Stripping For The Alpha King

Chapter 49

I woke up with a heavy arm over my waist and warm breath on the back of my neck. It felt like heaven. There was a moment when I considered closing my eyes again and trying to fall back into sleep as I had never felt so well rested in my life. And Ajax was so warm and his skin was so soft against mine. It was divine. In fact, I debated never leaving bed again.

But then I remembered last night's events and my eyes burst open in horror.

I had tipped my head so willingly for him, like I knew exactly what this marking entailed. And when I had done that Ajax's eyes had lit up. He had dove down. When he came towards me I had been so certain that he was going to bite me but the pain that I expected never came. There was a pinch on my neck that had caused me a little bit of discomfort but quickly dissolved as pleasure took over.

I don't remember much after that. I could remember laying on my back with my chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath. I remember the way my head spun as I laughed, thinking that I would never feel such intense pleasure again. But I was willing to try and seek it out. It hadn't been the burning need that it was before, but I refused to let such a wonderful feeling escape me. Dear God, I had begged him to take me.

But I when I felt that my tank top was still covering my chest and my panties were still in place I let out a breath of relief. But I could recall that this hadn't stopped on my own accord. Being with him had suddenly felt so natural that I had done everything without thinking. I remembered grabbing at Ajax when he leaned over me. I had tried to arch up and kiss him. I had told him that I wanted him so badly. I had told him he could do whatever he wanted to me.

And his eyes had been dancing with happiness. He adored my admission to him. Yet, he had pushed my hands away repeatedly. It was only after my eyes began to droop with tiredness that he actually joined me on the bed. I had fallen asleep almost as soon as he touched me.

Now, he was beginning to stir. His breathing changed and the grip he had on my waist tightened.

"Keiko," he murmured, his voice thick with sleep.

Then, ever so softly he leaned down and nestled his head between my neck and my shoulder. And, as his hips moved to curl around me, I could feel a pronounced erection. My face flamed. I had toyed with him. I had given him a lap dance until he suffered through an orgasm. But now everything was different. I moved away from him.

"Morning," he whispered in my ear, kissing the exposed skin on my shoulder.

Though his touch had had an immense impact on me prior to "marking" this was something different. I felt like I had been struck by lightning. My whole body tingled with pleasure and I could feel warmth in the tips of my fingers all the way to my heart. It came as such a shock that I lost my breath.

"I'm going to get ready for breakfast. I'll see you down stairs in a few minutes." With that he flipped the blankets off of himself and stood up. I didn't roll to face him, just listened to his soft breathing as he stretched for a moment, then padded out of my room. For a second I regretted not rolling over to look at him. I might've been treated to a nice peek of exposed skin and tight muscles. I repressed the thought and got ready with my mind in a daze and my eyes unseeing as I worked on auto pilot.

Once my hair was brushed and my teeth were clean I sauntered into the dining room in plain jeans and a simple black shirt. I hummed and twisted my hair up into a messy bun as a guard announced my arrival.

"Good morning," Queen Adeline greeted, carefully flicking through a newspaper.

"Morning." I fell into the open seat beside Ajax.

"Oh," Orion muttered, and when my head swiveled towards him he was staring at me with wide eyes. Then, his face broke into a wonderful smile. "Finally marked her, hey?"

Ajax's hand settled on my thigh, giving it a tight squeeze, though I couldn't tell if it was reassurance or pride. His cheeks were tinged red and the smile he gave me could only be considered bashful. Seeing him like that made warmth pool in my stomach and I had to glance away before the feeling over took me.

"It's a beautiful mark," Adeline mused, barely lifting her eyes in acknowledgement.

"I was worried considering what happened with your mother when I marked her," Orion said, cocking his head to one side in a way that was too boyish to be king like. "With her having the medication and it altering her scent..."

"But she's not a rogue and neither am I, no matter what the medication has done to her scent. there is no reason that she should react badly to my mark." Ajax said the words with confidence, yet his eyes darted to my face as if he needed me to confirm them. Then I realized he wasn't looking at my face at all, but had zoned in on my neck instead. By instinct my fingers fluttered up, then froze on my skin.

The normally smooth skin on the side of my neck was rough and bumpy. Puckered and unpleasant to the touch. Like it was covered in scar tissue. My fingers began to tremble as I sucked in a low gasp. It didn't hurt, didn't make me wince when I applied pressure to it, but it was most certainly a wound. One I hadn't had before yesterday.

"You bit me," I whispered, feeling light headed all of the sudden.

"I marked you," Ajax corrected softly.

"I hope you aren't too upset about Ajax trying to force a ball on you." Though the daunting queen seldom rose her eyes from her page she did look up now. And she glared intensely at her son who squirmed next to me as she tried to change the subject. "I thought we knew better than pushing people into things they weren't ready for. Especially royal events like balls."

I could tell the comment was targeted solely at Ajax by the way he stared downward and appeared apologetic.

"I think I need to take a walk," I blurted, abruptly standing up from the table.

Both Orion and Adeline seemed to hesitate for a moment. It seemed that no one expected outbursts from me any longer. But when I glanced over at Ajax he wasn't leaping to his feet with concern in his eyes. He just let a dejected sigh roll off his lips.

"Are you coming with me?" I demanded.

It was now clear that I could not fight this battle alone.