Chapter Twenty
Joseph
The estate grounds are still, save for the faint rustling of leaves in the early morning breeze. My paws press into the damp earth as I take another run, the cool air whipping against my fur. The world is quiet, bathed in the soft, silvery glow of the moon. It's 4 a.m. my time. Just me, the night, and the endless stretch of land surrounding the estate.
Yet, once again, that feeling creeps in.
I’m being watched.
I stop mid-stride, ears pricking, scanning the shadows. My gaze shifts upward to the balcony where I’ve felt her presence before, but it’s empty this time. I lower my head, scanning the grounds, and there she is …standing not far from me.
Danae.
She’s a vision, her nightdress clinging to her in the faint moonlight. Even from here, I can see the soft movement of her hair in the wind and the way her arms wrap around herself for warmth. She doesn’t say a word, just looks at me.
My breath catches, and for a moment, I’m paralyzed. But instinct takes over, and I move toward the tree where I’ve stashed my clothes. Shifting back into human form, the transformation is fluid, familiar. I dress quickly, running a hand through my hair to compose myself.
When I step out into view, her eyes meet mine, and something stirs in me. That same familiar pull. That same ache I’ve been fighting since the moment I met her.
“Couldn’t sleep?” I ask, my voice steady despite the storm inside me.
She shakes her head, a small, tired smile playing on her lips. “I had a lot on my mind. Thought I’d come out for some air. Maybe even join you.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Join me? On a run?”
She shrugs, the movement so casual, so her. “Why not?”
I take a step closer, swallowing the heat rising in my chest. “Do you want to talk about what’s on your mind?”
She exhales slowly, her eyes softening. “You’re always so easy to talk to, Joseph.”
The words cause a gleeful feeling to ripple through me. I like that she can confide in me. But there is a heaviness in her voice, something vulnerable. I motion toward a nearby bench, and we sit, the silence between us stretching for a moment before she speaks again.
“Things have been complicated with Silas and Adriel,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’m caught in all these strong emotions, and I don’t know how to handle it.”
I nod, keeping my expression blank, but the words slice through me anyway. There’s no doubt now things have turned physical between her and Silas, as with Adriel. It’s written all over the way she looks at them. And I can’t shake the feeling that I’m on the outside, missing something I’ll never be a part of.
I clench my fists, the strain of restraint familiar now.
I’ve been holding myself back so hard. But every time I see her, it only gets harder.
She continues, her tone growing quieter. “I think I’m finally starting to settle in. I got to see more of the city with Adriel, and it’s such a beautiful place. It’s growing on me. But…” She hesitates, her hands fidgeting in her lap.
“But what?” I ask, leaning forward slightly.
She sighs. “I just feel so nervous. Like something’s going to happen, and everything will come crashing down. That’s how things usually are with me. I still have no idea what Adriel sees in me. And Silas…” She bites her lip, her voice trembling slightly. “Sometimes I feel like if we weren’t a perfect match, he would have called this off by now.”
Her words send a wave of anger through me, hot and consuming.
How can she not see it? How can someone so poised, so elegant, so perfect, be so unsure of themselves?
“You are so much more than you think you are,” I want to shout.
But I don’t. Not yet.
She looks down, her fingers twisting the fabric of her dress. “I don’t know about that. I know what I am. And honestly, I’m worried that Adriel and Silas just haven’t let it sink in yet. And when they do, it’ll be the same old story of rejection for me.”
I can’t hold it in any longer. The words burst out of me, my voice sharper than I intended. “Danae…stop it. Just stop talking about yourself like that.”
She looks up, startled, her eyes wide.
I stand, pacing in front of her, the anger and frustration spilling out in waves. “You are beautiful. For goodness’ sake, you are so beautiful. The way you carry yourself…it’s regal. Like a queen in every sense of the word.” My breath catches, my voice trembling as I fight to steady myself.
“But it’s not just that,” I continue, my frustration bleeding into every word. “You’re brave. You’re capable. You came to our city, Danae. You faced every doubt people threw at you, and then you climbed that mountain and completed the ritual. One damn try, and you did it. Do you have any idea how many Omegas from here couldn’t do the same? But you, you made it look effortless. That’s who you are.”
I stop pacing and turn to face her fully, the intensity in my voice rising. “You need to start seeing it. Really see it, just how amazing you are. That’s why Adriel wants you. That’s why Silas wants you. And you have no idea.” I pause, my throat tightening, but the words come anyway. “You have no idea how desirable you are. I want you so much it hurts.”
