Trapped with the Alpha King (Althea) novel Chapter 70

Took His Time

Althea was startled by Gavriel’s sudden change of mood. It was moments like this that made her hate the fact she couldn’t read his mind. Just a while ago, he had looked soft, even concerned. Now his face was etched with annoyance.

“I don’t know what you truly feel, Your Majesty, but I wouldn’t dare assume you care for someone like me,” she said quickly, trying to steady her voice. “If you want my father, then I thought it best to keep me unharmed. I’ve presumed all your generosity was only for that reason. After all, I’m nothing more than a pawn… a bait.”

Her words tumbled out as she gripped the hand he had around her throat.

His eyes narrowed, and with a twisted smile he hummed, “Now you call me Your Majesty… yet when I claim you, you cry my name.”

Althea swallowed hard, her pulse quickening. A moment ago, he was angry that she had assumed he cared for her. Now he seemed displeased with her formality. Which was it?

‘Damn this beast,’ she cursed inwardly. Gavriel truly was the mad king everyone spoke of. She would have to outsmart him to survive.

“What would you prefer me to call you?” she asked softly, forcing a sweet smile to her lips. “Say the word, and I will obey. After all, I am always at your mercy.”

Her lips parted deliberately, knowing how his eyes lingered there. “Whenever you take me, I call your name without thought… I cry your name.”

His gaze burned with desire, and she sensed the inner conflict warring inside him. She lowered her eyes to his lips, giving him exactly what he wanted to see.

“I will call you however you wish, whenever you claim my body,” she whispered. “Anything that pleases you… only tell me.”

‘Maybe this is what he wants,’ she thought. She had learned that when Gavriel was in a foul mood, his weakness was her body. During intimacy, he was different. She could only assume it was the matebond pulling at him.

Not wanting him to snap, she released his wrist and slowly began to remove her clothes.

Gavriel growled deep in his chest before his lips crashed down onto hers. The sound of fabric tearing made her gasp, but she didn’t resist. Instead, she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

Gavriel’s growl rumbled against her lips as his mouth claimed hers again, rough and hungry. His kiss was demanding, leaving her breathless, as if he wanted to consume every ounce of her. She gasped when his weight pressed her back against the bed, his body overwhelming hers.

His lips trailed from her mouth to her jaw, then down the curve of her neck. Each kiss was hot, almost searing, followed by the scrape of his teeth as he marked her skin with possessive bites. Althea shivered at the sensation, torn between fear and the undeniable pull of the bond that tied them.

“Mine,” he rasped against her throat, his voice deep and husky.

His gaze lingered, dark and hungry, as though he was savoring the sight of her bare before him. He leaned closer, breathing her in, the sharp intake of air making her shiver.

The tip of his nose brushed against her inner thigh, sending sparks racing up her spine.

Slowly, he kissed the soft skin there, then trailed his lips higher, closer to her aching core. When he finally inhaled her scent, his growl rumbled against her, low and primal, as if her very essence belonged to him.

Then his tongue found her folds. The first slow stroke made her hips jolt, her breath catching in her throat. He tasted her deeply, lingering as if she was the sweetest thing he had ever known. A moan slipped from her lips when his mouth pressed harder, savoring her, devouring every drop of her arousal. Clutching at the sheets, her hips rising to meet the rhythm he set.

When he found her most sensitive spot, his tongue circled her clit with slow, deliberate strokes that made her gasp and cry out his name.

“Gavriel…”

He didn’t rush. He took his time, pressing his mouth to her as if he wanted to drink every sound she made.