Gabriella

As night falls and the over hundred eligible females vying for Elijah Lahiz's affection are escorted into the mansion, I can already feel my nerves fraying. I've heard rumors from the other females about his handsome face and his rather aloof personality.

While that's not something that particularly appeals to me, I can see why most of the females who have come from all over this side of the country are practically salivating over the chance at getting even just a simple conversation with him.

Tonight, however, I plan on laying low to see what kind of competition will be brewing with the other bachelorettes, along with making a plan on how I can get close to one of the Northern packmates long enough to get whatever I can out of them to bring back to Alpha Storm. So far, that's the only plan I've got.

The mansion is gorgeous and opulent, and so is the ballroom that we're all shuffled into while the opening ceremony begins.

Other members of the Northern pack are introduced in a fanfare, most likely to entice us females into spending time with them, as the chances of us catching Elijah's attention are slim.

Which is perfect for me - now it won't seem so obvious that I'm trying to sneak intel out by spending time with anyone other than the alpha of the pack himself.

Strangely enough, the ceremony soon commences and the music begins to play-all without Elijah being introduced or making a grand appearance like I thought he would.

As a soon-to-be king, wouldn't this be the perfect opportunity to present yourself to the other packs you'll be ruling over in the near future?

Not to mention, it doesn't set a good face for his future Luna, who he'll most likely be picking to court over the next three days.

I wonder if something happened. Maybe an emergency called him away? I wouldn't be surprised, given his new pack alpha status.

"You've been a sitting duck since we got here," Raya notes wistfully as she moves over to me. She looks glorious in her green ball gown, and light make up. "Come on, now. Let's dance."

I let her tug me along and pull me out to the dance floor. Others join us, and I close my eyes, losing myself in the music. Soon though, I feel a pair of hands touching my waist and pulling me away from Raya.

As I turn, I spot an alpha grinning at me. "Care to dance?"

Adrenaline shoots through me as his hands tighten on my hips. I look over my shoulder to see Raya being spun away by a beta - most likely his friend - her laugh carrying over the din of the music as her partner dips her and moves her farther into the line of other dancing couples.

"Uh," is all that I can manage to say before I'm also being pulled away toward the opposite side of the ballroom.

I should be happy about this. I didn't even have to go searching for one of the Northern packmates to approach me.

"What pack are you from? There's so many of you that it's hard to keep track," the alpha is saying as he twirls me. "You're here for all three nights, right?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Alex, one of Alpha Storm's enforcers, watching me and my partner closely. Linda, though dancing with an alpha has her eyes on me as well, a scowl on her face.

I have to make this good and weasel some info out of him so Alpha Storm doesn't hurt me when I get back. However, as soon as the alpha's hands begin to sneak lower on my waist, I panic.

"Sorry." I shove the alpha's hands off me. "I have to go."

"What? Why?" He tries to grab at me again. "Hey listen, we're just dancin -"

I throw him a weak smile. "Just need some air."

Stumbling back, I find a door leading out into the hallway away from the busyness of the ballroom. As the door shuts behind me, the energy slowly starts to calm, giving me a chance to breathe again.

I head down the hall and find another door at the end, this time leading outside to a large patio that spans almost the entire backside of the mansion.

Beyond that is a magnificent garden with a large fountain, the water sparkling in the moonlight. Breathing in deeply, I slowly take the marble stairs down and let myself wander the garden.

My dress trails behind me - a ridiculously red poofy thing that Raya talked me into buying when we went shopping together earlier in the week.

I don't care if it gets dirty; I'm most likely going to sneak back in after this and keep to the shadows while waiting for Elijah to arrive. I need to figure out my plan, not get swept up by some desperate Northern pack member looking for a mate.

The soft sound of the water from the fountain is comforting as I approach it. It's in the shape of a huge wolf standing at the base of a large tree, howling at the moon above me. I sit down on the side of the fountain, letting my hand trail in the rippling water.

The sculpture work is gorgeous and I wish I could see the details better.

Something hits the water, kicking back and splashing me.

"Oh shit," a male voice says on the other side. "Sorry, I didn't even see you there."

Turning to the sound of footsteps moving closer to me, I spot a male -another alpha - moving around the fountain and stopping a few feet from me. The suit he's wearing is tailored perfectly to his large body, making him look sophisticated.

