I made it home. The battle was won, and there would be peace, at least for a while. It was not the time to think of Emperor Victor’s retaliation. Of whether Axel meant to overthrow the king.
It was the time to revel in the comforts of home, and the presence of the ones I had come to love. It was a time of happy news. Of meeting Axel in our chambers. Of reminding him of his promise that we would mate when the battle was won.
That night was the first good rest I had in a long time. I had no idea what time it was when I woke up. Axel slept next to me the night before. I remember clinging to him. As much as I wanted us to mate, to finally become one, I was glad for a calm night. One where we could just hold on to each other. Remembering that we were no longer apart. That we never would be. I slept not only through the night, but the rest of the day as well. When I woke up, the sun was setting once again.
A more than generous portion of venison and tubers awaited me when I woke up. I dug in gratefully. I ate so fast I almost choked on it. I was ravenous. I ate until I could burst. And I went right back to bed.
Axel’s bed was soft and lush. The pillows and furs that adorned it, I had placed there myself before I left. A nest I created with intention and care. Axel never moved them.
A life this luxurious was not something I ever dreamed of. It was not a life that felt like mine yet.
I slept for so long it had made me rosy and mellow. My eyes were heavy. The canopy went in and out of focus every time I blinked. My back was tingling pleasantly from the softness of the mattress on my skin. I was drifting off, then crawling back into my body right before sleep could take hold of me.
There was a warmth in my belly. It was rising up from inside me, making me all flushed. I breathed in deep. My breath hitched. The scent of fire surrounded me. His scent. It was the cause of my state of relaxation. It was what made me unable to fall asleep.
I shook off the furs. They were too soft. I was too hot. The silk on my stomach was riding up. The skin on my thighs was prickling. I let out a sigh. There was a sweetness permeating the air. Damp and warm fire heating up sickeningly sweet syrup.
It was not a heat. It was not due yet at all. It was the comfort. The absence of my alpha when I was rotting in his scent. It was teasing me.
Suddenly, the guards outside his chamber were too close. Their scents interrupted me as I was drowning in pine and smoke. But then, his scent intensified. It obscured every one of my senses. He was standing in the doorway. Tall, broad-shouldered, and wearing far too many clothes. I sat up a bit. My eyes half open. The door closed behind him.
“Are you ready to become mine?” he asked. I blushed. He undid the top buttons of his shirt. I licked my lips. My scent spiked. He noticed.
Axel chuckled softly. He took his time taking off his shirt. By the time his shirt came off, my eyes opened fully. His bare chest was defined, as expected from his large physique. Yet, there was some softness to him as well. As if the muscles were there naturally, effortlessly, underneath layers of pale northern skin. He was riddled with scars. They made him even more beautiful.
He unbuckled his belt. I gulped. His eyes met mine. They were dark. Focused. Honed in on my pink cheeks and the silk falling off my shoulder.
“Alpha,” I said. For a while, he was still. Taking in the sight in front of him. Dark eyes flushing crimson. My head was filledwith cotton. Muzzy in all aspects except one. When it came to Axel, I saw him very clearly.
“Alpha,” I repeated. He came closer to the bed. As he climbed on the edge of the bed, fully naked, I let myself fall backward again. His face floating above mine. His right arm next to my head, holding him up. His left hand started tracing lines across my bare shoulder. His touches were uncharacteristically soft. Despite me healing quicker than humans, I was still covered in bruises and scratches.
He leaned in for a kiss. Then another. There was something about us that particular night. It was different from the times he had touched me before. There was a gentleness to us. To the way we moved together. His chest on mine. My leg crossing over his thigh.
I rolled my head back. Axel took this moment to lather me with kisses, from my chest to my collarbone. His canines grazed my neck. My breathing hitched. He chuckled. I tightened the grip my leg had on his, pulling him closer.
“Needy omega,” he said. The words whispered so close to my ear that I felt the vibrations of the sound. It made me tingle all over.
“What do you need?” he asked. He bit into my collarbone. He did not use enough force to draw blood. Still, I whined. The tone of my own voice was almost foreign to me.
“Tell me,” he said. But I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. I was all dazed and overcome by the sensations in my body. By his skin touching mine. His hand reached behind me. I was sticky. I noticed only when Axel came too close to that spot.
“Not so demanding now, are you?” he said. His finger slipped into me. Slowly. Torturous. It was exactly what I needed. I let out a moan. I hoped that no one was outside that door to hear me. I could not face the guards ever again if they hadn’t left. I raised my legs to give him better access.
There was little shame in my actions that night. For a moment, everything felt right. I closed my eyes to feel the way he moved inside me. First with one finger, then another. And I whimpered. I tried to find friction by moving my front against his, but I couldn’t get close enough. I felt sweat dripping from my forehead. A tear running down my face. And another large finger opening me up. This time I cried as it entered me.
“Alpha,” I whispered. He did not speed up his movements. Did not listen to my quiet plea. He kept going, agonizingly slow. He never stopped moving, but he never gave me the satisfaction of rutting against him. With one hand inside me, and the other holding my hips flush against the mattress, I was being consumed.
“Ah!” I moaned when his hand was suddenly gone, and I was left feeling empty and sore.
“Do you want to be mine?” he asked. I looked off to the side. Avoiding his gaze. Did he expect me to respond? “Do you, omega?” One of my hands came up to cover my eyes. He took it in his own hand, and gently pulled it away from me, leaving it to rest above my head. Our eyes met. He didn’t move. He waited. And I wanted. I wanted him so much. It took an eternity, and I was getting impatient.
“Yes,” I said. Softly. Almost inaudible. He kissed me.
“Tell me, omega.” I felt his words on my lips. “Tell me what you need.”
“I want you to make me yours,” I said. “Mate me. Please.” I gave up. I gave in. “Please, alpha.”
That was when it happened. Very fast, suddenly. Overwhelming almost. The tip of it against me, pushing in. It hurt at first. I wasn’t used to it. I wasn’t sure if I could. But it went in anyway.