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It was eleven o'clock at night, and Alrik was nowhere to be found.

I paced around the living room, glancing back and forth between my dark phone screen and the dark outdoors with the hope that a sign of life would appear in one of them.

We should have been having our late night dessert in bed by now, but instead, I was still dressed and waiting to have dinner with a man who was four hours late. The excitement I had felt when the clock had struck seven had slowly faded to anger before worry and frustration took its place as one hour turned into several.

I wrung the belt on my robe before I grabbed my phone and dialed Reece for the tenth time that night. The moment she answered, I began unloading my frustration before she could speak, "How can two grown men basically disappear from the face of the earth? No texts! No calls! No mind links! Are they dead, alive, hurt, ON THE RUN, ELOPING BECAUSE THEY HAD A SECRET LOVE AFFAIR? WHERE THE FUCK IS MY MATE, REECE?"

"I would have to be a special type of asshole to elope on our anniversary."

I whirled around and narrowed my eyes at the bane of my existence standing in the entrance with an innocent smile on his face as if nothing was wrong.

Over the phone, Reece cleared her throat, "I was going to tell you that he was here, but you–well, yeah, now you know. Bye!"

She ended the call before I could blink like she knew I was moments from erupting.

I closed my eyes and exhaled slowly, tossing my phone on the table and marching into the kitchen.

Don't strangle him. Don't strangle him. Don't strangle him.

"Kroshka."

I spun around on my heel and pointed a finger at him, stepping back as I realized he was right behind me, "Stop. Don't 'kroshka' me!"

I hated how delectable he looked in that suit. It made it so much harder to stay angry when all I wanted to do was rip his clothes off and make up for the time we had lost.

His eyes traveled from my finger to my face as if he was not quite sure what to do, and I turned back around only to grit my teeth at the now cold candlelight dinner set up.

So much for the homemade pelmeni (Russian dumplings) I had slaved over for nearly three hours.

"Jaslynn, listen. I know you're angry."

"Angry?" I snapped, "There aren't enough words to describe how I feel right now. I'm frustrated, pissed, hungry, tired, hurt, and you have the audacity to stand there all cool and collected when you know I was worried sick. You didn't bother to even check in with me and let me know you were okay."

"Jaslynn, my phone died and–"

"What the fuck kind of excuse is that? Your phone died? Conrad has a phone. Or did his coincidentally die too?"

He opened his mouth, and I waved my hand dismissively, "It doesn't matter now. It just sucks that I cleared my schedule, spent hours cooking and getting dressed up for someone who doesn't even appreciate it."

To add to my irritation, his gaze darted down my body as if his mind just registered that I was all dolled up. He took his time studying me from my curled waves to my dark red lips to my black silk robe that covered part of the special surprise I had for him, and his stormy eyes clouded with hunger.

Oh, he appreciated all right.

Too bad he wasn't going to get to enjoy any of it.

"I can't help it if you don't want to put in effort."

He snapped his gaze back to my face and narrowed his eyes, "What are you trying to say? That I'm not putting effort into our relationship?"

"I didn't say it. You did."

"That's fucking bullshit, and you know it. How many times have I–"

"Oh, so we're keeping score now?"

Our chests were rising and falling rapidly as we glared at each other, refusing to back down.

Early on in our relationship, Alrik and I had quickly learned that when a couple consisted of two headstrong leaders, the only way to settle any argument was to either battle it out with our words or with our tongues.

Which was why one moment, we were in a staredown and the next, our lips were clashing together viciously.

I had no idea who moved first, but all I knew now was the feeling of his hands on my throat and in my hair, pulling my head back so he could lay his claim on my mouth properly. Meanwhile, I was busy yanking on his tie and working his shirt out of his pants while trying to keep up with the heated pace of his tongue tangling with mine.

As his hand slid down from my neck to my chest, I waited for the moment he faltered against my mouth to push him back a few steps so he was up against the island. He grunted and tore his mouth away to narrow his eyes at me, "What are you trying to do?"

"I'm trying to get even," I huffed, ripping his belt off and tossing it to the side.

"Whatever that means," he muttered, more preoccupied with running his lips down my neck and sinking his teeth in my mark. I squeaked in surprise as the zing of pleasure and pain traveled all the way down and pooled in my core while he soothed the burn with his tongue.

"It means stop trying to use my neck as a chew toy and let me–get–why is this so hard?" I growled, trying to work the zipper on his pants.

His lips twitched into a smug smirk as he moved back up to nip at my jaw, "It's always fucking hard for you."

I stopped messing with the zipper and fisted his hair to pull him back, "Was that an insult or a compliment?"

"Right now, I would say an insult," he said, his face a mixture of amusement and frustration as he wound the ties of my robe around his hand and tugged me forward, "You should never insult the Alpha if you don't want him to bite back."

"What if it was the Luna who insulted him because the Alpha was being an asshole?"

