Word Count: 2013

~Dove

Exposing my secret may be very worth it upon seeing Varian's expression.

Revealing my clandestine relationship with Matthias is clearly the last thing he expected me to say. Perhaps he expected me to give into his relentless interrogation and admit I'm a spy or his assistant sent on a covert mission.

His jaw slackens and his eyes darken as he surveys me with renewed interest.

I fold my arms. "Got nothing to say?"

"You're his lover?" His words don't sound entirely his own.

"Yes, I am." I clear my throat. "I haven't lied. I am his maid, but we come together at times and..."

"Have sex," he deadpans.

"Yeah, that." I scratch under my ear, warming under his sudden scrutiny.

He jaw hardens. Admitting this to him is becoming increasingly more mortifying. I shouldn't have allowed my anger to crescendo like that...now my life is at risk.

"And you love him?"

"Our relationship has always been unconventional," I explain carefully. "We have just have sex, and he doesn't take me on dates or anything, but I'm in love with him...well, was. I'm no longer involved with him."

This ordeal with Varian has softened the blow of being rejected by Matthias again. Still, I find myself missing him as I struggle to let go of what we have developed. He hurt me, but getting over him isn't so simple.

"How long—"

"A year and a half."

His uneven breath is all that breaches his deadly calm. His frosty stare that tracks each of my movements with unnatural focus casts a chill over my skin, reminding me I'm not safe here.

My connection to Matthias is going to get my father and I killed.

"Why did you end it?"

"Because...it's none of your business, quite frankly," I exasperate, folding my arms over my chest. "I'm trying to make it clear that I'm no spy. I smell like him...well, for obvious reasons. That's it."

I never thought I would miss that dark amusement he carries around, but it's preferable over the murderous chill in his eyes.

"Does your father know?"
 
"No one knows." I sigh roughly. "Until now, I suppose."

This is a painfully uncomfortable secret to divulge. I've hidden it from everyone I've loved out of fear they would tell me to stop, or judge me for indulging with a male I'll never be able to have.

"Hmm." He looks over me, making me conscious of every inch of skin Matthias has touched compared to him.

"Do you believe I'm not a spy now?" I ask irritably, wishing I could keep my gaze averted, but there is something in the way that he looks at me that captures my attention.

It can't possibly be jealous I see stirring in his dark eyes. It must be my betrayal that is bothering him, not the fact that I'm intimate with his greatest enemy.

He steps forward, closing the gap entirely between us. "I'm undecided. I think I need more proof."

The tips of his boots press against my battered shoes, his gaze sharp as he towers over me. I don't cower, raising my chin as my eyes narrow.

I hate that palpable tension, tugging us together no matter how hard we resist.

It's only this way because I'm attracted to him. Who isn't? His beauty is marvelled and admired across the land, so notable rumours of it reach far into other packs. I'm as enchanted as anyone else would be in his presence, that's all.

I can hate him and want to shred the clothes off his body...I think.

"What more can I prove to you?" I demand. "I'll do anything."

He angles his head, his gaze travelling languorously down the planes of my face, as if he has all day to admire me. As if he sees me as no threat at all.

"Kiss me," he murmurs, focusing on my lips, which part with a soft gasp.

"Kiss you? No way—"

His hand cuts me off as he raises it, gently brushing my hair behind my hair before sliding his fingers beneath my chin, raising it up slightly.

My heart is beating so fast I'm certain he can hear it. I know it is wrong, in this moment, to want him. It's possible this is part of his plan, to seduce me, to destroy my credibility in Matthias' eyes.

But there isn't enough of me wanting to deny him, to turn down the temptation.

"Only if you want to, Dove," he breathes, tilting my head so my mouth is at the perfect angle for him.

Just one taste should be enough. There will be plenty of time for regrets tomorrow.

He doesn't move, letting me be the one to lean up and kiss him.

His lips are effortlessly soft and inviting, his mouth moving to press as fervently back into mine. He tastes forbidden and delicious, and in this moment, I'm unsure if anything can truly pull me from him.

My hands delve into his hair, pulling on the strands until he hisses against my mouth, deepening our kiss with a new sense of desperation.

His tongue explores my mouth with expert precision, claiming me, sweeping away thoughts of Matthias and how this kiss may damn me.

My back is suddenly against the wall, Varian's hands sliding down my body, grasping onto my waist. I can feel the pressure of his arousal against my stomach, feel his need in the ferocity in which he kisses me.

This is bad...this is going to lead somewhere, and I'm not going to have it in me to stop.

All I can think about is the pleasure he gave me at the party, and how desperately I want to feel that again. So much so that I press my hips into his, digging my fingertips into his muscular shoulders.

