Antiope

After this morning's encounter I am fuming. The first order of business is to avoid going out that damn balcony on early mornings. The second is dispel in some way the effect he has on me. Yes, I know, it is ridiculous to be a virgin at my age and that my own fingers are less and less satisfying even for me, let alone for Maximo. But that doesn't mean that I have to kneel and salivate before the first male that dared come in my personal space.

"But he is not any male," Maximo whines. "He is our mate and he is freaking hot! Please, Antiope?"

"Shut up, Max! It's all your fault."

"Yeah, like you find him hideous," my own wolf is mocking me now.

I don't find him hideous, that's a given. A blind female would find him... But he is holding me and my sister here against our will. And one way to overcome this Stockholm Syndrome is to see my sister, to set a clear path of freeing both of us. My sister's sight tortured in silver chains is enough to make him a monster in my eyes.

I get up from the comfortable couch overlooking the lake and I go straight to my room. I dress in the warm clothes I never asked but were brought to me anyway and I cross the passage to the pack-house.

"Good morning, Luna."

Shit! I forgot about that. Thane is standing there at the door, on full attention. He too is tall like most males in the pack and he is seriously built. He looks my age or even younger but maybe it's that stupid grin on his face. His light brown hair is drawn into a messy bun on the top of his head and his beard is short but unkempt. He is wearing a black wife-beater a. because he is one and b. to show off the mark on his arm.

At the sight of the mark, I look up into his hazel eyes in terror. He has thin lines around his eyes and dark circles and though he is smiling, I can tell he is still in pain. This was not supposed to happen. This was not the plan. I do not want people marking themselves for me, putting their faith for the future of their pack in me. Wow, great Beta pep talk!

"Don't worry, Luna. It's an honor," Thane looks at his mark with pride and I want to smack him in the face for looking so happy.

"This mark proves nothing to me but that you are an idiot."

Thane shrugs and smiles wider.

"Anyone that sets willingly himself in your service must be an idiot. Hell, thinking is not my strong suit. But I needed this so I won't go mad."

"News flash! You are mad! And no one is holding the press for the I-am-an-idiot scoop."

"Well, I'd rather risk my life for my Luna and Magnus than go mad looking for a mate that may not be out there," his look goes sullen.

"Right," I pass by him and walk to the exit.

"Magnus asked me to escort you to his office once you were out," Thane moves to block my way.

I am this close to screaming and push past him to the outside, roam the grounds, sniff Celia out and get the hell away from this place. But unlike Thane, I am not an impulsive idiot. So, I simply nod to my guard and I let him lead me to Magnus's office.

We go through the pack-house and everyone we meet stops what they are doing and nod in respect my way. I grind my teeth and nod back. The house is big and there are a lot of people in for various reasons.

Turning up the stairs to the Alpha's and Beta's office, I see a woman come down, one of those that were holding a little girl and smiling at Magnus the day I was brought in. She stops midway and looks at me. What the hell? I reluctantly sniff the air to trace Magnus's scent on her. Thane chuckles next to me and gets all the fury of my look.

"Luna," the woman bows before me as I go up the stairs. "Blessed be the goddess."

Sure. She threw me here with a man that has no qualms keeping a harem in plain sight, trap a young, innocent girl and force a woman to mate with him. My hatred for Magnus is kindled and I walk up the stairs saying nothing to the Alpha's little whore.

"You are funny," Thane comments never leaving my side.

"I am sure there is some fucking protocol when addressing your Luna," I demand.

"Nope! The perks of laying my life down for you," he winks at me. "Here we are."

Thane knocks and Magnus voice grants us entrance. The moment I step in, I smell that female in his office and I growl openly.

"Antiope?" Magnus gets up at the sign of my discomfort and stares at Thane with a murderous look.

I shake my head and walk in the office. Unlike that stuffing, full office that my pack's Alpha has, his is spacious, well-organized and with one of those windows to the lake. As I turn to take the place in, I see Egil sitting on an elegant sofa along with two more males and a female. When I look at them, they all stand and nod seriously. Except for Egil. He is smirking at me.

"Antiope?" Magnus is next to me in a second. " Are you well?"

"I am well," I state.

I am not admitting that there I was beaten by jealousy for one lapse of a second there. If Magnus gets up, sniffs me and then goes on for a quickie in his office, that is none of my business. He can fuck any whore he wants and catch a deadly STD for all I care.

"Way to go on being cool," Max roars. "Now, can we go and tear her throat?"

"Down!"

Magnus takes me by the arm and forces me to look at him. He dives deep into my eyes but my walls are up and all he gets is cold, hard indifference.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Yes," Magnus releases me and points at a wooden meeting table and the others take their place on it.

Magnus stands at the head and Egil goes to sit on his right side but a growl coming from Magnus makes him change course and sit on his left. Magnus points at the now empty seat and I settle with Thane behind me.

