17 Prince’s Dilerna
- Prince’s Dilema
Damon’s POV
The study was too quiet.
Sailas lounged against the bookshelf, grinning like the ***t he was, while Aurelia stood stiffly by the window, her fingers tapping an impatient rhythm against the glass.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “This better be good, Sailas.”
I’d been seconds away from returning to my Ara, from burying my hands in her hair, from tasting the fear and defiance still lingering on her lips, when my brother’s mindlink had shattered the moment.
“Were you i
in the middle of mating? Did I disturb you?” Sailas asked.
The bastard had the audacity to smirk.
“Did you call me here to discuss my s*x life?” My voice could’ve frozen the hell.
Aurelia smacked Sailas‘ shoulder. “Shut up, you idiot.”
I’d once thought of her as a refined noblewoman. Then she joined us in this hunt, and the rest was history.
She was always respectful to me, but her chemistry with Sailas was another story.
“We have news, Your Highness. She straightened, all business now. “We captured a few rogues.”
“Deal with them,” I interrupted.
“Wait, Damon, you should see it,” his voice became serious.
“Alright,” I sighed as we walked into the basement.
Silas took the lead, his boots scuffing against wooden steps. “Fair warning, it’s not what you’re expecting.”
The stench hit me first. Rotting eggs and desperation. Five figures huddled in the corner of a cell, and my stomach dropped.
Pups.
Four scrawny kids clung to a trembling woman, her arms wrapped around them like a shield.
“Please,” she begged, voice cracking. “They’re just children.”
One of the pups, a girl no older than six, bared her tiny teeth at me. “We’ll bite you!”
I shot Silas a glare. “This is your big lead?”
He shrugged, suddenly sheepish. “They were hiding in an underground bunker. The mom’s running from her mate–said he tortured her. The other two pups? Orphans she picked up along the way.”
“Sound familiar? Ryan murmured.
Too familiar. My mother’s petition flashed in my mind–rogues deserve protection too.
I turned on my heel and marched back upstairs, Silas hot on my heels.
“Well?” he prompted. “Shall I prepare the execution pyre? Or were you planning to challenge the five–year–old to single combat first?”
15
17 mees Diletta
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Keep them fed. And quiet. Interrogate the mother about rogue hideouts.
Then… we’ll see.”
“How merciful of His Grumpiness. Silas bowed with exaggerated flourish.
“Are you done?” I growled, wanting to get back to Ara.
“Actually there’s one more.” Aurelia said.
“And?” I raised my eyebrows.
“A Male, mid–thirties. Claims he came to join the rogue pack,” she replied.
Sallas crossed his arms, smug. “Which means our intel was right. There’s a hidden den here.”
My fingers tightened around the armrest, “I see.”
Then why hadn’t I found it?
The woods were vast, and some places were impenetrable. That was their only shield. I tried to search the entire area but didn’t find much.
It’s
s time we called in the warriors,” Sailas said. “Search every inch of those woods. They’re only hiding because of the density, we’ll strip that advantage away.”
Aurelia nodded. “I agree.”
A muscle in my jaw twitched.
We’d come here quietly, under the guise of a routine hunt, to confirm the rogues‘ presence. But if they’d built an entire pack beneath our noses.
“Do it,” I said. “Anything else?” I bit out, eager to return to Ara, the only warmth I had found in years.
I
Sailas hesitated. “What about your mate? You really don’t want me digging deeper?”
“I trust her.” The words left no room for argument.
“Are you sure?” He pressed.
“Check one thing.” I relented. “Where her parents live.”
She’d said she hadn’t seen them in a while. Maybe bringing them here would ease the shadows in her eyes.
Sailas‘ grin returned. “Why? Planning to ask for her hand like some lovesick knight?”
“Just do it.” I barked. This pup! He knew exactly how to get into my nerves.
I stood up, ready to leave, but Sailas‘ next words froze me mid–step.
“Wait… Looks like you won’t be asking for their blessings anytime soon.” His fingers flew over his tablet. “She’s orphaned.”
Aurelia snatched the device, her face paling. “Both parents were Beta warriors. Died in a border skirmish.”
Ice flooded my veins.
I’d asked her about them. And she smiled and said, “Maybe soon.”
Soon. Like she planned to join them..
Was that why she was in the woods, all by herself! Was she planning to do something stupid, dangerous!
ווו
25
17 Puner’s Dilema
My heart raced with the possibilities. The way she looked so carefree by the waterfall, as if nothing mattered!
Ryan’s growl reverberated in my skull. “She’s hurting. We need to keep her safe!
‘We will. I bit back the growl.
Sallas frowned at the screen. “Odd. With warrior parents, how is she wolfless? Not to mention she was the first of her kind from her pack.”
“Enough,” I snarled.
“We should send her to the capital, Sailas suggested.
Ryan’s rage spiked. ‘No. NEVER!
“Are you done?” My claws unsheathed.
Aurelia stepped between us. “He’s right. Once the warriors arrive, this area won’t be safe. If the rogues learn you’ve got a wolfless mate-”
We can prote
protect her. We are strong, Ryan snapped.
‘Can we?‘ The thought of Ara caught in the crossfire burned me from inside.
