Chapter 9: Cruel Alpha Prince

"I left a mark here," Prince Eryx whispers against my ear, his warm breath stirring my insides. He brushes his thumb over that mark behind my neck, inciting that tingling sensation that shoots directly to my core. I feel dizzy—that was an understatement. "Oh, but that’s not the only one," the Alpha Prince continues. His other hand releases mine and lowers between us. My mouth parts on an inhale as his hand caresses the inside of my thigh, his touch teasing me; I shudder. The material of my skirts is too thick. This is dangerous. Eryx must have been the one I’d mated with! But how could I forget about something like that?! Especially with someone like this Prince! He was huge and completely different from Soren! Thinking about my knight was like a splash of cold water on my needy and heated body. With great restraint, I pushed against his solid chest and looked away from those compelling eyes. We were outside, with snowflakes kissing our cheeks and melting in our hair, breaths forming small clouds, yet my body was on fire! Stepping back, I put much-needed distance between us. The air was still too thick and heated, and his phantom touches still pulsated need throughout me. But it wasn’t as bad as last night. I can withstand it—I think. No. I can! The chill of winter started seeping into my bones and brushing away the flames coursing in my veins. It didn’t completely dissipate being so close to the Prince, but it was easier than when we touched—something that should have been forbidden in the first place. The Prince assessed me, a smirk playing on those sinful lips, eyes twinkling again in amusement. Looks or not, his amusement was beginning to irk me, even more so because he could hold this over me. "Oh, I think this will jog your memory." Prince Eryx reached into his jacket, unaware I’d already come to the conclusion that I’d mated with him. My body wouldn’t react so shamelessly with him if we didn’t, right? I glance at him and internally cringe. The Southern Were was unlike anyone I’d seen before; his frame and looks were almost godly, and those striking eyes- A black mask with mesh-covered eyes is produced before me. My heart skipped a beat, and my stomach pinched, horror and shame rising through my cheeks as the night’s event flashed across my mind. My head tips back, my arms wrapped around his broad shoulders as he sheaths himself inside me, gloriously slowly until I can’t tell where he ends, and I begin, my mouth parts each time, trying and failing to breathe properly. He holds me upright against the tree, hands digging into my backside. "Open your eyes." He nips my neck, startling me at the sharp pain and the tingling sensation ricocheting in my body. My eyes snap open, and his forehead leans on mine, our masks clashing. This is too intimate. I squeeze my eyes shut, and his teeth drag on my bottom lip aggressively. With a gasp, I kiss him, tasting some of my blood. It only makes him growl, his tongue sweeping against mine, becoming a tangled mess. My hands slide up the side of his jaw, his ears, and the soft locks of his hair until my fingers accidentally brush the mask up. It drops to the ground with a small thud. We pause, and I stare at two devastatingly pale green eyes, thick dark lashes surrounding them, and thick brows above, now pinched together. Pursing my lips, I wait for his next move. The mask was fun, but seeing the entirety of his striking face was much better. I wish I’d seen it sooner. His length twitches inside of me as he raises a hand, and in one blur of movement, the mask snips loose around my face. "That’s better." He tosses it aside, and his mouth is on mine again, nipping on my lips, sucking on my tongue as he slams inside of me again, the tempo increasing, my insides squeezing him. "I’m not stopping," he rips his mouth away from mine and whispers against my lips, intense eyes locked on mine, forehead against mine, holding me prisoner. "Until you are screaming my name." "Others will-" "They won’t. My scent scares them." He is adamant no one is here. "Even if they were here, Idalia, you’ll still be screaming my name, so they know who you belong to." The mask almost drops from my hands, and I cover my mouth, staring at the snowy ground. I thought it was just raw, unforgiving sex, but we’d even spoken to each other. The marks covering my skin were like a mark of ownership. I don’t know how I feel about it, especially with his intense, unwavering gaze still focused on my face. "What do you want?" My grip on the mask tightens as I finally manage to speak again. The images of the night before kept dancing across my vision in little snippets. Staring back at the Prince now, I can’t believe he’d mate with me. I was in heat, sure, but my wolfless self was too inferior to attract a powerful beast like him as a mate. He would have found my scent vulgar. So, had it all been a part of his scheme from the beginning? "You seduced me with your pheromones." The passionate man from last night was gone. Any charm that had been used in the banquet hall in front of Alaric and Queen Mother had disappeared, leaving me with icy shards of pale green glaring down at me. "You will do as I say, Princess, or our escapade will be known to everyone. Your impurity will be known throughout the kingdoms. Idalia Snorravik, first princess of Ice and Claws, a virgin no more without a mate." The Prince’s demeanour was as freezing as the snow surrounding us. It crept inside my chest, clenching at my insides, demanding I cave to the cold. I stared back at him, the heat still coiled in my gut, but his sudden iciness made this easier. He was a Southern Were; I shouldn’t expect anything else. "Why are you doing this?" My whisper is thick with emotion, and I frown. I put up with so much bullshit from everyone else; why in the seven hells was I upset and accepting this from a brute like him? "Because I can." His voice darkened along with his eyes. I glare at him, discovering a newfound rage burning inside of me. How dare he, a Southern Were, blackmail me! Prince Eryx tilted his head to the side; my gaze was probably not quite as cruel as his. His lips twitched, and I bit my tongue, watching his expression grow amused at my anger. Arching an eyebrow, he adds, "For now, I will leave you to come to terms with this." He reaches forward, and I numbly allow him to hold my hand and watch as he leans down and brushes his lips against my knuckles. Another shiver ripples through me. "Have a pleasant evening, Idalia." My lips parted without my consent as fire consumed my hand. I snatch it back, but Prince Eryx is already turning away. I watch his broad back, retreating to the stairs, not sure how I feel. He does not look back once, nor does he pay attention to my knight, whose claws were yet to retract. The Alpha Prince is like a god among us, undisturbed by a threat such as Soren. The moment the doors close behind him, I sag, flopping down on the fountain’s cold edge. The snow pours down heavily now, no longer melting in my hair, and snowflakes combine as a small layer in my lap. Still, it is a reprieve after spending time with that Southern Were. I stare at my hands, my knuckles turning red from the cold, only noticing my knight kneel before me after throwing his cloak over my shoulders again. The fur does little to comfort me. I’d mated with my enemy, the Alpha Prince from the kingdom of Sun and Fury. My gaze slowly drifts back up to meet Soren’s. Snow starts blanketing his dark golden locks. Confusion tugs my eyebrows together as I search his hazel eyes. Soren pleaded that I remove his canines, remove him as a knight, even suggesting he end his life. He said he’d touched me. Once again, I realised there was a miscommunication about my night. Yet, I remembered him... Well, beneath my skirts and... I squeezed my eyes shut and clenched my legs together. The heat from before was still there, but the fire had reduced to embers. Any thoughts about getting intimate with any Were were strictly off limits now. I couldn’t. This was all about survival now. The Alpha Prince had me in his grasp, a pawn he could dangle on his chessboard. Whatever the game was, I didn’t know. "Your Highness." Soren’s hands cover mine, and he begins rubbing them slowly and warming them up. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" I shake my head. "Okay. You shouldn’t stay out here. Northern Were or not. You can still get ice sickness." Nodding my head, I allow Soren to help me to my feet and away from the courtyard. I was a mess and needed to sort myself out before we entered those doors again.