Elias

I could scent Avabella’s arousal and it got stronger when I rubbed my hard-on. It almost sent me to the edge. But I held on.

Nom de Dieu! Her body was so soft, and her heavenly scent was just so good to breathe in, filling my seemingly air-deprived lungs. It felt so right to embrace her, to smell her, to feel her, to make her desire go aflame. But I screwed up. And yet, it was just right to tell her the truth. I wasn’t entirely honest to her since I accompanied her at the coffee shop in Andorra de Vella. Anyway, I didn’t speak much at the time. I just let my eyes get the fill of her beauty. I gazed at her for almost a couple hours. It was not enough!

I forced myself to leave then, making it look like natural. But of course, she didn’t feel like it was natural. I noticed she was being uncomfortable then. Maybe no one had ever looked at her for a whole two hours, almost without blinking!

Yeah, I could be a creep, doing like that. No wonder she blew off like this.

“I just wanted to see you were safe and… I wanted to know what you were doing. You can’t blame a wolf imprinted on a woman, Avabella. You should know that Iago did the same to Maria Adriana. For centuries,” I emphasized.

“It was different for them, I told you that!” she yelled.

God, she looked so beautiful even in her vampire state. I wanted to run my tongue on her fangs, to check how sharp they were. I wanted to drown in those glowing red eyes that looked like they could cut me by their mere gaze. I wanted to see how they would go soft and liquefy as desire consumed her entire being, while I was inside her body, making her writhe beneath me and scream my name. It even made me curious how she would look like when I made her release and reach the peak of her desire.

In spite of anything, I wasn’t afraid of her or her powers. I wasn’t an Alpha for nothing. I wasn’t a friend to the red Alpha Wolf King for nothing. He and I went way back over four hundred years ago. We bonded by blood, our enemies’ blood. Plus, our packs went way back since the time of our grandfathers, who were best of friends, too. But we discovered it only when we became close friends. It made us closer even more.

“How is it different? He was imprinted on her and I am on you. Now tell me, Avabella! What’s the difference?”

I noticed the heavy bed begin to shake. She must be so pissed but she couldn’t hurt me. Or was she going to hurl it at me? But I tried to suppress the smile, looking at her cute fists on each of her sides. The fangs punctured her lips and she licked them. I couldn’t hold it any longer. I closed the gap between us and embraced her. My mouth slammed on hers. Hard. I could taste her sweet, metallic blood.

The bed stopped shaking, and she gasped when I kissed her. She let out a moan when I pushed my tongue inside her mouth, to taste more of her. She was so sweet like a mix of red grape, peach and honey! Damn it! I couldn’t get enough of her. My kiss deepened, didn’t matter even when her fangs grazed my hungry lips. My hands groped her wide hips, and I kneaded her round ass beneath her coat. My palms could almost feel her soft, tight flesh as the silky satin dress was thin enough.

I heard another moan, which made my rigid sex stir in my jeans, wishing to come out this instant. I rubbed it against her abdomen, making her feel my hardness and letting her know how I wanted her. So, so bad!

I already felt her kissing me back, moving her lips against mine. It was extremely exhilarating!

“Alpha Elias!”

All of a sudden, I went still when I heard Yanick’s voice in my head, through our mind link.

“What is it, Yanick?” I almost snapped at one of my two Betas.

I heard Avabella groan in protest when I stopped kissing her. She looked at me with those sultry light brown eyes. I gazed at her apologetically, raising a finger that told her to wait. In return, I earned a sharp look. She pushed me and went to sit on the edge of the bed, crossing her legs.

Nom de Dieu! Did it mean she would really wait and we would continue then?

But damn it! Yanick was in my head again. I ran my tongue on my lips, tasting Avabella’s sweetness. It remained there.

“Alpha Elias, Matthias caught the scent of one of the rogues that got away in Conand.” His voice seemed urgent when he reported, and I furrowed my brows. I did tell them to eliminate everyone to keep Paris safe, especially the Supreme Castle’s residents. Who knows what they had up their sleeves—er paws? On second thought, this rogue could be captured and interrogated. We may have no other chance to capture one, might as well we do if we could do it now. But I need to get there.

“Where are you right now? Are you chasing him?”

“Yes, Alpha Elias. We’re heading southeast of the city, going to Versailles. She’s fast!”

“A she wolf?” Now that was interesting. “I’ll be there! Don’t kill her!” I immediately gave out an order to Thibault through our mind link. He would disseminate it to the others.

I looked at Avabella, feeling sorry. I knelt in front of her, taking her hand. “As much as I wanted to continue what we did earlier, I have to go. I’m sorry, Avabella.”

She snorted and rolled her eyes. “I’m not sorry. It’s good we didn’t have to continue it. I must be losing my mind! I told you—”

I grabbed her by the nape and gave her a long, deep kiss. “There’s a very urgent matter that I have to handle right now. We’ll talk when I get back, okay?”

