14. Chapter 14
Chapter fourteen
Destiny
P ack Stepanov seemed to have a direct line to Destiny’s burgeoning libido. She hadn’t even hesitated to agree to Hunter’s command. After all that worrying and deliberating, she’d spent ten minutes in the alphas’ presence and already wanted nothing more than to be back in their packhouse, snuggled up on the couch. Or maybe bent over it.
Destiny pressed her thighs together, thankful she’d had the good sense to dig her slick-wicking panties out of her emergency heat kit. They’d still had the tags on them. She’d never needed these kinds of precautions before.
Now, two growled words of praise had her clenching with need. She put her new panties to work as Hunter strode across the room, moving gracefully despite his size. She wanted to feel that big body on top of her, as much as she wanted to just be near it. There was an undeniable tug in her belly, urging her toward him, toward Xander, toward wherever Greyson might be in the vast castle.
She saw an amused look cross Damon’s face when Hunter stopped at his side, saying something in the bodyguard’s ear. Damon turned toward her with a raised eyebrow. Destiny nodded her approval. She didn’t know exactly what he’d said, but she trusted Hunter with her safety.
When she made her way to the designated corridor, Damon positioned himself at its entrance to keep guard. Destiny could see he was trying to hide a grin. She sighed loudly. She was surrounded by shameless busybodies.
“Don’t look so put out. We’re just happy for you.” Destiny was surprised by the smile in Damon’s voice. Her bodyguard was protective of her, and she’d consider him a friend, but he was typically all business. “You work too hard. It’s nice seeing you so relaxed. You’re glowing.”
Destiny’s chest grew warm, but she still tried to scowl. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Busybodies. All of you.”
She started down the hall, still grinning to herself. Was she glowing? Surely, her hopelessly romantic friends were projecting. Although, she did feel relaxed—comfortable, even, as ridiculous as that sounded when staying at a giant castle. She felt settled in her skin, and very much satisfied to simply be where she was at that moment and to feel her feelings with reckless abandon.
A moment later, her calm evaporated.
One second, she was wandering down the quiet corridor, the next she was pulled back against a hard body and hauled into a dimly lit room. A huge hand clamped over her mouth, but she’d already stifled her instinctive scream. She’d felt only a moment of anxiety before the scent of him calmed her fears and her heart raced for entirely new reasons.
Hunter nudged the door shut with his foot, still holding her tightly around the waist, as he moved his other hand from her mouth to her throat. He lowered his head and ran his nose along the side of her neck, breathing deeply, then exhaled an approving hum that went straight to her clit. She shivered and pressed her thighs together.
“You smell like winter evenings spent in front of a crackling fire with a warm drink,” Hunter murmured against her skin. “Which happens to be my very favorite type of evening.”
Destiny shivered again, squirming against him in an effort to soothe the insistent ache between her thighs. She could feel the hard press of his cock against her lower back, and she instinctively arched toward it, lifting on tiptoe to rub her ass against it. Hunter’s hand tightened slightly on her throat. It felt so good that she whined, and Hunter stiffened.
“Is this pressure okay?” he asked, his voice rough and low. Destiny nodded, reaching up and behind her to run her fingers over the soft, buzzed hair on the back of his head. Hunter exhaled a ragged breath. “You have to tell me if I do anything you don’t like. Do you understand, omega?”
Destiny thought she’d explode if he didn’t touch her. She needed his touch. The scent of him, the heat of his body, the feel of his breath against her skin—it all combined to make her feel safe and wanted and alive.
“Yes, alpha,” she whimpered.
Hunter growled, gripping her chin and angling her head back so he could cover her mouth with his. He kissed her hungrily, as if he couldn’t get enough of the taste of her. Destiny’s core clenched, a rush of slick flooding her panties.
Hunter broke away, releasing her chin to grip her throat once more. “I only planned to steal a kiss or two, but you’re driving me insane, Kitten. Do you want me to make you cum?”
Destiny gasped, her heartbeat stuttering. Was she seriously considering having sex in a utility closet? Yes. Yes, she was.
“Please,” she heard herself whisper. “Hunter, I need you.”
Hunter growled, pinning her against the door, his cock like steel against her back. He skimmed his teeth along the side of her neck, making her see stars. A tiny, wild voice inside her was screaming for him to bite her, to claim her as his and become hers and do this forever. She stifled the voice, but she couldn’t control the way her body responded to his every move.
