Captive of the Alpha

by Laxmi Hariharan

  The pulse beating at the base of her neck accelerates, thudding against her skin. I push the hair back from the curve of her shoulder, and she trembles.

  The skin there is torn, beginning to scar. Beautiful. My groin tightens. I lean down and lick the scabbed skin, and she flinches. Another shudder grips her body; the scent of slick deepens. I place a palm at the small of her back and push. She bends over the sink, her spine straight, her butt jutting out.

  I palm the curve of her ass, then shove my thigh between her jean-clad legs. She whimpers; my cock jumps, wanting to stab through my pants. I cup her pussy through the fabric of her pants. Moisture dampens the material that covers her crotch.

  “You’re soaked," a purr rumbles up my chest.

  She closes her eyes and sways. A sweet hum floods out of her lips in answer, and my cock strains, begging to be let out of the confines of my pants.

  “I could fuck you now.”

  I slide my hand in front to pinch her clit through the fabric, and she moans. Her head falls forward; her hair flows down either side of her face, the long strands grazing the sink. I squeeze her hips and fit my swollen cock into the groove between her ass cheeks.

  A spasm whips over her back, and her spine curves. I plunge my hips forward, locking her between my thighs and the sink. Reaching down, I grab handfuls of her thick hair, winding it around my palms. I tug, and her face comes up, her gaze meeting mine in the mirror. Her pupils are blown, her lips fall open, and color flushes her cheeks.

  “Ask me.”

  She opens her mouth, then closes it. The cords of her throat move.

  I lean forward until my chest is flush with her back. The width of her shoulders is half that of mine. My torso crowds her, my chest surrounds her, overwhelming her. She swallows, and her mouth moves.

  “I can’t hear you.”

  “Please,” she gasps. “Don’t do this.”

  “Don’t do what?” I turn her head around so her face is angled to me. “You mean this?” I drop my head and lick behind her ears, and she shivers. “Or maybe this?” I seize the hoodie and pull it back, along with her shirt, then nibble my way down her throat, to the strip of skin bared by the move. I sink my teeth into the soft skin, and she groans.

  Another growl vibrates up my chest, undulating in the air around us, folding her to me, pinning her to my chest. My dick pulses against her core, and the scent of slick deepens. Soft. Sweet. Mine. A purr of satisfaction coils in my gut. The fuck? I let go of her so quickly that she stumbles. I take a step back, and she raises her head and meets my gaze in the mirror.

  Dazed eyes, twisted lips, heaving breasts, so easy to corrupt. So innocent. So ready to be taken. I shake my head to clear it, then swivel around to the door. I pause and throw her a glance over my shoulder.

  “Time to get this over with.”

  18

  Chloe

  He strides out of the bathroom, and the breath whistles out of me. What was that about? For a second he’d seemed on the verge of losing control.

  I was so sure that he was going to throw me down and take me right then.

  Since we left Marcus’ place, the tension in him has been building. I am sure it’s all a ruse, this…act of not fucking me again until I ask. And I will not ask. Not only because of that message from Zeus and Lucy, which had only reinforced my decision to not surrender. If anything, the very fact that they thought it necessary to tell me to resist makes me want to…throw myself at him and ask him to take me.

  I bring my hand to my hair and scrape back the strands. My face is flushed, my lips swollen, even though he hasn’t kissed…he’s not kissed me so far. He wants to try to relegate me to the position of an omega. A nameless, faceless creature whom he can rut to scratch an itch. I straighten. But I am not as weak as he thinks me to be. I am not as defenseless as he wishes I were. I was, am, a princess, albeit one without a place to call her own. But I have the most important thing—my genes, my bloodline, my dignity. I will not allow him to strip me of that.

  “Don’t keep me waiting.”

  His growl filters past the open door, and my nerve endings spark. My thighs squeeze. Why does his roughness only turn me on? I must be sick in the head. That hidden core of me responds to his dominance. Wants to be the cynosure of his harshness. It hints at a confidence, a brutality that will burn to the core. When he finally lets go, it won’t be gentle. He won’t stop. He won’t care what I want. He’ll simply take, and I… What will I do? Will I fight him, resist him? He’d knotted me and marked me just because he could. To show that he had the kind of strength that could overpower, bend me to his will.

