Pregnant Runaway Mate of the Alpha Prince, page 4
part #37 of Forbidden Alpha Kings Series
“I would love to,” she agreed.
She rested her hand in mine, and as the song slid into another, we took it to the dance floor. My hand found her waist, guiding her into motion with me. Her hands were gloved, and I wanted to tear the thin layer of fabric off and feel her bare skin on mine.
As we moved closer, her scent overwhelmed my senses.
Cinnamon and ginger.
Warmth.
“What drew you here tonight?” I couldn’t resist asking.
A complicated look crossed her eyes, and I wondered what was going on behind them. “Curiosity,” she admitted.
I nodded, completely understanding it.
If her parents gave her as little say in this meeting as mine did, she probably felt exactly like I did.
We moved along with the music, her feet keeping in perfect time with mine, and my hand slid from her hip to her lower back, getting us closer still. I lost track of how many songs we danced to and how long we spent on that dance floor, but I would have stayed there forever with her.
Buck caught my eye halfway through a song. He was dancing with a young woman clad in deep green, but he was motioning to something else. As I turned to assess what he wanted, I noticed another woman in silver.
Crinkling my brow in confusion, I leaned in to speak with my dance partner.
“You weren’t formally invited here, were you?”
She tensed up a little, and I couldn’t fight the smile spread across my face. “Should I have been? I thought this event was open to everyone.”
“It is,” I agreed. “A few guests were specifically invited, though, and I thought you were one of them.”
She looked hurt, and I quickly had to stop that.
“I’m glad you’re here,” I assured her. “Let’s go somewhere we can talk.”
I felt her physically relax against me, and as I removed my hand from her back, I kept my other hand clasping hers. She kept close, following me as if we were one unit. Brock looked surprised, and I ignored it.
This wasn’t the woman my parents had planned for me to meet.
That wasn’t the worst thing that could have happened, but I wouldn’t let them scare her away now that I knew.
I didn’t even know her name.
Instead of letting it eat at me, I led her away from the great hall and into the gardens beyond it. The balcony opened into a beautiful green space filled with soft lighting. So far, nobody else had wandered off this far.
“Do you know who I am?” I asked.
She looked nervous and then nodded. “I recognize your eyes. It wasn’t until we started dancing that I noticed.”
“What about you? Do I get to know who you are?”
“I’m someone far less interesting,” she said. “Thank you for the dance, I didn’t mean to take up so much of your night—”
I had to stop her there.
“You’re the only reason I’m enjoying tonight,” I explained. Lifting my hand to her face, I brushed the pad of my thumb over her plump lips. Her skin was hot to the touch, and I watched as she leaned against my touch.
“I didn’t think it could possibly play out this way.” Her voice was soft, sweet. Like she was sharing a secret she didn’t want anyone else to know.
“We could always make it more interesting,” I teased. Moving my hand, I slowly brushed her hair back and away from her face. “You’re stunning. Even out here in the moonlight you look like a dream.”
Her face turned a brighter shade of pink and I loved it.
She was perfect.
Leaning in, I tilted my head and kissed her softly.
The feeling of her lips on mine was electric, but I needed to know she wanted this, too. Moving my head back just enough so all I could feel was her breath on my mouth, I was rewarded as she closed the distance and kissed me back with a sweet desperation.
There was something sublime about the sensation.
Her lips were soft on mine, and I wanted more.
Pressing closer, I started pulling off those obnoxiously long gloves from her hands as we kissed. I could feel goosebumps under my fingertips as I worked, and every inch of the revealed skin felt like a secret between us.
My hand finally pressed against her bare skin, and I cupped her face in my other palm.
I’d never felt this electricity with any other woman.
She was something else entirely.
The kiss deepened, and I needed everything from her. Anything she could give me. I wanted to push up her dress and take her there, but I also needed to recognize that we were only a few dozen feet away from the party.
“Come with me,” I demanded.
She took my hand, gloves left on the floor behind us, and I was able to guide her down and into the garden itself. “Would you like to shift?” I asked.
Her face turned bright red, and she looked unsure.
“I don’t want to ruin my dress, I’m not sure I—”
Why was she so hesitant?
“I’m not going to make you do anything you don’t want to,” I replied.
She shook her head. “I want to shift, but I need to undress. Why don’t you turn around?” she asked.
I understood her discomfort immediately.
“Of course,” I replied.
I stole one more kiss and then turned to give her more privacy.
Her dress made soft, crinkling fabric sounds as she slid out of it, and then it was complete silence. For half a second, I thought she’d left me. She’d waited until she got me alone and then fled when I asked her to be daring with me.
I still could smell her there, though.
Cinnamon and ginger.
Something soft moved against my hand. I looked down, and my jaw dropped.
Pure white, with small traces of silver, her wolf form looked like it was made of the moon itself. Those dark eyes stared up at me patiently, and her tail wagged emphatically like she was excited to be shifted.
I shifted quickly.
Not caring about my suit, I shifted and felt the fabric strip from me like paper.
She seemed so small beside me.
