Regally Bitten (Blood Alliance Book 3)

by Lexi C. Foss

  He was still coming, his forehead pressed against my hand in her hair, placing him in a submissive position that appealed to my wolf. The positions of their heads so close to my groin inspired an entirely new idea, one where I took turns fucking each of their mouths as they waited enthusiastically on their knees to see who would receive my seed first.

  But I had to finish the current trial before I could engage in such a fantasy.

  And so Luna won this round, my ecstasy erupting down her slender throat on a final pump of my hips. She drank me eagerly, her eyes closing as if indulging in a sweet treat.

  Silas groaned again, my rapture cascading hot energy through our connection and coercing a final shudder from him. My name intertwined with Luna’s in his mind, his bliss complete.

  Until the sounds of expectation chilled the air around us.

  My father was already preparing, his fucked-up mind twisting Luna’s punishment into something so much worse.

  No. I refuse.

  I tightened my grip on Luna’s neck, guiding myself between her lips to a dangerous point near the back of her throat.

  Round eyes flashed up to mine, the mist of her oblivion bleeding into uncertainty as I stared down at her.

  She’d finished swallowing.

  I should be pulling back.

  Instead, I pushed in even more while pretending to shudder through a second climax. She gagged, her pupils dilating, her hands lifting to my thighs as if to push me off her.

  Trust me, I wanted to say.

  What are you doing? Silas demanded, noting the tension along her spine. He started to shift, but a mental command from me froze him in place. Why?

  I need to knock her out, I explained, my grasp turning to cement as Luna tried in earnest to shove me away. Don’t let her move.

  Silas clearly didn’t approve, but he obeyed.

  Claws pierced my skin, Luna trying to fight her way out from between us as terror took hold of her. I hated doing this to her, hated the look of fury mingled with betrayal that she gave me now, but I held her anyway.

  Some wolves might want to play with an unconscious female.

  Most—my father included—wouldn’t.

  I supposed they could always wait for her to wake up, but she’d be gone before that happened.

  Luna’s choked whimper hurt my heart, her eyes growing glassy from the lack of oxygen. Until, finally, she went limp. I gave it another few seconds to make sure she wasn’t faking it, listened for her pulse to slow, and shook off my pretend orgasmic state with a low growl of relief.

  And then I let her go.

  She collapsed, unmoving.

  Silas shifted back onto his knees, his spent cock heavy against his thigh. He didn’t look up, his gaze on Luna.

  I stood to zip up my pants, ignoring the urge to check on my mate. Already her pulse had returned to normal, telling me she was fine. Which, unfortunately, meant I didn’t have a lot of time to finish this act. If she stirred too soon, the pack would descend upon her.

  And then I would be forced to defend her.

  Rolling my shoulders, I glanced down at Luna and Silas with a detached expression and shrugged. “She’s an excellent multitasker.” I glanced at my father. “Better than Bianca, too.”

  He narrowed his gaze. “It’s cruel to speak ill of the dead.”

  While I agreed, it took considerable effort not to retort, It’s also cruel to kill a lycan for the sake of a trial. Which was exactly what had happened here.

  I had no idea how my father managed to coat Bianca’s remains in Luna’s scent, but he clearly orchestrated all of this. Some of the pack members knew, too. I could see it in the satisfaction gleaming from their gazes. They hadn’t cared about Bianca at all, just wanted a reason to incite retribution to see how I fared with the challenge.

  Or maybe they didn’t know and they just enjoyed the show anyway.

  The fact that I couldn’t tell the difference bothered me.

  “Take my mate back to my cabin, Omega,” I demanded, not looking at Silas but at my father. Wait for me there, I added mentally to my progeny.

  Silas bent to scoop her up into his arms and paused at my father’s growled, “We’re not done.”

  “On the contrary, we’re very done.” I glanced at Silas. “Why are you still here? You obey me, not him.” Take her quickly. I’ll handle this.

  My father snarled low and menacing. “You’re forgetting your place, son.”

