Word Count: 2660

~Dove

For a moment I just gape at him, at his outstretched hand.

The thought of pressing close to him, feeling his grip on my hand, on my waist it almost too much to bear.

But who am I to deny an Alpha's invitation?

My heart is in my throat as I reach out, slipping my hand into his. It's warm, his fingers closing around mine as he stands.

He pulls me merely a few feet from his chair, tugging me close. My breath remains securely held in my lungs, even as they begin to burn.

I'm painfully stiff as his hand glides around me, settling on my lower back. My stomach brushes against his, my head turned so I don't have to look up at him.

Despite being immersed in a world of sin, touching Alpha Varian feels like the most corrupt act I could partake in.

"This feels surreal," I breathe as we sway to the gentle melody.

He tilts his head down and to the side so he can meet my eyeline. I wish he wouldn't — it makes it so much harder to concentrate on not stepping on his feet.

"What does?"

"Dancing with you."

My shoes sink into the plush crimson carpet as I'm twirled around. This makes me quietly grateful for nights when Eden would whirl me around our house, bumping me into bookshelves and into the table while we laughed joyously. It's the only experience with dancing I've ever had.

For that reason I can keep up, but I'm still breathless, clinging to Varian's body in case I slip away and into another sinners arms.

"Tonight I am like any other male," he assures me, the gentlest smirk tugging at his lips.

I can only shake my head. How am I to believe that? Everyone watches us because of him, because he has a way of commanding attention.

"Are you doing this to get a rise out of Claude?" I ask him, still unable to fathom how I've come to end up in this position.

Claude is lingering near the far wall, watching us. A woman has sidled up to him, drawing her hand down his chest. He pays her no mind.

Something tickles at my senses. I like that he's watching.

"I'm doing this because you're a beautiful woman in a beautiful dress," Varian admits smoothly, tightening his grip on my waist. "I'm doing this because we're both sober and I enjoy your company. Is that enough?"

My breath catches in my throat as his compliment dissolves in my mind. This Alpha believes I am beautiful, is wilfully engaging in this dance with me.

"If it's all true, then yes," I say.

"I don't lie," he assures me, strands of raven hair raining down over his forehead.  "Not about this."

I feel like a bookmark that has been slotted into the crease of a fairytale, only to have melded into the story. I feel no fear, only excitement as I sway in the comfort of strong arms.

"I'm going to think about this night forever," I admit wistfully.

"Consider yourself invited to every party I host from now on," Varian offers, his voice like molten honey. "I'll have your name put on a list and have the guards know to look out for a woman in a dress just like this one."

His gaze ventures downward, taking in every ruffle and stitch, every pale and dainty flower. My cheeks warm, tinting the same colour as my dress. 

"You can't possibly like my dress," I say blandly, weaving my stare over each hard line of his face, wondering faintly what it would feel like beneath my fingertips.

"Why not? I absolutely do."

His ability to not crack a smile despite taunting me is an impressive talent. 

"You're being facetious at best," I mutter. "At worst you're being cruel."

"Look at me, Dove." He hooks his finger beneath my chin, tilting it up so my gaze meets his. "I enjoy this dress on you. It suits you perfectly, and you're clearly comfortable in it. That pleases me. Is my reasoning so hard to believe?"

My mouth dries but my attention doesn't dip meekly. I see nothing but honesty in his expression, and it's startling.

"It is hard to believe," I murmur.

He angles his head. "Why?"

"Because you like seeing flesh, and bright colours and sparkles and glitter. I see it everywhere, including in the theme I'm assuming you chose," I note, flexing my fingers in his hold.

When I dare look around there are more eyes on me before. Each person is dressed so meticulously, all hoping to catch the Alpha's eye.

"I do like those things." His state is intense, searching. "But can I not like this too?"

I give my head a little shake, causing my hair to fall back over my shoulder. Perhaps I'm exerting prejudice now. I've assumed so much about Alpha Varian over the years, and such theories no longer prove to be true.

"We are spending far too much time on this topic," I mutter.

"What would you like to talk about?"

"I just want to enjoy this moment," I admit softly.

