by Zoey Ellis
Ria told herself to get up, to move away from him, but those thoughts disintegrated when he grabbed her throat. She immediately went limp, and a beam of calm satisfaction and pleasure soothed away all confusion. This didn’t need to be that difficult. It was clear what the Alpha wanted, and she wanted it too, didn’t she? She blinked. No.
As the Alpha climbed over her, trapping her between his thick thighs, she served him with the best glare she could manage. He growled and moved his hand from her neck to spray her with his seed. Streams of the warm fluid coated her neck, chin, and chest, and as he continued to stroke, he saved the last spurt for her mouth.
Ria couldn’t help but lick the pungent fluid from her lips, savoring the taste of him. Something about his seed covering and marking her settled her just as much as his hand around her neck. When he lowered down and pushed his dripping cock between her lips, she automatically sucked the tip eagerly, draining him of every last drop, before realizing what she was doing.
“I won’t bathe my scent off you again,” he said, almost to himself.
With those words, Ria finally came to her senses. “I will,” she said sharply, pulling her head away from him. “I am not walking around stinking of you, Alpha.”
A strange look jumped into his eyes, but he said nothing. Climbing off her, he walked to the table and dragged the chair over to the bed.
“Tell me who you are,” he said, lowering to the chair.
Ria said nothing. Pulling the bedsheets over her to cover her nakedness, she leaned back in the bed and fixed her eyes on the ceiling.
“What is your family name?”
Silence.
“I told you, I can keep you here as long as it takes, little Ria.” Why did he always sound like he was goading her? And why did he always sound so sexy while he was doing it?
She pursed her lips. “Where is here?”
“My home.”
At that, her eyes snapped to his, and she frowned. “This is your home? I thought you were taking me to your base?”
His eyes flicked over her face. “You earned the right to my bed.”
Ria swallowed. Had the dark grey of his eyes always been so pretty? Ignoring the flutter in her stomach, she returned her gaze to the ceiling.
“It’s clear you went to the mountains for something.” He hesitated. “What was it?”
“Nothing you can give me.”
“I am the general who runs this territory. I trade with all the other territories and have direct communication with Lox Palace. If you want something, I will get it.”
Ria slowly leaned up on an elbow. “What I need is for you to let me go. You have no right to detain me.”
“I have the right to do whatever I want with trespassers.”
“Like fuck them on the floor of old stables?” she shot at him.
He shot off the chair toward her, anger flashing in his eyes as he leaned over her. “Yes,” he ground out. “Like fuck them until they are wet, and begging, and filthy with my sweat and come.” His eyes roamed her face. “You are the first trespasser to have had that honor.”
The strength of his voice rebounded through her, as though the vibration was seeking out something that could only be found deep within her core. “I wasn’t trespassing.”
“You were not invited to the Ariyon mountains,” the general pointed out. “The treaty forbids it.”
Ria kept her mouth shut. He didn’t need to know why she went there or that she wasn’t going to stop returning there until she got the information she wanted.
“You’re going to tell me eventually,” the general said, his voice low as he leaned farther toward her. “Whether it be while you are calm and clearheaded, or when you are clenching around me and out of your mind for my come, it will happen, little challenger. It’s just a matter of time.”
Roiling anger burst into Ria’s stomach. “You Lox Alphas are so arrogant! You think that you are owed everything you can touch, when all you have done is take take take from everyone else. You will not get anything from me!”
The general frowned as he straightened. “Why are you so against the Lox? Things have been better for the Eastern Lands since we have claimed it.”
Ria’s mouth dropped open, and then she laughed. “You truly believe that? Are you new to this job?”
The general growled, his eyes flashing.
Ria’s body reacted, the sound causing a pleasurable wave that lingered between her legs.
“I have been a general for years,” he growled. “And I have seen positive changes in this Land since the Lox has taken over. It is much more pleasant now than how it was with all different territories arguing and fighting. Things are unified now that Emperor Drocco is in charge.”
“That is not what I witnessed,” Ria muttered.
“What do you mean?”
She looked up at him. “I witnessed people fearful and afraid. I witnessed rebellions and protests. And I witnessed the emperor dealing with all of that in a violent and unforgiving way. In Vamore, babies were trampled as crowds ran from Lox warriors; in Raydelmore, merchants were killed for not acknowledging Lox taxes, and in Grence furniture merchants killed themselves rather than give a family member’s life to show their loyalty.”
“That was before!” The general stared at her in disbelief. “That was when he first took over. All people need time to adjust to change. There has been none of that in recent months.”
“Only because of the empress,” Ria argued. “The empress has calmed things, not the emperor.”
The general’s eyes narrowed. “What is your point?”
“My point is that you give him more credit than he is due. He has not been the one to unite lands.”
“They are as one, the emperor and empress. One cannot be without the other.” He eyed her. “So you agree then that the Lands have been united?”
Ria started, her body jerking as she frowned up at him. “No.”
“How do you know what went on in these different cities anyway,” the general said, suspicion in his tone. “You traveled to all of these places?”
Ria didn’t answer.
