The Alpha's Concubine (Historical Shifter Romance) (6 page)

Netya expected the same soft warmth she remembered from Layon's kiss, closing her eyes and opening her mouth gently to savour the soft feeling of the alpha's mouth against her own. Instead of giving her gentle pleasure, he took her breath away.

The alpha's firm grip tightened around her hips, the hand on the back of her head steadying her as he kissed her hard and deep, his tongue plunging into her mouth and curling around hers, bearing down with passion and power. Netya's whole body tightened as she found herself crushed against his broad chest, putting up her hands to steady herself and finding only his muscular body to cling to. A low whimper sounded in the back of her throat, and she reeled with a heady rush of desire as the alpha's lips continued to work against hers, like a wolf devouring his prey.

She let herself go limp in his grasp, her trembling hands resting against his chest, but not making any attempt to push him away. The heat in her belly burned hotter than she had ever felt it before, the sensation spreading like an itch until she was pressing up against him without any need for encouragement. The feeling kept on building, going further and further beyond the brief glimpse she'd caught with Layon. It would have startled her had she not been so caught up in the moment.

Finally the alpha broke the kiss, leaving Netya's mouth full of his taste and her chest heaving as she gasped for air. She had never before experienced something so intense, and yet the alpha seemed barely fazed by it. His breathing was steady, his grip just as firm, and his brow was free of the perspiration that had begun to bead on Netya's skin.

He spoke to her again, his voice a smooth murmur, like the sound of thunder in the distance. "There will be pain at first, but afterwards comes pleasure."

Netya swallowed, the tightness in her stomach returning. "How much pain?"

"Every female is different. Perhaps much, perhaps little." He looked at her curiously, but he made no question of whether she still wanted to continue. He read the language of her body, bending down to lift her into his arms with ease.

Netya inhaled sharply, her hands finding their way to his body again as she clung to his neck for support, allowing him to carry her to the high bed and lay her down on the furs. The soft texture tickled her bare skin, and without being prompted she kicked off her slippers to savour the sensation of the fur running between her toes, satisfying the tingles that rippled across her body.

The alpha stepped out of his boots and unfastened his kilt, allowing it to drop to the wooden planks with a heavy thud as he freed himself from its confines. Netya's eyes were drawn to his thick manhood, swelling with expectancy between his legs as he swung himself on to the bed and propped her up against the mound of furs. Before the warmth of his kiss could fade too far he was on her again, this time sliding his hand up her bare thigh and beneath the bottom of her gown, caressing slowly and steadily until she lifted her arms and allowed him to pull the garment free of her body.

She lay there naked before him, her chest rising with quick breaths as he caressed her. His hands explored all the places a man had never touched before, the broad, rough strokes of his fingertips massaging her hips, her thighs, her stomach, her breasts. She was still shaking. Her body was unable to contain the fire building within it, and she longed to feel it released.

"Do not be impatient," the alpha's voice rumbled in her ear. "Impatience will only take away from the pleasure."

Netya nodded and tried to relax, but it was an impossible task with the alpha's hands on her and his heavy breath tickling against her neck. His swollen shaft pressed against her thigh, each firm twitch revealing the strength of the alpha's own desire. She longed for it in a way she had never longed for anything else. It was as if good sense had abandoned her, and all that mattered was the world inside the alpha's den. She found herself longing to touch him in the way he touched her, but in her anxiety all she could do was clutch at the furs, her body tensing and easing like a supple branch being bent by the wind.

Eventually the alpha's palm was drawn toward the heat in her lower belly, massaging the sensitive area and working lower until his fingers brushed the folds between her legs. Her body coiled with tension all over again, a spike of sensitivity gripping her muscles as he explored that tender area. Another deep kiss distracted her long enough for the alpha to work deeper, parting her entrance and opening it for him, freeing the slick moisture that spilled from her body and coated her folds. A cry left her lips as he drew his fingers over the sensitive bead at the hood of her sex, working it gently, then harder, until the dam within her broke and her eyes widened with shock as a surge of intensity unlike anything she had ever felt rushed through her. Her head swam, a squeal ringing in her ears that she did not recall voicing as she writhed and contorted against the furs, unable to breathe as the flood of pleasure spilled from within her.

