Alpha's Spoiled Princess - Burgov Series VI

7. Cilia

I must be dreaming. It's even better than I imagined. Sean is amazing and attendful. He makes sure to meet my expectations each time. And if I ever feared that we weren't compatible, now I'm sure we are.

He didn't exactly profess his undying love for me, but the way he looks at me, the way he makes me feel is even better than any words he might have said. I can see it in his eyes that he desires me, I can feel in every touch that he wants me, and every time he makes me scream, I know that he cares. He must, there's no other explanation.

The Sunday chill-day turned into something more wicked. After he sprawled and claimed me with Emma still playing in the background, we moved to his bedroom, where I finally got my proper tour, thoroughly investigating each corner and surface, and I learned a lot about Sean I wasn't aware of.

He seems like the kind of man who is as easy-going as they come and most of the time agreeable, putting others before him. And while that's mostly true, there is nothing easy-going or agreeable in the way he f***s. In bed, he's 100% in control, showing me time and time again who the boss is.

Although he can be persuaded to let go of some of that power if my arguments are good. And apparently, my rhetoric skills are way better than one of my tutors claimed, because I haven't heard a single no, whether I straddled him after abandoning the home theater, or when I got down on my knees in the shower. However, there I needed to convince him with a good old t**s job. Yes, he liked that one.

But aside from amazing s*x, I never felt so perfectly in the right place, than while napping in his arms. It felt like the crook of his arm was made especially for me to serve as the most comfortable pillow. And there in those arms I was finally happy. Such a strange feeling.

I woke up first and I couldn't stop smiling.

This man is mine. The little girl in me couldn't contain her joy. And it seemed that I couldn't stop tracing my hand over his hard, well-defined abs, out of fear that he might disappear if I did.

I almost screamed when his hand rested on top of mine, and without betraying any other signs of being awake, he brought my hand to his lips and kissed it, only after setting those amazing brown eyes on me.

"How do you feel?" - he asked with once again the same care over my wellbeing.

"I feel wonderful."

A lazy satisfied grin curled his lips.

"Oh yeah?"

"M-hmm." - I nodded with a smile.

He traced my cheek and then lips with his thumb with a pleased expression and I melted under his touch. There's simply no explanation of what he does to me, it just feels right.

"You're something else, Cilia." - he murmured and the low timber of his voice sent shivers down my spine.

"In a good way, I hope?"

"In the best way." - he said, capturing my lips, slowly and tenderly, but with the purpose I now knew was Sean's trademark.

He rolled me on my back, spreading my legs with his knee. The man who couldn't get enough of a woman like he did, had to have at least some feelings, right?

He entered me slowly, muffling my moans with his kisses. Each of his thrusts was delivered meticulously to drive me straight to insanity. It felt different than before, when we gave in to our lust. This time Sean was making love to me, shuttering the last remains of my resistance with each kiss. This time it felt like we connected on a deeper level and I couldn't get enough of him.

I had never experienced anything like this before. Maybe because none of the men I slept with were anything more than just a hookup. But this is Sean, my Sean. And Markie was right, my feelings for him never went away, I just hid them deep inside and pretended they weren't there.

Holy hell, I love him!

The realization was equally shocking and obvious, but when I finally admitted it to myself, it felt like everything fell into place. This was meant to be and somehow I always knew that.

I kissed him passionately, pulling him even closer, hoping he would read what I just realized from my lips, and I think he did.

His lips started moving down to my neck, and I tilted my head, allowing him better access.

"Mark me, Sean." - I asked in a whisper, but I knew he heard me, because he stilled and looked into my eyes.

"Not today." - he said, trying to capture my lips again, but I dodged him.

"Why not?"

He sighed and pressed his forehead against mine.

"You deserve to have everything done properly." - he said. - "You deserve your mate to meet with your family to make the announcement. You deserve a feast and ten days of celebration for the whole world to see."

"I don't need all that." - I admitted.

"Okay, so at least allow me the opportunity to gloat that I snatched the most sought-after she-wolf for myself." - he said with a grin.

"Since when are you the gloating type?" - I narrowed my eyes playfully.

"Maybe I always was, but didn't have the reason to."

I giggled but it quickly turned into a moan when he started thrusting in and out again. He brought us both to the finish line, with both of us panting hard, barely able to catch a breath.

"I can't get enough of you." - he said, climbing off of me.

"In my book, that bodes very, very well for the couple." - I answered, laying my head on his chest, enjoying the vibration of his chuckle.

"I should probably give Nicky a heads-up that he no longer needs to show his face here."

"Don't bother, he will come whether you tell him or not, even if only to inspect that we're both living and breathing." - I waved my hand.

