My body tenses up. My stomach is in knots. It is him. Even though I am facing the wall, restrained, I can tell it is him by the tone of his voice.
In person, his voice is a lot smoother and huskier. I attempt to wiggle out his grip, but he further spreads my arms out in front of me.
He gets closer to my ear and whispers, "not bad for a mere wolf, huh," nibling my ear slightly.
I cringe at the sudden physical contact. I continue to shake but it appears to be in vain; his grip does not loosen.
"Let go of me Joshua. What are you doing here?"
"I told you I was going to make you regret your words. Where is alpha Ethan? I bet he never gave you the time of day."
"Fuck you," I shout.
I shake more vigorously.
"Ethan will come looking for me, if I don't get back."
He chuckles again. I hate his sinister laugh.
"You will return to him. I just haven't decided in what condition."
Joshua aggressively turns me. We are face to face, my back against the wall. I am finally able to see the owner of the voice that keeps harassing me. The owner of those blue eyes that plague my mind.
He has dark black hair with the clearest ocean blue eyes. His jaw line appears to be carved out, and he has the most intense stare. He is much taller than me, and he appears to be lean with defined broad shoulders. The tux he is wearing only adds to his masculinity.
As I visually take him in, he grins and licks his lips, which is enough to snap me back into reality. I am still pinned to the wall.
"Let go," I order again.
"Now, don't be like that baby."
He raises my hands above my head, using one hand to sustain them in place. He uses his other hand to caress my cheek, neck and trails it off near my breast.
Gripping my chin, he guides my eyes to his face. I am staring up at him.
"Tell me who you are messing with... I'll tear him to pieces in front of you, then I'll have you and do with you as I please."
I stare at his merciless eyes before I respond, "I already told you. I am not your mate. I'm with Ethan."
"Is that so? I don't believe you."
He grips my cheeks hard with one hand, leaning closer to me.
"I won't repeat myself again. Who dares touch my belongings?"
"I don't understand why you care. I'm just a stupid human. Let me be and go find someone worth your while."
I try my best to say this without sounding bitter. But I cannot not help feeling certain things for Joshua.
I can't pinpoint the reasoning. Perhaps, it is his eyes, his powerful persona, or the mark he left me, but something makes my stupid heart flutter. I blame Stockholm syndrome.
Joshua is content with my attitude. He lets go of my hands, and they fall at my side. I do not know what to think. Surely, he is tricking me. I look around for help, but nobody is near sight.
He says, "stop trying to hide your feelings. I can sense your arousal," causing me to blush profoundly.
I think about screaming for Ethan. But, at the same time, I do not want Ethan to find me alone with Joshua.
For some reason, I want to be left alone with him. This is such an anticipated encounter that must occur to end everything once and for all.
My mark stings again. I feel small little sensations around my body. It feels like energy is radiating from the mark. It makes my body more sensitive. I feel extremely hot.
Joshua pushes my hair back, looking for his mark. I shiver under his touch. It is electrifying. I must get away. I am unable to get my feelings in check, making the situation dangerous. Each time he gets closer, my temperature rises.
"It doesn't matter how much you try to hide it. Your body doesn't lie. The mark doesn't lie. I can see its still there. Do you know why?"
He steps closer, making me take a step back. Then, again. Just before I hit the wall, he wraps one arm around my waist, pulling me closer to his body.
He says, "it's because whether we like it or not, we are mated to each other. My mark will never disappear. If you look deep within yourself, you will know that you have already accepted me."
Using his other hand to cup my cheek, he continues, "and I have just decided to keep you as well, my mate."
In one quick swish motion, he places his lips aggressively onto me. I use my hands to push him off, but he responds by biting my bottom lip. I am about to gasp in pain, but he sticks his tongue inside my mouth. He aggressively continues to suck the life out my lips.
I continue to struggle against his embrace, but he holds me closer and tighter. Without noticing, I find myself corresponding his kiss. I am baffled with myself.
But our connection feels so good. The heat I was feeling cooled, and I feel more energized than anything. My body has a mind of its own, and it wants Joshua.
I stop fighting him, getting on my tippy toes. I wrap my arms around his head and tug on his hair to help deepen the kiss. He growls at my actions and pushes our bodies against the wall.
Our lips part, and his hands ravish my body. His mouth trails down my neck. I am not able to stop him like I did with Ethan. It is hard to get my body to do anything I want.
Joshua gets closer and closer to his mark, making me feel an intense pressure build at the core of my body. He stops kissing me. We both are breathing rapidly, looking at each other.
"Tell me that you want it. I'll claim you right here and now," he orders.
I do not understand his words.
How could he claim me a second time?
I start to think in Ethan. I am being so unfair with him, and he deserves better. I know I love Ethan.
I feel the same passion towards Ethan but my attraction for Joshua seems to be outweighing my better judgement. Having Joshua so close is literally making me hot and bothered.
He continues, "you're soon going to experience a lot of pain. You have had that mark for too long without being mated with me. It's going to put you in heat soon. I can sense it and I can't have someone else lay a finger on you... so, tell me to finish the mating process."
I start to recall the conversation I had with Ethan and Crystal over the mating process. His words become clearer. He wants to have sex with me. This is going to complete the process and make it impossible to get rid of the mark. I will not allow it.
I will force myself to fight these feelings. They are not real. They are consequences from the mark. I refuse to be a victim.
I turn to look at Joshua, calmer than before. My lips closed. It is evident to Joshua the decision I took.
I am about to leave his sight when I feel a sharp pain all over my body. It is excruciating. I fall to the ground and cry.
Joshua kneels, getting a hold of my shoulders. His touch feels so soothing. It makes the pain stop. I look at him intensely, and he releases me.
