Wild by Sara Fields

Chapter 10

Ivar

For a long time, I simply held her. My knot kept us locked together and I did everything I could to keep her as close to me as possible. I kissed the top of her head and her tearstained cheeks, taking away her sadness and leaving her with everything else I had to give her.

She whimpered, grappling with whatever fear was locked deep inside her that had finally come out into the open. I rolled onto my side and pulled her to me, delighting in the way her body clutched at the entirety of my knot. Occasionally, I would feel her pussy spasm around me, and it would make me want to fuck her all over again.

She was utter perfection.

As I wound my arms around her and pulled her head against my chest, I knew that I’d fallen in too deep already. I wanted her and I wasn’t going to rest until she was mine completely.

My need to claim her went against everything I’d ever been taught. As a member of the Alpha Brotherhood, I had taken a vow to never to take a mate without the Ghost’s permission. It would be a crime against my word to claim her. It would shun me in the eyes of those I’d worked for my entire life.

The world was teetering on the edge of a cataclysmic war that threatened to destroy all that we held dear. If there was ever a more important time to be obedient to the will of the Brotherhood, that time was now.

Did it make me a terrible person to want her all the same?

I couldn’t fight the little bundle of omega in my arms any longer. I’d been drawn to her from the very beginning.

I’d been telling myself that I was following the Recruiter, but if I was being honest, I’d wanted to know more about Revna from the very start.

Forcefully, I pressed my hand between her legs and captured her needy little clit between my fingers. I started slowly circling that tiny bundle of nerves until her breathing quickened and the most delicious cries of pleasure poured from her lips. The sound of it was like music to my ears. Each cry rose a bit higher in pitch and if I could hear nothing else but the sound of her pleasure for the rest of my life, I would be a happy man.

Her back arched and her breasts pressed against my chest. On impulse, I captured her pert little nipple in my fingers and squeezed it tightly between them. The harder I pinched it, the more her moans of desire were laced with a decadent undertone of pain and I decided I liked that. I liked that a lot.

If my cock wasn’t already inside her, she would have gotten herself fucked again.

I growled softly and her pussy fluttered around my cock. Her cries carried a more agonizing edge now and I gripped at her breast even harder, needing to hear more of it.

I would never tire of that. Ever.

“I want you to come hard around my knot, little omega. I’m not going to give you a choice,” I purred, and her body surrounded me like a vise. I worried her needy little clit, adoring the way her pupils dilated with her arousal. Her body was quivering against mine. Her hips rocked back and forth. She’d deny it, but she wanted to come for me again.

She tried to turn her head and fight me as a beautiful blush expanded across her cheeks.

“You will look at me when you come, omega. I want to see everything. I want to hear everything,” I growled, and her cry broke as her legs shook, but her eyes found mine once more. There was a panicked gleam behind them, but I didn’t let up. She was going to come for me, and I wanted it hard. I wanted to feel her shatter to pieces with my knot fully locked inside her.

She was so close. I could feel it.

Roughly, I toyed with her clit, pressing even more firmly as she approached the edge. Her legs quaked and she arched all the way against me before her screams took a more desperate and deliciously primal tone. I squeezed her nipple harder, playing her body like an instrument until every single muscle in her body tensed. Her pussy clamped down hard around my knot and I groaned, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of her coming apart all over me.

My knot pulsed and expanded another inch, forcing her body open. She screamed as she came for me and I reveled in the luxury of her agony and pleasure coming together as one. This time, I didn’t pull her into a kiss or swallow her cries because I wanted to hear every last one.

Her body shook and I rolled her so that she lay on her back. I covered her form with mine and kissed the cusp of her shoulder. I laid my ear against her chest, listening to the sound of her heartbeat. It was fast and frantic and abruptly, I decided she was never going to touch another man.

She was my omega, my perfection. Mine.

I roared and bit into the cusp of her shoulder, tearing into her flesh and marking her as my own once and for all. I didn’t ask to her if she wanted to bond to me. I decided it for her. I was the alpha. She was my omega. It wasn’t up to her.

