Word Count: 2440

~Hunter

I pace in front of the door, my dress swishing around my legs.

Kaan sits on the edge of his bed, forearms braced on his thighs as he watches me.

He looks rough in a devastatingly handsome way. His tie is loose around his neck, his suit jacket discarded, the top few buttons of his shirt undone. Dark shadows linger under his eyes, showing how exhausted he is.

I'd feel bad for him if I weren't panicking right now. He was pulled in every direction tonight, and now it's well past midnight and we are trapped in his room.

"You okay?"

I chew on my fingernail. "Yes."

No.

Vinn's cold stare is still ingrained in my mind. I had hoped I would never see him again, and now he's back, threatening to drag me back. If he gets his way, I'll never get a chance to escape again.

I can't tell Kaan, it would only complicate things. I'm going to have to scramble together a suitable plan and face Vinn down myself.

"You look quite stiff." Kaan pulls his tie off, tossing it onto the bed behind him.

I halt my pacing, grateful that there is another pressing issue that Kaan assumes is plaguing me. It's why I'm in his room tonight instead of my own, why there are probably people lingering outside the door.

"Sorry. I'm just nervous," I force out, sweeping my hand through my hair, not caring as pins fall out everywhere around me.

"Everyone will be off our backs tomorrow, don't worry. You can return to your bed then." He assures me, his eyes drifting down my body, making note of the ridiculous dress I've been stuffed into.

I narrow my eyes slightly. "So we don't have to..."

"No, of course not." He's on his feet in an instant, taking my face into his hands. "We won't do anything you're uncomfortable with."

I release a breath I've been holding. At least that's one problem dealt with.

"I would like a massage, please."

"Of course." He smiles, relieved we are going to do something other than sit around awkwardly. "Lie down."

I do as he says, lying flat on the bed. He comes up behind me, straddling the back of my legs before slowly unzipping my dress.

I sigh in relief at the pressure that removes itself from my torso. Time almost stands still as Kaan lays his palms flat on my back, letting me get used to the sensation.

My back has been in pain all day, and this is the perfect distraction from the thoughts running rampant through my mind. I'm grateful that I'm here with Kaan and not Vinn.

His fingers start to dig into the muscle of my back and I groan at the sensation. His hands are strong but his touch is gentle, nearly having me melt into his duvet.

"How have you been feeling recently? With your back, I mean," he asks softly.

"Not that much better. I get out of breath walking up the stairs still. It's going to take a while until I'm back," I say, my voice slightly muffled.

I'm trying to remain positive about my prospects of healing, but it doesn't look good for me. If I haven't healed by now, something serious is going on. This might be an injury I live with my entire life.

"I can't imagine how frustrating that is." Kaan's palm presses into an especially tense muscle, forcing a gasp from my lungs. "I was thinking I could take you out of the Kingdom to a physician I have heard is the best in the land."

"Really?"

"It may help."

I smile into his pillow. The healers here have run out of options for me, and I've been hoping I could see someone else more experienced.

"So suddenly you're not scared of me running away?" I ask lightly.

He brushes the hair off my neck. "If you want to leave, I won't stop you."

"I can't promise I'll fulfil the role of Princess very well, but I'm not going to leave."

I have much bigger issues going on right now. I hate the position I've been forced into, but now it seems like I'm safer here with Kaan than being hunted down by Vinn. Here, I'm safe, and Kaan has no interest in sending me back to my previous fiancé.

"Thank you Hunter. You're not going to regret this decision," he murmurs.

Rolling over, I smile up at him.

"I also don't know what's going to happen between us. As mates, and as husband and wife," I add. I care about him deeply already, which kind of scares me, and I'm worried that a life with him would be too easy to fall into.

"I go at your pace. That's it," he breathes, brushing my hair away from my face gently.

I gaze up at him, something in my stomach twisting.

It's moments like these when I'm reminded of how beautiful he is. His eyes are so vividly green, tracing the lines of my face like I'm a work of art to be admired.

Against my better judgement I raise up and kiss him.

He seems a little stunned at first before he starts kissing me back, pressing me into his bed.

My fingers delve into his hair, winding through the silken strands. His tongue sweeps into my mouth, claiming me, stealing away the pain in my back along with any thoughts about Vinn.

His hands find my waist, pulling me flush against him as he settles between my legs.

I can't get enough of him. I can't seem to kiss him fervently enough, can't seem to touch enough of his skin. I draw my hands down the back of his neck and then down his front where I desperately start unbuttoning his shirt.

His hand sweeps down to the back of my thigh, pulling my leg over his hip so he can press himself closer against me. I gasp into his mouth, feeling the outline of his arousal.

This feels so good. Too good.

As his mouth steals away any semblance of control I have left, his hips press into me again. And again. Pleasure curls into the pit of my stomach, and with it, the cold reminder of the secret I still carry with me.

Before the pleasure can get too much to bear, I push Kaan off me, stumbling off the bed.

"I've never had an orgasm before!" I blurt out, backing away a few steps.

He sits up, dark hair ruffled and messy from the fingers I ran through it. His eyes, once wide, slowly darken.

"You what?" He breathes.

"It's so embarrassing, I know...But-"

He holds his hand up, shaking his head in disbelief.

I don't know what has overcome me. The stress from Vinn, the pressure I have to resist him has culminated into a very dangerous truth serum.

"How is that possible?" He sounds a little breathless.

"I mean I have myself. But never at the hand of anyone else, and I didn't think it would freak me out so much...being vulnerable, you know," I stammer, slapping my hand against my forehead awkwardly.

