I let that sink in for a moment. God, I’m so tired. I want to curl up in a soft spot and drift away. How do I ask for what I need without sounding like a five-year-old?
“Bed,” I say at length. “I want to go to bed.”
Khan’s face lights up, and I curse inwardly. “Not to mate,” I say. “To rest.”
“Rest?”
“Sleep. I’m tired,” I admit. It’s true. I don’t know what time or even what damn day it is, but I feel like I could sleep for at least twenty-four hours straight, given the chance.
“Then let’s sleep,” he says, and the next moment, I’ve been hoisted into his massive arms and he’s carrying me to the room with the bed in it.
Even though I fight it, my nostrils flare and I breathe him in, relishing the way his musk sets my every nerve ending on fire. My nipples tighten under the robe, and I have to clench my thighs around the relentless throbbing ache between them.
Will I ever stop wanting him?
TEN
Khan
I’ve never purredfor a female before I met Emma. There was no need—growling and purring only works on Omegas, and as I was never in rut before, I never had the biological urge.
I love the way my growl affects her body. The way her pupils dilate and darken her gaze; the breathless way she gasps as the slick rushes to her cunt.
I also adore the way my purr affects her. Regardless of how angry or upset she is, the moment I start to purr, she grows meek and compliant, almost kidlike. Best of all, her beautiful face softens, and she seems truly content.
It’s the only time she does.
I watch her sleep, drinking in every curve, every line, every texture and color of her gorgeous body and face. I should really go and make sure we’re still on course, that there are no issues with the crew—they haven’t seen me since I brought my new mate on board.
But it’s so hard to tear myself away.
There are nine main Alpha kings on Ulfaria. I am one of them. But while the others prefer to remain at home, ruling their respective kingdoms, I choose to explore the vast mysteries of space. Anyone who asks why is told about my sense of adventure, my restlessness, my hunger to acquire new knowledge, technology, and experiences.
What I do not tell them is the real, main reason why I began to traverse the universe as soon as I reached maturity.
I wanted to find my mate.
I am rich, I am respected, I am free to do as I please. There is only one thing lacking in my life, and that happens to be the one thing I have always yearned for: a family.
My parents died when I was young, and I have no siblings. That may be why I feel the lack more than the other kings who have yet to find their Omega queens. Why I am not content to sit in my palace and curse Ulf for making me an Alpha when Omegas are so rare—and the soul bond even rarer still. Why I decided to do something about my lot, and take to the stars to find Omegas for my planet.
But I never dreamed I would find such a perfect Omega. And not just any Omega, but the one who was destined to be my mate.
My fate.
Emma is fast asleep now; her chest rising and falling rhythmically. Her soft, shiny hair is spread out over the pillow. I bend forward to drink in her perfume. Her plump lips are slightly parted. My mouth waters, but I resist the urge to lick them.
Her sweet, feminine scent still invades my every cell, but she needs to rest. She has been through so much in a short space of time.
Even so, I cannot understand why she is so unwilling to come to Ulfaria with me. Why was she so outraged when I informed her that she is to be my queen?
After all, her body reacts to mine the same way mine does to hers. And nothing in all the galaxies could keep me from her now that I’ve found her. Not now that I’ve experienced the bond. The mere thought of being away from her for any amount of time is enough to make my gut twist painfully, and for a sharp ache to pull at my chest.
Surely she feels the same way?
Even though it’s been my mission for decades, I never expected to actually find my soul mate. I had hoped the Ogsul serum would work on an attractive female to the point where I went into rut upon scenting her. If an Omega’s estrus scent sends me into rut, I am able to impregnate her, regardless of whether we have a soul bond or not. And I had reached the point where I would have contented myself with that: a female I find attractive, with whom I can breed.
But there’s something about Emma… what I feel when she’s in my arms goes so much deeper than attraction. Deeper even than the rut. I can’t explain why or how, but I have no doubt that we are soul bonded. Giving her the claiming bite was purely instinctual, but I couldn’t have stopped myself from doing it any more than I could will my blood to stop coursing through my veins. My luck in finding her is beyond my wildest dreams, so if she thinks I will allow her to leave…
