Chapter 21

Twenty-One

LACY

" P inkieeee! Pinkieee!"

His voice reverberated around the maze as I huddled in a corner, eyes shut and holding my ears. Please go away. Please go away. His voice mingled with groaning from the other monsters and the whirring fog machine.

Only I could hear his voice.

The nightmare that was only mine.

"Stop it!" I screamed with my eyes shut. I had to find my way out of this mess, but the more I ran, the more lost I became.

I tried to drown out his chants by humming to myself.

Maybe if I stayed behind long enough, my brother would get worried and return for me. Or he was probably getting a good laugh out of me taking so long in this maze. I should never have come here.

Suddenly, I felt hands grab my upper arms. I screamed bloody murder.

"Stop, let me go!" I screamed endlessly. I was wheezing and out of breath.

It was too early for me to die. My family would miss me.

"Shh, Lacy," he said, shaking me. I didn't want to open my eyes to see the monster before me. The stalker who wanted to breed me with his spawn. "Open your eyes. It's me, Ryder!"

His last command was a bark.

I opened my eyes, and relief flowed through me, seeing his bald head under the reflecting lights. His scar was no longer intimidating but comforting. I threw myself at him, grabbing him tight.

"He's here," I gasped out. "Do you hear him?"

"What? Who's here?"

"The stalker. He's in here."

But the chanting stopped. The nickname the stalker thought up for me ringing through the maze of mirrors stopped.

It was silent, except for the groans of the monsters.

"I don't see him," said Ryder, looking around cautiously. Then his eyes darkened when he turned his gaze back to me. "We have a lot to talk about. You shouldn't have left the house alone, do you understand?"

"I'm sorry," I said, but he was silent as he helped me get to my feet. Cooper had come up behind me, with Lucas and Adrian flanking either side. I grabbed a hand on each side of me, feeling safer now that they were here.

Apprehension settled inside me as I followed Ryder out of the maze. His stony demeanor showed that he wasn't happy with me at this moment.

My stomach tightened with apprehension.

When we returned to my house, I collapsed onto the couch, and Adrian helped me unstrap my heels.

Ryder was pacing around the living room, his face tense.

I didn't dare ask him what he was thinking about. I knew I messed up big time with how deep in thought he was. He was probably thinking of ways of how to handle me.

"Lacy," said Ryder in a heavy voice as he sat beside me. Adrian finished removing my heels and rubbed my ankle comfortingly before walking away.

"Yes?"

"Why did you sneak out?" he asked, crossing his fingers on his lap.

"I just wanted to have some fun," I said. "Listen, you're not my dad or anything. Whatever happened is past. I apologize for it, and now let's move on."

I was tired of him putting me on edge and making me feel bad the entire ride home. It was all my choosing if I wanted to put myself in danger.

It had nothing to do with him at all.

"You don't sound too apologetic," he said. He looked at me with something feral in his eyes, and I grew uneasy. He grasped my wrist, and I froze, watching him to see what he planned to do. "I may have to discipline you, omega."

"But I'm not your mate," I said. "And I'm damn well glad that I'm not!"

"What?" said Lucas in surprise. "I thought she was our omega."

Oh shit.

"She chose not to," said Ryder, dragging my unwilling body onto his lap. I squirmed and kicked until he had me face down on his lap. My face was pressed against the pillows of the couch, and my ass was on his lap. He rubbed his hand over my ass, which was covered in the spandex material. "And she tricked you all into thinking that she was."

"What the hell are you doing?!" I shouted, trying to wriggle away, but he firmly grasped my thighs. I twisted around to punch him, but Ethan held my forearms still.

They were helping him. They knew I wasn't their omega now.

"You put yourself in danger," said Ryder. "Against alpha's orders."

He unzipped the back of my suit, and I felt it loosen around me. The cold air hit my sweaty skin when the material exposed my ass. My pussy clenched at the worst time ever. Fuck, I was getting horny again from his touch. I had to try and control it, but when I felt slick drip down my thighs - I knew it was too late.

I wanted to feel every spank.

"I'm pretty sure this is not in your bodyguard handbook," I said breathlessly. He slowly rubbed his palm against my ass cheek in preparation. "I promise it won't happen again."

Ryder

"I'll make sure you mean that promise," I growled, rubbing her ass threateningly.