His hair is wavy and longer on the top and cut shorter on the sides, pale in the moonlight. His face is obscured in shadows, but even from here, I can tell he's got a strong jawline, good features, and darker, tanned skin.

"You okay?" he asks, his head tilting to the side. The gesture doesn't suit the outfit he's wearing at all - in fact, now it makes him look kind of stuffy.

"What did you throw at me?" I hold my arm up and jerk it to the side, letting the flecks of water fly off my skin.

"I didn't - " He clears his throat. "It was a coin. I meant to toss it into the water. Not at you."

"A coin?" I can already feel my brows pulling together in confusion. "For what?"

He's silent for a moment, his body going statue-still as he stares at me. Finally, after what feels like an entire five minutes, he says, "For good luck."

Luck? I roll my eyes and stand. How ridiculous. "What in the world does an alpha need luck for? You have the entire world handed to you on a silver platter."

It's most likely not in my best interests to be talking to an alpha like this, but it's not like I'll ever see him again. Once I step back into that ballroom, I'll have to zero in on someone else higher up on the food chain within the pack and keep my eye on the prize.

To my surprise, the alpha lets out a laugh. "Wow, so honest. That's refreshing."

What is? "Sorry to tell you, but most females think this way. We're just too afraid to bruise your delicate alpha egos."

He lets out another laugh. "Is that so?"

I stand still when he moves closer to me, his shoes crunching against the gravel under us. He stops just a few feet from me, letting me get a clearer look at him. He's just as handsome as I thought he'd be - like most young alphas.

There's an amused quirk to his lips, along with small crinkles in the corners of his eyes, as he watches me carefully.

I hate that I immediately want to lower my gaze - an instinct drilled into me since I was a kid. I hold my ground though, not wanting to let this guy win at whatever game we're apparently playing.

"Tell me your name?" he says.

I'm tempted to give him a fake one...but that seems kind of stupid considering I'm a guest in this pack's lands.

It would be easy to verify my identity, and the possibility of offending one of the soon-to-be alpha king's packmates seems kind of counterproductive when I'm going to be spending more time with them than I care to.

"Gabriella," I finally say.

"Gabriella," he repeats it softly, causing a shiver to race up my spine. "Pretty."

I have to swallow to get out my next words. "And you?"

Shit, I should've walked away the second I ran into this guy.

Having the hots for one of the Northern alphas is not only stupid, but will get me into trouble if Alpha Storm ever finds out. He's not going to gain anything if I get into bed with someone who has no political pull. I'll be lucky to just get a stern talking-to when I get home.

But...damn do I want to tell myself fuck it and have a night for just myself.

Would that be so wrong of me to do?

The alpha in front of me hesitates again for some reason. Up close like this, I can see that he's got a pair of lovely amber eyes that watch me carefully, assessing me for...what, I'm not too sure. Perhaps he's more important in the pecking order than I gave him credit for.

A beta to the king? Maybe an advisor? That would be perfect. I'm not that familiar with who's a part of Elijah Lahiz's inner circle. Which, I'm now realizing, is biting me in the ass.

"You can call me...Elijah," he finally decides.

Elijah...?

My eyes widen.

Oh fuck.

Gabriella

Such luck!

My wolf, Gia howls inside of me, happy to have met our goal so damn early in the night. What are the chances that I'd run into the alpha king out here in the gardens of all places? Alone and without his guards to prevent us both from talking?

Trying to keep myself under control, I clear my throat and nod with a slight bow. "Pretty name."

He squints at me for a moment, and then laughs again. "I can't tell if you're making fun of me or not."

"I'm not." Though I'm sure from my tone, even he can tell that I'm lying.

Is it stupid of me to lie to the alpha that could have my head presented to him on a silver platter? Probably, but I'm banking on the fact that he's hopefully not as ruthless as his father was, at least according to rumor.

What intel could I get out of the pack alpha? Tons, I'm sure.

"Really? Could've fooled me." There's a slight crinkle at the corners of his eyes that has me a little shocked. Does he think I'm funny?

Elijah is...not what I expected at all.

For all the rumors that have circulated about him and his pack over the years-dominating, arrogant, imperial-he seems to act like the complete opposite, almost friendly in a way. Like he doesn't have the entire North, the biggest land mass in the world to lead and command.

