Chapter 128: The Plan

ALEX

~Oh Goddess…~

Ariel is struggling to resist Mateo.

My worst nightmare is coming true.

I know that it’s not Ariel’s fault. I can’t be mad at her.

But seeing the color rising in her cheeks, and knowing that another man caused it…

That absolutely ~kills~ me.

I trust Ariel completely, but I also know how strong a mating bond really is.

Nothing but Olivia’s untimely death could have kept me away from her.

So we’ll have to leave for Spain as soon as humanly possible. I can’t tempt Fate by wasting any more time.

Ariel seems to have her mind set on just one thing though…and it’s not international travel.

She’s grasping at my belt buckle again.

Whatever desire she felt for Mateo clearly needs to be satisfied.

And as much as I want to resist her, I’m rendered helpless when she starts rubbing her hips against mine.

Within moments, I’m rock hard.

Even when I’m angry, I can’t deny this woman the pleasure she deserves.

Anytime her destined mate bond starts to fire up, I’ll make sure I’m the one to stoke the flames.

I reach my hand down her pants and she moans as I dive into her pooling wetness.

“Someone’s excited,” I say.

“My body is in overdrive, Alex,” she says. “I need you. Help me.”

Her wolf might be craving Mateo, but nobody knows how to satisfy that howling beast better than I do.

I pull off her pants and crawl between her legs.

I place a slow, teasing lick along the length of her crease and she screams in pleasure.

She grips at my hair and drives my face deeper into her folds.

I lap at her ferociously, holding her hips in my hands and squeezing tightly, feeling her muscles clenching in unadulterated pleasure.

Before long, I have her right on the edge of an explosive orgasm.

My tongue glides over her sweetest spot one final time and I feel her body contort as her nerve endings explode like dynamite.

I keep my head between her legs as she slowly recovers and is able to breath once again.

“Thank you,” she whispers. “Thank you.”

“I’ll always be here to satisfy you,” I say. “But I think it’s time we start packing our bags. We’re going to Spain.”

***

I’m sitting in my office with Ariel and Jo when Vivian marches in, the sound of her heels clicking on the marble floor.

I see her flash a soft smile at Jo before pulling up a chair next to me.

“I just got off the phone with the Spanish werewolf ambassador,” Vivian says. “I told her that the Royal Pack alpha and luna will be doing a European tour and want to visit the queen. She said she would get back to me ASAP.”

“Perfect,” I say. “Good work, Vivian.”

I joined my mother and father on several royal tours when I was a kid, so I know exactly what to expect.

“If Queen Esmeralda extends an invitation, she will likely throw a party in our honor. That’s customary,” I tell Ariel.

Jo takes a piece of paper out of a folder and throws it down on the table in front of us.

“This is a blueprint of the Spanish palace. I was able to pull it from the public record,” Jo says. “We need to memorize it before we go in.”

I nod, studying the intricate layout.

“We will have no idea where Isabella is being kept when we arrive. Given the situation, I think it’s unlikely that she’ll be attending the party,” Jo continues, “so it will be your job to find out her whereabouts from Esmeralda.”

“And how will we do that?” I ask.

“Butter her up. Charm her. Flash her that Prince Charming smile of yours. Figure it out.”

“Got it,” I say with a laugh.

“Once you have gathered the intel, Ariel and I will lead Mateo to Isabella.”

“Mateo?” Ariel says suddenly. “I thought we agreed he wasn’t coming.”

“He needs to be there,” Jo says. “Otherwise we risk Isabella getting spooked and refusing to come with us.”

“But what if Esmeralda sees him?” I ask. “Our plan will be ruined.”

“It’ll be my job to make sure that she doesn’t,” Jo says.

Just then, I hear a phone ringing.

~Vivian’s phone.~

She pulls it out of her pocket and answers.

“Hello,” she says, and then, “thank you. Great. The king and queen will be delighted.”

She hangs up. “The queen of Spain is expecting you,” she says.

“When?” I ask.

“Tomorrow,” Vivian says.

I swallow hard.

Shit just got real.

MATEO

I stand at the door of the king’s office and again have to resist the desperate urge to run off into the woods and never show my face here again.

I raise my fist and knock. Ariel opens the door to greet me.

Seeing her again after our last encounter makes those infuriating ~mariposas~ start to flutter in my stomach.

“Please, have a seat, Mateo,” Alex commands, and I join them around the table.

He does not have to tell me twice… I gladly take the seat farthest away from Ariel.

I spot a blueprint on the table between them and recognize it instantly.

It is the layout of the Spanish palace, the one where Esmeralda lives.

~The one where Isabella is being held captive.~

I learned every centimeter of that place when I was sneaking around to see Isabella at crazy hours of the night.

“Why do you have this?” I ask.

“We’re going to Spain tomorrow,” Ariel says. “And you’re coming, too.”

I gasp. “~Diosa,~ no. It cannot be,” I say. “Esmeralda vowed that if she ever saw my face again, she would kill Isabella on the spot. I cannot go back.”

“We have a plan,” Ariel says. “Isabella will be safe. But it will be difficult to convince her to come with us if you’re not there.”

~Is this really happening?~

I see the earnest looks on their faces, and I want to believe that they will succeed…that I will hold Isabella in my arms once again.

But they do not know Esmeralda. How cruel she can be.

“So…,” Ariel says. “Will you come with us?”

ARIEL

I can tell that Mateo’s mind is racing as I wait anxiously for his answer.

“I will come with you,” Mateo says suddenly, and relief floods my body. “But there is something you must know…”

“What’s that?” Alex asks him.

“Esmeralda is not like any other royals. She is pure evil, and so is the companion that she keeps at her side.”

“Her companion?” I ask.

Suddenly, Mateo reaches down and pulls up the hem of his shirt, peeling it off of his body.

“Whoa, whoa,” Alex says. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I must show you something,” he says, tossing his shirt onto the floor.

I don’t see anything except a set of impressive abs.

But when he stands up and turns around, I have to cover my mouth to stifle a scream.

Mateo’s entire back is covered with scars. Deep, pink, and angry scars.

They look unmistakably like claw marks.

“Did a wolf do that to you?” I ask.

“No,” Mateo says. “Not a wolf. Something much worse.”