They arrived home to a subdued greeting from their pack. They were all happy to see Catherine home safe and sound, but also knew their alpha well enough to know that Catherine was in serious trouble with Marco.

Similar to the first time he’d brought her into their home, she was wrapped in nothing more than the drop cloth from the couch. Marco stood and looked at her and instead of tossing her over his shoulder, scooped her up into his arms and carried her to their bedroom.

He set her down. “Do you remember what I told you I wanted you to do?”

“Yes, Marco. If you’re going to go downstairs for a little bit, would it be all right if I took a quick shower before standing in the corner?”

Marco thought for a minute and nodded. “You may but only because you asked permission first and have been accepting of your punishment.”

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “I know I’ve already said it, but I really am sorry. I didn’t think. All I can say is she is my sister and I thought I could save her.”

“But she wasn’t there. Had you given me a little time I would have known that or known if she was there what kind of resistance we might be facing. This is not, as you Americans say, my first rodeo. I’m actually quite good at rescuing people.”

“I know. Even those of us who don’t know we need rescuing.”

Marco kissed her forehead and patted her bottom, causing her to sharply inhale. He chuckled and admonished, “Be standing in the corner like an obedient mate when I get back upstairs.”

“Yes, Marco. Marco?”

He stopped in their doorway. “Yes?”

“Do you have any idea where they’ve taken her?”

“Not yet, but we will. I have feelers out all over Europe. We will find her. It may take time, but we will find her. If she has even a quarter of her sister’s strength, she will survive and once home will recover. Don’t be too long in the shower, mate, I don’t intend to be long.”

She watched the door close and then went to take her shower. She washed away the grime and then went to stand in the corner. She hated standing in the corner, but had to admit, it was better than when he’d made her bend over the back of the couch.

As she had come to expect, she felt his presence before he ever entered the door.

“Good girl,” he said soothingly as he entered. “Did the shower feel good?”

“Yes.” She knew better than to turn around. “Are you still planning to use your belt on me?”

“Not my belt, Catherine, a strap. A lovely leather strap that has been taken care of for more than five hundred years. It has welted the backsides of the DeMedici Mistresses and Madonnas for more than five centuries.”

“Maybe you ought to retire it.”

“No, it has proven to be effective in bringing our mates to heel, and it will do the same with you. Perhaps not this time, but I will ensure it is used when necessary. Now come lay over the end of our bed.”

“Marco...”

“No, Catherine, you have earned this and you know it. When I’m done, you crawl up on the middle of our bed on your hands and knees. I will join you and then breach you with my knot from behind before tying you to me for the rest of the night.”

“You aren’t going to breach me as I come?”

“Not this time. You will be even more aroused than you are now, but the breaching will not be as easy for you. You will be reminded once more this day who is alpha and who is not. Catherine?”

“Yes, Marco,” she said quietly.

She left the corner and put herself in position over the edge of the bed. Even though she was tall, her feet did not reach the floor. She had barely put herself in position when she heard the thin leather strap slice through the air only seconds before it laid a line of fire across both of her ass cheeks.

Catherine bit her lip to keep from screaming. She barely had time to catch her breath before the strap cracked across her bottom again. She was certain she could feel the welts beginning to swell.

The devil’s tongue, for that’s what she had named it in her mind, came down to inflict a third wave of fire and pain. Catherine hadn’t had time to prepare and this time she did scream his name pleadingly.

“Two more, my Catherine.”

Another stroke, another weal. She bit the bedclothes to keep from screaming and fought to stay in position.

“Final one,” came his soothing voice.

The last one seemed to cut across the other four and turn the burn into an inferno of agony. Catherine could barely catch her breath from her crying.

“Up on the bed, mate.”

Catherine crawled onto the bed and knelt shakily on all fours. Marco growled seductively and she felt her entire body tremble. The throbbing pain began to morph into arousal. Marco walked around to the other side of the bed and crawled up onto it, keeping his body low as he growled and nuzzled along her sides and flank. As he passed her, she saw that his cock was completely engorged and the knot at its base fully formed.

Her breathing began to become erratic and shallow. Her skin was fevered and flushed as he whispered kisses along the inside of her thighs. She widened her stance and steadied herself. As much as she knew his breach would be painful, she welcomed it. She wanted to be knotted by him, wanted to feel his strength and power as he rocked her to repeated orgasms, to feel him flood her with his seed and then to fall asleep exhausted from his use tied to him until morning.

Marco reared up over her and pulled her to him. “Now, mate,” he said as he thrust forward and breached her pussy with his knot.

Catherine heard him. What she was sure he thought was a warning to be prepared for him, her body heard as his command to orgasm and accept his knot as he mounted her.

His hands moved up from her hips and began to knead her breasts and play with her nipples as he rolled his hips, rocking them both back and forth.

She moaned and growled as he pleasured her. Her climaxes came one after another in wave after wave of increasing ecstasy. Marco rocked her harder with a primal rhythm. Catherine realized that her arms were giving way and she could no longer support herself.

“Just a little longer,” he whispered.

“I can’t, Marco.”

“You can,” he said as he wrapped a powerful arm around her middle to pull her closer and used his other arm to provide the strength she needed.

As exhaustion began to overtake her, she felt his cock surge forward and his cum begin to bathe the walls of her pussy as he filled her to what would be overflowing if his knot had not done its job and sealed her pussy, tying her to him. His cock continued to spurt inside her. She could feel every spurt of his semen and every throb or twitch of his cock.

When he’d finally emptied himself into her, he drew her close and laid her gently down on her side, spooning against her. Her welted bottom wanted her to protest but this was the thing she liked best—lying exhausted and sated in his arms and falling asleep listening to the sound of his heartbeat.

* * *

She woke to see the sun had risen and realized Marco was not lying beside and behind her. She raised up on her side. One thing she had learned early on was that sitting after he had spanked her was to be avoided if at all possible. Her pussy ached and pulsed, missing his cock being lodged up inside of her.

She smiled as she felt him returning to their room.

He opened the door carrying a tray filled with her favorite breakfast items. Another thing she had learned about being with Marco—once he had delivered her punishment, the forgiveness always followed. There was no residual anger, no recriminations, no snarkiness.

He leaned down and kissed her. “Good morning, my Catherine. I think you should rest today.”

“Are you telling me I can’t leave our room?”

“No, my love, I am recognizing that while your punishment certainly fit the level of your disobedience, I know that I was not easy on you. So, while I am not apologizing for disciplining you, I have also forgiven you, restored balance between us, and wish once more to dote on my mate.”

She drew his face down for a kiss. “I love you too. And I agree with you.”

“But,” he said, “you are not to leave the house for the next week. You can be out on the patio, but I want to know where you are.”

Instead of getting angry, she giggled. “I suppose I deserve that as well, and I will be a good and obedient mate.”

Marco laughed. “Do not make promises you will never keep.”

“Pfft. I’m going to tell Tony you’re being mean to me and perhaps he’s right, I should take up with a nice malleable beta.”

“Another alpha perhaps, but you are far too fond of being knotted, my mate, to settle for a man who could not fulfill that need for you.”

“Hmm... you could be right. I hear Griffin is available.”

“I see that your punishment did little to curb your mischievous nature or sass.”

“You like my mischievousness and sass,” she teased, rising up out of the bed.

“That I do, my Catherine,” he said, drawing her against him. “That I do.”