Page 62 of Renegade Queen

Tank threw another package toward Maddox, who caught it, tore open the paper and plucked a piece of cheese out, holding it in front of Alyssa’s mouth.

She quirked an eyebrow in question, but then opened her mouth and let Maddox feed her.

“His animal is still riding him. The only reason he shifted was to protect her. The lion needed to protect his mate. And now he needs Maddox to ensure she’s not injured,” Tank explained.

Alyssa blushed that pretty pink again, but she didn’t fight it when Maddox fed her another piece of food.

“And how do you feel about that?” Dean asked, going to a place the rest of us hadn’t dared.

Because Tank was here first, and we’d all heard last night just how far his relationship with Alyssa had come. But we didn’t know where we factored into that or how he felt about it.

Part of me wanted to kick Dean for even mentioning it. We could have just continued on in blissful ignorance, not worrying about any ultimatums or relationship boundaries. We’d existed in a bubble of denial, and I, for one, would have been happy to stay there. Because in that bubble, the possibility of Alyssa being at our centre still existed. And now, with all the cards on the table, I didn’t know how I’d make it through all this, knowing it wouldn’t happen.

Tank looked around the group of us like he was assessing, and I supposed, in a way, he was. Shifters weren’t human, and we had much to learn about living as one. The one thing I knew for sure was that having an animalistic side brought a whole new load of problems into your life. Because they were driven by instincts, and we’d spent so long trying to fight ours and keep them beneath the surface.

“She needs protection,” Tank started but stopped and frowned like those weren’t the right words. “Alyssa is strong. Stronger than anyone I’ve ever met. But she doubts herself, and when she does, when she doesn’t believe she’s enough, she puts herself in danger. She needs people to show her that she’s more than enough. That she’s the sun we orbit, the air we breathe, the surge of life that drives every beat of your heart. She needs you. All of you. And I know she needs me too. She was meant to be a queen, and having a pack around her will prove that the connections we have with each will only make her stronger, not weaker.”

It was… he was talking about what we wanted, right? Well, what I wanted, but I was pretty sure the others were on the same page too.

“They’re pretty words, but they’re words she needs to say, not you,” Dean told him, and Tank nodded in agreement. “I’m asking you if you’re really as okay with sharing as you seem to be.”

Tank laughed a full-on belly laugh at that. Trust Dean to get right to the fucking point without a care in the world about how it sounded.

When he finally managed to get himself under control, Tank swiped a tear from his eye and grinned. “You’re right. And that’s something Alyssa needs to decide as well. The decision stops with her. But if you’re asking if I will step aside and let you take her from me, then the answer is always going to be fuck no. I can share, though, if that’s what she wants. I know how to play with others.”

“You realise I’m standing right here, right?” Alyssa quipped.

To be honest, I kind of had forgotten. Mainly because I was so invested in the conversation that was happening in front of me. Because I needed this to happen, and I’d needed to hear that he wouldn’t take Alyssa away from us. Not that she’d ever belonged to us in the first place.

“Then tell me now if this is what you want,” Dean demanded, looking up at her sheltering in Maddox’s arms.

I didn’t miss how they tightened around her, as the possibility of losing her also crossed his mind.

“I… is this really the time to be having this conversation?” she asked, avoiding the question in what I hoped was embarrassment rather than her trying to spare our feelings.

But she hadn’t pulled away from Maddox. She didn’t even seem horrified by the suggestion, and hopefully, that was because it had crossed her mind before this point.

She also looked worried this whole thing could be a lie.

And that was when I decided that our pretty little queen just needed a push in the right direction. Tank was right that she needed us surrounding her, but she needed it so she could revel in the possibilities, and we needed to make sure her mind was filled with them.

“I think now is exactly the time,” I purred, stepping closer to her. Alyssa’s eyes tracked my movements, and she swallowed hungrily as she watched. “Do you need us to show you how much we want you? That we can share? Whatever your worries, whatever’s holding you back, we can prove to you that they’re wrong. Ignore the little voice whispering in your mind telling you that you can’t, and take hold of what you want. Don’t you see how much we yearn for you? How our eyes track your every move because we’ve sunk so far into obsession already.”

She gulped again as I pressed myself against the front of her body. Maddox’s hands were trapped between us, and he didn’t pull them away. I felt the way his fingers brushed against the muscles on my stomach before they trailed up Alyssa’s body, and she quivered between us.

Brushing her hair over her neck, I leaned closer, my lips brushing across her ear as I whispered. “I would give anything to watch Maddox lay you out on the ground and feast on your delicious pussy like I know he wants to. I want to watch you come all over his face while my rock-hard cock drips with a desire to be inside you. Would you like that, Alyssa? Would you like to put on a show for all of us? We could take turns seeing who can make you scream the loudest if you wanted. The winner can be the one to finally fuck you into oblivion.”

She whimpered at my words, pressing her body against mine as she did.

I knew what she needed. She needed to feel something, anything, after being alone for so long.

Slipping my thigh between her legs, I gave her the friction she was seeking. Maddox pressed forward and pushed her against me.

“You make the sweetest sounds,” Maddox said, and I heard the purr of his lion lining his voice. “Say yes, Alyssa. Say yes, and let’s waste some hours forgetting about this world and everything we need to do here.”

She opened her perfect lips to speak, and I couldn’t stop myself from kissing her. Licking into her mouth as I did, desperate for her taste on my tongue.

“Ryder,” she whispered when I pulled away.