Page 35 of Alpha's Impostor Bride

He was wearing a sleeveless vest under the coat, and as he crosses his arms over his chest, his muscles bulge. I look at them admiringly. I really want to run my hands over them to see whether they are soft or hard. But I would not dare to touch this man without his permission.

“Bella. I heard she came to visit you. You denied her request.”

I sneak a glance at his eyes. “If you want to reinstate her, I won’t object.”

“No. She hasn’t learned her lesson yet.”

I try to burrow even deeper into the coat. “She was crying when she left. That’s why I feel bad. I feel like I stole something from her.”

It feels like everything I am, I stole from Princess Vivian and from Bella Asher. Am I even necessary?

“She was simply holding down the fort until the new queen arrived.” Cedric looks down at me. “She was aware of that. She just doesn’t like the idea of letting go of the control she has had up till now. I decide who runs this castle. You aren’t stealing anything from anyone. Stop wasting your time with this foolish idea.”

I huff silently.

“The full moon is going to take place in a few weeks,” Cedric suddenly says. “I will talk to the healer. If your body is able, we will try for an heir.”

My fingers tighten in the fabric of the coat. I know what that means. He plans to have sex with me.

He has never attempted it before, and I chalked it up to the fact that he simply did not want to sleep with someone who wasn’t a real princess. Or maybe he was simply not attracted to me. I know that wolves are carnal creatures. We need physical intimacy. But Cedric has never even kissed me.

And I’ve never had the mental capacity to look at him as anything other than my captor. Now, the idea that we will have to be intimate shocks me back into reality. My wolf rolls over in my mind, pleased with this development. Meanwhile, a soft flush crawls over my body. Compared to me, Cedric is massive. He has large, bulky muscles, and if he wanted to, he could crush me very easily. I’m well aware of his strength. And I have to be intimate with him—

I hear him sniff the air, and then he rumbles in his chest. “Leanna.”

My eyes squeeze shut at the warning edge to his tone. It reaches down to the very core of me, my lower muscles tensing in anticipation of…something.

“Behave,” he growls.

I tremble as a strange desire wraps itself around me. “I—I should go. I feel unwell.”

I move past him, desperate to get away from him, but he grabs my arm and yanks me back. I slam into his chest, and when I look up at him, there’s something in his eyes that makes my knees feel weak.

“W–What?” I stammer out.

“Your scent.”

His brows are knitted together, and when he lowers his mouth, I feel his breath against the side of my neck. A small sound leaves my lips, and I feel something hard pressing against my stomach. The realization of what it is makes me stumble backward, but Cedric’s arm wraps around my waist, keeping me in place.

“How many lovers have you had, Leanna?” he murmurs, his voice dark and filled with a hunger that is feeding the treacherous insanity growing within me.

“One,” I whisper. “A long time ago.”

“How long?”

I can’t even budge in his hold, his arm like a steel band around my body. “I was sixteen. Eight years ago.”

“That’s all?”

I don’t want to remember his name or his face. I don’t want to remember how he sweet-talked me into his bed.

“He was Princess Vivian’s friend. He had made a—” Humiliation has me trying to pull away. “There was a wager involved, and he won. The princess didn’t like losing to him, and I was punished. That’s it. He’s the only man I’ve ever been with.”

“A wager?” My mate narrows his eyes, studying me. “About what?”

“Is this conversation really necessary?” I ask desperately. “I would rather not think about it. It was a long time ago.”

I expect him to push me on this, but to my surprise, he nods. “Very well.”

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