32. Showdown at New Year’s Eve

Chapter thirty-two

Showdown at New Year's Eve

*AURELIA*

I f this girl didn't infuriate me, with her blatant disrespect by crossing mine and my mate's boundaries, I would double-over laughing. Arden looks annoyed and ready to shake her off like an irritating tick. Also, he is completely oblivious to her very obvious attempts to provoke drama between us.

"What's wrong with you?" Arden says, while tugging his hand away and forcing her to step away. "Do you need help? I never said I would take you as a chosen mate. You, supposedly, were waiting for your fated mate, if I may remind you."

"But you said you would want to make me luna," she says.

"Luna?" Arden furrows his brows and shakes his head. "I never planned on taking over the pack. Why would I promise you the luna position?"

The way he is killing her with his logic is hilarious and fascinating, and I find it so hot.

"But we shared so many things," she says. "All the time we spent with each other."

"Coralie," Arden says earnestly. "We dated for two weeks. I'm serious. Do you need help? You don't seem alright."

"I just wondered, "Coralie looks at me, again "if your mate knows how serious we were."

Arden's expression goes from confused to shock to pissed in the blink of an eye. Displaying that it has dawned on him his ex-girlfriend is in no way feeling sick or having a mental breakdown. She is just trying to stir drama and to sabotage his relationship with me.

She is starting to annoy me, now. That's my man she is trying to claim in front of me, but she is messing with the wrong she-wolf.

"What was your name, again?" I ask while stepping forward. "I can't remember."

"That's Coralie," Léna helps me out.

"Oh, so she is the one you told me about?" I ask Arden.

He nods.

"But we," she points at Arden and herself "...we were…"

"Dating, I know," I say. "And?"

"What do you mean?" she stutters. "I dated your mate."

"So what?" I say. "You dated. Many people do that, I dated too. Should that impress me in any way? It's not like I was in the picture at that time."

I see an image coming through the mind link from Cato… how Coralie wants to seduce him, and he walks away. There is a camera involved. Arden told me a bit about Coralie but said he is too embarrassed to share all of it. Now I know why! I don't know what exactly happened, but it's enough for me to know that this girl is full of bullshit.

I shake my head in dismay first, before I feel a wave of anger hitting me. Maxima is displeased, to say the least, and pushes to come forward in order to lash out at whoever hurt our mate.

"Uh," Tori mutters, sensing my shift of mood, and takes a step back.

"I know what you did," I tell Coralie shortly. "Don't you feel ashamed?"

"You have no right to talk to me like that," Coralie mutters.

"She has," Arden says shortly, having recovered from his shock. "I told you the last time not to cross me, again. Leave before I have you kicked out."

He is so calm and composed, like a couple of days ago when he broke the alpha command of his father. He is not emotionless, he is just… in control, and saying the right things at the right time. Something tells me that our future children will hate him for that one day, but I find it incredibly hot.

I want him to be mine! I can't allow anyone else to claim him. It's definitely going to happen tonight!

Feeling a surge of overprotectiveness, I take Arden's hand, allowing Maxima to come forward. "Don't cross our path again, she-wolf," she growls darkly. Coralie shrinks back when she feels my alpha aura push against her and her lycan. I don't let Maxima get any real threat out, though. This is a big gathering here, and I don't need to be the center of a huge drama. She gets the message, anyway, because she glances at me with a hint of fear before disappearing as fast as she came.

"Wow," Nox mutters, his eyes following Coralie's disappearing form. "And I thought I was unlucky with women."

"Yeah," Lion agrees. "I will never complain again."

"You two don't sound too great, either," Tori points out, surprisingly annoyed.

Nox looks at her in surprise before gazing at me. I just shrug, and he lets it drop, pretending none of that exchange happened.

"After that crazy-ex drama, I need a drink," Jazz jokes, instead.

"It's even funnier if you consider she is the only girl I dated," Arden points out, making the others laugh.

"Well, you hit the jackpot now," Jazz points out.

Arden gazes at me. "I did."

While the others continue to ravish the buffet, Léna looks at Arden and me. "I'm so sorry. I completely forgot to tell you that she would be coming."

"That's not your fault," Arden reassures her. "And even if I knew she would attend, I'd never believed she would pull such a weird stunt. I don't even know what that was for. She clearly never liked me."

I tilt my head, wondering if that's true. Why would Coralie embarrass herself like that otherwise? What was in it for her? She must be aware of the fallout between Arden and his father, so why come here and do what she did? Did she really think it would end in anything but humiliation for her?

I'm still in my thoughts when I feel Arden suddenly hugging me. It's only then I notice the others have left to check out the dance floor. "I see we were abandoned," I joke.

To my surprise, Arden suddenly grabs me and smashes our lips together. "I swear if I haven't marked you by the end of the night, I shall be doomed!" he says, his voice husky. "If only you knew how hot you are."

"Then do it," I whisper, wrapping my arms around his neck. "Because I know I want to claim you."

I am too tall for him to scoop me up in his arms, but he makes an effort to twirl me around before grabbing my arm and tugging me along. I didn't expect him to go into action like he did now, but I find it hot as fuck. The moment we stumble into his room, he kicks the door shut behind him, grabbing me and smashing our lips against each other. I wrap my arms around him, my fingers brushing through his hair and tugging at it.

