Alpha King/C1 Chapter 01
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Alpha King/C1 Chapter 01
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C1 Chapter 01

"Yeah, yeah, just like that. Harder, Carlos, I'm about to come," Red cried out, knowing she was near climax. Panting for breath, she slammed her eyelids shut. Seconds later, she arched her head backwards while her body convulsed in ecstasy as she couldn't hold her orgasm any longer. Heat ravaged her skin, jolting through her like thousands of tiny volcanic explosions.

Carlos Amara had only begun showing up in her tavern last week. The man was handsome enough. He made a few hilarious jokes and he had the kind of outgoing personality she liked, so she decided to sleep with him. Red had long since broken up with the forest ranger, Charles, and she was tired of going to bed alone every night. Sleeping with Carlos made her feel liberated, and she liked the change in her usual routine. Over the past several months, the tavern had become her life—she was constantly working, and she didn't have much of a social life. Her only friend, Cinderella, had married King Caspian, and now she was enjoying her happily ever after, living in a huge castle and having mind-blowing sex every single day.

Carlos was panting and moulding her breasts, while she was in the zone of her orgasmic pleasure. A wave of electric current jolted through her body as he continued to penetrate her harder.

A few months ago, Red slept with a baron in another kingdom, but the sex had been very disappointing. After breaking up with Charles, her life hadn’t been the same, and she wanted to believe that men still found her attractive. She’d been feeling lonelier than ever before, and the baron was interested in her, so that night she’d decided it was time to reclaim the reins of her life and stop allowing Charles to hold power over her. She was free!

Seconds later, she collapsed onto the bed next to Carlos who whistled loudly, obviously satisfied. She enjoyed having sex with the highwayman more than she’d anticipated. And Carlos knew how to pleasure her immensely. He wasn't selfish compared to most of the men she’d slept with in the past.

She flopped to the side, closing her eyes for a moment. She told herself that tonight she wouldn't think about the tavern or her gran. This was her evening, and she needed to relax. Carlos began kissing her naked back, and she giggled when he reached out to the most sensitive parts of her body.

It was such a refreshing experience, and the main thing was that she was finally over Charles. The truth was that the forest ranger was lousy in bed. Red had to fake her orgasms on multiple occasions.

Even worse, she learned that Charles had helped Cindy’s stepsisters kidnap her. Susan and Teresa had given him a fair amount of gold just to keep Cinderella busy. Then, apparently, he slipped a sleeping tonic into her drink. Red couldn't believe Charles would do something like that, especially to someone she considered a friend. At the time, they were still together, but after Red discovered the truth about what he had done, she ended their relationship immediately. Things had been bad between them for a while, and that incident only confirmed that she needed to part ways with him.

“You look so beautiful and radiant this evening, my lady. It’s such a shame that I have to head back to the village soon. I’d love to pleasure you even more," Carlos said, then pulled her to him, kissing her intensely.

Red laughed to herself, thinking that she wouldn't mind him staying the night, but he was already putting on his shirt.

She had invited Carlos to her home after she finished working earlier that night, and now it was just after one in the morning. Ruby, Red's grandmother, had moved into the small room above the tavern a few months ago. She liked keeping an eye on things, and, only recently sold her own home that had grown too big for her. Red inherited a house after her parents died, and preferred living alone.

When a chance to purchase the rundown tavern from the previous owner had presented itself, Red knew that she couldn't turn it down. Ruby offered to help her as much as she could. Her gran had been telling her for months that she should have invested in some kind of business. Other people often told her that she had potential and was very business minded. Months later, they began working together, serving customers and ensuring the entire place ran smoothly. Things were going well, and the gold started coming in, too. Her grandmother loved interacting with the locals and travellers who stopped by now and again for a warm meal, or perhaps something stronger.

Soon enough, Red realised that her dreams were finally coming together. She had her own profitable business.

"That's fine with me, anyway. I need to get up early tomorrow. There’s stock arriving from another kingdom, and we’ve been waiting for it for weeks now," Red replied, already thinking about all the errands she had to take care of over the next few days.

Her schedule was always full. Running a business had proven to be challenging for Red, but she didn't mind. She enjoyed being busy. The tavern had become Red's life. For as long as she could remember, she’d wanted to be independent; she never wanted to rely on a man for money.

Her parents had died when she was only eight years old and it turned her life upside down, altering everything that she’d ever believed in. She was never truly able to move forward after that, believing that God had taken them away from her far too early. She didn’t think it was fair—Red loved them very much, and she had never quite come to terms with the fact that they weren’t around anymore.

