ShaneWe sat in silence and I watched as the wheels churned in her head. She stared at me and I could read her like an open book. She was trying to figure out how to get me to change my mind, but I wasn’t, I wouldn’t. I wasn’t asking her. I already made up my mind. She was mine and as much as I would love to feel her quivering around me, I didn’t have to claim her for her to be mine. She was mine.“That’s the second time I’ve heard those words today, but from you, they mean so much more. Your words are a comfort, a promise,” Adea murmured.“Just knowing he’s tried to claim you, calls to a very dark place inside of me, Princess. I’m doing the best I can with what I’ve got at the moment. No one else will touch you but me. Do you hear me? No one. You won’t so much as look at another man. I am it for you. I am all you need and I am all you will ever have. If you speak to another man I will kill him. I’ll kill any man who even looks at you. Ethan is on my list and he’ll get what’s coming t
A few months later Adea Shane comes into my room almost every night. He usually climbs into my window after sunset. The nights that he doesn’t come are colder and darker than the nights that he does. He stayed true to his word and he hasn’t done anything. We hold hands, or when he comes in late, he crawls into bed with me and cradles me as if I were the most important person in the world. I feel the crazed flutter of butterflies whenever he’s near. My mind races when he touches me, hugs me, holds me. I feel valued, I feel precious. I do my best not to rouse suspicion. Even though I want to skip dinner, if I do it too much I know Ava would make it her life’s mission to find out why. It was hard not to bounce my leg anxiously underneath the table. I couldn’t even taste the roasted chicken and potatoes. When my father finally got up and walked out I excused myself and slowly exited the Dining Hall. It wasn’t until I passed a window in the hallway that I started to quicken my steps. Th
*Two years later* Adea “Oh, fuck.” Shane’s groan was all the encouragement I needed. My knees were rubbed raw, but I sheathed and bobbed enthusiastically. Little pebbles of rocks dug into my skin and pierced flesh, but it didn’t hinder me. Nothing could, especially not when the God standing above me had my full attention. My thighs clenched at the way his face grimaced with pleasure and the muscle that pulsed as he clenched his jaw. I didn’t miss a single detail, like how he was fighting the urge to drop his head back and lose himself in the pleasure that I was giving him. His eyes flew open as he stared down at me. Dark obsidian orbs threatened to steam me away in the night and promised to do dirty things to me. Light flecks flashed and I knew Maximus was present for this. I’ve had a chance to get to know Maximus over the last two years. Despite him being ornery, I have come to love him as much as I do Shane. He wasn’t present every time, but he was welcome whenever he came forwa
“Hey,” Shane murmurs as he grabs my hands and pulls me to my feet. I don’t say anything as he lifts my chin. It’s too late to try and hide it, he knows and when he sees my face, he’ll know I’m upset. When our eyes lock again, he laughs. He actually laughs.“I’m glad you think this is funny.”“Of course, I do. You’re jealous of something I cannot control,” he says between laughing.“What did you think of me the first time we met?” I asked.“I thought you were an angel,” Shane said. He said it way too serious to be a joke.“That’s funny,” I laughed. “Honestly though.”“I am being honest. I thought you were the prettiest person I’d ever seen. You took my breath away.”The sound of rainfall filled the room. It was loud yet soothing. I wasn’t sure if I was enamored with his words or the way he was looking at me.“You could have controlled it!”“I was a young kid. The girls didn’t even know what they were doing. They are nothing in comparison.”I exhaled deeply as if that was going to make
I leaned against his chest as we walked toward the bed. The last two years with Shane had been the best time of my life. He slipped into my room when the sun set and left before it rose. We had a way of doing things and it worked well for us. I wished I could be open with him. I wish I could walk out into the world with him, out into the pack with him holding his hand but that wasn’t in the stars for us. Not yet. It pained me to see him outside of these walls and act as if we were mere acquaintances but at night, he held my body and soul. Shane put me down on the bed and climbed in next to me. He leaned over and blew out the candle. I fought the surge of emotion that threatened to bring tears to my eyes. I wanted so much for us. I wanted, always wanted. It felt like that was all I ever had on my mind. Want. I buried my face into Shane’s chest. I wish I could stay here forever. Shane held me close, as if he were afraid I’d disappear if he didn’t.“Is something bothering you?” I asked.
There were rumors floating around. I’d heard from Ava that early this morning two people were found in a compromising position in the dining hall. She went on and on about how insane it was like she wasn’t into it herself.“I heard the maid walked in on them. The scullery maid was on her knees and the tall devilish chef was seated on the table. You’d think father would punish them but he didn’t seem to care about it since he didn’t see anything.” Ava huffed.“Did you say chef?” I asked. There’s no way it’s my Shane but if it’s a chef, it has to be someone he knows. Maybe a friend.“Yes. He’s tall and has black hair. She thought we had a visitor since only alphas have dark hair.”My stomach churned. Was she talking about Shane? He was the only person she knew of outside of her family, Ethan, and the other alphas who had dark-colored hair. Guests hadn’t arrived yet for the celebration and this wasn’t making sense. It had to be Shane. I could taste the bile on my tongue and I fought the
Hours went by of sifting through all the dresses. Since he was here, Ava decided it would be best to get a few dresses picked out and fitted for when I was to leave and join Ethan’s pack. The thought made me cringe but we spent a few more hours choosing styles. Ava had to run to relieve herself and I was left with Gabriel. He walked over to me and started to take my measurements.“Excuse me,” he said. He looked around and when he confirmed that we were alone he whispered. “Are you in danger?” He asked“Would you be able to help me if I was?” I whispered back.He chuckled.“I might be.”“You could be a spy for all I know. A mole. Someone chosen by my father to check me out, feel me out before the celebration.”“I’m not.”“Am I to take the words of a stranger seriously? Am I to take you as a traitor lightly? Especially so on our first meeting?” I asked.“You make a point. I was only seeing if you were in danger.”“I will be but there’s nothing I can do about it. A woman doesn’t get to m
Later that night when the guests finally departed. Ava walked me up to my room and I bolted it shut. She left and when I turned around I almost screamed. Shane was in the room. I hadn’t expected him to be up here. I still hadn’t come to terms with the rumors or decided what I thought about the. Yet here he was, he had jumped up from the floor and scared the life out of me. What do I say? Do I say anything? Do I ask him about it? Or do I ignore it and pretend I didn’t hear anything? I shake my head. No. That’s not me. I may keep my mouth shut around everyone else but not around Shane, not with him. We talk, we don’t hide things.“What took you so long?” Shane asked. His lips were down turned and I wondered what peed in his soup.“We had guests.”“What kind of guests? Who?” Shane asked as he strode across the room to us.“What if she caught you here?” I asked. “What if she came in?”“She didn’t come in, did she?” Shane asked.I didn’t like my question being answered with another questio