by Erin M. Leaf
Evernight Publishing ®
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2015 Beth D. Carter
ISBN: 978-1-77233-432-6
Cover Artist: Jay Aheer
Editor: Melissa Hosack
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
Big thanks to CR Moss and everyone at Evernight.
For Jeff, who is the unknown Gladiator.
THE ALPHA GLADIATOR
Warriors of the Arena, 1
Beth D. Carter
Copyright © 2015
Chapter One
A bonfire burned brightly under the full moon. Its flames extended so high they set the night sky ablaze. Ravage walked the perimeter of the clearing where his people danced to honor the gods. It was mating season, and he circled the young males and females who all vied to capture one another’s attention. His people called it the Thunder Moon, one that usually gave them inhuman strength, but now roused them into a frenzied sexual need. Ensuring the peace between the males as they sniffed for their mates happened to be his duty as Alpha.
About fifty yards away sat another bonfire, tended by the elder generations, those who already had mates, or those who decided not to mate at all. For them it was a night of celebration, of gathering together in song and praise to their ancestors and traditions.
Across the way on the other side of the bonfire, Aleirah strolled along, keeping an eye on people. Her long dark hair caught the glow from the bonfire and swung with a blue gleam. His cock hardened with interest. He wanted Aleirah, but so far, she had rejected all his attempts at courting. He had known his whole life that Aleirah was destined to be his, just as he had known from a tender age that he would someday be Alpha. It was an innate awareness beyond comprehension, a primitive call to be leader. Alphas were bigger, tougher, and more dominant than other Lycans and once he had reached maturity, his body had finally caught up with the power he’d been born with, filling out with muscle and strength. Ravage had risen quickly through the military ranks until the old Alpha recognized who Ravage was meant to be. Then he declared they fight in the Dominance Battle, although Ravage had been reluctant to fight someone so old. Still, it was the only way to become Alpha, so he’d fought and won. It had been the last time he killed a man.
One day, the same would happen to him, when the next Alpha rose to power.
Aleirah’s laugh trickled over the distance, bringing him out of his dark thoughts, and he smiled. She flipped her hair over her shoulder as she talked with another female, animated as she constantly moved. She was dressed in traditional garments of animal skin, which clung seductively to her curves, and the wolf in him wanted to tear her clothes off with his teeth. But then, this desire raging through him was nothing new. The first moment he’d laid eyes on Aleirah, the need to be with her almost overwhelmed him. He had been ten and she’d been seven and at the time didn’t understand what his heart was telling him. So he’d waited for her to join the mating ceremony so he could claim her, but she had yet to take part in the ceremony herself.
“You can’t take your eyes off her,” his beta, Fray, said wryly. “Just go to her.”
“If you haven’t noticed, I am monitoring the sex crazed youngsters,” Ravage said, flicking a finger around the gyrating dancers.
“You make it sound like you’re ancient,” Fray said.
Ravage snorted. “Sometimes I feel ancient.”
“I’ll keep an eye open,” Fray said. “My mate is sick so I won’t be participating in any pleasures of the flesh this night. You might as well go have fun.”
“Fun? So far that girl has rejected me at every turn.”
“So what? You just going to give up?” Fray shook his head. “That doesn’t sound like the Alpha I know.”
Ravage gave a wry smile. He slapped Fray good-naturedly on the back and turned over his chaperoning duties to his beta and friend, making a beeline straight for Aleirah. She was tall for a woman, standing almost to his shoulders, and her toned body made him salivate for a taste of her satiny flesh. He could picture licking her until she squirmed under him, moaning his name and tugging his hair as he made a feast of her succulent pussy.
“Alpha.” She greeted him demurely, bowing her head to show respect.
“Aleirah,” he acknowledged. He pointed behind him. “When will you join the revelers at that bonfire?”
She peeked up toward the area where the mating ceremony had turned into a stalking rite of passage. The males would hunt the female that had caught their scent, and in turn, she would run away. If she was caught, truthfully if she wanted to be caught, then the male would bite her and claim her. If she got away, she was free to enter the ceremony the next year.
“I have no wish to be mated right now,” she said.
He narrowed his eyes as he studied her in the blazing firelight. “You have been saying that for the past ten years.”
“I’m not sure if being a mate is where I see my life heading,” she said, a hint of defiance in her tone.
He decided to switch topics, show her a different reason of why she’d be a terrific mate for him. A strong Alpha would need a strong mate.
“You help take care of the elderly, do you not?” he asked.
She blinked and then nodded. “Ah, yes. I take care of patients with dementia.”
“That is a sad way of life for a wolf to go,” he said.
“Yes,” she agreed. “My grandmother had it.”
“I remember.” He looked around. “You are a compassionate woman. Caring and kind. You would make me a great mate.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”
“A mate. I have been waiting for you to enter the mating ceremony for ten years, Aleirah. Surly you knew that?”
