Unexpected turn

Alpha Kai's searing gaze held mine, ruby eyes assessing his new possession. I scarcely breathed, frozen under that relentless scrutiny. What did the notorious Alpha intend for me? 

Silence reigned but for the thunder of my heart. His lip curled slightly, nostrils flaring as if catching an elusive scent. Those burning coals swept down my scantily clad form, lingering on the graceful curve of my neck. 

I shuddered despite the warmth flushing my skin. His presence overwhelmed, pressing down like an oncoming storm. My limbs shook with the desire - no, need - to bare submission, offer everything to this powerful creature.   

Alpha Kai crossed the room in swift strides until he towered above where I knelt. His large hand roughly grasped my chin, tilting my face further into the light. I glimpsed angular features, proud brow, and firm jaw before searing heat branded my mouth. 

He kissed me brutally, all teeth and tongue, staking claim. And my traitorous body responded, arching into him, begged for more even as panic clawed inside. I was drowning, senses drugged by intoxicating spice and woods smoke.

Just as suddenly, Kai wrenched back, leaving me gasping. He dragged me up by my upper arms, sharp gaze assessing. Understanding jolted through me then. The unnatural heat flooding my veins, the unfamiliar ache low in my belly - I was in heat for the very first time. And Kai had sensed it instantly.

"Please..." The whispered plea fell unbidden from my lips. Mortification flushed my skin. What was I begging for? But my fevered brain could scarcely latch onto a coherent thought beyond needing this wolf's claiming bite.

A pleased rumble reverberated in Kai's broad chest. Scooping me up, he carried me with predatory grace into an opulent bedroom. The world spun as he tossed me onto silken sheets. His knees pinned my wrists over my head, eyes burning down at me.

"What do you want?" His voice was guttural, laced with desire and command. "Say it."  

My throat constricted around the shameful words. But my wolf, Crystal, shoved them out. "I... I want you. Please!"

Kai's hungry look intensified. "Please what?"

"Take me..." It was part sob, part moan. "Make me yours!"

A possessive grunt rumbled from his chest. In one brutal motion he tore the panties from my body and drove himself to the hilt inside me. The fleeting pain vanished in an onslaught of blistering pleasure I'd never imagined existed.

He dominated completely, wringing every ounce of submission as he claimed me again and again. I could only cling to broad shoulders, crying his name like prayer to the goddess. My release crashed through me endless times under his carnal expertise.

Only once I was spent and limp beneath him did Kai pierce my shoulder with fangs, sealing our bond for all time. Darkness took me under while my wolf whispered, "Mate."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sunlight filtering through sheer curtains roused me sometime later. For long moments I could only stare blankly at rich burgundy walls, mind clouded with confusion. Where was I? What had happened last night?

Sharp soreness between my thighs brought clarity. Oh goddess... I squeezed my eyes shut against the memory of Alpha Kai's claiming bite. My true mate! Panic stirred until Crystal soothed me. She had recognized him instantly even in the madness of sudden heat, our future unfolding like destiny before her eyes. 

As my breathing calmed, I realized I had been carefully washed and dressed in a satin camisole set, bruises anointed with healing salve. I tenderly brushed fingertips over the bandage covering Kai's mark. His mate...could such a thing be possible?

A timid knock preceded a young maid scurrying in with a silver domed tray. "Good morning, ma'am!" she gasped in a rush. "I mean, it's noon...oh! This is for you when you woke up hungry." She waited anxiously as I sat up, wincing slightly, and accepted the food. My stomach felt too tense to manage more than a few bites of the elegant brunch.

"W-where am I?" I finally asked the hovering girl. 

"Oh! This is your room - I mean, not YOUR room but the Alpha said for you to use it..." She fiddled with her apron, words spilling out nervously. I sensed a kindred spirit in this skittish creature.

"Did Alpha Kai summon me?" I needed to see him, confirm if my fevered memory was real. 

The maid shook her head, mahogany curls dancing. "No ma'am. Master left instructions that you rest today." She gave a tentative smile. "I could bring a book if you like reading?"

I nodded politely but my thoughts raced elsewhere. Kai wanted me resting, that must mean he cared for my well being. Hope whispered perhaps he had sensed the predestined bond between us as strongly as I had. Another shy smile from the maid interrupted my musing. 

"Excuse me, I should let you relax." She bustled out with the remains of my meal. My stomach clenched too much to consider eating further.

I had just settled back against plush pillows when the doors swung open dramatically. In strode a striking blonde woman wearing a crisp suit, carrying an embossed leather portfolio. Her sharp green eyes assessed me frankly.

"Good morning, Ms. Tracy. I'm Helena, the estate manager." Her diction was crisp. "While under this roof, you answer to me regarding domestic matters."

I bristled slightly at her imperious tone but bit back the retort. No point making enemies here. "Of course, Ms. Helena. What may I assist with?"