Netya lay there in a haze, feeling the alpha's lips on hers once more as she trembled in his grasp, slowly receding from her peak until her body had calmed and the burn had dimmed to a steady smoulder. Much of the tension had finally eased from her muscles, and the alpha moved to position himself over her, parting her legs with his thighs so that his shaft rested against her stomach, palms on either side of her head as he looked down at her. She was still anxious, as anxious as any woman pinned beneath the broad frame of such a man, trapped within the grasp of the male about to claim her. She had never felt so vulnerable, and yet had never longed to give in to that vulnerability so fully. To expose that most sensitive part of herself to something wild and rugged, like a leaf dragged into a churning whirlwind. She was even ready for the discomfort it might bring.

The alpha guided himself to her entrance, spreading her outer folds wider than his fingers had taken them as he pressed the tip of his manhood inside her. Immediately she felt the tug, the tension of being opened in a way that would leave her changed, pulled into full womanhood by her joining with this man. She sucked in a breath, gripping the furs tighter. The alpha paused and placed a hand on her shoulder, simultaneously holding her in place and urging her to relax.

"Do not fight your body," he said. "Allow the pain to come, and allow it to leave."

Netya tried, her heart pounding as he slid in deeper, meeting a barrier inside her that seemed unwilling to give. He waited, kissing her, allowing the burn to leave her tender walls as they grew accustomed to his size. When he pushed again Netya whimpered with pain as the barrier gave way, and he slid in so far she could almost feel him brushing the hot centre of her pleasure deep within her belly. This time he waited longer, tending her desire with more kisses and the attention of his hands on her naked skin, making sure the discomfort did not overwhelm her desire as he remained buried between her folds, allowing her to slowly adjust to the new opening of her body.

The pain did not go away entirely, but it ebbed into a deep soreness that joined the heat between Netya's legs until she felt ready for more. Sensing that she had relaxed, the alpha withdrew himself, pushing steadily back and forth, slowly working her tender walls until his firm hips were pressed up against her thighs.

"Now you are ready for me to take you," the alpha whispered into her ear, his own desire breaking through the surface as his chest heaved. "As I will take you many more times in the days to come, for as long as you remain my concubine."

Netya's eyelids fluttered, his words bringing on an unexpected surge of pleasure as he bore down on her, working his hips harder, faster, stirring the painful, delicious burn between her legs into another wave that threatened to break through the dam.

His strength was so great that she feared she might break, her smaller frame rocking beneath his as he took her with all the strength and ferocity of the wolf within him. He tugged her body into an arch with a hand against her lower back, pressing her belly to his toned stomach and her soft breasts to his chest. She put her arms around his neck to hold on, though his iron grip needed no support. He rocked her hips against his, panting with desire, dragging her into kiss after kiss as his hungry mouth explored her neck and lips, tasting the salt of her perspiration and marking her with his scent as their slick bodies pressed together.

Within minutes Netya felt faint, every moment a mess of sensations so raw and so powerful that all she could do was moan and whimper, clinging to the alpha as he slaked his lust. A second rush of pleasure hit her even harder than the first, knocking the air from her lungs as she squealed and convulsed in the alpha's grasp, spurred on by his thrusts until he pushed the peak of her climax beyond what she was able to endure. Her thoughts pulled themselves apart as hot white pleasure burned into her mind, her vision tunnelling as the wave overwhelmed her and dragged her under.

Darkness only stole the world away for an instant, but when she opened her eyes she was lying on her back, the alpha breathing heavily as he rested on top of her. His jaw tightened in the last clutches of his own release, then he braced himself on an elbow and eased his weight off her chest.

