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I am so relieved when I hear him come back up behind me, big hands settling on my waist as he once more glides inside me. And this time, he doesn’t leave. There’s no more teasing strokes or sudden exits. He stays inside me, thick and hard and thrusting deep until I forget everything, including my name. I just want him to use me. I just need him to come inside me.

He wraps his hand around and his fingers find my clit as he drags me away from the corner and bends me over almost double, rubbing quick, firm circles on that bud until I writhe in place, trapped on his cock as his knot inflates and his cum fills me in great thick spurts that I can feel inside my sensitive pussy. He has bred me, well and truly.

CHAPTER 8

Fiona

In the days that follow, I do something I’ve never done before.

I settle down.

This place isn’t really that bad. The shared bathroom situation is unhinged, but other than that it is still quite nice, I suppose. It’s not as if Henry moved me off to some complete dive. Aside from the lack of ensuite in the attic room, it’s pretty nice. Besides, I put myself in complete dives for fun once or twice, so why am I so wound up about this?

I know why, of course. It’s because my life is fucking over and I’ve been betrayed and I’ve lost almost all my social standing in the process. And I hated that at first, but Henry has been showing me there are some benefits to being the daughter of a fallen bloodline.

He, however, is not as convinced by my good behavior. I can tell by the way he has more than doubled the guard.

Marcus is staying at the house now. Jacob and Hades have been joined by another couple of guards, Rex and Tanner. Tinker remains the only other female wolf, and my most regular source of comic relief.

What I don’t get is what Henry’s going to do. Go kill off everyone in the Swale pack he thinks has been undermining my brother? Negotiate some sort of deal with the shadow cabal so he and I can live happily ever after without being taken out?

I try not to worry about it. He’s doing something behind the scenes, I can tell that much. I have spent so long fighting this, him, the authority of the pack, whatever. I am just going to let the whole thing happen for a bit.

It’s a boring response to the problem. I try to relax, but I can only listen to Tinker’s adorable prattling for so long, and there’s no talking to Hades, and as much as I want more time and attention from Henry, he’s busy with whatever it is he’s doing, and he has no inclination to tell me what that is.

One evening, I am particularly at a loose end. Unfortunately, so is Tinker.

“Fifi!”

I blink slowly as Tinker manages to come up with a nickname I would never allow under any circumstances as if we’re old friends. I’m not going to make the mistake of being short with her again. The men here are all inordinately fond of their resident manic pixie, but it’s hard to pretend I find it the same kind of cute.

“Hm?”

“Do you want to play poker with us? A fourth is always good.”

Henry would want me to try to fit in and socialize. This is his pack, after all. If I am going to be his mate, I have to do the duties of one, including socializing.

“Sure,” I say. “What are we playing for?”

“We usually play for matchsticks,” Tinker says. “Though sometimes Hades and me play for naked time.”

“Matchsticks it is,” I say.

Jacob smirks slightly.

I’ve been forgiven for the other night, the whole spaghetti debacle, even though it hasn’t been talked about. They probably all heard me getting my ass whipped, or at least knew that’s what Henry would do to me. It’s kind of embarrassing, but also kind of easy. Tinker clearly isn’t mad at me and Hades is the same as he was before. Jacob might even be a little bit friendlier. He asked me if I wanted toast this morning.

These people are nice, I’m realizing. I’m not used to nice people. I’m used to complicated rich people who constantly have some kind of agenda for me. Everyone here, I have realized, mostly because Henry lectured it into me before he spanked it into me, is here for me.

Social faux pas can be so much more complicated in the Swale dynasty. It’s said that my great-great-grandmother once made a comment about a china pattern that led to the deaths of a hundred men. She would have known better than to critique pasta.

I sit down with the others and try to distract myself by learning about them. Poker isn’t really the game to do it with, though, because it’s all about hiding your true intentions.

Suddenly, there’s the loud sound of an engine, like a vehicle is being driven across the manicured lawn. All of our ears pick up at that. Then a thud at the back door makes us startle.

“Stay here,” Hades says.

Tinker stays. I do not. I follow him as he and Jacob go to investigate.