CHAPTER EIGHT
EMBER
I AWAKENED TO AN INFERNO burning beneath my skin, my body slick with sweat. I blinked slowly, my eyes adjusting to the dim light as I tried to orient myself. That's when I saw him...
Moon, chained to the wall across the room, his head hanging forward in sleep, silver-pale hair falling across his face like a curtain.
For a moment, I thought I was still dreaming. My prince, my alpha, my mate, chained up like a prisoner in his own tower. The bite on my neck throbbed with my pulse, a constant reminder of what had transpired between us in the forest.
I could still feel the phantom sensation of his knot stretching me, of his teeth piercing me, claiming me, marking me as his. My alpha. I tried to sit up, tried to go to him, only to realize that the heavy warmth wrapped around me wasn't a blanket at all.
It was Ryung. His strong arm encircled my waist, his chest pressed against my back, his breath warm against my neck. I was nestled against him, our bodies fitted together like puzzle pieces.
Carefully, I attempted to slide out from under his arm without waking him. I needed to understand what was happening, why Moon was chained, and why I was here in bed with Ryung. The moment I moved, his arms tightened around me, pulling me back against his chest.
"Go back to sleep," he growled, his voice rumbling through me like thunder.
"I'm wide awake now, alpha," I replied. I twisted in his arms to face him, finding his dark eyes already open and watching me with an intensity that made my skin tingle. "Why is my other mate chained to the wall?"
Ryung's lips curved into that infuriating smirk of his.
"Because he asked me to chain him up to keep himself from fucking you while you slept."
I gasped, looking over my shoulder at Moon's sleeping form. The prince had asked to be chained... for me? To protect me? The thought sent an unexpected warmth through me that had nothing to do with my heat.
"Does that scare you, little one? Does it make you think we're animals? Ferocious beasts who will gobble you up every chance we get?" Ryung growled, his lips brushing against my earlobe, making me shiver.
I turned back to him, meeting his gaze head-on.
"No. I think it's sweet as hell. The most romantic thing anyone’s ever done for me," I told him, surprising him.
Ryung's chuckle was like the darkest melody in my ear, rich, dangerous, and oddly comforting. His hand came up to cup my cheek, thumb brushing over my bottom lip in a gesture that was somehow both tender and possessive.
"Be sure you tell him that when he wakes up," Ryung told me.
The urge to see Moon, to touch him, to tell him what I thought of last night, suddenly overwhelmed me.
"I want to wake him up now to tell him," I replied, already moving to get up.
Instead of unwrapping his arms from around me to let me rise, Ryung simply picked me up in one fluid motion, holding me against his chest as if I weighed nothing. He scooted to the edge of the bed, still cradling me, then stood and carried me over to where Moon was chained up.
Only when we’d reached Moon, did Ryung set me on my feet, but he didn't step away. Instead, he positioned himself behind me, his hands settling on my hips, caging me between them. I was acutely aware of mine and Ryung’s nakedness.
Ryung pressed kisses along my shoulder, the light scrape of his teeth sending shivers down my spine. His hands on my hips felt like brands, hot and claiming. He towered over me, the evidence of his arousal pressed against my lower back.
I found myself leaning into him, seeking more contact. But my eyes were fixed on Moon. I reached out, placing my hand against his cheek, tracing the strong line of his jaw with my fingertips. As if sensing my presence, his eyes fluttered open. When his gaze landed on me, my big alpha smiled.
“Mine,” he whispered.
His eyes weren't the luminous silver I remembered from the forest. They were black, and fathomless as the night sky.
"Why are your eyes black now?" I whispered.
Moon growled, the sound rumbling from deep in his chest. As I watched, his eyes began to change, the black receding like ink in water, replaced by that otherworldly silver that had captivated me from the first moment I'd seen him.
"Have you guessed it yet?" Ryung asked, his breath warm against my ear, one hand sliding from my hip to my waist, holding me closer.
“No,” I whispered.
"The prince's eyes turn silver during a full moon and when his wolf rises up," he explained, his voice dropping lower. "His wolf is rising because he wants to fuck you."
"Is he still in his rut state?" I rasped, unable to tear my gaze from Moon's silver eyes, which now blazed with hunger as they roamed over my naked body.
"Yes. He was lucid for a while last night.
But now his wolf is back in control," Ryung whispered, his hand sliding across my belly and rising up to cup my breast, thumb brushing over my nipple, making heat pool low in my abdomen.
