Chapter 80

Hannah’s POV

It was like an out-of-body experience. I could feel his bare skin against mine and the warmth our bodies created as they were pressed together as one. But it was almost like the young wolf that lay with him, wasn’t me. I no longer felt like myself. His lips trailed down the nape of my neck until they landed on the mark he left on the back of my neck. I trembled from his kisses as he kissed the mark; he traced his tongue across the mark, and I exhaled as my body relaxed for the hundredth time.

I felt like I was losing control of myself; Nora was in complete control of me. She’s been wanting this for a long time, and I’ve been dismissing her desires with ice water. But the ice was only a temporary fix; she was hungry for him and now I was finally giving her what she wanted.

I continued to kiss him; biting on his bottom lip and bringing it further into my mouth, allowing him to moan into me. The sounds of his moans made my heart leap wildly in my chest. I knew my face must have been glowing red; maybe even scarlet like his eyes as he gazed down at me.

He brought me to his bed and wrapped my legs around him, not wanting him to go anywhere. I wanted him to be as close to me as possible.

“He loves us…” Nora reminded me, breathlessly. “He really loves us.”

I knew she was happy with his confession, despite us not saying it in return. It didn’t seem like it mattered at that moment. He could tell how I felt about him. My body responded to him automatically. With every movement of his body and every touch he gave me, my body would respond to him. goosebumps trailed up and down my arms as his fingertips traced every dimple and curve my body revealed.

He was in awe of me, and I was in awe of him. I traced my fingers down his torso, feeling the softness of the hairs that decorated him. He moaned, which turned into a low growl from the back of his throat, as he pressed himself into me. His lips found mine and he hungrily kissed me. He bit my lip with force, and I winced as I knew he punctured my skin.

Blood trickled down my lip and he brought it into his mouth to stop the bleeding. I tried to use force him and take control. He was too strong for me though and kept me pinned to the bed. I brought my lips to his neck, kissing and sucking down his neck and to his shoulders.

He loosened his strength on me and allowed me some control as I brought myself on top of him. His scent filled me with so much pleasure and Nora needed more of him.

“I’m never letting you go again…” he whispered to me, biting my earlobe gently, sending another wave of chills down my spine. “You’re mine…”

I was his.

Even before he marked me, I knew I was his.

This was only going to make our mate bond that much stronger.

I moved my body along his, allowing him inside of me once again. I moved in the same rhythm as him, keeping my pelvis locked against his and my legs wrapped around his waist. He wrapped his arms firmly around my torso and we both breathed out as our lips were only inches from one another.

He kissed me gently, taking whatever breath I had left away.

“I need you…” he whispered; sweat was pouring from his body, making him glisten and glow.

“I’m not going anywhere…” I whispered in return.

I’m not sure how long we stayed in that embrace; I closed my eyes and allowed Nora to take over. Everything in my mind was washed away and I only saw darkness. When I opened my eyes again, he had released himself and he was breathing heavily.

I was also trying to catch my breath as I lay beside him in the bed. His arms were still wrapped around me firmly and he nuzzled his face in my hair. I couldn’t help the smile that was tugging at my lips; for the first time in a long time, I finally felt like I was safe with him.

We both fell asleep, holding one another. It was a dreamless night, which is exactly what I needed. The thoughts of him forcibly marking me were taken over by our night of passion. Even the thought of Jack’s torture was temporarily out of my mind.

Before I fell asleep, I kissed his chest and rubbed the patches of hair that invaded his body. Draping my fingers through the softened and never wanted to let him go. I peered up at him, I could almost see his beautifully handsome face from the corners of his mask. His non-disfigured face.

I wasn’t sure who fell asleep first, but the next thing I knew I was waking up beside him the next morning. The tint of the sun coming through the shaded windows gives the room a faint red shade.

I slipped out of bed and slipped on a T-shirt and jeans before making my way to the bathroom so I could clean up. Looking in the mirror, I could hardly recognize myself. I still had bruises along my features, and I was pale, a lot paler than I had been a few days ago. I touched my washed-out face before splashing cold water onto it; I breathed out relieved as the coldness of the water soothed the heat that was still forming on my face.

I was also thinning; I hadn’t eaten properly in days. They hardly fed me while I lay in the dungeon and when I was in the hospital, I didn’t have much of an appetite. I shook the memory of the last few days out of my head and made my way into the hallway. I was heading back to my room to spend some more time with Sebastian when I saw Valerie walking down the hallway on the opposite end.

She looked off; her face also looked pale like she had seen a ghost. Her eyes were bloodshot like she’s been crying. Her hair was thrown up into a messy bun, something I had never seen from a maid here before.

She stopped when she saw me walking and she curtsied quickly.

“Good morning, your majesty,” she said softly. It was clear she was trying hard not to cry. “I’m glad to see you are doing well.”

“Thank you, Valerie,” I said in return, raising my eyebrows. She began walking again, looking down and refusing to meet my eyes.

“Is everything okay?” I asked, cocking my head to the side.

She glanced at me briefly before looking away again.

“You should you back to the Alpha King…” she said gently.

“Valerie…?” I said, stopping her from walking away again.

I could tell something was wrong the moment I walked into the castle last night; this was only confirming my thoughts.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Breakfast will be ready soon,” she told me; her eyes growing misty. She was refusing to look at me because she feared that I would see her misty eyes. But I had seen it anyway. “Should I set a plate for both you and the Alpha King?”

“Where’s Caroline?” I asked.

Usually, Caroline was the one who got my food ready; come to think of it, I haven’t seen her since I was walking to the trial the other day. I was surprised she hasn’t come to check on me yet.

I saw Valerie swallowing hard and her body visibly trembled slightly.

“Valerie,” I urged, impatience growing in my tone. “What’s going on? Where’s Caroline?”

A tear escaped from her eyes as she looked at me; meeting my eyes for the first time since this conversation started.

“I didn’t want to tell you…” she whispered, choking back a sob. My heart nearly stopped in my chest; I knew something was wrong. “I thought the Alpha King would have told you.”

“Told me what?” I asked.

The palms of my hands were growing sweaty with anticipation; she swallowed hard.

“Caroline is dead.”