by Ann Mayburn
“So I’m just supposed to pretend I don’t have an Alpha?”
“I hate to ask this of you, but yes.”
“Fuck that shit.” I pushed my way out of his arms, pacing as I snarled. “Fuck. That. Shit.”
Standing, distractingly naked and semi-erect, Nevoj held out his hands. “Please, my Queen, it is for the safety of our mates that I ask you to make this sacrifice. If my enemies were to find out who your mates are before we do, through deduction or spell work, they could kill your Enforcer and Omega. Or worse. It takes a long, long time to torture a shifter to death. By keeping our relationship a secret from the outside world, we’re buying time to safely find and secure your mates.”
I clutched my stomach, an icky sweat breaking out down my back as his words brought forth unwelcome mental horror shows. “Uh—Valaria Corgan, the lioness from the museum, she helped me put out a calling for my Omega.”
His jaw dropped. “You let her put out a calling for your mate? Do you know who she’s mated to?”
“Yeah, Grace. I met her as well. She seems nice, if a little weird.”
“Grace Darling?” I swear he’d have pulled his hair out with frustration if he had any. “She’s a psychopath.”
“No she isn’t,” I put my hands on my hips, pissed off. “Don’t call her that.”
“I’m telling you the truth,” Nevoj growled, “Witches can’t be trusted!”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because their entire life is an illusion, a lie. It’s what they do best.”
“But Grace swore an oath to me.”
He stopped his ranting, his hands frozen in the air as he slowly turned to look at me. “She what?”
“She swore an oath, and I have the seal on my hip to prove it.”
He was on his knees, yanking down my pants before I could swat him away. “Hey!”
“I don’t see it.”
“Right here,” I brushed my fingers over the raised spot, and it briefly sparkled white before fading back into my skin tone. “Wow, cool.”
Nevoj sat back with a thump. “I don’t believe it. Do you know what that is?”
“Yeah, her seal.”
“It’s an unbreakable pledge to come to your aid in any way you should ever need, and to never betray you.”
“Yep.” I brushed my fingers over the seal again. “How come you can only see it when I touch it?”
“To keep it hidden from enemies.”
“Smart.” I licked my lips then asked, “Should I be scared that Valaria has a calling out for my Omega?”
“Normally I’d say yes. Normally I’d say neither the lions nor the witches can be trusted, but this…” he rubbed his thumb over the seal, making it flair to life. “This tells me that Grace has a vested interest in you finding your mates as soon as possible.”
“Which is a good thing, right?”
Still looking slightly stunned, Nevoj nodded at me. “It is.”
I pulled my pants back up, then began to clean up after our meal, eager to talk about something not so serious. “Since we’re keeping our relationship on the downlow, I won’t get any more of Benjamin’s cooking until I find the rest of my mates?”
“I might be able to sneak you a meal or two, but it’s better if you pretend you have no idea who he is. I have no doubt the hyenas will make their presence known soon. Ted’s been able to hold them off so far, but it’s obvious to anyone that pays attention that you’ve begun to find your mates.”
I pressed my hand between my legs, over my clit that was close to a normal size when I wasn’t aroused.
Shaking his head, he tossed the silverware into a plastic bag. “No, I’m not talking about the physical changes. Your scent is different. Layered now in a way that tells others you have mates. Not all of them, but enough to cause curiosity. When you were alone Ted could claim you as an orphaned child, and as your guardian he forbid the hyenas from making any official introductions. Now I’m afraid you’re going to have some curious Queens visit you who won’t hesitate to verbally eviscerate you to get what they want. Don’t fall for their tricks. Even though you are still a Lady, at your heart you are a Queen and you deserve their respect. Accept anything less and they’ll see you as weak and unworthy. They’ll know who your Beta is, but I doubt they’ll think of me as one of his potential mates.”
“Why?”
“We grew up with the same Queen mother.”
“So my Beta is your half brother?”
“No, he’s my adopted brother. My mother took over his den, slaughtered his parents, then—since he was only fourteen years old, which is considered still a very young child by shifter standards, she adopted him as was her habit. Talia liked to…collect children from her conquests. Especially those who would grow up to be potential Queens and her mates. She never raised any of the children herself, but she liked the idea of owning them.”
“Wow, that is seriously fucked up.”
“Indeed.”
“But Talia’s your birth mom?”
“Yes. I think she was quite surprised when I was born dominant with a trapped soul.” He must have seen my confused look because he smiled as he laid down on our ‘bed’. “It’s slang for a male soul born into a female body and refers to humans and shifters.”
“Wait, there are humans with male souls trapped in female bodies?”
“And vice versa.” He shrugged. “I don’t know why it happens, but I do know that humans have to go to great amount of efforts to fix the exterior of their bodies to reflect the interior with magic and science. I’ve often wondered about it, how it would feel to be forever trapped as a female like some humans are. To never know the utter relief of taking my first breath as the man I always identified as.”
“That sounds like a terrible way to live.” I took his hand in my own, trying to come to terms with the fact that he’d been female when we first met. “What was it like for you growing up that way? Were other kids mean to you or anything?”