Red rose from the bed and walked naked towards the chair. She picked up her purple dress and quickly put it on. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, then ran her fingers through her messy dark hair. She could see the top of the castle turrets from her window. For a second she thought about what it would be like to take Cindy's place, but then realised that thought alone was silly. That wasn't her life or her dream. Red wasn't interested in being married to a royal. She was happy to be alone for now, and, maybe eventually she would find a man who supported her independent nature.

It appeared as though Carlos had changed his mind about leaving, because he was still lying on the bed, watching her. He was handsome, tall, muscular, and, so far, a decent lover, too.

Red and her grandmother were very similar. Ruby encouraged her to have fun, and always let her serve handsome and interesting men when they showed up in the tavern. Ruby wanted her to settle down, but she would never push her to do anything she didn't want to do. It was just her way of supporting her.

"Are you throwing me out, Red? I must say that I'm a little disappointed,” Carlos said, not taking his eyes off her. “People are saying that wolf men have been seen in Farrington Kingdom lately. Apparently, they’ve been kidnapping children and robbing travellers on the road."

She placed her hands on her hips and turned around to face him. She wasn't sure where the highwayman was going with this. Surely, he didn't expect her to believe in those sorts of stories.

"You're a grown, well-built man, and I can’t believe you're afraid of a few wolves. Besides, it may not even be true. Everyone knows that werewolves don't exist," Red retorted, looking down at her nails. Except when she thought of King Caspian, her confidence faded away. She knew that if vampires were real, then the werewolves might be, too, but she wasn't prepared to admit it.

She was quickly becoming bored of this conversation with Carlos. Although he was very handsome and good in bed, she couldn't help feeling that there was something missing—similar to the feelings she had when she was with Charles.

"You got me there, Red." Carlos chuckled and then stood from the bed, still staring at her as though he wanted to kiss her again, but instead added, "There’s a group of highwaymen in Farrington right now who can protect you from the wolf men. The king isn't going to do anything. He just remarried and he’s enjoying his new wife. Our leader can offer you protection for a small payment."

Red couldn't believe what she was hearing. Of course, she should have suspected that Carlos wasn't sleeping with her because he was actually attracted to her—he must have had a hidden agenda from the start. Hot anger began rushing through her veins. Payment? No, she wasn't planning to pay anyone just so she would feel “safe” in her own tavern. She was willing to take her chances. She’d heard about the so-called werewolves but didn't think she had anything to worry about. Her customers were still coming in, and no one was afraid to leave their home after nightfall.

"Payment? You can’t be serious. I work hard, and you think I'm just going to gift you a few gold coins because you’ve given me a decent enough orgasm?" she asked, laughing, but deep down she was furious with him for even daring to offer her something like that.

“I don’t like making jokes, Red. Who knows what might happen to the tavern? Werewolves are dangerous. What if they try to attack you or even rape you? I don't suppose you’d be so happy then." Carlos stood, and started pulling on the rest of his clothes.

Red's blood pressure was rising fast. Potent anger flashed throughout her body. She’d thought that Carlos was different, not like the other men out there, but obviously she’d been bloody wrong.

"Get out!" she shouted and began pushing him out the door. "Get the hell out of my house right now. I don't need some clever bastard telling me I can’t protect my own business. If I ever need your help, I’ll surely ask for it, but right now, I'm perfectly fine on my own."

Red wasn't even sure why she was so furious, but Carlos was already walking downstairs. When he was finally outside on her porch, she began hurling his shoes at his head.

"Jesus, Red, calm down. It was only a small suggestion. You're making plenty of money, and sooner or later, you’ll need proper protection."

"Yeah, I earn my money by working hard. You should try it sometime, then maybe you’ll realise that gold doesn't grow on trees!" she shouted, losing control and then slamming the door behind her. Her breathing was erratic, and she stood with her back to the door for a few minutes, telling herself to calm down. Carlos had wound her up.

"Red, darling, come on,” he shouted from outside her front door. “I was only trying to be funny. We had a good time, and I can make you come really quick again. The next orgasm is going to be spectacular."

His comment only served to make her even more furious. She opened the door again and shouted back, "Get lost, and if you must know, I faked my orgasm exactly like I’ve done the past two nights we’ve spent together. You were just okay, Carlos."

She watched how his jaw tightened and his face fell. Red laughed to herself, shut the door and then started walking upstairs again.

