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Kassandra couldn’t look away from him. His eyes burned, the expression so intense she gasped. This, this, was what Cian meant when he described how an Alpha could look at you like he’d die if he didn’t have you.

Gently, he plucked the lute from her and placed it on the table. Then, before she understood what he was doing, he swept her up into his arms. The entire camp stared, but for the first time, she didn’t shrink back, because Lodan held her, and if he held her, she was safe. “I don’t have the patience to enjoy the rest of the feast,” he said.

She put her hand on his chest. “Eager to order me around some more in your tent?”

His heart kicked beneath her hand, beating faster. “Always.”

Lodan might be able to school his expression so she couldn’t read him, but he couldn’t control his heart. She leaned forward and pressed her lips on his neck, keeping her hand on his chest.

His heart kicked again, and he stumbled, almost dropping her. Swearing violently, he walked faster.

She affected him.

Of course she knew he desired her as an Alpha desires an Omega, but this was the first time it felt like Lodan wasn’t in complete control of what was happening between them. A funny sensation fluttered in her stomach.

In what seemed like mere seconds, he shouldered through the entry flap into his tent. Slowly, he lowered her to the ground, his hands lingering at her waist as if he didn’t want to let her go. “I want you to fix the bed.”

Her heart thumped in her chest, and she shivered. The atmosphere was different tonight. It didn’t feel like she was battling against him, it felt like they were walking together down a path. The problem was, she wasn’t certain where that path would lead. Probably nowhere good.

“The bed?”

“Yes. You said it’s wrong. Make it right.”

“It’s your bed, not mine?—”

He growled and pointed. “It’s your bed tonight. Fix it.”

If he was truly her Alpha, he’d want her to make their bed because it’s what an Omega did for her Alpha. It was a part of the ritual for starting a new life together—an Omega set up the nest, then the two of them would keep it the way the Omega wished. But Lodan wasn’t her Alpha.

Yet he looked so serious, as if her preparing the bed really mattered to him.

Her fingers itched every time she looked at it, wanting to set it to rights. “All right, but I’m doing it because this bed needs help.”

Breathing deeply, she grabbed one of the blankets folded near the footboard and fluffed it into its proper place. How did he sleep in this bed? It wasn’t right at all. One of the Betas, most likely Carl, always pulled one thin blanket tight across the bed, leaving the rest folded at the feet. And the pillows were all in a heap. There was nothing comfortable about that.

Kassandra unfolded the blanket at the foot and laid it out properly, soft and inviting, not taut like a drum. Next, she added a few more blankets from the stack of skins folded on top of a pallet in the corner. She wanted fluffy blankets cocooning her and Lodan.

Good. This was better. Tilting her head, she studied her nest. She moved a few pillows and drew the blankets up so they’d wrap around her when she slept.

No. Not her nest.

She had no nest other than the pitiful one she created on the floor to sleep in.

“That looks better.”

She jumped and whirled around. Lodan stood close, filling up the extra space in the tent. It struck her anew just how big he really was.

All of him would be that big.

“I’m not sure your approval means much. You probably sleep on rocks under the stars.”

“I’ve slept on the hard ground many times, so I can appreciate a soft bed, especially when I’m not alone in it,” he said with a shrug.

He grabbed her waist, pulling her close as his mouth landed on her neck. His body dwarfed hers. Caged her. His Alpha scent strengthened, seeping into her like a drug, and she curled closer to him.

His fingers tightened along her back.

These were the hands of the Warlord. Someone who killed easily. Ruthlessly. They were gentle when they caressed her, but what would they be like if she was under him, letting him take her the way only an Alpha could?

She trembled, and he stilled, drawing back.

His eyes were solidly black, but he took a long breath, and some gold returned, threading through in brilliant flecks. “All the other times you should have been afraid, you weren’t. Why are you fearful now?”

She glanced at the bed. “Are you going to hurt me?”

