“Answer me.”
I nodded, tears trailing my cheeks from want, from need, from pushing my body to the limits of arousal. All I wanted was release.
“You wanted me inside you. To be the first to open your ass. To make you know your place beneath your alpha. Didn’t you?” His tone turned harsh. “Didn’t you!” His demanding voice pulled the answer straight from my soul.
“Yes!” I tried to brace against the wall with my sweaty hands, tried to reach for some control, but it didn’t matter what I did. At that moment, I was completely without power while he held it all. He could move my body how he liked. He could enter me as deep or as shallow as he desired. He could plug me up all night, and I wouldn’t be able to stop him. And maybe I didn’t want to. I had a tough time knowing what was going through my head during the Hunt. Maybe it was as he said? Maybe even in my darkest thoughts, I wanted him.
“Again, Fern. Admit to that depravity inside your heart that begged for me. That wanted me to force myself inside you. That wanted me to make you take it, no matter how much you didn’t like it. That bestial force inside you that would stop at nothing to see you fucked and mated. To have my cock inside you, claiming you hard.”
His teeth sunk into the first claim mark, blood trailed down my neck and shoulder as he tore open the wound. My mind was overcome by him. He was breaking down all my defenses.
Was he right? Did I want to be caught? To be trapped? To be raped in that dead-end, where no one could save me. If I hadn’t, why hadn’t I chosen the other path? I told myself it was because I’d been too distraught to see clearly. Maybe that wasn’t the case.
As his fangs bore into me and his cock invaded my body, those words poisoned my mind, warring with my memories of that night. Coloring them with what he told me had happened. Brainwashing—mind-fucking me. I wasn’t sure what he was doing to me. Morphing my thoughts, owning not only my body but my mind as well.
Giving in to him, I cried out in ecstasy as my cum burst out over our abdomens pressed together. My mind was too lost to get out from under his words. I replayed that night over and over in my mind, seeing myself willingly running down that path, hoping he would catch me, even if I didn’t want him to. I didn’t want him to stop until he took my virginity, fucked me hard, raped my unwilling body because I belonged to him. I belonged to him from the first moment I saw him, looking majestic with his shining black fur.
He held me tightly, and I sagged against his chest. Spent. His loud breaths against my ear condensed on the mirror behind us. Now that I was coming down, the reality of what I’d said hit me hard, and I trembled in his arms.
“Shh.” He pressed a kiss to my temple. I couldn’t stop shivering. Had I really wanted to be raped? What was wrong with me? Fear jolted inside me.
I don’t wanna lose myself.
“You won’t,” Don whispered softly in my ear. Had I said those things out loud—revealed a bit of my heart to him? I felt so vulnerable. Like someone could break me open and shatter me all over the floor. “I won’t let that happen. You’re safe with me, Fern.” He secured me in his arms, pressing another kiss to my temple. “Submit to me. Submit to your alpha. I won’t break your trust, nor will I abuse my power.” His warmth slowed my shivering. Surprisingly, his gentle words were exactly the reassurance I needed to hear. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you.”
He leaned back, and I screwed my eyes shut, too embarrassed to look at him. Tenderly he kissed my forehead and cheeks and along my nose. I still couldn’t look at him but was relieved when his warm lips covered mine. He cupped my face between his palms.
“Fern? Look at me?” Rapidly, I shook my head. His exhale sounded like a laugh. “Suit yourself.” He kissed me again, his mouth gentle. Even though my thoughts were still jumbled, I savored his taste and the warmth of his kisses.
The next morning, I awoke to an empty bed. For a moment, I studied his side of the mattress and the indent in the shape of his body. Honestly, I was kind of shocked to find him gone. I thought for sure he’d attack me first thing in the morning, especially after what he did to me at my school that one time I left without us having sex. Don was so confusing.
Rolling over to his side, I nuzzled his pillow and inhaled deeply. It smelled strongly of him. For a moment, I wanted to roll around in his rich scent.