The silence that follows is deafening. I can feel her eyes on me, her shock palpable. My breathing is heavy, my chest rising and falling as I struggle to regain control.
I turn away, running a hand over my head. “You should get some more sleep,” I say, my voice quieter now, steadier. “I’ll walk you back to your room.”
The walk back is tense. The air between us feels like it’s constricting my lungs. My mind is a whirlwind of emotions. Relief that I’ve finally said what I’ve been holding in and embarrassment that it all came out so raw, so unfiltered.
When we reach her door, she pauses, her hand resting on the frame. I turn to leave, but her voice stops me.
“Joseph…”
I freeze, turning back to face her.
She steps closer, her eyes searching mine. “Did you really mean that? Everything you said?”
I hold her gaze, the sheer intensity of the moment pressing down on me. “With every fiber of my being,” I reply, my voice unwavering.
She doesn’t move for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then, softly, she says, “Show me.”
My eyes widen so much that it feels like they might fall out of their sockets. My heart stalls for a moment, leaving me frozen as her words hit me like a whirlwind, pulling everything inside me into chaos. I just stand there, staring at her.
“Joseph…” Her voice pulls me back, soft and steady, grounding me in a way I wasn’t prepared for. Those eyes, her perfectly green eyes, hold an expression I can only describe as longing, raw and undeniable.
My mind spins. I’ve wanted her from the very moment I first saw her. But now, with her standing here saying this, I don’t know what to do. I don’t even know if she means it, if she really means it.
“Are you sure?” The question tumbles out of me in a rumbling stutter, every word dragging against my throat.
She shakes her head slowly, her gaze locked onto mine. “I don’t know what sure is, Joseph,” she says, her voice quiet but so steady it’s almost a confession. “All I know is…I feel safe with you. From the moment we met. And I can’t deny this pull I feel when I’m near you. Everything you said about me, I could say the same about you.”
My feet move before I’ve made any decision to close the distance. The world blurs as I step toward her, so close now I can feel the warmth of her breath against my skin.
I stop. Just stand there, paralyzed by the storm inside me. Every part of me wants her—needs her—but having her this close sends me into a haze I can’t quite shake.
Her voice drops to a whisper, barely louder than the breath she exhales. “Are you going to kiss me, Joseph?”
The words ignite something deep inside me. I don’t think. I don’t hesitate. I close the space between us, and when my lips meet hers, the rest of the world disappears. The kiss is electric, all the desire spilling out in one uncontrollable moment. I shut the door behind us, the sound echoing in the quiet hallway.
Nothing else matters now. Just her. Just us.
Just this moment that I haven’t stopped thinking about and wanting since the very second I saw her step off that plane.
Her tongue roams in my mouth, searching. And my cock stiffens instantly. I don’t hold it back this time, I don’t have to.
She’s been thinking about this too.
It’s in the way she kisses me, in the way she sends her tongue into my mouth, in the way her hands clasp onto my head. It’s so needy, so full of desire.
My hands roam onto her gown. It falls away easily and instantly, and then I pull away from the kiss. I want to look at her. I want to drink in the view.
And fuck…what a view it is.
Her body looks sculpted inch by inch by the moon goddess herself. Her hips curve outwards, matching her thick thighs perfectly.
They hang tightly against each other from just how thick they are, framing her center in the most maddeningly enticing way imaginable.
Her cheeks are red, her lips glistening with the mix from our passionate kiss, her breath making her chest rise and fall in a way that summons me.
Her tits they’re absolutely fucking perfect. Full and pink at the nipple. I step forward slowly, holding her still as I place my hand around her neck and gently flick at her nipple with my tongue.
If her breathing was heavy before, it takes on even more weight now. Every stroke of my tongue seems to make her suck in air faster and harder.
Her hands scramble, pushing my head, trying to make me increase the pace.
Oh no, you don’t. I’m going to savor this.
I sweep her off her feet in one swift motion, holding her in my arms. Her breath brushes onto my chest as I carry her and lay her on the bed. She looks at me, almost expectantly, once I lay her down, but I turn and move away towards the curtains.
“Joseph?” She calls out, my name leaving her in a stutter.
I don’t answer. I can’t think to say anything now. All I can think of is this insatiable desire to see her restrained, to see her locked in place.
I pull out the curtain ties, moving to her in a few short strides once I have everything I need. Her face is washed with curiosity and need.
