Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
She moaned softly, making his cock jump to attention. He’d done well to keep his erection at bay so far, but her tiny sounds undid him. He had to adjust her on his lap.
Her eyes were still closed while she suckled. She wasn’t aware yet. Not fully. She was feeding on instinct, satisfying her thirst and hunger in her semi-lucid state.
With his free hand, he lifted hers, wanting to touch her skin, but his breath hitched as she wrapped her fingers around his pinky.
Arion’s heart nearly stopped. His Little mate was the most precious being in the world. He prayed she would accept her transition without too much angst. Little girls reacted in many different ways when faced with their new lives among the Alpha Protectors.
Though the entire pack, including everyone who lived in the valley and the protectors surrounding it, adhered to the ancient norms of Dominant males and submissive females, the practice manifested itself in many different ways.
The vast majority of mated shifters incorporated some level of age play into their lives, but the Alpha Protectors took that tradition much deeper than most of the pack in the valley.
Jezebel would have been taught that she should respect and obey her mate. She would have been given some education on the ways of their pack. But she couldn’t have known that she would awaken in her very own nursery where Arion intended to guide her to submit to him in all ways.
Jezebel managed to drink about half the bottle before she blinked her eyes open gradually. When she met his gaze, she froze. Her small hand still gripped his finger, but her lips stopped moving.
Arion jiggled the nipple a bit in her mouth. “Can you try to take a bit more, Little mate?” he encouraged.
She stared at him for a moment as time froze on this weird precipice before she resumed sucking.
His heart raced as she submitted even though she probably wasn’t fully grasping the implication yet.
After several more long draws, she let go of the nipple.
Arion wouldn’t force her. He pulled it away, not wanting her to panic.
“Why are you feeding me?” she whispered.
He set the bottle on the little table at his side and held her with both arms, cradling her close. “I knew you most likely didn’t eat much this morning and would wake up hungry. The formula will get some nutrition in you.”
She licked her lips, still holding his gaze. And his pinky. “But that’s a bottle,” she murmured.
“Uh huh. Easiest way to get nourishment in my Little girl. Plus, I get to hold you and rock you while I feed you. It’s bonding. I like being close to you. I couldn’t stand the idea of putting you down when we arrived,” he admitted, hoping to endear himself to her.
As if suddenly realizing she was gripping his finger, she released him and lifted her hand to swipe at a loose lock of hair across her face. She rubbed her eye next. So adorable.
She squirmed a bit in his lap, alerting his cock, once again, to her presence.
He feared she might be anxious. Nerves were probably eating at her from the proximity to him. Though they were mated, and that bond would grow and make them inseparable in the coming days and weeks, right now she would still be feeling uncertain and nervous.
“Let me hold you a few more minutes, Little mate. You’re still feeling the effects of the potion. If you get up too fast, you might wobble and fall on your bottom.”
Her small tongue reached out to lick her lips again. He wanted to taste her. He wanted to lick those lips himself. Patience, Arion.
She let her gaze roam around the room before returning to his. “Where am I?”
“Your nursery, Little one. A place where you can relax and play and enjoy yourself. I filled it with everything I could think of, but if there’s something missing, we’ll add to it.”
She pushed herself more upright and twisted in his lap as she regained more muscle control. “This is for a baby,” she murmured.
He helped her turn more fully to face the room, wrapping his arms around her and holding her against his chest. He set his chin on her shoulder. “It’s for you, Little mate. A place you can be carefree at whatever age you feel like.”
She swallowed hard.
This would be the toughest discussion he would have with her. He was armed with every possible explanation, but he couldn’t anticipate every reaction she might present.
“There’s a crib and a changing table and stuff for a baby. And you fed me a bottle.” Her voice was soft and filled with concern.
He slid a hand up to her cheek and stroked it. “As the mate of an Alpha Protector, you’ll be coddled more than most of the Little girls in the pack. Pampered. Cherished. Spoiled.”