Snow grew ravenous, but something within fought it. A night or two wasn’t enough to give himself over to the alpha. He longed for more than that.
“Or perhaps we make that a fortnight,” Vor whispered.
He feared a fortnight wouldn’t fulfill the promise in Vor’s eyes, either. “I’m supposed to remain chaste for the prince I’ll one day wed.”
“But you’ve run away from your responsibilities. You’re a little prince no more.”
Snow narrowed his gaze. “I didn’t run away from my responsibilities. Icouldn’trun back to the castle! The Prince Consort’s men are loyal tohim.The best I can do is wait for my father’s return.” He paused, considered that, and then shook his head, sighing. “Whom do I deceive but myself? My step-papa will surely poison my father’s heart against me. Somehow, the fault for this whole thing will be placed on my shoulders. As beguiled as my father is, he might believe the lies.” Snow fought a sob rising up his throat. “I don’t know that I caneverreturn.”
“Perhaps that’s for the best,” Vor murmured.
Snow frowned. “Better to lose my only home—andmy father? You sound as cruel as my step-papa.”
“I meant not to be cruel. I only meant that you could live for yourself now,” Vor replied, his tone soothing. “Do as you wish. No more political intrigues or forced matings between the sons of kings. No more expectations.” Vor’s gaze drifted. “No more duty.”
Snow searched Vor’s face, noting pain in the alpha’s expression. “You speak as if you know this life of mine yet claim you’re not a nobleman.”
Vor’s face darkened, his gaze following his hand as it trailed over Snow’s arm, washing the cuts there. “I was close enough to life amongst the highborn to know the dangers. All that glitters isnotgold, Snow White. A nobleman is just a prisoner of another kind.”
There was a truth in Vor’s words. Snow had never considered it thus.
Snow’s body jerked as Vor’s strong hands swiped his body a bit more roughly.
“You’re angry with me,” Snow whispered.
“I’m not,”Vor snapped.
“You’re being rough,” Snow complained.
Vor’s hands stilled. “My apologies. I forget my strength at times.”
He closed his eyes and sighed, dropping the cloth into the water. He hauled Snow onto his lap. His hard cock pressed against Snow’s bottom, throbbing with life. Snow writhed, sliding over the silken hardness that was both too close and not close enough.
“Do you forgive me?” Vor whispered.
Snow nodded, even though a part of him wanted to punish Vor. The kind of punishment they both might enjoy. If Snow had been schooled in the art of seduction, he would’ve known how to torment the alpha.
“You know not what you do to me,” Vor whispered, his shining gaze frantic as he stared down. He cupped one of Snow’s asscheeks, weighing it in his hand. “I sit here trying to save your skin when all I want to do is mar it with my unclean fingers.”
“You’ve washed your hands twice now that I’ve seen,” Snow said, frowning.
Vor chuckled, shaking his head. “No matter how many times I wash my hands, I will always be too impure for someone such as you. I am no gentleman.”
“Perhaps I don’t want a gentleman,” Snow whispered, placing his palm on Vor’s furred chest.
Under his hand, Vor’s heart beat as erratically as his own.
“You’re too young to know what you want.”
“I soon celebrate my twenty-fourthsummer, thank you.”
One of Vor’s brows cocked higher over one eye. “A whole twenty-four sheltered years. And not mated yet? We have a spinster in our midst.”
Chapter Five
Snow’s face burned with shame, but there was good reason why he wasn’t mated. Each time an interested prince came courting, they would end up ensorcelled by his step-papa’s beauty instead. Why wouldn’t they be? Snow was plain by comparison. He didn’t care to point that out to Vor, who seemed to enjoy looking at him for some reason.
Fourteen years stuck in the cottage with only a group of alphas to look at, was clearly that reason.