  “No, I’m ascending to my place, old man,” I replied, aware of Silas doing exactly as I commanded. He moved quickly, lifting Luna and bolting from the ring.

  No one stopped him, all of their focus on the two alphas squaring off in the ring.

  I captured and held my father’s gaze, refusing to give an inch. If he wanted to throw down, I was ready. The pack might back him, or maybe they wouldn’t. I’d satisfied the punishment requirements, degraded my female, just as they necessitated. I’d done everything right and won their favor in the process. At least mostly.

  And the look on my father’s face said he understood that, too.

  I smiled. “You’ll have to do better than that to break me, Father.”

  His jaw ticked, his mind working through his options. All of them pointed to walking away, and we both knew it. But I couldn’t deny the hint of relief that slithered down my spine as he gave a subtle nod of consent before leaving the circle.

  Several of my packmates patted me on the back, their pride a sickness I wouldn’t allow to infect me. That they felt fulfilled by my actions against Luna said so much.

  This was not a world I wanted to indulge. It was one I wanted to change. And soon, very soon, I would be in a position to do so.

  20

  Luna

  Deep male voices filtered in and out of my conscious. I couldn’t understand them, my mind blinking in and out of awareness.

  Something warm slid between my legs, sending tingles up and down my spine. Lips caressed my neck. More words. A damp cloth against my back. Another kiss to my jaw. Someone combing fingers through my hair.

  It all provided the most intensely sensual dream of my existence—surrounded by heat, alpha wolf, and protective strokes.

  I sighed into the male wall behind me, stretching against him, and smiled as he kissed my temple. “You’re safe,” he whispered.

  I know.

  Yet, a memory nagged at me. One where I wasn’t safe at all, but horrified. I chased the image in my mind, trying to find the source and truth of it, and gasped, my hand flying to my throat.

  “It’s okay, Luna.” I recognized that low voice, that scent, that male.

  Edon.

  My eyes flew open to find him lying beside me, his dark eyes glimmering in the low lighting of his bedroom. I glanced over my shoulder and found Silas to be the source of heat at my back, his palm a brand against my hip. He’d been the one to claim I was safe.

  Liar.

  Edon had suffocated me with his cock, leaving me vulnerable and alone and so fucking cold. I clutched my neck, surprised my throat didn’t ache from him nearly killing me.

  “Why?” I demanded, my voice coming out in a growl that vibrated my chest as I met the alpha’s gaze.

  “To keep the others away from you,” he replied, lifting his palm to my hand and gently peeling it away from my skin. “I could feel my father planning to prolong your punishment at my expense. So I took away the object of his desire. You.”

  I blinked, surprised not only by his explanation but also by his lack of hesitation in explaining himself. My fingers curled into a fist, the memory too fresh beneath his touch, even while my mind reasoned that he’d done the right thing.

  Well, no. The right thing would have been to declare my innocence and not allow any of that bullshit to occur. But sometimes circumstances prevent even the most moral of people from completing the appropriate action.

  And I knew what would have happened if Edon refused to punish me. He would have received a correction far worse, lik
ely in the form of my death—an act that would allow his father to prolong the ascension process.

  My shoulders sagged as I huffed out a breath, hating this life more than ever.

  Except Edon hadn’t reacted at all how a normal alpha usually would. For one, he’d attempted to protect me. Most would have thrown his mate to the wolves—literally—and just stood around to make sure no one killed her. Instead, Edon had Silas defile me, which would appear horrible to the onlookers. But to me… I looked over my shoulder again, meeting those bright blue eyes.

  Yeah, I, uh, hadn’t exactly minded.

  “Are you all right?” he asked softly, his thumb tracing my hip bone.

  Edon leaned in to kiss my neck again, his nose skimming my jaw.

  “Y-yes,” I stammered, swallowing. What’s happening? Why are they—

  I jolted as Edon nipped my pulse, drawing my focus back to him. He was only an inch or so away, with one arm tucked under his head and his opposite hand resting along his side. “Tell Silas you don’t hate him.”

  My brow furrowed. “What?”

