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CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

One month later

“I didn’t realize Madisyn had such a great voice,” said Evander, rubbing a cube of chalk over the tip of his pool cue. “She and Mila sound good together.”

Glancing at the females singing on the karaoke, Bree nodded. “Totally agree with you on that.” So did the people on the dance floor, if the cheering was anything to go by.

Holding Bree against him, his front to her back, Alex let out a sullen grunt.

Having potted one of the balls, Greg straightened. “Not enjoying your party, Alex?”

“I’m liking the amount of food,” replied Alex. “Does that count?”

Greg’s mouth canted up. “It counts.”

Bree snickered. Alex, the greedy shit, had demolished a whole casserole to himself. He’d also scoffed on chicken wings, potato salad, lasagna, and God knew what else.

It probably should have felt a little weird for her to have the afterparty of their mating ceremony at The Tavern, considering a fox had once tried to kidnap her from the alley outside, but it was tradition for their pride mates to hold celebratory events there—she wasn’t going to let Dani, Bernadette, or anyone else taint that.

Just the same, she hadn’t delayed moving back into her house. Paxton and the other threats were gone now. Alex had sanded off all the markings that Paxton left near her home. Her mate hadn’t grumbled about leaving his apartment, so all was good.

Alex’s mouth grazed her ear. “Let’s just leave.”

Sighing, she turned in his arms. “I know you don’t like parties much, but this is to celebrate our mating.”

“We can do that at home. Alone. Naked. I’ve been hard since before we even left the house,” he added with a soft growl that brushed over her skin like fur. “I want in you.”

God, she was far too susceptible to him and that liquid-sex voice. “Could you try to not think of sex for just a little while?”

“You can’t wear Fuck-Me heels and think I won’t spend the night imagining how hot you’ll look when I take you while you’re wearing them and nothing else.” His dark eyes glittered with need. “After I’ve finished with you, you’ll barely be able to move.”

Her body lit right up. “Just give it another few hours and then we’ll leave.”

“Two hours.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine. Two.”

She’d figured her antisocial mate wouldn’t last long. The place was packed with people—some were ruling the dance floor while others either claimed tables, gathered at the bar, or amused themselves in the arcade area. A few had passed out, drunk off their asses.

Kids were running around, mostly causing shit and stealing unattended drinks—something they’d been berated for several times already. That didn’t stop them, though.

It was loud as hell. The DJ alternated between playing music and inviting guests to use the karaoke—the songs fairly blasted out of the speakers. Bottles thumped on tables. Chair legs scraped the floor. People laughed and sang and whooped.

Bottles, glasses, and paper plates seemed to be perched on every available surface. There was a buffet table a few feet away, which the wolverines had all but descended on. She was surprised there was any food left.

It was a kind of chaos, though. In her opinion, anyway. In Alex’s? Not so much. He couldn’t handle this kind of scene for long without wanting to snap someone’s neck.

Really, her cat was getting a little annoyed by the multitude of scents—beer, hard liquor, hair products, grilled meat, salted foods. The list went on and on. But the feline was otherwise enjoying herself.

Hearing an ear-splitting mix of hissing and growling, Bree looked to see Emilia and Dillon brawling on the dance floor. Worse, a bunch of kids circled them, chanting, “Fight!”

Dominic walked over, separated the twins, and ordered all the children to “go have fun.” They all just stared at him with expressions that said, “we were, and you ruined it.”

Bree snorted. She was about to tell Alex about the little spectacle when she noticed Elle approaching.

“Hey, guys,” the redhead greeted. “You planning to release Bree at any point, Alex?”

“No,” he said.

“You both need to work the room and say thanks to everyone for coming,” Elle reminded him.

“But I’m not thankful—I didn’t want a party.”

Bree threw him a frown over her shoulder. “Dude, that’s just mean and ungrateful.”

“I don’t care.”

“Then how about you stay here; I’ll go work the room with Bree,” Elle proposed.

“How about ‘no?’”

The redhead perched her hands on her hips. “Don’t be awkward, Alex.”

“Go irritate someone else, Elle.”

As the two cousins fell into an argument, Bree exchanged an eye-roll with Greg. He hadn’t been his usual self around them since the whole hyena-kidnapping incident, blaming himself for the fact that she’d been taken. No matter how much Bree told him he wasn’t to blame, the male couldn’t seem to shake off the guilt.

Elle let out an exasperated sound. “Come on, Alex. Don’t be a brat.”

At that moment, Damian sidled over, frowning at his sister. “Everything okay here?” he asked her. “Because you have that look on your face you usually get just before you do something that could land you in jail.”