‘How about the cursed palace? You grew up as an unfavored prince. Thanks to Seraphina, you are still alive. Can she survive there?‘ Ryan retroted. And he was right.
“The palace isn’t safe for her either” I said coldly.
“Mother will guard her like a treasure,” Sailas countered. “She’ll train her in protocols and what not. By the time you return, she’ll be ready to stand as your princess.”
Aurelia nodded. “Or she stays at Lawson Castle. No one needs to know she’s your mate. My father will protect her and my mentor can train her.”
They weren’t wrong either.
The palace was a viper’s nest, but Seraphina would shield Ara since she was my mate. And my father? He would see only her womb, another vessel for his bloodline. I doubt he would harm her either.
Ryan’s protest was a raw, wounded thing. ‘Don’t send her away!
‘It’s the only way to keep her alive.‘ I protested.
“Think about it, Damon. If she stays, they w
“I’ll talk to her,” I said before leaving the study.
use her against you.” Sailas spoke.
She was asleep when I returned. Curled in my sheets, my T–shirt drowning her fragile frame. Pale. So damn pale, And thin. She didn’t eat much earlier either.
‘We will make sure she eats properly, I whispered.
“How? You are planning to send her off, Ryans protested, I didn’t argue any further.
I stripped off my shirt and slid in behind her, pulling her against my chest. Her scent, lavender and honey. something uniquely Ara, wrapped around me, tightening my throat.
She stirred, her sleepy emerald eyes fluttering open.
“Damon?” She whispered my name.
“Let me hold you.”
I buried my face in her hair, memorizing the feel of her. I had just found her and tomorrow, she would be gone.
Ryan’s warning was a growl. ‘Don’t do this.”
We have to. This is for her safety!
My lips burned against the nape of her neck. She tasted like honey and defiance, like everything forbidden and everything mine. And her scent was maddening.
“Mmm… Damon-”
Her moan was my undoing.
I licked a slow, torturous trail up her throat, my teeth grazing the spot where my mark would one day lie. The skin there was so soft, so vulnerable, and the possessive beast inside me roared.
MINE!
Even if I had to let her go tomorrow, tonight, she was here. Right now. Warm. Willing. And she was MINE. Her hips arched back, pressing that perfect ass against my throbbing co.ck, and I groaned, my fingers digging into her waist.
*f**k, Ara,” I growled against her skin, my breath ragged. “Are you trying to kill me, little mate?”
My hand slid beneath the thin fabric of my shirt. MY SHIRT… that she wore, and my control splintered when I found nothing but soft, bare skin. No bra. Just her, warm and pliant in my arms.
“Gods, you’re perfect,” I rasped, palming her breast, my thumb brushing over her nipple until it pebbled against my touch.
She gasped, her back arching, her ass grinding against me again, and again, sending a jolt of pleasure to my throbbing length. It was all I craved!
Damn it, woman!
“Aah!”
The sound went straight to my heart. How could she make me so hard even without touching me?
Ryan snarled in my head, ‘Mark her. Take her. Now
I couldn’t. I wouldn’t! Because she deserved more. A ceremony. A claiming worthy of a queen. My Queen!
I would wait!
Even if it killed me.
My hand trailed lower, over the dip of her waist, the curve of her hip, until my fingers slipped beneath the lace of her panties. I wanted to feel every inch of her, I wanted to leave my mark on her. Her touch, her scent, her moans, everything was intoxicating.
“f**k,” I hissed. “You’re so damn wet for me, little mate.”
She whimpered as I circled her clit, her hips bucking against my touch.
“Tell me what you want,” I demanded, my voice rough with need.
“Damon-“His name spilled from her lips like a prayer, broken and sweet.
17 Ponces dema
I pressed a finger inside her, and she cried out, her walls fluttering around me. Goddess, she was tight, as if she was untouched. Every second my control slipped a little more. The scent of her arousal was divine.
“Mine,” I growled against her ear, my teeth scraping the claiming spot on her neck. “Say it.”
She trembled, her breath coming in shallow pants, “…..
Then, suddenly, she stilled.
Her muscles locked, her breath hitching.
I froze. What happened? Was she uncomfortable?
She turned in my arms, her emerald eyes wide, her lips looked so kissable. Flushed. Beautiful. And somehow..
Scared.
“Are you… are you going to… do that?” she whispered.
“Yes,” Ryan snarled before I could stop him.
She flinched. Fear took over her other senses as she trembled a little.
My chest tightened at the sight. Was she scared of me? Or of something else. It didn’t matter.
‘Control yourself. You’re scaring her,’ I snapped at my lycan.
Ryan howled in frustration, but I forced myself to pull away, my body screaming in protest.
This was torture. I never was this hard before.
I stood abruptly, my co.ck aching, my pulse roaring in my ears.
“Your hi–highness…” Her voice was small, trembling.
I couldn’t look at her. If I did, I would lose what little restraint I had left. I wouldn’t stop unless I devoured her
in whole.
Cold shower it is! I gritted in my head. No, can’t take a shower here! Her scent was everywhere!
I had to leave before my control broke, before I broke her.
Comments
