22. Vivianna
VIVIANNA
The following morning, I woke up hot and itchy.
I cracked an eye and found that all of my mates were in bed with me.
After Astrid left last night, I had so much running around in my head that I went right to sleep.
I didn’t even wait to see what the others were going to do.
I just got into my PJs and fell into bed.
Tav was at my back, his face nestled into the nape of my neck, arm around my chest, holding my boob.
Koit had his arms wrapped around my waist, his face on my stomach with Rik behind him, making him the little spoon.
Rik held my right hand in his while his face rested near my shoulder, and Darius was lying flat on his back with my feet held tightly to his chest.
I had to admit that I was amazed they all managed to tolerate each other enough to sleep in the same bed together, especially since Darius was still on the outs with them.
He wasn’t golden with me, either. Although it did seem they let him know that by his placement in the sleeping order and the amount of contact he was allowed to have with me.
The amount of man meat around me explained why I was so hot, but not why I felt so restless and itchy, like my skin was dry.
As I tried to figure out the best plan of action on how to get out of the bed, Tav’s hand on my boob twitched, letting me know he was waking up.
I wiggled back against him just to make sure I was right.
Tav nipped at my shoulder, letting out a deep rumble of pleasure.
“If you’re willing to have them wake up to me ravaging you, then do that again. I’m more than ready,” Tav said as he ground his stiff dick into my ass.
The heat my body was feeling burst to life, causing me to catch my breath at its force.
What the fuck was that.
You’re surrounded by your hot as hell mates and you haven’t gotten laid in like a week. I think they call it being horny.
I rolled my eyes at my wolf and turned over so I was facing Tav.
Thinking I was giving him the go-ahead, he captured my lips with his, letting me know just how much he liked the idea of morning sex.
I let out a small moan as he nipped at my lips, demanding that I open up to him.
Allowing him to take over the kiss fully, I reveled in his touch.
Apparently, when I shifted in the bed, I must have awoken Koit, because he was not rubbing his face against my ass.
His hands joined in, massaging my cheeks, letting his finger brush just out of reach of my pussy.
Another moan fell from my lips as Tav pulled back to see what was going on down below.
That moan must have been louder because it seemed to have awoken my other two mates.
“Well, this is one hell of a way to wake up in the morning,” Darius rumbled, his voice deep from sleep.
Koit, using Darius’s hip as leverage, shoved his way up higher on my body so he could place a loud kiss on my lips. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve been waking up to this almost every morning, man.”
“Play nice, everyone, or no one gets to sleep in my bed and wake up with me,” I chided. “No fighting allowed here.”
Yeah, only sexy time and cuddling allowed in this bed.
“You don’t want us to play too nice, do you?” Rik asked, gripping a handful of hair by the root and pulling me to him so he could give me a searing good morning kiss.
Oh my God. Can you orgasm from just a kiss?
I don’t know, but I’m sure gonna let him try if he wants to find out.
My wolf murred at the feeling of all our mates’ hands running over every inch of bare skin they could find. Never before had I felt my body so alight with pleasure. It was almost too overwhelming, in the best way possible.
“Dama,” Sarma called, using the intercom at the base of the stairs.
I ripped my mouth away from Rik, letting out a snarl at her interruption.
This bitch is just asking to die today, isn’t she?
Before I even knew what was happening, I leapt out of the bed and was down the stairs, yanking the door open. “This had better be life-threatening, Sarma.”
Sarma dropped her gaze as my alpha energy slammed into her, making her take a step back as she lowered her head. “I apologize for bothering you, Dama, but there is much to do before your coronation dinner.”
Yup, she’s gonna die today. Who the fuck cares about our dinner when we have a feast waiting for us in bed?
I agree with you a thousand percent, but she’s right. We have work to do.
No. I don’t want to. My wolf growled, all but stamping her foot like a two-year-old.
We will just have to save this for tonight, our prize for making it through the day.
They owe us big time for deciding not to kill her for being the world’s biggest cockblock.
“I will be down once I get ready for the day. Have your mother meet me in the conference room,” I said, not willing to be rushed any more than I had to be. “Oh, and have the kitchen send breakfast there.”
“Very good, Dama. Your servant will do as you request,” Sarma said, bobbing her head before leaving quickly.