“I got into a lot of fights, but it wasn’t because I was born with a trapped soul.” He rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand. “Everyone hated my mom, even those that worshiped her, and I was a much easier target for those that hated her to take their aggression out on. Thankfully, the only mate I considered my father—the Omega, was tasked with looking after my mother’s many children.”
“How many kids did your mom have?”
“Nine, and I was the only trapped soul. It made her both love and hate me. Love because I was proof that she could produce hyena royalty, hatred because I grew into a man that she despised. If I wasn’t her only living heir I think she would have killed me long ago.”
“Your siblings, they’re all…”
“Dead? Yes. Through accident or foul play, they all died before I was born. My mother was very old when she had me, and I had a feeling she somehow knew I was her last chance of her bloodline continuing on. That was the only thing keeping her from drowning me in the nearest body of water when I began to disobey her. There was nothing that irritated her more than defiance, and I started resisting her evil manipulations from the moment I could talk. She hated me, to be sure.”
“I can’t believe your mom hated you. I’m so sorry.”
“Trust me, the feeling was entirely mutual. She was a cruel, sadistic, and depraved woman who destroyed tens of thousands of peoples’ lives just because she could. Her mates weren’t much better—except for her Omega, Dave. He was a kind man, and he did what he could to protect us from her, but at the end of the day my mother was more dominant, and if push came to shove, she could use her dominance to force him to comply with her wishes.”
“Wait, your mom could force your dad to go along with whatever she wanted, using her dominance?”
“Yes. It’s why so many rogues would rather face a life without a den than serving some of the more corrupt Queens.”
Horrified, I tried to pull my hand away from Nevoj. “Oh my Goddess, am I forcing you to be with me?�
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“No, no. Never.” He lowered his head so he could kiss my knuckles, his touch acting like a tranquilizer. “First, it’s a power that’s developed over time between a dominant and a submissive. It doesn’t happen overnight so you won’t go around randomly subverting a submissive shifter’s will. And it’s something you have to concentrate on doing, not an unconscious action.”
“But there are Queens who do that, who force their will on others?”
“Yes.”
“That’s terrible. It’s like a complete mental violation.”
“It is. I’ve seen it happen in some of the dens I’ve visited over the years. The sight always leaves me feeling repulsed. No one should be forced to give up their free will. It’s an abomination.”
“Why doesn’t somebody do something about it?”
“Why don’t we do something about it? You’re going to be a Queen of great power, Synthia. I can feel it here, in my heart and deep in my soul. I now know that I’ve endured the things I have, witnessed the atrocities I’ve been forced to see, so that I can be the Alpha you need.”
Resting my forehead against his, I gave into the urge to get closer, to absorb his easily offered strength. “Promise me something.”
“What is it you desire, my Queen?”
“If I ever get like that, if I ever become like those Queens, stop me.”
He met my gaze head on, the sparks flaring to life in the depths of his iris. “I promise.”
Knowing he meant it took a huge burden off my shoulders. “Thank you.”
“Now come here. You should rest while you can. I have a feeling Aidan will be a handful when he awakens.”
Rearranging the pillows, I let him play big spoon as he curled around me. His spicy warmth blended in with the musk of the earth and I let out a low hum of contentment. While I was just getting to know Nevoj, I could already tell that he was a man of principal, honor, and self-sacrifice. My feelings for him were so strong, I wondered how I could possibly feel the same way about my other mates.
“Tell me about him, Aidan. I feel like I’m being wed to a stranger like those old time arranged marriages.”
His hard chest moved beneath my cheek as he chuckled. “Well, your marriage was arranged by the Goddess…”
I briefly dug my nails into his side, earning an amused grunt. “You know what I mean.”
“I do. What can I tell you about Aidan…we were raised in different states growing up.”
“Wait, I thought your mom adopted him?”
“She did, but like I said earlier, just because she binds a child to her doesn’t mean she wants to actually raise them. They were more like living trophies to her than anything else. Thankfully, the Omega made sure that the children went to decent families when he could. Shifters, for the most part, want big families, but not all of us can have children. In fact, I think the infertility rate is much higher among shifters than their non-magical counterparts.” He ran his fingertips up and down my spine, smoothing my hair out of the way when necessary. “I think if children weren’t so valued, my mother would have killed them during her conquests.”
“So let me get this straight, your mom would attack other dens, slaughter them all, but keep the children as her own?”
“Yes.”
“That’s messed up. How did you turn out so normal?”
His fingers stilled. “You think I’m normal?”
“Normal-ish? I mean, you seem like a good guy to me.”
His muscles relaxed and my head lowered a half-inch as he breathed out. “Thank you, I am glad you see me that way. I hope you will always see me that way.”
“That probably won’t happen. We’ll fight like any normal couple, I’ll throw things at you like my Aunt Patty, or guilt you to death about something like my mom. I’ll step out of line, you’ll step out of line, we’ll argue, one of us might sleep on the couch for a few days, and then we’ll get over it.”
“That is at once an extremely functional, and dysfunctional, way of looking at being mates.”
“Thank you. Now back on subject. How was your mom allowed to just go around invading places? Don’t the hyenas have rules against that kind of stuff?”
