Page 130 of Alpha's Impostor Bride

He lifts his head to give me a feral smile. “Good.” His hands run down my naked body, leaving a trail of blazing white heat across my skin. I tremble at his touch, and my back arches. His thick finger probes my lower slit, and he growls, “Even after all this time, you get wet so easily.”

I whimper when he inserts not one finger but two, plunging them deep inside me. It’s an uncomfortable intrusion, my pussy too tight. It doesn’t stop him though, and as he pulls his fingers out at a punishingly slow rate, I gasp.

Cedric uses those fingers to loosen me up for him, and remembering his cock like I do, I know I’m going to need it. I shatter on his fingers, crying out as he elicits orgasm after orgasm with ease.

My lips are parted as I struggle to breathe. My body is shaking, sweat clinging to me. I feel Cedric hold my legs open as he pierces me with his cock. I can feel every inch as it enters me, and I call out his name, clutching him for dear life.

How did I live without him for all these years? Every part of me that he touches feels like it’s coming alive. With his cock fully inside me, Cedric begins to move. My hands dig into the sheets for purchase, his sweaty skin too slippery. I meet him thrust for thrust, both of us chasing our pleasures. But I forgot about my mate’s stamina.

His cock still in me, he grabs me by the waist and twists me around. I yelp at the sharp pleasure. My stomach barely hits the bed before he has my bottom lifted up, his thrusts becoming harder and rougher. I find myself getting closer and closer to the edge, and when I cum, I scream out his name. But Cedric isn’t done. My insides feel raw, and yet, I want more.

Panting, moaning, I feel his hand circle my neck and squeeze as he fucks me relentlessly. And then, he releases. His soft growl is followed by a red hot, piercing pain where my shoulder meets my neck. I can smell the metallic scent of my blood in the air. The agony gives way to an intense pleasure, and I collapse with Cedric, our bodies writhing with the aftershocks.

He holds me to him, his teeth still in my flesh. Tiny electric pulses pass through the most sensitive parts of my body, pushing me to the very brink. My eyes flutter shut, and then suddenly, I feel him.

All this time, the fated mate bond has been there. I could sense it, a soft, throbbing presence deep inside me. But now, I’m overwhelmed with this inexplicable warmth, this desire, this love so deep that it makes me want to weep. If there were any doubts in my mind about Cedric or how he feels about me, about my safety, they’re washed away.

I can sense his emotions, each and every one of them. His love for me and his profound, unwavering loyalty humble me, and tears drip from my eyes. Our bodies are still throbbing from the force of the mating bond, and Cedric silently gathers me in his arms. He holds me, hiding my face in his chest.

Is this what it is like to be loved? How is it possible that someone could love me so deeply? The truth is that even after Cedric came back, even after we sorted things out between us, the most vulnerable and broken part of me still believed I wasn’t worthy of receiving love. That nobody could care about someone like me.

To be proven wrong, to see the evidence of how precious I am to Cedric, shakes me to my very core. I didn’t know a mating bond could be like this. I never knew that I would be able to feel how he feels about me, that his existence would completely mesh with mine. We are two individuals, but we are also one.

After a prolonged silence, with Cedric simply holding me, he finally asks, “Are you feeling better?”

I nod, sniffling. “That was intense.” I look up at him. “Are you okay?”

Cedric wraps a strand of my hair around his finger and tugs it lightly. “All this time, I had certain misgivings, doubts. When I found out you were alive, the initial relief gave way to feeling hurt. It seemed like I was the only one who cared. Like I was the only one who had been bereft. I didn’t realize how you truly felt about me. But I can feel it all inside me now, the things you don’t say. I will try to change for you, Leanna. I’ll try to become a better man. I will give you everything you could ever dream of.”

I wriggle my arms free and wrap them around the neck of this big, hulking man who is feared by all and yet whose heart is soft when it comes to me. “I never want you to change. Who you are is perfect. And if I haven’t said it before, I love you. Despite what happened, despite what I believed had happened. Even when you found me, I could deny the truth to everybody but myself. I loved you back then, too. When you held me at night, I felt secure and safe. When you made sure I was fed and taken care of, I felt happy. But I didn’t know what those feelings were because I had never felt them before. I understand them now. I love you, Cedric.”

My mate presses his lips to my forehead. “I love you, too, Leanna. But I’m not good with words. If this is something you need to hear frequently—”

I give him a warm smile. “No. You don’t need to say it all the time. I know how you feel.” He searches my eyes, and I tilt my head back to kiss him. “I will tell you enough times for the both of us.”

His response is a fierce kiss, and as he pulls me under him, I laugh, knowing he’s about to ravish me all over again.

I have a feeling I won’t be able to walk tomorrow.

For the next two weeks, I’m forced to keep a low profile. The murder of the deputy commissioner of the police is no small matter. Fortunately or unfortunately, there were no cameras at the carnival. And with all the people coming and going, nobody noticed him. There is an active investigation, but I’m confident no one is going to link his death to me. No matter what Cedric says, though, I still feel guilty.

But there’s nothing I can do.

Not two days after George’s death, two police precincts receive a bomb threat. The buildings are cleared, but before the bomb squad can enter, the buildings are blown up. The attacks happen at night, and there are no casualties. According to the information that George gave me, both precincts contained evidence that I needed access to.

When I watch the footage on the news, my heart sinks. There’s nothing left of the buildings. Somebody is covering their tracks. And I have a feeling they’re going to try to come for the flash drive that George gave me next.

It is a fount of information. Between the flash drive and what we already knew about the kidnappings, the conclusion I come to is the same as George’s. The individuals who were taken were not chosen at random. They were carefully selected.

Aside from Harold, they all worked at human establishments and had little to no family, or if they did have family, they were not in touch with them. These were very socially isolated individuals.

It’s not uncommon for some shifters to prefer to stay away from their packs. In the human world, I’ve seen it happen a lot. Unfortunately, it makes them easy pickings for these kidnappers. The only people who would raise any alarm would be their colleagues or bosses from their human-owned workplaces. Now we know that one day after each kidnapping, a letter of resignation was diligently sent to the employer, and there was no further contact.

Harold’s autopsy has been completed, and his blood is being tested, but Maya is still working on her report.

I’m at the palace today since I have to get some information from Cassian. I frown at my laptop as he enters the office.

“These people had enough information about the individuals they were going after to know who they worked for and what their routines were,” I murmur. “Harold had no close relatives, either, only extended family. But he worked for the royal family. His kidnapping doesn’t make sense to me.”

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