Naya felt Monster before she saw him. He was a force of nature, the daunting power and inherent sensuality of his presence lighting her up before he'd even opened the door, and startling the poor drones into freezing like prey caught in his claws.
He filled up the doorway, blocking the only exit, a wall of muscle who had to duck to enter the room. Though he’d only been gone for a short while, she'd forgotten his size, the burning intensity of his black eyes, and the shape of his lips.
He overwhelmed her, made a tingling shiver go down her spine and pool in the cradle of her belly. Forced to stay in this stifling room all day and use a bucket as a toilet, Naya wanted to be angry with him, but instead her being filled with delight and admiration.
His features were blunt, his jaw cut, chin sharp and jutting to accommodate the extra size of his teeth, which only added to his beastly appearance. He had heavy eyebrows set over dark eyes and a broad forehead under his too-long wavy hair. His overall appearance was far from human—he was large, and so well-muscled she could see the ropey veins beneath his skin. There was no mistaking him for anything but alpha breed.
He was the most beautiful male she had ever seen.
The drones didn't feel the same way. The two silent girls, Ann and Nor, dropped the plates of food they'd been holding and scrambled into the far corner of the room upon seeing him.
Sara froze, eyes locked on the floor, hands shaking. Young Tee's eyes went glassy and brimmed with tears.
Naya wondered if all alphas affected them this way, or if it was just her alpha. She planned to send them away, but before she could open her mouth, Monster had her in his arms and was carrying her out of the room.
He manhandled her as if she were a child who always wanted to be picked up. She squawked at him, a ridiculous sound that came out before she could stop it.
"Monster, please. Put me down!” she demanded primly.
He held her high, pressed his face into her neck, and inhaled as if she was the source of all his air. Then he was licking and kissing her there, making her melt, rendering her unable to form words or thought.
They cut through that familiar hall to the room he used as his office. The sparsely furnished room had undergone changes. There was a wide, low-back couch made of scarred leather and stained wood. Next to it were big baskets of wool blankets and a few pillows, things that looked like decent nest making materials.
Where had he been hiding those?
There was another lamp, and a short shelf stacked with what looked like paperback books. Books!
Her eyes took in the additions greedily, wanting to investigate, but her body, made liquid by her mate's mouth on her skin, turned into him, curling around him in a hug.
This confounding male. One touch and he readied her for the taking, pulled her heart open, and made her weep with want.
"Monster,” she whimpered, her hands seeking the skin under his shirt, her mouth pleading for his.
He sat down in the chair behind his desk and gave her his kiss. His tongue touched hers in that deep intimate way that caused more full-body trembling and slick to pool between her legs. She'd kissed no one before him, other than the platonic kiss one gives a child. Now he held her and kissed her as if they had hours to spare and would do nothing else.
With one hand he held the back of her neck beneath her braid, and with the other he cupped her jaw, keeping her steady while his lips played over hers.
She opened her eyes for just a moment and found his were closed—lashes long and dense against the burnished color of his skin. All his focus was on her mouth.
His tongue dipped in and her eyes drifted shut at the taste of him. She loved the flavor of his breath, the smell of it, and would spend a hundred years trying to come up with ways to describe it. It was different, yet the same as his natural scent—softer, not as spicy, but so male.
She didn't know how long they sat there wrapped up in each other. She was so dazed she didn't hear the knock at the door, nor its opening.
Naya startled when she opened her eyes and saw the drone called James bringing a tray of food and drink in. "Alpha, pardon. Nixon and his bride-mate are on their way in."
Monster made a rumbling noise in his chest and kept kissing Naya. She tried to pull away, embarrassed by the public display of affection, but his mouth followed.
"Please. We have guests," she tried to protest.
He tucked her deeper into his shoulder and opened his eyes. They glinted with purpose, his lips curling up in a smirk. His hold tightened as he leaned in and gave her a kiss that curled her toes and made her head spin.
She lost herself in him, in the pleasure of him, so much that when the guests she knew were coming arrived, she didn't notice them standing there, watching with amusement.
"Sir, do you plan to come up for air soon? You are giving my bride ideas," a male said.
"Nixon. Do not, or the only idea I will have later is you sleeping in a different room," a woman replied.
The male laughed.
