Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Not mine, yet mine

Aiden’s POV

I hauled her up and dropped her onto the bed. She caught her bottom lip between her teeth as she saw the raw hunger in my eyes—she knew what was coming. I hiked her gown up to her waist, then buried my face between her thighs. I took a deep breath, inhaling her scent; I loved the way she smelled when she was high on desire.

"See how fucking wet I am for you," she slurred, her voice thick.

I didn’t waste another second stripping her pants off. The moment my tongue lashed against her clit, she let out a sharp, jagged gasp. She was dripping.

"Fuck," she hissed as I sucked her pussy. I swirled my tongue over her clit, rhythmically driving a finger inside her. Her hands flew to my head, her fingers tangling in my hair and tugging hard as she arched against me. "Fuck, this feels so good!"

Her moans echoed off the walls, loud and uninhibited. I relished the taste of her, her juices coating my face. I eventually pulled my mouth away, keeping my fingers working her deep and fast. I looked up to find her eyes, searching for a connection, but she was completely lost in the haze of pleasure.

Suddenly, my mind betrayed me. Alina. Did she look at the bastard she fucked like this? The thought made my wolf spiral into a possessive rage, and my vision blurred at the edges.

"Are you okay?" Emily breathed between broken moans, her eyes fluttering open to find mine.

"Yes, I’m good," I gritted out. I kept my fingers moving, but the rhythm was harder now. I finally pulled my hand back, and she immediately caught it, guiding my wet fingers into her mouth to suck them clean.

"Now fuck me, my Alpha. I want to give you another child," she demanded, her tone dripping with hunger.

A smile tugged at my lips as she spread her legs wide. My dick was rock hard, straining for release. I didn’t hesitate; I drove myself inside her in one heavy thrust.

"Fuck, Aiden!" she screamed. The maids downstairs had to be hearing every bit of this. "Your dick feels so good inside me!"

I let out a guttural grunt, my hips snapping forward in a relentless pace.

"Faster, please," she begged. I obliged, ramping up the speed until the friction was a burn.

"Fuck, Emily," I growled, the pressure building behind my teeth. "I’m about to... fucking cum."

At the last second, I gripped her hips and yanked myself out. I let out a low grunt as I stroked the cum out of my dick, watching it hit the sheets. "Fuck," I panted, my lungs burning.

"Why... why didn’t you finish inside me?" she asked, her voice trembling as she tried to catch her breath.

"Oh, fuck," I muttered. "I’m sorry, Emily. I didn’t know what I was thinking, pulling out like that... we can always go again. I promise I’ll finish inside you next time."

She didn’t look convinced. She gave me a faint, hollow smile before sliding out of the bed and pulling her clothes back on.

"I’ll go shower in my own room," she snapped, her voice sharp with rejection as she stormed out.

I stayed there, staring at the tangled sheets and the mess of our encounter, shaking my head. My body had been with Emily, but my mind was a goddamn wreck because of Alina. Who the hell was he? The thought of some nameless bastard burying himself inside her made my blood turn to lava. We were divorced—a fact that felt like a jagged pill in my throat—but she was mine first. I couldn’t stomach the idea of her with anyone else. I wasn’t in love with her, I told myself, but she was the mother of my son. She belonged in that box, not in another man’s bed.

I shoved myself out of bed and headed for the shower. The cold water did nothing to kill the irritation. I dressed in simple sweats and climbed back into the empty bed, waiting for the door to click open, for Emily to slide back in beside me. She never came.

Staring at the ceiling in the silence, a memory unbidden and sharp flickered to life. I saw Alina, hunched over a vanity, her tongue poked out in concentration as she tried to master a makeup brush. She’d found out I liked the polished look on women and spent hours practicing just to impress me. I’d acted like I didn’t notice, but I’d been floored by how fast she’d learned—how radiant she’d looked.

The ghost of a smile touched my lips before I caught myself. I shoved the memory back into the dark, squeezed my eyes shut, and forced sleep to take me.

***

"Here. Eat," Emily said the next morning, the plate hitting the table with a sharp clack.

"Are you really still doing this? Staying mad about last night?" I asked, leaning back as I studied her tense shoulders.

"I’m not mad, okay? I’m just not in the mood," she retorted, her voice dripping with the very annoyance she denied.

I didn’t buy it for a second. "Look, I’ll get back from work early today," I said, lowering my voice. "I’ll make it up to you. I’ll sink into you and I won’t pull out this time. I promise."

The tension in her jaw broke. A slow, triumphant smile spread across her face. "There she is," I murmured. "That’s the smile I want to see."

"Fine," she said, her tone softening as she smoothed her apron. "I’ll be waiting for you tonight. Don’t be late." She gestured to the eggs. "Eat your food so you aren’t late for the office."

I started on the meal, but the taste was off. I missed the way Alina seasoned everything, the familiar heat of her kitchen. But Emily was going to be my wife soon; I had to move on.

After breakfast, I drove straight to Alina’s place. I told myself it was just to see my son. I knocked, and the door swung open almost instantly. The maid stood there, dropping her head in a quick bow when she recognized me.

"Is Alina still home?"

"Yes, sir," she whispered.

I stepped inside, a sense of ownership guiding my stride toward the living room. But as I rounded the corner, my wolf began to growl, a low, vibrating warning in my chest. My heart hammered against my ribs as I stopped dead.

Lucian.

He was lounging there like he owned the place. My eyes widened, my hands curling into tight fists. "What on earth..."

Lucian’s gaze drifted to mine. He didn’t look surprised; instead, a slow, mocking smirk pulled at his mouth. What the fuck was he doing in my ex-wife’s house?