I don't really know how I feel about that, other than being caught completely off guard. The entire trip up here, I'd been preparing myself over and over again on how exactly I was going to try to meet with one of his packmates.

And yet, now that he himself is standing here in front of me in the flesh, I can't seem to get my mouth open or my lips to move to say the words.

To both of our surprises, I turn on my heel and walk away from him to head deeper into the gardens. I need a minute to breathe before I can start trying to seduce him into talking before someone finds us out here together and separates us.

Or better yet, drags him back into the ball where hundreds of other girls are waiting for him to distract him.

"Hey wait-Gabriella," he calls after me, the sounds of his shoes crunching on the gravel following close behind. "Did I say something to offend you?"

Offend me? Why would he care about that?

What in the world is going on?

I continue to walk, praying that he follows me while I try to pull myself together.

I can't help but wonder if he's only following me because he finds me interesting enough to ditch his own damn party in order to play cat-and-mouse with me in the gardens. Wouldn't that be what an alpha like him would do?

"Gabriella," Elijah calls. "Wait."

I stop as I round a corner that heads into a hedge maze. Right as I'm turning on my heel to face him, he practically barrels into me. As I fall back, his arms come out to snatch me up off my feet and slam me against his chest.

While the gesture is chivalrous, it knocks the wind out of me.

"Oof!" I grab at the lapels of his suit to keep me from tumbling back into the hedge.

"Shit. Bad move. My fault," he tells me, but doesn't put me down.

My entire body flushes with heat the moment I lay my hands on him. A full-body rush that has me sucking in a short burst of air that doesn't seem able to quite fill my lungs. I'm struck by how intense it feels while I force myself to look up into the eyes of the alpha staring at me.

"Sorry, I-" His voice cuts off, his eyes widening.

Suddenly, I feel it too.

Like a wire winding itself around my heart, over and over again until I'm tightly bound with nowhere else to go.

On the other end of the wire is a connection that spans out, making its way across what feels like the vast expanse of the universe until it finds its home within the alpha that's currently holding me.

The crack of a whip, and then my wolf howls.

The mating bond.

"You..." Elijah murmurs, his mouth falling open in shock. "It's you."

The alpha standing before me, the King of the North: Elijah Lahiz is my bonded mate.

"I-" My mouth feels numb as I try to move it. I can't believe-no, this...surely there's no way?

But it's there. The connection beats steadily in my chest, as sure as my own heartbeat.

Elijah drops me back down to my feet suddenly, stumbling away from me. A short burst of air leaves him as he continues to stare at me-in horror? Disgust? Bewilderment? I can't tell. It's too dark and I'm too much in shock to really be able to read him.

I step forward for some reason, an energy I can't even begin to comprehend compelling me to follow him. My wolf is practically clawing at me from the inside, begging me to let her free so she can finally meet her mate.

"Sorry," Elijah says again, shaking his head wildly. His own wolf must be driving him mad. "I have to go."

My heart shatters at the words.

I don't even get a chance to stop him before he's shifting and turning to sprint through the hedge maze to get away from me.

Did that...just happen?

I touch my skin where his hands held me, the lingering burning feeling still there even as I try to wipe it clean.

I don't know how long I'm out here in the gardens before I manage to stumble my way back into the ball. The lights are bright, the laughter and music are loud and suddenly grating on my ears.

I'm too overwhelmed to be here right now, but I can't just leave while Raya's still here somewhere.

Passing by a table, I spot a few glasses of wine and swipe one up before downing almost the entire thing in one go. One of the catering staff gives me a strange look before offering me another one, clearly not surprised I need something for the jitters.

Time passes slowly. I spot Raya socializing while I stick to the outskirts of the party. My chest aches from being separated so suddenly from Elijah, while my head is filled with my wolf baying in anguish.

Usually when a pair's mating bond snaps in place, they're sent off to be alone together for a while to properly let it settle. That's how it should be at least. Except apparently I'm supposed to be mated to a damn alpha king.

Who still has yet to show his face.

Eventually, I retire back to mine and Raya's room for the evening, needing the silence and the space to be alone again. I can hardly breathe, and being surrounded by that many people with their hormones flying is sending me into a deep spiral.

