Imperfectly Mated

#3 - A Meaningless Conquest

"Her," I rasped, my voice sounding alien to my ears. I was floating, taken.

"A perfect choice!" Remus exclaimed. "I knew you would come around!" the bastard added. I wished to growl at him for trapping me in such a manner, but I was barely aware of his presence, or the shifting bodies as he cleared the hall, his argument with Alad fading into the background as my mother's second protested leaving me alone.

I stalked ahead, gaze locked on my target. She acknowledged me with a flutter of her lashes. Tempting. "What do they call you?" I demanded, my voice stern. Surprisingly.

"Does it matter?" she said with a teasing smile. Her voice was that of angels, her smile? It pulled at strings in my chest I was not aware I possessed. One more word, and I would be pooling at her feet! The thought startled my world, forcing it to a stop. Pool at her feet? What in God's name?! I bowed to no one and most certainly did not melt for anyone, not even for her! No one held such power over me, and yet I was intrigued...and so enchanted by her.

Annoyance prickled, somewhere in the deep haze of my desire for her. I needed to even the playing field, or better yet, show her who was the predator here. I took off my cloak, revealing the mask I wore to conceal the beast I was. She froze in her tracks, gaze darting to my face. So predictable. I smirked, knowing how this was going to go. I'd seen it too many damned times. Disgust, fear... I blinked, however, when her feet moved again, not away from me, but drawing her ever so close. Was that admiration... intrigue? "Names are overrated, don't you think?" she purred when she was close enough, the delicious sound leaving me thirsty for all that her sexy presence promised. I noted how she omitted to address me by a single title too. It was the hottest thing!

"Thinking is overrated," I countered, reaching for her, loving our banter, my dominance all but forgotten in the heat of the moment. So unlike me, but I did not care for any of it, except to sate this need growing wild inside me. I was inches away when her scent wafted through my nostrils — the most alluring fragrance I had ever encountered. I longed to be buried in it and I did, drawing her close to me in one swift, strong move, leaving our bodies pressed together. She gasped, the sound igniting every drop of blood in my body. What was she? Witch, fairy, wolf? Or perhaps a forbidden creature from an undiscovered realm? She had to be, because no maiden had threatened my sanity the way she did. I inhaled deeply, desperate for more of her intoxicating scent... more of her.

"Agreed, but so is talking," she purred again— a seductive whisper in my ear that left me groaning with need. "And I think it's only fair that I match your actions by taking off something of mine," she teased, leaving my mouth dry. She played games too? How much more tempting could she be?

I watched her step back, intrigued as she tugged at the bow holding her dress together, eager to see what lay underneath. By the gods! My jaw dropped with her dress pooling at her feet. Nothing... absolutely, bloody nothing lay beneath her dress except for the dangerously seductive, godlike sculpture that was both fantasy and reality as I stared. "Y-You a-are—" I stuttered. I bloody stuttered, and swallowed, hard, not caring that she could see how much she affected me. She could have been an enemy's pawn meant to destroy me, but none of that mattered. I had never wanted to devour anything this much as I scooped her up, laid her down and made quick work of my own garments. Her eyes went wide before they darkened, taking in my nakedness with a hunger, a darkness that mirrored mine. She wanted me— a truth that surged through me, almost as violently as the way I claimed her, burying myself deep inside her, our connection glorious and deadly intoxicating. She was perfect! Perfect? The thought hit me with an urgency that should have stopped me, should have made me question it, but like I said, thinking was overrated.

I wished not to think, but to feel— to savor every inch of her delicious body as I indulged in all my senses. Her eyes turned glossy right before she blinked away the tears. I should have asked what the hell was wrong, but instead, like the bastard I was, I dove in— into her, taking everything for myself. It was what I was good at after all. Strangely, though, I was painfully gentle too, soothing whatever wounds ailed her, until she surrendered to me, allowing me to drink of her completely, leading me down the path of pleasure. I saw stars, perhaps even entire dimensions or the gods, I couldn't be sure as I reached that peak of ecstasy, thrusting one more time, and another, desperate to scream her name—which I did not know— while my body trembled, both sated and hungry at the same time.

Underneath me, she had gone still, a dreamy expression enhancing her beauty that had me wanting her all over again. I didn't ask, not needing to as she willingly spread herself open to me, welcoming me into her secret warmth, driving me to the brink of insanity over and over again.

"You are beautiful," Utterly spent, I collapsed beside her, pulled her in, nuzzled my face in the crook of her neck, inhaled her scent into the realm of dreams where visions of little versions of me and her brought a desperate warmth to my being. This was not me, but as long as she was here, it was.