He didn’t speak for a long moment, and when he did, his voice was different. Softer. “What did I tell you I wanted from you?”

She bit at her lip, and his gaze dropped to her mouth. The fingers on her waist flexed, but otherwise, he didn’t move. “You said you want me to bear your child.”

“Yes. What else?”

She glanced at the bed again and shook her head.

He let out a small purring sound. “I said I wanted to hear you beg me to fill you.”

She nodded.

“Only when you’re under me, so crazed with desire for me and no other, will I finally give you what you want. When that happens,” —his hand lifted and he cupped her chin, tilting her head farther up to meet his gaze— “you’ll be ready for me. You understand?”

Her heart still galloped in her chest.

“It will bring me no—” he paused as if searching for the right word “—no pleasure to have you in pain. But when I knot you for the first time, it will be intense.”

She shivered again, but it wasn’t fear prickling over her body this time. Soon, the Warlord was going to seal himself inside her, taking the first step toward making the two of them a pair in more ways than she wanted. “Intense?”

“For both of us.”

She swallowed. “You’ve done this before, though.”

His gaze didn’t leave hers, but his expression flickered. Softened. “It’s never been like this.”

Her heart thumped painfully in her chest as if it had suddenly grown a few sizes larger. He ran a hand through her hair, then untied the binding at her neck to let it tumble down her back. “You’ve made my bed yours now.” His head dipped, and his breath fanned against her neck. “Tell me who you want in your nest with you.”

She looked at the perfect blankets. They rippled in invitation for her and Lodan to lay down. Making her first nest for her mate was supposed to be something sacred between a bonded Omega and her Alpha. She shook her head. “It’s not a nest. I made the bed more comfortable.”

Was that disappointment that crossed his face? “Fine. Then who have you made this bed for?”

“You,” she whispered.

“Good. Now take my clothes off.”

She swallowed hard.

He stretched his long arms over his head, revealing a slim stretch of taut stomach muscles. He raised a brow at her as if issuing a challenge. “And do it slowly, as if it’s your most treasured task, because it should be.”

“My most treasured task should be undressing you? Are you daft?”

“You know you want to see all of me. I’m surprised you didn’t try to sneak more of a peek this morning when you thought I was asleep.”

Her gaze remained on his stomach, on the hint of muscles along his ribs visible through the fabric of his shirt. “I wasn’t interested then, and I’m not now.” She grabbed the hem of his simple linen shirt and slipped it up and over his skin. She drew it slowly up his chest, and because he was so tall, he had to help her as she slipped it over his head.

His torso with all its scars was visible, and he pointed to one along his ribs. “Touch one. I want to make sure you’re going to stay here in the present.”

She traced it with a fingertip. Nothing happened. No visions. No blurred surroundings as her consciousness changed. Underneath her finger, his chest hitched.

Placing her hand on his chest again, she stroked down his ribs to his hipbone, and he let out a ragged breath, unable to hide his physical reaction to her. His heart rate escalated every time her fingers brushed his skin. She continued exploring him, keeping one hand over his heart, the other stroking over his skin as if it had a life of its own, running along the hard planes of his muscles.

“See, you can’t stop caressing me.”

“I’m looking for the best spot to bury a knife.”

She froze. She’d just threatened the Warlord.

Then his head tipped back, and he laughed.

Her mouth dropped open. His laugh was low and smoky, rolling over her and making her smile. Before she knew what she was doing, she reached up and touched his face. He turned into her hand and whispered his lips over her fingertips, kissing them.

Heat burned deep in her stomach, flowing through her limbs, making her feel pliable. Supple. Ready to have an Alpha inside her. She stared at his broad shoulders. When he was on top of her, entering her, they’d span above her. Her breath hitched, and a blaze of lust punched through her.

Lowering her hands, she unlaced his trousers. One motion, and they pooled on the floor.

