Page 62 of Alpha's Revenge Luna

As Emery and I enter the dining hall for lunch, I can feel the tension thick in the air.

The pack members peer up, their expressions a mix of fear and curiosity.

The recent punishment I doled out lingers like a ghost in the room, but it’s Emery they’re really curious about.

They all know she’s the reason I held back my full wrath.

She released them and challenged me to let them go of my command.

“Come on,” I encourage her, leading her to the table. I tap my lap as I sit down. She complies without protest, settling onto my lap. Tara and Kyrio, who have always been more supportive, shoot Emery encouraging smiles.

“Emery, how are you feeling?” Tara’s voice is laced with genuine concern.

“Better, thank you,” Emery responds. “I wanted to come down and spend some time with everyone.”

Her words seem to lift a weight off the room, even if just slightly. I can sense the unspoken thanks from the pack members. They understand without Emery’s intervention, their punishment would have been far more severe.

As the soup is served, the room seems to hold its collective breath. The tension is thick and heavy in the air, like a suffocating cloud. Pack members glance nervously between Emery and me, clearly still shaken by yesterday’s events.

“Am I going to find anything wrong with her soup?” I ask, my voice low and dangerous as I glare at Merilyn, who stands beside our table, trembling slightly. She looks away guiltily before answering. “No, Alpha.”

I swap bowls with Emery, not taking my eyes off Merilyn, and taste the soup. Finding nothing wrong with it, I focus my attention on Emery, who notices Merilyn still standing there, unmoving. “You may take your seat, Merilyn,” I tell her, my tone commanding.

Yet, Merilyn doesn’t move, her unease growing as the room falls silent, all eyes on her. “Is everything alright?” Emery asks gently, concern in her voice.

Merilyn hesitates, biting her lip. “What you did yesterday, showing mercy after what we did to you,” she begins, casting a nervous glance at me. “Thank you.” Emery nods, but I growl at the reminder of their betrayal, my anger flaring anew.

The room grows so quiet you can hear a pin drop. “I understand if you still want to punish us,” Merilyn continues, her voice barely above a whisper. “But it was my idea, please don’t punish the rest of the pack.”

At her confession, rage boils inside me like molten lava, fury like no other consuming me.

I had expected more from Merilyn – she was one of the original women I had found and saved.

To know she was behind hurting Emery makes me feel utterly betrayed.

My claws slide out, itching to teach her a lesson, but Emery grabs my hand, her touch calming me just enough to keep me in check.

Merilyn whimpers, her eyes wide with fear.

“Merilyn,” I growl, my voice dangerously low.

“Thank you for apologizing, you may take your seat,” Emery tells Merilyn, her voice firm but gentle.

I want to object, to make an example of her, but Emery squeezes my hand and leans back against me, making it clear she won’t tolerate any further harm coming to the pack member. Reluctantly, I hold my tongue.

“Thank you, Luna,” Merilyn whispers, her head bowed. She doesn’t dare look at me, knowing what she would find in my eyes: an Alpha who wants nothing more than to tear her apart. Leaning forward slightly, I murmur into Emery’s ear, “I warned you about overthrowing me.”

“And I warned you that I won’t allow you to punish them further,” she whispers back, her tone defiant. I growl low in my throat, but ultimately sit back, defeated for now, but she’ll answer for overriding my choice.

Opening the mind-link to Emery, I can’t help but express my displeasure. “You just overstepped in front of my pack again, Emery. You know I can’t have that! I told you I would punish you if you did it again.” The thought of punishing her doesn’t sit well with me, but I need to maintain control.

“What’s a little pain when I know it ends in pleasure, right, Alpha?” she retorts playfully, echoing words I once used on her. I chuff at her audacity, impressed despite myself. Looking over her shoulder at me, her blue eyes sparking with challenge. “Are you going to punish me, Alpha?”

“I usually punish my pack for them all to see,” I whisper to her, watching as her eyes widen in surprise.

“But I like the idea of your punishment better. However, that sort of punishment is for my eyes only.” A smirk hits my lips, and her eyes flicker with relief, knowing she won’t be put on display for the pack.

She has shown time and again that she won’t back down from me and that she is willing to fight for what she believes in even if what she believes is misguided. It’s a quality I find both maddening and intoxicating, and I realize just how much I crave the fire she ignites within me.

As the conversation flows throughout the room, I am acutely aware of Emery’s every move.

Halfway through her soup, I let my fingertips dance up the inside of her thigh, testing her willingness to submit.

Emery gasps and freezes, gripping my hand under the table to place it back on the surface before she picks up her spoon again.

But I can’t resist pushing her further. Moments later, my hand falls back to her thigh, drawing lazy patterns on her exposed skin.

The sensation causes Emery to wiggle slightly on my lap, eliciting a groan from me that I barely muffle with a cough. Sensing my arousal, she glances over her shoulder and smirks at me, a devious sparkle in her eyes as she leans back against me.

As the pack continues to chat and eat, Emery stealthily grabs my hand and moves it to her stomach beneath her shirt. I huff, knowing she’s teasing me, but I can’t deny the thrill it gives me.

Leaning forward, I press my lips below her ear. “I know what you’re doing,” I murmur, my voice low and seductive.

Emery bats h er lashes at me, a playful smile dancing on her lips.

