That took balls. Honestly, I was a little bit impressed at his audacity.
His jawline was tense, his expression one of cocky arrogance that only an alpha was capable of and I stilled, studying him even more closely. He was gazing at me like a predator and my own alpha was bristling in defiance at the very clear challenge in his eyes.
I growled, the sound just barely audible and he visibly stiffened, but he didn’t react. Not yet, anyway. Most other alphas would have already tried to put me in my place for a direct challenge like that. Alphas were hard wired to react to vying for dominance, and it surprised me to see that he didn’t rush at me immediately to subdue me for my insolence.
“The last man that thought he could claim me for himself ended up dead. I plunged a knife into his skull,” I spat.
“I know. King Vageir wasn’t an alpha worthy of a woman like you,” he answered evasively. He relaxed in the chair and I scowled back at him.
“And you think you are?” I quest
ioned, pouring as much disbelief as I could into the sound of my voice. If he thought I was just going to pant and beg for him to fuck me, he had another think coming. Nothing would ever make me stoop to that level, least of all another alpha. Especially not him.
He didn’t answer me. Instead, he just smiled knowingly and cocked his head to the side. His gaze dropped down to my breasts and I bristled with annoyance. I didn’t cover myself though. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
“I have different ways of handling a woman like you that he would have, I imagine,” Aric said softly. His voice carried with it a hard edge laced with warning, but I did my best to ignore it.
“You will leave before I kill you myself,” I threatened, and that ominous grin only grew even wider. He swallowed and I watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down before I flicked my eyes back to his.
“I don’t think I will,” he responded.
I growled in return, much louder this time. I wasn’t going to hold back anymore. He’d earned this.
The vicious sound of his snarl echoed all around me and for a fraction of a second, my own alpha cowed. For the first time in my life, a tiny shred of nervousness emerged from deep within and I was so caught off guard by it that I just sat there in shock.
“You will learn, Freya, that I am a very different kind of alpha than those that you’ve encountered before. Before the night is over, you’re going to learn something about yourself that you’ve never realized before and I’m going to enjoy every last second of being there when you do. I’m particularly looking forward to the moment when you fully understand what is happening to you,” he continued.
What the actual fuck was he talking about?
He was far too confident in himself and that was making me far more anxious than I wanted to be. I pulled in a shaky breath and I wondered if he knew what I was thinking, if he knew how he was inspiring a very unwelcome sense of unease inside me that no alpha had ever been capable of before. There was a deep-seated understanding in his eyes, and I was left with little doubt that he had a very good idea of what he was doing to me.
He untied the cord at his chest holding his leather vest and I couldn’t stop myself from watching as it slowly peeled apart, revealing dark blond chest hair just beneath. I licked my lips before I caught myself and turned away. His eyebrow raised just the slightest bit and I was left with no doubt that he noticed my wayward gaze. I hated myself for giving into such a clear moment of weakness, especially because he’d seen it too.
What was happening right now? Why was I reacting like this?
I was an alpha. He was one too. If anything, I should want to fight him for breaking into my home and challenging me so directly like this. I should want to kill him. I should want to rip the eyes from his skull for thinking that he could overpower me that easily.
I shouldn’t be feeling desire for him. I shouldn’t want anything from him.
I looked away.
He just sat there. Slowly, he shrugged off his leather vest, revealing the way the thin fabric of his shirt hugged the musculature of his physique. He finished unbuttoning the dark brown cotton shirt he was wearing beneath at a leisurely pace and I couldn’t stop myself from watching every second of it. Gradually, he exposed the chiseled muscles of his chest and my mouth watered at the sight. I had to tighten my hands into fists to keep myself from reaching for him.
Then the scent of him met my nose. I breathed in the aroma of cedar, spices, and citrus, mixed with leather and masculine energy and it left me feeling insecure and far smaller than I ever had before.
My body warmed. I took another much deeper breath this time, and a shiver raced down my spine as I tried to grapple with what was happening to me. My core pulsed once, then twice and for the first time in my life, I was horrified to come to the conclusion that my panties were growing wet beneath my nightgown.
My chest rose and fell with nervous anxiety. I chewed the inside of my cheek as I stared back at him. I had to get a hold of myself and fast. I couldn’t let him know how much of an effect he was having on me. He folded his hands together, leaning back and studying me closely. His jawline tensed and I readied myself to fight.
“Stand up. Show yourself to me, Freya,” he instructed, and my inner alpha reared her head at his command. It felt almost as though she’d stepped away for a moment, but now that she’d returned, I held onto her like a vise. I wouldn’t let her go again.
“Get out of my room, you fucking pompous asshole,” I answered. Who the hell did he think he was to order me around in the city where I’d killed the king and taken the throne for myself?
“I will give you one more chance to obey me, Freya. I won’t ask again,” he replied carefully.
I simply snarled in response. He didn’t back down.
“No one has ever properly put you in your place before, have they, Freya? No one has ever shown you what it feels like to lose control,” he said simply. I didn’t like the expectation in his voice. Like he thought he was going to be the one to do it.