She gasped. He hadn’t been wearing anything underneath, and was already hard. Far larger than she’d pictured, his cock was the length of her forearm and thick, with a bead of moisture leaking from the tip. Her throat suddenly dry, she struggled to swallow.

He wiped the drop with his thumb and brought it to her lips. Without a thought, she licked it up.

Liquid heat churned, turning into a blast of fire charging through her veins. With one hand, she gripped his length, stroking from tip to base. The base thickened slightly where his knot would come, and she squeezed gently.

He groaned and ripped her shirt off in one motion. His mouth landed below her ear, found the sensitive hollow below her jaw, and he sucked. Bit. She barely felt him untie her pants, only realizing she was naked when the cool air moved along her bare bottom.

He picked her up and spread her on the bed. For one moment, he stared at her, and his eyes turned solid black again. He growled and slid over her, covering her body with his. It was exactly as she’d imagined, him dwarfing her, his shoulders wide and solid above her. Propping himself up on one forearm, he nipped along the column of her neck down to her shoulder, his free hand landing on her breast.

With the hard pad of his thumb, he rubbed her nipple, trailing his fingers over the side in a featherlight tickle.

They were already hypersensitive, the tips flushed and at attention. “More. More, Lodan.” She arched her back, pushing her breast into his hand.

The heady scent of cedar and leather emanating from him was like a fog she inhaled with every breath. More warmth uncurled in her stomach, and a delicious ache formed between her thighs.

With two fingers, he plucked at one peak, and she let out a small cry. His mouth became hungrier along her neck, kissing, biting. He rolled her nipple gently, yet with each pass, he increased the pressure until she writhed beneath him. Then he began anew with the other.

Her legs parted, and he shifted, moving more fully between them. Using his thighs, he pushed her knees even farther apart.

Her breath came in short gasps. When his hand left her breast, she moaned and arched, wanting more, but his hand dipped along her stomach, and then lower to her sex. The heat of his desire filled the air and pressed around her in waves, making her head muzzy.

“Keep looking at me. Look at your Alpha.” He trailed his fingers over the ache between her legs, running them through the wetness there.

“You aren’t my Alpha.” Fire licked on her skin everywhere his fingertips touched.

He growled and her insides fluttered. “Look how you react to me. Your body disagrees.”

His fingers trailed over her clit, and she grabbed his shoulders, her fingernails biting in deep. Delicious friction built between her legs, and she needed more.

He growled again, and the vibration traced up her spine like lightning, her insides clenching tight with a jolt of pure lust. Her back arched, and she leaned into him, parting her legs even more in invitation.

His fingers slid through her slick folds. No matter how many times she recited in her head that he wasn’t her Alpha, her body welcomed him. Ached for him. He dipped into her wet heat, probed, then sank one finger inside her.

It curled.

With a moan, barely coherent, she murmured, “Yes. Oh yes.”

Slowly, he pumped his finger in and out. When it delved deep she winced, her channel clenching. But his thumb circled over her clit, and pleasure seared through her. As he settled more fully over her, he wedged two fingers inside, continuing to tease her with his thumb. Kassandra’s hips rose greedily. She rocked, riding his hand, his fingers.

Faster. She needed more.

Every muscle tensed, she barely breathed as all her focus was on what he was doing. Waves of pleasure built; she was on the edge …

He stopped. “You know what I want to hear.” The words were more guttural sound than speech.

Their gazes locked. This was madness. The world was tipped on its side, and she was floating in some kind of dream. Her entire body throbbed, wanting him. Only him.

Alpha. Alpha. Mine.

He toyed with her clit and tore another cry from her lips. She lurched forward and bit his neck under his ear. He made a pleased kind of sound, and she liked it. She licked at his neck, tasting creamy skin with a hint of salt.

He made the sound again, and this time, it lasted longer.

A purr. A real Alpha purr. He purred again, and she ran her hands into his hair, tugging him closer.