Her orgasm intensified, climbing over the edge and hurtling straight into the next, all while the first glimmers of our pair bond began to take hold in a fiery castoff of bright light that tore through us both. I could feel the beating of her heart beginning to pulse with mine, the fear and adoration and the reluctance coursing through her at this unexpected change.

My cock hardened like a spike. Even though my knot was already fully inflated, and I’d come once already, I could feel my own orgasm building along with hers.

Her screams reached a fever pitch. My balls squeezed tight, a balloon of arousal settled at the base of my spine, and with a roar, I couldn’t hold back any longer.

My seed shot into her entrance with frighteningly possessive speed.

“You’re mine, omega. Never forget that,” I growled, and she screamed my name.

“Please, alpha!”

“Come for me, omega. Come for me so hard that you see stars,” I commanded, and she quaked precipitously beneath me. Her whimpers surrounded us, and I growled, forcing her orgasm forth with every impatient rumble. Her body was mine now and it responded to my call immediately, tightening with pleasure as her release consumed her.

I pulled away from her shoulder and kissed it, watching as the power of the bond stitched her flesh back together. In moments, the only thing left was a mangled scar. I lifted my hand and traced it, enjoying the feeling of her walls tightening around me as one wave after another of my seed marked her even more deeply as mine.

When she finally began to quiet, I pulled her close and kissed her forehead gently. Her eyes were glassy, somewhere in between complete satisfaction and finding her true place in the arms of her alpha.

The bond between us sparked to life and with every passing moment, it felt stronger. She didn’t say anything at all, but she didn’t need to. With a sigh of contentment, she pressed her forehead to my chest, and I kissed the top of her head.

In time, my knot slowly began to deflate. I didn’t rush to pull out of her. In fact, I was almost reluctant to, but when I finally did, the combined mixture of my seed and her wetness spilled down onto her thighs. She reached for a blanket intending to wipe herself clean, but I stopped her.

“You will not wash away the evidence of my seed, little omega. I want to see it dry on those pretty thighs,” I demanded, and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

“But I…” she whispered, and I shook my head.

“You will obey me, pretty one. You already know what will happen if you don’t. I’m your alpha and I will never hesitate to remind you of that.”

The bond pulsed with intense arousal at my heavy-handedness. She would fight me, but I knew what my words did to her. I knew they made her little pussy wet.

I knew what she needed and now, I always would. She was mine now. Forever.

I’d never look at another. I’d never want for another. I’d chosen my mate. I’d chosen Revna.

Her breathing was still shaky, and I held her for a long time, giving her as much comfort as she required.

“You’re so beautiful, Revna. You have no idea how special you are,” I murmured and her flush deepened.

I could feel her reluctance to trust me, but I understood where that was coming from now. The bond gave me more access than ever before. I could feel her emotions, her wants, needs. I could feel everything. All her life, she’d never had anyone but herself and with me, that was all going to change.

I’d made my choice.

I was going to own it now.

Her violet eyes met mine, searching for something but I didn’t know what. I flitted my fingers across her skin, massaging her legs and petting up and down her back in an effort to soothe her fears. When she started to shiver, I tucked her beneath the covers and pressed my lips to her forehead.

As much as I didn’t want to leave her, I had a mission to see to. That hadn’t gone away the moment I’d chosen to take Revna as my mate. The Brotherhood and the rest of the known world were counting on me to accomplish what I’d been set out to do.

I had to end the Recruiter, but I had to stop whatever he was planning on first.

“Close your eyes, sweet girl. Get some rest. I’ll be away for a while, but I’ll make sure to block the way so that you’ll be safe,” I murmured. I poured a glass of water and put it next to her on the bedside table. “I expect this glass to be empty by the time I return.”

“Yes, alpha,” she whispered groggily. I reached for her, dragging my finger along her brow and catching the few stray hairs that were tickling her face. A small smile edged across her lips and I sighed with my own joy.

I knew from that moment that I’d do anything to make her smile for me again.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself to walk away. It was only going to be for a little while. She had to sleep after all. An omega in heat needed to rest because there was no telling when the next bout would hit.

An omega’s heat often lasted for days, some even as long as a week. It had been less than twenty-four hours since hers began, so there was so much more to come. She’d need my cock probably at least a dozen times in the next few days. Nature intended for her to take a mate and the more often I fucked her, the shorter estrous would be for her.