I made to lunge after her to slap her for her snide remarks, but strong arms wrapped around me and stopped me.
“She is just trying to make you mad, my queen,” Darius said, nuzzling my ear. Then his teeth scraped along my neck, sending shivers down my spine.
What did he just call us?
“Your queen, hmm?” I said, leaning back into him and licking the mate mark on the front of his neck. His whole body convulsed, his eyes shutting as he all but orgasmed standing there.
I pulled out of his arms and headed off to shower, leaving him with a serious case of blue balls and my wolf laughing loudly in my head.
God, did you see the look on his face? Priceless.
“Dama, this is more of a formality since you already accepted the position in front of witnesses,” Astrid said, sipping on her cup of coffee.
“Then why does it need to be a formal affair?” I grouched, unable to brush off my irritation from Sarma’s interruption.
Astrid set down her mug and looked at me with a quizzical eye. “We already talked about this. Kursar is steeped in the old ways, and we must uphold our traditions. What is this really about?”
I shifted in my chair, picking at the pastry that was sitting on my plate. “Seems that I’ve just woken up on the wrong side of the bed today. I’ll shake it by the time dinner comes around.”
Astrid gave me a long look, then nodded her head before sliding over a file folder. “I asked Bentley to give me the report directly after he was done. I haven’t looked at the results, but from his demeanor, I don’t think it’s good news.”
Flipping the file open, I scanned over the numbers and test results, giving me way more technical information than I knew what to do with.
On the very last page were two graphs showing markers and all the points where they matched.
The two samples were indeed from the same plants here on the island.
Why the hell would someone be gunning for us? We haven’t even been here long enough to make any changes.
Seems that they want to be sure it never happens. That can only mean it’s someone in the castle.
I flicked my gaze over to Rik, who was watching me with worry tight around his eyes. “They match.”
“We will handle this, sweetheart. Let your mates keep you safe. You focus on tonight—we don’t want to tip everyone off by looking too worried. This is about our future and creating a healthy pack,” Rik said, knowing I hated to be left out.
“Fine,” I relented, handing the file over to Darius, who slid it under his hip while he finished eating.
“In other matters, we got the proposal from The Collective for the trade agreement. We also got the financial standing of the island back. Sarma has been in charge of the estate money, and the other accounts have been handled by different staff, so it took a while to have it compiled for you,” Astrid said, handing over a tablet.
Swiping it open, I took one look at the information and groaned.
Um… are we supposed to know what all this means?
“Can I have someone look over this with me?” I asked, looking up at Astrid.
“I would be happy to explain anything you don’t understand, Dama. I have been in charge of the pack’s money for the past few hundred years,” Sarma said as she walked into the conference room.
I felt a growl starting in my chest just from hearing her voice. Something about her today was setting me off more than usual, and I didn’t know what to do about it. What I did know is that if we worked over this together, I would end up killing her by the end of it.
I answered as diplomatically as I could. “Your offer is appreciated, but I think I would like a fresh set of eyes to go over things with me. The medical field has taught me the value of a second opinion.”
Sarma met my gaze, and I could see how much my brush-off irritated her, but I really didn’t care. “Of course, Dama. Whatever you think is best.”
“I’m not sure if we can get someone to look over things with you today, but let me see what I can come up with,” Astrid said, jotting a note down in her planner.
“Anything else we need to cover before everyone deals with the dinner?” I asked, looking at the group. The guys shook their heads, and no one else spoke up. “Wonderful. Well then, I think I’m going to get some reading done while everyone else is busy. I’ll be in my office if anyone needs me.”
“You will need to be back to your rooms by two so that we can get you ready for the coronation before dinner,” Astrid said as I stood to leave. “I hope you don’t mind, but we have a traditional dress already picked out for you.”
“The less I have to decide on is fine by me. I’ll be back in time,” I said, walking over to all the guys and dropping a kiss on their lips, knowing I wouldn’t see them until dinner.
“Please be safe, all of you,” I said to Rik as I kissed him.
He gave me a smile and nodded his head. “We will be fine. This isn’t our first time dealing with these kinds of problems.”
I gave him a questioning look, but he shook his head. “Stories for another time. But just know that being Alpha is like being King. Everyone wants what they can’t have.”
Isn’t that the God’s honest truth.