THEA

But before Liana could drag me over to that huge dining table that could fit two whole families, I stopped her right there in the hallway.

"What?" She raised her brows at me, looking a bit confused.

I pressed my hand against my stomach. "I'm feeling pressed. I need to use the bathroom," I said.

She nodded, letting go of my arm. "Okay then. You'll meet me here when you're done."

I walked away from her fast, heading straight upstairs. My heart was already beating harder than normal. I wasn't really going to ease myself. I just needed to check something.

My instincts were screaming at me at that scent... It had been faint but steady ever since we passed the left corner where her dad's room was.

I wanted to know if Alpha Rowan was really around, even though Liana had said he wasn't home, and if he was here... why wasn't he coming out to say anything?

I wanted to see him, just once.

To know what he looked like now. To understand why so many women in the pack kept whispering about him. That was the real reason I lied to my best friend.

I wasn't even that hungry for food.

But I was hungry for something else. Something I had been trying to push down ever since we stepped into this house. It felt unstoppable now.

I moved quietly through the hallway. His scent grew stronger with every step. I didn't know his exact scent yet, but something about it pulled me forward like a rope around my waist.

'No, Thea. Stop.' My wolf rose up inside me, her voice sharp. 'What if it's not him? What if it's someone else? How will you explain yourself?'

I pushed back at her. 'Just let me see the person first. I can't ignore this feeling.'

I reached the golden door. It looked heavy. I grabbed the handle and pushed with all my strength.

The door swung open.

I stepped inside without knocking.

My legs carried me forward a few steps before my eyes landed on him.

He stood there completely naked, his back to me, that firm ass right in my line of sight.

I swallowed hard.

My feet felt shaky.

No, no... I had trespassed.

I shouldn't have come here. I shouldn't have followed my stupid instincts.

'I told you!' my wolf snapped.

In a blur, he turned around. One second, he was across the room, the next, he was right in front of me. His hand shot out and gripped my neck, not too tight, but firm enough to hold me in place.

My eyes went wide, not just from the sudden grip, but because it was really him.

Alpha Rowan Nightshade.

The Alpha of all three regions in the Nightshade pack.

My best friend's father.

He looked even better than I remembered. Charcoal black hair with a few streaks of white at the sides. Lips that were full and pink, just like Liana's. And those grey eyes... they looked darker now, almost stormy.

I tried to pull myself together.

What the hell was I thinking?

I swallowed again as his grip tightened just a little.

"What are you doing here without knocking?" His voice was low and rough.

"I-I..." I stammered, then forced the words out. "I'm sorry, Alpha... I lost my way."

He stared straight into my eyes like he could see everything inside me. Goosebumps ran all over my skin. His hand relaxed a bit on my neck, and his thumb started moving slowly up and down my throat.

"Hmm. I know you didn't lose your way," he said, pulling me closer. "I clearly heard you and my daughter when she was showing you around the house."

I kept my eyes locked on his. I couldn't look away. He looked so damn good up close.

"So you enjoy wandering around the house hoping you'll walk in on your best friend's dad while he's naked and dressing?" His voice got even rougher, his hot breath brushing my face.

I glanced quickly at his bed and saw his clothes lying out there.

Oh moon... I had really walked in on him.

He smacked my ass with his other hand. I gasped.

"No... I'm sorry, Alpha... I wouldn't do that again," I said quickly.

He shook his head slowly, his eyes were still on mine. "No. When we're alone, you call me Daddy. I know how much you want to." He leaned in and ran his nose along my cheek. "I can smell the arousal on you."

Then he pulled away suddenly, leaving me feeling empty.

My eyes traced him, from his face down to those strong abs and thick arms. I tried not to look lower, but I couldn't stop myself.

His dick hung heavy between his legs. Big. Thick. Almost the size of my arm. I had never seen anything like it.

My stomach twisted with heat.

My core throbbed hard. I swallowed and forced my eyes back up. He was still staring at me, watching every reaction.

