The predator (2)
Alkrevas grinned widely with pure happiness. He pressed his face against Luna’s neck and greedily savoured her scent. “Hmm… my precious little mate.”
Luna forced herself to raise both hands and push against the bare chest of the man standing naked beside her. Under different circumstances, she might have blushed with embarrassment. Still, right now, she cared little for the mad Emperor standing dangerously close.
All she wanted was to keep as far away as possible from a man who seemed dangerously obsessed with her-obsessions she feared would lead to something dangerous and deadly.
Alkrevas smiled affectionately at Luna’s attempts to distance herself. He grabbed one of Luna’s hands, sensually nibbling her fingers before brushing it away and pressing his face back into her neck. Then, he placed light kisses around the area, searching for her sensitive spots.
As his lips found one of those sensitive spots and felt Luna’s body shudder intensely, Alkrevas knew he had found what he was looking for. He withdrew his face, gently caressing the area with desire before revealing his sharp fangs and signalling to Luna what would happen next.
Luna’s eyes widened in horror at the sight, and a soundless scream escaped her lips as Alkrevas’s fangs sank into her neck. Tears streamed down her face as she felt a pain twice as excruciating as any she had ever known before. Gradually, the cries of pain subsided, replaced by soft moans as she felt a burning sensation spreading throughout her body.
“Stop…,” Luna moaned softly, digging her nails into Alkrevas’s shoulder, but his response was only to bite harder.
When Alkrevas finally withdrew his fangs, Luna could no longer move. Her entire body was limp, powerless. Alkrevas licked the bite mark proudly, the mark of a male wolf’s claim on his mate. A claim that declared the woman in his embrace as his soulmate, possession, and queen.
With an obsessive gaze, he looked at the two bite marks and murmured, “My claim looks so beautiful adorning your smooth neck. You are now completely mine. Our souls have merged as one, and nothing can separate us. Not anyone, not even you, little mate.”
Luna felt her body tremble, this time not from cold but from a strange current spreading through her entire body, centred where Alkrevas had touched her. She shook her head faintly and tried to escape Alkrevas’s grip but failed. This time, Luna sobbed loudly and whispered, “I belong to no one but myself!”
“Shh… sleep, little mate,” murmured Alkrevas, gently closing Luna’s eyes with his large hand.
“When you wake up, you will be the luckiest woman on the continent. You will wake up in our chamber by my side.” Luna struggled, but her head throbbed, and she seemed to hear Alkrevas’s whispered words in her ear, words she couldn’t comprehend-a mantra, she guessed, because darkness joyfully approached her.
As Luna fell unconscious from the sleeping mantra he had given her, Alkrevas raised his hand. They tenderly watched Luna’s slumbering face, admiring her beauty and absorbing her warmth.
His hand reached out to gently stroke Luna’s cheek. He briefly kissed the woman’s lips in his embrace and whispered, “I have finally found you, my soulmate.”
Alkrevas then lifted Luna’s body tenderly, carrying her as if she were a bride out of the narrow alleyway. He glanced at the wound adorning his soulmate’s temple and smiled as he saw it slowly heal due to his saliva. Indeed, a mate’s saliva was the most potent remedy for a werewolf. If a werewolf was injured, only a lick and saliva from their mate could heal the wound, even if it was superficial and minor. This was a unique advantage, signifying that soulmate pairs relied on each other, ensuring each partner loved and cherished the other.
Alkrevas walked calmly down the quiet street. The once heavy rain had gradually subsided to a gentle drizzle. Once again, he smiled as he looked at the woman in his arms. Then, Alkrevas contacted his friend and best aide, Sigmund, through Mindlink. “Sigmund, I need you to investigate someone’s identity.”
“Alpha? Where are you? Why couldn’t we reach you? I’ve been searching for you for an hour! Savon even sent imperial troops to find your whereabouts,” Sigmund exclaimed with panic and relief.
“Just follow my orders,” Alkrevas growled softly, his tone filled with undeniable authority.
He was furious that Sigmund dared to question him. Still, that anger quickly subsided due to the overwhelming joy and happiness in his heart. Moreover, for the first time, he felt Norris was not restless or thirsty for blood, choosing instead to sit calmly in his mind, his sharp gaze fixed on the woman in his arms. His red eyes slowly returned to their usual state, becoming dark, empty voids like deep abysses. Alkrevas directed his dark gaze towards a group of knights with several of Vasilos’s best trackers.
They stood not far from where he originated, waiting obediently and faithfully. It proved Sigmund’s statement about Betanya’s excessiveness in sending imperial troops to find and fetch him was true. Alkrevas snorted softly and stopped walking.
Sigmund responded with a puzzled murmur, “Who should I look for, Your Majesty?” His voice sounded hesitant, afraid that his question might provoke Alkrevas’s anger again.
Suddenly, Alkrevas realized he didn’t know the woman in his arms’ name at all. The knights nearby immediately assumed a vigilant stance, standing tall. At the same time, one of their leaders approached, draping a thick, warm cloak over Alkrevas’s shoulders.
“Your Majesty, why are you soaking wet and out in the rain?” Captain Arais asked with concern, his eyes filled with worry.
“You’ll find out when I return to the palace,” Alkrevas replied coldly, his gaze still focused on the woman he held.
Alkrevas then severed his Mindlink conversation with Sigmund and responded briefly and flatly to Captain Arais, “Let’s go.”
Captain Arais glanced at the woman in the Emperor’s arms. Still, his action immediately received a warning growl that made him fearfully bow, not wanting to anger the Emperor. “The carriage is ready to take you back to the palace, Your Majesty,” he said tremblingly.
Alkrevas nodded and allowed Captain Arais to lead him to the nearby imperial carriage. Each step felt heavy, yet his gaze remained sharp and vigilant, ensuring no one dared approach or disturb them.
Upon reaching the carriage, Alkrevas carefully placed the woman inside, his eyes examining every detail of her face, which was still somewhat unfamiliar to him. “We will soon arrive at a safe place,” he whispered, this time with a warmer tone as if to reassure himself.
“Savon,” Alkrevas called through Mindlink while inside the carriage. He adjusted his soulmate’s position for comfort, grateful that the knights were driving the imperial carriage and not Zeus-his private horse, as he didn’t want his soulmate exposed to the rain again like moments before.
Savon promptly responded to his call. “Alpha, why didn’t you inform me about your departure?” he whispered.
Alkrevas sighed heavily. Neither his aide nor Betanya irritated him by asking unnecessary questions. “I want you to handle the chaos at the inn on Xrosk Street.”
“Alpha, are you-?”
“Most of them are rogues disguised as traders, and the rest have mocked the imperial family. I want you to deal with the negligent border guards allowing rogues to enter my territory.”
“Understood, Alpha.”
“Furthermore, investigate a Fae woman staying at the inn. Find her, capture her, and bring her before me.”
“I understand.” After receiving a positive response from Betanya, Alkrevas severed the Mindlink. They buried his face in the crook of his soulmate’s neck.
He kissed his claim mark and murmured, “I can’t believe you’re in my arms, little mate. Mine.”
Then, in the silence of the carriage punctuated by the sound of horse hooves or the carriage wheels, Alkrevas stared out the window with a dark and mysterious gaze. His hands tightened around his soulmate’s body.
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