I awoke... alone, my instincts screaming that I had been robbed, but a quick glance around me, I knew that was not so. And I should have been relieved at that, but my anger flared because she was not here. No one had ever dared to leave me first. It did not even matter that it was I who'd uncharacteristically fallen asleep after the encounter.

"Rough night?" Remus beamed at me, a knowing grin plastered on his face. Had he seen her slip out? "Oh," he added, his gaze trailing to the bed, rattling me.

"What?" I spat, following his gaze to a bright red stain on the sheets. Damn.

"Was she?" My best friend stared at me, eyes wide.

A virgin? Is that what he meant to say? A part of me instantly puffed up with pride at the possibility of being her first. The first to have her moan her heart out as I pleasured her. But it quickly dissipated when thoughts of me not being her last settled in. What the hell?! "Shouldn't you know?" I growled.

"I would, because a prize like that would cost you a fortune even if you are my friend," Remus grinned. A prize? The idea that she was some prize or good to be traded annoyed me to no end. "But, I'm afraid she isn't one of mine."

My gaze shot up to my associate. "What did you say?"

"She was a guest." Remus quickly clarified, afraid I would go off on him for carelessly letting someone he knew nothing of in the veil.

"If you are quite done playing these games, I would like to finish up here," I hissed, walking out. My entire ride to Yerith was marred by memories of last night. Visions of her writhing and moaning under my touch. By the time I reached the gates to the beautiful but dying Elmwood estate, I was sulking at the reason I was there.

"Are you alright? I mean, you still wish to do this, right?" Alad appeared beside me as I walked up to the main doors of the mansion, worry etched on his face.

"I do," I surprisingly chose to put him out of his misery. "And please try to look the part?" I gestured at his hair that was all over the place after our long ride from Dovah. "I wouldn't want you scaring my bride to b—" I froze as a familiar face belonging to the maiden I had buried myself in the entire night in Dovah appeared when the doors swung open. What in the world?

I knew the gods were insufferable beings and that they had never bothered to favour me, but even they couldn't stoop so low as to play this annoying joke. I narrowed my eyes at the only person standing before the open doors. It was her! Perfect even in the less than magnificent garments covering her frame. Except, her head was not adorned with that flaming red hair— the one that had driven me wild with want. A disguise? Why would she need one?

"Welcome to Elmwood your high-" she froze, those beautiful doe eyes going wider than saucers as she realized who I was the moment our eyes locked, just as I did with her. A maid? No, scratch that, a common streetwalker? I'd been deceived and abandoned by a wretched common streetwalker? I gritted my teeth; it was not enough to tame the flaring anger going wild. On the other hand, she smiled — a gut-wrenching yet welcoming smile that faded too quickly when she seemed to realize what she was doing.

"You?!" she croaked out as she fumbled with the doors, closing them behind her. Even when panicked, even when I was mad at her, her voice was that of angels. I hated that I still remained affected by it. "How in God's name did you find me?" she asked, alarmed, her voice low as though she were afraid of being discovered. Why would anyone care? Was she bound to another, perhaps? The realization ripped something in me, taking away the flicker of warmth I'd had for her, leaving only the sweet, cold bastard that was me.

"What? Did you think I was some desperate fool going round searching for his meaningless conquest?" I bit out. Even though the thought to search for her had crossed my mind more times than I cared to count, that was a matter reserved only for my heart.

"A meaningless conquest?" Her voice wavered as she stared at me, took in my ceremonial gown, the long procession behind me waiting to be invited in and I watched as every emotion under the realm's sun flooded her face. The painful ones anyway. "Y-You are Callista's intended?" she stuttered, her voice laced with so much pain. Despite my anger, I wished to go to her, to soothe her in ways I knew she needed, but this was not Dovah, and I did not soothe maidens, especially not her.

"Yes, and I would like to get this done quickly so I can leave with my bride." I swept through the doors that had been opened once more, walked past her, our hands brushing, just a tiny bit, but enough to confirm what I had suspected the entire night. It didn't matter.

"Mate!" I froze in my tracks as my wolf who'd gone silent on me for years suddenly stirred. Why the hell now? I glared, annoyed at the beast before resuming my steps. I felt her gaze sharp on my back before tender hands wrapped around my arm.

"W-What did you say?" she stuttered, eyes turning glossy with her question. I hated how staring deep in them made me want to give her the realm. The realm? I couldn't! I stumbled back as though the action would make that untrue. It didn't, but it gave me enough distance to see everything clearly. She was everything I did not wish for. And not just a mate that would be nothing but my weakness, but she threatened everything I was, everything I wished to be and in that moment I didn't care that I wouldn't be her last.