Tonight, he would be an Alpha she was letting into her bed, like Cian said. It didn’t matter that he was the only one she’d ever wanted like this. It didn’t matter that a primal part of herself screamed for more. Demanded more.

His fingers moved again, and she forgot to think at all. His cedar scent was deepening, filling the tent, and she rubbed against him, liking the way he smelled on her skin. He made another pleased noise and rocked his finger back and forth.

She keened, tilting her hips.

“You want more. You need more.”

“I won’t beg.” She scratched hard down his back, probably drawing blood.

His mouth trailed down her neck, down her chest and stomach, seeking lower still. Hot breath fanned her sex.

She whimpered. Even his breath— his breath —made her throb, desperate for release.

He lowered his head.

His tongue laved exactly the right place, and she cried out. His hands gripped her thighs, keeping her still when her hips bucked. Flying close to the edge, ready to shatter under him, ready to?—

But he gentled his attentions, licking lazily and circling the tip of his tongue with the lightest of pressure.

“You taste incredible.” His voice rumbled against her inner thigh. Deeper. Guttural.

She whined and tried to press closer, but he kept her in place. Again, he pushed her close, only to back away when she needed more. Sweat slicked her skin, coating her with a fiery heat. All she saw was him, his golden eyes flooded with black, blazing as he pleasured her. “You want me inside you. You need me inside you.”

“Yes.” She ached deep between her legs. If he stopped, she might combust.

“I’m your Alpha.”

She nodded, and another wave of lust washed over her. “I won’t beg.” She ran her hands through his hair. “But I will ask.” She swallowed hard. “Bed me, Lodan.”

He let out a strangled kind of groan, lowered himself to her, and sucked.

She exploded. Pinpricks of color flashed across her vision. She clawed at him. The pleasure edged with a ferocity that didn’t quite satisfy her. It wasn’t enough.

He sucked gently, drawing out her climax until she gasped and whimpered. When he stopped, he covered her with his body again, his face near hers. Fisting her hair, he tilted her head up. “Look at me. Don’t stop looking at me.”

More fully on top of her, he aligned his hips above hers. His heat was at her entrance, and he rubbed against the seam of her, where she waited, wet and ready.

A small trill of alarm shot through her. Wasn’t she supposed to get on her hands and knees? She’d expected he’d be behind her, where it would be less intimate. Where there would be less temptation to tilt her head and welcome him to claim her.

But his hips pinned hers to the bed—he was going to take her like this. His gaze remained on hers, pure black, as he sank the tip of his cock inside her.

She whimpered. It was too much. Not the stretch. The stretch was surprising but not painful. It was him . The feel of being entwined with him.

Sweat slicked his skin as he edged deeper. Slowly, but steadily. He was molding her to him. Making her body his in the way only an Alpha could.

Her blood sang. The Omega side of her, long latent, stretched, and crooned. She arched her back and released a small Omega purr.

He froze, his own purr halting in his chest. Then he fell forward, covering her fully, and thrust.

Kassandra clawed at him. Too much. Too big. Her inner muscles quivered at the intrusion, rebelled at being filled like this.

He pushed himself all the way to the root.

The pressure was intense. She squirmed, trying to move backward. Away.

He grunted and rocked his hips, working to get as deep as possible. An Alpha’s instinct to chase. To take her fully.

His lips landed along her jaw, and he brushed them there, then down her neck. No nipping. No sucking. A soft, soothing touch. He stopped moving. His breathing was ragged, the muscles beneath her hands rock solid as he held himself taut over her. He paused, held himself still, and purred again. “Let me in.”

She whimpered. “You are in.”

His fingers stroked over her temple and wove in her hair. He turned her head to face him and licked along her throat. “You’re mine, you understand?” He growled the last word, and his fingers tightened in her hair. “Feel how we fit perfectly.”