“You have me,” Hunter breathed, his lips against her ear. “You’ve had me since the moment I found Xander in your room. I’m going to take care of you. Open your legs.”
Destiny widened her stance as Hunter pulled back, releasing her waist to run his hand down the curve of her hip. He hooked his fingers under the hem of her dress, slowly dragging the fabric up her thighs. Destiny squirmed and the hand holding her throat tightened in warning. She held still, panting in anticipation of his touch.
Hunter bunched her dress up around her waist before slipping his hand into her tights and inside her panties. She whined again when his finger slid between her wet folds. Her hips bucked involuntarily.
“Please, Hunter,” she breathed.
He languidly dragged his finger up her center, nipping at her neck and eliciting another gush of slick as her pussy clenched desperately around nothing. He circled her clit with two strong fingers and Destiny bit back a cry of pleasure. She didn’t think anyone was in earshot, but she didn’t want to risk it. The thrill of it made her body thrum with excitement.
“One day, I’m going to feel this perfect pussy dripping all over my cock,” Hunter told her in a low voice as he massaged her clit with slow, methodical purpose. “One day, I’m going to feel this perfect pussy gripping me as you cum. I’m going to feel your perfect pussy milking my knot and I’m going to fill you up.”
Destiny wanted that. She wanted it very much. Hunter’s fingers had continued to move steadily against her as he talked, pushing her closer and closer to a precipice. The thought of having him inside of her, taking his knot, almost pushed her over the edge.
“But the first time I have you, it won’t be a stolen moment in a utility closet,” Hunter promised, his fingers moving faster. “I will lay you out on Egyptian cotton and take my time worshipping you like the queen you are.”
Destiny moaned as his fingers moved faster. An intense buzzing was building in her belly, her core clenching. She let her head fall back against Hunter’s chest, her hips rocking as she chased her orgasm.
“Grey and Xander will undress you. We’ll take turns licking your pussy, your ass, your perfect tits,” Hunter said, his voice a caress. His fingers moved firmer and faster, and Destiny was so close it hurt. “We’ll make you cum until you’re soaked and begging for our knots. And then do you know what we’ll do?”
Destiny’s hips jerked, the rhythm of her movements growing more erratic as she neared her peak. She shook her head, unable to find her voice. Hunter understood.
“That’s right, Kitten. Then, we’re going to fuck you. We’re going to fill every one of your perfect holes until we make one thing very, very clear. And do you know what that one, very important thing is?”
Hunter’s fingers moved even faster, and Destiny was barely holding on. She knew his next words would destroy her, leaving her irrevocably ruined for anyone but Pack Stepanov. And she wanted that. God, she wanted it so badly.
“What?” Destiny moaned.
“You’re ours, Kitten,” he growled. “ You’re mine .”
Hunter bit down on her neck then, just hard enough to hurt but not hard enough to break the skin. Destiny shattered. Her orgasm tore through her, racking her body with tremors and quakes that seemed to go on and on. When they finally stopped, she sagged against Hunter weakly, her limbs soft and rubbery.
Hunter held her up easily with one arm, using the other to clean her up—the utility closet was conveniently stocked with clean towels—before smoothing her dress back into place. He kissed her temple, her hair, the back of her neck, murmuring praise while she caught her breath. He held her like she was some precious, treasured thing and she wanted to capture the feeling in a melody so she could listen to it again and again.
“As much as I’d like to spend forever holding and kissing you like this, we should probably get to the press conference. We’re part of the show, after all.”
Destiny’s heart stopped for a moment, his words touching some deep and primal need inside her. She thought she’d like to be held and kissed like this forever. She could almost see it—how she’d curl up in his lap on cold winter evenings, Xander and Greyson on either side of them, enveloping her in their warmth and their irresistible scents. It was far too easy to imagine.
She forced herself to pull away, banishing the thought. “Right. Press conference. Time to charm the masses.”
Hunter grinned, pulling her close again and nuzzling her neck, and making Destiny’s toes curl in her boots. “The masses should be charmed by your mere presence. You’re a queen. Go on ahead. I’ll catch up in a few minutes.”
He kissed her hard and fast, leaving her breathless, before urging her from the room with a playful swat on her behind.
Destiny practically floated toward the pressroom. This time, she returned Damon’s smug grin. There was no point in hiding her feelings, when it was obvious her friends saw right through her anyway.
