Chapter 34: Chapter 34

LUXURY

The feast was lavish.

The long banquet table stretched through the heart of the courtyard, adorned with flickering lanterns and gold-etched plates, steaming dishes laid out in a spread fit for royalty. Rich meats, roasted and seasoned, filled the air with their intoxicating aroma. Sweetened fruits glistened under the firelight, and the scent of fresh bread curled through the space, warm and inviting.

This was a celebration.

For our people.

For our love.

For what we had become.

Selene sat beside me, radiant in the dim glow of the lanterns, her golden skin kissed by the moonlight, her dark hair spilling over her shoulders like silk. She had changed after the ceremony, slipping into a deep red gown, the fabric hugging her curves in a way that made my mouth run dry.

My luna.

She smiled as she reached for a piece of fruit, slicing it with the delicate edge of her knife before lifting it to my lips.

“Open,” she murmured, her voice low, teasing.

I didn’t hesitate.

I let her place it between my lips, my teeth grazing her fingers ever so slightly as I bit down. The burst of honeyed citrus coated my tongue, but it wasn’t the taste of the fruit that had my blood running hot.

It was the way she watched me.

Slow. Steady.

Like she owned me.

Because ~she did~.

Her eyes darkened as I swallowed, her lips parting slightly, her chest rising with a slow, controlled breath.

She enjoyed this.

Feeding me.

Tending to me.

Not because she had to.

Because she ~wanted~ to.

I caught her wrist before she could pull away, my thumb tracing along the delicate bones there. “You’ll make a spoiled alpha out of me,” I murmured.

Selene smirked. “You already are.”

I huffed a quiet laugh, but I didn’t let her go.

Instead, I lifted her hand to my mouth, running my tongue along the sweet juice that lingered on her fingertips.

Her breath hitched.

Her pupils dilated, her entire body tensing for the briefest second before she melted, leaning in, her thigh pressing against mine beneath the table.

I smirked. ~There it is.~

She might have ruled the pack beside me, might have stood in front of them all and commanded their loyalty, but here? Like this? She was mine.

And I intended to remind her of exactly what that meant.

I let my hand slip lower, brushing against the soft fabric of her gown, tracing slow, lazy circles against the inside of her thigh.

Selene’s breath stuttered, her body reacting instantly to my touch.

My lips barely moved as I spoke, my voice only for her. “~You’ve been teasing me all night, little wolf. Do you know what that does to me?~”

She swallowed hard, her fingers curling around the edge of her plate. “~What?~”

I smirked. “~It makes me want to ruin you.~”

Her thighs clenched instinctively, but I was already there, already pressing against the heat between them, feeling the bare, aching softness of her.

Bare.

I stilled.

A sharp, violent need struck through me like lightning.

“~No panties?~”

Selene bit her lip, tilting her head ever so slightly, feigning innocence.

I exhaled through my nose, sharp and slow, pressing my fingers more firmly against her.

Her breath hitched.

She was ~so~ wet.

Heat coiled low in my stomach, a primal, possessive hunger surging forward, dark and unrelenting.

She had come to this feast, knowing she wore nothing beneath her dress. Knowing I would find out. Knowing exactly what it would do to me.

“~You planned this,~” I murmured, slipping my fingers between her folds, teasing, parting, playing.

She inhaled sharply, her fingers gripping the tablecloth as I traced slow, deliberate circles over her clit.

“~I tore the other ones when I shifted,~” she admitted breathlessly. “~I didn’t see the point in putting anything back on.~”

I nearly groaned aloud.

“~You’re lucky we’re in public.~”

Selene’s lips curled into a slow, wicked smile. “~Am I?~”

I exhaled sharply through my nose, my patience fraying, my fingers pressing ~just~ a little harder, making her thighs tremble beneath the table.

She bit back a whimper.

“~Keep quiet, little wolf,~” I warned, my tone edged with authority. “~Unless you want them to know.~”

She shivered, her entire body trembling against me. “~I don’t care.~”

I huffed a quiet laugh. “~Oh, I think you do.~”

I slid my fingers lower, gathering her slick arousal before sliding them back up, teasing her clit. “~You’re soaked, Selene.~”

She exhaled shakily, gripping my wrist, but not to push me away.

To keep me ~there~.

To make sure I ~didn’t~ stop.

~Gods.~

I wanted to take her apart.

Wanted to pull her onto my lap, push her dress up over her hips, and make her ride me right here, in front of everyone.

Wanted to feel her break around me, clenching, trembling, surrendering.

But not yet.

Not here.

Not when I had so much more planned for her.

I pulled my fingers away, slow, teasing, making sure she felt every single second of their absence.

Selene exhaled shakily, her body tensing in protest. “~Lux—~”

I lifted my fingers to my lips.

Her scent, her taste—it was all ~her~.