  The air in the space vibrates with unsaid emotions. The beast is getting restless. I square my shoulders, then tugging my hoodie and shirt back into place, I swivel around and walk to the door. My stomach twists and I double over, panting. The estrus is growing intense, the spasms coming faster, harder. Has it been this agonizing before? I can’t remember.

  It’s his nearness.

  All of those pheromones, adrenaline—the proximity of a hot-blooded alpha male calls to the omega in me. It demands I submit. It’s only a matter of time, but until then I am going to play my part. I am going to hold on to every last shred of my resistance.

  I straighten, then walk out of the door of the bathroom. Crossing the bedroom and the kitchen, I enter the living room and come to a halt.

  Faces turn around to stare at me.

  One, two, three…there are seven alphas, not counting Kayden, who stands at the far end next to a small table. My heart thuds. I lick my dry lips then swing my gaze to his face.

  All expression is wiped from his countenance. All signs of the out-of-control male who’d almost rutted me is gone. He stands head and shoulders above the others, his chest wide, his shoulders bunched.

  He jerks his chin.

  I take a step forward, and without exception, every man in the room leans forward to track my every move.

  The one closest to me scowls, “This is her?”

  My gaze flicks to him, and I swallow the sound of fright that bubbles up.

  His hair streams in dark-blond clouds, his massive chest clad in a shirt that clings to powerful muscles. His nostrils flare, and his lips twist.

  “What are you playing at, Kayden? She’s in heat, and you bring her here among alphas who haven’t had female company in months?”

  Kayden’s fingers clench into fists.

  A ripple of discontent flows around the space. A low growl rolls out from the man next to him.

  Across the room, another alpha digs his fingers into his knees and leans forward. The very air reeks of testosterone and male aggression. A whine floods my chest, and I bite down on my lower lip.

  Kayden crooks a finger, his other arm hidden behind his back.

  I hesitate, and he glares at me.

  A ripple of apprehension shivers up my spine. Only when my knees wobble do I realize I have taken a step forward. I walk past one alpha, then another, all the while my eyes are on Kayden's, holding on to the strength of his gaze, pleading with him. He doesn’t blink. Nothing reveals his awareness of the state of my confusion. Don’t do this. I beseech him without speaking aloud.

  His muscles stay solid.

  What does he have in mind? What does he want of me? I reach him and stop. I am so much smaller that I barely reach his chest. I don’t look up, don’t dare meet his gaze.

  He brings his other arm around, and a flash of silver catches my attention. He raises the knife clasped in his fingers, and my heart slams into my rib cage. Blood pounds in my ears. The muscles of my thighs tighten. I half-angle away from him, everything in me insisting that I get out of here. Get out of here. Now. He makes a warning sound in his throat.

  I swallow and clench my fists at my sides.

  I won’t leave. I will obey him, and he knows that. How could he have trained me to do his bidding in such little time? The force of his influence creeps around me, tugging at me, holding me to him with chains
of delight.

  “Undress.”

  His voice whips over my sensitized skin.

  “What?” I stare at him.

  His face is a mask I don’t recognize. His gaze is determined. All expression is shorn from his features. I don’t recognize him.

  Kayden holds my gaze. “Should I ask them to help?” He jerks his chin toward the men behind me. “Or will you do the honors…princess?”

  I swallow, and the blood drains from my face.

  “You…you know?” I wheeze. How had he guessed? What is he going to do next?

  His lips curl. “Enough talk.”

  He lowers his arms. I flinch.

  He flicks his wrists and I squeeze my eyes shut. He rips down the zipper on my hoodie then shoves the sleeves over my shoulders before wrenching it off. He grabs the front of my shirt and rips it apart. Buttons pop and fall to the floor. He yanks it off.