"His rut usually lasts a few days, maybe even a week. It should be shorter now that we’ve found you. "
I stared down at the tent in Moon’s shorts, the evidence of his desire for me. He jerked against the chains that bound him, straining to get closer to me, a snarl ripping from his throat that should have frightened me but instead sent a fresh wave of slick pooling between my thighs.
"Should we release him?" I whispered to Ryung, unable to look away from the raw need etched into Moon's features.
"Not yet," Ryung replied. "When he's like this, I only release him once he's lucid enough to tell me to."
"But..." I started, licking my lips as I stared at the impressive bulge in Moon's pants. "He's rock hard right now."
Ryung's teeth trailed over my claiming mark from Moon.
"You should do something about that, mate," he teased. "How about you jack our prince off while I feast on your sweet pussy?"
Well, damn. I hadn’t expected him to say that. But I liked the way he thought. So did my pussy because slick was trickling down my thighs, my body already eager for Ryung's tongue.
I leaned back against him, tilting my head to meet his gaze, finding his eyes as dark with desire as I imagined mine must be.
"Deal," I told him, surprising myself with how eagerly I accepted this new dynamic between us.
But Ryung surprised me further when he bent down and kissed my forehead. Seriously, where had my gruff alpha gone?
“Take care of the prince, little one, and I’ll take care of you,” Ryung told me.
“Yes, alpha,” I whispered before facing Moon. "Growl if you’re okay with me touching you," I told Moon as I took a step closer to him, Ryung moving with me like we were connected by invisible threads, his hands still firm at my waist.
Moon's growls filled the room, deep and primal. Now that I had his permission, I was ready to play with my alpha. I pressed my lips to his neck, right over the spot where Ryung's claiming mark was, and felt Moon shudder.
As I kissed the prince’s throat, I rubbed my bottom against Ryung, feeling his cock throb. I'd never been a tease. Never had the desire or opportunity. But something about having these two powerful alphas at my mercy made me bold.
Moon's skin was hot beneath my lips, feverish almost, and I could feel his pulse racing as I flicked my tongue over his throat. He strained against his chains, the metal links clinking on the stone wall.
The knowledge that all that power, all that strength, was held at bay for my sake made me want to show him just how much that pleased me. Behind me, Ryung's hands began a slow descent down my body.
His lips traced a path along my shoulder blades, each kiss sending shivers down my spine. I felt him sink lower, pressing kisses down the curve of my back as he went to his knees behind me.
His hands spread my thighs apart, making space for himself. I bent forward a little, giving Ryung better access as I placed my hands on Moon's abs, feeling the hard muscles tense beneath my palms.
His skin was like silk stretched over steel, hot, smooth, perfect. I dragged my nails lightly down his torso, rewarded by a shudder that rippled through the prince’s entire body.
Wanting more, needing to taste more of him, I flicked my tongue over his nipple, feeling it harden beneath my touch as a harsh breath escaped him. My hand continued its journey downward, sliding into the front of his pants.
I gasped when I felt Ryung's tongue delving between my slick folds, laving at my juices with slow strokes that had my knees threatening to buckle. His hungry growls vibrated against me, letting me know just how much he loved my taste.
"I'm going to get this pussy ready for my knot, sweetheart," Ryung told me between licks.
He’d called me sweetheart.
My once-frozen heart was thawing under their attention, their care, their hunger for me. Smiling, I wrapped my hand around Moon's cock, making my alpha jerk, his eyes glued to me. Damn, I couldn’t believe that all of this had been buried inside of me.
I pumped his cock while trailing kisses up his neck. Prince Moon tilted his head back against the stone wall, a guttural moan escaping him as he bucked into my grasp. Behind me, Ryung scissored his fingers inside me, stretching me, preparing me for what was to come.
"You're so tight, sweetheart," Ryung groaned, sinking his fingers deeper into my pussy. "So perfect for us. I’m going to fuck this pussy hard, little one. I need you ready.”
The wet sounds of his movements filled the air, combining with the slide of my hand on Moon's cock. Add in our collective harsh breathing along with Moon’s grunts, and we were creating the most erotic soundtrack.
Ryung’s filthy words had me on edge. I was ready to be filled by him, to be stretched, claimed, and knotted.
"This pussy is going to feel so good when it's squeezing my cock,” Ryung rasped, replacing his fingers with his tongue. “So wet. Give me all that slick, sweetheart,” Ryung groaned.