Chapter 10

10

THUREL

T he large greenery that goes by the name of the GreenHouse to us, apparently naive students, is an impressive building practically entirely made out of glass. It stands deeply hidden in the forest. Its neverending symmetrical shapes of lead as they reach all the way up to the stars, are heavily adorned by ivy and flowers.

We stop right in front of a steel door that's left ajar, only to reveal soft, yet unintelligible sounds I can't place, coming from inside the building.

They are waiting for us.

"The Atrium, or the GreenHouse as you like to call it, was built by our ancestors when they were in hiding in Monterrey Castle," Ma?l explains. "They'd already created the brotherhood by then, and according to the official paperwork, wanted to have a luscious, rich environment to match their equally abundant soirées. " He pulls on the leash with a wicked grin, then thinks better of himself and takes my hand. "Shall we go?"

Placing it back on his arm, he wraps his own larger palm over mine, and leads us to the door.

The muffled noises become more perceptible as we make our way inside a hall, though I still can't make out what they're saying. The end of the narrow corridor uncovers a large, open space with that remarkable dome I've only seen a handful of times from outside. Colorful tiles coat the floors, and I can't help but absorb my surroundings—the large plants, couches decorated with loosely dotted pillows, nothing more than curvy shapes, lit by the outside moon and cressets that burn all around us.

Just like my own fiery heart.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The grand hall appears ghastly dark and foreboding. It's filled with cloaked men. The Atrium is luminous, the sides heavily decorated with plants. Some of them are so high that it feels as if they can touch the stars. Looking all the way up, I catch so many of them, as if sparkling through the roof, painting the entire atmosphere with a layer of mystique I can't quite grasp.

This entire night… these guys…I look around me.

They are in college with me.

I'm grateful for my mask, the dark velvet firmly back into place by Ma?l's steady hand. He too is wearing his silver camouflage once again, the mask that only reveals the cruel beauty of his plush, full lips. Even more so, now I know exactly what is hidden beneath the elegant embroideries. I just had sex with this guy. I can barely understand what the hell is happening with me. And those eyes, piercing blue the way they look at me, before he gives me a faint nod.

Shall we go?

I don't reply, instead turn him my back and carefully take another step forward. Ma?l was right, his brothers were waiting. When I take another step, all those hooded heads turn around to face us, staring at us from behind colorful masks. Garment and ceramic cover their identity, including their sinful characters.

Because the brotherhood is immoral. It's lustful, deceiving, and eager for power, ruthless in its attempt to obtain just that.

Sex and money , Ma?l said.

I can see that. I can see it now. I just wonder why I'd never seen it before.

"Are you ready to be accepted by the Alpha Fraternarii?" Ma?l purrs in my ear, both hands already pressing against my shoulders.

Are you ready to change your life?

This is what I wanted, I tell myself, and I fucking do want it. It's what I secretly plead for. To step away from the average and be noticed. To be cherished.

To be proud of.

But this is…hard.

Exhaling a shuddering breath, I try to relieve some pressure from my shoulders, before I face the floor. Here goes nothing.

Slowly I slide down and onto my knees. Behind me, Ma?l groans. Pushing myself up onto my hands and knees, I wonder if he'll keep his word of protecting me, of keeping me warm and safe. The fluttering promise vibrates gently through my core, making my insides swoon like they never have. No one has ever swooped me up in my life, only to announce that they want to keep me.

"Fuck, yeah," he mutters, then I hear the rustle of his cloak as he crouches down beside me and leans forward to ruffle my hair. The gesture should be patronizing, should make me feel upset. Angry. Yet I don't feel anything like that. Cupping my head against his palm, I hear his breath stutter, the faint scent of coffee and chocolate fluttering over me and inside my system.

"My perfect pet," Ma?l rasps, voice thick with arousal. "You're so sweet Thurel, you're so sweet." With a final stroke of my hair, he moves back onto his feet, only to pull at the leash. " On-y-va ."

We do. We start marching forward at a slow pace, led through a path created by the brotherhood. They step aside, their darkness chasing us, creating a sizzle of electricity in the air. I turn inward, using this intense feeling of embarrassment like a shield to protect my overstimulated mind. I try to ignore the way everyone's looking at me.

Once we have passed the first group of brothers and get closer to the heart of the Atrium, I see the rows of chairs. They are equally occupied by dark cloaks and terrifying masks whose stares are on us.

I'm hot, sweat licking my forehead and nape, though my body trembles. God, this place is creepy, I hope this part will be over soon.

