CHAPTER 21: PLEASURE WITHIN THE WOODS I

I watched him groan in pain as he got to his feet. He didn’t look surprised. He didn’t look angry either. The flicker in his expression was something else entirely—like he had expected better from me. Or maybe I was just imagining it.

Through the jagged hole in the shattered glass, his eyes met mine. Locked. Unflinching. Neither of us spoke.

I was still reeling, still so confused about how I had managed to tackle not just any Alpha—but Alpha Dawn, the strongest in the East.

His lips moved, and I strained my ears until I heard his voice, low and smooth, slipping into my mind like silk. Something that has never happened to me before.

"I know you can hear me from here. Did you like that side of you just now?"

I said nothing. My chest was a storm of confusion.

"You can make that side permanent. The only way is if we keep having sex."

My pulse stopped. Wasn’t that what Miss Naomi had said—that he was originally my mate before meeting the Luna, that my power awakened only when I was near him and once in a while? Did he know?

"I don’t want to. I want to be free from you." I bit back.

His eyes darkened. "You can’t be. If you leave my side, we—"

The rest of his words broke apart though his lips still moved, like a call cut off mid-sentence. Then my body gave out. My limbs turned useless, and I collapsed onto the floor beside Jasper, who was already unconscious.

I was weak. Too weak to even lift a finger.

Alpha Dawn stood there, watching me with an almost amused glint in his gaze. Then, with ease, he stepped through the shattered glass and closed the distance between us.

"How do you feel?"

"I—I can’t lift a muscle," I whispered, my bones as heavy as stone.

"I can help with that. Will you follow me home?"

I glanced at the darkening sky beyond the window. Shadows stretched long and heavy. Slowly, reluctantly, I nodded, my vision flickering.

He crouched low, his hand cupping my face with surprising tenderness. "You’re fading fast," he murmured.

I clung to his hand, heat sparking in my core from just that simple touch. I melted into his palm.

He drew me up, pressing me into his chest.

"Open your mouth," he whispered.

I obeyed, slowly parting my lips. He leaned close, breathing into my mouth, warm and intoxicating.

"Let it slip in," he coaxed.

I nodded, my body no longer mine to command. My arms wrapped around him on their own, pulling him closer. My lips brushed his, pressing into him, desperate. He didn’t return the kiss—he broke it instead.

I cupped his cheek. "Are you mad at me? I’m sorry."

"No," he said softly. "I’m not. Let’s get you home."

My gaze drifted to Jasper and Gideon’s unconscious bodies, my strength seeping back in slowly.

His eyes followed mine. "My men will take care of them. They’ll be delivered safely by morning."

And just like that, he swept me into his arms, carrying me bridal style out of the cabin.

The deeper into the woods we went, the darker the world became. The sun had vanished, leaving only shadows.

"Where are we going?" I asked weakly, though I was too tired to fight him.

"Shh. Rest into me. We’ll be there soon."

I did as he said, leaning into the steady rise and fall of his chest. Sleep pulled at me, heavy and irresistible, until the sound of a keypad beeping jolted me awake. A door opened.

We entered another cabin—larger, warmer, his. The air inside wrapped around me, cold from the air conditioner yet softened by the fire crackling in the fireplace.

He carried me upstairs, down a hall, and into a bedroom. Gently, he laid me on the bed and pulled a duvet over me.

As he rose to leave, I caught his hand.

"Please... don’t go."

"Why?" His voice was gentle, almost curious.

"I want you to cuddle me. I want your warmth. Please."

For a moment, he studied me. Then, with a decision made, he unbuttoned his shirt and tore it off, sliding under the duvet beside me.

I smiled softly, opening the blanket to welcome him in. Hours ago, I had rejected him—and now I couldn’t imagine pushing him away.

He settled behind me, pulling me into his chest.

"You smell good," I whispered.

His hand slid up my waist. "Thank you, baby."

"The sex with you that night was heaven," I admitted.

He chuckled low. "Your actions lately say otherwise."

I pressed back against him, feeling the hard line of his arousal against me.

He groaned. "Don’t start something you can’t finish."

"What do you mean? Your hand was on my breast first," I teased.

I ground my backside into his hardness, my lips parting in a silent moan.

"Stop," he steadied me with a hand at my waist. "I didn’t bring you here to fuck you."

"Who says I want to?" I teased again, pushing back harder.

Pleasure pooled between my thighs as I whispered, "I love how this feels."

His breath grazed my ear. "Do you want to feel even better?"

I nodded quickly.

His hand slid beneath my gown, riding it up. I heard the zip of his pants, but he left his briefs on. Then he pressed me—panties against briefs, ass against hardness—rocking me slow and deliberate.

My eyes fluttered shut, every nerve unraveling.

"This," he breathed, "is called a dry hump."

I didn’t care what it was called. All I felt was his body grinding into mine, driving me insane.

"Fuck," I gasped into the sheets.

I caught his thigh, halting him. "Wait... wait. Do it in the front."

He turned me beneath him, settling between my thighs. His fingers brushed over my panties.

"You’re wet."

"I can’t help it. You make me crazy," I breathed.

He rocked into me again, faster this time, his hardness sliding against my soaked panties. My moans spilled out, soft but uncontrollable.

He hooked my legs over his waist, thrusting harder until the bed creaked beneath us.

"When does it get real?" I asked breathlessly.

"What?"

"When are you going to fuck me for real?"

He froze. Just like that, he stopped. Then he pulled away, climbing off the bed.

Confusion rushed through me as I watched him zip up his pants.

"What are you doing?"