Elle sneered at him. “Listen, oh child of Satan, I don’t need your negativity right now. Take your dark power and evil spells elsewhere.”

Damian’s lips flattened. “You need to get a handle on your neurosis, Elle.”

She lifted her chin. “Deny your true origins if you must, but we both know you’re here to bring the end of days, and I’m not gonna pretend differently.”

“Oh my God, pull your crazy head out of your fat ass.”

She jerked back, gaping. “My ass is not fat.”

“That must be why it shakes like jelly every time you move. And you know that? You’re getting jowls, too.”

“Well there’s something prematurely aging about living with the Antichrist.”

He threw up his arms. “You’re beyond help. You are. Bree, break free from the insane bitch while you can.”

Elle narrowed her eyes. “Now you’re just trying to isolate me so no one will miss me after you’ve sacrificed me on the Altar of Beelzebub.”

Damian stared her, at a loss. Then he shook his head. “And I’m done. Just. Done.” With that, he walked off.

Huffing, Elle turned back to Bree. “So, we gonna go work the room or what?”

Tempted to throttle his cousin, Alex exhaled a long, suffering sigh. “I’ll go with Bree.” Because the only thing getting him through this thing was having his mate close by—he wasn’t about to part from her.

And so he and Bree circled the Tavern, talking with different groups of people. He always walked in front of her, stopping her from being jostled and saving her feet from being stomped on. There were a lot of high-heeled shoes in the place.

They eventually approached his family, who’d formed a huddle near the bar. After they’d all exchanged greetings, Mila smiled at him and said, “I can see you’re more than ready to leave.”

“I was ready to leave a minute after I walked in,” Alex grumbled.

Mila went to say something else, but then she caught sight of something that made her brows lift. “I’m surprised Dani’s parents came—they must feel pretty awkward, considering their daughter betrayed Bree purely to keep a position of power. I can understand their pain. I mean, our own aunt was part of that shit. It hurts, you know.”

Alex did know. Bernadette had targeted his mate. He couldn’t help thinking he should have seen and stopped it before it went any further. Bree, however, felt that was completely stupid and accused him of liking to shoulder blame. And that was just not true at all.

His father and Vinnie were still struggling to forgive their sister’s betrayal. No one felt that Alex’s family should have suspected Bernadette was involved, just as no one blamed Dani’s parents for their daughter’s part in it all. Everyone had rallied around them.

They probably would have also rallied around Moira if she wasn’t in the wind. She’d sent Vinnie a text, telling him she wouldn’t be returning to the pride and that she just couldn’t face everyone after what her mother did. Considering Moira hadn’t told anyone that Bernadette confessed to working with Dani, no one was at all heartbroken.

Neither Mateo nor Drina were answering anyone’s calls, so no one had a clue if they meant to return. Since Vinnie would likely banish them both, they had no real reason to do so. It was easier for all concerned that they hadn’t come back.

“It makes sense that Dani and Bernadette joined forces,” said Valentina. “Weak people are drawn to each other. Like magnets. You know I despise weakness.”

“And yet,” began James, “you welcomed the man slave and Skeletor to the party.”

Valentina’s eyes flared. “James Devereaux, you will cease calling my mother Skeletor.”

“I’ll stop calling her Skeletor when she stops calling me Andras.”

“It is just pet name. Is it her fault you look like an Andras?”

“Don’t think I don’t know she’s referring to the Grand Marquis of Hell.”

Clearly struggling not to laugh, Bree turned to Vinnie, Tate, and Luke. “You all enjoying yourselves?”

“There’s beer and food—what’s not to like?” asked Luke.

Vinnie glanced at her stomach. “When are you going to add a few kids to the pride?”

“Our boys will come when they’re ready,” Alex cut in, curling his arm tight around her waist. “Hopefully a decade or so apart.” He didn’t want to spend his life dealing with an Elle and Damian scenario.

“It would be for the best,” said Luke. “I think Tate and I would have gotten along much better if we hadn’t been so close in age.”

Tate grimaced at his brother. “You do? Really?”

Luke’s lips tightened. “You’re saying you don’t?”

“I can’t imagine getting along with someone who once took a shit in my closet.”

“It wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t tried to shove my face down the toilet.”

Tate shrugged. “It seemed the easiest way to drown you.”

Vinnie cleared his throat. “So, Bree, how does it feel to be the primary omega?”

“I haven’t had the position long enough to really get used to it,” replied Bree. “But I’m doing my best.”