She would suffer, but it would be better for her on my knot.

I dressed slowly, using the disguise of a city soldier to hide my true identity once more. With a sigh, I pulled the dusky mask over my face, covering my beard along with it.

With one final lingering look, I turned and left the room, closing the broken door behind me as best I could. I entered the observation area, rifling through the parchments that detailed the course of her life. Before I’d found her, I’d only just lightly perused them because the scent of her slick had been far too tempting to ignore for long. Without that distraction, I focused more intently on what was written on each piece of paper. I skimmed over the records of her past, knowing they were written from someone else’s perspective rather than hers.

She’d been labeled a witch much of her life, living under a constant bias that followed her like a black cloud. There was much speculation as to what her powers were, but nothing was for certain and I had difficulty pinning down what, if anything, the Recruiter would have wanted with her aside from the hefty price tag that came along with her beautiful violet eyes.

However, just when I was about to abandon the paperwork, I came across a rather innocent account of what appeared to be bloodwork of some kind. I narrowed my eyes with curiosity, realizing the subject had been her.

As expected, her blood type indicated that she was an omega, but there was a secondary result that indicated that she was more than what anyone had thought she may be.

I stared at the word, swallowing heavily at the meaning behind it.

She was an epsilon.

I’d heard whispers of such a breed of omega in the past, but it was so extraordinarily rare that I’d thought them nothing more than a fairytale.

Once an epsilon bore an alpha’s mark, she would gain access to new abilities. She’d be stronger and her senses would be supernaturally heightened. She would move faster, think more quickly, and be able to perform feats of strength that no human should be capable of, yet all those things would be tempered when she was fighting against me.

Against anyone else though, she would be the strong one, even against another alpha.

How many people knew this? Had the Recruiter known? Did the priests that bought her?

Carefully, I lifted the paper and approached one of the nearby oil lanterns. With callous efficiency, I held the parchment over the flame until it lit and then I let it float to the floor, watching as it burned into a pile of ash. I didn’t take my eyes off of it until I was certain that every last word was obliterated.

I didn’t want anyone else to know.

I rifled through the papers once more, ensuring that was the only indication of her true nature. Nothing else hinted at it and when I was finally satisfied, I turned away and walked through the entryway door. I grabbed the door handle, using my sheer strength to bend it so that it would no longer open properly. Once I was certain that it would hold, I walked back into the alpha enclosure and searched the rabid faces of the men imprisoned there.

Just being around them set the hair on the backs of my arms on edge. Instinctual feelings of aggression billowed up from deep inside me and I struggled to get myself back under control. When I was ready, I approached the alpha that inspired that least amount of hostility within me and leaned against his cage.

He stared at me coldly.

“Why is it that the only alphas I can find in this city are locked deep underground in cages?” I asked him. There was no point in beating around the bush. The less time I was in this room, the better.

He cocked his head, grinning at me with malice the likes of which I’d never seen.

“You’re not from Rosethorne, are you?” he asked.

“I’m not,” I answered curtly.

“It’s only a matter of time until they ferret you out. Alphas aren’t welcome within these walls,” he purred.

“Why?” I pressed. One of the men here was going to answer me.

“Just the presence of one could turn the tide of the ceremony. It’s why we’re kept down here, far below the ground and caged away like dogs,” he snarled. “They don’t like it if we interrupt their holy tribute to the gods.”

His eyes glinted and I narrowed my gaze. He laughed, the sound too high pitched and with an undertone of insanity that made my blood boil. I studied him more deeply and all at once, he raced forward and crashed into the bars of his cage. He slammed his head against those steel bars, over and over again until his skin split and blood dripped down his face.

I took a step back and another alpha cleared his throat.

“You would do well to avoid him. He’s been here the longest. I don’t think he’s seen the light of the sun in nigh ten years,” he said gruffly.

“What is this place?” I asked. My voice shook and I gritted my teeth, ashamed I’d given away just how uneasy I felt.