The clock tower rang out that it was one in the morning, and the excitement of how much night was ahead of us felt freeing.
I nuzzled against her head, and she nuzzled back. Her fur was so soft against my face. Scenting her again, I led her off the path and toward the forest. I knew every inch of the trails around here, and I could take her anywhere.
My companion’s paw pads were fast beside me, and it gave me the urge to try and see how quick she was. Pushing faster, I was pleased as she kept right behind me. The woods smelled of both of us. Ours.
The thought was heady, and some part of me could distantly understand the appeal of a kingdom.
Showing that these things were ours.
Together.
I didn’t even know her, but I felt so connected to her. In tune. Fated. The idea of fated mates felt right as it swirled around my mind and sank deep into my chest. She caught up with me while I was deep in thought, and I turned to catch her off guard.
This sent us tumbling down to the ground, barking in laughter as the soft grass caught us.
Pinning her to the ground, loose enough that she could get free if she wanted, I breathed in the sublime scent of her neck and jawline and licked tentatively. She moved her neck aside, turning her head, and instinct took over.
I couldn’t stop myself.
Opening my mouth, fangs bared, I marked her neck with my teeth.
She let out a soft whine but relaxed against my body like it was what she wanted, what she needed.
I licked and soothed the mark, and before I realized it, we were both shifting back to human form. The mark was shiny, with saliva mixing with sweat, but I could hardly see her with my human eyes. Her mask was gone, and I didn’t even get to see her face.
Before I could lean back to try and get a better view of her, she was kissing me.
Fated mates.
The thought came back, and I traced it in my mind. Why was this coming to me so easily now? I never even considered the idea before, but now with her in my hands all I could think was that it had to be her.
Fated mates had a magnetism between them.
Desperation without even really knowing each other.
This was usually a flight of fancy for people who were in royal bloodlines. They could feel this incredible connection and know that they were meant to be and nothing could separate them. They’d know through scent and touch alone.
Although I felt that with all of the cells in my body, I didn’t have that same luxury.
I wasn’t even sure I believed fated mates before, but it felt right with her now. “I need you,” she murmured against my lips.
She didn’t have to ask twice.
I kissed her again roughly, claiming her lips as mine, and I felt her back arch up against me. Using one hand to support myself above her, my other explored her body. The swell of her hips, her warm and welcoming thighs, and the hot wetness that waited for me between them.
“Is this okay?” I asked.
“Yes,” her voice was trembling. If she wasn’t kissing me and rolling her hips against my hand I wouldn’t have been so sure.
Swirling my fingers against her clit, I was rewarded as she gasped and moaned against my mouth. Listening to her, I could still make out the din of the party happening not far away. We’d made our way back toward the castle.
I pressed my middle and ring finger into her entrance slowly, convincing her body to relax and welcome me in. “Is this your first time?” I murmured.
She stiffened a little, obviously questioning what the right answer was. I kissed her softly, encouraging her, and it seemed to work.
Nodding, she laid back and took a deep nervous breath. Her chest shuddered with it. “I’ve never even kissed a man before all of this.” Her hips rolled against my hand, and it encouraged me to move and keep kissing her.
“I’ll work at your speed,” I explained.
Her arms wrapped around my neck, stealing my mouth to hers, and my cock throbbed with need. I wanted to be inside her. I needed all of her.
“Please,” she moaned against my lips.
5
Ella
I’d never kissed a boy before.
Much less what we were doing in those darkened woods.
My legs were on either side of his hips, and my heels dug deep in the grass beneath us. Harris’s breath was hot on my mouth, his fingers deep inside of me while his palm rubbed roughly against my clit.
My head spun wild circles, spiraling out of control and making me say things I’d never said before. He marked me.
I was his.
The marked point throbbed on my neck, and I couldn’t take waiting anymore. I’d never felt this strongly before.
He kissed me, spinning my head into a million different feelings, and I couldn’t wait anymore. “Please,” I moaned against his lips.
He growled against my kiss, and my heart beat faster.
“You’re incredible,” he groaned.
Lowering down against me, Harris pulled his fingers from inside of me and rubbed his cock against my clit, down to my entrance, and back up again. My back arched, and my legs fell further apart. As he pushed into me, the stretch was unlike anything else I’d ever experienced.
I hurt at first, but he kissed me softly, and my body relaxed to allow him further in.
Harris’s lips left mine, and instead, he started licking and kissing where he marked me instead. The sensation let out a wave of excitement, making my entire body buzz and throb with need, and I could feel myself squeezing and gripping his cock inside of me.
He pulled back and thrust into me again, and I needed all of it.
I rolled my hips against him, and as his speed increased, I felt like I was seeing stars in the tree’s canopy above me.
Soft moans slipped from my mouth, and I couldn’t help but be embarrassed that I was letting them out.
“Don’t hold it in, baby,” he spoke with his lips against my skin. “I want to hear every noise you make. Show me how good it feels.”
My mind was reeling, but I wouldn’t hold it back.
