Stay where you are; you hit your head pretty hard. Conri’s voice sounded in my head once more, and I pinched my brows in confusion. Conri huffed, and it almost sounded like a laugh. “Yes. I can speak to your mind to my mind.” I opened my mouth to speak, but I was speechless. Conri huffed another laugh. “I’m the King of Guardians. You’d be surprised by what I can do. Now lay back down; you’re staying with me tonight.” I looked at Connor and Cody. They must be the betas of the pack, but if it was a full moon, why weren’t they in wolf form? “Leave us,” Conri ordered. “I’ll see you in the morning.” Both men bared their necks before leaving the room and closing the door behind them. I felt like a piece of prey ready to be Devour now that I was alone with Conri. Relax, Rieka. I won’t hurt you. I didn’t mean to lose control like that. Conri laid his head on the ground, his neck bent so he could cocoon me. His voice was calm and almost sounded tired. His muscles relaxed as I leaned against h
I gasped for air, the apex of my thighs throbbing involuntarily. I tried to squeeze my legs together to help ease the sensation, but Conri had one of his legs positioned between mine. He growled possessively, and I shuddered at the sound of it. He ran his nose back up my neck and across my cheek to my lips. I was frozen in fear at his weird behavior and hoped it was just the full moon causing him to act this way. He ran his right hand over my cheek, warming me at the touch as he ran his thumb across my bottom lip. His eyes were fixed on them, the hazel color dark with lust. Conri pushed himself up on his eyes, Keeping me pinned to the mattress but taking most of his weight off me, making it a little easier to breathe. “How old were you when you started running?” I furrowed my brows at the question. “Seven? Maybe eight?” “And you know nothing about Shifters?” “No, my lord.” He brushed his hand over my cheek once more. I involuntarily flinched at his touch. He sighed, almost as if
“But, my lord, I’m your servant.” “And I am the King. What difference does it make on what our ranks are?” My hands drifted down his chest to his abdomen, getting dangerously low when I suddenly realized that he was naked from shifting from wolf to human form. My cheeks heated. How had I not noticed until now? I tried to move off him, suddenly feeling uncomfortable, but Conri held me in place. “Please don’t go. I like it when you touch me. It soothes my wolf. You know, it’s very dangerous to get near a Shifter when they lose control like that. You were very brave.” I relaxed slightly at his words, my fingertips digging gently into his abdomen. The more I touched him, the more intense the electricity sparked in my veins, as if I could never get enough of touching him. I ran my hands back up his chest, feeling the corded muscles beneath his skin as the heat began to overtake me, and my breathing became ragged. My heart was in my throat as I leaned over him and buried my face into his
“Or your touch.” His teeth scraped gently behind the hollow of my ear, and I gasped as his warm, wet tongue slipped out to lick the sensitive spot where my neck met the base of my skull. He ran his tongue to my ear, nibbling gently on the lobe, causing me to shudder in delight. His purr turned into a growl of contentment. “You taste so divine.” He pressed his lips to my neck again, kissing up towards my ear. I moaned as I involuntarily ground against him, a possessive growl leaving his body this time. “That’s a good girl. Don’t fight it. Your instincts know what your body wants.” Heat pooled between my legs. I twisted my head around, and without a second thought, Conri groaned as I nipped at his bottom lip, begging for entrance which he happily gave me. I moaned as he tangled his fingers in my hair to hold me tightly against him as he brushed his tongue against mine. The way he moved his tongue had my core pounding at the thought of what he could do with it once he got between my leg
A violent shiver went up my spine as my human and lupine sides fought. Conri's aura crushed against me, pushing all the air out of my lungs as he commanded all his dominance to cloud me, forcing me to stop. I dug my nails into his shoulders, grinding my teeth as I buried my face in the crook of his neck and panted heavily. My human and wolf sides were battling with each other, one wanting to run away and hide like a scared little girl and the other wanting to devour Conri and let lust run the show. The war raged endlessly inside my head, and I whimpered as I struggled to decide which side to pick. My entire body trembled as I fought to control my urges. He ran his hands up and down my arms as his dominating aura turned into a soother, gentler energy. "I'm sorry, Rieka. I know I told you not to fight it, but you're still hurt and not fully healed. I don't want you to injure yourself any further." Conri sighed heavily as if he was fighting his own battle, and his chest began to vibrat
“Just relax, Rieka; it’ll feel so much better if you just relax,” Conri whispered seductively. I whimpered as he brushed his thumb at the apex of my thighs, my hips jolting as lightning flashed through me. Conri pressed down fully on my clit, intensifying the lightning, and I cried out and whimpered for more. He teasingly began flicking his thumb back and forth, huffing a small laugh. His fingers traveled slowly down the slit of me, and my sole focus centered on those fingers. He slid a finger into me, and I gasped as he dropped his head to my abdomen and swore under his breath at the tightness. “Fucking virgin.” He growled, pressing a kiss at the base of my navel. I bucked my hips again, squeezing my eyes shut from feeling full from just one finger. He moved his finger more profoundly, and I whined, the noise sounding more wolf-like than human. I adjusted to his finger as Conri kissed each of my inner thighs. He slowly began working his finger in me, all the while continuing to fli