  There’s a whistling sound, and air flows over my bared skin.

  He reaches for the buttons of my jeans.

  “Wait,” I sputter, and he pauses.

  “I’ll do it.” I bite my lower lip.

  I will not give him the satisfaction of stripping me completely. It’s a small gesture of defiance, but that’s all I have left. I hold his gaze, then wriggle the jeans down my hips and kick them to the side. The cold air flows around me; my teeth chatter. I want to wrap my arms around my waist, but instead, I stay still and clench my hands into fists at my sides.

  “Take off your bra.”

  I shake my head, and a low moan of fear surges half-way up my throat. I will not scream, will not. How can he do this to me? What does he want of me? Why couldn’t he have just left me back at the harem? Why did he bring me with him?

  “Keep going.” His amber gaze fills my vision. Fires banked; they are hard brown now. He’s locked away a part of himself somewhere deep inside. He’s distancing himself from what is happening here.

  Is that the only way he can withstand this?

  “You don’t leave me a choice.” He reaches for the knife on the table next to him.

  My knees wobble.

  He holds it up, and I gasp.

  He sets his jaw, then slides the blade between the strap of my bra and my skin and flicks up. Another flash of steel, and he’s cut the thin straps that hold up my panties. A sliver of pain tears at the skin over my hipbone, droplets of blood, and the material snaps. He slams the knife down, and the blade embeds in the wooden floor, the vibrations traveling up to me, swiping up over my calves. My fingers convulse and I dig my nails into the palms of my hand.

  The bra inches down my shoulders to catch on my nipples. It stays there, poised.

  There’s an indrawn breath behind me, then the bra slithers to the floor.

  His gaze holds mine through it all. “Part your legs.”

  His voice is low, harsh.

  “I’ll make you do it; you know that.”

  Blood thrums at my temples. He’d do it, too. Bastard. I fucking hate him. He leans forward, and a small scream leaves my lips.

  “Do it.”

  His voice is hushed. Dominant. My insides clench. Only when my panties slide down my thighs do I realize I have done as he’d commanded.

  I am naked. Exposed. Vulnerable.

  An inhalation rips the air behind me.

  “What the fuck are you doing, Kayden?”

  I recognize the voice as belonging to the same alpha who’d been talking to Kayden earlier. Dominic, that’s what Kayden had called him.

  “This is wrong, you shouldn’t—”

  Kayden raises his hand, and the voice cuts off.

  One of the alphas shuffles, another snarls low in his throat, and the hair on my nape stands on end. I want to cross my arms in front and shield myself but I won’t.

  He thinks this is the way to humiliate me, and he is right. But I won’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that.

  Fear thrums at my nerves, crawls up my spine. It eats away at my chest, throbbing, pulsing. A primal need to scream fills my head, bile churns my stomach, and I swallow away that bitter, acrid scent of my worst nightmare come true. Trapped in a room full of alphas with no one to help me.

  Kayden jerks his chin toward the table. The skin over his cheeks stretches white. I swallow, then turn and take a step forward. My head spins, my stomach heaves, and my legs threaten to give out from under me. The next instant, Kayden lifts me in his arms. Crossing to the table, he lays me across it on my back. I fold my arm across my breasts and place the palm of the other between my thighs. He grabs my hand and wrenches it to the side. The other he wraps around the edge of the table.

  “The fuck is this?” Dom stands so fast his chair spills over.

  “A test.”

  “For her or for us?” He narrows his gaze.

  “You thought I was wrong in bringing her here? Let’s see what happens when a room full of alphas are exposed to an omega in heat.”

  “What do you plan to achieve?” his lips thin.

  “You think you are more superior, Dom? We’ll see how you are able to restrain yourself.”

  Another of the alphas springs up, his nostrils flaring. He slams his hands on the table and leans close. My heart jumps; sweat beads my brow. A whine squeaks past my lips. He reaches out a hand, and I scoot away only to brush up against another hand. I swivel around and scream.