She shook her head. “No. I … ah … no. I don’t think I would make a very good mate for an Alpha.”
“Why would you think that?” he asked, a bit vexed. Ravage was fast learning she could be a little stubborn.
“I’m…” She paused and cleared her throat. “I just don’t think I would.”
“I beg to differ, and I hope you allow me to change your mind.” He stepped closer to her and her breath hitched in her throat. He tilted her face up and her mouth dropped open on a breathless little sigh. The he offered her his elbow. “Would you take a walk with me through the night?”
She bit her bottom lip with her top teeth, and the action had an interesting effect on his dick, which jumped to attention. Ravage could just imagine her sinking her teeth into his shoulder as he thrust into her beautiful body. Hesitantly, she took his arm and as soon as she touched him, he placed his hand on top of hers, trapping her by his side. Now that he had her, he wasn’t about to let her get away.
He pulled her away from both bonfires, into the woods, letting the darkness shroud them. Sometimes it was easier to let go of secrets and fears when the other person was cloaked in shadow. The night had always been a friend of the Lycanis people, so Ravage used the moon to his advantage.
“I remember you from when we were children,” he murmured.
“I remember you too,” she said softly.
He grinned, pleased with her answer. She may deny that she wanted to be his mate, but the pheromones coming off her body indicated otherwise. Aleirah found him desirable. Whether or not she want
ed to be his mate, her body had already begun changing to accept his claiming bite. Now, he just had to get her to admit it, and he wasn’t above using seduction on his part.
He halted her by a big tree and pulled her around to face him. He tilted her face up. Even though he couldn’t see her in the absolute darkness under the branches, he traced her face with his fingertips. Her breath hitched. A heady aroma wafted from her, not a true scent but one layered under the pheromones. Her arousal had spiked. He pressed his cock between her thighs to let her feel how hard she made him.
“Aleirah,” he whispered, a moment before he bent his head and captured her lips with his. One hand came up to hold her immobile while the other swept around her waist to pull her close to his chest. Ravage slid his tongue into her mouth to twine with hers, jolting a salacious moan from her. She tasted like ambrosia, addictive and sweet. When he broke the kiss, they were both panting.
“I want you,” he managed to say, although it was difficult to talk when his wolf clamored to take over.
“Yes.” She gasped and pulled his head back to hers.
He kissed her again, or rather, she took over and devoured his lips in a kiss that had him aching.
“I want you to be mine,” he said when they broke apart for air. He pressed little kisses on her throat. “I want to claim you.”
“No,” she panted. “You can have every part of me, except that of calling me mate.”
He shook his head. “I don’t want you for one night, Aleirah.”
“I know,” she said. “I will be yours. Just not your mate.”
“That’s not—”
“Take it or leave me, Ravage,” she said insistently. She traced a fingertip over the planes of his face. “I have wanted you a long time too, but I’m not the right mate for an Alpha. Will you accept me as I wish? Without questions?”
Ravage didn’t like it one bit. He wanted all of her, body and soul, with his brand upon her skin and his scent mixed with hers. But Lycanis never forced women, so he would have to be content with what she gave him until he could convince her otherwise.
“I will accept for now,” he said. He cupped her mound over the animal skin pants. “But this pussy is mine, you hear me? No other will be allowed to touch you. I will have this pussy whenever I want it, however I want it. It will only know my cock. That is my condition.”
Slowly, she nodded her agreement.
With a surge of relief and excitement, he bent his head to claim her lips again. He sensed she was still a maiden, untouched by any other male, and the knowledge of her innocence went straight to his head. Ravage might be able to take things slow, ease her into how he liked to fuck, but he’d wanted her for so long that he couldn’t hold back his desire.
“I want you so much, Aleirah, and I’ll try to be as gentle as possible, but Gods, woman, you make me so fucking hard,” he murmured against the curve of her shoulder.
“Ravage, I’ve never…”
“I know,” he said when her words died away. “I’m not a virgin, although I’ve never spilt my seed inside a woman. That is reserved for a mate. But I do know what I’m doing, so I promise to try not to hurt you.”
She nodded. Her arousal changed, the scent shifting from desire to nervousness. He wanted this to be good for her, and he prayed to all the Gods above that he wouldn’t be so overwhelmed that he hurt her. Ravage captured her lips again and slipped his tongue inside. As her tongue joined with his in exploring and tasting, he slid one buckskin clad leg between hers, pressing himself intimately against her pussy. His instinct was to sink inside her body until he marked her as his.
He looked down at her and quickly divested her of her clothes, until she stood almost bare before him, her breasts perfectly shaped globes in the soft moonlight.
“You’re beautiful,” he said softly. “You’re so fucking perfect.”
“Ravage,” she moaned in a pleading voice.
He moved closer to her. She traced his tattoos with her hands and then licked the designs. He groaned. “Oh, baby, that feels so good.”