I sat on Conri’s back, in his wolf form, just behind his shoulders. My fingers dug into his midnight fur, holding on tightly, so I didn’t lose my balance. I didn’t know how long we had been walking through the woods. I was never good at telling time. The rest of the pack surrounded Conri as we moved, the king’s massive form making the rest seem average size for a wolf. We walked in silence as I took in my surroundings. I had never been able to sit back and enjoy the view. I was always on the run, always trying to find my next spot to lay low. The trees were close together, their branches brushing against each other. The further we traveled, the tighter the tree canopy got, barely letting in any sunlight. Despite the lack of light, it was almost—peaceful. The forest's quiet was serene and calming, with a few birds chirping here and there. It got darker and eerie as the trees and undergrowth grew thicker and closer together. Whenever Conri had to jump over a fallen log, I clutched tig
The one on our right rushed at us, and I screamed in terror, waiting for those claws to shred me. Conri leaped to the side only to have the one on the left pounce. We barreled into him, causing Conri to trip over his massive paws, but he kept himself upright. Conri swung around, his claws digging into the dirt as he halted. Quickly, he lowered himself to the ground, and it only took me a second to realize he wanted me to get off. I scrambled off his back, sliding down his side. I stood next to him, clutching my shaking hands to my chest. My heart was in my throat, and my legs shook with anxiety. As soon as I was safely on the ground, Conri lunged for the nearest one. His growls and snarls were vicious and blood-curdling as he ripped into the first one, never flinching or wincing whenever the creature raked its talons down his side. He didn’t even let out a whimper. The monster was not going down without a fight. The second one grabbed at his back, and Conri twisted sharply to pry it
“You’ll never be able to stop us, little queen.” The Hunter snarled quietly. “You can pretend all you want, but the Malikah belongs to the Hunters.” His weight vanished as Conri called out for me once more, and in the next instant, he was a wolf again, racing off into the darkness. I scrambled to my feet and struggled to get a breath. My lungs felt like I couldn’t get enough oxygen in my body. Branches cracked and snapped as my mate barreled through the undergrowth, skidding to a stop beside me, breathing heavily. His blue eyes were wild and crazed as he looked me up and down for any signs of injury. “I’m fine,” I said hoarsely, my throat feeling raw. I grabbed a handful of Conri’s neck fur, and he raised his head to help me stand. After realizing that I was lying and indeed all right, Conri snarled angrily at me, his iced eyes now blazing. “What were you thinking, Rieka?” Conri snapped at me as I leaned against him. “You could have been killed.” I laid my head against his neck, c
“Yes, my queen. The King and Cody should be here soon. Stay put. Don’t wander off.” I nodded my understanding before watching Connor weave through the pack, checking on everyone. I slowly turned my head, looking around at everyone, when I heard a faint noise in the darkness of the woods. My ears perked as I strained to listen more carefully. The slight whine came once more. Cautiously, I stepped towards the sound, curiosity taking over every nerve in my body. I didn’t realize how far I had strayed from the pack when a sudden force barreled into my side, and I was knocked off my paws. A vast, muscular wolf loomed over me, his red eyes bloodthirsty. I scrambled to my paws quickly and launched myself at him. Something clicked inside of me, some ancient instinct. It was like some part of me knew that I had a pack, no, I had packs, wolves to protect. I had wolves that needed a queen to rely on to protect them. And I was going to be that queen. I latched my teeth to his scruff and used my
“You want to pull rank and be the queen. So be the queen. Lead them.” I swallowed hard as I looked back at the pack. My voice shook as I tried to speak as loud as possible for the wolves in the back. “As many of you know, we were giving sanctuary to the Wolfsbane Pack. Before they could cross the border, the Hunters ambushed them. Once again, the Wolfsbane Pack needs our help. The King is not here, but I am. Help me protect what all you have sworn to protect. We are Guardians, and we will not back down from a fight. We will not let anyone take away what we stand for.” As I finished speaking, my heart beat so hard I was sure I couldn’t feel it. One by one, each wolf threw their heads back and let out a unison of harmonious howls. “Very nice, my queen,” Connor whispered, brushing his shoulder against mine. “Let’s go.” Connor took off running towards the trees, and I followed him with the pack behind me. For once, I was running towards something, not away from it. CONRI’S POV Ever
