27. Ash
Ash
People who are naturally wired for work love their jobs and take great pleasure in performing them. They rise early, ready to get as much done as they can. Runa must be one of them, because, at dawn, she lifts her head from my chest, gets up, and makes coffee. Minutes later, she prepares breakfast.
“Good morning,” I say, then stretch out on her nest.
“Good morning, Alpha.” Runa pulls on her jeans.
That “Alpha” sounded formal. Uh-oh. I don’t think so. At this rate, we’re going to have a fight bright and early. That’s fine. I love a good conflict, as long as we can make up later. Right here in the nest.
“Going somewhere?” I ask.
Runa offers me a plate of cheese and dry beef. “Last day of the chores from the bet I lost.”
“No, thank you,” I reject the plate, since she won’t eat with me. After she finishes her chores, she’ll eat breakfast with her family. It’s a Stormcrest royal family routine. It’s where decisions get made. That old alpha does have one thing right: he keeps his family close and his children closer.
I have no family left. I eat alone. I make decisions alone.
Runa puts the plate down and tucks her hair behind her ears. It’s nice to see her with her hair down and covering her breasts while she wears only jeans.
Along the walls, my fire burns steadily.
Never have I ever had this much control over my element.
And I haven’t medicated with any alchemy since Peter’s death.
I don’t trust Sven. He’s a self-serving murderer.
The only reason I’m keeping him is because that’s what’s best for me and mine at this time.
There’s no pearlescent glow anywhere around the fire, so maybe I imagined it. I did fuck this fine omega while the flame changed colors. Maybe she makes me see pearls instead of stars. Whichever. I’d like some more.
“Why are you smiling?” she asks.
“Come back in the nest, and I’ll show you.”
Runa blushes prettily. “I wish I could, but duty calls.”
“You’re avoiding me now.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t be difficult, Ash.” Runa walks over to her backpack and takes out the rest of her clothes.
“How am I being difficult?” I ask.
“You know how.”
“I don’t. I’m just lying here, inviting you for a ride again.”
Runa puts her hands on her hips. “I’m not going to do that.”
“As you wish.” I tackle her onto the nest, press my lips against hers, and kiss her. Runa spreads her legs and nudges me with her hips while we quietly make out. No heat. No pressure of hormones.
I remove her jeans and push inside her warm channel and move slowly. I take my sweet time fucking her, stopping just before I think she’ll come, getting her frustrated and angry under me as I kiss her constantly, sometimes poking her butthole with my finger. She likes that.
When I come inside her, she begs me for the knot.
That a girl. She’s lost in pleasure, forgetting she has things to do. If I give her the knot, we’ll stay here all morning, maybe even the entire day. People will start looking for us.
I don’t give a fuck about me, but I want to spare her from her father’s wrath. I don’t wish to humiliate her in any way, even if there’s nothing humiliating about us. We’re both single. We’re a great match.
I don’t want them to discover us. I want to declare that we’re together. Boldly. And Runa isn’t ready for that.
When we separate, she looks over at me and says, “You’re a great fuck.”
I sigh. “Happy you appreciate my prowess.”
“Comes with the territory?” She sits up and rummages through her backpack again. She won’t be deterred from work.
Clearly, my dick isn’t magical, or she would want to lie here with me and be lazy all day long. Her pussy most definitely is magical, because I plan to rest in her nest and enjoy her scent after she leaves.
“Yes, it does. Are you coming back later?” I ask.
“You have lots of stamina, Alpha. Makes me think your harem trained you well.”
I sit up. “You think I have a harem?”
“Don’t you?” She appears puzzled.
“No.”
“Are you lying?” She narrows her eyes at me.
“I’m not.” Her questions are bait. She’s picking a fight I can’t win. I need to gain the upper hand quickly, follow up with something…anything. “When can I see you again?” There. Very beta male. Very subtle. Should work well for me.
Runa slips into her jeans, pulls on a sweater, coat, boots, and a hat. “I’ll leave you with the basket. Please dust off the scents and bring it to my mom. You know the drill.”
“Actually, I don’t.”
“You must’ve participated in a nesting ritual before. You know the drill.”
I stare.
She stares back. “Are you kidding me?”
“No.”
Runa bites her lip and looks away, but can’t hide the satisfied smile stretching her lips. “That means I’m your first,” she says.
“It’s my first time because I don’t visit nests.”
Runa gapes. “Ash, are you serious?”
“Mmhm. I’m the Alpha of the largest and, arguably, the strongest of the three werewolf packs.
Fire is my element. I can’t simply walk into nests and leave.
Females have expectations. Their parents do too.
And I most certainly can’t fuck around and find out that I have bastard pups running around my fields. ”
Runa swallows, blood draining from her rosy cheeks. “But you did that last night, right? You fucked around. Don’t worry, no pups are coming from this. Now, you’re free to go on your way.”
A loud grinding noise interrupts our chat. “What is that?” I ask her.
“They’re lowering the bridge.”
“I thought we would get snowed in for days.”
“We are. This is the heart of the storm. We still have a few hours of reprieve before the worst of it brings water along with winds.” Runa points at the exit. “Can you part the fire so I can pass?”
“Can you?”
Runa frowns. “I don’t think so.”
“Try.”
“I don’t want to burn myself.”
“You won’t.” Last night, I reached out with her hand in mine, and the flames pulled back as if not to burn her. It crawled over my skin. Besides, she survived an inferno, so technically, she could probably walk right through the fire.
“I’m scared.”
“But you’re curious,” I say. “As am I. There’s no other way to know if you’re fireproof than to voluntarily walk through it.”
Runa reaches toward the flames, and I tense. She’s too close for comfort, but I have to let this play out. She snatches back her hand. “I’m afraid I’ll get burned.”
“Well, I’m not going to set you on fire just to test the theory.” I pull the fire inside my body. The temperature in the room drops instantly, and Runa shivers before opening the door.
She pauses. “Thank you for your service, Alpha.”
The door closes, and I stare at it.
My service?