From this side of the glass, the Atrium looks glorious. I've never seen anything like it, the way the space is bathed in a golden glow, dim lights and torches creating flickering shadows everywhere around us. Silk rustles as Ma?l leads us further into the lion's den, straight to where a stage has been placed in the heart of the space. Somewhere in the background I hear the gentle sounds of a piano, its melody reassuring in the way it floats on the thick air that is filled with anticipation and something else. In the first row, right in front of the platform, I watch as two cloaked men, seated wide-legged as they're kissing each other, both getting their cocks sucked. Gold and Bronze Mask.

Holy shit.

I halt at the sight, nerves once more boiling slowly, yet persistently, threatening to take me under. Ma?l simply pulls on the leash and I scramble to catch up, nearly crashing to the floor by doing so.

We pass the rows of chairs, make our way around the two torches that mark the end of the seated area, and stop right in front of the scene. From here, I can see the piano in the far corner. Someone's playing it, a guy in a suit and a dark blindfold that covers his eyes. He's sitting on someone's lap, and even from the distance, I can see that he's being penetrated, riding the dick from a brother who hasn't made any effort to hide his platinum blond hair, though his face is obscured with a mask, and his body is wrapped in a similar black cloak.

I blink as realization hits me. That's Ga?l Deveraux.

It shouldn't surprise me, yet it feels like a slap in the face. And it puts things right back into perspective. Yes, these guys here are students. They might even be in my class. A thought I've had numerous times over the evening, but right now, seeing the proof sitting in front of me as he fucks his boyfriend Dominique, makes it obvious and terrifying at the same time.

But we're not in the same rank.

Ma?l takes that moment to flit his fingers on my cheek, slowly lifting my mask from my clammy face. The gesture makes me flinch. I panic and struggle against the collar in an futile attempt to get away, knowing that I'm not going anywhere. He crouches down and pinches my chin between two digits, forcing me to look at him.

"Sshh," he whispers, then leans in and brushes our lips faintly. "You'll be alright." Those words, a whispered promise. I let out a shuddering breath. His eyes search mine and he gives me a barely visible nod. I give him one in return.

"Good boy." Brushing his fingers on my chin, he sweeps over my sensitive skin as he gives me a small smile. Then he gets up, leaving me alone down here, exposed and feeling naked, for the others to see.

Me.

When I feel the slight pull of the leash, I nearly sigh in relief.

"Thurel Aubert," someone calls out, and my gaze flicks up to the scene in front of me. Three men are standing in a line, their black cloaks decorated by white fur stitched to their hoods. They're all wearing black masks. "You won tonight's contest." The one in the middle speaks, planting his wooden cane firmly on the ground in front of him. It's the guy from tonight, the one who introduced the games. He has changed that disturbing mask in the shape of a crow to a plain, dark one. It's still terrifying.

"I am Elder Jacques," he says. "The trainer of young Alpha Fraternarii members here, in Monterrey Castle. You'll see me during every special occasion." He takes a step forward, leaning heavily on the cane, and stares at me with that void, dark look from behind his mask. "Tell me, Thurel, how did you like the games?" Licking his lips, I can feel his burning stare scorching my skin. I can feel my ass clench at the memory of Ma?l claiming me, of our fucking back in the stables, of how I wanted it so badly.

It had been my first time.

It had been deranged.

It had been perfect.

My cock slowly fills despite it only having been an hour. I want it again.

"It has been intense," I croak.

Elder Jacques cracks a cold smile. "Intense? Elaborate."

"Uhm—" I lick my lips. "I didn't really know what to expect when I signed up for this. Like, everything was explained and all, but I didn't really think it would be real?" I inwardly flinch at the way my voice goes up at the end. At the way I am asking him and everyone around me if this is perhaps a joke after all.

Is it?

No one replies. But there is the slightest of tugs at the rope that keeps the collar connected to Ma?l. That keeps me and him together.

"Are you disappointed that it's all real?" Elder Jacques asks. The piano stops playing and I drag my gaze toward the instrument, only to see that Ga?l now has Dominique pinned to the back of the instrument as he kisses him passionately, his arms tightly wrapped around his boyfriend's neck. I blink, then flit my stare back at the Elder.

"No," I mumble, and it's true.

For too long, I've been a side character. Always watching, but never performing. Always looking at others, while keeping myself safely hidden in the shadows.

Average grades.

Average results.

Average looks.

Tonight that has become part of my past.

"Explain," Elder Jacques prompts.

Next to me, Ma?l accepts the wooden, folded chair that one of the brothers hands him. He sits down, tugging me closer and pulling me between his knees. Despite my body feeling sore from our earlier contact, my insides are stimulated with a feral need to be dominated by Ma?l. To feel those diamond studs searing in my flesh when he leads me closer to him, against him, and allows me to meld into him.

