Alora’s POVI sat there on the edge of the bed, my heart pounding in my chest. Every second felt like an eternity as I anxiously waited, my mind racing with the uncertainty of what Rune was going to do next. My hands fidgeted in my lap, my fingers tangling together as I tried to steady my breathing. But it was impossible. The tension in the air was suffocating, thick like smoke, and it choked me as I sat there, waiting for him to make his move.The door creaked open, and my breath hitched in my throat as Rune stepped inside. He didn’t say a word, just stood there, staring at me with that cold, unreadable expression on his face. His eyes zeroed in on my belly, the small but unmistakable bump, and I felt my stomach twist with fear. I could see the shift in his gaze, the way his eyes slowly darkened, turning red, the unmistakable sign of his wolf clawing to the surface.He leaned against the doorframe, his posture casual, but I could see the tension coiling beneath his skin. His muscle
Alora’s POV My wild gaze flickers between Rune’s vacant eyes and the belt looped around his hand. Why the hell does he have a belt in his hands? What the hell is going on? This can’t be right? He can’t be serious. But he is. Rune doesn’t joke —not about things like this. I’ve felt the sting of his handprints on my skin all day, a constant reminder of how he controls every inch of me. So, I know he isn’t bluffing now. He’s going to use that belt on me, and nothing I say will change his mind. “Please, don’t...” The words escape my lips before I can stop them, though I already know they’re useless. Rune doesn’t care about begging or tears. If anything, he thrives on them. The more I plead, the more he enjoys it. Just like he gets off on punishing me. He is a fucking sadist. But what comes next catches me completely off guard. His voice is calm, controlled, and yet it sends a chill down my spine. “What are you willing to do instead?” “Anything,” I blurt out, desperate to avoi
Alora’s POV“Are you ever satisfied? If I give you more, will that finally be enough? You’ve taken everything from me, absolutely everything. Why do you still demand more?”I can feel the heat of his body radiating against my back, even though he’s not touching me. That heat stirs something deep inside me, something that makes me press my thighs together in a vain attempt to suppress it.“I didn’t take everything from you, Alora. You just want to believe that because it’s easier to blame me for your mistakes. That doesn’t make it true.”“You dragged me here and ripped me away from my life.”“Correction: I saved you from it.”“First, you think you’re merciful, and now, you believe you’re my savior? You need a serious wake-up call.”His fingers slide over my collarbone, tracing upward until they reach my chin. I stiffen as he lifts it, his lips brushing my ear as he whispers darkly, “Maybe it’s you who needs one.”My chest burns, and I suddenly realize I’ve been holding my breath since
Alora’s POV“I need something. I don’t know what, but that orgasm wasn’t enough,” I mutter, still trembling from the aftermath. Rune's eyes, gleaming with that familiar, dark hunger, never leave mine. He undoes his pants, the fabric brushing roughly against my skin, and I freeze when his cock springs free. It’s bigger, angrier than I remembered, the veins throbbing along its length making my heart pound with something more twisted than fear. I should be terrified. But I’m not. Not only terrified, at least. Something far more dangerous is coiling in my chest. Knowing he got hard from ‘whipping’ me, from causing me pain, should be humiliating. It should repulse me. But it doesn’t. Rune’s jaw clenches, and he grips his cock with brutal force, fisting it like he’s angry… angry at me, at this, at whatever has bound us together in this sick dance. His muscles ripple under his skin, scars moving with each harsh jerk, and I can’t look away. A drop of pre-cum glistens, and I find myself bi
Rune’s POV The moment Ethan mentioned Sienna’s name, my blood boiled. She’s WHAT? Assembling the maids to punish them? For fucking what? I barely listened as he muttered the specifics about her fuming over Alora and me, but my body was already moving. Doesn’t she know that we don’t use that sort of barbaric ritual in this pack? I don’t keep slaves. These girls decided to be maids on their own either to earn money or just to serve their alpha. Why would I punish them? The walk to find her felt like a storm gathering inside me, each step more deliberate than the last. She knew I was back. Knew I wasn’t alone. And she is taking her fury in my maids. The fucking audacity. What does she think will happen after she forces my father and the Elders to let me mate her? I didn’t even fucking mark her and she thinks something is going to happen between us? She should be lucky I was not in my right mind then. She dared –dared– to play her little power games behind my back. I found her in
Alora’s POV Waking up the next morning, I reached out instinctively to the other side of the bed, half expecting Rune to be there, but when my fingers brushed only cold sheets, I wasn’t surprised. Of course, he wasn’t here. He never stayed. Not for me. Not for this. The hollow emptiness where his body should have been served as a cruel reminder of the distance between us, even when we were physically close. I slowly sat up, pushing the tangled blankets off me, but the sharp sting in my lower body made me wince. Fuck. My ass felt like it was on fire, a reminder of last night, of what he’d done, of what I had… enjoyed. Goddess, how depraved was I? The sting, though already healing, was still enough to make my breath hitch. He’d whipped me in the ass, and I’d loved every second of it. I was looking forward to the next belt on my reddened ass cheeks. I swallowed hard, the raw shame of my thoughts swirling with the heat that pooled in my stomach. Just thinking about it made me aro
Rune’s POV As I moved the washcloth over her skin, I saw it—the hurt in her eyes. She tried to hide it, turning her face slightly, but she couldn’t mask the emotions that flickered in her gaze. It wasn’t just the usual stubbornness or defiance that I’d come to expect from Alora. Why did she look at me like that? Like I had wounded her. Like she had the right to feel anything other than what I allowed her to. What right did she have to be hurt? I’d been harsh with her, yes, but that was necessary. I told her the truth, she was here because of the war, because of the danger she posed and the role she would play in preventing it. But still, there was that glimmer of hurt, like I had broken something inside her. Like she expected something more from me. She had no right to feel that way. Not after everything. Didn’t she allow herself to get pregnant by some pathetic fucker? A human, of all things. A weak, useless human who couldn’t even protect her when it mattered, who ran for
Alora’s POVI decided to leave the room the next morning, tired of being cooped up, tired of the weight pressing on my chest and the stillness that felt like it was suffocating me. The room smelled of Rune, of our shared tension, of something I couldn’t escape. I needed air, even if it meant facing the world outside of that suffocating space. Maybe some food would settle the churning in my stomach. I hadn’t eaten much since…well, everything. As I slipped into the hallway, I kept my eyes low, my body moving quietly, hoping to avoid anyone who might remind me of the mess I was in. But of course, fate had other plans. Just as I turned the corner near the dining hall, I bumped into someone. My heart dropped when I realized it was Mother.I froze, instinctively lowering my eyes. I couldn’t bear to look at her, not after everything. Her presence was like a reminder of the life I once had, the life I’d lost the moment the truth about my parentage was revealed. The moment I realized I was