Chapter Thirty-One

Kiandra

The words were so foreign to me. My tongue curled, pressing against my teeth as I attempted to pronounce them properly, but I seemed to fail miserably. It made me pace around the room, trying to dispel this strange, restless energy within me. I had never experienced restlessness like this before, and it left me feeling anxious for my Alpha. However, I distracted myself by focusing on the unfamiliar words before me, determined to find the right way to pronounce them. I was so engrossed in my task that I didn't hear Cartan re-enter the tent. I just kept pacing, my mind consumed by the Old Language.

Finally, I felt an arm wrap around my waist, pulling me into the embrace of a strong, comforting body. It brought a smile to my face, his powerful scent filling my senses as his hand rested on my stomach, instantly calming me.

"Is this how you work? Pacing?" he inquired.

"I do pace a lot, and mumble," I admitted.

"You shouldn't tire yourself," he gently scolded.

"I am not a wounded animal, and this is difficult," I explained. "I have never struggled like this before."

Cartan chuckled and kissed my neck. "Which word is troubling you?"

"This one? Why does the letter swirl?" I pointed to a particular word in the text.

"Because it's meant to be elongated. The Rs are longer, almost like a growl, and the Ls are soft," he patiently explained.

"That is incredibly complicated."

"I thought you enjoyed a challenge, little one," he teased.

"I love completing a challenge," I corrected.

"Then you will find a way to conquer this one too."

Cartan scooped me up and carried me back to the bedroom, making me giggle with delight. As he placed me among the furs, he attempted to unclasp the locks on my dress. Yet I held up the book before him.

"What about this word?" I asked. "What does it mean?"

He sighed, not particularly interested in the Old Language at the moment.

"It stands by itself," I pointed out.

"It's an old form of ‘loved one' or ‘dear one'. It's a term often used for a mate," he told me before setting the book aside. I reached for it, but he pressed against me, kissing me passionately, and I melted under his touch.

"Can you say it?" I whispered, seeing a smile play on his lips.

"Herlas," he purred, making me shiver with delight. He finally managed to remove my dress and pushed me onto my back. He kissed his way down my body, paying attention to my nipples before descending to my most sensitive areas. His warm tongue expertly pleasured me, and I ran my fingers through his short hair.

"Who taught you?" I panted, feeling pleasure build within me. But he growled in response, not wanting to engage in conversation now.

I tried to tease him by pushing him away, but he grabbed my thighs, pulling me closer before returning to pleasuring me with renewed vigor. He sucked on my clit until I exploded, crying out his name. Cartan quickly rid himself of his pants and entered me as he moved up my body. I felt a powerful surge through our bond, an intense need to claim me as if he couldn't bear not being knotted to me for another moment. It made me cling to him, surrendering to the storm of emotions within him. Through the bond, I finally understood my Alpha on a deeper level. It wasn't just desire that fueled him. There was a possessiveness, a primal need to claim and own, appeasing all my Omega instincts. It led to a second climax before he knotted himself to me, his seed marking me as his once more.

We both collapsed onto the furs, my body humming with satisfaction. I began playing with his hair, and he relaxed against me, utterly content.

"Who taught you?" I asked again, hearing him groan softly as he kissed the mark he had left on my neck.

"I'm knotting your pussy, and all you can think about is the Old Language?" he groaned.

"No, I'm wondering about my Alpha and who taught him the language," I chuckled.

He nuzzled my neck, making me whimper and hold him closer, but he pulled out of my grip slightly and then grabbed a strand of my hair, teasing my skin with it.

"I grew up hearing it," he explained. "It was taught to me alongside the common tongue."

"Why?" I inquired.

He closed his eyes with a tired expression, but my curiosity was insatiable. Now that I wasn't holding up the same defenses, I simply craved to know everything about him. Cartan was an enigma. All the High Alphas were, in fact. Meeting them had made me realize there were still so many things I didn't know, and I yearned to ask questions and seek answers.

"Because my father thought it was important for me to know both," he finally revealed.

"Your father? Is he here in the camp?" I asked, but Cartan let out a dark growl that surprised me, and I lowered my eyes in submission.

"He is … gone," Cartan confessed. As his knot began receding, he mated with me again, this time with harder thrusts, hitting that wondrous spot that made me arch my back and cry out in release.

Cartan pulled out and turned me around. He pushed the front of my body down, my ass in the air, and entered me again. His powerful hands gripped my skin firmly, almost to the point of stinging, but I relished the sensation as it mixed with the pleasure of being dominated so thoroughly. My Omega instincts reveled in delight as I came once more.

Cartan continued to mate with me, and I sensed him struggling to hold back, not wanting to stop. It frustrated my Omega side, and I clenched around him, urging him to climax. However, that caused him to pull out and deliver a hard spank to my backside. I hissed and started to push up, but he kept me down, thrusting into me once more as his hand slipped around my waist. He expertly stroked my clit while driving into me deeply, leading me to another climax before he followed suit, knotting us together and releasing himself into me.

I felt utterly sated, barely able to keep my eyes open, with Cartan's past long forgotten in my mind. Instead, I felt the soothing embrace of darkness as I drifted into a peaceful rest.

I woke later in the evening as I heard people entering the tent. It made me sit up in my nest and realize that Cartan was gone. I curled up in the darkness, hoping the strangers would leave or that my Alpha would return soon. However, a soft voice broke the silence, "High Omega?"

