Chapter 64

Almara

Arthur had called me into his office, but I wasn’t sure why yet. He wouldn’t tell me. He just sat behind his desk, drumming his fingers on the wood. The persistent tap, tap, tap was grating on my nerves. My second trimester pregnancy hormones were not playing nice.

You could distract him, Lily suggested, her voice a downright purr. I didn’t have to wonder what Lily meant by ‘distract him.’ It’s not like I hadn’t thought about it. The pregnancy hormones were pretty demanding in that department as well.

But even after all the times that we had been together, I had never once initiated anything. I had always let Arthur lead and I wasn’t quite sure what to do. Especially when Arthur seemed so tense.

Just start unbuttoning his pants. He’ll get the message, Lily said and I had to suppress a giggle. I could imagine the look on his face, the taste of his skin, the feel of his hard length as I covered it with my mouth. It was enough to completely drench my panties.

I took a step forward, shifting Arthur’s focus to me. His nostrils flared and a dark hunger appeared in his green eyes. The eyes that tracked my every move as I walked around the desk to stand before him.

“Almara…” his voice was a growl of warning. One I had no intention of heeding.

“Alpha,” I growled back and that hunger in his eyes deepened. It was the first time I had ever called him by his title. And he seemed to like it. I filed that away for a later use.

I trailed my fingers down the side of his face, exactly like he had done to me so many times before. His hand shot up, wrapping around my wrist firmly, but not enough to hurt.

“What are you doing, little wolf?” he asked as he pressed a gentle kiss into my palm. My breath hitched and I squeezed my thighs together as my core tightened. Arthur drank it all in, pupils completely dilated.

“Isn’t it obvious?” I asked, trying to mimic Lily’s purr. It came out a bit awkward and a blush spread across my face. I wasn't good at this.

A warm smile turned up the corners of his mouth. “Goddess, you’re cute when you’re trying to seduce me.”

My face burned even hotter. “I’m not trying to be cute. I’m trying to be sexy!” I did everything but stomp my foot. I felt like a petulant child, but at least I could blame it on the baby.

“You are very sexy. But you’re also cute. You can be both,” Arthur said and he was downright grinning now. He found all of this very amusing. Well, we’d see how long that lasted.

I dropped to my knees. Well, more like slowly lowered myself to my knees. My baby bump was starting to get in the way of doing things like this. But I would work with what I had.

“Almara, as much as I would love for this to happen, I don’t think we have enough time,” he said, looking down at me with a mix of lust and regret. I bit the inside of my cheek. I didn’t want to stop. I didn’t care if whoever we were waiting on walked in on us.

“Are you sure, Alpha?” I asked, walking my fingers up his leg and toward the button of his pants. Arthur groaned and glanced at his watch. A muscle twitched in his jaw as he fought a war within himself. I could see the exact moment when his lust won.

“Please continue, little wolf,” Arthur growled and I jumped at the command. I had meant to be slow and sensual, but I couldn’t help myself. I practically ripped his pants off of him. It was a good thing he kept extra clothes in his office.

“So eager,” Arthur whispered, swiping a hand across my hair before gathering it in his fist.

I pulled down his boxers, releasing his impressive erection. I wasted no time. I dipped my head, taking his head into my mouth. Arthur’s hand tightened in my hair, blurring the lines between pain and pleasure.

A moan slipped out as I went lower, taking more of him in. Arthur let out a shuddering breath and it spurred me on. I found a good rhythm, using my hand to take the rest of him. The pregnancy had also destroyed my gag reflex so I couldn’t do as much as before.

Arthur’s breathing was unsteady, coming faster and faster as I continued. His hips were making small thrusting motions, but I could tell he was holding himself back for my sake. I both hated and loved it. I didn’t want him to suppress anything, but I could understand why.

“Almara!” Arthur cried out my name as he exploded in my mouth. I swallowed him down, licking the tip until all that pearlescent liquid was gone.

Arthur used the hand at the back of my head to pull me up, kissing me hard enough that I saw stars.

“You’re perfect,” Arthur whispered, kissing me one more time before getting up and putting new pants on. He had just finished getting dressed when there was a knock on the door. I ran a hand over my mouth, making sure there wasn’t leftover saliva or other things.

Arthur shot me a knowing smirk before calling, “Come in.”

To say I was surprised at the sight before me would be an understatement. Of all the people that I thought would be coming in, Sofia in chains was not one of them. And when I say chains, I literally mean chains. Her hands and feet were both shackled, chains running up and down between them.

She looked nothing like the gorgeous, well put together woman that I had first seen. The woman before me now was a wreck, tears running down her face as she begged for mercy. She fell to her knees as soon as the office door closed.

I tore my gaze away and focused on the other woman who had walked through the door. She was very petite with a nondescript face. But there was an intelligence behind her eyes that scared me.

“Arthur, what’s going on?” I asked, turning back to him. His face no longer showed any sign of the playfulness from before. Instead, I was faced with the cold and ruthless alpha of the Hurricane Pack.

“Sofia Pierce, do you know why you are here?” Arthur asked and I barely recognized his voice. He sounded like a vengeful god.

“Because I tried to kill Almara,” Sofia cried and my eyes widened. What was she talking about? It had just been a random hit and run, hadn’t it?

“Is there anything else you would like to confess? I know you had an accomplice. I saw two people in the car,” Arthur growled, walking over so that he was standing directly in front of her. She didn’t even look up.

“It was Dana. It was all her idea!” Sofia said and that did not surprise me. Not after everything Dana had done to me so far.

Arthur’s lips pulled back in a snarl. “Lies! Dana would never betray me like that. Fine. If you do not want to tell me, then I will jump right to your sentence. For the attempted murder of the future luna of the Hurricane Pack, I, Alpha Arthur Covington, sentence you, Sofia Pierce, to death.”

Sofia let out a sob, trying to crawl toward Arthur as she begged for her life. As much as I hated her, I didn’t want to see her dead. Maybe it was because I was about to be a mother, but I didn’t want me or my baby to be responsible for someone else’s death.

“Arthur, please, don’t do this,” I whispered and his head jerked toward me. His eyes regarded me for a couple of seconds before he closed them and huffed out a sigh.

“I would do anything for you, my love. But Sofia must be punished. However, if you wish her to live then I will amend her death to a life sentence in prison. Now get her the fuck out of here. I never want to see her again,” Arthur snapped and just like that, Sofia was gone. I could faintly hear her cries as she was escorted down the hallway.

I bit my bottom lip. “Was a life sentence really necessary?”

Arthur cupped my face in both of his hands. “She tried to kill you and our baby. I’m not taking the risk. Don’t ask me to change my mind again. I won’t do it.”

He kissed me and in that kiss, I felt everything he was feeling. Everything he had been trying to hide from me. His fear, his worry, his anger, his relief. But most of all I felt his love.