"Antiope, this is Harbard, my Gamma," Magnus points at a huge, pale male with dark features. "This is Inge, my Delta," points at the blonde female. "And Torhild is the Sentinel."

The last male is scary and I am not easily scared. He has hideous scars on his exposed torso and he has lost an eye. He is big and strong and he is the one to look at me coldly with that one, blue eye.

"Egil," Magnus prompts the Beta to talk.

"We are getting some troublesome reports from the Russian packs. Your distant cousin, Alexander, was found dead, mauled to shreds. So was his mate."

"Alexander?" Magnus scowls. "He was a distant cousin but he was the seventh in line for the Throne. Have you called the Royal Guard?"

"They said they will sent us the report when the investigation is over."

"Keep me posted. What else?"

"The Rött Blod pack is giving us some trouble. Their numbers have swollen after their neighboring packs bared their necks to Gunnar and he is getting cocky. His scouts cross our borders, patrols all along ours and other violations of our treaty."

"The peace you forced on him was frail anyway," Inge comments. "It never sat well with him that you beat him to submission."

I glance at Magnus waiting to see a hint of pride in those words but all I see on his face is worry.

"Officially?" He asks.

"Officially the pack talks about mistakes or that they were forced by weather to trespass and shit like that," Egil seems angry.

"We don't want war with the Rött Blod," Harbard says in a deep voice. "Gunnar is crazy and he won't hesitate to risk everything to see you suffer."

"Crush him!" Torhild roars.

The discussion lights up with the members of the council fight on what course of action is and for a while there is a small chaos in the office. I study Magnus and he is equally pissed and troubled. He itches for a fight but he cares for his people.

"Make a visit," I say firmly.

The table hushes and they all turn to me. Seriously? I am offering advice now? But these people are people and since I am here... Magnus turns his attention to me and waits for me to elaborate. I swallow and I raise my brow. I am a Beta, I was trained to be the second-in-command.

"An official visit to discuss the matter. If he is just messing with you, he will see that you are not taking the matter lightly and he will stop. If he wants to start something, you will know and get a view of the preparation level and the morale in his pack."

The room goes absolutely quiet and they all stare at me with jaws dropped. It's not because I am a woman. Inge has a seat in the council and women are trained to be warriors here in equal numbers in this pack. So?

"You heard your Luna," Magnus says with a proud smile on his lips. "Egil arrange the visit. Harbard help him with the arrangements. Torhild get me an escort of your best warriors and keep the rest battle-ready. Now, leave us. You too, Thane."

They all stand and after paying their respect to the Alpha couple, they leave the room without even questioning my proposal. When the door closes behind them, Magnus ambushes me by dragging me from my seat and onto his lap!

"What...?" I begin but shut up as soon as my butt feels his erection grow under me.

That is neither normal nor healthy. He just rutted a female and minutes after he is ready to go again? I mean, werewolves are legendary for their appetite and readiness to reload but this is a bit too much.

I struggle to get off him but he traps me close to his body and buries his face in the crook of my neck. That is one fetish that he has to let go finally. The fact that the place he is so obsessed over is the same one that he is going to mark me is making me shiver.

"My Luna," he mutters.

"Let me go!"

"That is one thing I cannot do. Anything else I will give you, little girl."

"Stop calling me that!"

"When you stop acting like a little girl I will," he says and then his tongue darts out and licks the base of my neck.

The assault on my senses was so unexpected that a deep moan escaped my lips and I was not fast enough to stop it. I want to feel that crafty, thick tongue all over, cease that burn that is consuming me. It would be so easy to let go, give in to this man. So easy and satisfying.

"Stop!" I get my senses. "Want me to get one of your whores to take care of that thing poking me?"

Magnus's eyes snap in mine in surprise. He thought I wouldn't notice? He searches my eyes seriously and when he sees that I am not fucking with him, he starts laughing. His laughter pours out like cool, refreshing water and if I wasn't so angry at him right now, I would sit back and enjoy that marvel of nature.

"Oh, Antiope," he tightens his grip around my waist, gets my hair in his fingers and takes one lock to bring to his lips. "Why would I want anyone else when I got you?"

"Cause you don't have me, Alpha," I say ironically. "And it seems that this technicality is disagreeing with your little friend."

He forces me to wiggle on his full mast and I gasp at the daring move but it's the rubble rolling from his lips that gets me to the same place I was just this morning. It is a hot, steamy place, filled with blue eyes and strong arms.

"I can wait," he lets out in a husky, throaty voice.

"Aaww!" Max is nagging me. "Don't let him wait!"

I roll my eyes at Maximo and I manage to disengage from his embrace and stand up. I am not here to be the second course for his dick. I am here to negotiate.

"I want to be taken to see my sister. I think I held my end of the deal last night."

"Mmmm," is his comment and he goes back to placing kisses on my neck.

