Word Count: 3746

~Aesira

My strides are long, ignoring the dull ache in my leg.

As the edge of the woods approaches, I risk a glance back over my shoulder.

Everin stands at the door, watching me. I can see only his silhouette, his tall and imposing form taking up most of the space in the doorway.

Then, I see him step outside, closing the door. He disappears amongst the shadows cast by the house, stealing my view of him.

Oh fuck.

I bound into the woods, as fast as I can manage with my leg. I know Everin is chasing me, stalking me as I weave through the trees, my feet sinking into the mossy forest floor.

My heart is in my throat, pounding so hard I can hear it in my ears. I'm absolutely terrified, yet undeniably excited.

And ashamedly, turned on.

Some sick, depraved part of me wants him to catch me. It's even more thrilling knowing he will. There is no way I can outrun him out here, even if my leg wasn't injured. He'll be following my scent, tracking me despite the low visibility night provides.

The only light to guide my path comes from moonlight. Dappled patches litter the ground, turning the moss from a verdant green to a pale grey.

There is no sound out here, just deadly silence and my harsh breathing. The pain in my leg is crawling over my hips and up my spine, forcing me to stop.

Plastering myself against a thick tree trunk, I hold my breath.

The answering silence is petrifying.

I stay impossibly still, my palms resting against the rough grooves of the trunk. Everin is out there, hunting me, preparing to...I don't know. I can't be certain of what he plans to do to me, but I get the feeling I'm going to like it.

I shouldn't like it. Not when I still love Lincoln and am plagued with guilt from ending our relationship.

Even if the very reason for that end is stalking me through the woods at this very moment.

Turning, I look up to inspect the tree. There are a few branches within reach that I could use to climb higher. I would be able to hide, to survey the area. Everin would struggle, if he found me, to get me out.

It would give me to time to think, to come to my senses. To realise I'm losing my mind.

Standing on my tiptoes, I reach up to the nearest branch. By some miracle, I manage to get enough of a strong grip to begin hoisting myself up, my ears still straining to hear footsteps, or any other indication Everin is near.

There is nothing but unending silence and the quiet scuff of my feet against the trunk as I try push upward.

I almost manage to get my upper body up onto the branch before two hands seize my waist and pull.

I scream.

The sound fills the forest, distantly sending some birds scattering from their nests. I'm dragged down, my back landing against the strong torso of the terrifying Alpha.

I'm immediately fighting back. I kick and hit, trying to rid myself of his grip. Distantly, I know I could submit, to fall, pliant and willing, into his arms and hope he has mercy on me.

But...I want this. The fight feels good, adrenaline chasing alongside the thrill and excitement of knowing he's caught me, that he intends to do terrible things to me. I want him to throw me onto the ground before he tears my clothing from my body and has his way with me, as he promised in the hallway the other night.

I slap at him as he turns me, shoving me back against the trunk of the tree. I scratch and I hiss, hoping to hurt him, but while my breathing is wild and rushed, his is steady and calm.

I can see him in the dark, kind of. I see the harsh lines of his face and the resplendent gold of his eyes. I see vicious intent straining in his tight jaw, feeling his primal intentions in the way his hands restrain me against the tree.

There is no more fight to be had. He's got me.

For a moment, we stare at each other, our breaths mingling. His forearm is banded over my chest, keeping me pinned while his other hand has both my wrists in it, forcing them against my front. He's so strong that any amount of fight will be fruitless, but I'm also aware that a single word from me will make him release me.

He's pinning me because he knows I want this.

"You've got me. Now what?" I whisper harshly.

He angles his head, the movement predatory. "Now you'll wish you never ran from me."

There's a deep and persistent aching pulse in my clit, now flaring to life in the wake of his dark promise.

Just one night. A moment of weakness, and by morning, I'll come to my senses. I know I can't resume with Lincoln again in a romantic manner, but in this moment, I can't remember why that would ever bother me.

Everin is what I want. Just for tonight.

His attention grazes over my lips, and for a moment, I think he's finally going to kiss me. Instead, he lowers his mouth to my ear.

"You want this, sweet Aesira?" He's giving me one last chance to turn him down, to end this before we spiral down a path we can't return from.

I lift my chin, meeting my gaze. "I want this."