Laying a hand on my head, he flicks his long fingers through my hair before grabbing it tighter, forcing me to look up at the Elder. A sting flares my insides, a good sting, the kind that makes my eyes teary behind my mask. But it also collects this clutter of thoughts, undoes them from their disoriented state and puts them into clear-cut boxes.

I let my head fall back voluntarily in his grip, breathing out on a shudder as I let the gesture take the bite out of his firm grasp. Surrendering to whatever this is.

And suddenly I know…this is the real game. This game of power. This is what it's really all about.

"I was elated to receive the invitation for tonight's Initiations," I finally speak up. "There are talks of a secret frathouse at college, but I never expected them to be true. At least, true enough," I add quickly, when I see the Elder opening his mouth to contradict my words. "I never imagined that I could be considered for something like this."

"Something like…what?" The Elder asks, and coming from him, all low and gravelly, makes the words sound nearly comical.

Nearly.

"Like being chased by a bunch of masked guys?" I ask sheepishly.

"And being caught," someone adds, humor thick in their voice. When I dare to look over my shoulder, my gaze collides immediately with bronze mask. His full lips smirk at me.

The bola.

The cousin.

I shudder at the thought.

The piano picks up again, and when my gaze darts toward the corner, I see Dominique sitting in front of the instrument, alone this time, his dark suit glued to his agile limbs as they move in line with his fingers.

"You were chosen by one of our highly respectable brothers, Ma?l Duteil. When asked what instrument he wanted to use on you, he told us he wanted to collar you.

Serré.

"He wanted to chase you down in the woods and bring you back here. He wanted to make you his pet." Slowly raising his head to the audience with a wide smile, Elder Jacques adds, "Now, the details of their arrangement are none of our business…" Around us, some people snigger secretly, stirring my embarrassment even further. Elder Jacques glances our way. "But what is my business, is that Ma?l will be your mentor in the foreseeable future, Thurel. You were born a commoner, and as such, you need to be taught our ways."

What is this? The 18th fucking century? I balk at the words. My thoughts sputter, backpedaling to take cover by thinking of soothing thoughts, Mamie , our flat in Paris, my dorm. Part of me realizes that something has already changed irrevocably in me, and that whoever I was yesterday, is lost. Doesn't mean I have to listen to his bullshit, though.

Feeling my internal commotion, Ma?l reaches out and strokes his fingers through my hair. I swear I can hear his soothing "sshh" flutter through my core.

"We will introduce you to the mystiques of our brotherhood as you go along," Elder Jacques continues. "You will even see your brothers' true faces with time. You will learn how to honor them, just like they will honor you. We are the future, Thurel. The Alpha Fraternarii will guide you along the way through your life. We represent every single element of wealth our country has, whether it's in business or in politics. We manage large corporations and set up global charity organizations. We streamline healthcare and lead our nation to keeping its status as a powerful, first world state."

Around us, people leave their seats and join their brothers as they come closer to us. "Respect." They boom.

"Loyalty."

"Traditions."

Ma?l pulls on the leash and brings my face closer. Leaning in himself, his mouth reaches for mine in a soft kiss, and he smiles as he repeats the words, his chant matching the simultaneous string of words from everyone around us.

"Welcome home, mon frère ," one of them says, and they start circling us in slow, deliberate moves. Their chant continues, charging the air with an invisible fog, heavy and expectant. My ass clenches when Ma?l tilts me onto his lap, chests colliding when he lets me straddle him like a ragdoll. With legs dangling on either side of his thighs, I can feel his hard cock press against my stomach. His hood has fallen off his face, and his raven strands are messy and sexy and I need to touch them, need to touch every single centimeter of this man who has just claimed me as his pet.

It's filthy.

I fucking love it.

"I'm going to finger your hole now," he mumbles against my mouth, his fingers digging into the fabric of my school pants, before he roughly pulls the material over my thighs together with my underwear, leaving my ass naked for the entire world to see.

People gasp, the atmosphere heavily charged with wickedness. Someone approaches me from behind and foreign fingers tug at the remainders of my pants, rolling them down and removing my shoes in their wake. I flinch at the touch, but Ma?l just smiles, then slings an arm around my shoulders as he dips his chin toward mine.

"Our brothers want to see your beautiful, tight hole, ange ," he murmurs. I can't help the hiss that escapes my mouth at the sensation of wet, cool fingers rubbing over my crease. He chuckles raspily. "Don't worry, it's only me. They can look, but they can't touch."