My mind strayed to memories of the night before. He had said that I wanted him, even that first night when he claimed me at the Hunt. But was he right? Had I wanted him to catch me that night? I had no idea. I couldn’t remember. There may have been some of those thoughts in my head. Had I chosen the wrong path on purpose? For him to make me his? That thought sent a thrill up and down my spine. Shaking my head, I tried to compose myself. More than likely, this was another one of Don’s ploys to get me to say super embarrassing things. Godsdamned pompous jerk.
My mind returned to last night when he’d held me.
I won’t let that happen. You’re safe with me, Fern. What had he meant by that? Did he really plan on letting me still be me after the mating? Should I even trust him? Alphas didn’t have to give their betas much freedom; our instincts pretty much blinded us to them regardless. Losing myself like that was what scared me most. I didn’t want to become someone else without a will of my own.
You won’t. I won’t let that happen. I recalled the strength of his body and how secure it had felt being held by him.
Now thoroughly confused, I got up and got ready. When I made it into the living room, Don was on the tail-end of a phone call. I wouldn’t have cared except for that last part he said at the end of the conversation.
“Morning,” he said when I came into the kitchen. He sat at the kitchen table, sipping his coffee. He’d finished his plate and was reading the Daily Fang.
“Morning,” I said under my breath, but he smiled at me as if he’d heard it. Quickly, I searched the pantry for cereal.
“There’s breakfast still on the stove if you wanna heat it up? I left it for you.”
I shook my head and retrieved a bowl. “Did you really make a formal request to my mom?” I poured myself some cereal.
Don didn’t look up at me. “Of course, I told you I’d wanted you for a while. And like I said, I know your mother. She’d place her pup into the Offering as soon as you came of age.”
“What does that even mean anyway?” I dug into my cereal, talking with my mouthful. “Not like you’d have a claim on me before the Hunt.”
“No, but most Highbornes take bids for their betas, especially if they’re highly priced in lineage.” Of course, Mom talked nonstop about Papa’s lineage and how that was a reason why she claimed him. Then she would say something gross and lovey-dovey, and I’d get out of there fast before they started going at it. As a wereduin, seeing sex was something I was used to, but that didn’t mean I wanted to see my parents doing it. And Mom had a habit of taking my papa on the kitchen table. Gross.
“That’s what she kept going on and on about when my birthday was right around the corner.”
“A year before, actually.”
“And did you really memorize my scent?” That was the tail-end of Don and Mom’s conversation that I must have heard incorrectly.
“Of course.” I hadn’t expected him to admit it right off the bat. Because, come on, the whole notion was ridiculous. Laughable, even. Especially when I pictured him sniffing my shirt. Still, Don had never lied to me before, so I wasn’t sure why I thought he would evade the question.
“When did you even do that anyway? You never came to our house.”
“It goes along with making a request.”
“And what? My mom let you sniff my underwear?”
Don laughed. “Something like that. It was why I was able to find you so quickly in the Hunt.” Given the several hundred participants, maybe I should have wondered why Don was able to locate me as fast as he had. After all, he had stopped the first alpha who tried to rape me.
“So, you’ve been sniffing me all this time. Kinda cree
py.” I sniggered. “Like a stalker.”
Don just shrugged as if it were the most normal thing in the world. “It’s commonplace when you make a bid.” All this time I thought Don hadn’t even noticed me, and here he was memorizing my scent. “You had a fair amount of suitors. What did you think your mother was doing when she was talking with them?”
“Well, I certainly didn’t think she was giving them my items so they could creep on me. Besides, I got chased a lot, but not by that many people. So, I couldn’t have had that many suitors.”
Don laughed. “You really are just a pup, aren’t you?” Leave it to Don to never miss an opportunity to humiliate me. Asshole. “What did you think I was doing in the times you were able to get away from me?”
“So…you were fighting them all off?” My eyes widened. “Don’t tell me you actually killed them.”