Something is seriously wrong with me. Kaan is so wonderfully skilled in bed, from the little I've experienced so far, and it's not what I expected.

This would be so much easier if he weren't so fucking perfect.

He tilts his head to the side. "Have you..."

"I've had sex before, yes," I snap, wishing my cheeks weren't burning right now. His has to be the most mortifying moment I have ever experienced in my life.

"But you've never-"

"No, stop making fun of me!" I growl, trying to keep my dress from falling off my shoulders. This fabric is shockingly heavy.

He stands, ruffling a hand through his hair. I keep my eyes on his, because if they dare dip lower, they will get far too much enjoyment from seeing his naked abdomen.

"Hey, I'm not making fun of you," he soothes, although his smile is wicked. "What kind of partners have you been with that can't make your orgasm?"

"None I want to think about right now. All I know is that all we have done is kiss and it feels better than anything I've felt before," I admit sheepishly.

I don't think the mate bond is all there is to thank, either. Kaan is obviously good at what he does.

His stare is raw, aching as it devours me.

"Why don't you come lie down on this bed and I'll show you what you're supposed to feel with a partner." He steps aside, so his bed is in view.

My throat dries. If I lay on that bed, I know exactly what is going to happen...and I'm not exactly opposed.

"You're awfully sure of yourself." I try to sound confident, but I sound a little breathless.

He brushes his knuckles along my cheek, the touch whisper-light. "You have no idea what I'm capable of doing to you."

Anticipation pools at my stomach as I mindlessly walk toward the bed. Before I have a chance to lie down, he grabs my arm, turning me to him.

"Let's get this off you," he murmurs, sliding the straps of the dress off my shoulders, letting it pool at my feet.

I draw in a breath, standing almost naked before him.

His brows pinch together slightly and he looks almost pained as he looks over my body. He twists his fingers into my panties and draws them down my legs until they fall in a lacy pile at my feet.

My body trembles slightly as I stand wholly naked before him.

He places his hands on my shoulders and pushes me back gently. I fall onto the bed, my hair splaying around me, my arms immediately crossing over my chest.

"It's okay," he assures me, pulling my arms back before he leans down to kiss beside my right nipple before he travels downward, lowering himself to his knees.

"I'm nervous," I admit as he spread my legs wider, tugging me a little closer to him.

He holds my gaze, a solid figure in a world that feels turned upside down.

I want this with him. Just seeing him like this brings me back to the night he stumbled drunkenly home with me, and he fell to his knees before me. Now, I'm finally going to know what it feels like to have him touch me.

"Don't be nervous. It will feel good." He kisses my inner thigh, his hair brushing against my skin.

His lips are soft but insistent as he kisses his way up to my centre, his fingers gripping my thighs, keeping them spread apart.

Just his mouth hovers over me, words start to bubble up in my throat.

"The man I was engaged to marry showed up at our wedding today."

I slap my hands over my mouth. I did not just say that right now.

Nerves. My nerves got to me and I blurted it out.

He pauses before leaning up so he can look down at me. Horror, anger and confusion fight for dominance in his eyes.

"Vinn?"

I plant my hands on either side of my face, mortified. "Yeah. Him."

"Did he talk to you?" The confusion is gone. All that is left is quiet, glittering rage.

"He threatened me. He says I need to return to my old Kingdom or he will expose me. He wants to meet me in a couple days in the town." Shut up, Hunter.

I was just about to feel pleasure like I've never felt in my life, and now Kaan is seeming like he's contemplating murder.

"That's not happening," he growls.

"It has to. I can't risk being exposed." I sit up, banding my arms around my chest again. This is not a conversation I want to be happening at all, let alone completely naked.

"The moment you leave this property anything could happen to you," Kaan reminds me coldly, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I'll tell him no. I'll be firm," I assure him.

Kaan's jaw tightens. "He won't listen. You have nothing to bargain with."

"I'll be fine, Kaan-"

"No. I'm going to meet him instead," he decides.

I close my eyes, drawing in a breath. Vinn is one of the most possessive and competitive men I know, and if he thinks Kaan is challenging him, he won't back down until one of them is dead. I learnt that well when I was forced to marry him.

"That can't happen," I say slowly.

"I'll kill him. I'll do it if I have to." A shadow passes over Kaan's face, cementing his seriousness. He really will kill another Alpha if he has to.

"You'll start a war," I remind him, trying to remain calm, although it's becoming increasingly more difficult.

He sits on the bed in front of me, grabbing either side of my face so I'm forced to look into his eyes.

"It's a war or lose you, Hunter. I'm sorry but that is not a difficult choice for me," he breathes, shaking his head a little.

A bitter taste stains my mouth knowing that this is all because of me. "What about your people?"

He drops his hands, his eyes burning with cold fire. I've never seen him so fired about something before, even when I told him about my true identity.

Now I'm being directly threatened. This is more real now than ever.

"They are not my people. This is not my crown, my throne...this isn't even my home." Frustration etches into his expression, stunning me.

"Don't do this..." I grab his hand.

"You are my mate. You are my wife." His thumb brushes against the ring he gave me today. "And he's dead."

"You have no idea what the consequences are," I tell him firmly. "Vinn is pure evil. He won't stop at anything if you challenge him."

Kaan leans forward and kisses my cheek. When he pulls back, there's a certainty in his eyes that shakes me to the core.

"I'm going to find him, I'm going to kill him, and then I am going to return and fuck you into your first orgasm and remind you that you are mine, and no one is going to take you from me."

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~Midika 💜🐼