Chapter 7
Anan
I slammed the door behind me so hard that the hinges rattled precariously. But I didn't care; my anger was too intense, too all-consuming to give any thought to potential damage. Plus, nobody would care, anyway.
The bedchamber I found myself in was sumptuously decorated with rich mahogany furniture and plush velvet drapes pulled back from the large arched windows that looked out over the estate grounds below. It should have been a welcoming sight but all I could focus on was the fury seething inside me as I paced before the empty fireplace, my mind replaying the events of the ceremony in vivid detail.
Sometimes, it was a curse that my mind was so good at remembering things.
Had Rafael really thought it would be acceptable to parade me into that room like some conquered prize? To treat me so cavalierly in front of everyone there, laughing and joking about 'sampling' his lovely omega groom's delectable flavor as if I were nothing more than a side dish to be devoured at whim?
And the worst part was that I had actually let him! I had clung to him like some infatuated schoolgirl, reveling in the heat of his gaze upon me even as I blushed and squirmed at the blatant innuendo he used to describe our private activities for all to hear.
I should have been stronger. Should never have let him do the things he did to me. That was my mistake.
It wasn't like anyone expected anything else from me, of course. They assumed that Rafael would have complete control over every aspect of my life, including the most intimate details. And I had played right into their hands by acting like some submissive little wimp who couldn't even stand up for himself against such brazen manipulation.
I could almost still hear their amused titters echoing in my mind's eye as I recalled the knowing smirks and barely concealed snickers that had circled the room while Rafael held me against his body. They were all thinking the same thing: 'look at the little omega slut, too desperate for attention that he'll let his alpha treat him like property right there in front of everyone.'
And to make matters worse, I had no idea where Rafael was right now, off doing God-knows-what and leaving me stewing here all alone. He hadn't bothered to give any explanations about what would happen after the ceremony or where he would be.
I slammed my fist down on the dresser beside me, a strangled groan escaping from my throat as I fought to contain the tempest of emotions raging inside me. This wasn't supposed to have happened this way—me reduced to a simpering mess who couldn't even muster up the willpower to object when being openly disrespected in front of an entire roomful of people.
I collapsed back onto the plush bed, burying my face in my hands as the hot sting of shame and humiliation burned behind my eyelids. I wanted to scream, to break something, anything to vent even a fraction of the turmoil twisting me up inside.
But instead, I lay there motionless, staring sightlessly at nothing as I waited for the numbness to overtake me again—the same blessed emptiness that had carried me through so many difficult moments before. It was all I knew how to do when everything else felt too painful to bear.
Eventually, exhaustion began to weigh down on me, my limbs leaden and my mind hazy with exhaustion and suppressed tears. Rolling onto my side, I curled into a fetal position in the middle of the mattress, clutching a pillow tight against my chest as if it could somehow shield me from the cruelty of the world.
With sleep beginning to drag me inexorably down into its welcome oblivion, my last coherent thought was one of bleak resignation-
I was then startled by a sudden intrusion, bolting upright in bed with a gasp as my head whipped towards the door. But all the shock and fury evaporated into nothingness the instant I saw Rafael sauntering into the room as casually as if he owned it. Which of course he did. Why did I keep having such stupid thoughts?
"Well don't you look like a pretty little mess," Rafael purred as he came to a halt at the foot of the bed, drinking in the sight of me tangled up in the sheets with undisguised appreciation. "And here I thought we were going for 'happily married' vibes today." Of course he had to say that, the motherfucker.
I stared at him in stunned silence for a long moment, too flabbergasted by his audacity to formulate an immediate response. And could anyone even blame me for having such a reaction? No, nobody could.
Then the full force of his comment sank in and indignation flared hotly within me.
"You arrogant bastard!" I sputtered, surging out of the bed with my fists clenched tightly at my sides. "How dare you march back in here like nothing's happened and act like we're just playing some silly game! You completely humiliated me in front of all those people!"
Rafael arched one brow as he watched me stalk toward him, his smirk only widening in the face of my fury. It made me want to scream, and if I didn't know people would hear me, I'd do it.