Don spoke nonchalantly, like I was asking about him skipping practice, not ending people’s lives. “Maybe? I didn’t stick around to know. I’ve seen a few of them since then, so some lucked out.” He looked up from his newspaper and his eyes fixed on me. “I would have, though. I’d kill them all for you, Fern. Every last one.”
His piercing blue eyes were so intense. Quickly, I glanced away, my face feeling uncomfortably hot. I needed a distraction, especially since Don hadn’t stopped looking at me.
I thought back to the two attractive alphas who had almost caught me at the end of the Hunt. They looked to belong to our caste. Don must have known them. “So, um, those alphas that almost got me before you claimed me?” Thinking of Don claiming me had been a mistake. I remembered it in vivid detail, and it made my lower body ache. Shit!
Thankfully, Don said, “What about them?”
“They’re not dead, right? I mean, you probably know them, right?”
“Why?” Don narrowed his brow. “If you’re thinking of seeking either of them out, you can forget it.”
“So, then, you didn’t kill them?”
Don shook his head. “Nah, they made it. But know this, Fern. You’re mine.” He cupped my chin, forcing me to maintain eye contact. “I’ll never let you leave me.”
I tried to pull away, but only succeeded when he let me go. “Jeez, someone’s possessive.”
“You better believe it.”
“I didn’t ask because I was interested in them. Sheesh…they’re guys.”
“Your point being?”
I glared at him. “Point being is that I’m straight!”
Mischief lit up Don’s eyes and brightened his smile. “Not to me you aren’t.”
Bastard.
I was still curious about those two alphas. It would also piss him off if I asked. “So, were they some of those suitors you were talking about?”
Don growled. “Stop mentioning them.”
“Fuck, I can’t be curious?” Now he was being ridiculous. “I said, I didn’t want them.”
“Does that mean you want me?”
I shook my head. “Hardly.” The look on his face told me he hadn’t taken me seriously. Bastard.
“Then, yes, they were suitors.” Don straighten up and his chest puffed out. “And they lost.” He caught one of my curls, twirling it on his finger. “Like I said, you got quite the number of offers. You’re very desirable, my little Fern.”
I shivered at the words, feeling the urge to surrender to him and beg him to fuck me. Growing angry at myself, I slapped his hand away. Don’s smirk turned challenging, like a predator that had spotted its prey. I knew what he planned to do.
Pushing out of my chair so that it screeched against the wood, I raced for the bathroom. I’d been able to lock myself in once, but I’d had to come out. And the moment I had, Don assailed me, took me to his room, and submitted me. It had been humiliating how he had gotten me to whimper and beg.
I heard the thrill in his growl, but I didn’t stop to look back. Dashing into the living room, I used the couch to steady myself to turn the corner when a weight crashed into my back. He grabbed me and tackled me right over the couch, and I landed face down into the cushions.
Don purred into my ear, licking his lips. A moan slipped from my uncovered mouth. He sank his teeth into the second claim mark on my left shoulder. I cried out.
“Mine,” he growled through his fangs. Slowly he peeled off my clothing, his teeth never leaving my skin. My body tingled at his touch. I ached inside, wanting him. Once naked underneath him, he entered me with one thrust. I moaned into the pillows. “You know this, my little Fern. Your body craves mine. You crave to be beneath me, taking my cock up your ass. Marking you as my own.” He released my neck and licked my ear, nibbling on the shell. “Give it up. I already have you. There’s no way you can escape me now.” My grip on the cushion slacked the more he thrust into me, and I lost the battle not to beg him for release.
Afterward, I brimmed with anger. Damn that full-of-himself jerk. He was right, though. My body did want him. Maybe I even wanted him to catch me that night. But fuck no, I was not going to submit to that arrogant jerk. Be damned if my body wanted to or not, he didn’t own me, and that was that.
Chapter Six
Obedience Training
The stadium we entered was noisy and bustled with alphas and their betas, along with some other races trying to make a buck selling beta bondage gear.
Before we entered, Don had to register us. The whole thing was premature since we weren’t official in the Goddess’s eyes, but it was the time in the mating month where bonds were already being formed. That made it the perfect time for alphas to start schooling their betas for submission.
