Page 49 of Midnight Deception

“Don’t talk to her that way,” Nicolai snarls as he climbs around me, standing at the edge of the bed, not caring that he’s fully naked.

My horny bond is glowing in my chest, wanting rough, angry sex.Nope,I think to myself,that would be a bad idea. Nicolai and I have just completed our bond, so our emotions are a little more volatile as it settles. Possibly in the future and under different circumstances, we could make a go at it with Atlas, but right now, I think their possessive natures would make it too difficult and just turn it into a fight.

Atlas eyes the naked male, as if to assess whether or not he’s a threat. His top lip curls back in disgust, finding Nicolai lacking, and he turns away from him completely. This is one of the biggest insults in werewolf culture. You don’t turn your back on a werewolf unless you’re stupid and have a death wish, or because you’re implying that you don’t find them threatening. Whether Atlas knows about this or not, he’s playing a dangerous game with the newly mated male.

He gestures with his hands, like he needs to be doing something with them, his expression tight. “You have no idea how much fucking trouble you’re in! You weren’t supposed to fuck him!”

This makes me pause, my heart dropping into my stomach. The queen didn’t give me orders not to bond with Nicolai, but then I guess she didn’t realise that the two of us are now mates. I’ve never heard of someone being blessed later in their life before, so I can’t say I can blame her for her ignorance in this. Will Nicolai be punished for this? I don’t care what she does to me, but fear for my mate makes my blood run cold.

Grabbing the sheet from the bed, I yank it around myself and fashion it into a makeshift toga. I’m not ashamed of my body, and I’m not trying to hide, but there’s something about having an argument with someone who’s fully clothed while I’m not that makes me feel more vulnerable. Nicolai doesn’t have that problem, standing naked and proud beside me.

Grumbling and refusing to let Atlas make me feel ashamed, I stand my ground as I face off with him. “He’s my mate. What was I supposed to do?”

There were many reasons around why Nicolai and I had sex last night, and sure, one of the main ones was the mating bond between us, but there were others. My feelings for him were finally free and able to be validated, and to see him herealivewas completely overwhelming. My comment makes our actions from yesterday seem trivial, or like I had no other choice, which I hate, especially as I feel a twinge from Nicolai through the bond. There was no reluctance from me at all when we finally came together.

Atlas snorts. “Show some restraint, perhaps?”

Frustration and disbelief have me shaking my head.Just like he held restraint the other night when he had to taste you, a small voice whispers in my mind. Sure, we didn’t go all the way, but he can’t blame me for needing my mate when we were in the same situation just the other night. I’m about to chew him out over this when I see something in his eyes, and I realise what’s happening. With a quiet laugh of disbelief, I shake my head. “You’re jealous.”

I wouldn’t let him complete the bond with me the other night because I didn’t think he was ready for that commitment. The bond cannot be unbroken, and completing it just because you’re horny isn’t a good enough reason for me. When he comes to me because he wantsme, accepting me for who and what I am, then I will take that final step.

Refusing to answer me, he crosses his arms over his chest, his face stern. “You missed your lessons yesterday. The queen is fuming. You know those weren’t idle threats.”

This is what makes me nervous. I know the queen would absolutely carry out those threats. I fucked up. I should have left once we bonded and gone to my training, even if that meant I was late. By completely skipping them, it looks like I decided to rebel against her. Would she understand if I explained what happened and that I couldn’t leave my new mate so soon after bonding? Cursing under my breath, I rub my hands over my face. If I tell her that, it will just give her more power over me. However, she’ll find out Nicolai is my mate sooner or later. Indecision wars within me, but I know I need to make sure that I don’t make any more of a spectacle of myself than I already have.

“Threats? What threats?” Nicolai asks, concern in his voice. I know I’ll have to explain everything to him soon, but I don’t have time now. Not if his safety is in jeopardy.

Turning to face him, I keep my gaze up so as not to get distracted by his perfect, very naked body. Resting my hands on his chest, I wince, knowing that what I’m going to say next won’t go down well. “I have to go, but I’ll come back later, I promise.”

There’s not a huge height difference between us, but I still raise myself up on my tiptoes and press my lips against his to cut off any protests he might be about to make. He wraps his arms around me, holding me close, and I momentarily forget that I’m supposed to be leaving.

The door slams, startling me from the kiss, but Nicolai doesn’t let me go, instead kissing me until I melt against him. I feel Atlas stalk away with the angry tug in my chest, yanking at the bond to remind me he’s waiting. I rest my forehead against Nicolai’s and release a long sigh.

“Well, he’s a ray of sunshine,” he comments sarcastically, rubbing his hand up and down the length of my back to help soothe me.

I allow myself to enjoy the comfort for a few moments before I sigh and extract myself from his arms. “He’s struggling with all of this,” I explain lightly as I step back and search around on the floor for my discarded clothing, quite impressed at how it’s all still in one piece, given how frenzied it’d been taking it off.

“He’sstruggling?” Nicolai sounds incredulous, and I hear him moving around behind me. “What about you? You’re the one being held hostage here.”

I sigh, picking up my underwear and sliding it on. Glancing over my shoulder, I see him pulling on his own clothes. Quietly mourning the loss of his naked ass, I focus on my current task and pull on my shift dress. “It’s complicated, but he was brought up hating werewolves, so being mated to one…”

“You’re being too nice.” His voice is much closer now, and when he wraps his arms around my waist from behind, it’s not a surprise. “You shouldn’t let him treat you like that.”

I don’t explain that he started to treat me differently, and that I thought feelings, or at the very least, understanding, was starting to form between us. That only changed this morning when he walked in on me wrapped around another male, naked. Emotions tied to mates are complicated, and Atlas is a difficult male to understand. Nicolai has always been protective of me, and now that we’re mated, it’s going to increase tenfold.

Running my hands through my hair and wincing at the knots, I turn around to find Nicolai pulling on his shoes, now fully dressed and expectant.

“Where are we going?”

My chest constricts tightly. I don’t want to leave him. My bond is already weeping inside me at the thought, especially after having only just completed our bond, but part of me doesn’t want him strolling around Haven. At least here, he’s protected by the guards until I can figure out what’s going on. Whether the guards will even let him leave the room is another matter altogether.

“Nicolai…”

“Don’t look at me like that.” Pointing a finger in my direction, he wags it from side to side, trying to bring a smile to my face. When it doesn’t, he closes the distance between us and bundles me into his arms. “I was brought here for a reason, and there’s something sinister about that queen. I’m not letting you go out alone.” Kissing the top of my head, he takes a deep inhale of my scent, and I know he won’t take no for an answer.

Sure enough, when we try to exit the room, the guards refuse to let him leave. I worry that this is going to turn into a big argument, especially with Atlas watching with a smirk on his face. However, after I promise to return as soon as I can and explain everything, he agrees to let me go without him. Having our new connection goes a long way to helping him make this decision, because he’ll be able to feel if anything is wrong. He definitely gets pleasure out of remarking on the fact that we’re fully bonded in front of Atlas. In the end though, I think it’s the fact that he can feel me silently begging him not to cause a big scene here. Any fights that he gets into or trouble that’s caused is only going to get back to the queen and make everything more difficult. The look he gives me before I walk away speaks volumes—we’re going to have a long conversation when I return to him later.

After a searing kiss that leaves Atlas scowling, I leave Nicolai behind, feeling him in my chest, the pain of leaving my new mate a constant ache. Each step is difficult, but I think I’m hiding it pretty well as Atlas leads me up the spiral staircase and through the seemingly endless corridors.

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