“How is it that you have traveled across the empire so extensively? I haven’t known anyone to do that unless they were some kind of diplomat or traveling merchant.” He moved around the bed, suspicion in his gaze. “Is that what you do?”
Ria’s gaze didn’t waver. She debated whether to lie, but she fell back on her training, even though she didn’t want to. “If you want information from me, you must be prepared to give it.”
That hard look of wariness she’d first noticed about the general, reentered his eyes. She hadn’t even noticed when it had disappeared. He lowered to the chair again, observing her carefully. “What information do you want?”
Ria held his gaze. “What are the details of the treaty you have with the mountain people?” If she could find out more about this treaty, then maybe she would have better success talking to them when she returned.
The general watched her for a long moment before making his decision. “Of all the people in the empire, the mountain people of Ariyon have been most difficult to align to Lox principles.”
“I thought the Lox would just storm in and kill them,” Ria remarked, dryly. “Isn’t that what you normally do?”
The general growled. “The mountains are strategically problematic to overcome in battle. It wasn’t impossible to do, but my commander wanted to maintain the beauty of the mountains, not destroy it. If we had stormed it, there was no guarantee it would be the same afterward. It is a much-loved phenomenon that can, at some times of the year, be seen across the entire East area of the Lands. Its desecration would be a constant negative reminder of the Lox.”
Ria tilted her head. “Clever. I did not expect strategic thinking from the Lox.”
Thorec clenched his jaw at her words, but continued. “The decision was to try to create some kind of agreement with the mountain people. I discovered they don’t actually have a prob
lem with the Lox itself, they just want to be left alone. When the Lox took siege of the Eastern Lands, many people tried to find an escape in their mountains and took advantage of them. That disruption was detrimental to their livelihood. They wanted us to remove people who didn’t belong there so they could continue living their lives as normal. That became the basis of the treaty. We would help them to maintain their privacy as long as they did not intentionally do anything to destroy the phenomenon of the mountains.”
Ria snorted. “And you believe that the mountain people have the power to interfere with the beauty of the mountains?”
The general shrugged. “They have proved that they can dim its color-changing effects. I don’t know how they do it, but they do have some power over how brightly the mountains shine. It would be foolish of us to not take them seriously, especially when we have no objection to what they want or the life they want to live.”
Ria nodded slowly. That made sense, although it seemed far too reasonable for the Lox.
“Now tell me where you are from?” the general said, evenly.
“I’m not from anywhere.”
The general’s eyes narrowed. “Do not try to take me for a fool, little challenger. Where are you from?”
“I don’t have a home,” Ria insisted.
The general frowned and leaned forward on his knees. “How can that be? Everyone has somewhere that they grew up, somewhere they identify with.”
“I do not have such a place. I travel, I wander, I observe.” She shrugged. “And I live. I have another question for you.”
“You haven’t given me an answer yet,” he growled.
“I have. Just because it’s not the answer you want, doesn’t mean it’s not an answer, Alpha.”
Thorec shot forward again, but this time he climbed over her again and grabbed her jaw, just like he’d done on horseback. “Thorec. General Thorec,” he snarled slowly. “That is my name. Say it.”
“General Thorec,” she said, through gritted teeth. “It doesn’t change that you are an Alpha.”
That strange look appeared in his eyes again. “I am your Alpha. You will call me by my name.”
Ria blinked. Her Alpha? She watched him as he removed his hand from her jaw. Did he think just because he took her on the floor of some dirty barn that he owned her now? She exhaled slowly, refocusing her mind. Ultimately, it didn’t matter. She would take what she needed from him, just like he did from her. “One more question, General Thorec,” she said.
He dipped his head in a nod, but this time he lay on his side next to her. For some reason, it unnerved her that he was so close but not touching her. “Go ahead,” he said.
“Not all Alphas are members of the Lox,” she began.
“True.” His eyes were soft and ran over her body in slow, smooth strokes.
She tried to ignore the way he was looking at her. “Why would an Alpha want to join?”
“Why wouldn’t an Alpha want to join?” the general countered. “The Lox upholds many of the standards that are important to Alphas and keeps us focused, structured and ordered. It is like a brotherhood.”
Ria tilted her head up to him, curious. “So it stops you from being so wild?”
“For some Alphas, yes. Being part of an army helps you to learn discipline, to have an outlet for our wild nature as well as able to better ourselves in ways that we didn’t always have the opportunity to before the Lox existed.”
That was interesting. “Is that why you joined?”
A hint of a smile graced the general’s lips, and suddenly Ria wondered what a full smile would look like on his lips. “I was a wild Alpha when I was younger, yes. But mostly it was pent-up energy and frustration. Once I learned to direct that into my training, things changed.”
Ria ran her eyes over his face, noticing the scratches on his jaw she’d inflicted. “How old are you?”
“Forty-seven,” he responded.
Ria nodded. That seemed right. “Don’t you want to know how old I am?”
The Alpha rumbled out a chuckle. “You’re old enough.” Tucking a thick arm around her torso, he scooped her into his body and settled her against him. “It doesn’t make a difference.”