By the time I get my dress off of me and slip into my nightgown, I feel the familiar pinpricks of tears trying to form in my eyes.

Why? Why did this have to happen? I was just supposed to come here and pretend to seduce Elijah to make Alpha Storm happy, not be rejected by my own mate the second our mating bond snaps into place.

How am I going to be able to leave the Northern packlands while feeling like I'm dying? Is that even possible? Dying of an unclaimed bond?

Suddenly, a knock at my door has me bolting up in bed. Expecting Raya, I head over to it and unlatch the door to open it.

A deep and masculine scent hits me instantly, freezing me in place as I look up into familiar golden eyes.

"Gabriella," Elijah says, before grabbing the door and prying it out of my hand to push his way into my room.

Gabriella

Before I can say anything, he slams the door behind him and locks it.

My heart hammers in my chest as I slowly back away from him and toward the bed. I don't know why he's come here after ditching me in the gardens - maybe he's figured out who I am and wants nothing to do with me.

I mean, who would?

Mated to the daughter of a traitorous alpha as a soon-to-be alpha king isn't exactly a winning title, nor would it inspire confidence in any of his allies. If my father was killed for betraying his own pack for another so easily, why would his daughter be thought trustworthy?

"Elijah," I begin to say, but I'm cut off by him reaching over to cup my face and pull me into a heated kiss.

Instantly, everything around us melts away.

My wolf croons, happy to finally be back in the presence of her mate.

Elijah lifts me up off my feet and carries me over to my bed. "I need you. Now," he growls.

We both flop down onto it like a couple of inexperienced teenagers, pawing at each other to try to get our clothes off.

I can't believe he's here and kissing me - touching me. I should expect it since he's my mate, but after what happened earlier, I'm shocked he even wants to be in the same room as me, let alone push my nightgown up my thighs.

I've never done anything like this before. There have never been any times in the past where I snuck away from the pack to go hook up with another in the woods while we were out on patrol.

Or even the typical running in the moonlight and then stopping to rest, only to find ourselves tangled up in each other instead.

"Fuck," he whispers against my skin. "I can't get you out of my head."

My heart sings at his words. No one will dare come within a ten-foot radius of touching me, thinking that my pariah status will somehow rub off on them and make them become one too.

But here, Elijah doesn't know any of that. Here he isn't the alpha to his pack or a future king, and I'm not a disgraced pack member whose alpha wants them to suffer until one of us kicks the bucket.

Here we can just be Elijah and Gabriella.

"Gabriella," he mumbles while trailing his lips down my cheek to the column of my neck. I shiver at the feeling of him licking and sucking on me, his desperate and intoxicating touch driving me wild. "You're going to be a good girl for me, right?"

Oh gods.

My hands tug at the front of his waistcoat, unable to undo the buttons with how badly I'm shaking. I'm nervous for all of this but also dying to see where it goes. I want this-I want him.

Elijah peels his lips away from my skin in order to sit back and grab at the front of his coat. He snaps it apart, buttons flying off in different directions around the room, and then tosses it somewhere on the floor.

Next comes his pressed white button-up, snapped apart and tossed in the same way.

Instinctively, I reach for him, pressing my hands to the hard planes of his muscles that ripple right under his skin.

He's warm, more than I thought he would be. He must feel as feverish as I do, maybe even worse. For males, the mating bond is a bit torturous, driving them into seeking out their mates and claiming them over and over again until every ounce of energy is finally exhausted.

Is that what's going to happen now? Is he going to take me until I can barely even remember my name?

My belly clenches. Fuck, I hope so. I want this so badly.

"Gabriella." His eyes are fierce as he looks down at me. His wolf is fighting him by the look in his eyes, begging to be let out. "You need to tell me to stop right now if you don't want this."

I swallow. "And what if I do?"

I'm stupid for challenging a clearly ramped-up alpha. But I can't help it. I need to know where the line is of this budding desire, or if the version of him in the gardens had been the real him and wasn't some show he'd been putting on because he didn't want to scare me.

He chuckles and grabs my thighs to spread them apart, revealing not just my panties to him but how soaked they already are.

He pulls in a sharp breath and leans back down until his hips are against my core. "That's it. That's exactly what I want to see from you."