The humor vanished from his face, "The Luna should know that not everything is what it seems."

The intense glaring commenced once again since neither one of us wanted to speak like we were supposed to at that moment. Instead, it was a waiting game to see who would make the first move.

And ultimately, submit.

I raised my chin and glanced at his swollen lips, "So, who's getting on their knees first?"

A few moments passed as he studied my face and slowly bit his bottom lip, "Who said we even have to get on our knees?"

I barely had a chance to breathe before he bent down, reaching for my right side and wrapping one arm around my back and the other around my legs as he hauled me up into his arms and flipped me upside down.

"Holy fuck," I gasped, feeling the blood rush to my head and finding myself face to face with his erection that looked like it was seconds from breaking through the zipper.

Alrik casually adjusted his grip on my hips like this was an everyday occurrence and clenched my robe so it wasn't dangling over my head, "You suck my cock, I eat this sweet ass, and no one's ego is bruised. It's a win-win situation to me."

"You are insane," I exhaled, getting his zipper open anyway as the adrenaline and excitement began pumping through me even faster.

"Mmm no, just hungry. You've kept this pussy from me for too long. Now I'm taking what I want."

"Kept you–"

He bit the inside of my thigh and smacked my ass, "Save your fucking breath, Jaslynn. Even upside down, you want to argue with me."

I couldn't help but smile to myself as I jerked his pants and briefs down and clutched his hips tightly, "Don't let me blackout."

"If you blackout, it's going to be because I made you come," he muttered, licking me through the lace material of my thong from one end to another, "Now, put my cock in your mouth before I do it for you."

I snorted at his impatience and circled my lips around the swollen tip of his length, flicking my tongue over the underside and sucking it deeper into my mouth slowly so he could feel the vibrations from my moan. He answered with a mixture of a groan and growl as he pulled my cheeks apart and buried his face deeper, his stubble grazing my inner thighs roughly.

The thrill of the position coupled with the pleasure from his tongue lapping at my slit and nudging my clit has me rushing toward the edge at record speed. I bobbed my head a little faster and released him with a gasp when he sucked my lips into his mouth and began massaging my clit with his tongue at the same time, causing me to buck my hips and squeeze his head between my thighs with a loud moan, "Fuck, don't stop that."

However, it became increasingly difficult to focus as I became light-headed, and I dug my fingers into his thighs to let him know that I needed to come down. He squeezed my ass in reply and pushed off the island, turning us around so he could lay me down on top.

But while Alrik took his time lowering me, a brilliant idea floated into my head once I was able to think a little better.

Time for some payback.

Once he had settled me on the cold granite and his hands were off, my eyes fluttered open and I found him reaching down to take his pants and briefs completely off.

I took my chance and rolled over, leaping off the island and trying to use the element of surprise for my escape.

However, I barely made it three steps before his arm clamped around my waist and dragged me back.

"Where do you think you're going?" He said roughly, pressing me up against the wall.

I was definitely screwed now.

I leaned my head back and smiled sweetly, "I thought we were going to the bedroom."

He raised an eyebrow at my innocent expression, "We? Or do you mean you were going to the bedroom, locking yourself in, and giving me extra blue balls for the rest of the night as punishment?"

The look on my face gave it away completely, and he shook his head slowly, "I learned my lesson after you handcuffed me and ruined my orgasm. Did you think I would be stupid enough to let you waltz out of here?"

"You do have your moments," I said, biting back a smile as he spanked my ass.

"Since you want to play that way," he drawled, resting his arms on the wall above my head as he stared down at me, "Let's make another bet. I'll give you a headstart to run, and if you get to the bedroom before I catch you, you get to decide what you want to do."

My eyes narrowed, "And if you catch me?"

He smirked and backed up a few steps, throwing his tie aside and unbuttoning one of his cuffs, "I'm not holding back."

I felt my knees weaken at his words and pretended like I wasn't dripping down my inner thigh at the hungry look on his face as I raced out of the kitchen, knowing he would be right behind me in a few seconds.

I was torn between wanting to go through with my punishment and letting him catch me, but when I caught sight of the soft faux fur rug in the living room, I slowed.

The day I had bought the rug, Alrik took one look at it and claimed it was ideal for sex.

And it was the perfect time to test that theory.

"Got you."

I shrieked in surprise as he appeared behind me out of nowhere and spun me around, causing me to slip. We tumbled onto the rug, and he immediately pinned my wrists above my head with one hand while rolling to lay beside me.

"So you chose to–" he stopped abruptly as his gaze landed on what was beneath my robe and pulled it open to reveal what I had been hiding from him for days.

His eyes darkened as they trailed over the black lace material that confined my breasts and the sheer skirt that did nothing to hide my curves.

(A/N: I don't know if you guys like it if insert images of what I envisioned, but I do it anyway lmao)

"You wear this for me?" He asked, tugging on one of the straps.