Her beautifully arched brows were knitted. But she still looked gorgeous wearing a frown. She had her eyes closed when she answered. “We have nothing to talk about, Elias. But do go on with your urgent matter,” she said with a careless wave of her hand and then opened her eyes.

I put my hands on my hips. “Avabella, please.”

She took off her coat instead, showing her perfect curves at the right places. My dark eyes traveled up and down. Mon Dieu! My hard-on was getting worst. I watched her lie down the bed like she was inviting me to lie down next to her. Or rather, to come atop her. I could only let out all the profanities I learned in all languages in my head.

“Avabella,” I said in a warning tone.

“Go, Elias! I don’t care where you’re going or what you’re going to do!” she lashed at me.

I winced like she hit me physically. Was this because I was imprinted on her? It was really painful when she rejected me like this. My chest was tight, and it was like someone squeezed my heart, making it bleed. I’d never felt something like this before—not even when my own mother disowned me.

I suddenly felt the heat in the corner of my eyes. I turned around and left. I had something to do—something that I wasn’t successful for over a year. I hoped I’d be able to find the answers this time. I had to take a chance even though my heart was breaking painfully.

“I meant what I said, Avabella. Let’s talk when I get back.”

I took a deep breath and opened the door. I stepped out, meeting Diego in the hallway. It seemed that he was waiting for someone.

“She’s inside the room,” I said, without looking at him.

“I know,” he said in a quiet voice.

I quickly walked away toward the stairs.

“Let’s talk, if you can spare me some time,” he hollered.

I stopped for a moment, turned my head and nodded. I dashed outside to Iago’s surprise. He and his son were at the foyer as the latter was playing with Avabella’s panda gift. Valko was also there but Maria Adriana seemed to be somewhere else in the castle.

“Hey! What’s going on?” Iago asked.

“I’ll tell you later. Just tighten your security,” I said before I shifted to my massive midnight blue wolf form. Some guests already arrived. I guessed they were Avabella’s family as I saw Nianzu with them. They followed me with their eyes in confusion but I ignored them. Sascha, my mud-colored Gamma in his wolf form, was waiting for me outside the perimeter of the castle.

We followed the A13 route, but did our best to be as speedy as we could. We moved in a blur in the midst of the populated area, thanks to Sangye, my pack’s shamaness who came from Tibet. Our presence was merely a mist and our super speed was thrice faster than the normal wolves. Just that those rogues seemed to use magic as well. They were fast and strong like us. I couldn’t think of any other reason why they were still not within our grasp.

My mind was distracted by Avabella. Her scent. Her taste. Her softness. I could barely contain it. I didn’t want to part from her. And damn it! It was like my heart was put in a shredder when I recalled her last words before I left.

We passed by through Memorial de L’escadrille La Fayette, a cemetery at Marnes-la-Coquette. We cut through Route de l’Impératrice and D182 until we reached somewhere around D185.

“We’re almost there, Alpha Elias,” Sascha said via our mind link.

I growled instead of answering him. Whoever that rogue was, I’d let her pay. She was the reason why I had to leave Avabella. Even though I knew from the beginning we wouldn’t end up doing it at that time, I thought we could when she kissed me back. But… merde! My entire system was on fire. I did want to take her, claim her and mark her. All rational things fled from my rational brain. But I knew it wouldn’t happen anytime soon. And I wasn’t sure if it would happen, although I was determined to do so. I had to. She was mine. No matter what she said. No matter how she would deny it. No matter if she wanted to push me away, as far away from her as possible. Earlier, I could see a ray of hope. Just that it was screwed up because of this rogue!

I heard my pack’s howl. A distant whine and groan was clear to my enhanced hearing. I mind linked with all my pack members, giving them the order of not letting this rogue she-wolf get away.

“We have her cornered, Alpha Elias!” Thibault declared.

“Excellent!” At least, that was kind of a consolation. “Is she down?”

“Not yet, Alpha Elias. She’s very strong!” Yanick answered. I could get a hint of irritation in his tone. He was the impatient one, unlike Thibault. But both were equally strong, that was why I proclaimed them both my Betas. Besides, it was more advantageous that I had the two most reliable and powerful wolves in my pack.

I heard them howl. I could tell the last one was Andreas’, my Omega. He was nearer to us. It just meant that Sascha and I were about to arrive at our destination. The scents of each of my pack members were more distinct now. It was near Avenue de Paris at the Energie et Service. The trees were bare and there were just a couple of buildings on each side, near the street.

My dark eyes immediately zoomed in on the unique she-wolf. She had spotted white-and-black fur. The front part of her body was lowered like she was going to pounce on anyone that would come closer to her. But she was already surrounded by my pack. Clearly, she had nowhere to go. She was alone. But I wondered why she was alone if she had her fellow rogues with her. Was she lost? Was she used for bait? I could not help but think of every possibility why she was here and all alone.

She snarled upon seeing me. Like she knew me and she had a grudge to settle with me.

“Take her down but don’t kill her,” I simply ordered. I watched my two Betas attack her in different directions and at the same time.