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Everything was back to normal in the morning, including Alex’s cock. Whatever was in the cream the soldier had rubbed onto him had worked miracles. He noticed Bella was moving easier too, as if she were barely sore anymore.

They were given their breakfast and then taken to exercise. Now that he was eating again, he was much more energized. Bella told him everything she’d talked with Trish about the day before. Now he just had to figure out which was the northeast side of the compound and where the entrance there was located. And if there were other ways to get in and out of the compound—there had to be.

Now that his brain felt like it was working again, he’d woken up with a flurry of new thoughts. Most of them were based on movies he’d seen, unfortunately, but he had to stop thinking like he usually did. He had to stop making assumptions about the place they were living. Now, though they were outside, he didn’t trust that there weren’t listening devices planted all around. He’d been assuming the Wolf relied on the electric collar around Alex’s neck and the trackers that had been planted in his and Bella’s arms to catch them if they escaped. It hadn’t occurred to him they’d be monitored beyond that.

Now he tried to be smarter about their situation, but he didn’t have much to go off, except fiction. The petty wars and conflicts of the Earth didn’t touch the Moon; they were almost completely separate entities. Even when the Moon families did intervene in Earth affairs in a military way, it was always with the use of mercenaries, not their own children.

For the first time, Alex wondered if perhaps that was a mistake… because how could he, or any of the victims taken by the Wolf, ever be prepared?

Bella’s swim didn’t last as long as his; she still seemed tired. Alex pushed himself to the limit, now that he was getting steady food again. Would the Wolf make them start earning their meals again or, now that Alex had done what the Wolf wanted, would the man move on from that particular torment?

Alex’s muscles burned by the end of his workout, but his energy was up. He felt good. Maybe even a little bit hopeful.

* * *

Bella watched Alex’s powerful body plow through the water and couldn’t help but wonder what her life might have been like if she and Alex had met before they’d met Ken and Lisa. She was incredibly attached to Alex, though their connection might only exist because of their situation. But she felt safe when she was snuggled in his arms.

It had hurt yesterday, to see their… their interlude in the room broadcasted and used. To know it hadn’t been either of their choices, even though they’d been alone. It had made her realize her feelings for him might be a bit more than just those of friends caught in a situation. Maybe it was because she’d become used to relying on Alex, but she also felt an incredible amount of resentment toward the Wolf for taking away something she hadn’t realized she wanted—sex with Alex. But not just sex.

Bella pushed down those emotions and sighed. It was pointless wondering what would have happened between her and Alex if they hadn’t been captured after they’d caught Ken and Lisa cheating on them. If she was honest with herself, it was doubtful they would have seen each other again. Seeing each other would have reminded them of their significant others’ infidelity.

Feeling like something had been stolen from them made no sense.

Shifting on her bottom made her wince. The soldiers had plugged her before letting her into the pool; they’d made her bend over and spread her cheeks. She’d been fortunate Alex had already been in the pool swimming laps, so he hadn’t seen her shameful position as she’d held her butt cheeks open for the soldiers while they’d talked about her pretty, virgin asshole and pushed the plug in and out of it. While she had gotten more used to having something in her ass, and it didn’t really hurt anymore, she still didn’t like it.

And having it inside her made Bella increasingly nervous. She’d been so sure yesterday the Wolf would take her anal virginity when Alex had been taken away. Now she worried he’d just been waiting for when Alex could be an alert and energetic audience.

After Alex got out of the pool, he came and sat next to Bella to dry off in the sun. She tried not to look at his body or think about how attractive he was with the droplets of water rolling down his skin. It always seemed wrong to check him out, considering their situation.

Even more wrong when she sometimes thought he was looking at her and she’d feel a thread of pleasure at his attention.

“Hey,” she mumbled, peeking at him from underneath her eyelashes. She still wasn’t sure how he felt about her behavior the afternoon before, drugged or not. He acted like everything was normal between them—well, as normal as it could be—but maybe it was just that: acting.

“Hey.” His eyes were fixed on some of the soldiers who had gathered together and were talking in a circle, not paying any attention to her and Alex. Jordan wasn’t anywhere near them; he was walking around the pathways with Trish, and it looked like they were talking. “What do you think they’re talking about?”

Bella looked again to make sure he was referring to the soldiers. “Us maybe?”

“Maybe, but they haven’t looked over here once.” Alex said softly, as if he were talking to himself more than her. “They’re distracted.”

