by Renee Carr
John untangled himself from her and shot upwards. She flapped her wings, following him as he shot fire from his throat in celebration. She followed his example and she could hear the roar of approval from down below.
Eventually, John indicated that they should head down, returning to human form in order to head to their wedding reception. But before any of that, they had to see the Alpha and get his final blessing as a married couple. She hoped that he would still be there when they landed, and she hoped he’d be lucid enough to see that his son had solidified the future of the throne. She hoped that Michael could find peace in seeing them together.
Chapter 14
Sarah didn’t know how long they were expected to stay at the wedding reception. It seemed like there was an endless line of people who wanted to talk to them and congratulate them. However, somewhere in what felt like the middle of the night, John started to give her looks across the room. They were looks of desire, and she knew that they should find the right time to exit the reception. Surely the crowd didn’t expect them to stay all night when they had a marriage to consummate, did they?
“How do you want to do this?” she asked him softly when they had a moment alone. “Shall we just vaporize?”
“No,” he said. “We will make an exit formally. Just one more drink and then I will carry you out of here.”
“One more drink and I’m not sure you are going to be able to carry me out of here,” she teased him and he raised an eyebrow.
“Do you underestimate me?” he asked, nipping at her neck. She felt her body light up with desire and reached out for his hand.
“No,” she said. “I’m just not sure I want to wait for you to get one more drink and talk to more people.”
“Patience, woman,” he said with a devilish grin.
Sarah stayed by his side as he did as he promised. He shot down one more drink and said his last round of goodbyes, refusing new conversations. When he finally felt like he would offend no one, John stood on a step, clearing his throat.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, getting the attention of the room. “I would like to thank you all for attending, especially on such short notice. Lady Sarah and I look forward to seeing you in the future. But for now, goodnight.”
He raised his now empty glass and Sarah noticed that he wavered slightly when he did. As they exited the room to cries of congratulation and disappointment, she took his hand.
“Are you alright?” she asked him.
“Mmm,” he nuzzled her neck as they walked. The fact that they weren’t being followed felt like some sort of miracle. “I’m fine.”
“Are you?” she said as they got into the bedroom. “Or are you a bit of a lightweight today?”
“Oh, I see,” he said, his eyes half-lidded as he backed her up into the bed. She had no choice but to sit on the fluffy bed, leaning back on her elbows. “You think I can’t handle my liquor?”
“I didn’t say that,” she answered, raising her eyebrows. “But maybe you can’t handle me.”
“I can never handle you,” he said and started kissing her. Sarah closed her eyes, allowing him to feel her body starting to squirm under him. He put most of his weight on her, and she felt his cock harden as his kiss deepened. “Oh, Creator.”
“First time making love to your wife,” she said as she opened her legs slightly to allow his access. “Do you think it will feel better than before?”
“Can’t wait to find out,” he murmured as he reached up her skirt.
“Wait,” she said, moving up on her elbows and struggling to take off the dress. She wanted to be entirely naked in front of him, with nothing between them. They were married now, and she wanted nothing to ever stand between them again.
Once the dress was off, he let out a low whistle, reaching to touch her small curves.
“You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen,” he said in admiration.
“You next,” she ordered, noting that he had a bit of trouble with undressing himself. “You’re drunk, John.”
“Good observation,” he said as he pushed her back onto the bed. “It’ll make it feel better.”
“Mmm,” she breathed, kissing his neck. She wasn’t sure about that, but he was happy and she desperately needed him inside of her.
He always took the time she needed to make sure that she was ready for them. This time, he reached down between her legs to make sure she was wet and ready.
“Oh, Creator,” she sighed as his fingers started to play with her wet pussy lips. “Oh my... you aren’t going to tease me forever, are you? I can’t take it. I can’t... oh, Creator...”
“Maybe I will,” he said with a smile as he lowered his face to her nether regions. Sarah gasped and then moaned as she felt his tongue replace his fingers. His tongue flicked in and out of her folds and she lay back, seeing spots as he sent her to a heaven of pleasure.
“Oh, Creator,” she put her hands on his head, pulling him closer. Sarah arched her hips and moaned, a sweaty mess as he teased her. Just when she felt like she couldn’t take it any longer, he came up for air and grinned wolfishly at her.
“Do you want more?” he asked her.
“I want you... I want you inside of me,” she panted. “Stop teasing me and get in there.”
“Oh, my lady,” he said, panting as well. “I hope to hear those words for the rest of my life.”
It took a few tries before he managed to slide into her. When he finally did, she groaned, arching her hips to accommodate him better.
“Oh, Creator, you’re so big,” she moaned. “You’re the biggest I’ve ever had. Oh, Creator, it feels so good.”
“How do you want it?” he asked. “You want it hard?”
“I want to make you feel good,” she said. “How do you want it?”
“I want....” he thrust twice and then groaned, shuddering. “Oh, Creator. It’s so good. It’s so good, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to hold it.”
“Fast,” she urged. “Give it to me fast. Fuck me hard.”