"Magnus!"

"I love it when you are demanding. I wonder if you'd be ordering me around when I am buried deep inside you."

What? I want to scream but the image of me and him tangled, and that impressive thing I saw raising between his legs inside me is enough to make me blush again.

"You are blushing, Antiope."

No shit, Sherlock.

"Tell me," he forces my head down to look at him, "have you been with another man?"

I grind my teeth and refuse to answer. Here he is, fucking every female in his pack and I am a freaking virgin that has barely gotten to second base. What was I doing during my adolescence?

"I want to see Celia," I change the subject.

"Answer me," he pushes me closer to his chest. "Has anyone tasted what is mine?"

"I kept my end of the deal and I demand to see Celia."

"The answer is no then," this time his low roar resonates to my core.

He gets up and places me on the table and nests between my legs. I place my arms on his chest to push him but instead I just explore his pecks.

"I tried, little girl," he purrs. "I tried to keep this strictly professional but you are too damn tempting."

"Tempting? Are you turned on by women swearing at you all the time?"

"Your smell says otherwise," he travels his hand between us.

I scoop back to avoid his touch and he lets me. He moves back and openly adjusts himself in his loose jeans while staring at me. His look is heavy, deep, full of emotion I can't comprehend.

"You did hold your end of the deal, Antiope but I am taking the threat by the Rött Blod seriously. It's not safe," he goes all business suddenly. "Not yet."

I want to be disappointed that I stopped our hot session but all I hear is that I won't see Celia.

"Lies!" I accuse him.

"Half lies," he admits and draws closer. "If I let you see your sister..."

His finger goes to my cheek and travels down to my lips. The goosebumps this touch wakes are giving away how much I am affected by him. I need to get laid.

"Best idea ever," Maximo cheers.

"If you let me see my sister what?" I control myself.

"I will not be able to hold you here any longer."

I search his eyes but they are fixated on my lips with longing and he leans closer. It's written on his face. He is going to kiss me. I have been kissed before. Aggressively or sloppily, the result was the same and I was not happy with it. But as those full lips of his approach me, I am absolutely certain that this male knows what he is doing.

And then my mind processes his words. If he lets me see my sister, he won't be able to hold me. What has he done to Celia? Has he tortured her? Maimed her? Killed her? Is he afraid that once I see my sister in a miserable condition I won't hesitate harm him? Maybe he killed her and there won't be anything holding me back from exacting revenge.

"What have you done to her?" I hiss.

His advance stops and he leans back with a sad look in his eyes. He then retreats and sits behind his desk, looking through his papers.

"What have you done to her?" I demand, putting my fist on the desk. "I want to see her."

"It's not safe now. You will prepare to escort me while I visit Gunnar."

"Like Hell I will. You fucked up your quid pro quo game. You will take me to my sister or we end our negotiations here."

The look he gives me after those words is harsh. This is Alpha Magnus Ulfisson, fifth in line to be the Alpha King, the Killer of Rogues. The Butcher in the flesh. He is not joking. Not one little bit. He may want me to escort him to that Gunnar but not as much as I want my sister safe. If she is safe. Or alive. Goddess, please, I pray.

"I have indulged this game but Ι will not," Magnus hits his hand on the desk and gets up, "risk your life over this. I won't see you hurt too because I..."

He shuts his mouth abruptly and I realize he really is worried for my safety. "I won't see you hurt too". That's what he said. Who did he lose? Family? Friends? That male creates more questions that he answers.

"You will see your sister and you have my word that she is not hurt. You can talk to your parents if you want or we can go for a run."

"I am not a child you can distract with an ice-cream, Ulfisson," I hiss in anger.

"Are you sure, little girl?" His look softens.

"Do you enjoy being kneed in your groin, big asshole?"

His lips curl in a smirk and just like that, in his office, in that damn tight white t-shirt, with his unruly hair he looks goddamn edible.

"There are other things that I'd like you to do with my groin, Antiope."

I try. I really, really try not to make a mental image of me on my knees before Magnus, him leaning against his desk to support himself, his fingers in my hair and that thick manhood of his in my mouth. But the image flashes in my mind's eye and I physically shake my head to get rid of that hot pressure on my lower abdomen.

"I can return the favor," he can sniff my perturbation.

Get out! I scream at my feet. Yes, it's a shameful retreat and I am not helping Celia right now but I can't deal with those weird, untimely feelings.

"Stay," Maximo is screaming in my head. "He said he'll return the favor. You do know what that means, right?"

"I do, Max. We are not exchanging... favors with the enemy!"

Losing this battle, I walk out of the room and I am met with Thane that falls behind me as I pass him by. I hate my life right now! I have an enraging asshole to deal with, an annoying bodyguard as my shadow and I fear for Celia's safety. But above all these, it's that growing, irresistible pull to that male that is consuming me.