Chapter 41 Welcome Back Home
Xander
Three days. It only takes three days to find the source of the rumors.
Max and I, together with a few trusted men had watched the pack closely. The purpose of me announcing publicly that an investigation will be carried out was to sniff out blunders, easily. When in a desperate situation, most cunning people tend to slip up, and that was exactly what we waited for.
Nobody was allowed to leave pack grounds until the investigation was successfully completed. Including me.
Unusual movements were captured, watcher wards silently observing, and every person was accounted for...except one.
A man named, Trey Bobins. A short, dark haired man with dull grey eyes. He had been caught sneaking his way outside of the pack gates but was reprimanded immediately.
Now, he kneels before me, lips curled in a snarl as he's suppressed by two guards on each side of him.
I loom over him, a calm expression over me as I study him. His eyes are wild and tinged with red, almost rogue-ish.
"Why did you do it?" I demand.
"You're weak and will never be able to rule over our kind. A human hunter has no place in this pack," he spits.
"And who are you to decide how I rule? Also, why do you have to be threatened by her? She's done no wrong."
He gathers spit from the back of his throat and throws it on my shoes. I raise a brow at the act.
"How dare you!" one of the guards shouts, raising a hand to strike Trey but, I stop him.
"Trey, you know what you did was defamation of character and this - you - will not go unpunished, especially since it involves the future queen," I warn him, my voice taking on a dangerous edge.
He throws his head back and laughs maniacally. "I knew I should've killed her the moment she stepped foot in here, but then, they don't want any harm to come to her yet," he says, then his eyes turn completely black right then, his voice becomes distorted, an echo of wails. "You've stepped on their toes, and now you'll face the consequences. Be ready, son of Liora, because chaos is about to be unleashed into your world."
The voice and the words send a chill down my spine, sounding like a perfectly rehearsed script. It makes me uneasy.
His black eyes turn to me, empty and void, while still full of contempt.
"Take him away, he'll be dealt with accordingly." He allows himself to be dragged away with much resistance.
My eyes follow them until they're out of sight and I exhale.
He's gone, I think. This isn't the first case of possession we've witnessed in this pack and it usually ends with the same look, but this time, it feels different. Like someone knows something I don't, and that thought doesn't sit well with me.
Standing in front of the crowd for the second time, my body is stiff, eyes hardened as I address them.
"The investigation has been completed, and the truth uncovered," I pause, letting them take in my words. "The allegations against the future Queen are false, fabricated by an internal enemy."
A ripple moves through the crowd and they all start to murmur, looking at one another and trying to figure out if it's someone amongst them.
Trey is dragged out in chains and cuffs. His look is still as unapologetic as ever - full black eyes, canines snapping in angry snarls.
"This man here, has committed an act of treason. He not only defamed the future queen, but attempted to kill her, and threatened to kill me. That is intolerable and he will punished accordingly - death by hanging, and we will find his accomplices, within or outside the pack" The crowd let's out a collective gasp.
"Let this be a warning to all who dare to harm my family."
Trey starts to growls, thrashing against the hold of the guards and he lunges towards the crowd. They scream and back away with fear written on their faces.
"You know nothing, you will all die! They are coming and you will never be able to escape!" he continues to scream and everyone watches as he's dragged away to meet his inevitable doom.
All heads bow to me immediately in submission and a strange sense of calm settles over me.
The next day, Max and Vanessa are back in the mansion and there's a subtle pain that lingers in her eyes when she looks at me and my chest clenches painfully.
I want to see the fire in her eyes, the defiance in her words, but she isn't giving me any of that.
"So, I'll give you guys time to catch up," Max mutters and walks out of my room where we are gathered, closing the door quietly behind him.
A beat of silence, then, "Thank you," she whispers.
"For what?"
She rolls her eyes, a spark of irritation in her gaze. Yes, that's more like it. "You know what I mean. Clearing my name and all. I could've done it myself, just so you know," she grumbles.
I don't response except for an upward tilt of my lips. Drawing her closer, I pull her flush against me, and she inhales sharply.
"As part of our contract term, my duty is to protect you, always and at all costs. I'll never break that," I mumble as I trace my thumb over her lower lip, enamored by the pillow softness and the way her electric blue eyes darken with desire.
My nostrils flare at the scent of her arousal and I tighten my arms around her.
Her tongue peeks out to lick my finger. Once. Twice. Before she can do it a third time, my lips replace the finger, moulding them against hers.
She groans and pushes on my chest. Understanding her signal, I scoop her up bridal style and she squeals.
I drop her gently on my bed and settle between her legs, not breaking the kiss even once.
The kiss is slow and measured, and I restrain myself from devouring her whole.
She unbuttons my shirt, pulling it over my head quickly and I let it fall to the floor. I raise my hips up to allow her as she reaches for my belt next. I hook my hands under her back to unzip and carefully slide her dress over her shoulders, then comes her bra next. Within seconds, we're both completely naked.
Wasting no time, I cup her breasts, moulding the creamy mounds to my taste. My fingers flick her hardened peaks and she moans. My head dips to take one into my mouth, sucking it and biting down hard, just how she likes it.
I pay the same attention to the other one and when I raise my head, she's panting, her pupils blown wide and lips sucked between her teeth.
I kiss my way down her body, pausing to suck and lick her the apex of her thighs, ignoring the part she needs me the most.
"Xander," a note of warning in her voice and I chuckle.
My lips latch onto her clit and she moans loudly. I lick my way from her hole back up to her clit and she grips my hair harshly, but I don't stop.
I continue to switch between sucking her clit and fucking her hole with my tongue until she's a panting mess. I slip two fingers inside her and she screams as her orgasm slams into her. I keep my face buried and continue with my ministrations until her orgasm subside. She bucks once.
A warm feeling fills my chest as I admire her disheveled state. Her breathing is ragged, her lips swollen and she looks wrecked, fucked and utterly mine.
The realization of it all slams into me and I find it hard to breathe for a second.
I want this woman. I didn't know when she became my obsession but with or without the contract.
I want her.
I crave her.
I need her.
Clasping my head in her warm hands, she growls, "Stop staring at me like a lovesick puppy and fuck me already, Xander."
I oblige.