Page 7 of Owned By Four Alphas

“But you could have told him.”

“Perhaps I didn’t want to tell him. Perhaps I mightily enjoyed watching you give him a verbal lashing.” He batted his eyelashes, crawling forwards towards her, his lower lip pushed out into a pout. “How can I make it up to you, my little dove?”

“Don’t try that with me, I know you’re full of it.” Selena yet again pushed his hands away, raising an eyebrow at his petulant expression. “Do you think he’s terribly angry with me?”

Elian groaned and rolled onto his back, arms splayed out, “May the gods spare me from the dragon’s constant interference when I’m trying to seduce my mate!”

Selena threw a shoe at his chest. He caught it with lightning-fast reflexes, chucking it over his shoulder as a grin spread over his face.

“Did you just try and attack me with a shoe?”

“Be quiet and answer my question.”

“How can I be quiet and answer your question?”

“Elian, you’reimpossible!”

He jumped to his feet with the easy grace of a cat, stretching and rolling his arms with no small amount of show. “You know Kaelen’s never actually angry with you. Frustrated perhaps, and constantly confused that you have the audacity to break his silly rules. But never actually angry.”

“He certainly didn’t hesitate to shout at me,” she grumbled, well aware of the petulance in her voice, “and threaten me.”

“In his defense,” Elian said, raising his hands at her answering glare, “you do sometimes give him mixed messages.”

“What?” Selena growled, hand already searching for another projectile to send flying at his face.

Elian’s eyes darkened, “Come on, Selena, I’ve seen you two together. Participated myself on more than one occasion. When he has you naked and writhing beneath him, you’re all too happy to submit completely to him.You’re so strong, Kaelen, I’lldo anything you want, please, I’ll obey you, you’re my alpha, just please don’t stop—”

“Yes, alright!” Selena shouted, her cheeks burning. “That’s different! When we’re…you know…”

“Fucking.”

“Yes,thank you, Elian. When we’re… together like that, it’s different.”

Flashes of memory, of Kaelen’s intense amber eyes, his wild red hair, the fieryscentof him as he pinned her down and forced her to obey him—

“I don’t see how it’s different,” Elian replied, a knowing smirk on his face. “He’s an alpha. He hears an omega submit to him, he believes she’s actually, you know,submittingto him.”

“I submit to all of you when we’re in bed!”

“Not like you do with him. Ronan, it’s animal instinct. Malek, you go all lovesick and pining. And with me…would you like me to remind you how you are with me, little dove?”

This time, the shoe found its target.

Elian rubbed his chest and pouted. “So violent, my darling. But it does prove my point. With me, you’re a spoiled little brat who needs reminding who’s in charge. With Kaelen, he just has to growl and you’re a quivering mess ofoh pleaseandI’m yours. He takes it literally.”

“Well that sounds like his problem! If he can’t separate how I am in bed with what I want in real life, then he needs to learn!”

Elian’s face turned serious, all cheek gone. “I’m not sure you quite realize what it is he’s trying to do. What we’re trying to do. You’re young and you don’t always understand what ourpeople can be like. We’re trying to unite the realm, and not everyone is happy about that. And while some may be charmed by your magic and your beauty, there are others who need convincing with altogether harsher methods.”

“Don’t patronize me, Elian, I know not everyone thinks I should be queen.”

“But do you know what Kaelen and I have been doing about those people?”

Her mouth opened, and then promptly shut again. She didn’t know. She had watched Elian and Kaelen move about the circles of nobles, heard them creep in from late night meetings, watched them murmur together with low tones. But she had always assumed it was just general political posturing.

Elian smirked. “I’ll take it by your silence that you have no idea. And that’s good. You shouldn’t have to know. But you can be certain in the knowledge that we are exposed to threats to you all the time. And we neutralize them. But they’re not going away, and they’re only getting stronger.”

She gulped as he stalked forward, his gaze purely predatory.

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