"You’ll regret this, bitch, and soon." She heard him saying. He must have vanished in the forest afterwards because he didn’t say anything else.

Red thought about Carlos’s warning, aware that she truly didn’t know anything about him. They had spoken a few times, but now she realised that she’d been careless, trusting someone who wasn’t from Farrington. Maybe he was dangerous, after all, and only intended to portray a calm persona until he’d gotten what he wanted from her. She knew from early on that he was a highwayman, but never thought she had anything to worry about.

Besides, she wasn't the kind of girl who took any kind of threats seriously, but right then, she had to think of not only her own future, but her grandmother’s as well.

Even Ruby would’ve agreed that the tavern didn't need any protection. Highwaymen and other travellers were always passing through Farrington, but Caspian made sure his people were safe.

Red stretched her arms and climbed under the covers after she slipped out of her dress, deciding she would deal with Carlos tomorrow if necessary. She had sort of lost her temper, and now she was regretting shouting at him. When Red was angry, most of the time she couldn't control herself—tonight was one of those nights. She was glad to finally be alone, then drifted off to sleep, hoping she truly had nothing to worry about tomorrow morning.

***

The next day, Red showed up at the tavern early, but it seemed that the local merchant she’d been expecting was running late. She started cleaning the bar, then checked the remaining stock. Ruby was chatting with a few travellers outside, as usual, attempting to kill some time.

Hours later, the merchant finally arrived, but without the promised stock, and he appeared as though he’d been beaten up. His clothes were torn, and he had bruises and cuts all over his face.

"What the hell happened to you?" she asked, helping him inside the tavern. She noticed that he was limping, too. Ruby rushed to the bar, most likely to make him a warm cup of tea, but the merchant appeared as though he needed something stronger.

"I was burgled while I was travelling here. Those scumbags attacked me just outside Farrington. They covered my head so I couldn't see their faces. They took all the wine—it's a complete disaster. I have no idea how I'm going to get back home now," he cried out, shaking his head.

Red clenched her fists. How could she be so unlucky? She’d been waiting for that stock for weeks now, and the wine she had ordered was pricey.

"That's terrible,” her gran said. “Red, come on. We must help this poor man. He’s badly wounded, too. That cut needs to be disinfected straight away." She placed a cup of tea in front of the merchant, who was shaking his head, staring blankly out the window.

Red needed to get to the bottom of what had happened on the road. Someone must have known the merchant would be passing through that particular area. Red pursed her lips into a thin line, thinking about the events of last night. Carlos told her that she needed protection, and now all her newly ordered stock had been stolen from her. She wasn't stupid; she didn't believe in coincidences—not one bit.

"Do you remember anything? How many of them were there?" She began asking the merchant, but Ruby shot her a sharp look, basically telling her to leave the man alone, that he’d been through enough today.

"No, I don't remember much at all. I heard some snarling, and the robbers smelled of whiskey. This stock was worth a fortune,” the merchant cried, and Ruby kept patting him on the back. “Everything was imported from abroad. It was a very good selection."

Red turned around and went back to the cellar to gather her thoughts. She couldn't stay and listen to the man’s sobbing. She was surprised that her grandmother wasn't freaking out as she was right then. Their entire stock was gone, and she knew that many people had been waiting for a long time to try the new wine. She’d been promising it to them for weeks now. She had no idea when she would get her hands on a similar product. In any case, it was going to be at least another few weeks before the next delivery.

On top of that, the fact that Carlos warned her last night was still niggling at her. He was a highwayman, and Red suspected that he knew this would happen. She was certain that he or perhaps people he hung around with had something to do with her missing stock.

"Bunch of lazy idiots," she muttered to herself, and then thought about the wolf men.

She was already shaking her head, not wanting to believe that werewolves were even real. She worked alone in the cellar, recalling that in the past several nights, more and more people were complaining about strange men wandering around town for the past few weeks. Perhaps Carlos wasn't trying to get money off her after all. Perhaps he was telling her the truth.

Either way, she didn't believe that her stock was stolen by werewolves. Red just had to find another way to get her hands on the wine, and she wasn't planning to pay Carlos for any kind of protection. That would be like paying for sex, and the thought alone made Red’s blood boil. “Hey, I’ll protect you for a price. Oh, and give you a few mediocre orgasms for your troubles,” she mumbled under her breath in a mocking tone. “Stupid bastards.”

It was her tavern, and she was ready to fight for it with her own bare hands. She would’ve never thought, that by the evening, everything would change for the worse.

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