The pressroom was a surprisingly cozy space with comfortable but elegant seating arranged in a semicircle on a slightly raised dais. The journalist seating looked like an upscale café, with armchairs clustered around dark wood pedestal tables. With the roaring fire and Christmas decorations, Destiny felt like she was at a small holiday get together, rather than a press conference.
Of course, the reporters soon reminded her otherwise.
The queen and kings sat together on an antique sofa positioned center stage, starting the press conference by sharing details about the festival and answering a few follow-up questions. Destiny had been seated on a couch with Princess Natalya, opposite another holding Pack Stepanov. She did her best to keep her gaze from lingering on the three alphas, especially when she found their eyes on her more often than not.
“Prince Alexander, is it true that you and Destiny Duvalle have been feuding during her visit to the castle?”
Destiny’s attention snapped to the reporter who’d abruptly changed the topic after the queen’s description of the tree lighting contest. The young beta looked smug, watching greedily for a reaction. Destiny gave a practiced polite smile.
The prince smirked. “It’s certainly true that you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet.”
Several people laughed. Prince Alexander turned away as if he were going to take a question from someone else, but the young reporter wasn’t so easily deterred.
“So, you didn’t call her a ‘stuck up clout chaser’?” he demanded. “Miss Duvalle, were you offended by the prince’s opinions? What about Prince Ammar’s comments in which he agreed with Prince Alexander’s description of you?”
Though she held her smile, Destiny wanted to roll her eyes. What a desperate, boring attempt at getting a rise out of one of them to get some juicy content for another clickbait article. The real story here was how she and Prince Alexander actually felt about each other, but the media idiot was too focused on controversy to notice the way they couldn’t seem to stop looking at each other.
Destiny prepared her answer, refusing to look across the stage to where Pack Stepanov sat. Even so, she was acutely aware of them, a low thrum of electricity seeming to tether them to one another. It tugged at her, no matter how much she tried to focus on something—anything—else.
Destiny’s traitorous gaze drifted to Prince Alexander. He was watching her and gave her that lopsided grin that so annoyed and flustered her. But when he spoke, his voice was sincere.
“The only thing that article got right was that my unsavory exploits are well-documented. Many of you have made sure of that.” The prince paused, letting the crowd laugh at his joke before continuing. “Everything said or implied against Miss Duvalle is completely false or based on overhearing me venting in a moment of wounded pride. I’m a bit of a spoiled twat, so my ego was easily bruised when I met a woman who rightly called me on my–”
“ Alexander ,” King Anton warned.
The crowd laughed again. Prince Alexander gave his parents an endearingly sheepish smile, his blond hair falling over those mischievous sapphire eyes. He turned his electric gaze her way next, and Destiny had to remind herself to breathe.
“I feel qualified to say that Prince Ammar was probably in a similar mood when he agreed with my childish words.” Prince Alexander didn’t look away from her and, though she didn’t break eye contact, Destiny knew his packmates were watching her as well. “Destiny Duvalle is a consummate professional and an ideal guest. Her presence has been an absolute delight to us all, and we are very pleased that she’s extended her stay. I, personally, am looking forward to showing her the amazing trees our citizens have decorated this evening, which have raised over twenty-five thousand euros for local charities.”
Prince Alexander gave her his wicked grin again, before turning to the journalists and talking about the impact the festival had on their community, and why it was one of the many things that made Avondale so special.
Listening to the prince talk about his country and its citizens, Destiny couldn’t help but think that she wasn’t the only one who’d been underestimated. It was obvious Alexander truly cared about his people, and that he took great pride in ensuring that they could live safe and comfortable lives. He was smarter than he let on, and more suited to rule than her online research had led her to believe.
When Hunter and Greyson added their own astute observations to the conversation, Destiny thought she might orgasm from the sheer competency of the three alphas. These were men who knew how to lead and, more importantly, to properly care for those they led.
Just like they would take care of her, if she’d let them.
The world shifted on its axis at that thought. It had popped into her head fully formed, without her conscious input, but feeling as true as the ground beneath her feet. Somehow, Destiny knew that Pack Stepanov would be hers if she would have them. It was her decision to make, to choose what she wanted her life to look like, now that she felt free to live for herself.
Deep down, Destiny knew she’d already made her choice.