"You know him that well, huh?" - Sean asked, looking down at me.

"I'm half VanWoert, remember? We trust when we see." - I told him with a knowing look.

He laughed and kissed my forehead.

"Then it seems we will have a day of interrogations tomorrow." - he murmured with his voice less playful than a second ago.

"Do you want to keep it a secret?" - I asked, with insecurities squeezing my chest. I didn't so badly want this to be the case, but it was still an option. I know that our situation isn't ideal, with others having their own opinions on our relationship because they always do. But if he asks to hide our bond, I would feel... dirty.

"No, of course not." - he negated not even needing time to think about it. Phew, that was a good sign, wasn't it? - "But it seems like I won't do a lot of work tomorrow." - he huffed - "Would you mind if I went to my office and did some now? I have few blueprints to accept and I don't want works to get delayed."

"Of course I won't." - I smiled - "Actually, I think your tub is calling my name, so I'm gonna soak for a bit."

He chuckled and kissed me one last time, before getting up.

"Sounds like a plan. I'll be really quick, I promise."

I nodded, admiring with my lips curled up, how he was throwing on clothes we discarded around the floor this morning, and then with a wink he was gone.

I relaxed for way too long in his amazing, huge tub that, now that I think about it, wasn't yet christened by us. A good plan for tomorrow after we get rid of Nicky.

After my bath, I invaded his closet, choosing the tiniest things I found, but I still looked like a toddler in his parents' clothes, but the amazing smell of cedarwood that Sean left behind on the fabric made this fashion disaster feel like a dream.

All of this took me over an hour, but Sean wasn't back yet. I didn't want to come out as a clinger, but I already missed him.

It would be fine if I went downstairs to help him, right? After all, I'm supposed to share his duties and, with things like construction work, I can actually help.

Yes, that's definitely a good idea.

I grabbed my phone and left Alpha's suite, tiptoeing downstairs, careful to avoid other wolves. I didn't exactly need them to see me in Sean's clothes, not that there was anything wrong with it, but why spread gossip? I have years of avoiding those and I'm not going to change it now.

I was getting close to Sean's office when I heard voices coming through the ajar door.

"Birds are singing about some new resident of the Pack House." - I heard the unknown male voice. It definitely wasn't Corry, so that's probably Jackson, Sean's Gamma.

"Since when do you listen to birds?" - Sean asked gruffly.

"Since they said the new girl is a smoking hot 10." - the guy answered cheerfully, almost as if he was aiming for riling up his Alpha.

"Watch it, Jackson, you're talking about my mate."

I smiled to myself hearing Sean so protective of my honor.

"Oh, so we have a Luna in da house. Nice. Hopefully she'll be more lively than you are." - Jackson said, and I already knew the type of person he was. Something between David and Ellie. All Gammas are exactly the same, born to piss off others. Their leaders the most of all.

"What do you want, Jackson?" - Sean asked with irritation in his tone.

"Nothing, absolutely nothing." - the Gamma said nonchalantly - "Although, I should probably know if I should revoke Tara's invitation to the Pack, or is your sidepiece still welcome?"

My heart nearly jumped out of my chest. Sean was seeing someone. The thought didn't even cross my mind, although I'm not sure why. He was a single man with, from what I just came to realize, quite an appetite for s****l endeavors. But there were so many questions. Why didn't he say anything? Was it over? And if so, had he talked with her in between banging me?

"You don't have to worry about it. Tara and I have an understanding." - Sean said gruffly.

"A famous quote said by a man before a chick stabbed him." - Jackson laughed. - "But anyway. Congrats, man. When do I get to meet the lucky gal?"

"Soon. But I'm warning you, no funny business, I don't want you to screw things up for me."

"Me? I'm a saint and ladies love me, so if you won't talk s**t behind my back, I bet Luna and I will be just fine. What's her name, by the way?" - Jackson asked.

"Cilia."

"Hmm. Why does it sound familiar?"

"Because you know her, or at the very least of her, you Moron. She's Igor's sister."

"f**k, you snatched Orlov chick? Damn, good for you." - Jackson said impressed. - "But wait, aren't Orlovs your cousins? The i****t s**t might be hot in Game of Thrones, but I'm not sure…"

"We're not related!" - Sean snapped - "She's my step-father's niece, with no blood shared with me."

"Okay, okay, don't bite, Alpha." - the second one said, and I started wondering if I should make my entrance. Eavesdropping never brought me anything good, after all. - "But isn't it ironic that you've got paired with that family. It's not like you respect them much."

That stopped me from making another step towards the door.