“I can do that,” he said, although she doubted that he could. He thrust into her twice again and then a third time before collapsing on top of her. He hadn’t come yet, but the pleasure was clearly building. “You want it hard?”
“I want to feel your come,” she begged him. “Give it to me as hard as you can. Fuck me.”
He gritted his teeth and pushed himself up on his elbows. She ran her hands along his muscular arms, feeling her body tingle at the sight of his perfection. John lost himself in thrusting, his eyes rolling back and his body responding to nothing but pleasure as he fucked her.
“Are you going to come in me?” she panted. “Are you going to make me come?”
“Just a little more,” he grunted. “Just a little more. Oh, Creator!”
His orgasm caught him off guard, and he exploded into her. She wrapped her legs around his back, pushing him deeper into her. He moaned as his cock spasmed and her walls clenched around him.
“Oh, Creator,” he breathed. “That was fantastic. That was so good.”
Eventually, he rolled off her, sweaty and content.
“Was it good for you?” he asked her, half asleep. He put his arm over her, pulling her naked body close.
“Yes,” she said. “It was amazing. I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” he said, already drifting off.
Once he was sleeping, Sarah got up carefully so as not to wake him. She had the simple intention of just getting ready for bed, so she would wake up fresh and ready for whatever the morning brought. However, she was only halfway through getting ready when she felt the familiar wave of dizziness hit her.
“Blast,” she muttered, gripping the side of the sink and waiting for it to pass. She was more annoyed that it was happening than worried. She hoped that John wasn’t going to make it a regular habit, to soar through the sky in front of the crowd. She knew it looked beautiful and it was their wedding day, but it was exhausting
.
She managed to put a robe on and was climbing back into bed when there was a knock on the door.
“Are you kidding?” she asked herself, under her breath. They had just wanted one night when they weren’t bothered. She waited, to see if whoever it was would go away, but there was another knock instead.
John snorted beside her but didn’t awake. Carefully, she climbed back out of bed and opened the door.
“What?” she asked, trying not to sound rude. To her surprise, it wasn’t a messenger on the other side with a message that could have waited until morning. Instead, it was Nathan standing there. He looked pale and his eyes were red-rimmed. He didn’t even need to speak for Sarah to know exactly what had happened.
“No,” she whispered. “Not tonight. No.”
“About an hour ago,” Nathan said, very softly. “He had waited for you two, apparently. He went with a smile on his face.”
“I’m so sorry,” Sarah said.
“If he had to go,” Nathan said, “I’m glad that he saw you two first. He went with peace. John is...”
“John’s not quite in his right mind,” Sarah said. “And I think it would be best if we waited another few hours. He’ll deal with the news easier with a sober mind.”
Nathan shook his head.
“He should know, Sarah,” he said. “He’s the Alpha now.”
Hearing the words spoken, despite the fact that she did know that subconsciously, made her blood run cold.
“Yes,” she said. “I suppose that he is.”
“Please tell him immediately,” Nathan said. “The rest of us will be gathering in the Grand Hall to... make final preparations.”
“I will,” Sarah promised, although she knew it was going to be one of the hardest moments of her life.
Once the door was closed, she took a deep breath and leaned her head against the door. Schooling had prepared her for many moments, but it hadn’t prepared her for this one.
She knew her parents were staying in the palace, and she wished that they were here with her at this moment. She wanted to give her father a hug, taking comfort in the fact that he still drew breath.
Instead, she crept slowly back to the bed, sitting cross-legged on it. Gently, she rubbed John’s back, waking him up as kindly as she could.
“Ugh,” he greeted her, trying to roll away from her.
“No, John,” she said, trying to get him to roll back. “I need you to wake up. I need to talk to you.”
“What do you need, baby?” he reached his hand over, between her legs. “Do you need...”
“John, listen to me,” she said, and something in her voice made him open his eyes fully.
“What is it?” he asked and she took another breath. Her voice shook and she barely had to say a word.
“Your father...” she started and he sat up.
“No,” he blurted out before she could finish. “No, it can’t be. We just saw him.”
“Nathan just came by,” she said. “He went about an hour ago. Apparently, it was peaceful and he was happy. He waited for us.”
“No,” John repeated, sitting up fully. “This can’t be.”
“I’m afraid it is,” she said, tears coming to her eyes. “You’re Alpha now.”
He didn’t say anything for so long that she was worried he didn’t hear her.
“John?” she asked quietly.
“I’m Alpha,” he said, turning to her. “And you are queen.”
“Yes,” she said. “And I’m here for you, no matter what.”
She was about to say something else comforting when all of a sudden, they were startled by an alarm. There were flashing red lights, and a loud siren blaring. Sarah jumped several feet in the air.
“What the...”
John immediately threw off the covers. However, he was feeling didn’t matter at this point. This was an emergency.
“John, what’s happening?” she demanded.
“We’re under attack,” he said, wincing, as it felt like his head was about to explode. “The palace walls have been breached.”