Kiss me. The thought feels like sabotage - I shouldn't crave that level of connection with him.

Instead of obeying my silent desires, he steps back. A rush of cool blows up my front, my body sagging against the trunk.

The shadows appear to thicken around him, the forest growing eerily silent, as if it is submitting the extent of his power.

"Then take your clothes off, and show me what belongs to me," he orders calmly.

A shiver rolls up my spine at his command, so easily given.

Slowly, I reach up to the strap of my dress, slowly guiding it down my shoulder. Even in the dark I can see him assessing me with quiet intensity, letting no detail of my revealed skin go unnoticed.

My dress slips down my body, exposing my breasts to the chill of the night air. It falls in a puddle of blue fabric at my feet.

I gesture down my my underwear. "You'll need to take these off with your teeth."

He hums appreciatively, low in his throat. The guttural sound makes my heart flutter, only making me crave him more desperately. But still, I wait for his instruction, not wanting to break this perfect trance.

He steps closer, and I can tell he wants to touch me. Yet, he resists.

"You're fucking perfect," he growls. "On your knees."

I oblige him, my knees sinking down onto the mossy ground. His hand reaches down to brush against my face, fingers grazing my brow and temple as he pushes mr hair back.

I'm practically shaking with anticipation. I hate that he is taking his time, slowing us down from the sudden chase and my violent capture. He's making me sit in my desire, making me feel how much I want him.

His thumb brushes over my lips, soft but insistently.

"Open," he commands softly.

I slacken my jaw, letting his thumb glide into my mouth. He presses it into my tongue and I suck, looking up at him through my lashes.

He draws in a sharp breath, then exhales slowly.

"I'd shove my cock in your mouth if I trusted you at all." He angles his head to the side, mussed hair brushing against his brow. "How I would love to see those Ashwood eyes gazing up at me as I fucked your throat."

I bite his thumb, to prove that no, he can't really trust me. He hisses, withdrawing it from my mouth.

"Brat." He steps away. "Stand back up for me, Aesira. I'm about to do terrible things to you."

I hesitate. "Out here?"

I thought he might drape me over his shoulder and walk me back to the privacy of the cottage. Out here seems too risky...too feral.

Somehow, that excites me more.

"Yes out here," he murmurs. "I want you to scream and beg and cry as loud as you possibly can, and know there's no one out here to hear you, no one out here to save you."

I swallow thickly, the thrill of this night almost too much to bear.

I rise back to my feet, having to brace myself back against the trunk of the tree to keep myself steady. Dappled moonlight shifts along my naked form and scatters across Everin's fully clothed body.

He draws in, still making no move to touch me.

"Just looking at you would be enough." His eyes travel over me. "But I want to fuck you."

"Yes, fuck me," I say, before I can think twice about it. I shouldn't want him this badly, but all the tension of these past few months has built up to this unbearable point.

He laughs softly under his breath, cupping the side of my face.

"Eager, aren't you?" His hand drags lower, down my neck, across my chest and to my breasts. "You think you could take me?"

"Yes," I breathe, my body buzzing, chills chasing his whisper light touch.

His fingers dance along the curve of my breast before his thumb brushes over my nipple. I arch my back into his touch, wishing he didn't have such incredible restraint.

He looks at me, almost pityingly. "I don't think so. I don't think you know what I would do to you, once I got my cock inside you."

"Do it. Show me." It's both a plea and a dare. He knows how much I want this — I've bared myself to him in every possible way. How much of his own desire will he show me?

He leans down, his hair brushing my skin as he kisses my jaw, and then down my neck. A soft moan tangles with my breath as his hands knead my breasts before travelling down my waist.

His touch continues downward, his fingers dipping into my underwear. I know he feels the wetness gathered there, evidence of my need.

He's smiling cruelly when he pulls back. "You're ready for me already. You make me want to keep you."

I want to remind him that I'm his wife, that he could have sent me away by now, but he hasn't. '

The words don't come. Not as he grabs my underwear and tears it, pulling it away from my body.

I gasp at my sudden and complete nakedness, but there is no space to feel shy. Everin takes me in with a hungry sort of yearning, his composure slowly melting away.

"I've been dying for a taste of you." Slowly, he falls to one knee, and then the other, his hands tightly grasping my hips. "You torment me every day, and I have finally snapped. Now, I'll have you how I like."