"My personal feelings don't matter anymore. They are Cilia's family, and since she and I have to work, I don't have any other choice than accept that fact." - Sean said, and it wasn't nearly as warm as I would like it to be.

"Wow, you sound so romantic. Have to work." - Jackson mocked his Alpha. - "Not all bonds last, you know. Take my parents, for example…"

"I don't care about your parents." - Sean cut him off. - "My mate is staying where she belongs, which is here with me, otherwise all the family will be forced to choose sides. And I'm not doing that."

"So you're gonna bang the hot chick to make everyone else happy? You're such a martyr." - Jackson snorted, but to me the most shocking thing was that there were no answers. And from what I know, if there's no negation to a controversial statement, you can consider the silence as affirmation.

So that's why Sean was so attentive? He doesn't want to mess with everyone else, so he chooses the lesser evil, which in this case is his relationship with me.

Not once has he said anything even hinting that he might be happy about being my mate. He also didn't say he wasn't, but he sure found time to point out how crucial it was for us to be together. As if I was a business deal, a cattle, not a real person, who lives, breaths and just like now, feels pain.

He charmed me into agreeing, skillfully distracting me, because any other outcome would have been too inconvenient for him. And I stupidly sought for hidden feelings, just because he was great in a sack.

I'm such an i***t.

I took a few steps back, trying to wrap my head around it and figure out what to do. How to feel.

I purposely kept him at arms length to avoid this kind of situation, but he somehow convinced me that he wanted me. Me! Not the things I represent, or could potentially mess up with his precious little life, but me.

He tricked me. And I fell for those damn brown eyes once again.

I took another step back and bumped into something, jumping like a frightened cat, just to come face to face with Lana. The Beta female was watching me with raised brows, as if she was trying to read my insane behavior.

"Cilia, is everything okay?" - she asked, but all I could do was slowly shake my head, wondering if she was nice to be because Sean asked her to. Was she in all of this too?

He did it again. He made me second guess everything. He took my feelings for granted and chose to play with them on his own accord. And I jumped on the opportunity like a brainless bimbo.

I hate the person I am around him. He makes me lose all the things I saw as the last resort of my personality: my dignity, clear judgment, integrity and the ability to see right through people. And if I let him, he will wipe it all completely with his sweet words and magic c**k.

I took another step down the hall, watching Lana like a startled deer.

"Cilia? Do you need anything?" - I shook my head and dashed down the hall.

I need to get away from here and think. Maybe I am overreacting, but I won't figure it out with him fogging my head.

"Cilia!" - Lana screamed after me, but I didn't stop, even after reaching the front door.

Outside, I took off my clothes, secretly glad it were easy to remove shorts and t-shirt, and I shifted into my jet black wolf. I grabbed the two pieces of clothing and the phone on my snout and I dashed towards the woods at my high speed.

That was probably the only moment in my life that I truly appreciated how fast I was. I could never compare with Igor in strength, but I knew how to run. In snow especially.

I left his land, yet I still haven't stopped, just ran, for hours probably. At least when I finally slowed down, the moon was hung high in the sky and there was nothing but silence and darkness around me, so yes, I must've covered dozens of miles.

I shifted back, not even caring about the cold and I took my phone, dialing the only number that could be of any help. Merkie.

She didn't answer at first, but luckily my second call went through.

We talked till my teeth started chattering from the cold, but as always she was my voice of reason. She admitted what I already suspected, that I acted too hastily with Sean and that I hadn't stopped to think.

But the most painful thing she helped me see was that Sean used my affection for him against me. That his intentions weren't pure and in no way had he my best interest at heart. Only his own.

So, once again, he turned out to be exactly like the rest. Fake and focused on their own gain, no matter if it was upgrading their status, or, like in Sean's case, peace of mind. And I was simply a tool in the process. Had he even seen me as something more? Doubtful.

But I'm done with being someone else's toy. Especially his.

I'm a f*****g Orlov, we kill for lesser faults, and forgiveness is an oriental dish to us. Yet this man played with me not once, but twice. That's more than enough, and I should consider a brain-injury before agreeing to a third.

So it's decided, I'm not going back there, and I'm definitely not going to one of my cousins. He will have found me there by tomorrow morning. Home isn't an option either. I wouldn't stand Igor right now, with his self-satisfied smiles and growing family, while my world fell apart.

No, I need some natural place.

That's why, after ending the conversation with Markie, I dialed a second, rarely ever used number, and I waited.

"Hola?" (Hello?)

"Ramiro, soy yo, Cilia. Necesito su ayuda." (Ramiro, it's me, Cilia. I need your help.)