  A third alpha watches me from the side. His arms are crossed at the edge of the table, and he lowers his face to rest his chin onto his forearm. “Such a pretty little thing.” He licks his lips; his gaze narrows. He sweeps his gaze over my stomach and to my exposed pussy.

  I shake my head, and he blinks. His gaze darts to the foot of the table where Kayden stands.

  “What are you waiting for?” His voice is cold.

  The alpha turns back to me, and his features twist. He gets up and walks around to the foot of the table. He trails a finger down my leg and a scream bubbles up. I will not cry out. I will not let these men see how afraid I am. The hum of growls pulses around the enclosed space. Is this what it feels like to be surrounded by feral creatures who have not one iota of sympathy for me? Except Kayden isn’t like that. He isn’t. Beneath all of that need to hurt is a man who will not let anything happen to me. This is a test; my instincts scream that’s all it is. But tell that to my body, which yearns to cave in on itself.

  I bite the inside of my cheek.

  A touch on my shoulder makes my head swing around. The third alpha leans across the table. He trails his fingers down my shoulder, over my breast, and my skin crawls. A spark throbs in my chest, and I gulp. Pain fills my rib cage, radiating out, pushing out, reaching toward something, a distant space where all that exists is a golden nothingness. It calls to me, seductive, asking me to come. Telling me to trust. To jump. Where? My head spins; the room wavers around me.

  There is a shift in the air, and the hairs on my forearms prickle. I turn the other way to find Kayden standing there. My gaze latches on to his. I can’t look away. I hold on to his eyes, lose myself in the depths of the burning amber. Help me. I pulse the thought at him. The band around my chest tightens. The pulse at my throat thrums.

  His jaw hardens. A vein throbs at his temple.

  He shifts his gaze and nods to the man standing at the base of the table.

  Fingers circle my ankle, and then my body is yanked down until my legs dangle over the side. I scream and struggle in earnest.

  Someone restrains my flailing arm. Another grabs my thigh. Fingers bite into my flesh as my legs are pried apart. I hold Kayden’s gaze, let him see my pain, my fear. Please. Please. I reach out to him and beg him in my head. Don’t let this happen. You won’t let this happen. Don’t let them take me. I swallow. Tears drip down my cheek and pool on the table.

  Hard flesh bumps the inside of my thigh, and everything in me goes silent. My muscles coil, my belly clenches, and something inside of me snaps. The sparks in my chest blaze out, reaching for that amber of his on the psychic
plane.

  I hold his eyes, raise my freehand to him. “I am your mate.”

  19

  Kayden

  Her lips move; the words scream across my nerves. “I am your mate.”

  My mate.

  Mine.

  She’s mine to protect.

  Mine to take.

  Mine to break.

  Only mine.

  A fire bursts to life in my chest, and I gasp. It burns through all of the thoughts, all of my apprehension, every single barrier that I had put down between us. Everything in my life has been leading up to this moment. All that I want is right here in front of me and I hadn’t recognized it. My instincts had known. Right from the time I had caught the first whiff of her scent, I had recognized her. I had claimed her for myself, but had refused to accept her. No more. A scream churns my guts.

  I pound my fist into my chest, throw my head back and howl. “Get the fuck away from her.”

  Grange, the alpha holding her leg captive, swivels to look at me. He bares his teeth. “You said this was a test.”

  “You failed.”

  I lunge across the distance between us, then swing my fist under his chin.

  His back arches, and he crashes down onto the seated Lester who folds to the floor.

  Grange springs to his feet. I lean forward, grab his neck, and haul up all six-feet-two-inches of him to his toes. My tendons stretch to breaking point, my muscles shudder, and my thighs groan under the weight of holding up the weight of both of us.

  “Back. The. Fuck. Off.”

  Grange’s gaze widens, he chokes, and his fingers clutch at my forearms. I shove him, and he loses his balance and stumbles over the fallen Lester, then hits the wall.

  I turn to find Dom snatching up her torn shirt and placing it over her chest. He picks up her hoodie and hands it to her. I race around to the other side of the table and scoop her up.