Page 36 of Elusive Mate

“Did my brother tell you about the bet we made?” she accused, looking between the two of them.

“It wasn’t a bet,” said Zaiden. “It was more of a bargain, or a deal. And yes, I told my alpha. But if you truly felt nothing, his knowing would not have made any difference.”

“Zaiden, leave us and close the door,” ordered Lucian.

“What about the bonding ceremony?” asked Zaiden, grinning at his sister.

“There’s no need to rush. Your sister might want a hand in planning it, get a special dress for the ceremony…”

“All his sister wants is a knife so she can gut him and cut your balls off,” she snarled.

“I think you could be wrong about a need to rush,” quipped Zaiden.

Lucian shook his head. “No, she bears my mark. There will be none who will challenge my claim to her.”

“I thought you were going to wait on marking her.”

“What can I say? We’d made love, she was spooned up against me, the nape of neck was bare and staring me in the face. When I felt my fangs elongate, I decided that I’d waited long enough. So, I took what was mine.”

“Does it bother you at all that your precious alpha raped me?”

“Rape?” Lucian chuckled. “Hardly.”

“How many times did I tell you no?”

“Not nearly as many as you said yes, or fuck me, Lucian, or climaxed for me. Nay, mate, there are many things you can say about last night, but an accusation of rape is not one of them.”

“I really can’t even begin to tell you how very much I hate you,” she snarled again, pushing at him and not managing to move him even a bit.

“Zaiden, out,” Lucian ordered.

“Yes, Alpha,” said Zaiden, closing the door.

“That is the last time you will snarl at me in front of others.”

“I wouldn’t count on that,” she said spitefully.

“Zenya, stop. Continuing to deny what we both know to be truth is beneath you.”

“You planned this—all of it—you and Zaiden.”

“We did some preliminary work, but I am content to wait until, say, the end of the week for our bonding ceremony.”

“I won’t agree. I won’t speak the words you want to hear—not then, not ever.”

“As I said to your brother, you bear my mark. No one will offer you sanctuary.”

“Colby Reynolds would,” she challenged.

“And I would bring the weight of our clan to bear on Windsong. Many would be injured or killed, and I would still be able to drag you back here. You know there was a time that alphas could force their vows from their mates, either with said mate taking a trip over her alpha’s knee or being fucked into submission and made to take them, kneeling at her mate’s feet and dripping his cum from her pussy.”

“It’s a wonder that any of you survived,” growled Zenya.

“I think it may have been a far easier time to be an alpha. You took what was yours, and no one said a word.”

“How is that different from now?”

“We’ve gotten far better at pretending we are civilized. Personally, the idea of having you kneel naked at my feet, your pussy still spasming from being fucked and dripping my cum on the floor has some appeal.”

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