A Savage Debt (The Beholden Duet #1) - Zoey Ellis Page 0,19

for a moment, but it was chased away by the Alpha’s breath on her ear.

“You smell better than I imagined you would.”

Two rough fingers pressed against her shoulder, on her bare skin, and ran along the neckline of her dress to the center. A sharp pressure stung her earlobe, quickly replaced by a warm, wet sensation that rocketed the mellow tingle to a harsh beam of arousal that almost made her moan.

He sucked on her earlobe roughly, tracing his tongue along the edge. It wasn’t until cold air swept along her stomach that she realized her dress had been pulled down.

Ana cried out, grabbing for it as it slid down her body, but the outlaw held her firmly at the neck and swiftly caught both wrists again, his tongue leisurely grazing her ear.

She whimpered as her dress and chemise fell down to the floor. The crowd was completely still now. Soon it would be too dark to see them at all, but with the lights from the room, they could see them in the window.

“I wonder if your pussy stinks like the cheapest whores in Allandis,” the Alpha said, his voice low as his hand ran up her stomach to her breasts. “As the adored Omega princess, it would only be fitting if it reeked.”

Ana closed her eyes, mortified as he chuckled. The man was a fucking savage indeed. She didn’t doubt that he had somehow arranged for the crowd to be here with their focus on the window to see her at her most vulnerable. Where were her father’s guards? How did no one from the palace know what was happening?

She whimpered again as he pinched her nipples and rolled them between his finger and thumb, before grabbing and kneading her roughly. She tried to remain separate from the feelings of her body—ignoring the sensations building up in her that she didn’t recognize. It was all part of the false feelings her mother had warned her about. It didn’t feel overwhelming—perhaps she could handle this better than her mother thought. What troubled her most was the crowd. She couldn’t drag her eyes away from the mass of people still standing and looking up at the window. Anyone decent would move away, wouldn’t they? They wouldn’t stay and witness someone abusing her like this?

But even as the thought arrived, she knew that it was a ridiculous notion. Even members of high society and courtiers, did not shy away from seeking out scandal. And this was one of the biggest gossip topics of all. If Mother and Father wanted to keep this quiet, it was impossible now. Once the commoners knew about it, it would spread far and wide, across the kingdom, and even possibly neighboring kingdoms. In one moment, the outlaw had destroyed all chances of keeping this quiet. And he had planned it.

She gasped suddenly, a sting registered on her nipple. He’d slapped her! Before she could even figure out what to do he slapped her breasts again, and she was certain she heard faint gasps from the crowd.

“It jiggles just like any whore’s,” he bellowed out suddenly, causing her to stiffen. He reached for the other breast squeezing and tweaking it before slapping her again, all while shouting out to the crowd. “If you thought that an Omega would be different from any other female, I can confirm that there is nothing extraordinary about this woman, apart from her very obvious beauty. She is nearly of ruling age and yet has never sat on the council, never given her opinions on any policy or law, or contributed in any way that has positively affected our lives.” His hand pressed over her stomach squeezing and pinching as he went, and as he spoke. “She is a pawn for her father, an empty vessel, a pretty shell he has hoarded to sell to someone else. Another man who will be the next king and will no doubt make all the decisions for us. She is lacking in even the basic common sense of anyone who would rule the kingdom effectively. She’s only good for one thing.”

With his final words, Ana finally came to her senses. The bastard! Pushing her arousal and mortification aside, she began to fight him, her annoyance building to rage. “You have no idea who I am or what I have learned,” she hissed at him, trying to twist her wrists out of his hands. “Not all of us are criminals who spend our time stealing, breaking