"I wanted to kill him." Thrust.
"You are mine." Thrust.
"And you always will be." Thrust.
Now he flipped her, swift and seamless, laying her beneath him, never breaking their connection. He hovered over her, dark hair falling over his forehead, eyes burning with a hunger and love so intense it almost hurt to look at him. Her hands skimd down his chest—still annoyingly perfect.
He angled his hips, adjusting slightly, and when he began to move again—oh. Stars. Her breath caught in her throat as he found her sweet spot and stayed there, deliberately dragging over it with every powerful thrust. Her legs wrapped around his waist on instinct. Her fingers dug into his back. She whispered his na like a prayer, like a promise, like a curse and a cure.
Lucas watched her face, the way her expression lted into ecstasy, how her lips trembled as she tried to hold back moans, how her eyes rolled back as her body bowed off the bed in release. It was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. And it undid him.
He followed her over the edge, a low groan leaving his chest as he buried himself deep, his grip tightening on her hips as he spilled inside her. He collapsed to the side with a dramatic sigh, still breathless, still completely stunned that she was actually there.
He pulled her close without hesitation, his arm wrapped around. "Stay here," he said quietly. Not a command. A plea.
Ava tilted her face up and kissed his chest, her lips brushing over the steady thump of his heart. She nodded, resting her head on him. With lazy fingers, she traced patterns on his chest, drawing invisible shapes until she found his tiny nipple and, with all the mischief she could muster, flicked it.
Lucas growled.
Ava smirked. "Oops."
In one swift movent, he rolled her onto her back, eyes glowing with both mock annoyance and real desire. "That was a dangerous move," he murmured.
She giggled even as he slid into her again, making her laugh turn into a surprised moan.
"Well," she panted, "you did say you missed ."
Lucas kissed her. "You have no idea."
*****
Sarah looked like ten shades of hell and maybe a few shades of karma. Ava had imagined this mont many tis—had even dread of it once or twice. But reality? Reality hit different. The once perfectly polished Sarah, who used to strut around the fortress like she had gold in her bloodstream and diamonds for tears, now looked like sothing a rat dragged in, fought with, lost to, and then apologized to out of pity. Her once-glossy hair hung in greasy, uneven tufts, and her gown which looked like a sack now was stained and torn in all the worst ways. Even her usual venomous aura was dimd under layers of gri and humiliation.
Ava stood at the entrance of the dungeon cell. Zari had outdone herself. Ava’s dress shimred in the dim torchlight, clinging to her curves and flowing behind her. It was sleek, sensual, and scread Luna. Had the Luna coronation taken place, Ava was certain Zari would’ve walked up to Alpha Lucas himself to demand the Luna’s tiara, just for dramatic flair. The woman loved a power mont. And this? This was a mont.
Ava didn’t speak at first. She just let Sarah take her in. Sarah turned her face to the damp stone wall in sha, or bitterness, or maybe both—Ava couldn’t be sure.
Ava had co here with a full speech prepared. A monologue, really. She’d practiced it in front of the mirror. She was ready to devastate. She’d imagined delivering each line with the confidence of a queen and the coldness of winter. But standing here now, seeing Sarah pregnant, miserable, and stripped of everything—including her pride—it pinched at her conscience.
She didn’t feel pity. No, no, not that. But there was a difference between justice and cruelty. The baby growing in Sarah’s belly hadn’t betrayed anyone. Ava crossed her arms, standing tall, masking the war inside her.
"I ca to see how you were doing," Ava began.
"Cut the crap! You ca to gloat," Sarah snapped without turning around.
"I need to learn how to be a better liar. Yes, actually. I ca to gloat. Zari passed my little ssage along, I believe."
Sarah remained silent, her body tense.
Ava stepped closer. "There’s only one reason you’re still alive, Sarah. That child."
Sarah’s head turned slightly, a flicker of hope igniting in her eyes.
Ava’s gaze hardened. "I will wait until the child is born... and I will have you watch as I snap its neck."
The color drained from Sarah’s face. "You cannot do that! You cannot be that evil!"
Ava’s eyes narrowed. "Can’t I? Dorian murdered my child before I even knew I was carrying. Let ask you again, can’t I?" She paused. "All I did was love the Alpha. That’s all. And both of you took life from ."
Sarah’s voice rose, a mix of anger and desperation. "Did you think I wanted this? All I knew how to be was the Alpha’s concubine. I had no life besides this. You think you’re the only one who loved the Alpha? I loved him too, but you ca and took the tiny bit of him I had. What else am I? Who else am I? Tell , if you were ... if you were in my shoes... would you sit back and watch another woman take all of him from you without leaving the tiniest bit?"
Ava didn’t have an answer to Sarah’s question. It lingered, wrapping around her thoughts even as she turned away from the prison cell. She hated how the words burrowed under her skin, how a part of her—just a tiny flickering part—understood Sarah’s desperation. She, too, had co to the fortress as a concubine. Not willingly, not proudly. She had been a token in a treaty, a breathing peace offering ant to warm the Alpha’s bed, her freedom traded for political strategy. She had fought tooth and claw not to be just another shadow in the Alpha’s harem. And now... here she was, crowned by blood and sorrow. She was Luna. But at what cost?
With her jaw clenched and her back straight, Ava ascended the stone steps out of the dungeon. She exhaled shakily, pressing her fingers to her stomach. Dorian’s betrayal had left more scars than she liked to admit, and Sarah’s words stirred things in her chest that felt dangerously close to pity. She didn’t want to feel anything for Sarah. She wanted her to rot in that dungeon with nothing but regret for company. But damn it, Ava was human too.
And then she stepped outside, and what she saw rooted her feet to the earth.
The gammas were gathered—dozens of them, flanking the dungeon gates, forming two perfect lines. So faces she recognized. But there were many more she didn’t know.
Ava blinked rapidly, her fingers lifting to her lips. "What’s going on?" she asked.
(Please drop a review of this book, please, please, please)
Reviews
All reviews (0)