Her hands traveled lower, touching the waistband of the pants he wore. He needed them off. He wanted to feel his skin pressed against hers, with nothing separating them. Just him and her, and their own little world they created in the woods.
His mouth found her breasts and he laved the tips with his tongue, sucking and nipping at them until her back arched off the tree and she writhed in pleasure. For her first time he wanted this to be good, and he knew sex usually wasn’t with virgins. He’d never had a virgin before and didn’t know what else to do except drive her out of her mind with desire before sinking into her depths. It would hurt, of that he had no doubt, but he wanted to at least hurt her as little as possible.
When he got to the juncture of her legs, he took a thigh in each hand and brought one up to rest on his shoulder. Then he feasted upon her pretty pink pussy. She was already wet. Her sex glistened in the moonlight streaming through the branches. As he lowered his head, he caught her delicious musk scent and inhaled deep before licking her from front to as far back as he could reach.
He fucked her with his tongue, pushing in as far as it could go, only to pull out and repeat. Her hips mimicked the movements and she gave breathless little pants, letting him know without words how much she liked this. Then he sucked her clit into his mouth as he plunged two fingers into her hot cunt and she screeched, coming immediately. Her cream flowed over his fingers and into his mouth. He lapped it up, loving her taste. He could eat her all day, but his pants were tight and chaffing so he pulled back from her to take them off. She watched him with dark, passion clouded eyes. He peeled the pants down his legs, taking a moment to ease his hard dick out of the tight confines.
The apprehension in her gaze halted him from sinking himself into her. The haze from her climax was fading too rapidly and he didn’t want that to make her too tense to enjoy this. Hell, there was no getting around the fact that she would hate the actual penetration, and it kicked him square in the gut.
So instead of going with his need to thrust into her until he came and lost his damn mind, he once again began to tease her body. He licked her breasts, tugging the peeks gently, and then trailing his fingers into her cunt and using her own juices to set up a rhythmic suction. In and out he pumped her, exactly what his aching cock wanted to do.
This time when her climax hit, he was ready for her. He lay down on his back and brought her body up and over his, until she straddled him.
“Take me inside you,” he said in a thick voice he barely registered belonged to him.
“W-what?”
“Ease me inside you, baby. You control it.” Everything inside him screamed for him to be in control. He was Alpha, and letting the female take the lead went against his basic nature. But he knew she needed this. Aleirah needed to pave the way for her trust and knowing this was for their future eased his own desire to pound his chest like a fucking caveman.
He saw comprehension flare in her eyes as she used her knees to push herself up. Fisting his cock, he held it up for her, watching. She bit her lip and slowly went down. It took all his strength not to surge up into her and how he managed to keep it together he would never know.
Her channel was so fucking tight. Little by little she eased down, until he felt the barrier that maintained her innocence. Once he breeched it, there would be no going back. And truthfully, he didn’t want to ever erase what was about to happen. Sure, he wished she had accepted his claiming brand, but he’d wear her down eventually. Once day she would bear his mark. For now, however, this was the part where he would have to take over. So he played with her clit, teasing it, tapping it, until she was once again moaning and her juices ran. And just when she seemed to fly apart from his ministrations, he pushed upward, impaling her.
Her shocked cry halted him, even though gravity now took over and he was seated all the way into her heat.
“It hurts,” she whimpered.
“I know, baby.”<
br />
“Does it always hurt?”
“No. Just this first time.”
“I don’t know if I like this, Ravage.”
And at those words, he determined that this first time was going to be just for her. Fuck if he got his rocks off, he was going to make damn well sure she came again.
“When you want, you ride me,” he said, gritting his teeth against the need to pound the fuck out of her. She was so tight he was about to die.
“I want to get off you,” she said.
“You can’t, baby, you have to come one more time.”
“I don’t think I can.”
“I’ll help you. Ride me, baby. Please.”
Hesitantly, she went up and then lowered herself back down. Ravage flicked her little nub again. Every time she eased up, he would rub it a little harder, and then lighten back up when she sank down. This was slow torture for him, but he made it work by concentrating on her. Slowly, wonderment shifted over her face, going from discomfort to acceptance and then, little by little, to pleasure. It had been the right thing to do by letting her take the lead.
When she rotated her hip a little, he knew she was finding her own path to bliss. He gritted his teeth until his jaw ached. No matter how much he wanted to fuck and come, he couldn’t until she’d found her climax. It was the only way to make sure she remembered this experience as pleasurable.
“Ah, baby, you’re so fucking tight.”
“Ravage, I feel it happening again.” She moaned.
“Do it, baby, come on my cock. Ride me.”
Suddenly she leaned over him, riding him harder, and her breasts dangled in his face. He reached up and took one nipple in his mouth, sucking hard. It was what she needed to go over the edge. Her pussy clamped against his cock, her cream drenched her cunt, and he couldn’t hold on any more.