I can feel the telltale signs of his erection pressing right up against me.

He grinds us together, sending jolts of pleasure racing up my spine.

"I'm going to take you," he whispers into my ear. "I'll take you so many times you won't be able to think straight until I'm done with you. You're going to take me so good. I just know you will."

My stomach clenches again. "I-It's my first time."

The words spill out of me before I can stop them. I feel Elijah freeze over me, his breath catching while I berate myself internally for being so stupid for ruining the moment like this. Why the hell would I need to tell him that?

It's only going to stop him from-

"I'll try to be gentle." He kisses along the shell of my ear. "I promise."

I moan, not being able to help it.

That seems to only encourage him though.

He doesn't waste any more time in reaching between us to undo his belt and get his pants shoved down enough to let his cock spring free. I feel it drag against my inner thigh, leaving a trail of wetness behind to tease me with what's to come.

"I can't wait to feel that tight hole squeezing around me." He nips at my skin. "You're going to drain me dry, aren't you?"

His hips pull back just enough to give him room to hook his fingers around the edge of my panties and pull them to the side. I grab onto his arms, bracing myself for him to slowly slide into me.

Only he doesn't do that at all, clearly much too impatient and pent up to make this drag out any longer.

As soon as the head of his cock is pressed against my entrance, his hips jerk to enter me. I practically shoot off the bed at the sudden intrusion, both pain and pleasure mixing together inside of me to create an entire storm of overwhelming feelings.

"Oh fuck!" My nails dig into his skin as he sinks deeper into me with each thrust.

He holds me down, letting out a deep groan. "That's it. Take me in, baby. Be good for me and spread those legs apart."

It feels so damn good knowing how feral he is to mate with me.

My mate.

With each pull of his cock sliding out of me, slickness and probably a little bit of blood drip down my inner thighs and onto the sheets under me.

I don't even care that I'm going to have to clean it up before Delilah gets back, or that I'm going to have to air out this room so she can't smell the pheromones pouring off of both of us right now.

Elijah's pace is brutal. He doesn't even bother trying to let me adjust to him-he's far too gone with having me. Our mating bond is making him lose all sense of his earlier politeness.

I've heard of the mating bond making couples so desperate that it drives them to the extremes just to be able to get at each other.

More than once I have stumbled upon a couple right outside of my cabin clawing at each other while they fuck. It always seemed painful back then, but now I get it.

The pain mixed with pleasure is everything.

This is everything.

"Mine," Elijah whispers into my ear. "I own you. Your body, your soul. It's all mine."

Something begins to build in me-a pressure that tingles just at the edge of my mind. I focus on it, letting it drown everything else out while it grows bigger and bigger by the second.

"Repeat it back to me," he tells me.

It's hard to form words, my brain short-circuiting even at the mention of trying to do so. But I force myself through it-to tell him exactly what he wants to hear and what I'm dying to say.

"Yours, Elijah," I practically sob. "I'm all yours."

"Good girl." Elijah's lips crash into mine in another bruising kiss, his tongue parting my lips in order to thrust into my mouth in time with his cock moving inside of my hole.

I can hardly breathe without taking him in and I love it. Every damn second of it. I never want this to end.

Just as that pressure teeters, I'm thrown over the edge into the most intense orgasm I've ever had in my life. My entire body arches off of the bed as I scream a moan into Elijah's mouth.

He holds me in place and keeps going, moving in and out of me while helping me to ride through this intense pleasure rocking me to my core.

"Take it, Gabriella," he says, ripping his mouth off of mine. "You're going to let me fill you up until I can't anymore."

I feel myself shaking against him as I start to come down, but then I'm ramped right back up again as another one hits me, just as intense as the first. Over and over I'm thrown off the edge as I can barely keep my head above water.

Warmth fills me as Elijah's thrusting becomes disjointed and messy. More wetness leaks out of me and down onto the bed, practically making a small pool under me.

When he finally slows to a rest, he leans his weight to the side of me to not crush me with it. His arms are still wrapped around me while he holds me, his kisses trailing along the outside of my mouth and across the bridge of my nose.

I finally come back to myself, feeling like all is right in the world.

Elijah mumbles something under his breath and then buries his face in my neck.

Wow, is all I can possibly think.