Chapter 22: Desires of the Alpha King

CONNOR

The second Elaine’s fist connected with my father’s face, I felt a surge of desire. I couldn’t explain it, but watching her defend me was a turn-on.

Khan, my inner wolf, wagged his tail in my mind as we admired her. She stood tall, commanding respect like the queen she was—~my queen~.

“Connor, where are we headed?” Elaine asked, her voice echoing down the castle’s hallways as I led the way.

I just smiled, not meeting her gaze.

“Connor?”

“To our bedroom,” I finally replied.

Her eyes, those stunning blue orbs, widened in surprise. She looked taken aback, and her brows furrowed in confusion.

“Hold on, what?” She stopped in her tracks, pulling me back with her. “We have pressing matters to deal with, Connor.”

“Yes, and this is one of them,” I said, grinning before nudging her forward.

She grumbled under her breath, turning to look at me.

“No!” she protested, her voice stubborn. “I don’t know what you’re up to, but we have more urgent issues. We have hunters, Connor, they’re harming our people!”

I sighed, taking her hand in mine. I brought it to my lips, kissing each knuckle gently.

“I know, but there’s something I want to do before we dive back into this chaos,” I said, smiling at her.

She raised an eyebrow at me.

“Let’s just go to our room, please.”

“Sorry, Connor,” Elaine growled, pulling her hand away from mine. “If you won’t listen to me, I’ll go on my own.”

My eyes widened as she started to back away. I felt a burning sensation on the shackles, and I growled in her direction.

“Elaine!” I called out, but she continued to retreat. The pain shot up my arm, and I groaned, “Fine!”

I threw my hands up in surrender. Elaine stopped, slowly turning around with a triumphant smile on her lips.

“Now let’s go. We have work to do.”

***

“So we’re leaving earlier than planned?” I asked, turning to face her.

We had gathered our team in the conference room to discuss changes to our travel plans.

“Yes, tomorrow,” Elaine confirmed. I glanced at the small group that would accompany us on our visit to the packs.

“I need the warriors ready. We should leave around four so we can reach the first pack by dawn.”

“Understood. Anything else?” my beta asked. I sighed, frustrated. This wasn’t how I had envisioned the day going.

My gaze drifted over Elaine’s body. I swallowed hard, pushing away the inappropriate thoughts that flooded my mind.

I closed my eyes, trying to focus on anything but her. But it was a losing battle. All I wanted was to be with Elaine, to kiss her, to make love to her.

“Connor!” Elaine’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I opened my eyes to find we were alone in the conference room. “Are you okay? You seem distracted.”

“Yes.” I stood up. “Can we take a break now?”

“Would you mind if we stop by the library first? You can rest there,” Elaine suggested, tidying up the stack of papers on the table.

“Elaine, no.” I rested my forehead on her shoulder. “Let’s go to our room.”

“Why?” Elaine pulled away from me, her icy blue eyes studying me as if I were a threat. She had no idea how frustrated I was.

“You’ve been saying that all day. What’s the rush to get to the room?”

“Let’s just go, please,” I pleaded, my voice bordering on desperate.

“Do you need to take a shit?” Elaine asked. I choked on my response, looking at her in disbelief. A playful smile danced on her lips. “Is it ~that~?”

“Elaine!” I grumbled, my cheeks burning with embarrassment. “No!”

I shook my head as she burst into laughter.

“Goddess, give me patience with this woman,” I muttered, gathering my things. Elaine’s laughter followed us out of the room.

Once we reached the library, Elaine hurried over to a table. A mischievous smile spread across her face, making me wonder what she was up to.

“Why are we here?” I asked, draping my jacket over a nearby chair.

“I’m looking for something. You relax. I’ll be right here,” Elaine said, waving me off as she headed for a bookshelf.

I found a couch and sank into it, watching as she pulled books from the shelf.

I groaned, annoyed, and covered my face with my arm.

I shifted on the couch, opening my eyes to find Elaine sitting at the table, engrossed in a book. Her fingers traced the lines of text.

My gaze traveled up to her face, where a small crease had formed between her eyebrows.

I don’t know why I hadn’t noticed before, but Elaine was beautiful. Her fiery red hair, which seemed to change shades depending on the light, perfectly complemented her icy blue eyes and porcelain skin.

Maybe my hatred for her had blinded me. But she was truly breathtaking. Now I understood why Sorin was so smitten with her.

I sat up on the couch, rubbing my face. Peeking through my fingers, I watched as she bit her lower lip.

I inhaled sharply as memories of our previous lovemaking flooded my mind. Why was I feeling like this? Was it because mating season was approaching?

I heard a noise from Elaine’s direction and looked up. She was standing now, her back to me. She leaned against the table as she opened two more books.

I cursed under my breath, my eyes trailing down her legs and over her firm ass. With a sigh, I stood and walked over to her, my hands finding her waist.

“Connor?” Elaine murmured, her attention still on her books.

“I’m sorry. I promised I wouldn’t touch you without your consent,” I whispered against her back. “But I can’t.”

“Can’t what?” Elaine asked, seemingly unfazed.

Feeling a wave of shame, I tightened my grip on her waist, causing her to stiffen. I pressed my body against hers to show her how I was feeling.

