"I want my mummy. These men took me when it was dark. I’ve been so scared and lonely out here," she explained and more tears streamed down her cheeks.

  "Come on, I'll take you home, but you have to be very quiet. Do you think you can do that for me?" Red asked, and Milly nodded, wiping her tears. Red’s heart was beating frantically in her chest. She needed to move fast, but at the same time she had to act normal. Milly wasn't stupid and she could easily sense her fear.

  Luckily the camp was still deserted, and there were no signs of the highwaymen. She had no idea if One Eye was even planning to come back there, but either way she had to start walking back. All the highwaymen must have been camping around for a while, and Red figured out that One Eye was planning to stay in Farrington far longer than he originally anticipated. The king was absent and the head of the army who was supposed to be policing the kingdom was turning a blind eye. Red had heard from one of the secretary’s in the castle that One Eye had been paying him regular visits lately. The man wasn’t even trying to hide that he was being bribed, and that’s what upset her most. Royal guards were patrolling the streets and forest, but they stayed away from the highwaymen. Red knew that the king had been good to his people over the past several years, and now that he was happily married again, he most likely had no idea what was going on with the head of his army or the highwaymen. King Caspian generally kept his staff in line and anyone who was caught shirking their duties or causing harm to the citizens of Farrington were swiftly dealt with.

  Milly wrapped her hands around Red's waist and started shaking with fear when she saw a wolf approaching them from the distance. It was only William, so Red exhaled a little, recognising his whiskey-coloured eyes. She knew that they needed to hurry up. One Eye and his people could come back to the camp at any time.

  "Don't worry, this wolf is going to guide us home. He won't harm you," Red told her and Milly looked at her with her wide blue eyes and nodded.

  It wasn't long before William started leading them away from the camp. Red was anxious, and her heart was pounding. This wasn't the best of times to be scared, especially in front of the child. She had to show Milly that she could get her home safely.

  The way back was a little easier. The moon was shining brightly, leading them down the path and Red wasn't taking her eyes off William. After an hour of constant walking they reached familiar surroundings. They were back in the town centre.

  Red was furious with herself; she’d given One Eye the upper hand and now she truly needed to find a way to destroy him. He had fooled everyone in town, spreading lies and making people fear the wolves. People needed to know the truth—William and his pack had been blamed for all the misfortunes in town for far too long.

  Eventually, Milly stopped crying. Red knew that the child was probably hungry and a little cold too. Red wasn't exactly sure how long Milly had been kept in the carriage, but she’d heard that her mother was looking for her in the forest with other huntsmen over the past several days. Her own blood was boiling with fury, because she couldn't believe that One Eye was capable of harming an innocent child. The man was evil. Everything that had happened in town and to her beloved tavern was all his doing and now she was running out of money. Sooner or later she wouldn’t be able to cover all of her bills. Her mind was in disarray thinking of all the things One Eye had gotten away with.

  Red lost track of time by the time she took Milly back to her home. The maid, Rhian, lived in an old farmhouse on the outskirts of town. She didn't have a chance to think about a plan because Milly ran as soon as her house came into view, then started banging on the door.

  "What is all this—"

  Mrs. Crawly stopped talking when her daughter embraced her legs. Emotions were running high, the child and her mother were crying hysterically, hugging each other. Red stood at the door, feeling a little better that at least she could save someone's life tonight. She was proud of William for leading her to One Eye’s camp. Now Milly was safely reunited with her mother.

  "Oh, Red, I don't know how to thank you. We have been so worried about her. John is away and he had no idea that his little girl was missing," Mrs. Crawly was saying, looking at Red with relief in her eyes as more tears rolled down her cheeks.

  "Just make sure that you tell people in town that she was rescued by a werewolf. The Alpha King helped me locate her. I suspect that One Eye's men must have kidnapped her. They’ve been causing a lot of havoc in town, blaming the werewolves for everything that’s been going on," Red explained, and glanced around searching for William. He wasn't anywhere around, and she suspected that he was staying behind, because he didn't want to scare humans. Lately, people had been so paranoid about wild wolves that they’d been setting up traps in the forest.

