by Zoey Ellis
She was completely aware he had used his body, his scent, and his ability to bring her pleasure to prevent her from falling into a similar depression she had been in before, in his bedroom, and she could only guess that it was to ensure the safety of the child. Any kind of lengthy depression would have certainly harmed the baby she carried. Drocco had acted in the best interest of the child, and although she despised him even more now than she did before, she could understand that intention.
Finally, Drocco seemed to sense that her emotions had calmed. He began to spoon her into him when they slept, instead of pinning her down. The first night of this position unsettled her somewhat, she automatically turned and pressed into him, seeking out any other form of comfort, but he didn’t caress her or purr or shift her underneath him.
In her subdued daze, she nuzzled into his chest to spur him into action. His breath hitched. Then a sharp pain shot through her scalp as he yanked her head back, and glared down at her. “Stop it.”
She blinked at him, noticing the hardness in his eyes for the first time. “Stop what?”
“You are stable now, Cailyn. You don’t deserve any further comfort,” Drocco rumbled, his face becoming a snarl. “Are you forgetting that you attacked me? That you ran from me when I was offering you a home? A nest? A chance to be happy with me? You are carrying my child but you still have lessons to learn.”
Cailyn blinked. Lessons? So he did intend to make her suffer again. She took a breath and tried to firm her mind. She had been following her instincts seeking comfort by him, but he was the reason why she needed comfort. He had caused her distress, like he always had. She had to remember that when her hormones pushed her toward him. It would probably be worse now that she was pregnant.
His fist eased from her hair and returned to his side as they both lay watching each other. As Cailyn took in his harsh glare, she suddenly realized that, even though he had tended to her, his treatment of her over the last few days had been different to the lull of their time together in his bedroom. He had not kissed her once since her Haze ended. He didn’t embrace her or caress her. Their mating had been fiery and consuming, but had not included any of the tenderness she had experienced before. His intentions toward her had changed and she had no idea of his plans. An apprehension grew as she realized just how completely he had her under his control. But what did she expect? He had promised to destroy her when he got her back.
She watched him as he stared back at her. “So… you’re using me to breed your child. And then what?”
“And then you will breed another. And another.”
She lowered her eyes as they prickled with tears. She had become what she had feared for all Omegas… a breeding machine. She turned back onto her other side, her mind racing as she tried to think of a way out, but there seemed to be none. If she distanced herself from an Alpha during her pregnancy, her child would suffer. Of all the children she had tried to not involve in her missions over the years, how could she do ultimate damage to her own? There was no other Alpha that she knew who could take Drocco’s place while she nested and prepared to give birth… only Malloron. Cailyn bit her lip. She hadn’t even thought about Malloron since she woke from her Haze, but they were obviously still in his castle—why weren’t they dead or imprisoned? Why had Malloron allowed Drocco to remain with her when he had wanted to marry her himself? Although the king was just as bad—in fact, she couldn’t even bear the thought of being intimate with him—she had to consider him as an option if it meant getting away from Drocco.
“What about Malloron?” she asked.
There was no answer but she felt him tense behind her.
“Is he allowing this?” she asked after a long silence.
“I don’t need his fucking permission to take what is mine,” Drocco snarled.
So Malloron was definitely unhappy about it. How long did Drocco think he could stay in Malloron’s castle with the woman he had intended to marry? The fact they remained in this room with food brought to them on a daily basis suggested they were prisoners. Maybe she could still try to appeal to Malloron. She only needed to get out of the room and away from Drocco. Amara could help with the rest.
“Anything you’re planning will fail, Cailyn,” Drocco said, the grit in his voice serving as a warning. “I have thought of all possible options available to you and there are none that will work. So do not risk my child with any foolish attempts.”
“It’s my child too,” Cailyn threw over her shoulder. “I won’t allow it to be harmed either.”
“You gave up all rights to a family when you attacked me with the Talent,” Drocco bit out. “All children you breed are mine, and mine alone.”
Cailyn turned back to him, her annoyance building. “Ask me again, Drocco. Ask me again why I ran.”
Drocco’s eyes darkened. He took in her expression, but said nothing.
“Even after the torture and interrogation, you wanted to take everything from me—my freedom, my choices, my word to protect those I love. And now you seek to force me to have your children, only to take them from me as well. I was, and still am, a prisoner. And all prisoners long for escape.”
“I gave you all you needed for a life you would have been happy with. A life you would have wanted.”
“You never once asked me what I wanted,” Cailyn shot back at him.
Drocco rose, his face contorting as he loomed over her. “You told me plenty of times what you wanted! It was in your gaze, and your scent, and the way you touched me. It was in the abundance of your slick and your urges for me to take you as hard as I could.” His scent deepened as his anger grew, and his fierce expression sent a tremble straight to Cailyn’s core. “It was in your rage when you thought I would fuck another, and in the state of the room you destroyed when I left.” When his voice lowered, her slick was already gathering. “It was in the purr that you offered me in your sleep whenever my mind drifted to troublesome thoughts and you sought to soothe me. It was in the way you kissed me, Cailyn.”
Cailyn was gripped by the intensity of his eyes, unable to look away.