I scoffed. Schooling betas? What the fucking fuck?
We weren’t property. This was beyond degrading.
The line we stood in was relatively short because Don was always ungodly early for everything in life.
They had me shift to werewolf form and take my handprint. I thought they’d need a canine paw print too, as werewolf hands were humanoid, but it wasn’t necessary, so I didn’t have to revert into a worg.
Don immediately had me transform into a wereduin again, and I cursed how naturally it felt to obey him that my body did it almost on call.
It wasn’t hard to shift between forms because Don hadn’t allowed me to put on any clothes this morning. I had fought him and tried to get out of it but to no avail.
They took a blood sample, sticking me in-between my shoulder blades with a large needle.
Dagda’s Balls, that hurt!
Next, they sat me on a chair and poured warm gel into Don’s initial bitemark on my neck.
Ten minutes later, it was finally dry. I kept wanting to scratch it, but every time I did, Don swatted my hand.
Bastard! Let’s see him wear this crap.
When it was finally ready to come off, I expected it to hurt, but the gel, which felt a lot like rubber, simply popped right off.
Once we had been registered, we were allowed to enter the stadium.
I licked at the ink on my hand, trying to remove the stain. “Geez…why can’t they give us something that doesn’t stain the skin…now I have a black hand.”
“Thought you liked black.”
“Yeah, when it looks cool. This is lame.”
He stopped and smirked at me. “Want me to clean it for you?”
I bunched my brows. “Yeah, right!” Like I wanted him to do something so embarrassing.
He laughed and took the lead again. A chilly wind nipped my skin.
“I’m freezing my ass off. Can’t I be a werewolf?”
“Nope.”
While I still had fur as a wereduin—as all of us do—it was so sparse it might as well have not been there. As a werewolf however, my lush fur would have kept me warm, although beta fur wasn’t nearly as thick compared to alphas.
We stopped at one of the vendors in the open area before the bleachers, where concessions were normally sold during games.
I crinkled my nose. “Please tell me you’re not interested in that.”
The goblin at the booth was selling three different kinds of body-length girdles—collars that looped the neck before they circled the chest, leaving holes for the nipples. Then they went down the abdomen, shaping around the navel before they fanned out around the butt and crotch. Of course, the ass cheeks were left exposed, and by crotch, it was a mere ring around the dick and netting for the balls.
“Ah, come come, see yer checkin’ out Black Beauty?” the goblin said in a rickety voice. I raised a brow at the ridiculous sounding name. “This here beauty’s fer more unruly betas. Each section can be restricted individually, or the entire thing restricts as a whole.”
“There’s no fucking way I’m wearing that stupid thing.”
The goblin chuckled. “Perfect fer this kinda one here.”
“Fuck you.”
“Fern, keep quiet.” Don took the girdle from the goblin and examined it.
“See here, there’s a button on the leash that chooses specific sections to restrict.” The goblin trailed a talon-shaped thumb over the button, drawing Don’s attention there. “’Course, it works as a standard choker too. Including the ol’ step-on-the-leash submission route.”
This was ridiculous.
“I’ll take one.”
“Fuck, no! I’m not putting that on! Not happening, not ever.”
We came out of the dressing room with me wearing that hideous, demeaning thing. He had fondled me the entire time while he’d put it on, and once again, I was powerless to stop him.
“Think of it this way, Fern. At least now you’re not so chilly.” Don’s teasing smile made me wish I could punch him, but there was no way I’d be able to get a hit in given how much of a fighting-freak he was.
“Not like my ass isn’t still freezing off, and my nipples…geez, just about every spot that could freeze off, is conveniently missing.”
“Of course, what do you expect? This is Obedience Training. You’re not supposed to be comfortable.” Don swallowed down his laughter and pulled me against his chest. The collar squeezed my nipples and cock, earning a yelp from me. “And I like your sensitive bits showing. Or should I say my bits?”
The Offering Page 16
