Kaine's Pov
I watched the old woman approach, a sinister smile playing on her lips.
My instincts screamed at me; Venice Devera, my former ally, the infamous witch responsible for countless deaths, was standing before me.
I had fucked her too many times in the past, I would recognise her scent everywhere.
She was impersonating the old woman.
"Kaine, darling, it's been such a long time," she cooed, her voice dripping with false sweetness.
My heart raced as I felt Aria's gaze upon me. She had stopped running, she was watching me from afar. Desperation surged through me - I had to get her away from here.
What was it about this she-wolf I just met that drew me in so strongly?
With a silent command, I urged her wolf to run, to put distance between her and the danger before us. Relief washed over me when I sensed her retreating, but there was no time to dwell on it. I raised my mental shield, ready to face Venice head-on.
"Ah, Venice." I said, feigning warmth. "It has been a while."
In an instant, she stood before me in her true form, her alabaster skin contrasting sharply with her jet-black hair and eyes. She was no longer the old lady she impersonated a few seconds ago but Venice Devera, the witch who almost destroyed us. She was completely naked, bold red lipstick adorning her lips as she spoke.
She was still very beautiful.
Venomous.
Deadly.
"Kaine, you've missed me," she purred. "Especially those days when you knelt between my legs and my legs only, not in front of some pathetic she-wolf, who can't even shift properly."
I became tense, hoping she hadn't overheard my conversation with Aria. "That's not relevant," I brushed off, trying to sound indifferent.
"If you say so, but I caught that girl saying she wants payback from you, a revenge against the big bad wolf that you are, how ridiculous!" she stated, walking around me in circles.
It would only take a moment to end Venice's life, to snap her neck in two, but I also knew it would take even less time for her to send a deadly curse my way.
Her aura, her magic, was already surrounding me. I stood exposed before her and the scent emanating from between her legs told me she was aroused.
I could use this information to my advantage. If it means she'll be distracted and I'll give Aria enough time to escape, I'll sleep with her. Even if the idea disgusts me at my core, my body reacted differently to her arousal.
Blood flushed to my cock, making me fully erect now.
"I took the life of someone dear to her."
"I see. Would you like me to chase that girl down?" Venice asked, her voice laced with malice. "We could torture her together, just like the good old times before we fucked her and each other."
I locked eyes with her, my resolve hammering like steel. "I'm the king now, Venice. I don't torture people anymore." I paused, struggling to hide my true motives. "But we can fuck, if that's what you want."
"Unfortunately, I don't have much time," she said, a wicked grin spreading across her face. "But I can spare a moment for you."
Venice knelt before me, taking my fully erect cock in her mouth with no hesitation.
My hand found her hair, gripping it tightly as I forced myself to be brutal with her – anything to shake off the memories of our past together. She bobbed up and down on my shaft, her saliva lubricating my throbbing member. By the moon goddess, she was still good at this. Too good.
I couldn't help but think about how much I'd missed this – her obedience, her eager lips wrapped around my cock.
But there was someone else that I really wanted to be obedient to me. To kneel in front of me, her pretty lips wrapped around my thick cock.
Aria.
But she was not here, she was elsewhere unconsciously running for her life.
I pulled my mental shield up once again.
I wrapped one hand around the back of Venice's neck and pushed her deeper onto my cock, moaning as she took more of me into her mouth.
"Get on all fours," I demanded suddenly, my voice cold and unyielding. I wanted this to be over quickly.
Obediently, Venice lowered herself down onto her hands and knees. Perfect. I positioned myself behind her and ran my fingers through her long hair before pushing it aside to expose the delicate skin of her neck. With one rough motion, I plunged three fingers into her pussy, groaning as she let out a soft moan of pleasure. My cock that was still throbbing from when she had deep-throated it just moments ago twitched again. I needed to come.
"That's it, witch," I said gruffly, leaning down to whisper in her ear, "Take my fingers like the good little slut you are."
She responded with a needy whimper that sent shivers down my spine as she began moving her hips back and forth against me in perfect rhythm with each thrust of my fingers inside her wet heat. Her nails dug into the earth beneath us as she arched her back towards me in an attempt to get even more of me inside of her body - any part would do right now because all she could think about was feeling filled by me.
It didn't take her long to get her release.
Seconds later, as she lay there, spent and gasping, I stood up, towering over her broken form.
I fisted her hair violently and forced her to watch me masturbate until I came all over her face.
"This is a farewell, Venice," I warned, as I walked away after ejaculating onto her face. "Don't ever cross my path again."
With that, I turned away from her, my heart heavy with both the satisfaction of protecting Aria and the weight of the darkness I had just embraced.
-----
I moved through the dense forest with ease, my soft paws barely making a sound on the coarse earth. The scent of pine mingled with the crisp night air, but it did little to mask the lingering traces of Aria's presence. Each step I took brought me closer to her, and further from Venice's clutches.
Venice. I felt no remorse for what transpired between us. It was a calculated move, necessary to keep her from prying into matters that did not concern her, especially Aria.
The memory of her fiery determination flashed before my eyes, the promise she made to make me pay for her mother's death ignited a warmth within me that had long been dormant.
"She's something, isn't she?" My inner wolf Neo's voice slithered into my mind, laced with sarcasm. "That fire in her eyes when she vowed to take you down. You felt something, didn't you? A spark."
"She doesn't feel the same," I replied curtly. "If she did, she would have wanted me, not tried to kill me. And she is half my age."
"Ah, but that's where you're wrong, Kaine," Neo retorted, his tone dripping with irony. "She's your mate. Her feelings might be muddled by her newfound abilities, but there's no mistaking it. Something is off with her, though. She shouldn't half-shift like that. She's either a shifter or she's not. She had probably been cursed or poisoned."
I pushed forward, muscles coiled and ready, as Neo's words grated on me. "How did it feel, then, when you were with Venice?" he probed, a dark chuckle following.
"Necessary," I growled. "I needed to get her out of Aria's way. As much as possible."
"Sure, sure," Neo laughed, the sound echoing in my mind. "You already care about our mate. Admit it."
"Shut up," I snapped, though the conviction in my voice wavered.
"Brilliant idea! By the way," Neo continued, undeterred. "Having sex with Venice and leaving her... satisfied. Now she probably won't follow you. She knows she can still seduce you if needed."
"Out of necessity," I reiterated, teeth bared.
"Yes, I know," Neo drawled. "You were trying to protect our mate."
A growl rumbled deep within my chest. Neo's insistent prodding was both infuriating and undeniable. The truth was there, buried beneath layers of duty and responsibility. But for now, all that mattered was finding Aria.