The pain returns, and it doubles. Joshua tilts his head down and sniffs the air. I am unable to smell anything, but he appears to change. His eyes are getting darker.
Without a notice, he picks me up. I am cradled against his hard chest as he runs. I am so intrigued by his touch that I never realize we have made our way into the forest. He places me down on my feet and backs up a few feet in front of me. His eyes never leaving mine, daring me to come closer.
The scene is too familiar. This is where it all started for us. My heart is out of control. Only a second has passed, but the pain returns. I can no longer wait.
I need Joshua bad. I glance at him. He stares at me back with lustful eyes.
Unable to resist any longer, I jump into Joshua's arms. He picks me up, and I wrap my legs around him. I look for his lips, but he quickly finds mine first.
We are pulling and tugging on each other's lips. Our tongues synchronized with each other's movements. He leans against a tree, causing my back to hit the trunk hard.
I do not care. He sets me down, groping my side. He meticulously runs his hands across my body. I grab him by the tie, bringing him closer to my body. Complying with my request, he takes his coat off.
I frantically unbutton his shirt until it is no longer on. He is gorgeous, perfectly chiseled with tattoos across his abdomen and arms. He is hot.
Placing my hand on his abdomen, I watch as his body rises and falls with each breath. I look up at him. He responds by grabbing me by the hair.
"Mine," he snarls.
He leans down to kiss me, but I bite his lips. He growls in content, placing his hand around my neck.
He trails open mouth kisses on my neck until he reaches the mark. Joshua sucks on the mark. I release a loud moan. I am surprised by the noises I am making but Joshua is aroused by them, giving him an inclination to suck harder.
Simultaneously, he finds the slit of my dress and manages to slip his hands inside my underwear. I squirm under his touch, panting. Slipping his finger inside me, he confirms how bad I want him. He pulls his fingers out. They glisten with my juices.
Locking eyes with me, he licks his fingers clean. I bit my bottom lip, and he quickly finds the opening again in my dress. I feel him slide my underwear off as I struggle to undue his buckle. Once it is off, he lowers his pants, reveling his asset.
Joshua does not waste any time. He wraps one of my legs around his waist, lining up his member along my entrance. In one quick motion without warning, he slams himself into me.
I scream in pain.
Surprised, he questions, "this is your first time."
I confirm his suspicions. I never imagined I was going to go this far with him. I always envisioned my first time with Ethan, but here I am with Joshua. This is beyond my control and there is no more going back.
Joshua is shocked, but he becomes more aroused. He quickly shoves his member inside again. I hold onto him to keep myself sturdy. Each thrust is harder and harder. His speed is increasing. He has no mercy on me.
Although the pain was awful in the beginning, I find myself adjusting to him. Each thrust he gives me, soon leads to a loud moan instead of a scream.
He grabs my other leg, wrapping it around his waist. I am off the floor now, grinding against him in midair with his member coming in and out. He lifts me up before slamming me down onto him each time. I feel myself wanting to drizzle all around him.
"That's its baby. Cum for me."
I want to comply. Just as I am reaching my climax, I can tell he is on the verge too. I want him to regret his words. I want to feel all of him, but I want him to realize just how good I can make him feel too.
I want him to lose control. I am going to help bring him to the edge.
I wrap myself closer to his chest, but raise my head to meet his eyes, moaning, "fill me, Joshua. I want to feel ALL of you."
He raises me up and with one large thrust he brings me down, engraving his canines on the mark as well, releasing a simultaneous moan from both.
I shake at the release of pressure. Joshua overflows me. He is breathing hard against my chest, leaning against a tree for support.
We stay in the position for a while before I quickly start to realize the gravity of my actions. I am beyond mortified. I am a low human being. I do not understand what led me to do this.
Joshua puts me down and fixes his pants. My legs feel like Jell-O. My weight seems to much for my legs now, but I had no time to waste. I try to fix my dress and hair. I am sure I look awful. I search for my underwear but am unable to locate them.
I am in a rush to get out the forest and clean myself up before Ethan sees me. I am aware that I am going to be unable to hide this from him, but I refuse to allow him to see me in my current state.
I walk toward the house while Joshua is buttoning his shirt. He grabs me by the arm.
"Where are you going," he asks sternly.
"Home, this was a mistake. You were a mistake."
I strike a nerve, but Joshua remains quiet. He gives me a look that makes me instantly regret my words, but it is too late.
After all, I cannot forget everything he did up to this point. Perhaps, it is too late to think in this. Nevertheless, this fleeting moment of weakness is not going to erase everything he did or said to me.
Letting go of his grip, he watches as I walk out his sight. I make my way to the house, quickly rushing to my room. No one is inside. I look at the time, and forty minutes have passed.
I do not question why Ethan did not look for me, but I take it as a blessing in disguise. I fix my hair, my makeup, put on underwear, and a long sleeve, mini dress that covers my newly re-engraved mark.
The last thing on my mind is to attend a party, but I must quickly get to Ethan and tell him everything in private. I make my way to the party, trying to locate Ethan.
I move my head in all directions until I finally catch a glimpse of him. Ethan feels my presence because he quickly met my gaze. I instinctively look down towards the floor, trying to contain my tears.
Taking a breath in, I look up and see him walking toward me. A tear falls from my eye. Before he gets to me, I feel an arm wrap around my waist from the side.
Joshua stands tall and proud. He was able to fix himself up again nicely. I quickly try to escape his grip, but he firmly keeps me in place.
I look down to hide my face as Ethan stands right in front of us. As I am about to explain, Joshua beats me to the punch.
"Alpha Ethan, I presume. Have you met my mate, Lilly?"