Chapter 199: Tending to My Queen

Leo’s POV

My wolf didn’t care about clocks or guests. It only cared about the warmth of her skin beneath mine.

I caged her in again, pressing her back into the sheets. I needed to feel her under me one more time.

I needed to burn away the scent of every other male who ever dared to look at her…or even think about going near her.

“Mine,” I growled, the word rough and possessive.

She gasped, the exhaustion in her eyes melting into the same fire that burned through me. Her legs wrapped instantly around my waist as I leaned closer. She didn’t have to say yes…her body was already screaming it.

This time, I was heavier. I was in control. I took her mouth first, devouring what little resistance she had left, biting and tasting the sweetness of her lips again. I moved fast…no thought, no hesitation…only instinct. My hands gripped her hips, tilting her just right, preparing for the deep, punishing thrust I craved.

“I need you to feel how you drive me insane,” I said, voice low and thick. I didn’t wait for a reply.

I drove into her…harder than before…seeking that ultimate connection that bound us together.

She screamed my name, a sound of pure surrender that sent shivers racing down my spine.

I felt the wet heat of her, the way she clenched around me, demanding more. I thrust into her again and again, every movement a declaration of possession, of victory over a world that kept trying to take her from me.

I watched her face…the way her eyes rolled back, the way her breath caught. I gave her everything I had, and she took it, every inch, every ounce of strength I poured into her.

There was no Alpha King. No Queen-to-be. Only mates…locked together, fighting for sensation, for release.

Her nails scratched my back, leaving trails of heat and want. I felt the familiar pressure coil tight in my core. I pressed my body harder against hers, whispering things I didn’t even know I knew…dark, filthy promises about forever.

She shuddered, her body tensing in that beautiful edge before breaking. I was right there with her. I pulled back slightly, driving into her one last deep time, holding her there while we came undone together…

…and then the world exploded.

But not because of the climax.

“Your Majesty, are you both ready? They’re here! Her family! They’ve arrived!”

The mind-link hit me like a sledgehammer, cutting my ecstasy clean in half. Ezra’s voice…urgent and confused, blasted through the link I’d warned him was only for emergencies.

I jerked back instantly.

One second, I was inside her, ready to let go…the next, I was halfway out, every muscle seizing mid-thrust. The shift was so sudden it felt like my soul got ripped from my body.

A low snarl escaped me, swallowed by the sheets.

Ivy felt it…the abrupt withdrawal. Her eyes snapped open, blinking through the haze of pleasure. She was still trembling, still hovering right on the edge.

“Leo? What is it? What happened?” she whispered, confusion mixing with the fading rush of desire.

My heart slammed against my ribs. I looked at her…then at the clock on the bedside table.

Thirty-five minutes into the ceremony, and we were still in bed, tangled, naked, and completely lost in each other.

Richard Blackwood…my father-in-law…might be just a man, but he doesn’t understand our ways.

He doesn’t know about marks, about mating heat, about the kind of savage need that drives an Alpha mad for his mate.

I was the Alpha King, but around him, I always had to be careful. I needed his approval…or at least his tolerance…for his daughter’s sake. The last thing I needed was him walking in on this.

“The… the ceremony,” I stammered. My voice sounded rough, strangled. I was still half-hard, still half inside her, and now completely panicking. “Your father and your uncle… they’re in the palace already. They arrived early.”

Her eyes went wide. Then she screamed…a sharp, piercing sound of shock. “They’re here? Now?”

She looked at the clock and glared at me. “Did you just say they arrived early? We’re the ones late, Leo!” she scolded, like I was some misbehaving pup.

She tried to scramble up, but her legs were still locked tight around my waist. The muscles in her thighs, raw from the last hour, gave out. She let out a small cry and fell back onto the pillows, gripping her legs in pain.

The aftermath of what we’d done was all over her…a heavy, beautiful ache.

Awkwardness pricked at me, but regret? Not even a flicker. I’d do it again. Hell, if her father hadn’t shown up yet, I’d still be buried deep inside her.

Watching her struggle sent a fierce wave of pride through me. I did that. I claimed her that completely.

“Oh my god, Leo! My father! My uncle! Rosa! They’re here! What if my father finds out I had sex before marriage? He’ll kill me!”

Her panic was instant, total…human panic. Human rules.

I pulled her close, spooning her against my chest. Her skin was warm, damp, perfect. I kissed her hair, then her neck, then turned her face to mine and kissed her again…soft this time.

“Shh. Don’t worry about that, little Queen,” I murmured, voice dropping into its usual deep command. “Technically, we’re already married. We marked each other, didn’t we? That’s the ancient law. The Luna’s Mark seals the bond stronger than any priest or contract.”

She stared at me, wide-eyed and hopeful. “Right?”

“Yes,” I said firmly, with absolute confidence in my tone. “He’ll find nothing. Leave it to me. I’ll face your father. I’m the Alpha King.”

I puffed out my chest, radiating calm and control…but inside, I was panicking. Her father was a good man, but old-school. The idea of him seeing his daughter ravished right before her coronation made my stomach twist.

We moved fast toward the bathroom…or rather, I moved fast. Ivy was limping, holding her inner thighs. I scooped her up without hesitation.

I turned on the shower, adjusting the temperature to warm, and guided her under the spray. The savage Alpha faded…what was left was a mate trying to soothe his queen.

I gently washed her, the sweat and scent of our passion swirling down the drain. I soaked a washcloth with warm water and pressed it between her thighs, washing away the soreness. My hands massaged her legs, deep and slow, working the tension from her muscles.

She leaned against the wall, eyes closed, sighing each time my fingers found a tight spot.

“Better?” I asked quietly.

“Much better,” she mumbled, tilting her head back, her voice barely above a whisper.

I finished quickly…every second counted now. When we stepped out, I didn’t let her walk. I lifted her again, carrying her like something priceless.

Because she is priceless.

I sat her on the padded bench by the wardrobe and wrapped her in a thick, soft towel. Then I started drying her with slow, careful hands…her hair first, then her shoulders, her breasts, then her still-tender legs.

And gods help me, all I could think was…

Fuck, I want to go again.