“What?” she asked in a panic. “By who?”
He threw himself at the computer, firing it up. It only took a few moments of him frantically typing in order to get the information.
“It’s wolves,” he said. “And it isn’t a scouting party. They’ve killed our guards at the door, and they are inside the palace.”
“Where?” Sarah asked, trying to make sense of everything.
“They are in the west wing,” he said. “In the medical bay.”
“What could they want there?” she asked in horror.
“My father’s body, no doubt,” John seethed. “Let’s go.”
“Why would they want—?”
“Does it matter?” he snapped at her, throwing open the door to their room.
“John, at least put some clothes on,” she pointed out, trying to be practical. He paused, confused, and then scrambled into his clothes, his breath coming in gasps. Once he was dressed, she followed him out the door, not quite sure of what they were going to do. They had no plan, but they knew they had to move fast. This was not how their rule was supposed to start. They were supposed to just have one night of peace—one night of happiness. Instead, everything was going wrong all at once.
Chapter 15
The hallways were in absolute chaos. It seemed that everyone was running everywhere, and no one quite knew what to do. Sarah held onto John’s hand as he pushed through the crowds. He seemed focused on getting to one location, and she shouted to him as they moved.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“We need to find my brothers,” he said. “I need to know that they are safe.”
That wouldn’t have been Sarah’s first move, but she couldn’t even think straight as they ran through the crowds.
She realized that it seemed John’s brain had already switched over. He was Alpha now, and she was queen. The way they were reacting now and the way they would have reacted three days ago needed to be completely different responses.
“John!” Cory screamed as they rounded the corner. He had clearly just come out of his room, still bleary with sleep, and he was confused. “What’s...”
“Cory, come with me,” John said, putting his hand around his little brother’s wrist. “We need to find Joshua.”
“What’s happening?” Cory asked. “I heard a bunch of shouting and then I heard...”
Over the alarms, Sarah could hear a strange sound. It sounded like trumpeters, and she realized that she had heard it before, a long time ago.
“Attention, Kingdom of Knorpp,” said an automated voice, under the alarms of the wolf attack. “Here passes Michael, Alpha of Knorpp. Here passes Michael, Alpha of Knorpp.”
Cory’s face paled and he turned to John.
“Is that...”
“Cory, we can’t think right now,” John said, looking his brother right in the eye. “We can’t think. We can’t fall apart.”
“He can’t be...”
“Cory,” John put his hands on Cory’s shoulders, holding him steady. The younger dragon prince looked remarkably unsteady. “We need to keep the kingdom safe right now, okay? This is what Father would have wanted.”
Cory nodded, although he didn’t seem to process what his eldest brother was saying.
“John!” Joshua’s voice came floating down the hallway before Sarah could see him. At the sight of Joshua, John visibly sighed in relief. Joshua was accompanied by several guards, and he rushed to his brothers. “It’s the north entrance that’s breached. There’s at least a hundred of them.”
“Do you have a plan?” John asked Joshua.
“We are going to attack them from the east entrance...” Joshua started to say.
“No,” Sarah said, interrupting them. “They will expect you to come from one of the other hallways like that. You need to use the tunnels.”
“The tunnels will take us out of the castle and to the fro
nt gate,” Joshua pointed out.
“I know,” Sarah said. “They will not expect you to attack from behind.”
Joshua stopped talking, his chest heaving as he considered the plan.
“But...”
“You will do as the queen says,” John ordered, and the words hit home for all of them. “But first, Cory needs to be safe and you will personally make sure of it.”
“Right,” Joshua said.
“No, I want to...”
“Cory,” John said. “Nothing would make Father more upset than knowing the kingdom is not secure. Nothing would make me more upset.”
“He’s not even cold...” Cory whispered, his eyes welling up with tears.
“We need to make sure the kingdom is secure,” John repeated and Cory eventually nodded.
“Sarah, I need you to go with them.”
“Over my dead body,” she said, meeting his eyes. “I will fight at your side.”
“I need to know you are safe.”
“I am safe,” she said, “when I am at your side. But you did not marry me so I could sit there and not use my schooling. We can beat them.”
John was clearly not happy, but he knew better than to argue with her.
“Alright,” he said. “Let’s go. Joshua, we’ll meet you in the tunnels.”
“Maybe five minutes,” Joshua said.
“Where’s Nathan?”
“He’s in the tower,” Joshua said. “He’s going to lead an attack from above.”
“That’s a good plan,” Sarah said and Joshua quirked an eyebrow.
“I’m glad you agree, my lady.”
“Let’s go,” John said, and they began to move through the crowd to the tunnels. Sarah had been in the tunnels only twice, but she knew the layout of them. She had made sure to memorize them the first time she had walked through because she had a feeling she would need to know their top-secret layout.
“Where will he take Cory?” she asked, as soon as they were in the darkness of the tunnel. There were several guards behind him, and more joined them every second.
“The room that you were pulled to before,” John said. “It’s safe enough and there are several tunnels that leave from there.”