Varian's smile is knowing, but he stays quiet as we sway to the foreign music. I let it envelop me, forcing away thoughts of Matthias, of my father sleeping peacefully at home and my sister enjoying time with her secret lover.

"Do you enjoy the eyes on you," he asks suddenly, gently clasping my jaw, guiding my eyes across the room. "The envy, the curiosity?"

I haven't been able to stop thinking about the weight of their stares on my skin. I like that they watch me, that they see me with him.

"I do," I murmur.

"Do you like watching their eyes heat when I do this." He slides his hands from where they rest on my hips up my waist, his fingertips pressing into the fabric of my dress.

Sure enough, eyes darken and stares warm as people watch on.

I swallow thickly. "I think I do."

Suddenly his hands are turning me, so my back is pressed to his front. His hands grip my hips as we sway, his mouth close to my ear.

I have no idea what is happening right now, but no part of me wants him to stop.

"Please scold me thoroughly if I take this too far," he whispers in my ear, his breath making me shiver. "You'll do that for me, won't you Dove?"

I nod. "O...okay."

My body is buzzing with anticipation, waiting for his next move. All rational thought has been abandoned, and I'm left wanting whatever this man wants to give me.

"Good girl," he murmurs. "Now sway these incredible hips to the music and enjoy how I'm going to make you feel."

I bite down on my lower lip. "Uh huh."

Varian lifts his hand, brushing his knuckle down the side of my neck. I shudder at the contact, letting out a gasping breath.

"You're very responsive," he whispers, his words only for my ears despite his touching being for all to see.

His fingers trace down my throat, over the sharp slopes of my collarbones and to the slight dip in my bodice. My stomach tightens as he brushes his palm against my breast, squeezing gently.

A shiver of pleasure licks up my spine at the contact, even through my dress. I want his hands everywhere, my skin heating with need.

This is so wrong. People are staring, whispering, smiling. For them this is normal, but I've never done something so brazen.

And Matthias...he would quite possibly kill me for this.

Any thought of him melts as Varian's soft mouth kiss below my ear. Once. Twice.

My breaths are staggered and uneven, my legs weakening. Varian's grip on me is tight, keeping me standing as his hand travels down my front, pausing against my stomach.

"How many have you taken to your bed?" He asks in my ear, his tone matter of fact. He's testing to see if I'm really ready for this, or if I'm fool stumbling into something far bigger than me.

"A few have touched me..." I assure him.

"How many have been inside you?" He kisses down my neck, which I angle to give him more access.

"Just one."

Your enemy, no less.

This is where he rejects me. This is where he tells me this world isn't for me, that I won't be able to handle never seeing him again after this.

But I am. I don't care that people are watching — I like that. I don't care that he's an Alpha, that he's my previous lovers enemy. I want him to touch me because he's beautiful and seductive and because this is fun.

"You're free to indulge in as much pleasure as you can. There is no shame in that," he asserts, slowly pulling the skirt of my dress up.

I thought I was regretful for the fluffy skirt and ruffled layers before. Now I'm tempted to rip them off my body.

He raises my skirt high enough to slip his hand beneath, but not reveal much skin to our onlookers. All while his breath drifts against my neck like a beautiful torture and his mouth occasionally brushes beneath my ear.

"What is it, Dove?" He pauses, his hand on my thigh where Claude's was barely an hour ago.

I find the man still rooted in this spot across the room. A woman leans against him, drawing her tongue up the side of his neck before she whispers something in his ear. His eyes are locked on mine, displaying a seething violence waring with lust.

"What are you going to do next?" I ask breathlessly.

"What would you like me to do next?"

His voice makes my stomach flutter. It's so deep and dark and it runs along my skin like smooth hands, effective in urging on my excitement.

"I...uh..."

I don't know what to say, I just know I want everything. I'm unsure if I've ever wanted someone to touch me as bad as I do right now, my entire body wrought with anxious desire. Even when Matthias first seduced me I'm not sure I felt like this.

"You don't need to fear the eyes of these people. Within these walls, you receive no judgement," he assures me gently, his fingers curving up my thigh. "However, say the word if—"

I grab his forearm before he can pull it away, trying not to think about how expensive the fabric of his shirt is.