Was he really thinking about trying to escape right now? Had he somehow already figured out where the main entrance to the compound was? She hoped not—it seemed like the perfect way to get caught. Plus, they still had the trackers in them, and he still had the collar on.

He glanced over at her and must have seen something of her thoughts on her face. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to try anything right now. I’m just wondering why they’re talking rather than paying attention to us, for once.”

“Maybe they’re just finally used to seeing us naked.” She hadn’t meant it as a joke, but a grin flashed across Alex’s face, and she found herself smiling back. It felt odd to smile. But something in her chest loosened, as if her heart were just a little bit lighter.

“Maybe,” he said as his smile faded. The brief moment was gone as quickly as it had come.

* * *

When they were led back into the Wolf’s lair, as Alex darkly thought of it, he didn’t know what to expect. It was lunch time, but would they be required to earn their meal? They hadn’t yesterday, and look how that had turned out. Bella still seemed uncomfortable around him, which Alex understood, but it still grated on him.

They were both still adapting to being completely out of control of their lives. He had to admit, she was already working better within the framework of their new reality than he was. Submitting to someone else was not natural for Alex, and he had to fight his instincts, had to stop and second-guess his reactions. If he could imitate Bella, could lull them all into thinking he was beaten, that he had accepted what was happening to them…

Perhaps.

Besides, he’d come to realize the Wolf didn’t get off on just having him and Bella as prisoners. He got off on Alex’s resistance to everything more than he did on toying with them physically. Maybe if Alex acted beaten, the Wolf would get bored with them, as well as careless.

It was worth a shot, anyway. If they could just have the opportunity to explore more of the compound, even with the cameras watching, that would be something. He needed to find out how and where to get his collar and the trackers in their shoulders removed, and how to get out of the compound. From watching the guards in the outdoor area, he knew their normal routines, but as today had proved, they didn’t always follow that.

That meant something must be going on. Probably not with him and Bella, since none of the guards had paid attention to the prisoners—which was also important. Something that would distract the entire compound and allow Alex and Bella a tad more freedom.

Or maybe they would just be locked into their room, but perhaps he could use that to his advantage. If people weren’t watching as closely, maybe he and Bella could try to take his collar off.

The Wolf ignored them all through lunch while he had a series of intense, low-voiced discussions with his people. Jordan was there without Trish, which meant something was happening. That, or something had happened to her, but since Alex had just seen her a few hours ago, he tried not to be unduly worried.

Once he and Bella were done eating, they were left sitting there, only nominally guarded and waiting. Bella was somewhat curled up, hiding her body from the people seated at the tables, more than one of whom looked at her and Alex. He ignored their attention and didn’t bother to hide any of himself. It gave them something to look at so maybe no one would care that Bella was mostly hidden from their view.

He and Bella didn’t talk, although they exchanged several looks. Alex was too busy straining to hear the conversations between the Wolf and his soldiers. He couldn’t hear much.

“She’s requested that…”

“… and set the usual guards…”

“… what does she offer for…”

Snippets of conversation tantalized but didn’t give him a clear idea of what was going on. Something was being planned—something involving a woman—but since they all referred to her as ‘she,’ rather than by name, he wasn’t sure who the woman in question was. Or what was being planned.

He glanced at Bella, who also had her head tilted as though she was listening. Bella did a lot of listening, he’d noticed. More than he did, sometimes. Quiet, unobtrusive, and not nearly as rebellious as Alex, he bet some of the Wolf’s people even forgot she was there when she wasn’t providing them with entertainment. Somehow, he didn’t think the same kind of tactic would work for him.

A sudden lull made him look up, directly into the Wolf’s green eyes, which were now focused on him. Beside him, Alex felt Bella shiver. His own reaction was to tense, his muscles ready to go. Even though he’d pushed himself during this morning’s workout, and he was tired, adrenaline sent energy surging through him. Besides, he’d gotten to rest for a little bit while they’d been sitting on the dais.

“Ah, Pet and Toy… Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about you. In fact, I have plenty of time for you now.” The anticipatory gleam in his eye made Alex clench his fists. Whatever the Wolf had planned, he already knew he wouldn’t like it. The Wolf snapped his fingers, and Alex turned his head around as he heard the whir of machinery.

People were moving back as the floor opened and the erotic torture chamber came up through the opening. The platform ground into place, ready and awaiting use with its multitude of apparatuses.

