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Chapter 19

Jax

ALIYA’S SILENCE ATbreakfast concerned me. She was usually lively and chipper, but as she sat beside me at the table, she ate quietly, like a timid mouse.

Perhaps I’d been too rough with her this morning. She’d shown so much enthusiasm last night, such a willingness to learn and explore new sexual avenues. It had shocked and thrilled me when she’d started sucking my cock without any prompting from me. And fuck, it felt so damn good!

I’d let that excitement run away with me. She’d been a virgin before last night, still so innocent and fragile. I should’ve respected that she’d need some time to adjust before having sex again, but instead, I’d propped up her tight little ass and fucked her with wild abandon.

At the time, she’d sounded and acted like she’d enjoyed it as much as I did.

Had she only done that to please us? Was she just playing along because she felt beholden to us in some way? Or was she too shy to speak up about what she really needed? We were two strong and powerful men having our way with her, and perhaps some part of her felt helpless against us.

I’d been selfish. I’d been negligent of her needs. Would I ever stop fucking things up when it came to her? I needed to show her that she was the one in control of this unconventional relationship, and that sex wasn’t a requirement for our affection.

When everyone had finished eating, an idea came to me as Tannin and I cleared the table, and I rushed to set it into motion.

“Tannin, can you handle washing the dishes on your own?” I asked as I set the last plate in the sink.

He turned to me with a frown. “Why?”

“I have an idea that I think will make Aliya happy,” I said. “Finish up in here and then join us in the ballroom.”

“But—”

I dashed out the archway before he could respond. I didn’t want his pessimism to dissuade me from what I had in mind.

I opened the door beside the kitchen and skipped down the flight of dusty, cobweb-covered stairs. The air down in the basement was musty, made thicker by the cold temperature that rose goosebumps on my arms.

But it was perfect for chilling and preserving the hundreds of wine bottles kept in the honeycomb-style shelves lining every wall of the modest space.

I’d discovered the wine cellar two days ago during my exploration of the castle. From the dust coating every surface of this room, it appeared that no one had been down here in a very long time.

I wondered if Aliya even knew about it. If she had, she probably would’ve indulged during her solitude. Being alone for so long would be intolerable sober. For a wolf, it wouldn’t be tolerable at all.

Wolves were pack animals. We needed each other, not only for our survival but also for our sanity. A wolf who was banished was doomed to death. On the off chance they survived the crippling isolation, they wouldn’t be themselves anymore. Instead, they’d become something feral and inhuman.