Chapter 21

Ikeep a smile plastered to my face, no matter how loud Annika and Ward get. Mostly because Kane looks like he's about to chip a tooth, or the top of his head might actually pop off. I've always been an equal opportunity sadist, so my current state of having a hard-on that just won't quit might be from Anni's perfume, or it could be from seeing Kane so close to popping a blood vessel.

"Start watching the exits," I say jovially. "I've got to take a piss."

"We've only been on the road for four hours," Kane growls. "We're never going to make it at this pace."

"Yeah, well, in a perfect world, Annika wouldn't be about to go into heat, but here we are," I say. "We didn't bring any supplies with us. She won't eat or drink much once it starts, but omega systems are designed to stockpile nutrients in the days right before the heat starts."

"I could also use a quick break." Cas leans forward from the middle row. "I need to make a few phone calls, and it wouldn't hurt to grab drinks and snacks."

"We're probably going to want to aim for a rest stop or somewhere with outdoor restrooms." I chuckle, glancing out the window. "Otherwise, she's going to have every alpha in the vicinity trying to follow her to the bathroom."

Kane scoffs. "You'd think the smell of Ward's jizz all over her would curb that."

I grin mischievously, twisting to face him. "How's that working out for you?"

Kane raises a hand, flipping me off.

I laugh.

He really is easy to rile up.

Here's hoping Anni has had enough orgasms to forgive me. She can be mad and continue to give me hell about it, but she's not allowed to shut me out completely.

I know myself well enough to understand I'd have a tantrum if that happened. None of us need that right now, but I love the fuck out of that woman.

Hopefully she understands that Ward was my olive branch.

Anni climbs out of the back row of the SUV while Granddad is still trying to get his pants up.

"We're hitting the bathrooms." I make eye contact with Kane, so he knows I've got her. He nods, rolling his neck from side to side. "Ready, baby?" I toss my arm around her shoulder.

"Uh, yeah." She nods, burying her face in my shirt. She smells strongly of Ward, which despite what I said to Kane, really is a good deterrent for any random alphas who might be around. It's a pretty rural area, and there aren't a lot of cars in the parking lot. "So, I have to tell you something…"

"Sorry, Anni Girl. If the two of you thought you were covert, that mission failed about two hours ago." I laugh, sliding my hand up the back of the black dress she changed into before we left the house. It's cotton and soft like the pajama dress she was wearing when the house was raided, but it's not see-through.

She leans in close to my side as we hit the end of the sidewalk. This rest area has two open-air entrances without doors and one in the middle with a family bathroom sign.

"Which one?" I ask, nodding to the options.

She steps out from under my arm and around in front of me. "It's important."

My eyes narrow. "I already told you, you're not allowed to break up with me."

Her hand moves to her mouth, and I dislike the way it shakes as she pulls down her bottom lip.

I'm normally very good at faking, but my chest gets tight at the sight of Ward's fucking bondmark.

That motherfucker.

I thought she smelled so strongly of him because of all the sex.

My heart thumps against my ribcage.

He played dirty, and the worst part is, I won't even be able to kill him now. A severed bond is agony for the living members.

No matter how pissed off I am, I'd never cause her to suffer that much.

My hand still flies up, wrapping around her throat. I don't apply much pressure, but when I push, she instantly backs up. We don't stop until her back rests against the wall next to the family bathroom door.

I rip it open with my free hand and guide her through.

"I guess you were in a fuck around and find out kind of mood. Huh, Anni Girl?" I growl, walking her until her back slams into the far wall as the door shuts behind us. "You're playing with fire."

Her pupils are huge as they meet mine, but the look of fear on her face only spurs me on. I release her throat to spin her around to face the wall before bringing both her hands up.

"Keep them here, and don't make me tell you twice," I warn, working on my belt and moving to undo my jeans.

"I didn't bond Ward to hurt you," she whispers, shaking her head.

That's the thing.

It really goddamn stings.

I've loved this woman since before she even knew I was watching her. Okay, some might consider that obsession, but my system works differently than others. If I wasn't intrigued by her, then I would have felt nothing. That would have been bad for her long-term survivability chances.

I flip up her dress and rip her panties off by tearing each side of the string-bikini style she's wearing before shoving them in my jeans pocket.

"Is that right?" I growl next to her ear.

"You know I love you." She peeks at me over her shoulder with her brow furrowed.

