She studied my expression, eyes boring deep into mine. I was shocked when she didn't immediately shoot me down Or at least try to slap me again or something. She drew her soft lip between her bottom teeth again, warring between the desires inside of her. I held my breath and waited. After a long minute, still not releasing her captive lip, she finally whispered, "Okay."It was all I could do to keep the lust filled growl contained in my chest.I spread my legs wider to make room for her. My voice so gruff, even I didn't recognize it as I said huskily, "Take a step back closer to me."She did as instructed, stepping back so that she was nestled right between my thighs.It was a chore to keep my hands steady and not let them roam everywhere on her skin. I focused on the task at hand, extracting some of the crème from the jar with my fingertips. "It's going to feel a little cold at first," I warned before pressing my fingers lightly against the beautifully rounded cheeks of her backside.
Heart of the StormHYCINTH'S POVThe words left my mouth, and the atmosphere changed. It darkened. The temperature dropped. The air thinned and crackled with electricity, churning and chaotic, silently screaming a warning for anyone wise enough to listen-it was coming.No, it was already there.The thing of nightmares and dark fairytales had been unknowingly unleashed. It was free.I waited for the flash of lightning and boom of thunder. It was inevitable. I was going to be struck down by it. There was no way for me to avoid it. No way for me to come out unscathed because I was the heart of the storm.Leander stood unblinking, his face wiped clean. No trace of emotion as if struggling with the impossibility of the words that had just come out of my mouth.And then he blinked.His expression darkened, the eyes of his Wolf front and center, no longer a brilliant violet blue. Now, they glowed flat black. The timbre of his voice dropped, gruff through his vocal cords, "He touched you?"My
"Everything I wanted first?" Leander repeated flatly, his brows furrowed. And then understanding lit his expression. "And this...this is what you thought the entire time? That I was going to use you and then pass you around?""Yes," I whispered, fighting back tears again."Motherfucker," he swore under his breath. Instantly, he was right in front of me, one hand on my hip, the other cupped my cheek. His onyx eyes bore into mine. "You saw how I reacted with Luca. Never would I have allowed any of my wolves to touch you! And as far as what happened yesterday, I'll admit I thought about sleeping with Sydney. I was drunk. You'd made it clear where you stood, so when she offered, I followed her to her room. I sat on the edge of the bed. She pushed me back and climbed on top of me."Pain crashed over me as the images play through my mind. It was too much to take. I didn't want to hear all of the nitty-gritty details of their sexual escapade. I tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let me. He
Leander ignored him and walked over to a nearby wall, mounted with various weapons, and selected a ten-inch blade. He twirled the knife casually between his fingers as he made his way back to Dagger. Without another word, Leander grabbed Dagger's cock with his free hand and held tight. Dagger jolted and pressed his naked butt as far into the wall as he could, trying to wriggle out of the grasp Leander had on his manhood.Oh shit!Flashbacks swam behind my eyelids. Leander's animalistic expression as he threatened Luca. I'd believed then that he was capable of it. Now, I was almost certain I knew what was going to happen.But I couldn't have been more wrong.Because it was so much worse.Never in my wildest nightmares, had I ever imagined what Leander was about to do.Leander's mouth curled into a wicked smirk. "Do you have a preference? Would you prefer if I yank it off or would you rather I sliced it clean?" Leander continued to play with the knife, waiting for his response.Dagger j
Punishment & LoyaltyLeanderNow that I finished with Dagger, my anger partially stated, but not done. I made my way to Hycinth. She looked up at me with wide, shocked eyes.Shocked. But not afraid of what had just happened.That's my strong little mouse, I thought with pride.The Moon had gotten right. She had the fortitude necessary, the internal strength required to be an amazing Luna. Now, I was going to have to find a way to convince her to stay. I wouldn't back out on her deal, but I sure as hell wasn't going to stop fighting for her. I was just going to have to be clever about it, I thought with a smirk, several ideas already floating through my head.But before I got to any of that, I still had business to attend. "Which Wolf told Dagger that he needed to stop because I would kill him for touching you before I got everything I wanted first?"Hycinth looked around the room, studying the many wolves. Before she could identify one, Samuel made his way through the wolves to stand
HYCINTH'S POVI was breathless. Literally. So much had happened and changed over the last few hours. I was reeling, struggling to keep up.Leander dismissed the wolves, but a few remained behind to speak with him. While he chatted with the lingering wolves, I made my way over to Lucky's cell. He'd had a front-row seat to the commotion. I was curious what he thought, but I also knew he wasn't going to be happy with what he'd heard.When I reached him, his intense glowing absinthe eyes belied his casual stance and signature smirk. He breathed, "Wow, Cinn, that was quite some show. I gotta say, after we talked earlier, that particular testosterone-fueled Alpha display was the last thing I expected to see. Wanna catch me up on what the hell happened?""I don't even know where to begin," I exhaled.His gaze turned steel cold. "Why don't you start by telling me what that dick-eating fucker did to you and why you didn't tell me about it before?"I cringed. Yep, he wasn't thrilled. I sighed,
LeanderHycinth and I walked in comfortable silence back to our room. When we entered, my little mouse stopped and snickered as she examined the destruction, eyeballing the bed that was now at quite an angle due to the broken frame. She looked up at me, her lips twitching.I shrugged my shoulders sheepishly. "It couldn't be helped.""Of course not." She nodded solemnly.I raised an eyebrow. "Are you mocking me, little mouse?"She bit her lip to keep from grinning and purred again, "Of course not."I rolled my eyes. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself at my expense.""So now what? Do we sleep on the floor?"I huffed, "Of course not."She giggled. I couldn't help returning her smile. "We'll sleep in one of the guest rooms until ours is repaired. Grab whatever clothes you need for tonight and tomorrow morning."She disappeared into the closet and came out wearing her usual nighttime attire. Sleep shorts and a tight little T-shirt. I bit back a groan as I looked at her slender and athletic
HycinthThe day flew by quickly. After spending most of the morning dress shopping, Leander and I caught lunch at a local Italian restaurant and then headed back for the Announcement Ceremony. I suspected Leander had purposefully kept us away until the very last moment to avoid any more potential drama. When we arrived, Gwen met us at the door and quickly followed us into our temporary room. She waited in a comfy chair while Leander changed clothes in the walk-in closet and I went into the bathroom to get ready. I could hear them talking through the door.Leander's voice was curt, "Stay with her.""I will. Don't worry. I've got this. I won't let anything happen," Gwen assured. "Now get going. We'll meet you down there."I didn't hear him give a response, just the door opening and closing again. It took several more minutes for me to sweep my hair up onto my head, leaving soft tendrils wisping around my face. I didn't apply much makeup. The cut of the dress was so elegant and simple th