Kassandra’s chest heaved. The pressure was lessening, until all she was left with was the exquisite feel of him inside her. Owning every inch of space. She’d let him claim her pleasure. Her body already adapted, clenching around him. Letting him in to fully take her. “I feel it. I feel you.” The words ripped out of her as if spoken from a deep place inside her.

Lodan began to move.

Long, slow strokes. Each glide fanned heat through her. Each motion softened her more, so it seemed like she cupped him every time he withdrew, as if reluctant to have his length leave her.

When his cock hit one particular spot, she moaned. He focused his attention there, thrusting harder and faster. More. She writhed beneath him, her hips tilting to give him better access. She moaned again and again, the closest she’d gotten to begging.

So, this was what an Alpha could do. Goddess above, it was amazing.

She was winding upward, faster and faster. Her entire body tightened. He growled, and thrust deep. Crying out, she flew over the edge again. She clenched, milking him, trying to draw him deeper.

Something inside her relaxed fully. A submittal she hadn’t known was hers to give. One she didn’t want to give, but she was too busy thrashing, too swamped by the waves of pleasure coursing through her. She couldn’t fight anymore.

He let out a pleased groan and thrust harder. “Yes. Yes, Kassandra.”

Kassandra.

Her name. Not Omega. Not Princess.

A warmth threaded through the pleasure. An additional connection he twined between them.

If she’d thought him deep before, now he got deeper with every stroke. He shifted. Each time he bottomed out, he rubbed against her clit, bringing back the friction.

Cries she didn’t recognize tore out of her throat, and she circled her hips.

His strokes increased. Harder. Faster. Good, she wanted more.

He stopped withdrawing as fully, and a swelling throbbed at her entrance. His knot was starting to catch. Panic shot through her, and she clawed at his biceps.

He pinned her hips to the bed and pressed, rocking back and forth. She squirmed and keened. He growled and worked harder.

Kassandra whimpered. It was too much. Too full.

“Look at me. Look at me when I knot you.”

Her gaze flew to his.

It was so intimate … too intimate. She didn’t want him looking at her like this. For him to burrow further, own her body in every way an Alpha could. For him to demand her very soul.

He wrapped his arms tightly around her and, holding her still, plunged one last time and remained seated, letting his knot come.

Kassandra cried out, her back arching. Burning pressure made her feel every twitch, every small push as he sealed them together. The intensity was everything he said it would be, but it also felt … good.

She squirmed, but held within his massive arms, there was nowhere to go. All she could do was gulp in huge breaths. She quivered, her muscles tense.

He throbbed, warm and full inside her.

He’d fully knotted them together.

One large pulse, and his release filled her.

Her head fell back. Oh yes! This was perfect. All pain was gone. The pressure wasn’t unwelcome, it was perfect. His seed was warm, and it felt good. Really good.

Give her more.

His knot pulsed rhythmically, and she moaned. Each pulse rubbed against the spot inside her exactly where she needed. When he released again, she tilted her hips for it. Needing it. Wanting it deep.

She wrapped her legs around him.

He already held her, but she clutched at him as if she couldn’t get close enough. How had she lived her entire life without this?

He rocked his hips, and she lost all control. Her hips snapped, and she flew upward into another climax.

This time it rolled on and on, minute after minute, bliss swamping bliss. He kept dipping his hips, sweeping their pleasure along like they rode one long wave, his gaze locked on hers.

It was supposed to be like this. They were supposed to be one like this.

She grabbed him tighter, and he broke their eye contact, nuzzling her neck where it sloped to meet her shoulder. The sudden urge to offer herself, to give him her bond, slashed through her. If she invited him to bond with her, she’d be his forever, bondmates or not.

She whimpered, and her body, her traitorous body, clenched around him. Trying to prove she should be melded to him forever.

No. He was the Warlord. Her enemy.

She buried her head in his chest, moving away from his lips. Something tugged deep in her chest and gave a small sob, but she ignored it. Instead, she let him take her to the edge again.