The moment I feel the heat of his mouth against me, my entire world explodes and rearranges.

His tongue glides up the centre of me, his hands on my hips keeping me steady, keeping me at his mercy. He makes a sound of deep satisfaction before he unleashes himself on me entirely.

"You taste like salvation." His voice hums against me, his eyes raising to meet mine as his tongue works me great, sweeping strokes.

The pleasure is overwhelming, It sends bright sparks of colour through my vision, bursting through the darkness.

"Ah! Everin..." His name stumbles past my lips like a prayer, my hands diving into his hair. I grip it tightly, holding on as if it might stop my weakening legs from giving out.

He is relentless in pleasuring me, thoroughly worshipping my clit. Through the haze of it, I can't help but feel like this isn't a punishment at all.

But I should know better than to doubt Everin.

The closer he drives me to the edge, the harder he grips my hips, keeping me steady. He watches me feel every inch of pleasure the he affords me, knowing in this moment, I'm entirely his.

I moan helplessly the closer I'm brought to the edge. It's right there, so close...

Before I can fall into the euphoric abyss of pleasure, he pulls away, hands still pinning me against the tree.

I look down in horror, my breathing uneven. "No...why did you stop?"

He smiles darkly, wickedly. It dawns on me immediately that I've made a mistake, and he's not going to stop until he's through tormenting me.

"I'm not done having fun with you," he purrs, kissing my inner thigh, making my stomach flutter. "You taste divine, wife, and you're so wet for me."

I tighten my grip on the inky lengths of his hair, glaring down at him with not nearly enough ire than I should be able to muster.

"Don't be cruel," I growl. "Please, I need this."

"I know, I know." He hooks my leg over his shoulder, his breath fanning over the heart of me. "Relax for me."

I can't relax. Not as he slides a single finger into me, his teeth grazing over my skin.

If my thoughts weren't scattered all directions, I would consider begging him to mark me. But I need this release, and right now, the last thing I want is for him to be dead.

He adds another finger, driving them deep. All the while, he wears a sadistic smile, watching me writhe and beg for him.

"That feels so good," I moan into the air, our location entirely forgotten. All I can focus on is him, his fingers inside me and his tongue lapping languidly at my clit.

I jerk in his hold, the need for release returning. I want it so bad, I would do anything for it, and yet, I know he doesn't plan to give it to me.

"Like that?" He murmurs against me, tongue circling expertly.

I squeeze my eyes tighter, my body trembling with need. "Yes...yes, Everin."

He growls approvingly. "That's it, say my name."

"Please let me cum, Everin. Please." I can feel it again. I'm so close, it almost hurts.

Once again, he brings me right to the edge, before he pulls back, sliding his fingers out of me. It's so jarring, I almost stumble, but he reaches out to steady me.

"You're being cruel." I don't even sound like myself. I sound like I'm on the verge of tears, and maybe I am.

"You have no idea how cruel I can be." He offers me his hand, and for some reason, I take it.

He immediately pulls me onto the ground. The moss cushions my fall, feeling fuzzy against my overly sensitive skin. My hair splays around me, my back flat against the forest floor as Everin looms over me.

For the briefest moment, he just looks at me. There is only the sound of our heavy breathing, as his eyes move like the weight of his hand over my body.

There is more than desire there. More than attraction.

There's longing.

His eyes meet mine, and that look shifts to dark, intoxicating want.

I barely get the chance to collect a breath before he kisses me. It's so startling, I gasp into his mouth, my hands clutching his shoulders.

He leans over my body, claiming my mouth, over and over. It's not rushed, but it's not tender either. It's hard and searching and even a little possessive.

It's exactly how I always imagined it would be to kiss him.

With his tongue still sweeping through my mouth, his fingers find their way to my clit, pressing down onto the delicate bundle of nerves.

I flinch a little, sensitive from my withheld orgasm. "Everin!"

"Shh, look at me." He grips my jaw, shaking my head a little until my eyes crack tentatively open. "Breathe for me, sweetheart. Don't let me lose you."

The sudden shift in his demeanour could give me whiplash. He's both a tormenter and a lover.

I lift my hips into his touch, my body weak, depleted of energy. I am fraying, losing control. I've succumbed completely to him.