“Which is all anyone can ask of you,” said Alex. The omega others had accepted her ascension a lot better than she’d expected. Alex wondered if it was partly that they felt shitty for having sided with Dani, who’d turned out to be an absolute crank.

“Oh, here we go,” James grumbled.

Tracking his gaze, Alex saw that his maternal grandparents walked through the front door. Bree hadn’t officially met them yet, since they’d only just arrived in the US.

His grandmother smiled at Alex. “Ah, my Aleksandr. You look so handsome.” She gave Bree a gracious smile. “You must be Breasha. I am Olga. This is my mate, Petya.”

Bree frowned. “Is … is he okay? I mean, he’s drooling and staring into space.”

Olga’s nose wrinkled. “Oh, it is … what is term? Drug abuse.”

“You mean you abuse him by drugging him all the time,” James accused.

Olga lifted one shoulder. “Is that not same?”

“Not even close.” James leaned into Alex and whispered, “Dysfunctional, thy name is Olga. Oh, speaking of dysfunctional …”

Joining their group, Isaak grinned at Bree. “Ah, Breasha. You look beautiful.” He looked at Alex. “You made good choice. She is full package—beauty, strength, boldness. All female wolverines are.”

James sighed. “Bree is a pallas cat.”

Isaak scowled at him. “She has soul of wolverine, like our Milena. You are just jealous that you are waste of skin, bone, and fur.”

“I can honestly say I’ve never wished I was anything at all like you,” said James.

“Because psychopaths like what they are. Manson was perfect example.”

“You’re comparing me to Charles Manson?”

“He was manipulative. Persuasive. Tricked women with ease. The correlations are there. When our sister finally finds strength to break free of you, she will return to Russia, and we will point at you and laugh. Then we will eat you. What you say to that?”

“What else can I say except, ‘Grow the fuck up?’”

Isaak moved toward James and, quite typically, Valentina turned on her brother, reprimanding him in Russian.

Absolutely done with this shit, it took effort to stand and talk with his grandparents when what we wanted to do was leave. Once the couple headed to the karaoke to check out the list of songs, he spoke into Bree’s ear. “Can we go now?”

She patted his chest. “We just have to thank a few more people.”

So that was what they did. They were just done talking with a group of their pride mates when a familiar redhead waved them over. The second Bree and Alex approached, Shaya hugged her tight.

“Congrats on your mating,” said the she-wolf.

“And thank you for inviting us,” added Taryn, Mila’s Alpha female.

Studying both Bree and Alex, Shaya smiled somewhat dreamily. “You both suit so well. Even though he’s scowling. You okay, Alex?”

He replied with a half-assed grunt.

Bree tossed him a frown. “Don’t be rude.”

Shaya chuckled. “It’s fine, we’re used to it. And, to be fair, Nick’s no more social than Alex is. Are you, big guy?”

But the Alpha wasn’t listening to his mate; he was too busy glaring at Kye, who’d just approached with a few other teens—including Willow and Savannah, who was Riley and Tao’s adopted daughter.

Kye inclined his head at Nick but didn’t lower his eyes or look away. He wasn’t holding Nick’s gaze in a cocky, taunting way. It was more like a “yes, yes, you’re a big, bad Alpha, but I’m also an alpha and I know my own strength” message.

“Dad,” drawled Willow, “stop glaring at Kye.”

Nick frowned at her. “He started it.”

Willow groaned. “God, you can be such a child.”

Alex squeezed Bree’s hip and spoke into her ear. “Seriously, can we leave now?”

“There are still people we haven’t yet thanked for coming,” she replied.

He gave her a droll look. “They know you’re grateful. And unless you want to listen to my grandmother and uncles destroy the karaoke with their version of Kalinka, we should just go.” He gestured to the stage, where the four wolverines were talking with the DJ.

Bree sighed. “Fine.”

Alex started dragging her across the large space. Someone tried to flag them down, calling out his name, but Alex ignored them.

Outside, Bree forced herself not to laugh when her mate sucked in a lungful of fresh air like he’d been trapped in a bunker for years. She was sure she heard him mutter something like, “thank fuck for that.” Then they were walking.

Minutes later, they stepped into her house. No, their house. A house that no longer had to be guarded twenty-four/seven, which she just freaking loved.

A hand snatched her wrist from behind and spun her to face him.

His eyes smoldering and his nostrils flaring, Alex let out a soft growl. “Keep on the shoes. I want everything else off.”

Well. Thinking it would be fun to tease him, she began, “Look, we only just walked through the door, maybe we could wait until—”

“You heard what I said, Bree. I know I’m talking English. Do what I told you to do.”

