Chapter 16. He’s Claiming Me

*Maddox*

Sitting across the small table on the balcony near the dining room from Zabrina, I try to be polite, but it’s difficult. She will not stop talking, and I couldn’t care less about what she has to say.

“So then, I told Daddy that I really wanted the shoes in silver and gold. Because you never know what color will look best, you know?”

I nod. No, I don’t know. And I don’t care. I really, really don’t give a flying fuck.

“So he bought them, even though they cost ten thousand dollars for each pair. But then… it’s just money.” She giggles and takes a drink of her champagne. “You know what I mean, of course?”

I smile. I do know what she means, but then, I also try not to waste money. I have an entire kingdom to think of, not just myself.

Picking up my knife, I slice through my steak, watching the pink juice spill all over my plate. For a moment, I contemplate what it would look like to run the knife across her jugular, watching a different kind of juice, a dark crimson juice, pour out.

I set the knife aside and remind myself I’m not on a battlefield. Sometimes, when you’ve seen everything I have, it’s difficult to remember….

My mind flickers to Rebecca, and I have to push the memory away. She certainly knew the secret darkness that haunted me since I returned from the war in the east….

“You should drink some more of your champagne,” Zabrina says, her eyes on my half-finished glass. “You know, it’s a special bottle I brought with me from our pack lands. You’ll love it.”

I smile at her and raise my glass to my lips. I usually like champagne, and she’s right to say that her pack is known for their wonderful champagnes and wines. But something about this particular glass tastes off. I can’t quite put my finger on it. When her lady-in-waiting brought it to me, I was anxious to taste it and finished my wine to have a sip, but now… I wish I hadn’t. It’s bitter, and I don’t know why….

But I don’t want to be rude, so I take another drink. Maybe I should just finish it off so I can have some more wine. But knowing Zabrina, she’ll insist on a refill.

I set my glass down, nearly empty, and Zabrina’s eyes twinkle. “Do you like it?”

“Sure,” I tell her, and she looks pleased.

Eventually, the staff brings out dessert, and I am overjoyed to know that this is the last course. As soon as it is finished, I will dismiss myself and get out of here. I’ve done my duty as a host.

“So…” Zabrina says, “I was thinking, after dinner, we could go for a stroll in the garden.”

“The garden?” I repeat. “Tonight?”

“Yes, I was there earlier today, and it’s so beautiful. I’d love to have you join me for a moonlit stroll.”

In my mind’s eye, I see Isla’s face. If she was the one asking, I’d be tempted to take her up on the offer. I imagine her smiling face as she looks up at me, the silvery moon playing off her golden curls. I feel a twitch in my pants just imagining it.

“Not tonight,” I tell Zabrina. Suddenly, all I can think about is Isla. Did she have a good day? Is she beginning to relax now that she’s been here a night and day? Or is she still terrified? I could tell when I met her the day before she was frightened. She shouldn’t be. I will take very good care of her….

“You really should finish your champagne,” Zabrina says, slicing into her pie.

Reluctantly, I lift the glass and finish off the drink. Setting it down, I am tempted to sarcastically ask her if she’s satisfied. I don’t, though. I only smile at her.

She smiles back, and I swear I see something wicked in her grin.

I take another bite of my chocolate cake, but I hardly taste it. My mind is still on Isla. I imagine she is lying in her bed now, naked, touching herself… running her hands along those curves, up the side of her breasts, along her round bottom, to her wet, aching core. She plunges three fingers in and cries out, whispering my name.

Under the table, my dick springs to life. I feel like a man about to peel his skin off.

“Are you all right?” Zabrina asks, still smiling at me.

“Actually, no,” I tell her, setting my napkin on the table. “I’m not feeling well. I’m afraid you’ll have to excuse me.”

Her face falls. “What? But… our stroll….”

“Not tonight,” I tell her. “I’m sorry, Zabrina, I truly am, but I must go.”

“But—”

I don’t wait to listen to her protest anymore. I have never felt this way before in my entire life. Though I’ve certainly been turned on before, the urgency I feel inside of me is all-encompassing. I fly up from the table and shoot out the door and down the hall as fast as my three legs can carry me.

As I speed down the hall toward Isla’s room, I am reminded that occasionally Rebecca would get me in such a frenzy, I’d have trouble controlling myself in public. She was so beautiful, such a graceful dancer, and her intoxicating floral perfume would drive me mad. I’d want to take her into a hallway bathroom and ravage her on the sink during a dinner party. I never did.

Even in all of those times with my wife that I had trouble controlling myself, never once did I feel the earnestness I feel right now. My cock is so hard, I feel like my suit pants are about to be torn to shreds much like they are when we don’t strip before we shift.

I am almost to her door now, and I can’t contain myself. I know that I’m liable to scare her, and with my heart pounding in my chest and my dick ready to spring out of my pants, I’ll likely hurt her if I can’t find a way to control myself, but in my mind, she’s lying in there, spread wide open, waiting for me, her hand stroking her pulsing pussy.

No, I need her. I need her now.

I won’t be able to control myself.

The door is no barrier to me, even if it’s locked, and I don’t even bother to knock.