“The city of Rosethorne has survived here for centuries, long before the time of the Great War, but the southwesterly wind currents brought the horrors of battle here anyway. Alphas became a source of fear, unstoppable forces of instinct that would cut through flesh and bone to procure an unclaimed female. Omegas rose to be revered, but only in the place of a connection to our gods,” he continued. I narrowed my eyes with suspicion, taking in the elderly gaze of an alpha who had long since gone gray with age.

“You’re not from here either, are you?”

“No, but once I entered these walls, I never stood a chance at getting out. If they find you, you will suffer the same fate.”

I watched him scratch his arm. It was marred with what seemed like endless needlepoint scars.

“What are they doing with you down here?” I pressed, looking pointedly at his arm and back up again at his tired, red-rimmed eyes.

“We are nothing more than specimen sacs for those that work down here. Twice a week, they drain us of as much blood as they can without killing us. If it weren’t for that, they’d have killed us all long ago,” he mumbled, scratching at his skin once more.

“Why would they need that much blood? And why alpha blood?”

“Who knows. It must be pretty important or else we’d already be dead,” he shrugged.

“Who bleeds you?”

“Men in white robes. I usually don’t see their faces, nor have they ever said their names. Occasionally a man in a red robe comes down here,” he replied.

I huffed in frustration. This city was veiled in secrets and I was having difficulty wading through them all.

“Is there anything you can tell me that might be of use?” I asked. I tried not to sound annoyed, but it was difficult to mask how deeply unsettled all of this made me feel.

The old man stared at me.

“Sometimes, the masked man in red whispers of weapons and war,” he answered carefully. He looked tired and I half expected him to close his eyes and fall asleep right in front of me.

“He speaks of changing the tides…”

“What do you mean?”

For a while, he was quiet before he spoke again.

“You smell of freshly fucked omega,” he observed.

I growled softly in warning.

“Every season, the gods choose an omega to be prepared for the ceremony and one of us is allowed out of the cage to fuck her. You’ve taken that privilege from us,” he said coldly.

I tensed at his words. I wasn’t sure what his next move might be, but I wanted to be prepared all the same.

“I am too old for such things, but my brethren trapped here with me are not. I do not hold the same hatred for you as they do right now. If they were to ever get out, they would tear you to pieces,” he continued.

“Why are you telling me this?”

His eyes danced with unspoken mystery as he cocked his head in my direction.

“I didn’t come to Rosethorne of my own accord so many years ago. I was told that someday, a man with icy blue eyes would come to me and that his name would be Ivar,” he replied.

“How do you know my name?” I growled through gritted teeth. “Who are you?”

“I am no one,” he answered with a sly grin. “But all those that surround us are someones. All of them, except for one very special woman…”

He was a member of the Alpha Brotherhood. I wanted to ask him more questions, understand more about the city and why he’d been sent here.

But things changed.

A large boom reverberated through the walls and I stilled, very quickly coming to the horrifying realization that the explosion had come from the direction of Revna’s quarters. I turned away from the old man and rushed off back toward her, hoping that she was alright. I reached for the door I’d bent shut and I wrapped my fingers around it, trying to break it through sheer strength alone. When it didn’t budge, I slammed my body into the door and tried to force it open. At first, it only rattled a few more times and I snarled in open frustration. I used all my strength and did it again and again before it finally flew open, and I stumbled forward to catch myself. I straightened immediately, knowing I had to return to my omega right away.

I raced down the halls toward the room where she’d been kept captive, but once I approached the entryway, I stopped in my tracks.

One of the walls had been blown open, opening to a tunnel that disappeared into the dark depths of whatever lay beyond. Rocks lay strewn around the floor, broken and crumbling evidence of an explosion of some kind. My gaze tore to the bed and I was horrified to find it empty.

My fist flew to cover my heart and I searched for her. For a moment, I closed my eyes and tried to focus on slowing my breath as I concentrated on the bond itself.

I could feel it. It was there, but it was weak.

There was a gray rock by the pillow on the bed and as I stepped closer, I could see that a part of it was tinged with red.

There was nothing it could be but her blood.

She’d been struck and I drew in a shaky breath. I wished I hadn’t seen that. My gut was telling me to stay and search for clues, but I would be wasting my time.

I turned my head back toward the tunnel. There was only one way to go, and I was going to follow it.

Right now, my mission was her.

I was going to rescue my omega no matter the cost.