"Look at how you're drooling over your best friend's dad..."

He took one slow step closer.

My heart pounded louder.

"Have you no shame, Little T?"

The nickname hit me hard. Only my mom ever called me that, but coming from his mouth, it sounded so seductive, so dirty.

"Leaving your best friend downstairs to eat by herself just so you can come up here and drool over her father..." He dragged me closer again. I melted against him without meaning to. "You deserve to be punished for that."

My stomach flipped.

"Now, you do exactly as I say." His voice dropped lower. "Bend down and suck my dick. I doubt your little mouth can take it all in."

I swallowed again, my throat tight. "Yes, Daddy," I whispered. His eyes darkened even more.

I dropped to my knees right there on the floor of his bedroom.

This was wrong, so wrong. I wasn't supposed to be doing this. I kept telling myself that, but the words weren't stopping me.

Even my wolf, who I thought would fight me the whole way, had gone quiet now. She left me to my fate.

My hands reached up and wrapped around his length. He throbbed in my grip, his veins standing out against the hot skin.

"Shit," he gritted his teeth, his head tilting back. His muscles corded in his neck as if he were fighting every instinct to just take what he wanted.

I started moving my hand. I watched the way his skin moved, my grip slow at first, then finding a rhythm. He let out a ragged breath, his knuckles white where he held the edge of the dresser, still trying to maintain some semblance of control.

He didn't touch me.

He didn't grab my hair or force me down, and strangely, that made it worse. I wanted him to.

I wanted him to lose that Alpha composure, to grab me and use me however he pleased. I wanted to be his toy, just for today.

I kept going, picking up the pace, my eyes locked on his face. I wanted to see how much longer he could restrain himself.

I wanted to be the one to break him.

A moment later, a few drops of pearly heat spilled out onto my cheek. He looked down, a dark curse falling from his lips.

His right hand suddenly shot out, burying his fingers deep into my hair. I didn't flinch; I smiled. This was what I wanted. He used my hair to pull my head back, his grip firm and demanding.

"Stop teasing me. Use your little mouth already," he growled.

He didn't wait for an answer...

THEA

He didn't wait for an answer...

He pushed forward, sliding into my mouth. I gasped, a muffled sound of surprise, and immediately began to choke.

"I knew it. You can't take more than this," he smirked, though his voice was thick with need. He started to move his hips, a slow, punishing drive that forced me to accommodate him.

He began to moan, a deep, guttural sound that vibrated through my skull. He stopped for a second, pulling back just enough to see the mess I was in.

My face was flushed, my lips stretched, and his scent was everywhere.

"Moon... You're a seductress," he groaned, his voice cracking. "How could I still want to ruin this little mouth of yours when you're already ruined?"

Without thinking, one of my hands slid down between my thighs. My gown bottoms were already soaked through. I rubbed against myself through the fabric, my movements frantic and messy, matching the rhythm of his hips.

I moaned around him, the sound lost in the friction of our bodies.

Then, he stiffened. He stayed buried deep for a long, agonizing moment. I felt the sudden, hot gush of him filling me, thick and overwhelming.

He pulled out abruptly, his hand still tight in my hair, and hauled me to my feet. I stumbled, my head spinning, as he began to lead me toward the back of the room.

"Spill that into the bathroom," he commanded, his voice harsh.

I stopped walking.

The sudden resistance made him halt and turn back to me. He wanted me to spit it out?

Why?

"Don't you dare," he said through gritted teeth. He saw the look in my eyes; he knew exactly what I was thinking.

But the defiance was already there, bubbling up in my chest. I looked him dead in the eye and swallowed, the heat sliding down my throat.

He stared at me, his expression a mix of shock and something that looked dangerously like fear. His hand dropped from my hair, his fingers trailing away as if I had suddenly burned him.

"What... the hell?" he muttered, sounding half-annoyed and half-breathless. "You want to carry your best friend's dad's child? Is that it?"

