“I think you covered it very well, Braelyn,” Enzo said, tilting his dark head and smiling at me as if he knew something I didn’t.
A bottle was put in front of me, and I reached for it, but Saint’s hand landed over mine, removing the bottle from my grasp. He poured drinks into the cups on the table and placed one in front of me as he brushed his heated lips against my ear.
“You will not be able to forget tonight, mate,” he murmured, sending a shiver racing down my spine.
“A girl can dream, Saint. Sometimes, dreams are all that’s left when everything is burned to ash.”
“Finish your drink, and we will retire to the mating tent, Braelyn.”
“I’d rather swallow razor blades and deal with that aftermath,” I muttered, seeing Enzo’s smile widen.
“They’d probably be gentler than I plan to be with you tonight,” he continued, sending a blush rushing to my cheeks. “Drink so that I can fuck you.”
I tipped my glass back, finishing it, then wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. Someone said something to Saint, forcing him to turn toward the voice. My eyes slid up, which normally didn’t happen at my height. I stared into Nordic-blue eyes that slid over me before shifting back to Saint.
“Blessings and may the gods be kind and fill your womb tonight, Braelyn Haralson. It is rare to find your true soul mate, and I am curious. Why did you reject him?” the male asked. He wasn’t just any male—he was Lycan. A savage breed, they were.
“I was a young girl, trying to protect Saint from my father. He gave me two impossible choices. I chose badly, apparently.”
“You may find happiness yet, brother.”
“Braelyn, you know of Leif Knight, right?” Saint asked, watching the blood drain from my face. “Don’t worry. He isn’t here to murder your pack. He came with me.”
“Velsignet er ulven og hans blodlinje, kong Leif.”
“She speaks Norwegian,” Leif stated, bowing his head. “Blessed is the bride of the wolf who carries his bloodline within her womb, Princess.”
“I’m not actually a princess. They just enjoy calling me that to taunt me.”
“Your mother was a princess, and a very beautiful one at that,” Leif returned softly.
“This world holds no titles, and neither do we anymore,” I whispered, moving away from them to hide the shame of being blackballed wolves. Leif’s family had hunted mine down, driving us out of Norway. It was how we’d ended up here.
“That was rude, Brat.”
“You brought enemies to our doors, and you want to speak about being rude? You realize Leif hunted my family down and murdered most of them, right? Simply because he was a Lycan, and we weren’t.”
“You will respect my guests, Braelyn. You’ve lived a sheltered, privileged life here. That group consists of survivors who make it their business to hunt down monsters. The only reason you’re not on their kill list is that I promised to tame you and make you pay for your trespasses against all creatures.”
“And pray tell, how have I trespassed against these creatures?” I demanded, pausing just outside the tent.
Saint’s eyes burned with anger as drunken women grabbed me, whisking me into the tent. I yelped, surprised, as they began stripping me. Tora’s eyes met mine as she pretended to be drunk, plopping whiskey down beside the furs they had forced me onto after being stripped naked. This shit tradition really needed never to be used, ever again.
“Are you okay?” Tora whispered, her eyes lifted to the front of the tent where Saint had entered with his men, all of them staring at us.
“I’m fine. Everything is fine. I’ll be okay,” I promised, uncertain if I was telling the truth.
“She’ll be fine, Toralei. She’s my mate, not yours. Get out and stand guard with the others who will protect us for the duration of the night,” Saint hissed. My best friend and the worst beta ever because, like me, she wasn’t actually a beta at all, slipped through the flap to do as Saint instructed.
Saint’s eyes slid over my marked shoulder and then lowered to where I clenched the furs to my naked chest. His crew didn’t help him shed his clothes, but they didn’t leave right away either. Instead, they all stood inside the tent, crowding it while I sat awkwardly watching them.
“Make her scream for us, yeah?” Eryx snorted, patting Saint on the back.
“She’ll scream for me,” Saint promised, holding my gaze locked to his.
The men chuckled, exiting the tent, leaving me alone to face Saint. He pushed down his pants, exposing his cock to my heated gaze. I turned away from the sight of him as nervousness plagued my mind. He was hugely endowed, and that shit wasn’t fitting into any tight spaces without an intense amount of pain.
He tugged at the furs, causing my wide eyes to swing back to where he stood, studying me. My grip tightened as a soft smile played on his mouth. His attention slid to my white-knuckled grip and narrowed before he exhaled, walking to the side of the fur pallet, crudely made for our mating. Blood rushed to my cheeks as I closed my eyes against the sleek build of his body. I could survive this, right? No matter how brutal he intended to be, I would survive this, too. I had to. My pack counted on me for their survival. I could handle one dick because, well, there wasn’t any other choice.
Chapter Six
Saint sat beside me, his leg brushing against mine, sending a flurry of butterflies erupting into flight inside my belly. His hand lowered, and once more, he tugged on the blankets before expelling air from his lungs. He didn’t rip them out of my hands, choosing to lean over me to retrieve the cup and wine.
He poured the wine into the pewter goblet as my body trembled, knowing that I wasn’t escaping tonight. It wasn’t that I feared sex with Saint; it was that he’d discover the truth and turn something that should be beautiful, ugly.
He offered me the wine, and I reached to grab the cup as he pulled the covers away from my body, smiling in victory. My lips touched the goblet, and his eyes slid down my naked body with a hunger that consumed my thoughts.
I’d wanted him, and this. He’d been the only lover I’d ever wanted. When I’d denied him as my true soul mate to save him, I’d settled into a life of subpar reality. Sipping the wine, I licked my lips before offering him my cup.
It was tradition to drink the vile-tasting bitter wine that lacked the kick of whiskey. Saint took a small sip, turning up his lips at the taste before offering it back to me. Shaking my head, I slowly lay back, uncertain of how to start the entire catastrophe happening.
Saint slid his hand down my belly, and I swallowed the moan that rolled to my tongue. Lowering his heated mouth, he licked my nipple before nipping at it with his teeth. Heat curled in my belly, with how his fingers trailed over my stomach, drawing the runes for fertility. I understood why he did it, considering he was here to destroy me, and he promised to breed me for his heirs.
Saint shifted, causing me to tense, forcing his eyes to lift to mine. Something passed over his face briefly, but before I could figure out what it was, it had vanished behind the mask he wore.
“You’re skittish, Brat. Afraid I’m going to hurt you?” he asked, his eyes holding mine prisoner.