Chapter 90: Wolves on a Plane

ARIEL

My eyes light up as I look between the propeller plane on the palace’s front lawn and Alex standing next to me on our bedroom balcony.

“Tell me where we’re going,” I say, releasing his hand, then shaking his shoulders.

“I told you that you have to trust me. I already packed everything you’ll need.”

“Just give me a hint,” I say. “The beach? The mountains? The jungle?”

“You ~really~ don’t understand the concept of a surprise, do you?” Alex says to me with a laugh.

“I’m a warrior,” I say. “I’m trained to hate surprises.”

He puts his arm around my waist. “I’ll just tell you that there’s a big comfy bed, a gorgeous view, and bottomless drinks waiting for us on the other side.”

I relax into his chest. “And do we ever have to leave the bed?”

“Not if we don’t want to,” he growls into my ear.

Our honeymoon has been long overdue.

~Finally~ we are going to get the privacy we crave.

“Well then,” I say, turning around and giving him a kiss on the cheek, “what are we waiting for?”

With that, I dash out of our bedroom, my feet flying under me.

After the complete disaster that was the unification ceremony, I can’t wait to let my hair down, have a few too many cocktails, and make love to Alex over and over and over again.

But as I race down the hall and into the foyer, I’m stopped in my tracks when I see Natalia walking toward the front door, wheeling a small pink suitcase behind her.

My sister and I have been getting along better, but if she thinks she’s coming with me on my surprise honeymoon, all I have to say is…

~Hell no.~

“Hey Natalia, what’s going on?”

“I’m leaving for the Crescent Moon Pack,” she says resolutely.

Suddenly, everything clicks.

Natalia is going to find her destined mate.

“Right now?” I ask.

“I can’t wait anymore.”

“You’ve never been a very patient person,” I say with a smirk.

“You know it,” she replies. “Mom’s watching Xavi for the night. Could you check on him at some point and make sure she’s not annoying the shit out of him?”

“Well actually,” I say, walking to the front door of the palace and flinging it open, “you’re not the only one leaving town today.”

She rolls her eyes when she sees the propeller plane.

“Must be nice,” she says, “being mated to the fucking king.”

But then her face softens into a smile and she pulls me in for a hug. “Have fun, Ariel.”

I know it’s not easy for her to be happy for me, but to her credit, she’s been trying her best.

I start walking out of the palace toward the plane when I hear Natalia calling after me. “Wait—”

I turn around and see some fear brimming behind her mascara-slicked eyelashes.

“What if he doesn’t like me?” she asks.

“You’re Natalia!” I say. “Boys have always fallen at your feet!”

“But what if… What if he’s already mated to somebody else?”

“In case you’ve forgotten, ~someone~ took my destined mate.”

I clear my throat and eye her devilishly. She shifts her feet uncomfortably.

“But it all worked out pretty well for me in the end,” I continue. “This guy might not be your person, but at least you won’t waste any more time wondering if he is.”

She nods, and I give her a reassuring smile before running toward the plane.

Dom is just finishing loading our bags into the luggage compartment. When he sees me coming, he flashes me a big smile.

“Look who’s getting the royal treatment,” he says. “I’ve been the dude’s best friend for his whole life, and he’s never whisked me off on a private getaway.”

“Well, you don’t look as good in a bikini,” I hear Alex’s voice say behind me.

I whirl around and see him approaching with Vivian.

“Bikini! So it ~is~ a beach trip!”

Alex just shrugs. “You’ll know soon enough. But first, Vivian wanted to give us a final briefing on Xavier.”

“Earlier this morning a squad of pack warriors managed to find traces of his scent.”

My ears perk up. Xavier has been evading us for far too long.

“It seems like he’s moving west,” she continues. “I’ll send you updates if they narrow down his location any further.”

“Thanks Viv,” I say.

“It’s the least I can do since…well…I let him go.”

“Oh right,” I say with a laugh. “Forgot about that little detail.”

I give her a hug goodbye.

“Hold down the fort for me,” Alex says to Dom before climbing inside the plane.

My mate stretches out his hand and pulls me in after him.

“Wow!” I shout as I look around at the slick interior. Alex grins proudly.

In front of two plush leather seats sits a gold-colored table—and on it sits a bucket holding a bottle of champagne.

I’ve never had a taste for luxury…but ~this~ I could get used to.

The pilot closes the door after us and then climbs into the cockpit.

“This is Dusty,” Alex says, introducing us. “He’s been flying my family around since I was ten years old.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty,” he says to me with a grin.

“Let’s get the hell out of here,” Alex says.

Dusty winks back in agreement, and, moments later, I hear the engine rev and see the propellers start to spin.

That’s when my heart starts racing.

I stretch out my arm and take Alex’s hand.

“What?” he asks me. “Are you nervous?”

“It’s just… I’ve never actually been on a plane before.”

“Really?” he asks me.

I nod as the plane starts to move.

“Well, I have a tradition that always makes me feel better,” Alex says. “Whenever I’m taking off on a plane, I always say a silent prayer to the Moon Goddess.”

He closes his eyes.

I close mine too.

~Selene. Please guide us safely where we need to go,~ I say.

But if she responds to my prayer, I can’t hear her over the sound of the engine roaring louder and louder as we lift off into the sky.

ALEX

I finish my prayer, open my eyes, and recline back into my seat.

“Some champagne for my lady?” I ask her, popping open the bottle.

Ariel nods excitedly, her eyes following the cork as it hits the ceiling.

I take a sip straight from the bottle and then hand it to her.

“Looks like it’s going to be a smooth ride ahead,” Dusty calls back to us.

“Great. Then we’re going to try to get some rest.”

