When his hands slid beneath me, I arched my back, clinging to his broad shoulders. My entire body trembled at the anticipation of his touch, mouth parting. His fingers found the chain that held my dress together, and he ripped it apart. The fabric slipped down my shoulders, and he tugged it down completely, moving to undo the laces of my cotton corset until I was only left in my undergarments.A whine escaped my lips under the heat of his unwavering gaze, eyes trailing over the ridges and curves of my body. Pulling back, he hastily tugged at his shirt, dropping it unceremoniously over the side of the bed, revealing the expanse of his chest. My breath caught in my throat. It's not the first time I had seen him half-naked; I was still not prepared for him to be up close. I trailed over his front, halting at the waistband of his trousers, feeling equally intrigued and nervous. With my cheeks turning bright red, I peered at him as he closed the distance between us, breathing ragged. Ove
I must have dozed off somewhere in the afterglow because the next thing I knew, harsh rays hit the side of my face. I stilled in the bed, eyes blinking sluggishly at the ceiling as I slowly let the unfamiliar room come into focus. The spot next to me was empty and cold, I realised.My brain was still fuzzy; spots of colour and blurred outlines only slowly appeared in the line of vision, and my limbs felt heavy like blocks of concrete. The next thing I realised was I was naked, the traces of his come clinging to my inner thighs as if a harsh reminder of what went on. I shifted my legs, mouth twisting, when I heard the sound of water running. It took me a moment for the sound to register when I also realised Axel must be in the shower. Was his rut over? I thought to myself while tilting my head towards the nearest wall. The clock read ten in the morning which was too late. I had to recheck and rub my eyes to make myself believe it. A curse befell my lips as I attempted to manoeuver
/Axel's POV/Liam stayed behind as I slipped inside Jade's place, feeling on edge. The beta kept quiet the entire way as if he understood my inner conflict. It’s been a lot; ever since I woke up to Lana sleeping next to me, looking very angelic and sculpted by the moon goddess, guilt swarmed my belly. During my rut, all I saw was how she would look up, lush, her long curls a mess and matted on her forehead and tear tracks streaming down her reddened cheeks as she whispered back softly, urgent and unsteady to knot her. I felt my breath catch sharply at the memory, the jolt pulling me straight back to the present. Still, despite everything, I coerced her into sleeping with me, a sick feeling taking over my body. If not for my rut and the Alpha taking over, I would have never let her near me. Why did she give in? Maybe…No! I completely shut the thought before it started forming, fully aware of its danger. Our relationship was a facade, a mere convenience for both of us, and I made t
It's been a few days since the last time I saw Axel, so I had a lot of time to think with a clear mind. There was no point in denying that his absence affected me; the marks left on my skin wholly faded. It gave my omega enough nightmares, waking up to look for his arms only to find myself all alone in the bed. I didn't know when things switched from vehemently hating being anywhere near him to wanting to get as close as I possibly could without being too obvious.But his words stung. The wound was still raw, and I had no intention of making the same mistake again. For all I know, the Alpha rejected me without actually saying those words. Despite his long stares in my direction and wanting to talk, I had completely shut down the attempts. I had no interest in hearing the exact words again. Pinning after a mate who doesn't even care about relationships is the possibly highest act of stupidity. Shaking my head, I stood up, noticing the cape Amy had placed on the bed for me. Ethan was
My mouth gaped at his crude statement, and I recoiled on the spot. Rage filled my insides, my back stiffening as I narrowed my eyes into slits. I took a deep breath, resisting the urge to scream at him.How dare he accuse me of such a thing? Especially since he was the one to set the boundaries from the beginning. Axel reminded me time and time again that I meant nothing to him. “Why do you care?!” The words slipped out before I could stop myself, biting my tongue. A chuckle burst out of him, hollow and empty. “Why do you I care? You are still my omega, for moon's sake!”My toes curled at that, and I didn’t know what to think of the strange stirring in the bottom of my belly, and the permanent lingering of his scent did little to help me.“Oh, am I? Cause last time we slept together, you made sure to remind me I meant nothing.”He flinched as if he had been slapped by my words, teeth grinding. The Alpha's harsh breath fell on my face as he merely leaned closer, the vein in his foreh
/Axel's POV/My beating heart fell to my stomach like a dead rose petal, watching the omega speak with Ethan, eyes crinkling and mouth curving at something he had said. I could feel my stomach boil, an irrational surge of feelings taking over, and the utter negligence from inside had my feet moving towards them before my mind comprehended it. This was not the same Lana I chose to mate; overflowing with sweet, earnest innocence made her intentions towards me clear as the night. She was yielding in all ways, except in her stubborn decision. This was not the same one who had laughed at my silly attempt of humour, who stared at me as if I hung the moon and stars for her.I was lucky if she spared me a glance in my direction now. How did it come to this? I fought down a strangled, choking sound, whirling around, marching purposefully through the nearest open door in a drastic attempt to get away. I needed the cold wind whip on my face – a firm, strict reminder that this was my choice.I
My heart didn't stop pounding the entire time I walked away from Axel, hands sweaty and throat wilted with guilt. It was for the best; I kept telling myself. Just one little lie so I could sneak out with Alpha Ethan to see his friend. As the commander asked, I stood patiently by the fire, wearing boots tied on tightly and my cape clipped. My arms came to wrap around the torso as a gust of cold wind blew by. I squinted my eyes while noticing a dark figure approaching me, body stiffening. When I got hold of his scent, my body automatically relaxed, staring at the Alpha. He was dressed in a black sweater over top of his white button-up, a thick black cape pulled on with the hood over his head as he approached me. Ethan was also carrying a satchel thrown over his chest; his shoes switched to thick black boots. "Should we leave?" "Yes." The Alpha guided us to the room on the other side of the wing, the table in a far corner standing out. I watched as he pushed away, pulling the car
/Axels POV/I shook my head, watching as the omega walked away, trying to eliminate the unwanted thoughts as I wandered into my chambers. As if on a whim, I let the thick coat draped over unceremoniously fall on the side table, an audible sigh leaving my lips. Why did she seem in such a hurry anyway? What was Lana hiding? Or perhaps the omega had no interest in taking a walk with me.The last part stung. It didn’t matter if that was the result I wanted from her side; it still hurt. Rubbing my face, I decided to relax in the bathtub with scalding water, a mountain of bubbles piled onto my chest. To soothe the turmoil, I also added some scents but nothing compared to her natural scent. Sweat beaded down the side of my face, and fingers were pruned as I tilted my head back, shifting my legs. The water swirled around. I hadn't realised that I was bone-tired, almost in a zone between falling asleep and becoming awake, in the incoherent moment when one was too tired to close one's eyes. T