contained. My parents were rarely there, and there were times it felt like we were
orphans. Until we were orphans. When my parents and my sister were killed, he was my rock. He
kept me together. I never once saw him cry, but I felt his pain. I know he wept in private, but in
public, he was my backbone.
“He liked music. I think in a different life he was probably some kind of rock star. He used to sing in
bars, and there’d be a line of women ready to take him home. And when he had Rune, his son, he was the most amazing father. Not that there was ever any doubt that he would be. He practically
raised me.”
She was quiet, but her fingers intertwined with mine. I continued. “He pushed me to be king. To
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Chapter 35-2
Claim
test my wolf to the point that I started to hate him for it. In fact, before he died, we had a huge fight. I didn’t want to be more than I was. I just wanted to be by his side. Now, I suspect he was hunting something or someone. I don’t know if he wanted me to be secure before he went after them or if he wanted access to more power, but when he died, I knew what I had to do. Partly I wanted him to be proud of me, but also, I never wanted there to be anyone to tell me no when I went looking for his killer.”
She chuckled softly. “What?” I asked.
“The irony that you became king to find your brother’s killer, and now you’re searching for him on a mountain of wolves who would slit your throat if they knew you were king.”
“It’s not ideal, and this is certainly not what I expected to find. What do you think of Kiana and Troy?
”
It took a moment before she answered. “I think they’ve both experienced a darkness that they don’t like to talk about, but it’s shaped who they are. There’s darkness everywhere, I suppose, but they don’t take it out on their pack or each other. Troy is probably the best alpha I’ve ever met, but then again, I haven’t met many. Off the mountain, it’s all balls and rubbing elbows and trying to best each other. Here, they’re just trying to survive. There’s something so simple about that.”
My stomach clenched. “It sounds like you want to stay.”
“I’m not facing the same choices as you, Rhyson.”
“I intend to kill him, you know. Your father. For what he did to you.” When she didn’t say anything, I pushed myself up to my elbows. “Nyx? Do you not want me to?”
“I don’t care if he lives or not,” she said finally. “But it’s not that easy. He’s an alpha. A well-liked one, and every wolf who stands to take his place is just as bad, and they’ll want the same thing he does: power. You became king to avenge your brother, but the packs are falling apart. The alphas are greedy and cruel. My father is hardly the exception. At least here, it makes more sense.”
She was probably right, but I was not about to let her raise her child here without me. “He still
deserves to die.”
“Yes, I suppose he does. I don’t need you to do it for me. I’m getting to know my wolf a little better every day, and despite the attempts he’s had to beat her into submission, she’s anything but. My father’s death is for me to handle.” Turning her head, she smiled sadly at me.
“I used to wait for a mate to come and save me. So naive and romantic. That’s never going to happen though, is it? Not after what he’s ripped out of me. So I’ll save myself. You’ve got bigger things to worry about.”
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