11.
Queen
T he next few days pass all the same. Clara and I try to help Meg acclimate to the castle and new lifestyle while also learning a few new things myself. The others, however, are all busy with the war preparations. Or whatever the fuck they do in those top-secret meetings. I don’t know because Alex doesn’t want to worry me. Which—obviously—has the opposite effect and I worry even more.
“Tonight is the full moon,” he reminds me while we lay in bed and snuggle before he disappears again this morning.
“It’s okay, we can get through this,” I reply, nuzzling into his pec, closing my eyes as I breathe in his familiar scent of fresh evergreen, warm wood, and heavy musk.
“I’ll be staying away for the night,” he murmurs, his voice a low rumble in my ear.
I shake my head against his chest, tightening my arms around him. “No, you won’t be doing that.”
He pulls back slightly, just enough to look down at me, his expression serious as his eyes search mine. “Julia,” he begins, his tone cautious, “I’m more animal during this time.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks, and I can’t help but giggle, a flush of embarrassment mingling with excitement. “I think I can handle that,” I say, a playful edge to my voice.
“No, you need to understand.” He takes my face in both hands, his gaze piercing, holding me there as if it’s a matter of life and death. “The urges are so primal that I won’t be able to control myself with you.”
“But I don’t want you to control yourself,” I whisper, lifting my hand to cover one of his, squeezing it gently.
He shuts his eyes, breathing in deeply. When he opens them back, the tenderness is shadowed by something darker. “I have to. Baby, please, don’t argue. Not about this.”
I pull back, frustration bubbling up inside me. “So, what? We need to be separated for how many nights? Two? Three?” My voice rises, the realization sinking in. “That’s when you guys are leaving!”
Sitting up after me, he exhales, running a hand through my hair. “No, it’s simply a moment in time when the sun and the moon are perfectly aligned. To the naked eye, it may seem much longer, but it’s truly just an instant. We feel the effects for a few hours—longer for younger werewolves because it’s harder on them—but one night is enough.” A little smile tugs at his mouth when he adds, “You can handle one night without me.”
I frown. “I don’t understand why we even have to do this.” I look away, feeling the vulnerability of my own words, my fingers twisting nervously in the blanket. “Alex, you’re my…” I hesitate, the words slipping from my grasp. My boyfriend? My husband? I honestly don’t even know what we are.
He watches me, his expression softening. “Would you like to get married?”
I seriously need to get my thoughts under control because he keeps reading my mind even when I don’t want him to.
I muster a little laugh, deflecting with humor. “Would you like to get married?” I raise my chin, throwing the question back at him.
He doesn’t answer right away, his face seems amused. “Well, to me, what we share is much, much deeper than any man-made institution.” His hand drifts down to take mine, long clawed fingers entwining with mine in a steady grip. “But I understand if you’d like to have a wedding.”
I roll my eyes, though my heart skips a beat at his words. “Oh, you’re such a romantic!” I tease, but the question lingers in the air between us. I chew my bottom lip before speaking again, “ Mate just sounds so… strange. You’re more than a mate to me.”
He lifts my hand to his muzzle, his tongue runs across the entire length of my arm to the ticklish spot behind my ear. “Okay, let’s make it right.”
I turn my head to face him and I attack his tongue, sucking it into my mouth as we join in a kiss that expresses more than my words can.
“Can you stay with me tonight?” My voice is barely a whisper when I try him once more.
His expression shifts, the softness replaced by a firm denial. “It’s too dangerous,” he replies in a clear warning.
Despite my best efforts, I can’t hold back the disappointment, and I spend the rest of the day pouting.
As I descend the narrow spiral staircase to the underground level, flickering orbs of blue light seem to weaken the lower I go. I’m wearing only my long robe over a sleep chemise, the stone is cool and wet beneath my bare feet. Each step reverberates with an eerie echo, the silence amplifying the distant sounds of dripping water and the faint creaking of the ancient structure.
