Page 42 of Moonlit Choosing Ritual

He grabbed the back of my head and fisted my hair in his hand. Yanking my face up, he growled, “I can’t unmark you.Even if that was an option, I wouldn’t.” A muscle feathered in his jaw. Then he left me and lowered my pillows. “Sleep tight. I’m sleeping with you.”

“What? No!”

He slid in next to me, and when I tried to pound on his chest, he held my wrists and pinned them above us. Then he pressed his body against mine, grinding his hard shaft against my belly. It was then that I realized that my pussy was so sore and still wet. I let out a frustrated cry as he locked me with his legs. “Calm down, Kimble,” he gritted. His rock-hard cock reminded me of our mating ceremony, making my clit throb. Heat crept into my cheeks at the embarrassment that I was wet for him against all logic. I tried to thrash against him but ended up squirming against his cock. It swelled and I felt its heat through my muslin gown. I was completely pinned by him and now totally immobile.

Fear cruised through me because I knew Talon was the strongest of all the Alphas, and he could do anything he wanted. I’d heard his wolf was so strong it could rip and shred five wolves at a time in an attack.

Now I understood. The only reason he gave me the option of freeing myself from my debt was to make me relax, so I would never be suspicious of his plans. “I want you to leave,” I said, tears leaking from the sides of my eyes.

“No, Kimble. That’s not an option. You’re mine. I’ll never leave you, nor will I let you leave me. You’ll bear my pups.” He let go of my wrists, brought my hands down between us and then curled his arms around me, trapping both my hands. And, as if understanding what I was thinking, he added, “Do you want to know why I offered to pay your debt?” He waited for my outburst. “I wanted you to be less stressed.”

With my face buried in his chest, I cried.

“How long was I passed out?” I whispered, my eyes feeling heavy.

“Three days,” he replied, swallowing thickly as if it was a painful reminder.

I remembered what he said about their venom. “Is this why you took me to the woods?”

“That’s right,” he said, resting his chin on my head. “That’s why I took you to the forest. That was the tree you were tied to.”

I didn’t know what to feel when I looked at him. Part of me burned with anger, a fire stoked by the fact that he claimed me, as if I were something to be owned. But then there was this pull, a deep, magnetic force that made my heart stumble in its rhythm whenever he was near. I hated how my body reacted to him, how a single glance could unravel my resolve, leaving me tangled in emotions I didn’t want to admit to. I felt trapped between wanting to push him away and this aching desire to know more, to understand why I was drawn to someone who made me feel both furious and alive all at once.

How could I want to escape him and yet find myself leaning toward him, like a moth that knew the flame would burn, but couldn’t resist the heat? It was maddening, this push and pull, this war between my head and my heart.

Chapter 23

Kimble

I found myself in an endless expanse of apple orchards. The air was perfumed with the intoxicating scent of ripe fruit. The trees, heavy with luscious red apples, beckoned me closer as if whispering secrets of desire. Each apple glistened under the sun, evoking a sense of forbidden temptation.

As I moved across the orchard, the warm breeze caressed my skin, heightening my senses. I reached out and plucked an apple, its smooth, cool surface contrasting with the heat of my palm. I rubbed the apple on my cheeks and then brought it to my lips and took a bite. The sweet, succulent juice dripped down my chin, igniting a sensual hunger inside me. I moaned, loving the taste, and so I took another bite, and soon I was sucking its juice, moaning and exploring my erotic desires freely.

Someone groaned. I didn’t care. I loved my apple way too much.

The boundaries between me and the orchard blurred, making me a part of the erotic Eden I was in.

A soft “Kimble” didn’t deter me from sucking the juices. I felt a tug of my head as if someone had fisted my hair and yanked my head back. “Kimble,” he groaned.

I gasped when his fingers dug in my ass cheeks, and I jerked open my eyes only to realize what I had done. I had bitten Talon right on his nipple. The bite was so intense that blood oozed around it. The worst part was that I was licking it.

“Oh my God!” I jolted away but he didn’t leave me. My sex was pressed against his very hard cock. He moaned when I tried to squirm in his grasp as I accidentally rubbed myself over him. “I’m sorry!” I apologized, looking at him.

“What for?” he asked, staring at me intensely. His eyes darkened. “That’s my mate’s mark.”

I gulped, my heart thundering in my chest like it would leap out. “Look, I didn’t mean to bite you. It was an accident. Let me get some antiseptic and clean you up.”

“A very lovely accident,” he said and lowered his lips to mine, tasting me again. He kissed me roughly, delving his tongue inside me like he had the right to do whatever he wanted with me. And by Goddess—why did I open up for him?

I pushed against his chest forcefully. “No!”

He let go of me, breathing heavily, staring at me like I had stolen his favorite toy. I rolled away from him and got out of the bed. My eyes went to his chest. It was still bleeding a little. Feeling guilty as hell, I walked to the bathroom and came back with a soaked towel. My head felt dizzy at first, but the feeling went away quickly. When I went back to him, I wiped the blood from his chest. “You might have to go to a doctor,” I said, examining it. “I’m so sorry again…”

He grabbed my wrist to stop me. “I’m not sorry.”

I licked my lips and took a ragged breath. “How is this going to work out? I don’t want to stay with you. I’ll pay off my debt to you, and you’ll free me like you said you would.”

He folded his arms and cradled his head on them. “You aren’t going anywhere. Consider that option deleted from your life. You’re mine and I protect what’s mine. If you even think of escaping, Kimble, I promise I’ll burn this place down and pile bodies upon bodies to get to you. And I’ll unalive any person who tries to stop me.” He took a strand of my hair and rubbed it between his fingers. In a soft, yet menacingly calm voice, he added, “So don’t think of leaving me. You’ll be doing mankind a favor.”

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