  "What? So she wasn't taken by the werewolves?" Milly's mother asked in shock.

  "No. One Eye’s been lying to people this entire time. He's the one behind all the troubles in Farrington, not werewolves," Red said. "I have to go. Just keep away from him and his men. I have a plan, but it will take me a while to get rid of him. My tavern is in trouble because of that scumbag."

  "Thank you, Red, thank you. I can't believe that you brought her back. I really hope that King Caspian will be back soon and deal with those highwaymen. People miss him and there’s too many strangers in town," Mrs. Crawly added, glancing around.

  When Mrs. Crawly finally let her go, Red exhaled with relief, thinking that One Eye wasn't wasting much time.

  Red turned around and started heading back towards the forest, suspecting that William might appear to her sooner rather than later. They were lucky tonight that the highwaymen’s camp was empty, but at the same time she had no idea what One Eye was planning next. She hadn't given him any more gold since that one time, so she suspected that he might pay her a visit her again soon.

  Heavy clouds began appearing in the navy sky, shading the moon. Red felt a little ashamed that she didn't trust William straight away. Maybe she didn't know anything about him, but she had to admit that his heart was in the right place. He must have known that Robin One Eye was behind Milly's kidnapping. People had been reporting that other businesses in town were suffering too.

  About half an hour later, Red reached her front porch. She wanted to get back to the tavern, but it was late. Ruby was most likely already sleeping. William had vanished and she still wanted to speak to him about what had happened.

  She sighed loudly and took a step towards the house when she sensed movement to her right in the bushes. The silence was broken by the howling of a wolf, and Red knew that it was the Alpha King.

  When he appeared on the path, he was in his human form again.

  "I didn't realise that it was a full moon. I had to shift," his voice echoed around her. Even in the pitch-black darkness Red knew that he was naked walking towards her. She swallowed hard, aware of the blazing heat rushing down her spine.

  "How did you know that Milly would be there?" she asked, her voice uneven. She was looking everywhere except at him, but it was difficult considering how much she wanted to touch him.

  The attraction was blowing her mind. She didn't want to trust him. After all, her own parents were killed by a pack of wolves, and yet she couldn't stay away from him.

  "I picked up on her scent. I saw her in town with her mother and decided to check it out. One Eye keeps relocating. We were lucky that they weren't in the camp tonight," William said, and smiled at her. "I need some clothes, and I presume this is your house?"

  "Yes, follow me. I should have something inside," she muttered, feeling tension in her shoulders.

  Five minutes later she had a naked, and the most gorgeous man alive inside her living room. She quickly ran upstairs, trying to find something for him to wear. Her heart was racing away, knowing that eventually she had to go downstairs and hand him the clothes.

  Then she felt him behind her even before she met his eyes. He was standing in the doorway, watching her. Every tiny hair on her body stood on end.
The tension between them grew thick and heavy.

  "I can't stay away from you. Tell me to leave, tell me that you don't want me and I'll be gone in a second," he demanded and she still couldn't turn around, because she knew that she would be lost the moment she looked at him.

  Chapter Ten

  The tiny voice in her mind was screaming at her to tell him to leave, but her body … her body refused to move an inch and she couldn’t say a word.

  Red was always so reasonable, detached from her emotions. People in town called her an ice queen because she stood firmly on her feet and never let anyone get close to her. However, when William was around he melted the ice layers around her heart into a puddle of warm liquid. A nervous heat ran through her body at his proximity.

  The muscles of his chest rubbed against the thin layers of her cloak, as he moved closer, now standing only inches away from her.

  Red exhaled slowly, and then she turned around to face him. The heat of his breath covered her face. Every nerve in her body was on alert and every little hair on her skin stood on end.