I swing the door shut between our seating area and the cockpit.

Then I feel Ariel’s hand on my knee, and I look into her shining sunflower eyes.

“Thank you for this,” she says to me.

“I can’t share you with the kingdom all the time. Sometimes I need you to myself.”

~And I don’t want to wait till we get to our destination…~

I take the champagne bottle out of her hand and return it to the bucket. And then, in a flash, I get out of my chair and straddle her.

“You know,” I whisper in her ear, “when I was a horny teenager, I used to dream of bringing my mate on this plane and joining the mile-high club.”

“Oh really?” she asks.

I nod slowly.

“And how about now?”

“Now I’m a horny adult.”

“I can feel that,” she says as I dig my growing hardness deeper into her leg.

“You’re a dangerous woman, Ariel. Don’t you know that you’re supposed to be wearing a seat belt?”

I pull the seat belt over her lap, deliberately pinning her wrists down with it too.

She strains against the strap, but I see an approving smile creep over her lips.

“Enjoy the ride,” I say, planting a soft kiss on her cheek.

Then I pull the lever on the left side of her chair. Her seat reclines almost all the way back.

I keep kissing her, harder and harder as I move down her neck and onto her breasts.

She’s already starting to moan.

I put a finger to my lips.

“Shhhhh,” I say, motioning to the thin door between us and the pilot.

“But you’re driving me crazy already,” she whispers.

I kneel in front of her and unbutton her pants, pulling them down to the floor.

I peel her underwear to the side and place a kiss on her delicate fold.

Then, I find her pooling wetness with my tongue.

I hear her moan again, louder this time.

With my face buried in her core, I reach my hand back up and place it over her mouth, reminding her to stay quiet.

The thought of her holding back cries of pleasure makes me even harder.

I guide my tongue up inside until I find her sweetest spot.

But I can tell that she’s already on the edge. It only takes a few more rough kisses before her body starts to shudder underneath me and her arms fight against their restraints.

I feel her teeth bite into the flesh of my palm to stop herself from screaming.

Then suddenly, the tension in her body releases and she melts into the leather seat.

I pull my hand away from her mouth and hear her quietly sigh. “That felt so. fucking. good.”

I can’t help but smile.

Nothing brings me more pleasure than giving it to her.

I stand up again, pull down my pants, and let them fall on the floor next to hers.

Then I push her legs open and rest them on the chair’s arms.

“Ready to join the club?” I ask, teasing her, pressing my tip gently against her crease.

She nods excitedly, and I don’t waste any more time.

I press myself deep inside of her—

Right as we hit a patch of turbulence.

The force of it pushes me even further into her perfect warmth.

I keep my face buried in her hair to drown out my own pleasured sounds.

I grab hold of the seat to steady myself as I continue to guide my appendage in and out…

~Harder and harder and harder…~

Until, like the champagne, my cork pops and I explode all of my liquid inside of her.

~Every last drop.~

I collapse onto her body, reveling in the afterglow of the sweet, perfect release.

“Wow,” she whispers, “I love it when you take charge.”

I give her a satisfied smile. Then I roll off of her, and into my chair as she frees her hands from the seat belt.

I reach for my pants while she starts to pull up her own, and nearly bang my head on the cockpit door. The turbulence hasn’t let up.

It’s only getting more and more intense. And making it difficult to get our clothes back on.

Once I’ve managed to get fully dressed, I look at my mate and see the ecstasy that was consuming her expression moments before disappearing fast.

She’s scared, and I can’t deny that I’m starting to get unnerved too.

“Hey Dusty,” I call out. “Is everything all right?”

“It’s strange,” he says. “I’m not getting any weather warnings, but it looks like we’re coming up against a huge storm.”

I look out the window and see dark gray clouds swirling furiously, threatening to consume us.

“Dusty, give me some good news,” I say.

“I’m working on it, Your Highness,” he says.

After another moment of intense turbulence, the plane seems to regain steadiness.

“It’s going to be alright,” I say to Ariel squeezing her hand. “This is all normal… It happens all the—”

But as those words are coming out of my mouth, I look out the window again.

As if in slow motion, I see one of the propeller blades break clean off the side of the plane.

~What the fuck?!~

That is definitely ~not~ normal.

I clutch onto the armrests for dear life as the plane takes a sudden, steep nosedive.

ARIEL

The plane drops and so does my stomach.

I feel every ounce of adrenaline release into my body, and I give Alex one look that says it all:

~We’re doomed.~

“No,” he says, reading my mind. “We’re not dying today.”

But there’s nothing left to do.

Nothing to do except pray.

I shut my eyes and try to connect with the Goddess again.

~“Goddess, please,”~ I say to her. ~“Please save us. Guide this plane down gently. Please Goddess, don’t let us die today.”~

I wait for her voice to seep into my mind like it has so many times before, but I can’t hear her.

~“Selene, where are you? SELENE?”~

The plane continues to fall, accelerating faster and faster.

Alex is calling out to Dusty. The door is jammed and he’s trying to pry it open.

I wrench my eyes closed, and am trying to drown out his voice when I ~finally~ hear another one ringing through my head.

~“You’ve been running from me for too long,”~ the voice says. ~“Now you will be mine.”~

~What the…?~

Something is wrong.

The voice sounds similar to the Goddess’s, but it’s not hers.

It’s much deeper. More seductive. And far more ominous.

~“Who are you?”~ I ask, desperate for an answer.

But I get nothing.

Just then, the plane lurches forward.

I hear a loud crash coming from the cockpit as we continue to fall through the sky.

The world starts to spin around me.

And I know now that I was right before.

We really ~are~ doomed.