I curse, yanking my cock out of my jeans and jerking it against her ass cheek. "You fucking better. You're mine!" My vision actually goes red, and everything gets blurry.

Fuck me.

Is this that alpha rage everyone always talks about? I honestly never cared deeply enough about anything to experience it. Not until Annika. Even when Ranger tossed me in his basement, I found it more amusing and inconvenient than anything.

"I bet my piercings in your tight little ass with no lube would make you scream," I growl, biting her neck. Her hair is in the way, but I bring my free hand up to move it aside. My teeth dig into her flesh without breaking the skin. "If I was feeling generous, I'd use his cum. Too bad I'm not."

Anni gasps, shoving her hips back. "I won't apologize for claiming an alpha that I want as mine, but I will say I'm sorry I didn't let you bond me years ago."

My cock dribbles pre-cum all over her luscious ass at her words. I run my thumb down the row of piercings and squeeze the fuck out of my shaft.

"You should have," I growl, moving my boot to kick her feet wider apart. She complies by shoving her ass back. With her legs spread, I can see a peek of her cum-soaked cunt.

I move my tip to her pussy and thrust as deep as I can get without locking us together.

Anni gasps and stretches up on her tiptoes. "Fuck, are you trying to break my vagina? You break it, you buy it, asshole."

My belt rattles as I chuckle darkly.

If we had time, I'd tie her up with it and fuck her until she begged for my bite. Ward's cum drips out around my shaft, and it only makes me less rational.

One hand lands on her hip as I work in and out. The other slides under her still-extended arm until my fingers wrap around her throat. I give her pressure, but not enough that she won't be able to beg.

"You do understand I'm claiming you, right?" I growl close to her ear.

"Grady—"

"If you don't like it, too fucking bad." I slam in deep, punishing strokes that I'm not sure will get her there without friction on her clit. "You know how much I love your spoiled ass. That leads me to believe you were trying to make me jealous. Did you want me to snap, baby? Is that it?" My hips plow into hers as I daydream about making her mine. She's so snug, my piercings tinge with pain as they tug, but I don't mind.

"You're all talk," she snaps, clenching her inner walls.

I pull my hand off her waist to slap her naughty ass. Each bounce of my palm against her skin makes my cock slicker.

"Do you know how many times I've killed for you? And I'm not even counting the guys we took out since Kane popped back into the picture."

"Grady," she sobs as her head rolls back. "Harder."

"Did you mistakenly think you're in control right now?" I chuckle. "I've always known I'd have to share you, but that first bite was supposed to be mine." My balls draw up, getting tight. Annika wails, gushing slick as her cunt locks down on my shaft. "You spoiled pain in the ass." I bump her neck to the side and aim just below her ear. It's a vicious strike of my teeth into her flesh. The way her pussy milks my shaft, or maybe it's her perfume that has me acting like a feral alpha. My tongue flicks over the wound as she accepts the bond. It makes a bright smile break out over my face, but a half second later, my orgasm rips through my body so strongly my legs shake.

I release her neck, pinning her front to the wall as I grind every drop of my cum into her well-used pussy.

Her contentment slams into the bond, along with her humor at pushing me over the edge. I growl, sucking on my bondmark. She could've denied it if she didn't want to be tied to me for life, but she's stuck now.

I chuckle against her skin.

Realistically, she would have been stuck with me either way, but even I can admit, I would have been heartbroken. Then I would have killed any man who even looked in her direction until she apologized.

My cock jumps a final time as she twists her head, grinning at me over her shoulder.

"I love you."

"Love you too, Anni Girl. You're all fucking mine."

We smile at each other like total weirdos as we fight to catch our breaths. The sound of the handle being turned has me bending down to grab my Glock from my boot.

Kane pops his head in and sighs. "Jesus Christ. Clean yourselves up. We're leaving in three minutes."

The door slams behind him.

Annika snorts. "I think he forgets that I know he's not leaving without me."

I laugh, kissing her cheek. "Yeah, but there's going to be some dynamite sex when the two of you finally hate fuck."

The way her pussy clenches around my length almost has me testing my luck to see if we can fit in another quickie.

"Do you forgive me?" she asks softly.

"Yeah, baby. If you forgive me for not being Grady Wells."

She nods. "Deal, but I'm pretty sure you'll always be Grady to me."