Captive Of The Alpha
Chapter 42

He heard voices and he didn’t know from where. The darkness enveloped him and his whole body refused to listen to him. But he was not in pain. Only exhaustion was present. He didn’t like not knowing what was happening or what had happened, he didn’t like not being in control of the situation. She barely remembered the events after her heat began.

First the heat, then the need and the shuddering of his body to claim a female and knowing he had one waiting for him had been worse torture to the point of almost losing control. Then that sweet scent that drove him to run and catch him, to devour him whole.

An ache in his arm followed after that and the scars from his own bite would not fade, as no mark that was meant for the link would, even if it lost its effect by not being on the back of his neck. As the embracing heat of the desire that devoured him subsided, news that made him run regardless of what he left behind. The feel of arms wrapped around him, the caresses along his back and finally the darkness engulfed him again.

He felt the bed sink to his side and the scent came to him again pulling him out of the fog in his mind. Slowly he opened his eyes, letting his dilated pupils get used to the illumination of the room he found himself in. The sheets and the soft mattress were a relief to his tired body and the pillow on his neck provided more comfort.

-A female voice made him turn his face slightly and look at her out of the corner of his eyes.

Nebraska at his side wore an anxious expression as she kept her legs crossed on the bed and rushed to remove the damp cloth on his forehead and touched it to check his temperature.

Fever. It wasn’t normal for wolves to have a fever, but in her case, it was due to not having rested after such an overwhelming rut as the last one. And it was time for her body to take its toll.

Her hand felt cool on his skin and he wanted to feel more. He grabbed her wrist with some uncontrolled force and moved it across his cheek, closing his eyes as if in a trance. The omega just let him be. He looked so weak and fragile and all because he had gone to look for her. She smiled stroking his damp cheek and brushing away the hair that tangled in her fingers.

-Let me change the cloth on your forehead, you need to cool down,” she tried to let go but it didn’t work.

-No,” he whispered against her palm and pulled harder, leaving her lying on the bed. Hades’ hands moved to the sides of her dress and tugged at the fabric, tearing it in a dull sound, leaving her torso out in the open.

Nebraska didn’t flinch. Hades’ scent showed no arousal, he wasn’t going to attack her. The man’s body settled until he was pressed against hers, putting his head on her chest and his leg seeping between hers, resting his weight just barely and closing his eyes again.

-You’re cold, it feels…good,” were her last words before she lost consciousness again.

Nebraska realised two things. The first she already knew, she just confirmed it, Hades liked contact with her. Second, he liked to tear clothes. She would have to be careful about that, since as she would become his wife, intimacy would not go unnoticed, least of all for him who was looking for puppies, so they would have to sit down and talk about getting him to buy her a wardrobe specifically for ripping. She wouldn’t be too happy if some of the few clothes she had and liked ended up on the floor in tatters. Even if it was for an intense moment later.

The wolf’s already steady breaths moved across her chest in sync with her own. His bare skin felt like warm velvet to her touch and contrasted so much that she found it captivating. The thought of running her fingertips over it so much by licking it brought a faint blush to her face.

She’d never had those thoughts with Rudoc, she just didn’t replace the idea of s*x pleasurable in itself. Would it be any different with this alpha? She swallowed dryly. She could only bide her time. Copying Hades’ action, she closed her eyes as she stroked his damp black hair. She needed rest too. A full day of caring for the alpha with worry at the top of her mind had exhausted her.

When Hades awoke several hours later, he found himself alone in bed, dusk fading in the window, heralding the early hours of morning. He slowly sat up only to replace that his fever was completely gone and he felt completely revived. Still, he needed a bath urgently. He was soaked from head to toe in his own sweat and could not bear to feel dirty.

He pushed aside the sheet that clung to him and found himself stark naked and the image of Nebraska’s naked torso came to his mind. Her exquisite collarbone, the whitish skin that needed the sun’s rays to tan, those small breasts that would fit perfectly in his hands to massage to his heart’s content, the flat stomach, the narrow waist….

He touched the bridge of his nose and remembered the not very decent moves he had made in his feverish moment. Why the hell didn’t he remember any more? Had they gone all the way? Had he taken her? Had he marked her? His mind wandered between what seemed true and his imagination.

He sat on the edge of the bed clutching his head as the door was opened and a smiling Layan, more cheerful than Hades had seen in years, greeted him.

-My good friend, you’re awake at last,” he said.

A shudder crossed the brown alpha’s spine that made him sit up straight. Layan, smiling, really? Now that was a bad dream.

-Don’t look at me like that, have you ever seen a stranger, after all the years we’ve known each other,” the red-haired man leaned against one of the canopies of the bed, “I’ll be one of the best men at your wedding, so what, you like the idea?

Hades didn’t know what incredulous expression he must have put on his face for Layan to click his teeth.

-Always as straight as ever,” Layan ran his hand through his hair, “Nebraska will give her consent when I ask her to, she’s my new best friend, so I don’t care what you say, I was just coming to warn you beforehand,” he said.

For the first time, the Silver Pack alpha’s jealousy intensified beyond his control.

-And since when are you and my betrothed so close,” he snarled.

-After that intense day, where emotions ran high…” Layan grinned as he caused Hades’ eyes to turn his trademark molten silver. He was about to continue teasing him when a female voice interrupted him.

-Since he owes me a very big favour,” Nebraska concluded, stepping to the older wolf’s side, “Don’t say things that can be misconstrued, you’re not the one who has to deal with the consequences later.

The supposed joke didn’t sit well with her either and she frowned knowing that Layan was just pulling their leg in the end. Nebraska then felt herself being pulled down to sit on the thighs of Hades who only focused his annoyed gaze on her opposite.

-Don’t worry, I didn’t do anything to her,” this time Layan had changed the tone of his voice and was serious again, “Your fiancée is intact.

-You still have to explain to me why you kidnapped her and took her without my permission from the herd and for what purpose.

-Do you want this to come out as a scandal?

Nebraska sighed and massaged her temples. She was, of course, dealing with puppies.

-Layan, Hades,” she called and they both looked at her, “Who of the three of you is the youngest here?

-So…” she narrowed her eyes, “Why don’t you sit and talk like civilised alphas of large packs without having to threaten each other every time you exchange a word, don’t you realise the weight on your shoulders?

The wolves didn’t reply, only Hades who patted her waist.

-She’s right,” Layan stood up straight and turned around, “Let’s talk later,” and so he left the room, leaving them speechless.

Nebraska thought her bipolar nature would be a problem in the future but didn’t say so, she didn’t want to add fuel to the fire. She felt her fiancé’s nose sniffing her neck and the back of her hair.

-He hasn’t done anything to me, so no matter how hard you look you won’t replace anything,” she didn’t want to mention the part about him healing her wounds using nothing more or less than his tongue, even asking him to control her scent. She didn’t know how Hades would react to this fact.

She heard him growl against her skin and she reached up to massage his shoulder.

-If you’re feeling better and can get up, we can get back to your pack as soon as possible, it doesn’t feel comfortable here,” she said.

Hades’ arms wrapped around her waist and she found the position intimately pleasing.

-It’s not my pack,” he saw her raise a doubtful eyebrow, before he left his lips against the skin of her cheek.