My muscles clench when his digit slips inside, quickly followed by a second one. It creates a burning sting that turns into a blissful sensation when he starts working me open with long, agile strokes. When he nudges a digit against my prostate, I shudder on a wail, unable to keep myself quiet. When I catch a chortle from behind me, I realize that whoever removed my clothes, is still crouched behind me. It makes my body tingle with a sinful burn.

"You take my fingers so well, ange ," Ma?l mumbles, taking his time to pump me and loosen me up, relaxing my muscles in the process. When he finally, slowly removes his digits, he leaves me shivering and vulnerable, and so empty.

" Va-t'en ," he barks to whoever is still cowered behind me, throwing them a cool glare. Whoever it is leaves us on a whim, bringing a satisfied grin on Ma?l's handsome face. Repositioning me so that he can slide his dick under my balls and glide it between my ass cheeks, he murmurs, "Now, I'm going to put my cock inside you, sweet Thurel. Let's show our brothers that you belong to me. Ride me like my sweet pet, baby."

He doesn't wait for my answer. My thighs tremble when I feel the wet crown of his head nudge at my opened crack. "Are you ready?"

I nod against his pinched forehead, his piercing eyes watching my every movement as he guides himself inside me.

Somewhere someone strikes a gong, its sound precise, creating a dark timbre and a full, round sound. Around us, brothers start chanting, but I can't make out the words. I can only focus on Ma?l, on the way his large, plump cockhead slides into my slick tunnel, causing once more that delicious friction that eases the ache and tightness swiftly with something so much more.

"Traditions," I hear around me, the hypnotizing sounds of their gospel working into me like a drug, as it makes my head spin. Ma?l pulls me up and sheathes me entirely, filling me up and blanketing my quivering limbs with his warm body and heavy cloak, that he sprawls over my back, leaving my ass bare. Keeping our fucking visible for the whole world to see, just like the told me he would.

"Just your ass," he growls, his voice thick with hunger. "That's the only part I'll share of you. Your plump, gorgeous ass, claimed by my dick." Then he starts thrusting, desire slowly making my toes curl. Leaning forward, I grab hold of his shoulders and squeeze on a shudder. His reply is a growl, and a dig of his nails into my thighs as he starts pumping faster. "You're doing so well," he praises. "Keep on riding me, angel."

"Oh, fuck," I choke, as his thick arousal hits my p-spot with every steady roll of his hips, the sting of his nails in my flesh only causing a fire to grow more uncontrolled, crackling and and fuming as it licks in every corner of my body.

"That's right." Ma?l squeezes my cheeks even wider and I don't miss the way his blue eyes flash behind me, accompanied by a smug smile. Then his attention is back on me, and he nips at my bottom lip before sucking it in. "They love the sight of my pet," he grumbles against my lips. "They love to watch you." He smacks a kiss on my mouth. "Now, get me off." Another peck, followed by a flick of his tongue that has me shuddering with need. Ma?l digs in his nails a little deeper and I'm sure that he's breaching the tissue. My eyes sting with tears, but my mouth opens and I let out a desperate moan as my own hips buck against his. He smiles. "Oh, Thurel… you and I are only getting started. I want to know everything about you, angel." He moves his fingers to my sides and squeezes. Then, before I realize what's happening, he is standing up with me clutched against him like a damn koala, his dick still buried deeply inside my ass. His lips skitter over my cheek, leaving warm puffs of air as they glide to my ear. "I want to know what makes you happy, Thurel, because I'll give it to you. Every single thing you want."

My mind stutters at those words, clearly still scrambling to keep up, because next thing I know, he lies me onto something flat, that looks terrifyingly much like an altar of some sort, the cool material smooth and pleasant as it presses firmly against my back and ass. It's a strangely bracing sensation in combination with the soft material of Ma?l's cloak, the dark velvet swung graciously around my chest and stomach, covering me for the brothers who are once more approaching. The back of my head hits the surface with a thud, and I choke out a moan when Ma?l hits my prostate in a set of ruthless thrusts that make my cock throb desperately. Pre-cum is flowing from my slit, sticking against the sinister garment. And my eyes…they look up at the stars through the glass dome. There are so many of them. There's so much of everything. It's blinding my sight and sharpening my senses. It's making the entire background turn into a fog as my gaze tunes in on Ma?l, and Ma?l only. The way he claims me with endless punches of ecstasy. In my vision, there's only him and me. But then, I know that's an illusion. Because they're here. Brothers. Gathered around us, watching with hungry gazes. Their chanting is soothing as it is harrowing.

Music. The gong has somehow found a way to communicate with the piano, picking up their own, mutual rhythm that blends in perfectly with the vocal values, repeated everytime again and again.