He looked genuinely disturbed by the prospect, his Alpha instincts clashing with the reality of what we were doing.

I stared back at him, my heart heavy. For a split second, I remembered Liana. I remembered everything she had done for me, the way she had welcomed me into her home, and the promise I had made to be a good friend.

But as I looked at Rowan standing there, shirtless and powerful, I couldn't find the regret.

"Is it bad?" I asked softly.

He groaned and pulled me against him again, burying his face in the crook of my neck.

"You're unbelievable," he whispered against my skin.

Suddenly, a voice shattered the silence. A voice that made my blood run cold.

"Thea! Thea! Where are you?"

My eyes went wide, the pupils shrinking with terror. Reality hit me like a physical blow. It was Liana. She had probably finished eating, and she was headed this way.

The panic was instantaneous.

How the hell did I end up here?

I was supposed to be at the dining, I was supposed to be a sister eating with her... not the girl in her father's bathroom with his taste still in my mouth.

Rowan didn't hesitate.

In a blur of Alpha speed, he flashed to the bed, snagging his underwear and trousers.

Before I could even blink, he was back at my side. He scooped me up into his arms, and I clung to him instinctively, my heart pounding against his bare chest.

In a flash, we were inside his massive bathroom, the door clicking shut behind us just as the bedroom door opened.

He set me down on the cold tile and looked at me, his expression stern and focused. "Will you come down now, or do you want your friend to see you here?"

His voice was like a bucket of ice water, snapping me back to reality. I stepped back, my face burning with a deep, shameful blush.

I watched him as he moved, amazed by how effortlessly he used his power. His suite was a palace... the bedroom was all gold and opulence, but the bathroom was sterile, blinding white.

My eyes drifted back to him as he stepped into his underwear.

I couldn't help it; my gaze landed on him again, and my stomach did a somersault.

I found myself wondering what it would feel like to have him fully inside me. I wondered if I could even survive it.

He pulled up his trousers and buckled his belt, the metal clinking in the quiet room.

"What you're thinking... it will not happen," he said, his eyes meeting mine.

Green clashed with grey.

Why not? I asked him silently, the question screaming in my mind.

He answered as if I'd spoken it aloud, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Because I'm your best friend's dad. I'm your alpha and we are forbidden, Thea. What we did... it was just one time. No one must know."

He reached the sink, his back to me. He turned on the water and washed his hands thoroughly, his muscles rippling under his skin. He looked at me through the mirror. "Come here."

I didn't move. I knew what he wanted.

"Wash yourself. Make sure my scent is not on you. I'm going to see my daughter."

I shook my head, my eyes filling with tears of frustration.

"No. Please," I muttered. I didn't want to wash him away. I wanted to carry the scent of him like a secret prize.

He hissed, his brow furrowing. "Don't disobey me, Little T. She's almost here."

And just like he said, Liana's voice rang out from the bedroom. "Dad? Dad! Are you in there? Are you still home?"

She sounded so happy, and innocent. It made my stomach turn with guilt.

Rowan walked back to me when he saw I still wasn't moving. He grabbed my arm, his grip firm, and pulled me toward the sink. He splashed cold water onto my face, the shock of it making me gasp.

"Wash yourself," he repeated, his voice low and commanding. "I'm going to see my daughter."

He didn't wait for me to agree.

He turned and walked out of the bathroom, leaving me standing there in the white silence.

"Hrghh!" I clenched my fists, a silent scream of rage and longing tearing through me as the door clicked shut behind him.

"Really, Dad! So you're still home?" Liana's voice was clear now, full of excitement. "Have you seen my friend around? Have you seen Thea? I think she got lost in this big house!"

My heart ached with every word she spoke. She was worried about me. She cared about me.

And here I was, standing in her father's shower, trying to scrub the evidence of my betrayal off my skin.

I turned the handle, the water spraying down on me, and began the agonizing task of washing him away.