The soldiers moved. Alex had his back to the Wolf and he’d missed the hand signal; he had to force himself not to lash out as they pulled him away from Bella. To his surprise, she tried to hit one of them, but the woman just laughed and pinched Bella’s nipple, making her shriek. He wasn’t sure what had made Bella try to do that; it was as if they’d reversed roles. He hadn’t protested or even moved when the soldiers pressed down on his shoulders, whereas Bella was fighting for the first time.

“Ah, Pet’s in a temper today,” the Wolf said, sounding amused. “We’ll have to see what we can do to help her… feel better.” Those in the room laughed, as the last two words were laden with all sorts of sexual intensity. There was no doubt what the Wolf meant by making her ‘feel better.’

The soldiers took Bella to a padded bench that was on a slight incline and bent her over it so her bottom was up in the air. Although there were armrests, her wrists were cuffed to the base of the bench, limiting her movement even more than the armrests would have. At least there, she’d have been able to bend and flex her elbows to get some give.

Alex’s cock twitched at the sight of the plug winking between her cheeks, where it was buried in her asshole, and the splayed lips of her pink pussy as her legs were pulled apart and also cuffed to the bench. Bella squirmed, but she’d already stopped fighting; now it looked like her movements were involuntary reactions to being restrained in front of so many people. She had to be nervous. He hated that seeing her like this still made him a little hard, which—with the tight cock ring—started a reaction that would inevitably lead to a full-fledged hard-on, whether he liked it or not.

“Our sweet little anal virgin,” the Wolf said from behind Alex, his words rolling out as if he were tasting each of them as they left his tongue. Savoring them. “But not for much longer. Put Toy in place.”

Now Alex was brought to his feet, and he dug in his heels and tried to swing his head around to look at the Wolf to see what he meant. But the soldiers were already dragging him toward Bella, and he couldn’t turn his head around far enough to see the Wolf’s expression. What he could see was the woman Bella had tried to hit pulling the butt plug from Bella’s anus. The little hole gaped slightly, and Bella’s body squirmed even more now.

Cheers rang around, and Alex recognized the sounds of bets being settled as the soldiers put his feet outside Bella’s and cuffed his ankles to hers. One of the men stood behind him, holding his wrists and keeping him off balance.

“What the fuck?” he growled and tried to pull away as one of the men cupped his dick—which was half-hard and unable to go down from his looking at Bella’s body—and began to stroke it. Alex’s stomach sank, but he had been too slow. His ankles were already attached to Bella’s, and he couldn’t get away. Under the man’s squeezing strokes that spread lube over his shaft, his dick came to life, blood rushing in, tightening the ring around the base of his cock and balls even more.

Fingers stroked down his back, and he arched away, trying to jerk his wrists out of the soldier’s grip. The Wolf’s hot breath wafted against his ear. “Have you figured it out yet, Toy? You’re going to get the chance to save our sweet Pet’s ass. All you have to do is not fuck her and no one will.”

“Like I’m supposed to trust your word,” Alex said through gritted teeth.

The Wolf stroked Alex’s face with one finger, and Alex stood there, refusing to move or jerk away now. It was like a game of chicken, to see who would flinch first. The older man’s glittering, green eyes looked almost sorrowful. “Have I lied to you yet, Toy?”

“You said you let that other girl go days ago, but she hadn’t been returned home when we watched the news.”

“I didn’t lie. Perhaps you do not believe,” the Wolf said with a shrug, as if Alex’s belief didn’t matter one way or another. “But I did not lie. And I do not lie now. Although, it doesn’t matter whether or not you believe, I think you will try anyway. To protect Pet. Won’t you, Toy?” He ran his finger over Alex’s lips and Alex had to steel himself against jerking away.

Of course he’d do what he could to protect Bella.

The soldier gripping Alex’s cock lowered it and pressed it against her virgin anus, and Alex groaned as the man behind him pushed forward. Bella let out a gasping shriek as the tight ring of her anus was forced open to accommodate the head of his cock.

“Stop it!” he shouted, trying to pull back, but they were already taking his wrists and forcing him to bend over her. Alex arched his back and his hips and tried not to think about how good the tight clasp of her hot, back entrance felt around the head of his cock. Only the tip of his dick was lodged inside her body as the soldiers cuffed his wrists to the armrests.

