Page 25 of Alpha Scorned

“Lucas?” What did Lucas have to do with anything?

“Yes. Is he your lover?” His mouth pressed into a tight line. “He’s a potential mate for you.” His grip tightened on my chin, the hand on my hip holding me flush to him.

“Mate? Oh, I see.” I sighed and shook my head as the reason for his question became clear. “Owen, I barely know him. And I honestly didn’t know we were potential mates. How are you so sure?”

His grip tightened further as he pushed his lower body flush against mine until there was no space between us. The ridge of his cock pushed into my lower belly, making my senses swim. “Because you got turned on watching me, Kerores, and he scented you…He was going to try and take you from me.”

I gazed up at him as he lowered his head and rubbed his nose gently against the side of mine, breathing me in.

“He’s not my lover, Owen.” I tried to reassure him by gripping him tighter.

“Good, then all he needs to do is stay away from you and I’ll let him live.” He pulled back and stared right into my eyes. “You’re mine now.”

I held his gaze and dug my nails into his back, a snarl of my own curling my lip. “You know, that means you’re mine, too, Owen. Stone told me you’ve been fucking other women. Lot’s of them.” I moved quickly before he could stop me, and cupped his balls, squeezing firmly. I harboured guilt for so many things, but one thing I wouldn’t stand for is my mate being unfaithful. He didn’t pull away, but his face became wary. He opened his mouth. “No. Don’t say anything. Don’t tell me about them.” I may have driven him in that direction, but I didn’t need the details. “But.” I tightened my grip before releasing him and rubbing my palm along his hard shaft. “This is mine now. If you fuck anyone else, we are definitely done, bond or not. Do you understand?”

A slow grin stretched his mouth. “I do.” And the way he breathed those words against my lips sounded like a vow. With a groan he pressed his lips against mine and my mind went off line. I willingly drowned in his kiss, duelling my tongue against his as he walked me backwards until the back of my knees hit the armchair. His weight bore me down into the soft cushions.

For a moment, I stiffened as memories tried to control me. No, I shoved them away and glanced at the corridor. My son was asleep in his room, but even that knowledge couldn’t stop the storm of desire rising in my soul. I wanted to belong to Owen, I always had. And even if such a dream only lasted for a short time, I would take everything he offered.

Chapter 10

Owen

My cock was so hardit hurt. I groaned, desperate to sink into the softness of my Lina.My mate.She had sealed her fate, she would be mine forever. Her belief that she wasn’t good enough, that she was damaged, was clear in her eyes. Silently, I vowed to make it my mission to change her mind, but I knew, even though she wanted me, things could change in an instant. She could have triggers that I could trip without meaning to. She’d suffered a horrible trauma, and I knew I needed to take things slowly, give her a sense of control. I forced myself to pull my mouth from hers, almost giving in when she groaned and chased my lips with her own.

“Lina, sweetheart, you have to tell me if you want me to stop. If I do anything to make you uncomfortable, you have to tell me.” She looked at me with big, luminous eyes, her pupils blown. Gods, she was so beautiful. I wanted her so badly I shook, but I didn’t want to fuck this up. “Lina?”

“Okay,” she whispered and pressed her luscious mouth against mine. I was instantly lost in our kiss. She matched my desperation, so I gently slipped my tongue against hers, gauging her reaction. She groaned. I relaxed and did it again, exploring every part of her mouth.

Not giving her a chance to come up for air, I devoured her, all of the anger and regret that still burned in my heart shoved aside. I’d deal with my own issues later. I needed Lina to understand that none of the things that had happened to my life were her fault. It was me who had let her go,mewho hadn’t fought for her—forus. Rawson was right, I’d given up far too quickly.