Finally, I reach the basement and step into the dungeon, a vast chamber lined with cold, iron-barred cells. A chill envelops me, more oppressive down here, tinged with the scent of damp earth and rust. Aurora doesn’t reach here and shadows cling to every corner, deepening the gloom. The thick air feels charged with an unsettling energy, almost haunting.
That’s where I see Alex, locked in one of the prison cells and chained securely to the mossy stone wall.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I hiss at him, my voice sharp and barely controlled as I take in the beast before me.
The cold dampness of the cell clings to my skin, heightening the tension building between us as he sniffs the air and gets a whiff of my scent.
A low growl escapes him. “Julia, go away!” His voice is raw and animalistic, a sound so guttural that I hardly recognize it. He always has this gravelly distortion, but now he sounds far more otherworldly, borderline menacing, like he’s barely restraining something dark within him.
“No!” I snap, feeling defiance course through me—He’s still my Alex, for fuck’s sake!
Ignoring his warning, I step deeper into the cell, the heavy iron door creaking as it swings shut behind me. I walk inside, my heart pounding with each step, as I close the distance between us to get a closer look at him.
His fur is all bristling and disheveled, standing wildly on end as if charged with electricity. His massive form looms over me, larger than I know, every muscle tense and coiled, ready to spring. He seems 8 feet tall to me, perhaps even more, but the ceilings are too high for me to estimate precisely.
“Please, I can’t control this.” His words are a strained rasp, an edge of desperation in his tone that battles with primal needs.
“You don’t have to…” My voice suddenly wavers as I meet his gaze.
He looks right into my eyes, and I’m caught off guard, startled by the flash of crimson that cuts through his stare. His blood-red eyes burn with a fierce intensity, an unsettling reminder of his true nature. An instinct awakens inside of me as it finally clicks in my brain that he’s a fucking predator.
He scares me.
My first impulse is to flee, my body tensing, ready to bolt. But the reasonable part of me knows there’s no hiding from him. His form fills the space, leaving me with no escape. And maybe that’s for the best—running from him would probably only trigger his hunting instinct. There’s certainly no way in hell I’m surviving this if he chases after me.
Unsure what’s going to happen, I take a cautious step back. Trying to mask the fear pulsing through me, I even out my breath and steady my heartbeat. But my mind races—wild, frantic thoughts crashing into each other—and all I can think is: If he comes after me, I’m done.
A deep roar rumbles from his chest. He must sense my mood, and I’m damn sure it only adds to his excitement. His eyes gleam, dark and feral, as he lowers his posture, getting ready to pounce. The shackles around his wrists are silver, yet they do little to hold him back. Nothing can stop him now. With a savage yank, he rips one hand free, the chains snapping with a harsh, metallic clang as he reaches for me.
As instant regret settles in, I conclude that coming here was probably the stupidest thing I ever did in my life. My pulse is wild, a rapid thrum in my throat, but I force myself to focus, reminding myself of who he is beneath the beast. He would never hurt me, no matter what. I’m sure of it.
His claws dig into my arm, breaking my skin and causing me to bleed. As the warmth of my blood pools under his sharp grasp, his eyes glow more vibrant red, as though he gets into a craze. Yet, the adrenaline is so high, pumping through my whole body, that I can’t even feel any pain. All I feel is his unyielding grip, holding me there as he pulls me closer.
He frees his other hand, and just a split second later, I’m in his tight embrace, lifted off the ground as easily as a feather. I can feel his raw strength, every muscle taut and hard beneath me. He bites into my neck, his teeth deep in my skin in a possessive manner, as a euphoric grunt leaves his throat. At the same time, he rips my favorite sleepwear to absolute shreds, silk and lace fabrics giving way to his razor-sharp claws as if they were nothing.
A protest rises in my throat, but it dies just as quickly. Who am I fooling? I don’t want to protest. That’s what I came here for, after all.
I’m left completely bare and exposed to his hungry gaze as his eyes devour every inch of me. Slowly licking his mouth, his fangs glisten with saliva, his tail flicking behind him. The anticipation is killing me, but the fear continues to ripple through my body.
