The Morning After

POV: Lyra.

My head viciously pounds with a blinding hangover as severely fragmented, deeply intimate memories of last night’s intense, unbridled passion flood back into my conscious mind. The phantom heat of his large hands forcefully gripping my hips, the slick slide of his wet mouth devouring my skin, and the raw, breathless friction of our bodies tangling together in the dark entirely consume my thoughts. Waking up completely naked in the massive, luxurious hotel bed, my entire body deeply aches with the lingering soreness of relentless physical exertion. A heavy, undeniable throb radiates directly from between my legs, leaving absolutely no doubt about exactly how hard and how deep I was taken. As the harsh morning light filters into the room, a sudden, crushing wave of instant, terrifying regret violently washes over me. The horrifying reality hits me like a physical blow—I have actually, willingly slept with Alpha Kaelen, my father's absolute worst enemy.

*Click. Click. Click.*

The sudden, sharp, mechanical sound of a digital camera clicking violently snaps me to attention. I frantically roll over against the mattress, aggressively pulling the heavy white sheets up over my exposed breasts. My eyes dart to the foot of the bed, only to find my fated mate, Kaelen, standing there wearing absolutely nothing but his tight black boxers. He is casually holding his glowing smartphone, the camera lens aimed directly at my naked, tangled form. My inner wolf, Zyla, immediately stirs to life in my mind. She is instantly drawn to his magnificent, muscular physique, practically drooling over the hard, defined lines of his abdomen that trail down into the deep V-line pointing straight to his crotch. But while my wolf wants to submit, sheer, unadulterated panic completely sets in for me.

"What are you doing?" I groan out, aggressively pushing through the throbbing pain in my skull to force myself to sit up. My heart hammers furiously in my chest as my defensive instincts flare.

He completely ignores my genuine distress. His silver eyes are gleaming with dark amusement as he lowers the phone slightly. "What’s your inner wolf's name?" he asks casually, his voice a low, rumbling purr. Zyla violently wags her tail at his direct interest, but I fiercely shove her back down.

"None of your business," I angrily and stubbornly growl, refusing to give him a single inch of ground.

As I frantically scan the messy hotel room, my eyes land on my clothes carelessly scattered across the floor. The sight triggers an entirely different, much more horrifying panic that aggressively spikes my adrenaline. I whip my head back to look at him, my stomach twisting in absolute dread.

"Did you use protection?" I demand, my voice rising in outright hysteria.

"No, you said you were on the pill," he simply shrugs his broad, muscular shoulders, completely, utterly unfazed by my furious, panicked accusation.

"You better not have given me some disease!" I snap, furious at him for being so reckless and furious at myself for letting my body be used so carelessly. A pregnancy between rival packs would literally start a war.

"Whoa, chill out. I'm clean," he remarks with a casual, arrogant smirk, completely brushing off the massive, life-altering consequences of our unprotected sex. Stepping forward, he sits heavily on the edge of the large mattress. Before I can even react, he suddenly reaches out, gripping my arm, and forcefully yanks me forward. I shriek in surprise as I crash hard against his solid, naked chest. He holds me tightly against him, casually extending his arm and snapping another digital photo of us tangled together in the bed.

"What are you doing? Give me that!" I violently snarl. My survival instincts take completely over. I aggressively straddle his muscular waist, my bare thighs clamping tightly around his hard hips to anchor myself as I lunge to forcibly snatch the locked phone from his large hands. I repeatedly jab at the dark screen, only to hit the security lock.

"Password. Now, Kaelen!" I shout in sheer panic. "If that photo gets out, my father will literally murder me."

Kaelen openly laughs, a deep, chest-vibrating sound that mocks my frantic panic. "It’s a bit early in the relationship to be checking my phone, don’t you think? Doesn’t the whole psycho-girlfriend thing usually start after at least a few months?" he jokes mockingly, holding the device just out of my reach.

"Password. Now," I repeat, my tone dripping with lethal intent.

Sighing heavily, he finally humors me. He holds up his hand, letting me forcefully press the heavy phone directly to his index finger to bypass the biometric lock. Once the screen opens, I furiously and rapidly scroll through his camera roll. My face burns with intense, agonizing humiliation as I spot exactly what he was doing. I permanently delete several highly explicit, completely naked pictures he had casually taken of my exposed body, my bare breasts, and my tangled limbs while I slept completely unaware.

"Why are you getting so completely upset? I'm your mate," he deeply purrs. His large, rough hands actively begin roaming up and down my bare thighs. He firmly grips my soft hips, his fingers digging into my skin, to forcefully pull my naked core flush against his crotch. The burning heat of his thick, semi-aroused erection presses directly against my aching slit through the thin fabric of his boxers.

"Do you have any idea who I am?" I urgently ask him, desperately praying to the Moon Goddess that he is just incredibly ignorant and blind.

A dark, completely knowing smile touches his full lips, shattering that hope instantly. "Yes, Lyra Vance. I know exactly whose daughter you are." He pauses, letting the horrifying truth sink in before he cruelly taunts me, his voice dripping with sadistic satisfaction. "And I have absolutely no problem with it. In fact, I can’t wait to see the exact look on your father’s face when he learns I fucked his precious daughter until she was loudly screaming my name and desperately begging for more."

My hand moves on pure, unadulterated instinct. My palm violently connects with his smug face in a loud, stinging slap that reverberates through the tense room. My own skin burns from the sheer force of the impact.

"You dare mention last night to absolutely anyone, and you'll live to severely regret it, Kaelen," I seethe, glaring down at him with unmasked hatred.

He only laughs darkly at my physical strike, casually rubbing his cheek. Before I can scramble off his lap and make a run for the door, his immense werewolf strength completely takes over. He abruptly rolls us over in a blur of motion, forcefully pinning me beneath his heavy body. He deliberately, explicitly rocks his hard hips against mine, grinding his thick arousal directly into my extreme sensitivity.

"That sounds incredibly more like a challenge, Lyra. And your father? He has absolutely no say in what I do with my mate," he growls with dark, unwavering authority.

As he slowly dips his handsome face directly into my exposed neck, aggressively inhaling my unique scent, my traitorous wolf Zyla loudly purrs uncontrollably, utterly submitting to his dominance. I urgently drop his unlocked phone onto the mattress beside my head. Tightly tucking my chin down to protect my unmarked throat, I desperately press both of my palms flat into his broad chest, trying to violently shove his massive weight away.

"Off, now. Before I make you," I warn him with a fierce glare, my breathing turning ragged.

Instead of retreating, Kaelen's reflexes are blindingly fast. He violently catches both of my struggling wrists mid-shove, effortlessly pinning them tightly above my head in just one of his massive hands. With his newly freed hand, he aggressively reaches down and explicitly squeezes my bare, exposed breast. His large fingers knead my soft flesh before his rough thumb deliberately and forcefully brushes my sensitive nipple to a painful, aching hardness. A jolt of electric heat shoots straight straight down to my core.

I fiercely glare up at him, furiously gritting my teeth against the heavy moans threatening to escape my throat.

"Fight it all you absolutely want, Lyra. It won’t change the biological fact that I am your fated mate," he deeply growls. His silver gaze is incredibly dark, intensely possessive, and entirely resolute as he stares down at my trapped body. "It certainly won’t stop me from completely claiming you."

With that absolute declaration, he forcefully leans down. His heavy, muscular body crushes mine entirely into the mattress, leaving me no room to breathe as he completely covers my mouth with a dominating, bruising kiss.