"No. Touch me."

His mouth curves into a smile against my neck as his fingers trace upward in sweeping strokes, slow and methodical as we sway ever so slightly to the music.

They suddenly brush up against the centre of me, fingertips pressing against my clit in a move that has me gasping.

"Right there?" His voice is husky with a hint of satisfied amusement.

My head bows forward as he circles my clit with maddening precision.

"Yes, right there," I breathe, my hand still gripping his arm, not wanting him to move an inch as pleasure surges through me with every torturous touch he gives me.

The world around me slowly disappears. All I can concentrate on is Varian and his expert fingers.

The way he circles my clit is maddening. He keeps a slow and unhurried rhythm, teasing me, unbothered by those who watch on. He continues to gently bite and kiss at my neck, the sensations dizzying, almost too much to handle.

"I love these moans," he praises lowly. "Let your body tell me exactly what you want from me."

My body wants to drag him to bed. It wants to shamelessly sink to its knees in front of him...I'm willing to do anything for more pleasure right now — I might even give up every secret I've ever kept were he to ask.

His fingers shift suddenly before he plunges two into me.

My gasp melts into a breathless moan at the fullness, at the depth they reach inside of me. I can only clutch the fabric of his shirt and hope it doesn't shred.

"That feels...so good," I choke out. I can feel him everywhere, all over me. It overwhelms my senses in the best way possible, turning me into an addict for something I may never get again.

"Fuck Dove." He curses against my skin, sounding almost as breathless as I am. "You're soaked for me."

My head falls back onto his shoulder as he pumps his fingers in and out of me, keeping that slow, hard pace. My world feels like it's being cleaved apart, revealing a part of me I never dared explore.

"Varian...don't stop," I plead, eliciting the softest groan from him.

His arm banded around me tightens, every thrust of his fingers deep into me weakening my hold on reality.

It almost feels too good. I'm lost in his arms, unable to ground myself in anything other than the pleasure he is giving me.

"I'm not stopping until you cum on my fingers," he growls softly. "Show Claude who you now belong to now."

Suddenly the world materialises before me again. Some people watch, others dance and many sip their wine and mind their own business. This is so normal to them, while my world is being altered right before them.

Claude watches on, his jaw tight and eyes hungry. He's getting pleasure out of watching me too.

Varian's fingers suddenly curl and twist slightly inside of me, hitting a deep spot that nearly has me crumpling from the pleasure.

"How..." I moan, my falling in front of my face as my head bows forward. "How do you know how to do...that, oh fuck."

I've never felt this before — not even from Matthias.

"This is nothing, Dove. Nothing at all," he murmurs into my ear, each word punctuated with a deep thrust of his fingers. "It hardly compares to what else I could do to you."

I can't even think about that. There's no more space in my brain for anything beside the overwhelming crash that is seconds away from crushing me.

"I'm gonna..." I squeeze my eyes closed, helpless to the sensation as my climax draws near.

"Cum for me," he commands darkly.

As if my body has been awaiting his permission, I tumble down into a spiral of pleasure, my orgasm almost suffocating me. Varian's hand presses against my mouth, smothering my moans and utterings of his name as he pumps his fingers into me, drawing out the feeling.

The moment I come down from my climax, Varian withdraws his fingers, righting my dress as I slump back against him.

"That was..." No words come to mind. None will ever be good enough.

The blood thumping in my ears quiets, the music vibrating through me. Claude has vanished and people continue on as if nothing has happened.

Varian brushes my hair off my damp neck. "Let me take you to my room to decompress-"

"No." I press away from him as the cold sharpness of reality chases off the last moments of bliss. "No, I can't."

I turn to face him, my legs wary. He looks over me, wariness seizing his expression.

"I'm not going to do anything to you. Just let me get you some water and allow you to rest. No one is allowed in my personal quarters so you'll have space and some quiet. Would you like that?" He offers softly.

I look around, needing to be away from the dense atmosphere and overstimulating music and colours after coming down from such an incredible orgasm.

I face the Alpha, nodding. "Yes please."

🩶••🩶

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

Your support means a lot to me!

~Midika 🐈‍⬛💜