The position put an incredible amount of strain on his arms, his hips, and his legs as he hovered over her, keeping as far away from her as possible. The position didn’t allow him to pull out of her completely, but he could keep from allowing more of his lubricated cock to slide into her tight hole.

For now.

“All you have to do is not fuck her sweet little ass,” the Wolf said, as wet fingers began to rim and play with Alex’s asshole. He gritted his teeth and shuddered with the effort of staying in the uncomfortable position, and also against the surge of pleasure as he was stimulated from both ends. It was just like their first day, except this time Bella hadn’t been given the facsimile of a choice, and this time Alex had a thin chance of protecting her from further violation.

“Please no, please no, please no,” she chanted softly; so softly it was a whisper tickling his ear. He groaned as she clenched around him, like she was trying to force him out. Unfortunately, it only made him want to thrust in, to fill her completely because it felt so damn good. The heat of her ass scalded the head of his cock, and the need to bury himself inside her was killing him.

“Bella, stop,” he begged, as one of the Wolf’s fingers slid into his ass, breaching the tight hole. Unlike Bella, he hadn’t been prepared with a plug, and the intrusion burned a bit. “You have to stop clenching.”

Another finger slid into his ass, spearing him, and Alex groaned when Bella’s ass spasmed at the same time. His hips jerked involuntarily, pushing him a little deeper inside her, and she squealed.

“Sorry, sorry,” he groaned, pulling his hips back, which had the double effect of forcing the Wolf’s fingers further into his ass.

“Mmm, so eager, Toy, I like that,” the Wolf said, chuckling.

“Fuck you.”

“That’s what I plan to do,” taunted the Wolf, his fingers twisting inside Alex, opening his ass up further. Alex snarled, but he couldn’t pull away without pushing deeper into Bella’s body. She’d finally relaxed, adjusted enough that she’d stopped squeezing his cock.

The Wolf withdrew his fingers, and Alex braced himself over Bella, waiting for the rough thrust he knew was coming.

Instead, the Wolf pressed his cock against Alex’s anus and very, very slowly began to push in. Alex groaned, the combination of the slow penetration and his burning muscles as he tried not to let what was happening to him affect Bella was incredibly difficult to withstand. His legs and arms wanted to give in, and his muscles begged for relief as his ass was opened up.

The thick cock burned as it slid in, going slow and deep. The inward slide was relentless, pushing forward without once drawing back to gain an easier entry, and Alex panted and tried to relax the tight ring of muscle while he kept himself braced. It hurt. It felt good. And his cock twitched inside Bella’s ass, wanting more than ever to fully embed itself in her heat.

* * *

She was a selfish bitch. And she knew it.

Alex’s body hovered over her, protecting her, at a cost to himself. His legs made a tense line against hers, his wrists trembled on either side of her, his cock twitched inside her, and he groaned. From their words, Bella knew the Wolf was fucking Alex; raping his ass again.

And Alex held himself in position for it, straining to resist doing the same to her. Because he didn’t want to hurt her.

She hated herself for hoping he could withstand the Wolf’s assault. After all, if Alex was being raped, hurt, and she wasn’t—because of his efforts—that was shameful. Selfish.

Wrong.

But if he didn’t… then she’d be protected. Strangely, she believed the Wolf when he said he would allow her to remain an anal virgin, with a cock never having penetrated her ass deeper than Alex’s currently was.

It hurt in the strangest way, making her hole throb. Nothing like the butt plug, because his cock twitched and moved inside her, and she could feel it pulsing. She had no idea how much of him was in her, but it felt huge.

Bella gasped as it slid deeper before Alex cursed and pulled away again. He was tiring. The Wolf’s thrusts into his body were slow, deep, and purposeful. It was a waiting game. Perhaps he could have forced Alex into her with fast, rough strokes, but this long, slow fucking would slowly wear Alex down, a little bit at a time.

And with every inch, he would curse himself.

Bella shuddered and closed her eyes. She could still feel everyone watching them, but at least she wouldn’t see it.

“Alex, just do it.” Her voice was little more than a whisper.

“No.”

“Alex, please, just do it.” Maybe he would think her a coward, but she couldn’t just lie here and let him torment himself, let him fill himself with guilt as he was pressed into her. It was inevitable.

So, she squeezed his cock. His body buckled slightly and pushed his cock deeper, and Bella gasped as her anus spasmed. It hurt with a burning itch, an unbearable stretch that made tears spring to her eyes.

“Dammit, Bella…” Alex’s voice rasped, and he struggled to push himself back up. But his muscles were tired. Sore.