"Please...I can't take his torment a moment longer." I gasp, his fingers moving in time with my moans.

"You won't have to." He kisses my mouth, my cheeks, my jaw. I feel damp with him, my head angling to give him access to my neck. "I will give you your release, if you earn it first."

"E...earn it?" I'm barely hearing him anymore, too overcome.

His hair grazes my skin as he kisses and bites at my neck, covering what was left of the mark left by Lincoln.

"Tell me something I should know," he murmurs in my ear. "Anything about your father, about your pack. Do that, and I find it worthy, I'll let you cum."

"No...fuck you..." The last word loses all momentum as he presses two fingers back inside me with enough force to tell me he isn't messing around.

To tell him anything about my father would be a betrayal, yet in this moment, I can't remember why I care. Let him know all my secrets. Let him be the commander of my fate in every possible way.

He pulls back, meeting my stare. "I assure you, your own hand will not give you the relief you crave tonight."

He curls his fingers into a spot that makes me cry out, my hands digging into the generous muscle of his arms. His point is well and truly proven.

"I don't know." I feel a tear slip from my eye. "He takes his coffee black. He...he sends my mother away to care facilities whenever she has a mental breakdown."

The words tumble from my mouth in quick succession, but I know it's not enough. I know exactly what he is looking for.

He tuts, nipping my jaw. "I'm going to need something a little better than that."

I groan, so close to the edge I fear I'll pass out if he sends me over the edge of it. He taunts me with it, keeping me near but not so far as to finally get the relief I crave more than anything.

"Come on, sweet Aesira. Help me so I can help you." He holds the side of my face, thumb brushing away the tears that spill so easily now. "I want to help you. You have no idea how badly."

"Oh fuck." I squeeze my eyes shut, knowing what I'm about to say and that it can't be taken back. "Ah, he's planning an attack for next week."

The entirely of Everin pauses — even his fingers still inside me. I clench around him, silently cursing him.

When I open my eyes, he's looking at me in disbelief. "Is he now?"

"I can't take it anymore," I insist, raising my hips.

He gives my cheek a gentle tap. "Hey, Aesira, focus now."

"Yes, okay...he, he is going to burn three churches near the border and use the distraction to rob another armoury. He has hostages to frame already in his possession," I gasp, surprised I have the energy to utter so many words at once.

Everin's expression slackens, then warms. In fact, he smiles — not like he is pleased, but like he is proud of me.

He kisses me feverishly, praising me.

"Well done, that's my girl," he murmurs. "You've more than earned your orgasm."

He doesn't give me a chance to get the words out. He lowers himself down my body, and then drags his tongue over the most sensitive part of me.

It launches me over the edge into pure oblivion.

The pleasure is too much. It comes at me in great sweeping waves, knocking me to the edge of consciousness.

Everin doesn't let me come down easily.

He raises back up, although never stops the deep thrust of his fingers inside me. He kisses me, swallowing every moan, every overwhelmed cry.

I hold him tightly, high on the euphoric feeling. "I can't..."

"I know baby, I know." He sounds far away, but I feel his presence right with me. "You're doing so well. Don't hold your breath."

When I come down from the pleasure, the world feels a little different.

Gently, Everin helps me sit up. My head spins, but I manage to catch my breath. I feel completely drained, ruined.

"I think I might have passed out," I mumble, looking dazedly up at the Alpha.

He laughs lowly, running his fingers through my hair soothingly. "You're okay, just relax."

I frown, the realisation that I just told him critical information that I learnt before I left for this mission is finally settling over me. It was never a plan of my father's I particularly agreed with, but still...

If he knew, I would never be welcome home.

"I just..."

"I know." He cradles either side of my face, his eyes warm. "You've helped me immensely tonight, and you will be rewarded even further."

If his punishments feel as good as that, I would love to know what his rewards feel like.

"Any chance I can ask you to forget I said that?" I ask sheepishly.

"Your information is going to save lives, okay?" He kisses my forehead, and then my cheek. "Now, can you walk?"

I don't even need to try to know the answer to that one. "No."

He lifts me up with him, sweeping me into his arms. I don't protest — I can go back to not wanting anything from him tomorrow.

"Let's get you back to your room. You need rest."

I don't say a word as he carries me through the forest and back to the cottage.

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~Midika 💜🐈‍⬛