Page 171 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

Bryn’s hands dipped even lower, to the waistband of my jeans.

She nipped at my neck as she slid the zipper down, then deftly undid the button.

I grinned as she pushed the fabric down my hips.

She closed her hand around my cock, her palm soft and warm on my skin.

I was already hard, and every movement of her hand aroused me more.

Leaning back against the counter near the stove, I let out a breath and said, “I love your hands on me.” Each gentle tug sent heated pleasure through my blood.

I felt her smile against my neck. “I know you do,” she said, “but I bet you like this even more…”

She pressed herself as close to me as her belly would let me, then slid slowly down to her knees.

“Bryn, wait.” My breathing was ragged from her ministrations to my cock. “You don’t have to do that.”

She grinned up at me. “I know, baby. I want to do this.”

I slowly licked my lips. Seeing her mouth so close to my cock sent an electric thrill through my body. Her breath drifted over my skin. “If your knees start to hurt, you promise you’ll tell me?”

“Of course.” She wrapped her hand around my shaft. “But I hope you know that for you, I’ll endure anything, even discomfort or pain. As long as I know you’re safe and happy.”

Her words struck a chord, that sweet vow reverberating in my heart. No one had ever said something like that to me. I wanted to say something, reciprocate the sentiment, but my thoughts turned to mush when she took me in her mouth.

I groaned as I watched her worship me with her mouth.

She had such a small mouth, part of me was amazed she could take so much of me.

Her hand curled around the base of my cock as she took me as deep as she could.

Her mouth formed to my shape like it was made just for this purpose.

With her tongue flat against the underside of my cock, each bob of her head was like velvet over the sensitive skin. I shivered.

“Gods, Bryn, you’re wonderful,” I said as I twined a hand into her hair. “Fuck, that feels good.”

“Mm-hmm…” Her answer thrummed across my skin.

She found a rhythm that suited us both, and it felt so fucking good, I couldn’t stop myself from thrusting deeper into her mouth.

I wanted to feel more, to see how far she could go.

And my Bryn, she didn’t complain. In fact, her hand fell away from my cock.

I wasn’t sure why until I caught the scent of her wetness.

That sweet, tangy whiff would make any man crazy, but knowing that she was touching herself as she pleased me with her mouth drove me wild.

My grip on her hair tightened, and my eyes closed. My thrusts grew more desperate, and Bryn moaned, the sound reverberating against my cock.

“I’m close,” I growled through clenched teeth. “You ready to take it?”

In response, she moved faster, opening wider to accept more of me. I came hard to the insistent strokes of her tongue, the scent of her pussy in the air. She choked once but took me in, swallowing every ounce I had to give her.

When she pulled back, she was smiling, her cheeks tinged apple-red. Her legs were open, and I saw that her hand was sticky with her own wetness. Such a lewd sight of my mate, who was normally so composed and professional.

I wanted her again. Now.

I helped her to her feet, then switched our positions, lifting her and putting her down on the counter.

She let out a gasp. My cock was still pulsing from when her mouth had been on me, and I was still rock-hard.

I wanted more of her. I leaned over her, pressing my lips to hers as I eased inside her.

She trembled as she gripped my shirt with one hand and flattened the other on the counter beside her to keep herself steady.

I put my hand over hers, enjoying her silken warmth, drinking in every sweet, shuddering moan.

Bryn wrapped her legs around my waist, giving me even deeper access.

As a reward for her eagerness, I rubbed my thumb against her clit.

She broke the kiss to gasp, “Night—yes, yes, yes!”

I nuzzled into the spot where her neck met her shoulder, felt the powerful beating of her heart against my lips.

“So good,” she cried. “So fucking good…”

I continued to make love to her, to the music of her desperate pleas, until I felt her muscles contract around me.

She stiffened, her nails tearing through my shirt.

The ecstasy of her orgasm took her, and I groaned into her shoulder, letting her pull me along with her.

Coming a second time was a joy that was reserved only for my mate.

I pressed a kiss to where her pulse beat the strongest, then pulled back to look into her face.

“It needs more paprika,” I said, running the back of my hand over her cheek.

She blinked at me, her gaze teary and unfocused. “Huh?”

I chuckled, then pinched her gently. “The stew.”

She looked at the stove, where the stew still bubbled away, then burst out laughing. “You know what? I think I agree with you.”

After, Bryn added some paprika to the stew, and we sat down for dinner.

“Tell me how your day went,” I said.

“Pretty good. We got the garden prepped for the winter frost, and I asked everyone how safe they felt here.”

“What did they say?”

“Most of them felt safe, but some of the kids have been getting into fights at school.”

I frowned. “I haven’t heard about that.”

“Neither have I. Two women almost got into a fight about it, but Tavi stepped in and calmed everyone down.”

“Thank the Fates for that.” After assuring the Kings Council that things were going well, I could imagine their reaction if they heard that parents had started fighting each other because of their pups. And the fact that it was Tavi who stepped in was great to hear. “Tavi’s come a long way.”

Bryn smiled a little. “She really has. If you’d seen her, you would’ve been very proud. She helped me keep an eye on Jasmine.”

“Jasmine Howler? What was she doing there?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know, but I think she wanted to sabotage our progress.”

Annoyance speared into me. “I should’ve expected her to pull some shit like that.”

“Don’t worry, it didn’t work. The topic of the kids who went missing came up, and one of the women told everyone how she lost everything after her son’s disappearance. It touched everyone there, even Jasmine. She even said that you were the best person to look into these disappearances.”

Surprise replaced my frustration. “She did? Really?”

“Yeah. It shocked me.”

“Huh…do you think she meant it?”

“It might be silly, but I do. Everyone came together to comfort this woman—including Jasmine and the two women who almost fought. It was beautiful.” It must have been, because Bryn was tearing up just at the thought of it.

I covered her hand with mine. “I’m glad that things didn’t go south and you and Tavi had it handled.”

“Me too. How about you? How was your day?”

“I wish I could say it was as productive as yours. A few wolves and I tried to tackle the paperwork in the office, but we haven’t found anything that’ll lead us to Troy or any leads on those missing pups.

I met with the Kings council because they wanted to know how the merger is going, and I tried to get them to tell me something useful, but they had nothing more beyond what they told us months ago. ”

“That sounds frustrating.” She gave an empathetic frown. “What are your next steps?”

“We’re going to keep looking through this paperwork. Beyond that…” I couldn’t keep the annoyance out of my voice as I said, “Dom said I should ask Lance, see if he knows anything.”

Bryn sighed. “I hate to say it, Night, but that’s probably not a bad idea.”

My eyes widened. “Bryn, not you, too?”

She held her hands up. “I know, I know, but listen, Night, none of us know what he’s thinking or planning.

He was at the garden today—with everything that happened earlier, I completely forgot he was there—and all he did was carry out bales of hay.

He didn’t say anything, didn’t start any trouble. He was just…helping out.”

“And what? You trust the guy now?”

She scoffed at the thought, relieving some of the pressure inside me. “Hell, no, but would it hurt to have a conversation with the guy? He won’t be able to attack you or challenge you while you’re alone. The worst he could do is not answer any of your questions, right? What’s the harm?”

“Well, that marks the third time someone has told me I should talk to him. So that must mean that something is trying to get me to talk to him, right?”

She chuckled. “Good and bad things come in threes, Night, but I think you’re right. The most he can do is piss you off, and I know you’re strong enough not to let him get the better of you, right?”

I had to agree with my mate, but that didn’t mean I was looking forward to talking to Lance.