Page 22 of Cruel Alpha: Season Two

“I know you won’t change your mind, and I know I’m not allowed to leave. So, just promise me.”

“Anything.” The word I’ve just breathed against her skin leaves my mouth without hesitation.

“Promise me you’ll never give them everything. Promise me you’ll never give them…this.” She places her hand over my racing heart, and something moves through me, an intense emotion that has my throat seizing when I should be speaking, reassuring her. But it takes a moment to form even simple words, because this woman makes me feel so fucking much.

“I promise.”

Her lips find mine after I whisper that vow, and there’s an unshakeable urgency in her touch as she kisses me. Matching her haste, I shift her toward the bed. She falls to the mattress, then stares down her torso, watching as I pull her underwear down the smoothness of her perfect thighs. She’s fixated on me as I lower to the floor, kneeling in front of her.

I take in the sight of her, this beautiful creature I swear was made just for me. She’s so obviously turned on and hungry for this. So much that the lips of her pussy glisten with arousal, begging to be kissed. I waste no time burying my face between her thighs, anxious to taste what will soon be mine. My tongue dips into her, probing her slit, and I savor the salty sweetness seeping from her core. Exploring her more, I find the silky bud between her lips, and Annalise shudders when I tease it with the tip of my tongue. She squirms on the mattress, gathering the sheet in both fists as I draw the swollen nub into my mouth and suck, hard and fast, showing no mercy even when she begs for it.

Her fingers wind their way into my hair, gripping it tightly as the sensation drives me even more insane for her. I want her tocome for me—no, Ineedher to come for me—and I’ll have it no other way.

She rasps my name as I flatten my tongue over her slit, giving her a slow, deliberate lick, breathing heat over her drenched pussy. I keep my eyes on her and watch closely for the moment she begins to relax. And when I see it, see her body go limp and motionless, thinking it’s safe to lower her guard, I draw her clit into my mouth again, sucking harder, in quick pulses that have her coming against my mouth in no time at all. When the sensation becomes too much, she tries to clamp her legs shut, but I push her thighs toward the mattress, opening her nice and wide while I feast.

Her back arches, and she sounds so fucking good as the most delicious cries and whimpers claw their way up from her throat.

Yes, Little Wolf, that’s it. I want it all.

Give me every-fucking-thing.

12

At Your Service

Annalise

“You’resure you’re all right?”

I glare at Tabitha from the corner of my eye when she whispers that question for the umpteenth time this evening. As if my answer will change.

“I’m fine,” I mutter, keeping my eyes straight, aimed directly at the back of Archibald’s head while he leads the way. Tabitha falls back, and her place beside me is suddenly filled by Lady Radcliffe. The soles of her high heeled shoes click and clack in sync with my own steps as she quickens her pace to keep up.

“For tonight to progress smoothly, it would be best to keep in mind that the selection of mates is the alpha’s decision alone,” she says quietly. “Your role is to remain poised, a shining example of grace and femininity.”

I bite down on the inside of my cheek to keep from screaming, and the bitter taste of blood reaches my tongue.

“Understood?” she asks, but I don’t respond as we round the corner and the door to the ballroom comes into view. Instead, I focus there, knowing what awaits me on the other side of the threshold.

Our small group composed of my maidens, Archibald, Lady Radcliffe, and myself comes to a stop, and my heart hammers against my ribcage. I haven’t seen Cas since last night. After our…encounter…I lay there in my bed, contemplating everything—my argument with Dimitri, meeting the other mates this evening, the state of my heart—and I found myself unable to stomach his presence. He was clearly confused when I asked him to leave, but it was for the best. I spent the entire night tossing and turning, struggling to accept my truth.

That there isn’t a single thing I can do to put a stop to this, and my life is no longer mine to control.

The door to the ballroom opens slowly, and I draw a deep breath. I’m not ready, hence the feeling of bile creeping up my throat as I take in the sight before me—Cas dressed in an expensive, tailored suit, both Dimitri and Creed standing to his left. I’m escorted forward by Archibald and made to stand to Cas’s right. The four who journeyed to this room with me have quickly fallen into formation, creating a second row behind us.

It's hard to tell whether the dizziness I feel is the result of my corset being laced too tightly, or if it’s just the culmination of feelings.

Seeing Dimitri for the first time since our argument.

Knowing why we’re all here.

Feeling absolutely stuck and suffocated by this world.

It’s as though all the air has been sucked out of the room, and the sensation worsens when heat engulfs my left hand. Aware of Cas’s attempt to discreetly grip my fingers, I pull away, clasping my hands in front of me without so much as sparing him a glance.

I can’t look at him, can’ttouchhim. Not right now. Not knowing there are other women under this very roof waiting to stake their claim on him.

The heavy double doors across the room slowly swing open, and a lump forms in my throat. I’m frozen in place, staring in horror as an elderly woman I’ve never laid eyes on before enters the room. Behind her, seven regal beauties follow in a perfect line.

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