  “He’s worried you hate him for fucking you. Tell him you don’t.”

  “Maybe I do.” I didn’t, but that wasn’t the point.

  Edon’s lips curled. “Please, little mate. Put Silas out of his misery. He’s giving me a headache.” The growl behind me only seemed to amuse Edon more. Damn alpha male.

  “The only person I should hate in this situation is you,” I replied, trying to knock that arrogant smirk off his too-alluring mouth. Alas, my words only worsened it, his teeth flashing now as he full-on smiled at me.

  “Would an apology fix it?” The teasing quality of his voice told me he wasn’t exactly offering, but playing.

  “You choked me.”

  “I did.”

  “And you don’t feel bad about that?” I pressed.

  He lifted a bare shoulder—because yes, he was naked. Of course he was fucking naked. And it seemed Silas was, too.

  “Choking you beat the alternative,” the alpha replied, his tone as unapologetic as ever. He lifted his hand to draw his finger down my throat, to my sternum, and lower to my belly button. “Do you want us to make you feel better, little mate?” His gaze darkened with the words. “I think Silas would like that.”

  “Silas has his own voice,” the male behind me replied.

  “Then why don’t you use it?” Edon countered, looking over my shoulder at his progeny. “Talk to Luna. She’s awake and very alert.” He punctuated his words by drawing his thumb upward to my breast. Electricity hummed in my veins as a result of that touch, my body hyperaware of being sandwiched between two virile male wolves. They practically radiated heat, their scents commingling with mine and bathing me in lust and sex.

  I shivered, which invited him to stroke me again. Only, this time he pinched my nipple. I hissed, arching into Silas, and then gasped as Edon lowered his mouth to kiss my abused breast.

  Fuck… This… I don’t…

  I closed my eyes, then opened them again, conflicted.

  “I’m sorry,” Silas whispered, his lips against my ear. “I didn’t… I hope I didn’t hurt you.”

  Hurt me? I nearly laughed. Except nothing about it was remotely humorous. I’d only been with one other wolf, and he’d lasted all of a few minutes. Mostly because we were on a timeline, but I certainly hadn’t enjoyed the experience.

  Silas, however, made me feel things. Tingly things. Sexy things. He’d helped me forget the pack and their cruelty, had erased the reason for our joining, and had given me pleasure.

  Because Edon had told him to.

  Oh…

  “You didn’t want…” I swallowed, closing my eyes.

  “Of course I didn’t,” he replied. “Who could possibly desire a situation like that?”

  Shit. The punishment had been just as horrible for him, perhaps even worse with all the things his pack had said about him, the way they’d betted on his sexual prowess, the degrading comments about mutt cock, and the way Edon had forced him to perform by using the sire bond. I understood why he did, had oddly been a bit thankful for the consideration, but I hadn’t taken Silas’s wants or desires into account.

  Actually, I hadn’t thought much about his desires at all. Not when I demanded he fuck me out in that field, or again when I went to my knees in the bathroom. I’d just assumed he wanted it.

  “I should be apologizing to you,” I realized out loud, rotating to my back to stare up at him. He was perched on one elbow, his other hand following my motion to stay on my hip. “I’m sorry, Silas. I haven’t taken your feelings into account at all, too caught up in my own shit to pay attention to much else. Which isn’t an excuse. It’s, well, the truth.”

  His brow furrowed. “Why the hell are you apologizing to me? I just raped you on Edon’s command.”

  The alpha growled a low warning. “Careful.”

  “What? At least admit what we did to her.” Silas narrowed his gaze at the alpha male. “None of that was consensual.”

  “Nothing in this world is ever fucking consensual,” Edon countered. “It’s all manufactured and organized by those in control.”

  Silas snorted. “Says the future Alpha of the Clemente Clan.”

  “You say that like it was my choice.”

  “And you think being the omega of a lycan clan was mine? That I wanted to go into the Immortal Cup and kill all those people? Some of whom I’ve known all my life?”