“I want to see how good you look when you’re locked in place, baby,” I say, and my voice comes out deeper than I’ve ever heard it.
I spread her limbs, arms, and legs stretched far apart and tie her to the edges of the bed. “You’ve done this before?” She asks just as I finish the last knot, a cautious excitement in her tone. I merely offer her a smile, stepping back to admire my work.
The sight of her like this…it’s exhilarating. Here lies this woman who walks with so much poise, so much control. And now I have her here, restrained, bound to do with as I wish.
I lean over, planting my face between her thighs. I place my tongue on one, feeling her shudder as I lick her inner thighs all the way up to her groin.
I can see her pussy pulsating, jerking, calling out to me. But not yet. I want to savor every minute of this.
“Joseph. Please,” her voice cracks through, almost desperately. But it’s not desperate enough for me. Not yet. I keep licking her thighs, licking the inside of her groin, hovering just above her pussy.
“Joseph, I need you. Please,” she says.
“Beg for it.”
“I’m begging you, Joseph. Please…”
That’s all I need.
I start slow, planting a soft kiss on her clit that’s so swollen now it looks like it’s going to explode. Her slick sticks to my lips as I pull away, and it causes my cock to ache as it gets harder.
And then I dive in.
Her pussy is so wet, her juices pool into my mouth instantly. I hear her hands struggle against the makeshift binds, trying to grab hold of something. But she can’t. She’s locked down tight.
I flick my tongue on her needy, swollen clit. I thrust my tongue into her pussy, swirling it inside, rubbing my tongue against the roof of her walls.
“Oh fuck! Joseph. Fuck!”
I notice her tense up. I know what that means, and just then, I stop, raising my eyes to look at her.
She’s breathing like she’s just run a marathon, but her eyes are lit with desperation. Her entire form twists and squirms against the binds as she hovers on the brink of ecstasy.
“Please. Please,” she says.
I let the moment simmer, enjoying every bit of seeing her reduced to this level of need. In a weird way it feels like payback for making me want her so bad.
I dive in again, bringing her right to the edge with my tongue. She tenses up again, and right before she explodes, I stop once more.
There are tears in her eyes this time.
Good.
“Joseph, I need this. I need this now. Please.”
“You want me to make you cum?”
“Yes. Yes,” she says, nodding frantically.
“Then beg for it.”
The tears are streaking now. “Please make me cum Joseph. I need you to make me cum now.”
Good.
I lean over once more and kiss her cunt. But she’s not going to cum to my tongue, that’s for bringing her to the edge. I’ll push her off the cliff of ecstasy with my cock.
I free it from my trousers and position it just at her entrance. And just then, it hits me.
Her pheromones.
She’s leaking them out uncontrollably. Her face looks so much more flushed now. The effect is intoxicating, and I’m losing any composure I have, losing my ability to tease.
“I think my heat is starting. It shouldn’t be for another two weeks. But maybe meeting my perfect match has caused it to…”
She’s probably right. Since she’s been exposed to Silas’s pheromones recently, it makes sense. Meeting a perfect match can make an Omegas heat come earlier than it should.
The look on her face and her pheromones have a different effect other than signaling the start of her heat though…
…the effect of stripping me of my senses.
I thrust into her rabidly, my hard cock sliding into her pussy with the silkiest of ease. I can’t think, can’t comprehend. All I want is her, to take her apart right here as she’s bound in this bed.
I fuck her like a man possessed because, in this moment, that is all I am, all she has turned me into.
The room fills with the sounds of her wet pussy catching every stroke I deliver. The sound itself is enough to drive me to my edge.
But it’s not just that. Danae’s sweet voice echoes through the room. Her moans spurring me on, leading me closer and closer to my peak.
She’s so beautiful like this. Her beautiful, full breasts dangle and bounce with each thrust. Her arms struggle helplessly with the binds, her eyes wrapped with need as her legs are spread wide apart, welcoming me with each movement of my hips.
“I’ve wanted this for so long.” My voice is a raspy moan.
Danae bites her lower lip, her green eyes shining as she nods, her voice breathless. “Me too.”
Fuel to my fucking fire.
My cock slams in with everything I have. I want to be one with her. I want to live inside her.
“I want to feel this way forever,” I say. And I mean it. I can’t do without this, without her. I need this for the rest of my life.
Her lips move; I can tell she’s about to speak, and my ears are piqued with anticipation.
But just then, I hear the door swing open.