Her breath hitched, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

“I’m sorry,” I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper.

Elaine let out a sigh, turning slowly within the circle of my arms. Her hands rested on my chest, and I couldn’t help but look at her with a sense of guilt.

“Connor, no.” Her voice was firm, her blue eyes clear and resolute.

“I know,” I replied, my voice filled with restlessness. “But—”

“No buts. I’m not your true mate, so stop messing around.” She pushed past me, her words stinging.

I stayed rooted to the spot as she walked around the table and headed straight for the shelf. I had no shame, so I followed her, like a lost puppy seeking attention.

“Elaine, just listen to me,” I pleaded, standing behind her once again. “I know that all this time when we did it, it was because we both wanted it. But right now, ~I need it~.”

It was selfish, but my desire for her was so intense it was almost painful.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t say yes this time,” she responded.

She had every right to refuse me. She did. But I wasn’t ready to give up. Despite knowing it might be a bad idea, I cornered Elaine. I braced myself for her to lash out at me, but instead, she slowly turned, a frown etched on her face.

“Connor, back off,” she commanded, but I didn’t move. “If you don’t step back, I won’t hold back!”

“Just say yes,” I murmured, my voice rough. I knew Khan was on the surface, trying to reach Ashina. “I want you so badly.”

Elaine’s mouth opened, ready to protest, so I closed the gap between us until our bodies were almost touching.

“Your king wants you, my queen,” I declared, looking straight into Elaine’s eyes, which were now swirling with Ashina's golden hues. “I desire you.”

“Connor.” She tensed, then looked away.

I licked my lips, leaning in closer, knowing that I could win her over slowly. I placed a gentle kiss on her cheek, and Elaine swallowed hard.

She avoided my gaze, so I decided to tease her a little more.

“Stop…please,” Elaine murmured, her breath hitching, but I continued. “Connor.”

“Say yes, please,” I repeated softly. My lips moved to the mating mark.

As I kissed it, Elaine’s hands moved to my chest, clutching my shirt.

“My queen, I selfishly ask you: allow your king to make love to you,” I whispered in her ear. Her body sagged against the bookshelf.

“Connor,” she breathed out. I smiled. She was now facing me, her lips beckoning me to taste them.

With a growl, I pressed my lips against hers, savoring every inch of her beautiful lips.

She moaned into the kiss, and I deepened it. I lifted Elaine into my arms when she wrapped her legs around my waist. I shuddered.

She felt so good against me, this was exactly what I needed, to feel her close to me.

Moving us to the table, I pushed everything off of it. Books tumbled down as papers scattered. Laying her down, I looked at her pale face, now flushed.

I smiled wickedly, then reached for my shirt, pulling it off. Elaine’s eyes slowly traveled down my body until they stopped where my erection was straining against my pants.

“Should we undress you?” I reached for her shirt. She didn’t stop me, so I used my claws to rip open her buttons, revealing her breasts in all their glory.

I raised an eyebrow approvingly. She wasn’t wearing a bra. Leaning over, I blew softly over her nipples. Goosebumps erupted on her skin, and her nipples hardened.

I could feel the heat radiating from her body and her arousal making me even more turned on.

“Connor?”

I looked at her, her face flushed with anticipation.

“Kiss me, Connor.”

I chuckled, then pulled her closer to me.

“Tell me how you want it, Elaine,” I commanded.

Her hands trembled as they moved along my arms. I watched in awe as she traced her fingernails over every muscle. I closed my eyes, savoring the moment.

“Elaine…,” I whispered, my voice filled with desire.

Every instinct in me screamed to fuck her senseless until she passed out, but I wasn’t about to do that.

I wanted to savor this, make her feel me, and ensure she wouldn’t forget this the next time I asked her for sex.

Sitting up, Elaine reached for my neck and pulled me until our lips met. I felt overwhelmed as she pressed her bare chest against mine.

Keeping my hands on the table, I let her touch me and explore wherever she wanted to. I was planning to make her beg me to touch her.

We continued kissing for a few more minutes, when a movement outside the doors made us stop.

My head turned to the side when the doors opened and four of our warriors with Elaine’s brother stepped in.

Elaine let out a scream as I instinctively covered her from their view.

“Get the fuck out!” I barked.

Everyone scrambled and shut the doors in a hurry, causing everything around us to shake.

“Damn it. I’m sorry.”

I ran a hand through my hair while she kept her head down, silent.

“Elaine?” I called again. This time, Elaine pushed me and slid off the table.

“We should go,” she muttered as she hurriedly put her ripped shirt back on.

“Wait, what?” I asked, confused. I reached for her hand, and she slapped mine away. Upset, I frowned.

“Elaine, what’s wrong?” I asked, but she wouldn’t look at me.

“Nothing. Let’s go back to work.”

She started picking up the books and putting them back on the shelf. I tried again to get her to talk, but she ignored me. Clenching my jaw, I picked up the shirt from the floor.

“Please, Elaine,” I pleaded, but her expression was more than I could bear to see. Was she ashamed? “I will talk with them.”

“Enough, Connor. Let’s just go…please.”

I turned away from her, frustrated. I hated the fact that she didn’t trust me enough to tell me how she felt.