“He had some business to take care of with the Nightshade pack,” Connor answered. “Threats were being made against them. Cody and the king went to ensure their safety.” I sighed heavily. This was getting worse by the day. “May I go outside?” Connor blinked at me as if I had just asked a stupid question. “Of course. You’re going to be queen. You may do whatever you wish.” I rolled my eyes. “Of course, I have to go with you to do whatever you wish to do.” He gave me a coy smile, and I huffed a laugh as I rolled my eyes again. “Well, then, I’m going outside. Feel free to join me.” I walked back into my room to the side door that led to the yard. It was a little hot, with the sun blazing across the sky, but there was a gentle cool breeze to balance the heat. “I want to walk to the pond.” Connor fell into step beside me. “You don’t want to run?” I shrugged my shoulders and frowned as I looked up at the sun and squinted my eyes. “Nah. I don’t think I need to run. I just want to wal
My stomach grumbled with hunger, but I couldn’t bring myself to eat anything without Conri here. It was late into the night when the door swished open, and Conri stepped back into the room. My heart immediately started to flutter at the sight of him, and I couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across my face as I sat up in bed to greet him. My core instantly heated and throbbed as my want for him grew more assertive. I could tell he could smell my arousal by how his hazel eyes darkened with lust when he inhaled deeply. I wanted to pull him in and kiss every inch of his hard, muscular body, but my motherly instincts also kicked in. “What did Devil want?” I asked, concerned for the packs flooding through me and almost drowning out my arousal. “Asked for sanctuary. There’s a section of my territory just southwest of here. I offered it to Devil and his pack.” “Will they be safe there?” Conri sighed and ran a hair through his dark thick hair. “I hope so.” “And if the Hunters att
CONRI’S POV I stared at my mate in disbelief, her words echoing through me. She never once showed interest in being Queen, and now suddenly, she was throwing it up in my face. I was the Alpha King, and she was challenging me. Her steel grey eyes were hard and dark, like a thunderstorm was brewing in them. I could feel her uncertainty down the bond as she tried her best not to cower under pressure, but a part of me admired her sense of bravery for standing up to me. I inhaled deeply to try to stop my temper from boiling over. No matter how much I admired her courage, I did not appreciate her defying me. “Go back to the bedroom, Rieka,” I told her as calmly as possible. “I will discuss this with you later.” I didn’t think her eyes could harden anymore, but they did as she narrowed them at me like she was trying to decide whether to push the matter or not. When I thought she would argue some more, she turned on her heel and stormed out of the study with Cody following her. Once she
“You look so beautiful when you cum.” Conri whispered to me, which caused my abdomen to tighten once more. He rolled off the bed and headed to the bathroom as I lay there on my back with limp limbs trying to come back down to earth. I must have fallen asleep because it was early evening when I opened my eyes again, and Conri was nowhere in the room—stretching my sleepy muscles and feeling utterly satisfied. I crawled out of bed and brushed my hair before going to the closet to grab some clothes. A sinking hollow feeling began to form in my gut, and something told me that it was because Conri wasn’t near me. Opening the bedroom door, I looked to the right to see Cody standing guard. I was mortified as I prayed to the Luna Goddess that he hadn’t been out here while I screamed Conri’s name. “Please tell me that you weren’t—” I started to say, but Cody’s chuckle cut me off. “No, my queen, but from the smell of you—” He sniffed loudly. “I can tell what you and the king have been do
I must have fallen asleep by the fire because hours later, a warm hand was slowly caressing my bare back, coaxing me to wake up. The purring from Conri’s chest reverberated through me, and I sighed in contentment at the sound. I moved my cheek to rub my eyes to feel something firm and solid under my face. I opened my eyes to find I was lying on Conri’s bare chest in the bed. He must have carried me over when I had fallen asleep by the fireplace. For the first time in a long time, I didn’t want to move away from him. I rubbed my cheek deeper into his chest and growled affectionately. I gingerly ran my claws down his chest, inhaling his natural scent deeper. His purring became louder as he gently pushed me onto my back and pressed himself between my legs. He supported his weight on his elbows as his forearms lay on either side of my head, caging me in. Conri lowered his head and dragged the tip of his tongue along the seat of my lips. I involuntarily shuddered at the sensual jolt the
“If she is the Divine Queen, then she wouldn’t need to be a guardian. Her power will come from the Luna Goddess.” Cody said. “Are you headed out? I can take the first shift.” Connor offered. “No. I’m headed back to her.” I turned and walked back down the hallway. “Don’t forget to check her eyes,” Cody called after me. When I opened the door to the bedroom, I saw Rieka standing by the window and staring out across the yard at the trees. I could feel that she wanted to go running down the bond. “You like running, don’t you?” I asked her quietly, and she started at the sound of my voice, spinning around to look at me. She relaxed slightly as I approached her, closing the door behind me. “There’s just something about the wind running through me that makes me feel so…” her voice trailed off in thought. “Alive.” I finished for her, and she nodded, looking back outside as a small smile appeared. I stood behind her and slowly wrapped my arms around her waist. She melted back into