All of those women I’d sunk my cock into, they were faceless; just bodies to lose myself in. They meant nothing to me. But the pain I heard in her voice when she mentioned them? I wanted to die right there. Granted, it had hurt when she had chosen to become Shane’s Beta rather than coming to London to be with me, but the thought that she'd rejected me for him? That had ripped my heart out. So my response was to fuck my way through every woman I could see to try and dull my need for her? How the fuck she hadn’t twisted my balls off for my behaviour, I had no idea. Regret seared my heart. Mother Wolf, I wished I could take back all that I’d done. The best I could do now, though, would be to use every moment of our future together making it up to her.

Her fingernails scored my biceps as her head fell back against the cushions, her reaction intoxicating as I kissed and nipped my way along her jaw and down her neck. I wanted to sink into her body with such desperation I could taste it, but we had never spoken of her abuse. I had no idea what had happened to her. And despite her assurance that she’d tell me if she wanted me to stop, I hated the thought that I might do something to trigger her memories and tarnish our first time together.

I wrenched my mouth from hers and looked into her lust filled eyes.

“Do you really want this? We can stop…”

“What? No. Please, don’t stop.” She took a deep breath and her gaze dropped to my chest, but it wasn't to study my body. She tensed, her hands dropping to clutch at the towel before she looked at the scars around my neck.

Shit! I was such a dumb fuck!

Slowly, I sat back, kneeling between her legs. The scent of her desire made me crazy, but this was important. I kept my breathing steady and gently pried her grip from the towel. I lifted her fingers to the raised scar tissue at my neck, then moved our joined fingers to the scar at her neck.

“These don’t define us, Kerores. What happened in that prison wasn’t your fault and it will never change the way I feel about you. Hold my wrists, baby. If you want to stop me, you can. You are in control. Okay?” My heart squeezed as she nodded, her eyes shimmering. She looked so scared, her desire tainted now by the aroma of embarrassment and fear.

My mind spun with questions. How the hell did she manage to have sex with Shane if she was so destroyed at the thought of showing me her body? A wave of possessiveness stole my breath. Holding her gaze, I kept my wolf locked down, and undid the knot of the towel. Slowly, I peeled back the edges and her body came into view. Her eyelids fluttered shut and her chest rose and fell rapidly. Pain flickered through my forearms as she squeezed my wrists so tightly her fingernails drew blood, but she didn’t stop me.

I allowed my gaze to move from her neck down over the gentle mounds of her breasts. Her beauty stole the air from my lungs. Even though her eyes remained closed, it was as if she could feel my gaze. Her nipples contracted to tempting peaks, and I had to force myself not to lower my head and taste her. I wanted to pull one of those dusky pink buds between my teeth and hear her gasps as I bit her, only to soothe the ache with my tongue. My cock jumped in my pants, and I couldn’t help but gently run my fingertips over her soft skin. Goosebumps erupted over her skin at my touch, and I smiled, satisfaction burning through me at her gentle moan. But she stiffened as my touch went lower, and her eyes squeezed more tightly closed.

This was what she didn’t want me to see. Fury stole my breath, mixing with sadness and horror at the evidence of what had been done to her, but I didn’t halt my exploration. Instinct told me if she felt any hesitation in my touch, she would withdraw from me, and I could lose her again. I wasn’t going to let that happen.

Across her belly were multiple slash marks. To scar as they had, her injuries must have been inflicted on the same spots over and over again. But beneath those criss crossed raised marks was the definite outline of letters. The bastards had carved ‘whore’ into her lower belly.

I glanced up. The tears I saw seeping from her closed lids nearly broke me. My wolf howled, feeling her distress. I clamped my teeth together to contain the sound. I couldn’t speak. My body shook, and I was terrified I would say the wrong thing, my fury was so intense. I wanted to kill those bastards all over again, only they were gone, back to the pit of Hell that had birthed them. My mate, my Kerores, was here with me. And more than anything, she needed to know that these scars did nothing to mar her beauty in my eyes.

I leant forward and gently brushed my lips across the first scar. My heart bled for her as I kissed every single inch of every single scar. She was strong, a survivor, and she’d raised Devon pretty much by herself. She didn’t need to be alone anymore, though. I’d make sure she knew that. But first she needed to know that to me, she was perfect.

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