"No, of course not. I wore it for Cole because he was on time. Unlike you," I chirped, giving him another overly sweet smile. Cole was a new coven leader who had made his interest clear the first time we had met but quickly changed his tune when he found Alrik fuming in the doorway.

Alrik barked out a laugh and turned me onto my side, ripping the robe out from under me and palming my ass, "Cole wouldn't even know what to do with your smartass, let alone satisfy you."

"As if you do," I goaded, trying not to laugh at his wounded expression.

At this point, I just wanted him to work him up for my own pleasure.

And he didn't disappoint.

He drew me back against him and slid the sheer skirt of the baby doll up so he could tear my thong off before soaking his fingers in my arousal.

"I think I do a decent job of handling you if you're dripping like this," he murmured, grinding his palm against my clit and teasing my hole simultaneously.

I whimpered and clutched the rug hard as he slid his arm under me to grip my throat and pull my head up so his lips were pressed against my ear, "Do you want me to fuck you now?"

"Yes!"

I felt his lips curve into a smile, "I'm not convinced since you tried to run away. Say 'please, Alpha'."

"Please fuck me, Alpha," I whispered, already feeling the beginnings of an orgasm as he rocked the tip of his cock in and out of me.

"Apologize for your attitude."

My eyes flew open and I turned my head to glare at him, causing him to stop. I reached down and grabbed his pulsating length, forcing him to fill me up partway, "I'm not sorry."

"That's it," an animalistic growl escaped his lips.

He hiked my leg up and began hammering his cock inside me, stretching my pussy to the fullest and pounding the deepest parts of me. His grip on my neck tightened, and his other hand flew up to bare my breast and squeeze it hard, playing with the pebbled tip.

"Oh my, fuck fuck fuck" I moaned breathlessly, grabbing a fistful of his hair as he continued at a ruthless pace. I was either going to rip the fur out of the rug or his hair out of his scalp if he didn't let up.

His breath was hot against my neck as he let out a guttural moan, "You are so fucking hot and tight."

The sounds of his own moans and his hips slapping against my ass, letting me know he was giving it to me hard, combined with the slickness of his rod as he hit my sweet spot created a pleasure that was almost unbearable.

"Open your eyes, Jaslynn. Watch me make you come."

I opened my eyes and felt his thumb press down on my jaw as he directed my gaze toward the action taking place below.

And watching him slide in and out, dripping from the tip as he filled me to the brim was enough to set off my high.

I arched off of him and scrunched the rug up under my hand as stars filled my vision and my surroundings became a blur. I tried clapping a hand over my mouth to muffle my scream, but Alrik immediately pinned it down, grumbling something about wanting to hear every sound.

"Oh my God, Alrik!" I panted, collapsing beside him.

But instead of giving me a breather, his fingers were back on my clit, stroking furiously.

"Did you think that was it, you dirty little witch? You're. Going. To. Come. Again," he accented every word with a hard thrust.

A few swipes of his thumb over my extra sensitive clit had me falling over the edge once again, and I dug my heels into his legs to try to keep me grounded as my vision went completely black.

I could feel my core clenching his length rapidly, and a final squeeze had him unleashing spurts of his cum inside me, triggering another mini orgasm.

He buried his face in my hair and shuddered, "Fuck, Jaslynn."

I was trembling violently as his thrusts slowed to a complete stop, and he pulled out, causing the emptiness to overwhelm me as I dropped as fast as I soared. Tears leaked from the corners of my eyes and a sob left my lips, and he immediately moved on top of me, kissing me gently and coaxing me back slowly.

When my heart finally settled and my shaking stopped, my eyes flickered open and I stared at Alrik, who had a soft smile on his lips, "We should do that more often."

"You're going to kill me," I laughed, running a hand through his hair.

He kissed the palm of my hand and sighed, "Happy Anniversary, kroshka. I'm so fucking sorry I'm late."

"I'm sorry I said you don't put in any effort. I know you do, just as much as I do if not more. But I still want to know where you were and what took you four hours."

He sighed, "Long story short, the meeting went overtime, my phone died, the car broke down, Conrad lost his phone in the process of pushing the car to the closest town, and we ended up running back the rest of the way."

There was probably a lot more to the story, but that itself explained a lot.

"I should have let you explain," I muttered sheepishly, hiding my face in his chest, "This was not one of our most mature arguments."

"Maybe not, but the angry sex was worth it."

I rolled my eyes, "Of course you would say that."

"Is it a lie?"

"Nope."

He grinned and got up carefully, cradling me in his arms, "It's late, but I still want my anniversary dinner with my Luna."

I smiled and curled around him like a koala, feeling slightly drowsy, "You can eat, but I'm just going to stay like this. Maybe you can feed me a few bites before I fall asleep."

He chuckled in reply and kissed the top of my head, "I love you, kroshka."

"I love you too, mon loup."

🙏🏽