Damn if that calm, low-pitched, authoritative voice didn’t totally do it for her—something she’d deny if asked. Her blood heating, Bree quickly complied. His eyes followed the path of her hands, drinking in every bit of skin she revealed. “Your turn,” she said, naked.

Shaking his head, he ate up her personal space. “Not yet.” He took her roughly by her hair and snaked his hand around her throat; right on cue, her nipples tightened and her pussy spasmed. “Keep your arms at your sides, Bree. I don’t want you to touch me yet. Got it?”

“Got it.”

He caught her earlobe with his teeth and softly suckled on it. “Do you have any idea how hot it is to know I own this body?” The feel of his warm breath on her ear lifted the hairs on her nape. “You kept it from me.”

“Only for a few hours.”

“Doesn’t matter. I like to have it whenever I want it. Don’t keep it from me again.” He lowered his mouth to hers. And then he ravished it. It was a kiss that promised all sorts of filthy things, and her body roared to life with a need so intense it left her shaken.

He bit her lip. Sucked on her tongue. Then he dove right into the kiss again—going from soft to hard, slow to fast, keeping her off-balance. The fingers he’d knotted in her hair dug into her scalp. The small shot of pleasure/plain went straight to her clit.

The atmosphere was thick with the anticipation that pounded through her. Her nerves were ragged. Her hormones were caught up in a frenzy.

Freeing her mouth, he hummed. “Love feeling your pulse racing beneath my thumb. Love breathing in the scent of your need. I swear I can almost taste it.”

She lifted a brow. “Why settle for ‘almost?’ Why not have a real taste?”

“Oh, I will. Soon.”

“I don’t like ‘soon.’ I prefer ‘now.’”

“I know,” he said, releasing her hair. “Wish I could say I care.”

“Bastard.”

“Remember to keep your arms at your sides.” Alex slipped his finger between her folds and groaned at the hot slickness that greeted him. His dick, full and heavy, jerked hard against his fly. “So deliciously wet. Can’t wait to get my cock in you.” He grazed her lower lip with his teeth. “No woman has ever made me come as hard as you do.”

“Don’t really want to talk about other women.”

“None of them meant anything to me. You? You’re something I need. Something vital. Irreplaceable.” He flexed his hand around her throat and cupped her hard with the other. “I’m going to do whatever I want with this pussy. And you’re going to let me.”

She licked her lips. “Why would I do that?”

“Because you want to. Because you’ll enjoy it. Because I’ll make you come hard over and over.” Alex dipped his fingers inside her—a slow, shallow thrust that made her hips buck. He groaned as her inner muscles fluttered around his fingers. His cock throbbed, aching to be in her. “First, though, I want to watch you come right here.”

Bree moaned as those clever fingers got to work. They stroked, teased, and lightly probed her pussy over and over, wickedly building the tension inside her. All the while, his eyes held hers and his other hand kept a tight grip on her throat.

Just when she came close to cursing his ass for teasing her, he began thrusting his fingers hard and deep. Curving the digits, he rubbed at her sweet spot with every thrust. Oh God, she was so close.

The whole thing pushed her buttons—his eyes locked on hers, his hand wrapped around her throat, his fingers in her pussy … She wound tighter and tighter, feeling like she’d implode any moment.

“Time to come for me.” He thumbed her clit hard, and that was all it took.

Her knees buckling, she came with a loud cry, her pussy clenching his fingers, her nails digging into her palms. And then she sagged in his hold, panting.

Alex withdrew his fingers, hoisted her up, and carried her into the kitchen. He propped her on the island. “Lay back. Good girl.” He gave her thigh a light slap. “Spread them wider for me. Yeah, that’s what I want.”

Struggling to catch her breath, Bree watched as he looked his fill, dragging his gaze over her. His dark eyes flared with masculine satisfaction and a heady sense of ownership.

“Look how tight those nipples are.” He palmed her breasts, his touch rough and possessive. “The perfect handful. And so damn soft.” He latched onto her nipple and suckled.

Bree arched into him, fisting his hair. He drew more of her breast into his mouth; expertly teased it with his tongue and teeth before switching to the other nipple. Only when both buds were throbbing with pleasure/pain did he begin to kiss his way down her stomach.

He removed her hands from his hair and planted them flat on the island. “Keep them there.” Straightening, he lifted her hips and clamped his mouth on her pussy.

She sucked in a breath. That blessed tongue swiped, licked, lashed, and stabbed, making her burn for more. He always did this to her. Always reduced her to this hot, needy creature that could think of only one thing—having him inside her.