I met her gaze as I slipped my fingers into my mouth, tasting her, letting my tongue flick over the wetness she had left behind.

Her breath hitched so sharply I thought she might ~actually~ make a sound.

Her nails dug into my thigh beneath the table, her body wound tight, desperate.

I leaned in, brushing my lips against her ear. “Do you have any idea what I’m going to do to you once I get you alone?”

She knew what this was.

She knew where this was going.

And she wanted it just as much as I did.

The feast carried on around us, but we weren’t paying attention anymore.

Not to the laughter, the conversation, the music that hummed softly through the courtyard.

Only to each other.

Selene’s fingers trailed down my arm, slow and deliberate. “I think I’ve had enough of this celebration,” she murmured, her voice dipping into something wicked.

I tilted my head, running the back of my fingers along her jaw. “Oh?”

She whimpered. “~Take me to bed, Alpha.~”

I growled.

Low and deep and possessive.

I stood, not caring who was watching, not caring that we were supposed to be celebrating with our people.

Because this—this was ~ours~.

She placed her hand in mine, her pulse racing beneath my touch.

I laced our fingers together, tugging her gently to her feet, my voice slipping into her mind like a velvet promise.

“~Run, little wolf.~”

Her breath shuddered.

“~Because once I catch you—~”

I squeezed her hand, leading her away from the table, away from the pack, away from everything that wasn’t ~her and me and the things I was about to do to her~—

“~—I’m not letting you go until I’ve had my fill.~”

The second the heavy doors of the alpha’s private wing shut behind us, silence fell.

No more feasting.

No more eyes watching us.

Just ~her~.

Just ~me~.

Selene turned to face me, her chest rising and falling with quick, shallow breaths. There was something in her eyes—something dark and daring.

Anticipation.

Challenge.

~She wanted to run.~

And gods, I ~wanted~ her to.

I took a slow step forward, my hands already moving to the buttons of my shirt, unfastening them one by one, my gaze never leaving hers.

“Take off your clothes.”

Selene’s breath hitched.

I let my shirt fall open, let her eyes rake over the hard lines of my chest, the way the firelight caught the ridges of muscle, the scars that mapped my skin.

She swallowed, but she didn’t move.

Not yet.

I tilted my head, a slow smirk curling over my lips. “What’s wrong, little wolf?” I taunted, my voice thick, edged with challenge. “You looked so bold out there.”

She lifted her chin. “And if I don’t?”

I let my belt slide free from my waist, letting the sound of leather snapping through the air fill the space between us.

I watched her pupils dilate.

“Then I’ll take them off myself.”

A shiver ran through her, but she still didn’t move. Instead, she took a single step back.

I exhaled sharply through my nose, amused. ~She wanted the chase.~

Good.

I shrugged my shirt off completely, rolling my shoulders. “You can shift. You can run. Do whatever you want, little wolf.” I took another step toward her. “But if I catch you…”

Selene sucked in a breath.

I smirked.

“You’re mine.”

She turned on her heel, bolting.

The hunt had begun.

I let her go.

Let her sprint down the dimly lit hall, her bare feet barely making a sound against the wooden floors.

But I was already moving, already stripping off the last of my clothes as I followed, slow, deliberate.

She wouldn’t get far.

Not in ~my~ territory.

Not when every inch of this place bent to ~me~.

I caught a flash of red fabric disappearing into the dark, a low growl rolling from my chest as I prowled after her.

I didn’t shift.

I didn’t need to.

Selene might have been fast, but I was ~faster~.

I followed the scent of her arousal, the lingering taste of her still on my tongue, my entire body tight with the need to take, to claim, to ~have~.

A door creaked open down the hall.

I smirked. “~Trying to hide, little wolf?~”

I stalked toward it, my steps unhurried, savoring every moment, every heartbeat of anticipation.

Then—

I slammed the door open.

Selene ~lunged~.

She had shifted, her wolf form sleek and dark and ~gorgeous~, muscles bunching as she tried to slip past me, her speed nearly unnatural.

Nearly.

But not enough.

I was ready.

I caught her mid-leap, my hands locking around her body, and with a sharp, effortless twist, I had her ~pinned~.

A sharp snarl tore from her, but I only ~laughed~.

“Caught you.”

She shifted beneath me, her body twisting, fur giving way to smooth, bare skin.

And gods—~that~ was almost enough to break me right there.

She was beneath me, breathless, her body flushed, her dark hair tangled around her face, her lips parted, gasping.

“Not fair,” she rasped.

I smirked. “I don’t play fair.”

My hands slid down, tracing the curves of her body, the way she trembled beneath my touch, every inch of her ~mine~ to take.

I leaned down, lips brushing against her ear.

“Now,” I murmured, voice thick with hunger. “Let’s see how long you last before you beg.”