Her voice caught in her throat as she underwent her own struggle, trying to breathe through the waves of discomfort and burning his cock caused in her virgin anus. She wanted to tell him it was okay, she wanted to tell him to keep going, but she couldn’t.

Then he surged deeper. She could feel the push of the Wolf’s thrusts, which got harder, and Alex was in a terrible spot. Every tremor of his body went through her. The heat of him came closer, and he wasn’t anywhere near being all the way inside her yet. Bella whimpered and tried her best to be quiet and not increase Alex’s ordeal.

His muscles gave out almost completely, and he managed to keep from crushing her, but the entirety of his cock pushed into her asshole.

Bella shrieked as the flaming pain licked her insides, her tight hole clenching against him and trying to reject the thick intrusion so deep inside her.

“Sorry, sorry,” Alex’s voice whispered in her ear, thick with guilt.

“It’s okay,” she gasped out, lying through her teeth.

His hips pulled out slightly and then shoved back in, and Bella shuddered.

“Pet’s ass just got its first cock!” the Wolf shouted above the cheers that exploded around them.

Tears leaked through her lashes—shame, humiliation, fear, and pain. It hurt as Alex’s cock dragged out of her, and the Wolf’s fingers wrapped around Alex’s hips and pulled him away before pushing forward again. The thrust made her writhe, made her groan and shudder as her body tried vainly to adjust to the thick cock that had deflowered her last, virgin hole.

The movement was even worse than the overly full feeling that burned as his cock receded, the strange drag of his flesh against her sensitive inner walls that exacerbated her discomfort. It almost felt better when Alex shoved back in again and the back of the Wolf’s fingers dug into her buttocks with Alex’s thick cock buried deep inside her. The Wolf was fucking them both again, using both of them at the same time.

Bella groaned and took it because there was nothing else she could do. Alex struggled above her and tried to fight the Wolf’s forceful thrusts; tried to resist the push and pull of his hands, which made for inconsistent thrusts into her own backside.

“Stop fighting, Alex, just stop!” she cried out, frustrated. Didn’t he realize struggling and fighting only made the entire event take longer?

“Listen to Pet, Toy. You might be the brawn, but she’s definitely the brains,” the Wolf said, laughing. “The more you fight, the worse it will be. Or maybe you’re too thick to have learned that lesson yet.”

She hated the way the Wolf taunted Alex but couldn’t help feeling a surge of relief as Alex stopped his useless resistance. The rhythm of thrusts became smoother, less painfully unpredictable. Her body relaxed as much as it could under the circumstances.

It already hurt less, although her level of guilt was higher now. There was never any benefit for free here; it was always a tradeoff.

The burning began to lessen, to morph into something else. Bella found the thrusts easier and easier to take; the steady rhythm stroking inside her became almost hypnotic.

It was starting to feel good.

That elusive ‘different’ good she’d heard about but never been interested in. It didn’t help that these smoother, steadier thrusts pressed the front of her mound against the padded leather, something she could appreciate more now that she wasn’t writhing in pain.

Her pussy began to feel hot and a little needy, and her ass clenched as her body demanded a response. Bella stifled a moan—was she beginning to enjoy this?

* * *

The first lift of Bella’s bottom up against his thrust was so subtle Alex thought he might have imagined it. Then came another. And another.

It felt incredible: the tight heat of her ass pushing against him, pulling at his cock, while the Wolf’s deep thrusts stroked his own heated interior, rubbing over his prostate again and again. Alex writhed between the two of them, caught by pleasure on all sides, as much as he hated it. As if sensing something had changed, the Wolf began to fuck him harder, spearing Alex’s anus with his cock and making Alex, in turn, fuck Bella harder.

Soft gasps beneath him indicated she’d begun to enjoy it; she wasn’t in pain anymore, which soothed some of his guilt. His muscles were incredibly sore now, although he still kept the Wolf from putting their combined weight onto her. Alex hated how much he enjoyed the silky heat of her ass, the way her muscles spasmed around his cock, and the soft cushion of her bottom against his groin… but he couldn’t help it.

“Fuck…”

The relentless press against his prostate was taking its toll, even with him fighting his orgasm and the tight cock-ring helping to postpone it. The Wolf was nearing his end, and Alex’s balls tightened in response: an erotic reflex he couldn’t control. Bella bucked beneath him, wriggling in a way that made him think she was rubbing her front against the bench, getting closer to her own climax.