"Yes, I know exactly what I did," he agreed smoothly, not looking remotely apologetic or repentant for a single moment of it. "And judging by how you were moaning and writhing against me like a bitch in heat during our little display back there, I'd say the sentiment was mutual." He punctuated that taunt with a wicked grin that made my blood boil even as unwanted images flashed through my mind.
"I was not moaning or anything!" I protested hotly, hating how my voice wavered and cracked on the last word. But deep down, I knew it was a lie. Damn it. "You treated me like an object, like your personal fucktoy for everyone to see! How is that supposed to make me feel okay?" I shook with rage as I advanced on him, stabbing a finger against his chest in emphasis.
Rafael grabbed my wrist easily before I could retract the offending digit, wrenching my arm up behind me and spinning me around to slam me face-first into the mattress. Before I could even gasp at the sudden maneuver, he was leaning over me with one thigh shoved between my legs as his hands gripped my hips in an unbreakable hold. And the worst thing about that was that I liked it.
"Mmmm but you do like being my plaything, don't you?" He murmured silkily against my ear, his warm breath fanning over the delicate skin there. I shuddered violently at the direct stimulation, goosebumps erupting across every inch of exposed flesh. "The way your body responds to me is unmistakable. You were made for this."
"Shut up!" I cried, writhing helplessly against him as my mind screamed that he had no right, that I should hate every second of this degradation and yet-
"And don't even try denying it," Rafael continued smugly, rolling his hips against mine in a sinuous grind. "I can practically smell the wetness leaking out of you right now, all hot and bothered to be taken by your big, strong alpha."
A choked sob ripped from my throat as I squeezed my eyes shut, tears of frustration and self-loathing pricking behind my eyelids. It was mortifying that he could make such vulgar accusations, that the worst part of it was that they rang with undeniable truth.
"How do you manage to twist everything around like this?" I whimpered, voice muffled against the sheets as Rafael continued to grind against me. "I was humiliated and now you're using that against me somehow!"
"Yes, that is what I am doing," he agreed cheerfully even as his fingers dug into my hips with bruising force. "Because your tears and protests only spur me on more, little omega. The sooner you realize that, the better off you'll be."
Rafael punctuated his words by sliding one hand under the front of my body to palm the growing bulge straining against my trousers. I cried out at the unbidden pleasure, back arching sharply as my cock throbbed against his touch.
"And now it's time for me to fuck you until you scream," Rafael declared, releasing his hold on me only to tear impatiently at the fastenings of my clothing. "I think a thorough claiming is in order to remind you who owns this sweet body of yours."
I knew I should fight him, that some part of me had to object on principle alone. But as he shoved me down onto the bed and kicked off his own trousers with barely restrained aggression, all thoughts of resistance evaporated like mist beneath the scorching heat of my arousal.
His words alone were enough to melt my resistance away.
His eyes locked with mine again, and I knew he was going to say something ridiculous. I didn't want to know what it was going to be, but didn't have a choice, either. "You know, I'm so sorry for making you cry, baby," Rafael murmured softly against my neck, his words belied by the wicked grin I could hear in his voice even as he gentled his touch on me. "You know I only want what's best for you. And that means taking care of this luscious body until you can't even remember your own name anymore."
I shuddered at the obscene promise underlying those honeyed words, even as a part of me screamed that this was still wrong, that he shouldn't be touching me like this right now. And the truth was, it was wrong. I just couldn't stop him.
"Why do you have to be so damn difficult?" Rafael sighed dramatically before I could muster up an adequate retort. "You're supposed to let me ravish you thoroughly, not put up such a stubborn fuss about it. It's really starting to affect my ego." He tutted, that same smirk still persistent on his chiseled face.
I glared at him balefully, hating how he managed to make even his apologies sound like smarmy seductions meant to wind me up and keep me off-balance. He was impossible. And the worst thing about that? It was working.
"Maybe if you treated me like a human being instead of some plaything for your amusement, I wouldn't have such issues with you!" I snapped, wriggling in his hold even as my treacherous body responded eagerly to the heat of him pressed along my back and thighs.
Rafael just laughed at that, clearly amused by what he perceived as my feeble attempt at rebellion. "Oh honey," he purred, dragging a finger down my spine from my nape to the dimple at the base of my back, "You're so cute when you pretend to be outraged like this. You should become an actor. You're really good at this."