CHAPTER 17: UNTAMED
Maya’s POV
I was the last one in the line, herded behind the fourteen female participants from the arena. No one wanted to stand behind me. Reason? Big egos and condescending vibes. They couldn’t even stand my presence, fearing my ill fate of rejection and pregnancy would infect them as well. In plain words, no one liked me, save for the three cutie pies in my arms.
I cooed at the giggling munchkins, looking down at them fondly. They were mischievous little pumpkins.
“Almost gave mommy a heart attack in the arena. Didn’t you? Yes, yes, you. My naughty little babies,” I mouthed with a smile. They would never understand me. Poor babies. They were stuck with a dumb mother. Completely mute.
“Muh – muh.” They giggled, spit trickling everywhere and making grabby hands to grab my cheeks.
I chuckled through teary eyes and wiped them clean with the corner of my garment. I kissed them softly. The line supervisor looked grossed out and overtook me to escape the ickiness of the situation. My heart faltered.
They were just babies!
“I love you,” I tried to say, hoping against hope that the Moon Goddess would let me express the language of a mother’s love but to no avail. The anguish that followed was heart breaking.
However, he made everything alright.
One heartbeat I was at the end of the line, the next, I was pinned against a cold stone pillar, his hands gripping my shoulders like he couldn’t bear another second without touching me.
The world spun as his mouth crashed onto mine and my eyes slipped close. Hot. Hungry. Unapologetic. His kiss wasn’t tender. It was a storm, wild and consuming, stealing the air from my lungs and replacing it with him. His body pressed flush to mine, all hard heat and caged restraint ready to snap, holding me like I was his to ruin and worship in the same breath.
He pushed me and pushed my insecurities away with one smoldering kiss.
“I love you too,” He huskily rasped in my ear behind me before snaking an arm around my waist from the back and pressing me against the magnificently large pillar. His chest pressed my back, effectively caging me between the pillar and himself. A torrent of kisses poured against my neck and shoulder.
I whimpered when his fingers threaded into my hair, tilting my head back as his mouth devoured mine, deeper, fiercer, like he needed me to know just how badly he wanted me. How long he’d waited.
Time fractured. Thought vanished. There was only heat, lips, teeth, breath. Him.
His kiss deepened, turning desperate. Like he couldn’t get enough, like he wanted to crawl inside my very soul. His hands roamed, possessive and bold, sliding down my sides, gripping my hips, pulling me against the rigid line of his body. I gasped against his mouth, and he swallowed the sound like it was his salvation.
He tore his lips from mine only to drag them down my jaw, rough stubble scraping sensitive skin. I whimpered when he reached that spot just beneath my ear, where his breath burned hotter than fire.
“God, you were so hot out there in the arena,” he rasped between kisses. “I love you so, so, so much! You are risking so much for me. I can’t even begin to express my gratitude. My love. My saviour.”
My back arched against his chest and I voicelessly moaned.
He was generously helping himself to my neck, my shoulder, my jaw with lips and teeth and tongue that moved like he owned every inch of me.
One hand slipped over my curves, holding me tight, while the other gripped my hip, fingers digging in possessively as he rutted against me in slow, deliberate rolls.
“You drive me insane,” he growled, teeth grazing the delicate skin of my neck. I clung to him like I was drowning and he was the only thing keeping me afloat. Every drag of his mouth, every grind of his body said one thing loud and clear — you’re mine.
He turned my face to the side and caught my lips. Feral, open-mouthed, breath-stealing. His tongue slipped inside with a groan like he was starving for the taste of me, and I moaned into him, lost, melting. My eyes couldn’t even open if I wanted them to. I was lost in his touches. His confessions of love. Lost completely in him.
“You have no idea what you do to me,” he whispered, dragging his mouth up to my ear. His breath was hot, his voice wrecked. “I want you like air. Just keep you hostage under me. I want to punish you for braving through so many risks but I want to love you like hell for it as well. Gods, you are just … perfect,” he groaned.
He caught my mouth again, slower this time, but deeper — tongue teasing, coaxing, conquering. His hips rolled against mine, controlled and deliberate, letting me feel just how much he wanted me, how unashamed he was of it.
Every kiss, every touch, every grind of his body screamed a singular truth. He made me feel loved. Special. Wanted. Feelings that felt foreign to me.
All he wanted was me.
And gods, I wanted him right back.
Sebastian’s POV
I fisted my palms and clenched my teeth, stopping myself from losing my ever-loving mind as I watched Maya’s quarters burst into flames.
“Someone is hell bent on eliminating the top participant,” Zane grimly noted. “And it looks like the work of an insider. Not everyone has access to these quarters.”
“I agree. Check if the last incident is related to this one.” I ordered. Zane bowed his head and left with the warriors.
When I was sure that I was alone in the room, I removed my foot and picked the golden wolf-shaped hairpin. I narrowed my eyes. Matters were more complicated than I had previously thought. Our traitor was not a mere warrior. She seemed to be a cunning mastermind instead and I was going to bait her out myself.
Glancing down at the hairpin, I threw it back where I had spotted it and let the fire consume it. I knew I was an unwanted heir to the throne but I didn’t expect the extent of it.
“Your Majesty! You need to hurry back to the main hall. The second round is starting soon,” Hannah called out.
“‘Your Majesty’ my ass,” I rolled my eyes, making her chuckle.
“Alright, alright. Will you please grace us with your presence in the main hall, little brother?” She cooed.
“Sure, sis. Let’s go,” I sweetly replied, fondly tucking her under my arm. “I can’t wait to see what have you prepared for the next round.” My words may or may not have been a jab.
“Your stomach will love it,” she promised.
“Is that so?” I mused. “I will reward you with your mother’s royal wolf-shaped hairpin if I love it.”
“Is that so, brother dear? Then I will surely do my best,” she chirped. “Now you see!” She pumped her fists childishly.
“Of course,” I chuckled and kept her tucked to my side until we entered the main hall together.