" Traditions ." I blink at the sky when Ma?l yanks away his cloak from my groin, and we both hiss when his long fingers crawl around my sensitive cock.

" Loyalty ." The piano starts playing another melody, one that I recognize all too well from all the times Mamie and I would sit together and drink a glass of wine.

Moonlight Sonata. The nostalgia of the melody sweeps me away, makes me feel like I'm floating.

Ma?l swipes the pre-cum from my slit and over my shaft, slicking up my desperate forlorn dick as he starts working it with firm, rapid strokes that match the rhythm of his thrusts. My lips part and I let out a cry, the sensations making my balls draw up.

" Respect."

"I am going to come," I let out, squinting my eyes as if letting every single impression out of my mind is going to stop this derailing train of pleasure. Ma?l leans in, his raven hair falling forward and decorating his square features. His forehead is glistening with sweat and his cheeks are flushed. His lips are even fuller like this, with his face bent forward as he reaches for me. Our mouths meet, his wet and delectable. I am so pent-up, I need to come so badly. With sloppy thrusts, his hand flies over my cock, his own rigid length swelling inside me.

"Come for me, ange ," Ma?l grunts. Every single sound dims at the sight of his face, at those words falling from his lips, at the sensation that rattles through my curling toes, my bucking knees, my heavy balls.

And then I come. Pressure escapes through my opened mouth as I howl, cock spilling in Ma?l's hand at the same time as I feel him filling up my ass.

" Putain, ouiii ," he pants, his face contorted as if he is in agony, before he lets out a long, guttural sigh that takes away all the tension, and replaces it with satisfaction.

Some time later someone hands him a white cloth, and with his eyes still on me, he takes it and uses it to wipe off my cock and his hand. The chanting has stopped. When Ma?l gently cups the back of my head to lift me from the table, I catch them all staring at me.

"Welcome home, Thurel," Elder Jacques booms. "Our newest brother. This might all seem unsettling for you as it is, but I promise you, things will soon become clearer. You'll start appreciating the value of our brotherhood and what it means to your life." He gestures to Ma?l, who has now curled a possessive hand around my waist. The cloak has been placed around my shoulders, leaving me relatively well clothed considering the circumstances. My ass stings a little from the intrusion, but aside from that, I'm feeling fucking amazing. Tired, yes, but my mind is rested, body glowing with praise.

I did it. I won the Wicked Chase. Something swells inside my chest, and I can't help the beam to bloom on my face. Next to me, Ma?l squeezes my shoulders, a boyish grin on his face. Like this, he looks…like a normal guy. With glittering eyes. Who's only wearing a pair of dark boxer briefs and tank top. Who looks sexy like the devil.

Licking my dry lips, I simply nod.

"I'll let you two leave for tonight. Ma?l, you did well. You made your brothers proud. Thurel, we are looking forward to seeing you during our next gathering."

I'm not sure what that entails, but right now, I'm quite happy to just be gone from this, sacred service , or whatever it is.

"Are you coming, angel?"

Ma?l has already taken a few steps forward, and he now turns over his shoulder and stretches out his hand. Impatient as he is, he crooks his fingers when I take too long to answer. " Viens ."

I do, relieved that we can get out of here. My ass is leaking from his release and honestly, this time my muscles are aching from the intrusion. Hoping that I don't limp too much, I let him pull me tightly against his side, and like that, glued to each other, half naked, we leave the Atrium and the string of brothers. As we make our way out, a group of red cloaked women and men are lined up, patiently waiting to walk inside the large room.

"They are the real entertainment," Ma?l explains. Without sparing them another glance, he strides past them, and I try to ignore the lusty stares they throw at us in our wake toward the exit.

When we are outside and back in the cool night, I'm only half surprised to see a black Mercedes and a bald, middle-aged man in a tux nods politely at Ma?l.

"Let me take you back to the castle."

"Thank you Eugène." Ma?l grabs me by my neck, then carefully guides me to the opened door of the backseat. When I sit down a zap of pain shudders through my cold and tense ass, making me wince.

"I'll run you a bath when we get back," Ma?l murmurs, then throws a casual arm around my shoulder and pulls me close.

The ride back can't take more than fifteen minutes of staggering through the loose sand and winding roads of the forest, but it's enough to lull me into a state of drowsiness. I barely register that we finally get onto more solid ground as we head for the driveway up to the castle, but I do notice the moment the car stops. I notice it, but my eyes just won't flutter open. I'm too tired.

" Allez, mon petit, " he whispers, and when I can only let out a pathetic whine, he lets out a soft chuckle, then picks me up and cradles me in his arms. "Let's get you somewhere warm."