35. Rhyson

35

Rhyson

Her breathing hitched, and I slipped a hand under her shirt and against her belly. A lot had happened today for both of us, and part of me knew that I should give her more time to adjust. Another part of me suspected she needed a distraction, and this was the best way I knew how to distract.

It was too early to feel the baby. My brain screamed at what I'd learned only a few short minutes ago.

What if he's like me? What if he can't control his wolf?

I was going to have a son.

"Rhyson," Maya whispered. My hand stilled, and I waited to see if she would push me away.

When she didn't say anything, my hand inched up to her tits. "Yes?" I promised as I brushed a fingertip under one. "Was there something that you wanted?"

"Fuck you. Just tonight." She rolled onto me, straddling me, and I pulled her shirt off in one swift move before I brought my mouth up to claim her. Her kiss drove me wild. My hands tangled in her red hair, and she ground against me, thin cotton shorts the only barrier between us. I was hard as a rock, but that was nothing new. Just the thought of her could make my cock stir.

She drove me crazy.

"Shorts off," I growled. "Show me how wet you are. Show me how wet I make you."

Pushing off my chest, she stood over me and pressed her hands against the low ceiling for support. "See for yourself."

Sitting up, I pulled down her shorts and stared at her pretty pussy. It would be dripping. I could already tell even before I placed my finger on her slit. "That first night in the hotel room…"

"I was a virgin," she confirmed. "I knew my father would be pissed that Peterman had rejected me. In time, he'd throw me to another alpha. That night with you was one of the few choices I've ever made myself."

Fury rose in me as I stared up at her. "I'm sorry." For the way he treated her.

"I don't regret it." But I regret the way I fucking treated her.

"That's not what I'm apologizing for." I slid a finger inside her, marveling at how her wet heat clenched around me. "I was rough with you that night. It hadn't even occurred to me that you'd never been with anyone else."

My thumb brushed against her clit, and she shuddered. "I liked every second of that night with you. I liked the way you handled me. I thought I'd hate being under a man, but with you, it was different. Don't be sorry, Rhyson. Be rough. I can take it."

I would be rough. I'd fuck her until she couldn't breathe anymore, but all I wanted to give her at this moment was pleasure. "Keep your hands on the ceiling darling, and I'll eat this pretty pussy until you can no longer stand."

Before she could react, I palmed her ass cheeks and brought her to my mouth. She gasped and wavered, but after a moment, she locked her knees and moaned. "Fu…uck," she muttered. "That's…Rhyson!"

She squeaked, but didn't fall, and I kept right on, sucking her clit in my mouth ruthlessly until I felt her legs shake. She tasted all sweet and tangy, and I couldn't help but wonder if she was a trap made specifically for me. I thought nothing could derail me, but here I was, tangled up with her.

"Tell me that you're my good girl," I whispered. "Tell me that you're mine."

"Rhyson…"

I teased her just a little with my finger until she cried. "I'm yours. I'm…oh fuck, I'm your good girl."

When she came, it was with a scream, and I caught her easily as she fell, twisting my body until she was on her stomach under me. Sliding my hands along her back, I grabbed her hips and pulled until her ass was snug against my cock.

"Tell me you want this," I rumbled as I slid my cock between her closed thighs. "Tell me you can't say no to this any more than I can."

"We're so fucked," she muttered. "And you already know the answer."

"I want to hear you say it."

Her fingers gripped the sheets as she wiggled her hips. "I can't turn it away," she admitted. "Sometimes I feel like this is the only moment when I feel sane."

Jerking her knees apart, I sank into her, grunting with pleasure. The force of my entry made her gasp, and she fell flat on her belly as I pushed her down on the bed. "If it's too rough, you can tell me," I said as I curved my hand around her throat. "Until then, I'm going to take you exactly how I want."

She never said a word, and I rammed into her so hard the bed bounced on the floor. Still, she didn't tell me to stop, and after giving her two more shaking orgasms, I spilled myself inside of her with a roar.

Shuddering, I fell on top of her and rolled so I could cradle her against me. That first night was the only time I'd held her. She didn't pull away.

"Tell me about your brother," she said quietly. "Tessa speaks of him like a lover. The others speak of him as an alpha. I don't know what it's like to have family who care about you. No one would care if I died on this mountain."

I closed my eyes. If she died on this mountain, I'd rip it up from the earth to find who'd killed her. "He always seemed to be my exact opposite. My sister and I were rash and impulsive. He was steady and grounded. He'd been born to be an alpha, and he used to tell me that I was born to be a king. I always laughed it off because it seemed ridiculous. I had more raw power, but he was so much more contained. My parents were rarely there, and there were times it felt like we were orphans. Until we were orphans. When my parents and my sister were killed, he was my rock. He kept me together. I never once saw him cry, but I felt his pain. I know he wept in private, but in public, he was my backbone.

"He liked music. I think in a different life he was probably some kind of rock star. He used to sing in bars, and there'd be a line of women ready to take him home. And when he had Rune, his son, he was the most amazing father. Not that there was ever any doubt that he would be. He practically raised me."

She was quiet, but her fingers intertwined with mine. I continued. "He pushed me to be king. To test my wolf to the point that I started to hate him for it. In fact, before he died, we had a huge fight. I didn't want to be more than I was. I just wanted to be by his side. Now, I suspect he was hunting something or someone. I don't know if he wanted me to be secure before he went after them or if he wanted access to more power, but when he died, I knew what I had to do. Partly I wanted him to be proud of me, but also, I never wanted there to be anyone to tell me no when I went looking for his killer."

She chuckled softly. "What?" I asked.

"The irony that you became king to find your brother's killer, and now you're searching for him on a mountain of wolves who would slit your throat if they knew you were king."

"It's not ideal, and this is certainly not what I expected to find. What do you think of Anna and Jax?"

It took a moment before she answered. "I think they've both experienced a darkness that they don't like to talk about, but it's shaped who they are. There's darkness everywhere, I suppose, but they don't take it out on their pack or each other. Jax is probably the best alpha I've ever met, but then again, I haven't met many. Off the mountain, it's all balls and rubbing elbows and trying to best each other. Here, they're just trying to survive. There's something so simple about that."

My stomach clenched. "It sounds like you want to stay."

"I'm not facing the same choices as you, Rhyson."

"I intend to kill him, you know. Your father. For what he did to you." When she didn't say anything, I pushed myself up to my elbows. "Maya? Do you not want me to?"

"I don't care if he lives or not," she said finally. "But it's not that easy. He's an alpha. A well-liked one, and every wolf who stands to take his place is just as bad, and they'll want the same thing he does: power. You became king to avenge your brother, but the packs are falling apart. The alphas are greedy and cruel. My father is hardly the exception. At least here, it makes more sense."

She was probably right, but I was not about to let her raise her child here without me. "He still deserves to die."

"Yes, I suppose he does. I don't need you to do it for me. I'm getting to know my wolf a little better every day, and despite the attempts he's had to beat her into submission, she's anything but. My father's death is for me to handle." Turning her head, she smiled sadly at me. "I used to wait for a mate to come and save me. So naive and romantic. That's never going to happen though, is it? Not after what he's ripped out of me. So I'll save myself. You've got bigger things to worry about."