  In the past, she was always the one that took control in the bedroom, but she knew that wasn't going to happen with the Alpha King. She remembered that the forest ranger wasn't very experienced. He was all right, and once he moved past foreplay she could guide him on how to get her off, but Charles was always such hard work and he always blamed her if he failed to satisfy her.

  "You're not saying anything, and it's driving me insane. I'm always more turned on during the full moon and right now you smell incredible, honeycomb," he rasped in her ear. Red was done trying to stay away from him.

  "Oh screw it, I want this too," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

  "Good girl," he said and then unzipped her cloak, letting it fall to the floor. William wasn't wasting any time. His hands began exploring her body, he was literally tearing her dress to pieces. Red moved her palms to his muscular chest, and his skin was pleasantly warm. He ripped the upper part of her dress and all the buttons scattered to the floor, then he pushed her down on the bed. Red lowered her gaze to his enormous erection and gasped, unable to comprehend how she was going to accommodate him. She had never been more ready than she was now, although the voice of reason kept telling her she could still back out.

  Their energy began filling the room, pulsing between them. William lowered himself on top of her and pressed his lips down to hers. She wanted him closer, and now she was annoyed that she’d put so many layers of clothing on that morning. His tongue dove into her mouth, and she allowed it while his hand wandered off to her bare stomach. His fingers felt like tiny flames as they devoured every inch of her skin, and she became breathless once he removed her kickers.

  "I want you to fuck me right now. I need to have you inside me," she begged him, not even knowing where those words were coming from, but she couldn't wait for him to satisfy her primal urges. William laughed and continued kissing her, moving his long fingers over her naked body, caressing her hip line, then navel until he touched her wet sex. Red arched her hips upwards, reaching for his massive cock at the same time.

  "That's my little honeycomb, we need to take it slowly. I want to devour you until you can't take it anymore," he whispered into her ear, and she wanted to argue with him, but wasn't able to come up with a coherent response. Red yelped as he stroked her wet folds, and her blood pressure rose when she circled her fingers around his erection and started moving her hand up and down. He was massive, barely fitting in her hand, but she wanted to drive him insane for a little while. "Bad girl, I can't wait to fill you with my cock. Fuck, you're so sexy!"

  Then she opened her eyes, watching him and how he panted as she was trying to make him come by only using her hand.

  He didn't let her play around with him for too long. He grabbed her hand and lowered his mouth to her pointy nipples. He started licking the tiny nubs, swirling his tongue around them very quickly from one then back to the other, giving both equal attention. Red's whole body was trembling with desire. The heat inside of her was turning her blood into molten lava. She dug her nails into his skin as his mouth started moving further down her body. He kissed her stomach just below her navel, then started blowing his warm breath on her clit.

  Red couldn't take the rising pressure between her legs. She was wet and so ready, but whenever she tried to touch his erection again, he pushed her hand away, then pulled back from her sex and kissed her lips again.

  "Tell me how much you want me," he demanded, breathing hard, staring at her. His eyes were rich and earthy, burning holes into her stomach. She had never in her life been so aroused. William was reaching down into the depths of her soul, connecting with emotions that she’d long forgotten about.

  "Please, don't do this right now," she hissed at him, trying to bring him closer, but he wasn't having any of it.

  "Oh yes, I'm doing it and you’ll enjoy it more than you can imagine," he told her, and pulled her back to the standing position. For a second she had no idea what was happening. "Turn around."

  She obeyed him, not even knowing why, but his voice was so sexy. William pushed her to the wall and ordered her to bend down, spreading her legs. She was soaking wet for him, panting with desire and needing more.

  All of a sudden, he thrust his enormous cock inside of her, slowly at first. She felt a slight discomfort trying to adjust herself to his size. At the same time, she was too aroused to ask him to take it easy on her. She cried out, and her legs quivered with the need for more. He felt perfect and it wasn't going to be long before she came for him.