She gave an approving nod at my cooperation. "It seems to me that Alpha Kai has...taken an interest in your company. I trust once the novelty fades you will make yourself useful around the household."

Color flooded my cheeks that she referred, however obliquely, to my intimacy with Kai.

"My daughter Amber would oversee your duties starting now. You will ensure the Alpha's study is properly cared for." Helena checked a delicate gold watch, brow rising. "You should find her there shortly. I must be off."  

With that, she swept from the room, leaving me reeling. Her words dripped condescension towards my relationship with Kai. She clearly assumed his attentions would wane rapidly, relegating me to servant status. The thought filled me with indignation. I was his true mate!

Yet doubt still plagued me. Our union had occurred under extreme circumstances. What if Kai's interest faded outside mating heat? I hugged my knees to chest, uncertainty gnawing within.

Crystal huffed, nosing gently to get my attention. She was certain of our destined bond, said I must prove myself worthy of being Luna! Swallowing nervous tension, I slid from silken sheets. I wanted to show my devotion by obeying Kai's command that I rest. Surely seeing me regain health would please my mate.

But that wouldn't sit well with Helena, so until I figure out my status here, I would do as she say and stay out of trouble. I had just exited the opulent bedroom when clipped footsteps approached. A stunning girl around my age stalked down the corridor, cornflower blue eyes sharp with contempt. So this must be Helena's daughter Amber assigned to monitor me. My hackles raised in instinctive dislike.

"There you are!" she snipped in cultured tones. "Come along, Mother said you're to tidy the study." Without waiting for reply, she spun on one heel and marched off.

Temper flared but mindful of Helena's authority here I followed silently. For now I must adhere to the household hierarchy despite misgivings.

Amber led me to a set of imposing double doors carved with elaborate wolf motifs. A discreet golden placard read "Alpha's Study" Though sorely tempted to enter the inner sanctum of my mate, I hesitated, recalling Kai's orders to rest today.

Sensing my reluctance, Amber grasped the ornate handles and pushed both doors wide. "Hurry up!" she called over one shoulder. "Honestly, it's just tidying, not rocket science, slave." 

I hovered at the entrance, awed by the chamber's elegant masculine ambiance. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves flanked a stately mahogany desk. Crystal decanters glinted from a polished bar cart. Above the carved marble hearth, a massive oil painting depicted...Kai astride a huge black wolf. My pulse quickened. Every detail whispered luxury and authority.

"Well don't just stand there gawking, get cleaning!" Amber's shrill voice broke the hushed aura. "Mother will inspect shortly."

With no choice but obedience, I moved slowly inside. I trailed fingertips along leather furniture, imagining Kai commanding his empire from this exalted room. Intimacy twisted my belly. I had lain naked in his bed, taken his claiming bite. Surely fate ordained me as his Luna, no passing novelty as Helena cruelly suggested!

I carefully neatened document piles on the imposing desk, handling each as if it were precious treasure. Pausing before the hearth, I studied noble brushstrokes defining my mate's striking visage. My fingertip gently traced the lines of his powerful wolf. 

Sudden tears misted my eyes. All my life devoid of beauty or privilege. Yet now destiny delivered me unto this magnificent creature's side. I yearned to prove myself worthy of that honor.

Sniffling slightly, I crossed to tidy the bar cart and halted abruptly. Shards of broken crystal littered the rug, staining the creamy threads burgundy. Alarm jolted through me. Had I caused this damage in my distracted state? Frantic, I dropped to my knees and began gathering jagged pieces with bare hands.

Just then the carved doors swung open. Terror spiked. No...please, not him! Not now!

But heavy boots crossed the floor until they stopped directly before me. New tears of dismay trailed down my cheeks as I stared at fine Italian leather shoes now dusted with debris. Slowly I lifted watery eyes up miles of muscular legs, past lean hips and firm chest, to meet the smoldering glare of Alpha Kai.

His jaw was granite, rubies blazing in those handsome features. Muscled arms crossed his imposing chest as he stared down at my quailing form. 

"I thought I instructed you to stay in your room and rest today." His tone was pure wolfish command. My tongue froze to the roof of my mouth, no excuses coherent beneath that penetrating gaze. Eyes shifting to the mess surrounding me, fury visibly rippled through powerful shoulders.

"What the hell did you do?" Kai roared. I hunched lower, shielding my head in feeble protection against the coming blows for my perceived transgression.

A tense moment passed where only my ragged breaths broke the shocked silence. At last I dared peer up at my mate from beneath my lashes. Why had he not struck me yet for this destruction?

Kai's eyes still blazed fury taking in the scene. I followed his glare to the substantial stain marring the once pristine rug. Comprehension seared through me. He assumed I had purposefully ruined something precious of his. 

"Please..." My voice was a choked whisper.

But Amber popped out immediately with a loud shrill. "She did it! I saw her trying to steal the vase but accidentally dropped it to the ground."  

I froze in shock.

Could even sacred destiny survive such destructive suspicion between fragile new mates?