“This was during the seventeen and eighteen hundreds in rural France. Things were different.”
“Shit,” I whispered as I stared across the crystal-lined chamber. “Yeah, things were different back then. I keep forgetting the whole extended lifetime thing. Is your mom still alive?”
“No, she died a few years ago.”
“I’m—is it wrong to say I’m glad she passed so she can’t hurt anyone anymore?”
“You’re not wrong. There was great rejoicing that day.”
“Any of your dads still alive?”
“I’m the last of my line.” He grew tense again, his fingers still on my back.
It was obviously a sore spot for him, so I decided to give him a break. “Is Aidan older or younger than you?”
“Older. He was born in Ireland but given to a family in the United States to raise.”
“Where did he grow up, and when?”
“Texas, of all places, in the late 1800s. He was given to a small den of hyena shifters who were also ranchers who supplied Talia with some of her most prized horses. They were good people and I was often envious of his home life.” He sighed when I began to stroke his chest, loving the tight muscles beneath his dark skin. “For a long time he was a cowboy, so don’t be surprised when this place transitions into a fully functioning farm one day. He’s part of the reason I bought this place. I saw it and knew he’d be happy here.”
“That was really nice of you. You said his family raised horses? Do you think we could have a stable here?”
“I don’t see why not. I know Aidan would love it.”
A small thrill went through me at the idea. “That would be awesome. I’ve always wanted to learn how to ride a horse.”
“Aidan’s the one to teach you. His adopted family used to supply horses to all the royal shifter courts. It was a sad day for this world when the polluting cars replaced horses.”
I leaned an elbow on his chest, propping up my head and studying his face while he stroked my cheek. “It kinda freaks me out to know you actually experienced the birth of the automobile.”
“It kind of freaks me out that you’re only twenty-five years old. I’m robbing the cradle in the shifter world.”
That made me smile, and the moment I did he smiled back, blinding me with how incredibly handsome he was. How regal. “How old are shifters usually when they become Queens?”
“Sometime in their late thirties to early fifties seems to be the norm.”
“Wow, so I’m like really young to be a Queen.”
“At the moment, you’re technically a Lady. But you are ahead of the curve. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a Queen in living memory who found her Alpha so soon.”
Trying to look casual, while topless with no doubt crazy sex hair, I pretended to examine my nails. “I always have been an overachiever.”
To my surprised, he tickled me, making me laugh and giggle, trying to fend him off.
“Great Goddess,” he moaned, rocking his erection against my thigh. “Your breasts are magnificent when you laugh. I love how they shake, and how did I never notice how painfully sexy it is to watch a topless woman laugh?”
His statement, along with his slightly dazed and worshipful look, only had me laughing harder.
That laughter stopped when he rolled to his back, lifting me so I straddled his waist with my breasts hanging in his face.
“Oh yeah,” he breathed against my nipple. “This is nice. Don’t move, hold very still for me, my beautiful Queen.”
He then began to tease my right nipple, the tip getting so hard it hurt against his lips. The slow ache of desire unfurled through me, and my clit began to swell as I pressed my hips down against his ridged abdominals. The feeling was wonderful, but I wasn’t aroused enough to disregard the inc
reased size of the nub between my legs. With every beat of my heart, blood pumped to that bundle of nerves, elongating it. When he wrapped his lips firmly around the tip of my nipple, I couldn’t help but arch.
His hand landed on my butt with a loud slap. “Stay still.”
I was going to yell at him for spanking me, I really was, but he bit my nipple, the sting made my pussy clench. Moisture began to slick my vaginal lips, making me glide as I rocked ever so slightly against his abdominals. Another bite, then a glorious sucking sensation had my eyes closing, my body lost in Nevoj’s capable hands. I distantly wondered if he’d been a virgin as well, or if it was only a latent who had to suffer through a total lack of sexual feeling.
A smile stretched my lips as Nevoj pulled delicious feelings of pleasure from my body, pleasure that I cherished. I loved the feeling of his big frame beneath me, loved the way he cupped my ass and began to rock me against his torso. He sat up just a little bit, and it instantly felt like I was rubbing my clit against one of those old washboards. The ridged muscles massaged me just right, and I soon found myself straddling Nevoj as he sat up with his legs crossed. My ankles hooked behind his butt, and I wrapped my arms around his neck as he began to kiss me.
The long, thick shaft of his erection was trapped between us, and I wiggled, trying to get closer.
Trying to get him inside of me.
“No, my Queen,” he whispered against my lips, easily pinning me against him. “It is my job to tend not only to you, but to my Beta. He is awakening, and I want you spread out, hot and on the edge of orgasm, waiting for him. If I take you now, you’ll be too sore for him, and he will need you. His cock is going to throb so bad it will make his teeth ache, and a hunger unlike anything he has ever known will rule his mind. He’s going to want to fuck you. Not make love, fuck.” Nevoj shivered against me, and I my pussy clenched in response. “And you’re going to be there, waiting for him, smelling so good and looking even better. You have no idea what a body like yours does to a man, no idea how you enslave us with just a look. And now that I’ve had you, I know the truth of you is better than any promise.”