He growls against my mouth before pulling away, shifting his head so he can kiss my neck. I angle my head back, his teeth grazing against my skin, sending small shocks of pleasure straight to my centre.

My breath is ragged, Varian's soft strands of hair brushing against my cheek as he continues his deliciously torturous descent down my neck.

"This is a mistake," I breathe before guiding Varian's mouth back to mine.

How is it possible for something to feel so good and yet be so bad for me? I should push him away before this goes too far, but the surging desire within me is too much to compete with.

"Let me taste you," he murmurs against my lips before biting down on the lower one gently. I groan softly, overcome by the choice that is entirely in my hands.

I'm afraid I'm giving him what he wants, but at the same time, he's giving me what I want.

We're too far gone now. I need to commit because I want to commit.

"Yes." I lean my head back, squeezing my eyes shut. "I need you."

He presses one last kiss to my mouth before he gets to one knee in front of me, and then the other. I gaze down at him as he slowly undoes the stays of my pants, his eyes meeting mine.

The endless dark of his eyes are lit by a growing fire, his desire evident in every hard line of his face. This may just be an act of spiting his enemy, but Varian wants me. This Alpha is on his knees before me, and I can already grasp the pleasure he is about to inflict upon me.

"I'm going to give you what you need," he vows, wickedly.

I savour the raw, aching want on his face as he hooks his thumbs into the waistband of my pants, drawing them downward. My underwear quickly follows, until I'm entirely bare before him.

It's not as though I haven't exposed my naked flesh to a man before, but being before Varian's hungry gaze is another thing entirely.

The brief flickering of modesty vanishes in a moment as he leans forward, kissing my inner thigh so gently I almost don't feel the brush of his lips against my skin.

"Your beauty is unmatched," he marvels, his voice barely above a whisper, his breath coasting delicately over my awaiting centre. "I have wanted you from the moment I laid my eyes upon you."

His words dig under my skin, settling there for later contemplation. He must just be in the moment, or perhaps I am sensing an earnest undertone to his voice.

Lacing my fingers into his hair, I gaze down at him impatiently, hating every teasing breath and lingering kiss that he graces my thighs with.

"Please," I beg under my breath, unable to wait a moment longer.

As if that was what he was waiting for, he spreads my legs further apart before he delves into my centre, drawing his tongue up between my soaked folds until he finds my clit.

My legs nearly give out at his predatory focus, his tongue applying varying pressure to my clit in time with my moans.

He's good at this. Really good at this.

My grip tightens on the strands of his hair, keeping his between my legs as if he would be going anywhere else right now. His hands keep my legs steady, which is a good thing, considering I'm not sure I would be standing otherwise.

Pleasure ricochets through my body with every lick and graze of his teeth against me, every suck and soft groan that vibrates through me.

Doing this with Matthias was once my favourite thing. Doing this with Varian feels too good to be true, like I'm losing my sanity. There is no reprieve from the pleasure as it builds in my stomach, and  don't want it to stop.

"That feels so good," I moan, the back of my head resting against the wall, my eyes fluttering closed as his tongue continues to explore me.

"Not as good as you taste," he growls, his fingers tightening their grip on the back of my legs.

I can feel my blood pulsing through my veins, feel every sense heightened on Varian's mouth, on the spell he seems to be casting on me. I'm not sure I will ever feel this kind of pleasure again.

When I look down again, his eyes are on me, hooded and dazed with desire.

I knew I was close to the edge, but seeing the way he looks at me has me tumbling into a hopeless pool of utter euphoria. His name tumbles past my lips over and over as I brace my hands on the wall for support, wave after wave of pleasure folding through me.

His tongue continues to lap through my folds as my climax rolls of endlessly, until suddenly he withdraws his mouth and shifts to my thigh.

I can hardly give consideration to what he is doing until it is too late.

Suddenly his teeth are sinking into the flesh of my inner thigh, a searing pain shooting through my veins like fire, chasing away my climax, the last dregs of pleasure.

I scream, the pain so blinding I can't focus, can't grasp what he's doing until he pulls away, pressing a kiss to where he just bit before pulling back.

My world shifts in and out of reality, my eyes blinking as I take in the raw bite mark now marring my skin. It's so vivid, so real, and carries consequences my pleasure addled brain can't begin to comprehend.

"What have you done?" I gasp out roughly, the pain now leaking away, leaving a dull ache in its place.

Varian raises gracefully from the floor, his eyes trained on my thigh, something dark shifting in his eyes.

"I marked you," he murmurs. "Now when Matthias goes down on you, he'll know who you now belong to."

💛••💛

As always, you can read this book 16 chapters ahead on Inkitt and 10 chapters ahead on Radish!

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~Midika 🐈‍⬛💜