My anxiety lessened upon recognizing Mara's voice. Slowly, I emerged from the nest, finding a group of Beta women in front of me, all smiles. I held a fur close to me, perplexed by their presence, but then I heard the distant, rhythmic sound of drums.

"What's that?" I inquired as I stood up.

"We are celebrating, of course," Mara told me. "So let's get you ready."

"Ready for what?" I asked, but my question went unanswered. Instead, the women giggled and proceeded to wash and dress me. They adorned me in a dark green stola, sandals, and braided my hair before applying a light-red hue to my lips and dark lines around my eyes. It seemed they were having their own party while preparing me, and I had never worn makeup before. While my sisters had been forced to dress up and attend important events in the castle, I had always stayed in my library. So I welcomed the assistance.

When they were satisfied with their work, they brought a mirror to me, displaying my reflection. I appeared somewhat older and more serious, but I didn't dislike it. It also made me look very desirable, and I nodded approvingly. They pulled me from my seat and led me out of the tent. We walked for a while until we reached the main gathering area, where a grand celebration was in full swing. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. We had never had parties like these in the castle, and not even the street festivals I had observed bore any resemblance to this extravagant affair.

The scene was wild and untamed, with people dancing to the powerful rhythm of the drums and grinding their bodies together. Some were even mating openly, shocking me with their audacity. Yet out here, such behavior seemed perfectly normal, a clear celebration of desire. Food stalls had been set up, and numerous fires blazed, casting flickering shadows across the ground. Laughter and conversation filled the air, but anyone I passed bowed their heads, even the Alpha women offering me a nod of respect, though submission was far from their natural instinct.

Mara guided me to one of the food stalls, offering me a skewer with freshly cooked meat smothered in delicious sauce. I devoured it greedily before the women ushered me to the next stall and handed me a goblet of wine. As I loosened up and allowed myself to immerse in the festivities, the primal beat of the drums began to course through me, stirring a peculiar sensation.

"Can we dance?" I inquired.

Mara laughed and shook her head. "Not unless you want your Alpha to slaughter everyone in sight. You could ask him, but he won't let you go alone."

"Why not?" I pressed.

"I'm sure it's quite evident," she replied, gesturing toward the wild and explicit dances taking place. However, that only intensified my desire to join the crowd, my heart pounding with an unfamiliar exhilaration. Then, I noticed a peculiar echo to the rhythmic pounding, and it dawned on me that my heart was racing not just because of the drums but also due to another presence.

My gaze scanned the crowd, locating my Alpha among the other High Alphas. He was watching me with an intense, unwavering gaze. I could see the others attempting to engage him in conversation, but he remained fixated on me. I heard murmuring voices around me, but their words held no meaning. All that registered was my Alpha, the way he stared at me with eyes that had turned entirely black, brimming with desire.

I sensed his silent urging through our bond, but I was unable to move. My entire body quivered beneath his intense scrutiny, rendering me powerless, and so my Alpha began moving toward me. With each step he took, he seemed to grow fiercer, more imposing, a force of nature, and I felt myself grow wet between my legs at the sight of his commanding presence. The other women quickly made way for him, moving aside as he positioned himself in front of me. The moment he could, he seized me, pulling me into his embrace, and I moaned in delight. He inhaled my scent, detecting my arousal, and pressed me tightly against him, making me aware of the effect I had on him.

Leaning down, he whispered in my ear, "You don't deny your Alpha when he calls for you."

I quivered against him, my hands sliding down his bare chest and stomach, feeling the deep rumble beneath his skin.

"Touch me," I whimpered, guiding his hand higher toward my neck.

I wrapped my arm around his, drawing him closer, and pressed my lips to his. He groaned against my mouth, allowing his hand to descend further until it rested on my breast, his thumb brushing over my hardened nipple. I had lost all awareness of the world around me. All that existed were the sensations of my Alpha and the relentless rhythm of the drums. If he were to command me to kneel and pleasure him or to disrobe for him to mate, I would obey without hesitation. I had never experienced a connection more powerful than the one we now shared.

"Touch me," I whispered again, pressing my breast into his hand. His kiss grew more demanding, more insistent.

He wanted me too, so why was he holding back? However, the loud whistling and cheers suddenly reached my ears, pulling me out of our intense moment. I pulled away and noticed that many wolves of the desert were watching us. My cheeks burned with embarrassment, and I buried my face in my Alpha's chest as I heard him laugh. His hand came to rest on my ass and gave it a playful squeeze. I pushed him away, which only seemed to amuse him further.

"Did you not want me to touch you?" he teased.

"I didn't realize where we were," I mumbled, still trying to regain my composure.

"An old tradition dictates that an Omega is always claimed by the Alpha in front of the Alpha's clan to demonstrate their union," he growled into my ear.

I pulled back, looking at him in shock. Was he going to mate with me right here, in front of everyone? And why did the thought only make me wetter? Cartan shook his head.

"I don't share you," he stated firmly. "Your magnificent body is for me and me alone."

"Then why did you say that?" I wondered.

"I was merely explaining their joy at seeing us together like this," he explained before pulling me back into his embrace, holding me as close as possible.

"High Alpha, are you going to keep your Omega all to yourself?" a Beta woman shouted playfully, joined by other wolves who teased us.

Cartan groaned, clearly wanting to keep me with him, but I smiled up at him and took his hand, leading him over to the others where we indulged in pleasant conversations and wine.