  I gaped back and forth between them, shocked by Silas’s fury and the ease with which he expelled those words at the alpha who had created him. But what startled me more was Edon’s reaction. My father would have lashed out and put the newbie in his place, perhaps even killed him.

  But not Edon.

  No. He merely sighed and shook his head. “No, Silas. I don’t. Just as turning you into a lycan wasn’t my choice. But here we are. So either we fight about it—a fight you will lose—or we work together and see what we can do about building a more positive future in the clan.”

  Silas gaped at him. “How?”

  “By listening to our elders,” Edon replied cryptically. His gaze fell to me then, the ebony in his irises swirling with dark brown flecks. “Was all of it nonconsensual? Did we rape you, Luna?”

  My throat went dry as I slowly shook my head. Because no, it wasn’t rape. Was Silas technically forced to fuck me? Yes. But I’d wanted him already, and it wasn’t exactly a hardship to receive him. And Edon had offered me a choice with his gaze, asking if he could take my mouth. I’d understood he was trying to give me back a semblance of power by offering me a distraction.

  “Your father would have killed me,” I added out loud. “I much preferred your method.”

  “That doesn’t exactly make it right,” Silas muttered.

  “No, it doesn’t,” I agreed, lifting my hand to palm his cheek. “But as far as punishments go, I didn’t mind this one. I… It wasn’t nonconsensual. At least not on my part. It would have happened down by the water. Right?”

  Except I didn’t know if Silas participated in that chase voluntarily or because Edon had made him. I didn’t even know if he was here now because he desired it or if he was following orders.

  I frowned. “Did you not…? I mean, do you not…?” I couldn’t find the words. So I looked at Edon. “Are you forcing him?”

  A startled laugh came from the alpha, the sound low and sexy and causing the hairs along my arms to dance on end. “No, little mate. I may have a bit of sway, but his reactions are all his own.”

  From what I’d observed, I wasn’t so sure about that. “You made him fuck me.”

  He glanced between us, a frown forming between his eyes. “Are you looking for an apology? Because I don’t have one to give. Would I have preferred this all happened under other circumstances? Yes. Do I regret how it all has gone down? Also yes. But what alternative did we have? Oh, I mean, I suppose I could have let the pack continue beating you, Luna, before fucking you.” He narrow
ed his gaze at Silas. “Which, by the way, Silas, would have been rape because she wouldn’t have wanted it. Unlike how she felt about you.”

  Edon paused, his expression hardening.

  I wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that, and by Silas’s silence, I suspected he wasn’t either. Fortunately—or perhaps, unfortunately—Edon wasn’t finished.

  “You both can talk to me all night about choices, or lack thereof. Because I get it. Trust me. I have a father who is hell-bent on making me fail these Alpha Trials, and I suspect he won’t shy away from killing me. But rather than complain about it, I’m facing it, because that’s the only way we can enact change in this world.” He gazed down at me with a knowing gleam. “Surely you understand, Luna. What with Claudette’s teachings and all.”

  My lips parted. “You know about Claudette?” How? And why wasn’t he livid? She preached about the old times, constantly telling me not to give up the fight and giving me every reason to live. All words that could have gotten her killed if my father had overheard them.

  “Yes.”

  “How?” I demanded. Had I mentioned her in my sleep? After the drugs the other night? In passing and just forgotten?

  And then a more disturbing thought hit me. What if there are spies in Ernest Clan? Has something—

  “Jolene Mason,” Edon said, confusing me even more.

  “What about him?” I asked, my throat as dry as sandpaper. Jolene wasn’t a man I knew personally, but I knew all about him from Claudette. He was a legend among lycans, the male she once loved who ended up with another, and he was one of the strongest alphas in history. At least until the new world.

  A fire lit in Edon’s gaze, one I recognized as pride. “Jolene’s my grandfather.”

  21

  Silas

  I had clearly missed some sort of history lesson, because I had no idea who they were talking about. But whatever Edon had just revealed seemed to shock the hell out of Luna. My hand instinctively tightened on her hip, my need to protect her an overwhelming urge I didn’t quite know how to dispel.