ZAND
I easily climbed the rest of the balconies and reached Amia’s patio.
The lights inside were off, but the curtain was open.
I saw movement inside and waited to see if she would call her guards.
The patio door opened and she stepped outside.
She was still wearing her dark blue dress from the ball.
It fit her body tightly and flowed down to the floor.
"Zand," she said.
I looked at her face to see if she was confused or angry.
She looked completely calm.
King Orion clearly had not told her that I rejected the mate bond.
I could still feel the warm connection burning between us.
"Alpha Zand," I corrected.
She smiled at that.
"My apologies, Alpha Zand. What are you doing on my patio in the middle of the night?"
"Avoiding your guards, Omega Amia."
"Why? You are my mate. King Orion is a romantic person. A mate bond is more important than his claim on me. You could have used the front door, though climbing up here is impressive."
I knew the doors were unlocked and guards were nearby, so I grabbed her arm and led her inside the room.
The walls were thick and soundproof.
The guards outside would not hear anything even if she screamed.
I shut the patio door.
"You have been Orion's omega for three years, and you are the only one he has taken in twenty years. Do you really think he will let you leave so easily?" I wanted to know what she thought.
His relationship with her was the only thing I did not understand about him.
Amia narrowed her eyes.
"Nobody owns me or gives me away. I make my own choices, Alpha Zand."
"You are an omega, and you belong to him. You are foolish if you think he does not control you. He controls everyone."
"Are you going to control me too?"
I touched her jaw with my hand.
Her breathing got heavy, and her chest moved up and down.
I wanted to touch her body.
"You would like it if I controlled you, Amia."
Her eyes went wide, and her tough expression vanished.
"What does that mean?"
"It means when I tell you to kneel, you will kneel. When I tell you to open your mouth, you will open it. And when I touch you between your legs, you will open wider for me and like it."
I moved closer to her.
She stayed still.
I reached behind her back and found her zipper.
I pulled it down without waiting.
Her dress became loose.
She gasped and tried to hold it up, but I grabbed her arms and let the dress drop to her waist, exposing her bare chest.
"I want to see your whole body, Amia. Do not hide from me."
"Zand..."
"Say my name again. Keep saying it."
I pulled down the bottom half of her dress.
She did not stop me, and the dress fell to the floor.
She looked beautiful.
Her skin was smooth and fair in the dark.
The moonlight made her glow.
I had been with many women before, but none of them made me feel this strong.
I wanted to do so many things to her to give her pleasure.
She belonged to me tonight.
Even if other men touched her in the future, she would remember that they did not own her.
I was no longer thinking about revenge.
She was a dangerous woman, and I liked it.
"Take your hair down," I said in a low voice. "Let it all fall down."
She looked down at the floor, and I realized I had used my pack power in my voice.
I needed to control myself.
I could not lose control around her, or she might figure out my secret.
"You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, Amia."
She looked back up at me and licked her lips.
Her face was glowing because of my touch.
I leaned down and kissed her on the lips, just like I had wanted to do since I first saw her.
She opened her mouth for me right away.
I thought she would fight me or talk back, but she wanted the kiss just as much as I did.
Her lips were soft, smooth, and warm.
The kiss was better than I imagined.
She leaned her body against mine and placed her hands on my chest.
I moved my hands down her back and onto her bare hips.
She made a low purring sound, and I stopped moving.
I could not believe it.
My omega was actually making that sound for me.
I growled and pulled her closer to me.
When she realized what sound she had made, she pulled her head back and looked at me.
"That was not what you think!"
"I am sure it was not," I said softly, moving my lips down to her neck.
I kissed and bit her skin gently.
"It was just a reaction. It means nothing," she groaned, leaning her head back. "Zand."
It was not nothing.
It meant everything.
I had barely touched her, and she was already purring for me.
I wanted to make her make that sound again tonight.
I kissed her lips again and pushed her back until her wall was against her.
"Do not move."
"I do not know anything about you," she said. "Having a mate bond does not mean I am going to sleep with you tonight."
"Amia, you are naked and purring for me. The only choice is where we are going to do this. Against this wall? On the bed? On the couch? In the shower? Or on the balcony?"
She took a deep breath and looked around at all the places I named.
She was thinking hard.
"Are you going to share me with your other alphas?"
It was normal for omegas to be shared by the alphas in a pack during their heat.
Before Luna came along, nobody had ever heard of a mate bond causing jealousy.
Luna had a mate bond with her high alpha, and she shared that bond with his two other alphas.
I had no plans to bring Amia back to Frostbite Ridge, but I answered her anyway.
"I have one old alpha who would not be interested in you."
"What about betas?"
"I do not share, Amia."
Her body relaxed completely.
That made me angry.
Did Orion share her with other men?
Did he pass her around his broken pack hoping an omega would fix them?
Wasn't that why I came here in the first place?
To find an omega to fix the broken wolves in Frostbite Ridge?
I came here to get an omega, and I found one who would have followed me without asking questions.
Orion would have let her go because of the mate bond.
She had no idea how much trouble she would face if she came with me.
"Are you scared?" I asked.
"Of you?" She smiled slowly. "You are my mate. Why would I be scared of you?"
I put my hand on her hip, and she leaned into my body.
I kissed her shoulder.
She became soft in my arms, and I knew she was mine.
"Say my name, baby. We are just getting started, and I am going to make you purr again before this night is over. Tell me, my omega. Where are we doing this tonight?"