My dress is short and stretchy, Arden's hand easily slipping beneath it and searching for my underwear. I smirk when I notice how he pauses. "It's a tight dress," I whisper.

His eyes flash black as Cato comes forward. He growls, pushing my thong down before grabbing my ass. I wrestle with his belt, relieving him of his pants and briefs in one go. My core tingles in anticipation when I see his cock springing free, fully erect.

That's how much he wants us.

Go get him, Maxima retorts.

She doesn't need to tell me twice. I don't waste any time getting out of my dress, pulling it down my shoulders to free my upper body. Thank Goddess I went for stretchy material. Back at home, when I went shopping with Tori, the goal was to look as sexy as possible in a form-fitting tight dress. New Year's Eve is the perfect opportunity to be more daring. I clearly didn't sex-proof it at that time.

I feel Arden fumble at my back and I smirk. "My bra opens at the front."

"What?" A smirk curls his lips. "Fuck, that's hot."

I don't mind him putting his curiosity as a scientist to the test, but not for our first time. He can do his research the next time. Pushing him onto the bed, I crawl on top of him and straddle his hips while I open the clasp of my strapless bra from the front, revealing my breasts to him. Before I have even shrugged the item off, I can feel his hands on them, my nipples hardening immediately under his touch. I'm sensitive there, and the tingles are just enhancing the sensation.

"You are so beautiful," Arden says, serious all of a sudden. "And the most amazing thing is that no matter how much you talk or what you say or how much time I spend with you, I never want to switch off my hearing aid. I want to hear all and everything from you."

And he thinks he is not a romantic!?

He is fucking amazing. He is not a sweet talker and maybe not the type to toss rose petals on the bed, but everything he says has meaning to it.

I bend forward, feeling how my hair falls forward too. Arden wraps his fingers around my curls and pulls me even closer. "I'm so dripping wet for you already," I whisper into his ear. "I want to ride your cock."

I know this is not the most romantic reply, but it's my type of romance.

His eyes darken, almost turning black. And if anything was holding him back before, it certainly isn't anymore.

"Condoms?" I ask.

"Bedside drawer."

I bend forward without leaving my position and find a package with condoms, ripping one open and smirking at him. "Allow me."

His eyes widen while I roll the condom over his hardened penis. Pushing himself up, he grabs me by my hips, pulling me against his groin. I feel his erection between us, and instead of teasing him this time, I lift my hips to glide down on his cock. Arden meets me halfway, pushing up his hips and thrusting into me.

Fuck, I did not expect him to do that!

"Do that again!" I command.

He obliges, continuing to thrust into me, and it feels amazing to have him show his passionate side that way. I enjoy the sensation, stroking his chest before I reach forward to grip the headboard for balance and start to circle my hips, making sure to vary my movements.

"Fuck, what are you doing?" Arden groans. "That feels amazing, Aurelia."

In a sudden movement, Arden grabs me by my hips and rolls us over, making me land on my back. I grab onto his shoulders while his hands move to my lower back and lift me up slightly. Brushing my hands through his hair, I pull him closer to kiss him, his free hand moving to my breasts and squeezing them.

"It feels so good, Arden," I encourage him. "Touch my clit."

He follows immediately, his hand suddenly between our bodies—my handsome prodigy fucking knows where a woman's clit is! I'm so lucky! I know from experience that not all guys do. I close my eyes as I feel the sparks from his touch. "Tell me how to fuck you," Arden says.

"Bend back a bit," I say. "Change your angle, and—" Arden follows my lead, his dick suddenly buried deep inside me. "Yes," I moan. "Exactly there."

Spurred on by my moans, he enhances his efforts, and I feel my body tensing up in anticipation. I let Maxima forward, pushing myself up and forcing Arden to support my whole weight. He is so strong, much stronger than he gives himself credit for.

"Do it," Arden says.

I nod before Maxima takes control and bites down on his neck, marking him as ours. While I still feel the sensation of our bond strengthening, I can feel a pain against my neck, soon followed by pure bliss as Arden marks me in return. His eyes are black now, and Cato projects an image into my mind of him fucking me from behind.

What are you waiting for? I spur him on. Make Maxima and me come.

Maxima is fully with me now, my lycan wanting to feel and be satiated by our mates as well. Cato rolls us over and plunges into us from behind. I close my eyes. With the bond in place and being freshly marked, my senses are so heightened it doesn't take me long to come.

I feel myself being pushed over the edge, my body tensing before my release washes over me. Arden and Cato take a few more thrusts, their dick inside me tensing and pulsating before I can feel their body shaking slightly.

We both drop down next to each other on our backs, coming down from our high. Arden takes my hand, squeezing it. "Now you are mine," he says happily. "Thank you for this gift, Aurelia."

I feel flustered by his words but also happy by how full of love he sounds. "No one can steal you away anymore," I say.

"Do we have to return to the party? Can't we just stay in bed?" he asks.

I chuckle. "I wish we could."

"Being responsible sucks," he says.

"That coming from you has to mean something," I tease.

"Well, what can I say…" He looks at me. "My mate is a great fuck."

I blink at him for a moment, noticing how he looks anxious all of a sudden, afraid he overstepped, but I just burst into laughter. "Well, you know how to flatter me."

He smiles. "They will ask questions," he says.

"Let them," I say, pushing myself up. "At least now, everyone knows we belong to each other."