“I’m not going into heat,” I say vehemently, even as my nipples harden further and my pussy pulses with need. “And even if I was, I wouldn’t choose you as my man.”
Ryker chuckles, reaching out to place his hand on my forehead.
“You’re abnormally warm,” he says, his voice soft with concern despite the lust darkening his eyes. “Your cheeks are flushed, and your scent...” He inhales again, his pupils dilating until his eyes are almost black. “Your scent is driving us all crazy.”
“I’m just angry,” I insist, but even to my own ears, the protest sounds weak. My body feels too hot, too sensitive, every brush of fabric against my skin sending sparks of pleasure racing along my nerves.
“It’s starting,” Lorenzo says from the couch, his voice thick with desire. “Her first heat. I can smell it.”
Fourteen
ALARIC
Ican barely control my arousal as I watch Anya from across the room.
Her grape scent has transformed with an undertone of heady musk that makes my head swim. Her skin has taken on a rosy glow, and there’s a new shine to her eyes, a vulnerability that makes my cock throb painfully against the seam of my pants. She’s looking at Ryker with naked fear in those violet eyes of hers, but she also looks eager for his knot. Our knot.
The other alphas are just as affected.
Lorenzo’s nostrils flare with each breath, his eyes dark with lust as he watches her. Rex paces near the window, running his hands through his spiky red hair, unable to remain still. Marcus stands closest to her, his hands opening and closing at his sides as if physically restraining himself from grabbing her. And Ryker looks like he’s about to explode, his jaw clenched tight enough that I can see the muscle jumping beneath his stubbled skin.
“I really don’t want to end up pregnant and trapped on this island,” Anya says, her voice higher than usual, pitchedwith anxiety. She’s backed up against the wall, her small hands gripping the edge of a bookshelf as if it might protect her from us.
Her scent grows stronger with her fear, making my vision blur for a moment. I have to dig my nails into my palm to stay focused.
“At least let me check your temperature,” Ryker says, his voice strained. “We need to monitor when you’re going into heat. If it’s starting now, we can prepare for it.”
I know what “preparation” means in this context—claiming her before her heat fully takes over, before she loses her mind with the need to be knotted. The thought sends a jolt of lust straight to my groin.
Anya hesitates, then sighs. “Fine. Hurry up then.”
Ryker gives a slight nod to Marcus, who moves with surprising speed.
Marcus spins her around and throws her over his shoulder, her round little ass facing the whole pack. She starts shrieking and flailing, punching at his back, but all it does is make her shorts ride up higher.
Lorenzo’s hand clamps down on her thigh, steadying her, fingers digging into the soft flesh. He looks over at me with a smirk and says, “Nice view, yes?”
“I hate you,” Anya yelps, but her voice is muffled by Marcus’s back.
“You don’t hate me,” Marcus replies.
“Is this necessary?” she whimpers. “Can’t you check my temperature the normal way?”
Marcus snorts. “Waste of time. Only way to know for sure is rectal.”
“You’re lying!”
“I’m saving your life, baby,” Marcus adds with a smirk as he hooks his fingers in the waistband of her shorts and panties, pulling them down in one swift motion.
The sight of her bare, bouncy ass makes my cock stand at attention. Her pussy is visible from this angle, nestled between her thighs, already glistening with slick. I can smell her arousal, sharp and sweet, and my cock grows impossibly harder.
“Put me down!” she shrieks, kicking her legs and pounding her fists against Marcus’s back.
Lorenzo steps forward, placing his hands on her ass and spreading her cheeks. “Hold her still, Marcus.”
I find myself moving toward them, drawn by the scent of her. My mouth waters as I lean in closer to her exposed ass.
“She’s moving too much,” Lorenzo says. “We need to keep her still for the thermometer.”
