Unnatural - Alessandra Hazard Page 0,28

at him as though he were crazy. “Then why are you letting him brand you? You’d smell more like his property only if he whipped out his dick and literally pissed on you. I can barely smell you under his stink these days.”

“He doesn’t stink,” Haydn had managed uncomfortably. He smells good. Aloud, he had said, “His scent doesn’t bother me. Leave it, Devlin.”

Returning to the present, Haydn was very glad that Devlin wasn’t in the room and couldn’t see that Royce practically had him tucked under his arm and was rubbing Haydn’s bicep absentmindedly as he thought. “The traditionalists are going to have a field day,” he said with a sigh. “Our party will have to put forward another candidate for the elections.”

“Being an alpha isn’t the problem,” Haydn said. “The lying is, right?”

Royce nodded.

“What if…” Haydn thought for a moment. “What if we tell them that you really used to be a beta? A beta with dormant alpha genes. What if those dormant genes just activated when you married an alpha? I think there were a few precedents in Pelugia.”

Royce just looked at him for a moment before smiling. “I could kiss you right now,” he said, his hand on Haydn’s bicep tightening and pulling him closer.

Haydn moistened his lips with his tongue and smiled. “You may,” he said in his haughtiest voice, pointing at his cheek. Fuck, was he flirting?

Chuckling, Royce pecked him on it, his stubble grazing his skin.

Haydn shivered and arched his neck, wanting Royce’s mouth on it. Royce leaned down and fit his lips over the bruise on Haydn’s throat and sucked. A whine slipped out of Haydn’s mouth. He buried his fingers in Royce’s short hair and held him in place. Yes, yes—

An awkward cough made them go still.

Right. They weren’t alone.

Haydn forced his eyes open and found himself looking at Vagrippa.

She was staring at them, a look of discomfort on her face. “I’m glad we’ve found an acceptable solution that won’t get any of us in trouble,” she said, rather stiffly. “If you’ll excuse me.” She strode out of the room and shut the door a little too firmly, leaving them alone.

“Your mother doesn’t like me anymore,” Haydn said with a sigh.

“She’s always been possessive of us all,” Royce said, without lifting his face from Haydn’s neck. “She just doesn’t like sharing my attention with you.”

Haydn laughed a little. “Maybe. She seemed to like me perfectly fine when I met her—when we didn’t get along.”

Royce hummed. “You were probably easier for her to like when you were just the other party in a political match. Now you’re a real person who’s changed the dynamics of our family.”

Haydn made a noncommittal sound, his eyes slipping shut again. It felt so good, to sit there, crowded against the back of the couch by Royce’s bulk, Royce’s face in his throat, and his heady scent in his nostrils. He knew it wasn’t normal to enjoy being scent-marked by another alpha. He knew it. It wasn’t supposed to feel good.

But it did.

“She probably didn’t expect this,” Haydn said with a small laugh. “Hell, I didn’t expect this, either.”

“You and me both.” There was a great deal of bewilderment in Royce’s voice. Bewilderment and frustration. “I’ve always rolled my eyes at the alphas who couldn’t live without marking their territory, but now I’m one of them.”

Haydn threaded his fingers through Royce’s hair, enjoying how nice it felt, thick and soft. It didn’t feel coarse despite being short. “I don’t mind.”

“I do,” Royce growled, sucking on Haydn’s scent gland again, a sigh of frustration escaping him. “This isn’t normal for me, Haydn. This isn’t me. Your cousin jokes that you stink like I pissed all over you, but fuck, sometimes I feel like I would piss all over you if you allowed me.” He laughed, a note of bitterness entering his voice. “I can’t believe myself, but I actually want it.”

“I’m not into watersports I’m afraid,” Haydn said with a forced laugh, a strange feeling twisting his stomach into tight knots. The mere idea of being dirtied up and debased like that by another alpha… it was wrong. So very wrong.

“Me neither,” Royce said. “I’ve always thought it’s gross. But fuck, something about you covered in my bodily fluids… it’s…” He trailed off, exhaling shakily. “This is fucked-up.”

Haydn couldn’t stop the shudder that went through him as he thought of the occasion he had been covered in Royce’s bodily fluids. They hadn’t spoken about it since the other