Page 54 of The Forbidden Alpha

“I’m yours,” I growled. A shudder wracked her frame as her hips found a frantic, doubled rhythm. I leaned in, needing to be closer no matter how badly her nails tore into me. My breath was hot against her neck. My canines lengthened, grazing her skin.

I held her, desperate, aching to be so deep she couldn’t tell where she ended and I began. I need to make her forget about him. I need my marks on her neck, my hickeys all over her body.

“Livia,” I moaned as she began to take my knot. Her hand slammed against my chest and she lifted. Her eyes flashed.

“No,” she hissed. “You won’t knot me the same day you fucked someone else.”

I jerked back from the rejection. Felix’s howl bubbled in my throat. The need to claim her warring with the cold reality of her words. “And my mark?”

“I won’t take that either,” her voice breathless even as she denied me. Her pussy clenching me. The only thing that mattered was that she stayed. I buried my face into her neck as I gripped her hips, yanking her down, holding her still as I drove my hips upward.

“I’ll mark you from the inside out then,” I growled; the friction of her weight against my knot was enough. Her arms wrapped around my neck, holding me close as I took what she allowed.

She threw her head back and cried as her pussy spasmed around me. My knot was desperate for her to squeeze me, but her pleasure was all that mattered. I came harder than I ever had in my whole damned life. I licked her neck, peppering kisses, and leaving little marks as our bodies slowed.

It was over too soon. My forehead resting against hers, our breaths mingling in ragged puffs as I filled her. I stayed buried within her as long as she allowed, my hands trembling where they gripped her hips. The scent in the walls still mocked me, but I’d soon replace it with mine.

Her hands slid from my neck as she moved off me. She pressed a brief kiss to my temple. “I’m going to shower. You should go.”

“I’m going to grab my stuff,” I rasped. “I’ll be back.”

“Okay. I’ll see to your wounds when you return.” Then the bathroom door closed, and the spray of the shower began—a sound meant to wash me off her. My wolf and I growled.

I didn’t care that I was half-naked and bleeding. I just needed to get back quickly and mark our space with my scent.

She was stuck with me. I’d make it up to her.

I’d make her like me.

I pushed open the door to my room. A floral scent hit me and I knew who was here before I saw her. Lilith was sitting on my bed in lace. She’d used her access key, trespassing on a life that ended the second I saw my mate.

“Gabe,” she purred, spreading her thighs. “I thought—” her words cut off as her nostrils flared. Livia’s scent clung to my body.

“You need to leave, Lilith. Before I let my wolf show you exactly how much I don’t want you here.”

She didn’t flinch. Her eyes flashed with pain, and she scoffed as she straightened.

“Everyone thinks she’s fragile like china,” she whispered.

She stood, lace fluttering. “But I know what lies beneath. She’s a heartless, cold-blooded killer. She uses men like dogs.”

Maybe she was, but from now on, I’d be the only one. Hers.

“Shut up,” I growled.

“She’ll throw you away the second you stop being useful. You’re trading warmth for a life of misery.” She stepped toward me. “I would have taken care of you.”

“Get. Out.”

Chapter 29

Adea

The silence of the penthouse floor weighed heavy on me as the dark silk sheets kissed my skin. I ignored the urge to jump to my feet, choosing to remain in bed. But the stillness was a trap that made my skin crawl with the guilt of being idle. It felt wrong. For years, my mornings had been dictated by the chime of my alarm, Gabe’s knuckles rapping on my door, the clatter of pots in the kitchen, and the dread of a cleaning schedule I somehow managed to finish.

The predictable routine of my old life had once felt like iron chains. Now, in their absence, I realized they’d been the only thing keeping me grounded. Without the checklist, I was drifting at sea.

So much had happened. My life had been turned upside down and reset in the blink of an eye between the Festival and now. My body ached, my bruises pounded, and my throat was scratchy.