Chapter 3 Chapter 3

Chapter Three

 Kaden’s POV

The vomit hit my trousers with a wet splat, warm and sour, right across the front where the fabric stretched tight over my crotch. For one stunned second the world narrowed to that single humiliating spot. Then fury roared up through me like wildfire.

Ashley swayed on her feet, eyes glassy, cheeks flushed from alcohol and whatever else was burning through her small body. She blinked at the mess she had made, then giggled like it was the funniest thing in the world.

Before I could snarl, she dropped to her knees in front of me. Her torn white dress rode up dangerously high on her thighs.

She grabbed the hem and tried to wipe the vomit off my trousers with it, rubbing in clumsy circles. The fabric lifted higher, exposing the red lace lingerie underneath. Crimson bra and matching thong, the kind a bride wears on her mating night.

The lingerie she had chosen for Liam. For the ritual that never happened.

My nostrils flared. Her scent slammed into me. Sweet, desperate arousal. Slick and heavy. Virgin heat mixed with vodka and heartbreak. My wolf lunged against my skin, claws scraping bone. Want. Claim. Take.

I clenched my jaw so hard my teeth ached. No. This is Beta’s daughter. My best friend’s little girl. The one I had watched grow from pigtails to this broken, beautiful mess.

She kept rubbing. The dress hiked higher. More red lace. More bare skin. More of that intoxicating scent.

James, the useless bartender, stepped forward. His eyes locked on her exposed lingerie. He licked his lips like a starving dog. “Damn, sweetheart, you look—”

“Shut your mouth,” I growled low. The sound vibrated through the night air. Power rolled off me in waves. James froze mid-step.

Ashley looked up at me with those big, hazy eyes. “Sorry… Daddy… I made a mess…” Her small hands reached for my crotch again, fingers brushing the wet fabric and the growing hardness underneath.

James made a choked sound, half lust, half fear.

I turned my head slowly toward him. “You want to lick it off?” I asked, voice deadly calm. “Go ahead. Kneel. Clean my trousers with your tongue.”

James went white. He dropped to his knees so fast his bones cracked against the pavement. “Alpha Kaden, please… I’m sorry… I didn’t mean… forgive me… I swear I wasn’t going to—”

I stepped closer. “You touched her. You put your filthy hands on what isn’t yours.” I pulled a black silk handkerchief from my pocket and tossed it at his face. “Use this. Lick every drop. Or I remove your eyes. Slowly.”

He whimpered. Grabbed the handkerchief. Pressed it to the vomit-stained fabric and started licking like his life depended on it. Because it did.

I ignored him. Bent down and scooped Ashley up with one arm around her waist. She was light. Too light. Fragile. 

Her body pressed against mine, soft curves, hard nipples through the thin dress, that maddening wet heat between her thighs radiating against my side.

“Drive,” I barked at my soldier waiting by the black Mercedes. The door opened instantly.

I slid into the back seat with Ashley draped across my lap. She immediately curled into me like a kitten, mumbling nonsense.

“So hot…” she slurred, tugging at the neckline of her dress. “Everything’s burning… need… need…”

I caught her wrists gently but firmly. “Stop.”

She pouted, then twisted and planted a sloppy kiss on the tip of my nose. 

“You’re so handsome… so strong…” She smiled wide, innocent, devastating. Then she collapsed against my chest, head on my shoulder, large breasts grazing my crotch with every breath.

My cock twitched. Hard. Painful. Wrong.

I stared straight ahead, jaw locked. Her father’s voice echoed in my head from earlier tonight, after the rejection.

“Kaden… I can’t help her. Not like this. She’s broken. If anyone can pull her out of this… it’s you. But gods help me, don’t let her see the monster.”

I had come to the bar to check on her because of that call. Because Beta asked. Because she was pack. Because she was his daughter.

Not because of the way her scent clawed at my control. Not because my wolf had been pacing since the moment I heard her scream from the pack house.

Not because I had always noticed her, quiet, good, untouched, and wondered what it would take to make her break apart under different hands.

James’s tongue still worked behind us. I didn’t look back. Let him choke on his fear.

Ashley shifted. Her hand slid down my abdomen, fumbling for my zipper. Small fingers brushed the bulge straining against my trousers.

I caught her wrist again. “Ashley. No.”

She whined, high, needy, pure wolf. “Please… I need this… I’m in heat… can’t help it…” She moaned softly, hips rocking against my thigh. “It’s getting big…” Giggle. “So big…”

Her teeth grazed my palm when I clapped my hand over her mouth to silence her. Playful bite. Then another giggle that vibrated against my skin.

Pain. Pleasure. Wrong. So fucking wrong.

Snap out of it.

This is my best friend’s daughter.

The car rolled through the dark streets toward my private compound. I stared out the window, breathing through my mouth to avoid drowning in her scent. My wolf snarled inside me. Mine. Protect. Claim. Punish Liam. Punish anyone who ever laughed at her.

I would deal with Liam later. In ways that would make the moon goddess look away. Illegal. Bloody. Permanent. And if she were mine, truly mine, I would do worse.

The car stopped at the gates of my compound. Dim lights lined the path to the main house. My soldier opened the door.

“I can pick her up, Alpha,” he said.

“No.” My voice came out rougher than intended. “Dismissed.”

I stepped out. Ashley was slumped in the seat, eyes half-closed, breathing shallow. I leaned in, slid one arm under her knees, the other behind her back, and lifted her. She draped over my shoulder like a rag doll. Her short dress rode up completely. My hand landed on bare skin, soft, warm ass cheek. No panties covering it. Just the thin red thong strap nestled between.

Why did she have to wear something so short?

I carried her inside. The house was silent, dark, only emergency lights glowing along the halls. My senses sharpened. Heightened. And then I felt it, something wet on my hand. Slick. Warm.

I paused in the shadowed foyer. Lifted my hand. Inhaled.

Her arousal coated my fingers. Thick. Sweet. Pure sex.

My wolf went insane.

She’s so damn wet.

And she smells like heaven.