No one else had ever evoked such a powerful response from her body. No one else had driven her to such a fever pitch of need that she’d thought she might cry. Her orgasm crept up on her, making her—

“No,” said Alex, gently dropping her hips back to the island. He yanked on her hands to make her sit up. “You’re not coming again until I’m deep in that pussy.” He needed to be in her so fucking bad he almost shook with it.

He snapped open the buttons of his fly and shoved down his jeans. His cock sprang out, full and hard and pulsing. He pulled her flush against him. “Wrap me up, baby girl.” The moment she’d locked her arms and legs around him, he lined the head of his dick to the entrance of her pussy and then gripped her thighs tight. “You want me to fuck you now?”

She bit him. Right on the crook of his neck.

With a guttural growl, he rammed his cock deep. Her head fell back, and her blazing hot pussy squeezed him so tight he was surprised he didn’t see stars. And his control very simply snapped.

Alex powered into her, owning what would always be his—owning what wasalways meant to be his. Every raspy moan spurred him on. Every hitch in her breath went straight to his cock. The way she clung to him so tight—pricking his nape and back with her nails, digging her heels into the base of his spine—fired his need to come deep inside her.

Pounding hard and fast, he whispered into her ear—telling her how much he loved that she belonged to him, how perfectly she fit him, how he wanted to hear her scream.

“Alex, I’m close.”

He knew that. He could feel her pussy getting tighter and hotter. “You want me to make you come? You want me to shoot my load inside you?”

“Yes and yes.”

“You love me?”

She swallowed. “Only ever you.”

Those words were like a trigger, and his own orgasm tumbled toward him. “Then come.” He sank his teeth into her neck and pinched her nipple. Like that, she exploded—her head thrown back, her pussy rippling, a scream tearing out of her throat.

Pleasure burst through him in violent waves. His eyes went blind, his thrusts faltered, and then he slammed deep as jet after jet of come burst out of his cock and filled her.

Panting and shaking with little aftershocks, he pressed a kiss to her temple. Her body, all warm and limp and sated, was like melted wax against him. “You awake?”

“I think so,” she slurred.

Not wanting to lose her pussy just yet, he didn’t pull out of her. Instead, he sat on the stool with her straddling him. That was when his stomach chose to rumble.

She sighed. “Considering how much you ate at the party, I don’t see how you could possibly be hungry right now.”

“Fucking you gave me an appetite.”

She let out a soft snort. “Sure.” Sitting up, she did a languid stretch. “Well, that was a hell of a fun way to top off the evening.”

“We’re nowhere near done celebrating yet. I just need some sustenance. I’ll pull out the cookie dough ice-cream and we’ll veg out for a while on the sofa. Then I’ll fuck you again.”

She frowned. “We have cookie dough ice-cream?”

He shrugged. “It was in the freezer.”

“Not when I was looking through it earlier. When did you buy it?”

“I didn’t. It was already there.”

Well, she had no recollection of buying it. She was convinced the wolverine had some sort of black magic going on. “You know what? I’m just gonna let it go.”

“All right.” He trailed his fingertips down her arm and muttered something soft in Russian that made her nipples tighten all over again.

She smiled. “What did that mean?”

“That you have the softest skin.”

“Hmm, I like it when you talk Russian. Even though you mostly just curse in that language.”

Putting his mouth to her ear, he whispered something else in Russian. It gave her the chills in the best way.

“What did that mean?” she asked.

“You’re the person I want to spend the rest of my life trapping under the covers while I fart.”

Bree stared at him. “If that’s not love, I don’t know what is.” She looped her arms around his neck. “Well, if we ever stranded in an ocean and a shark came along, I’d totally distract it so you could get away. But if it’s a dolphin, you’re on your own—those suckers are just twisted.”

“With heartfelt declarations like that, how could I ever doubt that you love me?”

“I know, right?” She tilted her head. “Do you think you could ever love me more than you do beef jerky?”

He sighed. “And we’re back to asking stupid questions.”

“I just want to know.”

“Look, me and jerky … we go way back; we have the kind of history that means there’s no way of me breaking free of it. But you’re everything to me. You fit into my life like you were always meant to be in it. I love every part of you, and I know that will never change. I know deep down to my bones that nothing could ever mean more to me than you do.”

“Not even jerky?”

“Not even that.” He pursed his lips. “But if you ever want to welcome it into our bed, I ain’t gonna say no. It could be fun.”

“I think I’d get jealous by the amount of attention you’d pay it. You could easily forget I was there.”

“Not easily, but yeah I could forget—” He frowned. “Hey, don’t hiss at me. That’s just rude.”

“I don’t care.”

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