Page 45 of Alpha's Impostor Bride

“Oh!” she moans as I ravage her breasts with my mouth. “I—I can’t. Cedric—”

I seize her mouth in a hungry kiss. “I like it better when you scream my name.”

My chest is covered with her claw marks. So is my back. I watch her expression twist as she cums, and when she tightens around me, I allow myself to release inside her.

When I cage her between my arms again, she gives me an exhausted look. “Enough. You’ve barely let me sleep this whole week. Go away.”

She was never this mouthy to me before, but intimacy has altered our relationship significantly. She knows that unless she shows me her teeth, I won’t back off.

I lean forward, and she snaps, “Stop. Or I’ll go sleep in my room!”

Sighing and admitting my defeat, I gather her in my arms. “This is your room. And when I come back next month, you’d better be sleeping here.”

I pull the sheets up around us, and she snuggles against my chest. “A month? That’s a long time.”

“It is. But the presence of the monsters is increasing, and we have to make sure they don’t start attacking the villages nearby.”

“Is it safe?” She’s not looking at me, and I can feel her body tremble.

I kiss the top of her head, amused. “Are you worried about me?”

“I just want you to come back in one piece.”

“This isn’t the first time I’m going to fight on the border.” I feel the need to reassure the woman in my arms. “And there will be plenty of soldiers with me.”

She doesn’t respond at first, but I sense the tension within her small frame.

Finally, she whispers, “This is the first time you’ll be away from me. I feel safer when you’re around.”

I look down at her, my heart tightening with a strange emotion. “This castle is your home. You’ll be safe here, whether I’m around or not.”

“It’s not the same,” she says quietly, burrowing into me.

I’ve always detested weakness, but my mate’s reluctance to be apart from me and her dependence on me feel oddly satisfying.

“A month will pass without you even noticing it. Besides, you have plenty of things to busy yourself with. But you’re not to leave the castle until I return. Not even to visit the nearby villages. And Rothan will be here with you. Both Rothan and Harriet.”

“Are you really going to leave Bella as your delegate?” she asks after a few minutes.

“If you don’t want her in that role, I can reverse the decision.” Since when have I been so desperate to please the small woman in my arms?

She shakes her head. “I trust your choice. I’m just being paranoid.”

I play with her hair, and as her breathing begins to deepen, I wonder how I’m going to last a month without her. I have become so used to her existence, and ever since we consummated our relationship, it has grown by leaps and bounds.

I’ll have to make sure to tell Rothan and Harriet that one of them has to stay with Leanna at all times, even if that means Harriet has to sleep in the same room as her. I don’t want my mate alone. I’m sure she’ll be safe here, but…

I glance toward the fire. Maybe I should increase the number of guards.

As I follow her into sleep, I tighten my hold around Leanna. Just one month. It’s not that big of a deal.

The day of my departure arrives. If it weren’t for Derrick’s urgent letter, I wouldn’t be going. But one of my duties is to protect the Veil. It’s a responsibility that I’ve always honored happily, but now, for the first time, it feels like a burden. And before I leave this afternoon, there are some things I must do.

Bella enters my office in response to my summons. She closes the door behind her before saying, “I thought you were heading out this morning.”

“I’ve been delayed.” I get to my feet. “Before I go, I want to remind you of Leanna’s importance. Nothing should happen to her, Bella. Without her, we cannot investigate the rebels in the Eastern Kingdom. As long as the royal family there believes we have Princess Vivian, we have control over them.”

She rolls her eyes. “I understand, Cedric. Why do we have to have the same conversation again and again?”

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