Netya groaned as he withdrew from her, raw and aching now that the glow of pleasure had begun to fade. The alpha lay alongside her as he caught his breath, resting his hand against her breast to feel the heavy throb of her heartbeat.

"Breathe. Let the pain come, and let it go."

Despite hurting, Netya's body was aglow with more than just the discomfort of being taken by her first man. She gazed up at the cavern roof, glimpsing the twinkle of stars through one of several narrow gaps in the rocks. What she had just experienced went beyond everything she'd imagined. And perhaps it was only in coming here, being taken by the Moon People, being claimed by their alpha, that had allowed her to feel every moment so vividly. It was the unknown, the anxiety, the anticipation, the danger, that had built up to such an incredible crescendo. She had been torn away from everything familiar to her, from a world that was simple and ordered and predictable, and thrown headlong into everything that had once tantalised her just out of reach.

Though she had been of age for almost a year now, it was only in that moment, in the stirring glow of fractured emotions that surrounded her in the alpha's bed, that she truly began to feel like a woman.

"Netya?" The alpha tilted her face toward him, another question in his eyes.

She took a deep breath and nodded. "I felt everything you described. I am thankful you showed me, Alpha."

"My name is Khelt. Sleep here tonight. You will find these furs warmer than those in Fern's tent." He lay back and dragged one of the heavy animal skins over to cover her, before closing his eyes with a satisfied sigh.

Netya watched him for a long time, wondering what kind of man he was, what kind of a leader he made for his people. Though her body was tired and in need of mending, she could not sleep. She relived their lovemaking over and over again in her head, not quite believing that she was now fully a woman. She knew things now that had been a mystery to her just hours before. Even her soreness couldn't distract her from the glowing feeling of fulfilment that returned every time she thought back to the way Khelt had claimed her.

It was only much later, after she lay awake for an hour or more, that her thoughts turned to home, and the familiar bed that now lay empty in her house. Where did Layon think she was now? Her mother and sisters? Her brow creased as the painful thoughts threatened to steal away her elation. She curled her knees up to her chest, staring at the coals of the fire. Despite the heavy fur wrapped around her, she still felt cold.

Khelt murmured in his sleep and rolled over, his hand encircling her waist and tugging her in against his warm body. Netya's thoughts of home drifted away as she was reminded again of his touch. She let the unwelcome worries slip away as she sank back into his embrace, remembering that she was not a simple village girl any more. She closed her eyes and finally felt the fingers of sleep reach for her.

She was consort to the alpha now.

—
6—

The Desires of a Woman

Netya was roused by the sound of voices within the den.

She ached terribly, the soreness between her legs just as bad as it had been when she went to sleep, but the memory of what had caused it brought a smile to her lips.

Daylight filtered down through the openings in the roof of the cave, just enough to add some brightness to the dim chamber. She peeked out from beneath the heavy fur that lay over her and saw Khelt standing near the entrance as he conversed with two other men. He was dressed again in his kilt and boots, and his freshly washed hair dripped down his back, the long black locks giving him a distinctly different look now that he stood alongside his fellow pack members.

She remained still, blinking the sleep from her eyes as she watched, pretending to still be asleep. The idea of meeting more of the Moon People, especially in her naked and vulnerable state, still intimidated her.

One of the men Khelt was speaking to seemed to be recounting something, while the other, taller man listened in silence with his arms folded. It was to this second man that her gaze was immediately drawn once her eyes had grown accustomed to the light. He was strikingly handsome, tall and well built like Khelt, with facial hair that had been trimmed neatly short and a mane of brown hair to match. He wore the same collection of animal furs as the rest of the Moon People, but his outfit seemed less rugged somehow. The leather girdle around his waist in particular was ornamented with a wooden clasp that had been carved into a beautifully detailed impression of a wolf's head, clearly the work of a skilled craftsman.