“I’m doing nothing, Alpha,” she purrs, moving my hand beneath her skirt.

My fingers graze her panties, finding them soaked with desire.

My cock twitches in my pants as she rocks her ass against me before leaning forward to finish eating.

When I try to move my hand away, she closes her legs, trapping it in place.

“Emery,” I growl in warning, but she ignores me.

Tara asks Emery a question, and she answers without missing a beat, all the while subtly wiggling her hips, pressing her warm, inviting core against my fingers. The sensation is nearly maddening, making it difficult to focus on anything but the woman in my lap.

“Emery, please don’t, it’s bad enough I have to listen to her recite the chapters, you don’t want to know what she reads. She has bizarre taste,” Kyrio laughs, drawing the conversation back to the present moment to notice everyone staring at Tara.

“What book?” one of the women asks. Tara rattles off the title.

“Oh, I love that one, I haven’t read that series in ages,” Emery states.

“Great, another one who reads fairy porn,” Kyrio adds with a grin, causing Tara to shoot him a look. The other women shrink in their seats, Kyrio glancing around. “What! All of you?” Kyrio asks curiously.

“Where do you think Tara got the book,” Merilyn laughs.

“And it’s not fairy porn,” Tara defends her book.

“It’s fairy porn, Tara! Let’s not pretend it’s anything else,” Kyrio continues, chuckling.

As Tara’s face flushes red, defending her favorite guilty pleasure, I can’t help but feel a mix of amusement and admiration. “It has a plot line,” she insists, her gaze darting around the table. “Just not much of one,” she adds with a sheepish grin.

Emery snickers against my chest, her body leaning back into me.

Her thighs tighten around my trapped hand, and I bite back a groan, feeling her rubbing her legs together, teasing me further.

We’re engaged in a silent battle for dominance, even as she engages in innocent conversation with our pack mates.

“I want to reread this series, my sister got it from one of the maids. My mother was so mad when she found it,” Emery says, eyes glittering with mischief.

“I am on book three, but you can borrow book one. We can go to my room once you finish eating,” Tara tells her.

Tara nods enthusiastically, eager to share her reading obsession. Once Tara finishes her food, Emery stands up abruptly. I fight the urge to growl and pull her back onto my lap, feeling her arousal on my fingers.

“Come on, we can go now. I am done,” Emery announces, leaning down to peck my lips and smirking at me.

I move to follow her, but then sit back down, noticing the obvious tent in my tracksuit pants.

My erection betrays my desire, and I clench my jaw as everyone looks at her and I know I can’t just waltz on out here with a tent pitched.

“Are you coming, Dion?” Emery asks sweetly, her voice dripping with feigned innocence.

“No, I have things to discuss with Kyrio,” I lie through gritted teeth. Kyrio shoots me a knowing look, sitting to leave the pack to their lunch and chatter.

With a devious smile, Emery rushes off with Tara, leaving me to stew in frustration. She opens the mind-link between us, her laughter echoing through my head like sweet torture.

“Keep playing this game, Emery,” I warn her silently through the mind-link, my words laced with a promise of retribution. “You’ll see what happens when I catch you.”

Her laughter only grows louder in my head, and I can imagine her wicked grin as we continue our dangerous dance of power, and desire.

As I sit there, stewing in my frustration, I can’t help but let out a low growl, thinking of Emery, oblivious to the storm she’s stirred inside me. Kyrio’s snickers do nothing to improve my mood.

It’s a dangerous game she’s playing, pushing me to the edge like this.

After about twenty minutes, people finally file out of the dining hall.

Kyrio’s voice breaks my concentration once everyone leaves. “So, what did you need to talk about?”

I shoot him a glare, gesturing to the obvious tent in my pants. Kyrio snickers, leaning back. “Sorry, Alpha, but that is Luna’s territory. I am not helping with that.”

“Obviously,” I mutter, frustration mounting. “She’ll be feeling every damn inch of it when I get my hands on the brat.”

Kyrio adds, “So, would this be a bad time to tell you Tara and Emery went to harvest berries?”

My eyes narrow. “Oh, no, she doesn’t. I am not walking around with this all damn day.”

Kyrio chuckles, clearly amused, as I sit there, battling the storm Emery has unleashed within me. Her defiance and playful taunts have stoked a fire that only she can quench, and I find myself torn between frustration and a deep desire.

I stand, my movements sharp and deliberate. “I need to find her,” I say, more to myself than Kyrio.

He raises an eyebrow but doesn’t question me.

As I step outside, the fresh air does little to cool the heat raging within me. My mind races with thoughts of Emery, her playful defiance, and the way she challenges me at every turn. It’s irritating, but I can’t deny the attraction I feel toward her.

I make my way toward the berry patch, my senses on high alert.

As I approach the patch, Emery and Tara have their backs to me, lost in their task.

“Emery,” I call out, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside me. She turns, and the look on her face when she sees me is priceless.

“You’re in so much trouble, Luna,” I tell her, my words a promise of what’s to come. Her eyes widen, but I can see the flicker of excitement in them. She knows the game we’re playing, and she’s just as caught up in it as I am.

“Gotta catch me first, Alpha,” she purrs before she shoves me. I land on my ass, and she giggles, sprinting back toward the pack house.