Moonveil Academy: Trapped With The Five Kings

Reign:

I kissed her like I had forgotten there was a world beyond that library, like every argument we’d had over the past weeks had finally found a single place to explode.

There was anger in it, frustration, and something far more dangerous that I refused to name. In my mind, I told myself I was punishing her for provoking me, for constantly challenging me, for looking at me as though I were nothing more than an arrogant bastard who deserved every insult she could throw. But even I knew that wasn’t the whole truth.

Her fingers curled into the fabric of my shirt, and although she didn’t kiss me back, she didn’t immediately push me away either. Her body yielded beneath my hold, and that tiny response nearly drove my wolf insane.

I wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her closer, keeping the kiss intense but never forcing her beyond what she allowed. Every instinct inside me screamed to claim her, to mark her, to make the bond between us undeniable. My wolf wanted nothing more than to stop playing games and make her understand exactly what she was to us.

Mate.

The word echoed through my mind like a roar.

I knew what my wolf wanted. I wanted it too. But wanting something didn’t mean I would take it. The mate bond was sacred, and I would never use it as a weapon against her. I might have been the worst man she had ever met, at least according to the way she looked at me, but even I had boundaries. I wouldn’t force the bond upon her simply because destiny had decided she belonged with me. If one day she became mine, I wanted her to choose it. I wanted her to look at me and willingly surrender the walls she had built around herself. And I had time.

She had been in Starfall for only a few weeks. She was grieving, confused, surrounded by strangers, and still trying to understand who she was. Of course she fought everyone. Of course she trusted no one. So if she wanted to pretend she could survive this world alone, then fine. As her mate, I could play along until she finally realized she couldn’t and didn’t have to.

I finally broke the kiss, but I didn’t move away. Instead, my lips brushed along her jaw before moving lower, following the curve of her neck. Her breath caught when I reached the hollow beneath her throat. I kissed the spot right above her pulse, the exact place I would mark her someday. Then I let my tongue trail a wet path over the exact spot, and the quiet sound that escaped her made my wolf surge forward again.

For one reckless second, I nearly forgot every promise I had made to myself. I lifted my head and captured her mouth once more, letting the kiss become the only thing I could think about.

Both my hands found their way to her waist and my fingers met the bare, warm skin right above her trousers’ waistband.

The sensation almost pushed me to the edge. And before I could stop myself, I found my fingers moving upward under the sweater, tracing more of her bare skin.

She moaned again as my thumb reached the underside of her bra, and I slipped it inside almost instantly.

The moment had escalated far beyond what I wanted. But I would be lying if I said I regretted even a second of it. My own erection was pressing uncomfortably against my jeans, a solid proof of my desire for my mate.

My thumb found her hardened peak, and the moment I rubbed it, she threw her head back and moaned my name.

”Reign...”

And then-

I woke up.

I shot upright in bed, breathing hard and sweat covering my bare body. I stared into the darkness of my room, trying to calm myself down. For several seconds, I didn’t understand where I was. My heart hammered against my ribs, my body still reacting to something that had never actually happened. Then I looked toward the enormous windows beside my bed and saw the moon hanging above the academy grounds.

Tomorrow would be the full moon.

I dragged a hand through my hair and exhaled slowly.

”Fuck.”

My wolf shifted restlessly inside me.

This wasn’t the first dream I’d had about her since discovering the mate bond. I had been having them almost every day. Sometimes they were harmless. Sometimes they were nothing more than memories of her face, her silver eyes, the scent that had filled my senses the moment I touched her. But tonight had been different.

Tonight, my control had nearly disappeared.

The full moon was already affecting my wolf, and tomorrow it would be worse.

I leaned back against the headboard and stared at the ceiling. I knew I couldn’t stay at Moonveil tomorrow.

If I did, there was no telling what my wolf might push me to do. I trusted myself, but I trusted my wolf considerably less when the moon was full and our mate was somewhere nearby. I wasn’t going to risk frightening Eleanora or crossing a line I had promised myself I would never cross.

I reached for my phone and checked the time. It was too late to call anyone. I tossed it back onto the nightstand and closed my eyes, but sleep refused to return.

All I could see was her. Those silver eyes. That stubborn expression. The way she looked at me as though she had never once considered the possibility that I could overpower her.

A strange smile tugged at my lips.

Tomorrow, I would leave the academy. I’d stay away from Argentis. And I would give myself enough distance to make sure that whatever my wolf wanted... I would remain in control.

Because the last thing I needed was to discover that the strongest Alpha in centuries couldn’t even control himself around his own mate.