Moans came out quickly and loudly, and I wondered if it could feel as good for him as it did for me. “Oh my god,” I whimpered. I felt like I was losing myself, becoming part of something else, something incredible.
“So good, yes,” he groaned back.
His hand gripping my hip slid between us, thumb rubbing against my clit, and I felt my hips buck up against him. Desperate. Starved. I pulled his face back to mine and kissed him as if I could convey tonight’s importance.
I shifted for the first time.
I escaped for one night and got to experience everything.
Harris was my fated mate.
He had to be.
The idea sent my head spinning, and I felt my body lock up as my mind went blank. That first orgasm hit me by surprise, dragging me down deep into it so my body was holding onto him for dear life.
I moaned and gasped desperately against his mouth, unable to focus enough to kiss but desperate to stay in contact with him. Harris soothed me with kisses, soft and then rougher, as he kept thrusting inside of me.
His thumb left my clit, and I laid back into the grass, feeling my hair splay around me like a crown. Reaching up, I touched his face and wished I could see it better in this darkness. Was he as lost in it as I was?
Did it feel as good for him?
The percussion of the top of his thighs slapping against the back of mine was beautiful, and I let my legs spread further. Harris lowered down to me, pinning me into the soft grass, and my body was clearly not done with him. I was still feeling pleasure with every thrust.
Feeling every inch of his chest against mine felt heady.
He was muscular as fuck.
I could feel two solid pecs and a beautiful ripple of abs following lower. I traced these shapes with my hands before reaching around to his broad and muscular back. Every thrust caused his body to tense like one large muscle, and I couldn’t stop gasping and moaning.
I couldn’t handle it, and I needed so much more.
Distantly, I could hear the bell tolling, and I was glad to think we could be together for at least another hour. It tolled twice, and I expected silence, but it tolled once more, and the shock of it caused another orgasm to force its way through me, leaving my mind paralyzed by how good it felt.
He kept going, thrusting through it until he groaned, and I felt him coming inside of me, my body gripping him like it was trying to milk him dry. I needed to go. Hazel’s warning returned to me, and I knew I couldn’t risk staying.
I felt so good, but I had to go.
“I have to leave,” I kissed him softly.
His voice was confused as he responded. “What?”
“I have a curfew. If I don’t get back, I’ll be ruined.”
“Stay with me. I can give you cover.”
“I can’t, I’m so sorry,” I said.
He kissed me, and I kissed him back in a mix of need and apology. “This was amazing,” I clarified. “It was so good, and I’m so sorry.”
Harris pulled his cock out of me, and I could feel his seed spilling from inside of me. I kissed him again and almost instantly shifted. Sliding out from under him, I rushed to start toward the castle.
Shifting felt like nothing I’d ever experienced before.
As a latent shifter I always knew that I would never be able to shift. Those who eventually could, after a lifetime of not having the ability, were rare. If I kept with what was expected for my life this wouldn’t have been possible.
I was a wolf, though.
My legs felt incredibly strong, and all of my senses were nearly overwhelming. As part of our clan we could smell, taste, feel everything a little stronger than non-shifters, but in my shifted form it felt like every detail was amplified a thousand times over.
I could clearly hear every word being spoken at the party from hundreds of feet away. I could smell cigar smoke in the air, mingling with the scent of dozens of different perfumes and colognes.
Although I wanted to revel in this, give into the wolf in me and let her run for as long as possible, I couldn’t enjoy it.
I had to escape.
If Prince Harris saw my face, he’d get nothing but disappointment, especially if he could see the fresh bruise forming where Vivian had hit me just hours before. When I got back to my clothing, I felt the wolf legs vanish away beneath me until I was just a latent shifter again.
A woman and nothing else.
Heartbroken and angry, knowing that he’d never love me if he knew I was a latent shifter. I’d never be able to shift again. I was sure of it.
He could never know who I was.
Pulling on my dress and mask, I pulled on my heels and started for the ball so I could leave.
“Wait, you can’t go now,” I heard behind me.
The mask on my face was secure, but he was still naked from shifting as he approached me.
His body was incredible in the moonlight.
I would have stayed with him in any other situation, but I couldn’t.
I had to go.
I started to run, and he shifted to follow me.
Rushing through the ball, across the smaller crowd, I ran as quickly as I could in the damned heels. For a moment, I almost ran directly into Michaela, who was clad in the dress Beth had made me. Her dance partner looked at me and then at the wolf chasing me, and he quickly let go of her to chase me as well.
I couldn’t do this!
As I stumbled out the front door, I made my way down the long entrance steps and finally tripped over my own feet. My beautiful glass heels slipped off my feet, and although I could grab one, Harris appeared at the top of the steps before I could hold the other.
I stood and ran like I would die.
Ran like I could ruin everything if I stayed.
Vivian was at the gate, her head ducked down as she spoke to a guard with Zara beside her. She was undoubtedly still trying to gain access to the ball after everything, and I avoided eye contact as I pushed past her.
Somehow, amid all of this, the panic and the running, and clutching my single heel to my chest, I got away. When I looked back, there was no wolf behind me, no guards chasing.
