Page 80 of Stolen By the Alpha Hunter
“But that’s the way it is,” I remind her. “And remember—it’s my fault you’re here in the first place. Don’t feel bad for me.”
“I don’t,” she says. “I just love you and I don’t want to see you hurt.”
She’s already hurt me with her words more than anyone else could with their claws and teeth. I’m still certain I don’t deserve her—that hasn’t changed—but I’m helpless when it comes to giving her what she wants…and I know it will be easier to keep her safe now.
“Promise me you won’t put yourself at risk for me,” she says.
I don’t respond.
Because yeah…that’s not gonna happen.
I lean down to splash cold water on my face before turning off the spigot and sitting back on my heels. Peaches puts her hands on my shoulders and starts rubbing them slowly, methodically. It feels great on my sore muscles, but I shake her off.
“Are you having a bath?”
I glance back at her. “No—I want to make sure the others can scent our mating. Don’t want any doubts that this is real.”
“Were there doubts…?”
I nod. “Abel knew. You didn’t tell me you and him used to be a thing.”
She snorts. “I wouldn’t describe it that way.”
I watch her as she comes around in front of me and my whole body sings when she straddles me. Her pussy is still wet with her own arousal and my seed, and my cock begs to be buried in her again. I lean down to kiss her collarbone instead, pulling her snug against me.
Fuck…if it were up to me, I would stay here forever and fuck this gorgeous girl.
“Tell me about them,” I say. “Gideon, Ephraim, Abel…”
“I’d rather do something else,” she purrs, shifting suggestively. “Not exactly what I want to talk about while I’m…you know.”
I look up to find her brown eyes glazed with desire.
Jesus, I wanna give in.
But we still have work to do.
“It’s to help us escape,” I say. “They’re not a united front—I want to know more.”
She bites her lip, but I don’t make another move. Sex can wait; getting away can’t.
Peaches sighs and pulls away from me to lean against the bed, her long hair falling across her breasts. She doesn’t realize she’s just as tempting like this as she was in my lap, but for now, I’m satisfied.
“Well,” she starts, “Gideon is my dad, of course. He’s…I don’t know quite how to describe. Always been a wild card, likes to seem like he’s in control. He doesn’t always say it, but he thinks of himself as the king of the Rig, and my whole life, no one has ever questioned it.”
“Why do you think that is?” I ask.
“Because he gives the alphas what they want, and he brings new alphas in to add to the pack,” she replies. “Always tough,crazy, cruel men. No female alphas—that would definitely be against the rules. Omegas on the rig are all controlled by him until they’re mated, and betas are kept for free use in the mess and the barracks.”
Parts of it don’t sound all that different from where I came from—where more ‘civilized’ species kept lycan as little more than pets.
Hell is all over.
“Ephraim is my only sibling,” she says. “Gideon always said my mama was barren after she had me. It was a rough pregnancy, I guess. He took a second mate when I was still here, but she…she died. Not sure how. And none of his other mates have had babies, so I guess it’s him that’s the problem.”
“How did Ephraim feel about your mom?” I ask.
Peaches’ brow furrows.