  "Put your hands on the wall. Fuck, you feel so slick, even better than I imagined, honeycomb," he leaned down and whispered into her ear. She did what he asked, and then he thrust himself deep inside of her.

  It was bliss, and just when she thought she couldn't take anymore, he pulled out and nudged himself at her opening. He slowly pushed himself inside her once again, moving his hips at the same time. His fingertips were holding her hips, and she had to shut her eyes, moaning as her whole body burned with raw fire. Soon every muscle in her body was becoming numb, but she wanted him to keep going. Blazing heat caused her heart to vibrate. He kept going inch by inch, then thrusting himself deep inside her, speeding up the pace.

  "Oh please, please keep going, don't stop," she rasped.

  "Stunning, you have no idea, I'm so close, but I want you to enjoy this first," William said, but his voice was lost, it sounded like it was coming from a broken radio. He was fucking her hard, driving himself inside her, deep and hard. Red was drifting away until an orgasm shattered her entire body, and she screamed at the top of her lungs. Her body spasmed uncontrollably. She never thought that she could come so intensely. William kept going, allowing her to ride out every blissful moment of orgasmic pleasure, until Red was ready to collapse on the floor. Sweat surged down her face. Moments later, he picked her up and carried her to the bed.

  Her ears were buzzing, and her lady parts were on fire, but she was completely satisfied for the first time in her life. She came hard, like never before—sheer ecstasy.

  Then he turned her over, hovering over her body again.

  "Are you ready for more?" he asked, and she barley nodded, unable to make a sound. Her heart was going crazy, jumping around in her chest. Then he drove his huge cock inside of her again, lifting her up, so their faces were only inches away from each other. Her mind was lost—she had never experienced such closeness before. She was riding him long and hard as he guided her hips, both of them panting breathlessly.

  Red grabbed his face and kissed him forcefully, letting a soft moan escape through her lips. William was moving inside her like a man starved for his last meal. He ravaged her body from the inside out, taking her to the highest peaks of pleasure. William moved, changing positions and slamming Red’s body on top of him, impaling her. She screamed out, but not from pain. She threw her head back when another more intense orgasm exploded and jolted her entire body.

&
nbsp; When Red came, William couldn’t hold it in any longer. His face strained as he came inside of her, losing control, and his eyes gleamed like a firestorm. Red was lost in her own ecstasy, and by the time she collapsed on the bed she was ready to drift off into a blissful sleep. The world was spinning right in front of her eyes, and William was still touching her, gently this time.

  She slowly came around, aware that he was caressing her back with his fingertips.

  "Honeycomb, are you all right?” he asked her after some time. She didn't know how to respond, but she was certain that she just had the best sex of her life. It's not like she’d had an array of partners, but the alpha king touched her further than anyone ever had. He held her heart in his hands, and hid it away.

  "Yeah, wolf man, I'm getting there," she responded and he leaned over kissing her gently. His eyes were so beautiful.

  "I know that you're overthinking this, but there’s no point. You won't find a better lover than me. Period," he chuckled, and she rolled her eyes.

  "So this mating thing? Why do we need to label things? Maybe we can just sleep with each other, so we can always have this amazing sex," she suggested and he frowned, staring at her like she had lost her mind. She did, for that one moment with him when he was fucking her from behind. It was raw, intense and perfect. Red was screwed and tonight was supposed to pan out much differently.

  "If you think that I'll share you with anyone else then you're a fool, honeycomb. Once we’re mated, we’ll be with each other forever, and no other wolf would even dare think about your sexy arse," he said with anger in his voice, like she was already considering sleeping with someone else.

  "You're such a caveman, it's a huge step. Mating sounds like marriage to me," she said laughing, but he didn't seem amused.

  "Werewolves can mate a few times in life—it’s rare, but they stay with that one person forever. We’re made for each other, honeycomb. We are written in the stars," he assured her, but his voice was strained a little.