Tossing my arms over his broad shoulders for support, I circle my shaking legs around his waist, pressing my body tight against him. We don’t align quite the way we usually do, which confirms his current form as bigger than what I’m used to.
Everything is bigger… and I mean, everything.
I can feel his cock rapidly growing between us, stretching upright across my belly, hot and solid as it starts to throb. A pang of panic races through my mind at the sheer size of that thing, but my body ignites on fire with lust.
I surely won’t be able to take him. The thought teeters between the opposite sides of the spectrum. I’m both terrified and aroused, sucking in a ragged breath.
“You really shouldn’t have come here,” he tells me, the tone of his voice dark and ominous, charging the air.
Yeah, no shit.
I’m aware that it only takes one wrong move for me to be no more, and it makes everything that much scarier… and that much hotter.
Although the thick silver collar around his neck keeps him bound, the sheer force of his sudden movement snaps the heavy chain off the wall mount. He slams my back against the opposite wall— hard —knocking the breath from my lungs as he attacks my mouth with his tongue. I can feel his craving, the depth of his need, as he savors me. He pulls me deeper under his control with his fierce passion, and I surrender into his arms. I’m even tinier in his hold now, as if I were just a doll, and it’s honestly so fucking sexy that my mind is blown. A deep, low moan escapes him, vibrating through my body, like an electric jolt snapping over every nerve fiber of my being, ending with a flutter of titillation between my legs.
I whimper quietly, arching toward him despite all the alarm bells going off inside my head. I know how wrong it is, but I can’t help how attracted I am to this animalistic side of him.
His mouth drifts lower and he brushes his parted jaws over my breasts, sharp teeth grazing the sensitive skin as he tastes me. His long, wet tongue flicks back and forth across my taut nipples, leaving a tingle behind each sloppy drag. His massive, calloused palms slide down, his claws raking over my waist. As he gets a hold of the backs of my thighs, he forces them wider apart with my knees pinned to the wall on each side of my trembling body.
Purring appreciatively at my submission, he lowers himself to his haunches. I’m entirely at his mercy, vulnerable and wide open, barely able to breathe. His intense gaze levels with my bare pussy, literally buzzing with excitement.
“Oh, you’re dripping for me already,” he rasps heavily, his eyes darkening lustfully, making my skin prickle with tension at what’s to come.
Burying his snout between my thighs, his gaze remains fixed on mine as he leaves a few bite marks on my flesh, humming in his sexy way. Then, his open jaws settle over my mound, his fangs digging into my lower abdomen, while he focuses on my center. He parts my puffy lips with his extended tongue, which fully covers my entire vulva, dragging it slowly from the very crack of my ass, up the depths of my pink slit, to my throbbing clit.
“Fuck.” My eyes roll to the back of my head as a powerful surge of pleasure sweeps through me. My body arches against his muzzle, powerless to the sensations he’s stirring. “Please…” The word escapes, though I’m not sure what I’m asking for.
His eager tongue laps at me relentlessly, the pace quickening with each noisy stroke. Suspended in the air, I can do nothing but take pleasure as he gets me all desperate to be filled. I writhe and moan as if possessed while he continues to devour me messily like I’m the most delicious dessert in the world. He builds me up, higher and higher, until I’m right on the edge of sweet release. And just when I’m about to reach the most intense climax of my life, he pulls away.
He straightens his powerful, muscled body, towering over me even as he holds me. My eyes level with his chest, my hips at his waist height while I’m still pinned to the cold wall with my knees scraping the stones and my feet dangling defenselessly by his sides.
His eyes glow a darker crimson, almost onyx black, as his wide mouth curls into a sinister parody of a smile, revealing two rows of huge, deadly teeth. His full erection presses heavily between my splayed legs, thick and pulsing, leaking generous pre-cum over my stomach and past my belly button, reaching the beginning of my ribcage where the pointed tip ends.
Eek! I fucked up.