Ria tried not to get too comfortable in his arms, but his skin against hers was a comfort she hadn’t expected to enjoy, especially with pains still so strong. “You bruised me.”
“And you marked me,” he responded, forcing her eyes back to the scratches on his face. “We have battled. It is expected.”
“Battled? Is that what you call it?”
He tilted his head. “Yes. What would you call it?”
Ria squinted at him, raising a brow. “You forcing me to—”
“No,” he said sternly. “You attacked me so I would fuck you how you needed. You set your expectation and demanded it with brute force when I didn’t comply, little Ria.”
Heat crept up her neck, and Ria averted her gaze. She couldn’t deny that.
“You battle for what you want…” His voice was quiet. Her eyes drifted back to him, and he was looking at her strangely again. “It is one of the things that makes you so appealing.”
She didn’t know how to take that. Self-conscious and confused, she remained quiet for a while, enjoying his heat again her, until she realized she was supposed to be getting information from him. “Do you think most Alphas would join the Lox if they had no family?”
“Yes. Almost all Alphas who didn’t have a family and nowhere to call home would have tried to join. And I think Emperor Drocco would take the ones who are promising.”
“What would make him refuse an Alpha from joining?”
“Most are invited to go through the initial training,” the Alpha said, the rumble of his voice soothing her. “But most do not survive it. It is brutal.”
“So they die?” Ria stifled a yawn and blinked rapidly so sleepiness did not overcome her. She did not want to fall asleep in the Alpha’s arms.
“Potentially. It tests their physical and mental abilities, test their limits, and stretches them further than anything they might experience at the hands of an enemy. But the final test is loyalty, and if they fail that they do not get to keep their lives.”
Ria made a noise of disapproval in the back of her throat. “It seems like it would be hard to get in.”
The general nuzzled the side of her face. “You would be perfect for the Lox, my challenger.”
As much as she wanted to find the idea offensive, she knew the general was complimenting her, and she couldn’t help feeling both embarrassed and pleased. “I would never join.”
“You might find having a home more pleasurable than just living,” he murmured, his lips against the side of her face. He lifted his hand to turn her chin to face him. “I have answered many questions for you. It is time you answer more of mine.”
Ria’s stomach tensed for some strange reason, but she nodded.
“You say you’ve never had a home, how can that be?”
Ria half-shrugged. “When I grew up, my life was intended to serve one purpose, to do one specific thing, and it was not meant to be a comfortable life.”
The Alpha growled. “You mean, you were being primed as an Omega breeder?”
Ria shot him a look but was pleased he found the idea offensive. “No. But my dynamic as an Omega was important. I never considered whether that place was home or not, I just knew it was somewhere that I could learn to be the best in what I was told I needed to be the best in.”
The general rumbled his dissatisfaction but didn’t say anything.
“Then I found out that the world wasn’t what I thought it was. My place in it became uncertain. I revisited the places that I had been, to see the people that my efforts had touched, to see if I had done good or ill.”
“And what did you find?”
“I found that I saw people differently. They had hobbies and interests, home and family, concepts I knew nothing of, and had never seen before. And I didn’t really
know who I was. Everything that I had learned wasn’t really me. So I decided to find out who I am.”
“How did you do that?”
Ria smiled at him. “I have answered as many questions for you now. I think it is my turn to ask again.”
The Alpha lifted onto his elbow and leaned over her, his eyes locked to her smile. “I am not in need of any more questions right now, little Ria,” he murmured as he lowered his mouth to hers. “I am in need of you.”
His mouth crushed hers, dominating her as powerfully as before, and Ria melted under the desperation of his kiss, his need to claim and own her mouth. She simply loved it.
When she whimpered, he growled at the sound, shifting her underneath him, their skin pressed together.
“I haven’t had the pleasure of having your slick drenching every inch of my body,” the Alpha said as he slipped his hand under her thigh and spread her open.
Before Ria could even formulate an answer, he was sucking on her, stroking his tongue into her folds and groaning like a man starved. She tried to protest, but there was no point. Within moments, the desire had risen in her so sharply, she had to succumb to it. She didn’t know how he was able to do this to her so quickly, and so completely. Is this what Alphas could really do to Omegas? Was this their power over her kind? If so, it was dangerous, and so destructive. As he stroked her clit, working a thick finger into her as he fondled her breast and flicked the nipple, the devastation began to build, and Ria knew she had to get away. She was enjoying it too much. She started this journey seeking the one thing that could make her whole, and it was not this Alpha. It didn’t matter how good he made her feel or how arousing she found him.
Her hips jerked, and everything tensed as the violent rush took over her body, thrusting her hips up to ride his face as he stroked her through it. When he lifted from between her legs, the lower half of his face was soaked with her slick.
Mortified, she turned her head, but he dropped over her, leaning on one elbow and turned her face to him. “Tell me it isn’t satisfactory to see me like this, little challenger. To see yourself on me.”
Ria breathed hard, her orgasm fading as she took him in. She couldn’t deny it. Her scent on his face was highly appealing, and not only that but the pleasure that he obviously gained from it made her nipples hard.