I couldn't take chances with this omega. She was a naughty one who'd never been disciplined in her life. It would hurt me to discipline my client.

But it needed to be done.

Earlier, when I found her room empty, my heart had dropped. I felt like I had failed if anything happened to her.

Her ass wiggled and squirmed on my lap, releasing her scent of arousal in the air.

"I'm sorry, Lacy," I said in a low voice. My cock hardened under her as her scent wafted to my nose. Fuck, I couldn't get enough of her smell. Tonight, I would hunt for her panties once she discarded them in the basket. "This will ensure that it doesn't happen again."

"Why?"

"It's either we walk out and give up guarding you, or you will accept the spanking I'm about to give you."

She hesitated.

Her round ass underneath my palm was warm, jiggling at the slightest touch. She was ready to be spanked, whether or not she liked it. But I would give her the choice now.

"I can take the spanking," she said, and I raised my eyebrows. She was trying to show a brave face.

"Be easy on her," said Ethan, still holding her arms.

"Ryder, do you really have to?" said Adrian, standing defensively at her head like a guard dog. Lucas watched from the other couch, his dick standing straight up inside his pants. Cooper was outside doing who-knows-what.

"She must learn a lesson," I muttered, rubbing her right ass cheek first. I pulled her panties down, seeing them already sticky with her slick when I revealed the inside of it. Clear slick coated every inch of her panties as I pulled it down her thighs. Her ass was now fully exposed, the globes of her cheeks sitting firm.

I brought my palm down on her ass, and she jerked over my hard cock. I loved how her ass cheek turned pink so fast.

Smack . The sound of her yelp turned me on even more.

The second smack came down.

Her ass jiggled, and I couldn't help but dip my face down to smell her pussy. Her pussy smelled so good with each spank.

"Are you…are you done?" she whispered in a shaky voice.

"Have you learned your lesson yet?" I growled, licking her pussy, and she trembled on my lap. Her fear and arousal were turning me on so much I was about ready to rut her to kingdom come.

"No," she said.

"That's what I thought," I said, smacking her again across both her ass cheeks. Her ass jiggled and shook even more. I looked at her pussy again and saw more slick bubbling inside her pussy ready to drip out. She was getting horny with every smack. She was supposed to learn a lesson.

She wasn't supposed to get off on it .

This time I smacked her harder across her ass, my palm glancing over her pussy so she felt it. This time, she yelped and squirmed.

Good . That was what I needed to see. A little healthy fear was always good. I spanked her again in the same spot, and she yelled at me this time.

"Okay! That's enough," she screamed. But I bent my head again to peek, and I saw that her pussy was now dripping onto my thighs. I needed her wide open and spread now.

I flipped her over until her head was hanging off the couch, and her thighs were open on my lap. So I had a direct view of her entire pussy.

"Much better," I said, spreading her thighs apart before me while she was upside down, with Ethan managing to steady her.

"Oh my god, you're crazy," she gasped, trying to kick me in the face, but I held her still. With her legs spread wide open, I squeezed her ass cheeks and saw more slick coat her little pussy. The musky scent of her sweat filled my nose when I bent my head down. I licked her pussy again, and she moaned, her toes curling. I swiped my thick tongue over her pulsing clitoris and pressed my nose into her pussy.

She smelled so fucking good.

But I had a job to finish. I flipped her back to the original position with her ass on my lap to spank her. I brought my hand down onto her ass, three more times on each cheek, until she cried out for me to stop. I was breathing just as hard as her, my balls tight as fuck. I wanted to fucking knot her.

As I gazed at her, her blushing bottom looked so cute, like a tomato.

"Did you learn your lesson?" I asked again.

"Yes," she gasped. "Please, no more."

Feeling bad that she was probably hurting, I grabbed the ice pack Lucas handed me. It was an ice cube wrapped in a paper towel, and I held it her ass until the tension in her body eased.

"You're not going to run away again. Do you hear me, omega?"

She hesitated to answer me right away. Fuck, she was such a stubborn one.

"I understand," she said in a short voice.

As I rubbed the ice over her, I enjoyed how her burning ass felt against my palms. She was finally going to listen and not put herself in danger again. Her reckless behavior nearly got her killed. When I found her crying in the maze, I wanted to strangle the motherfucker who scared her.

It shouldn't happen again.