Let go , said a little voice in his head. You wanted the Wolf to think he was getting the better of you anyway, just let go…

But that voice also worried him. The path of least resistance was dangerous. But at the same time, it was right.

Alex surrendered, the same way Bella had, but only for this moment. Only for right now while his cock plundered her virgin ass, while he was fucked from behind at the same time. He let the sensations overtake him, let them cloud out logic and reason and overpower his emotions.

The Wolf pounded harder into him, gripping Alex’s hips and forcefully shoving him into Bella’s tight ass. Every time he drew out, the Wolf’s hips surged forward and filled him, and he filled Bella in turn, fucking her harder and harder. Her gasps were louder now that he wasn’t holding back, and yet just as filled with a painful kind of pleasure. He’d heard her come often enough to know she was getting close.

When she did, her ass clamped down on him like a vise, sucking his cock in. Alex groaned and arched his back as her asshole squeezed him almost painfully, and he was unable to move in or out. The impossibly strong grip of her sphincter held him in place while the Wolf pummeled his own vulnerable asshole, the head of his dick sliding over Alex’s prostate with each thrust.

Cum pushed against the cock ring and then exploded through it, forcing its way past the tight constriction, past the spasming rim of Bella’s asshole and deep into her rectum. As he cried out, his body writhing with pleasure, he could feel the Wolf’s liquid explosion deep inside him, brought on by his own shuddering clenches. Heat filled him and ecstasy ripped through him, swinging him up and sending him crashing back down along with reality as wild applause filled his ears.

Alex hunched over Bella and took a shuddering breath. She mewled beneath him, and he realized he was crushing her. With the last of his strength, he pushed himself up so she could breath. Her asshole massaged his shrinking cock, and his did the same to the Wolf’s.

When the Wolf pulled out, a slimy track of cum slid out as well and began trickling down the back of Alex’s thigh.

“Are you okay?” he whispered in Bella’s ear, worried. She nodded, but he couldn’t see her face.

“Alright people, we only have another day and a half. Back to work,” the Wolf said loudly.

Soldiers pulled Alex off Bella, and he had a momentary glimpse of her reddened asshole gaping at him between her pink cheeks before he was led away. He was surprisingly wobbly on his own legs and allowed the soldiers to support him as they steered him out of the room while he vainly listened for more clues as to what exactly was going down in a day and a half.

After being cleaned in the showers, Bella and Alex were returned to their room. He was absurdly grateful when she crawled into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder as they cuddled in the bed.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered to the top of her head, stroking her hair.

“Don’t be stupid,” she whispered back, sounding sleepy. “I don’t blame you.”

Well, that was something, although it didn’t completely assuage his feelings of guilt. He kept feeling like he should have been able to do something.

* * *

Bella murmured more reassurances to Alex; she could tell from the tension in his body that he still blamed himself—the big idiot. Although she understood, there wasn’t anything he could have done. He took way too much of the responsibility for what was happening to them onto his broad shoulders. Eventually, he would crack under the strain if he overloaded himself.

She snuggled up to him, trying to ignore the soreness in her ass, and stroked his chest; curled her fingers through the wiry hairs.

“It’s okay,” she repeated. “Besides, I’d rather it be you than him.” It was the closest she’d come to telling Alex she was starting to have feelings for him that were more than friendly. What Bella meant was she was kind of glad it had been him if it had to be somebody. If it had been anyone else, even Ken, she would have suspected they’d been secretly overjoyed to be the one to pop her cherry.

Alex obviously respected that it hadn’t been something she’d wanted, and he’d done his best for her.

Sure, it had hurt, but it had also felt better in the end than she could have ever imagined. She still wasn’t sure what had happened—it had kind of felt like an orgasm, but different, too.

Slowly, the tension leaked out of Alex’s big body, and then soft snores told her he’d fallen asleep—probably exhausted. He’d definitely expended more energy than she had. All she’d done was lie there.

Bella wanted to get through this, more or less intact, and the best chance for that was to try to fly under the radar—not something Alex excelled at. Would the Wolf have been less interested in them if Alex wasn’t the way he was? He couldn’t help it, but the Wolf seemed to enjoy the process of breaking Alex more than he was interested in Bella.

Which, if she was only in this for herself, would have been a major advantage. But she and Alex were a team, and right now she didn’t know if they were winning or losing the long war.