“You told me plenty of times what you wanted and it aligned with my own desires. I did what I could to make you see, but clearly it wasn't enough to combat the conditioning of your captors.”
“I haven’t been conditioned.” Her protest sounded so weak against his argument, but she was compelled to make it.
They glared at each other, the tremble within Cailyn increasing as his eyes ran over her.
He glanced down the length of her. “Then stop doing that.”
“I’m not doing anything,” she said, evenly.
“No?” Drocco reached between her legs and ran his fingers over her soaked slit. She twitched as they brushed her clit but forced her moan to stay in her throat.
“I have given what you craved every time you have been in need,” Drocco said, his voice rumbling as he showed her the slick dripping from his fingers. “You may deny me, but I have never denied you when your body calls to me. If you don’t want me to fuck you, then stop calling for me to.”
Cailyn pressed her lips together for a long moment. She couldn’t deny that her body responded to him in a way she couldn’t help, but he always missed an important point. “Just because I’m drawn to you, and my body calls to you, doesn’t mean I want it. It doesn’t mean I want to be trapped or locked away. It doesn’t mean I want everything else you want to force upon me. There is a difference.”
Something changed in Drocco’s eyes. “Yes, there is.” He slipped his arm under her waist and flipped her over onto her stomach. As he sunk into her, she arched her back, lifting her ass to ease his entry, almost moaning at the divine friction of his cock deep within. But his next words, growled into her ear as he reached full penetration, sent her heart plummeting.
“I’m not offering you everything else any longer. You will serve my needs, as I see fit, Omega. That is the only choice you have now.”
***
Over th
e next few days, they were like strangers. He watched her constantly and remained by her side at all times, but did not give her the attention he used to. Although he held her when they slept, he barely touched her otherwise, and when he purred it wasn’t any of the versions she recognized. It was harsh and aggressive and although it still soothed her somewhat, it wasn’t as comforting to her as any of the others she’d experienced before. She began to realize that that was how his purr had been since she woke from her Haze. Additionally, every time he fucked her, he turned her on her front, as though he didn’t want to look at her—just as he had done every time since her Haze too.
As much as she didn’t want to admit it, this treatment wounded her deeper than she anticipated. Maybe it was because she was pregnant and her hormones were in overdrive, maybe it was because it affirmed her new position and status as his breeder. But she had to also accept that it could also be because he was her true mate and part of her simply wasn’t satisfied with this perversion of the attention she was supposed to get from him.
One morning, Cailyn exited the washroom to see King Malloron standing in front of the bedroom door, glaring at Drocco, who stood a few feet from him.
She must have interrupted their conversation because they both stopped and turned to her, snarling. She froze in place, unsure what was happening, and a strange fear she hadn’t experienced before locked onto her. She took a step back, suddenly wishing she couldn’t be seen.
"It’s good to see you’re well and healthy," Malloron sneered. "And completely sexually satisfied."
"You do not talk to her!" Drocco boomed, closing the distance between them until his chest was against Malloron's, his fists clenching. "You do not look at her," he snarled. "I’ll consider what you said, now get out!"
A growl rumbled in Malloron’s chest. “This is my castle. You don’t instruct me what to do.” He stepped forward, pushing Drocco back, and suddenly their hands gripped each other, and they were wrestling, grappling, trying to get a firm grip.
Cailyn watched them, that odd fear rooting her to the spot. The two Alphas seemed evenly matched. They were of the same height and bulk, and although Drocco had larger, bunchier muscles, Malloron’s were toned and leaner, suggesting he was physically fit and most likely a capable opponent. Drocco landed a few solid punches on Malloron, who kicked and elbowed Drocco’s joints, trying to make him unstable. The room shook as they scrambled to get the advantage on one another.
Cailyn opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. The bitter odor of their aggression reached her, and her hands flew to her stomach as she started to shake. She inched back until she reached the wall behind her, and then slid down and hugged her knees, her chin tucked under as her eyes followed Drocco.
Drocco glanced at her, then shoved Malloron away hard so he crashed into the wall by the door. “All right, stop,” he growled, holding up his hands. “Leave now, Malloron, or the deal is off.”
Malloron breathed heavily as two of his warriors burst in, swords in their hands. He held a hand up to them, his glare on Drocco for a long moment before turning and leaving the bedroom, his warriors close behind.
As soon as the door closed, Drocco stalked to Cailyn and lifted her in his arms. He held her tight against him, tucked into his neck, until her erratic heartbeat calmed and then headed to the bed.
The arresting fear faded as he climbed to the middle of the bed and sat upright, placing her in his lap and holding her against him as he began to purr. She relaxed into him and breathed deep as the vibration unraveled the knot of intense fear that had taken hold. Her fingers absently pressed up his arms and across his chest. What the hell was happening to her? She had never felt anything like that before. The fear enveloped her so completely that she had been almost incapable of thinking. It was worrying how quickly it came on. Her palms drifted up and around his neck, then along his shoulders.
“I’m fine, Cailyn,” Drocco said roughly, pulling her arms down and placing her hands in her lap. “You don’t need to worry.”
Cailyn froze, dismay threading through her. Her fear… it had been for Drocco. She had been worried about him! She forced her hands still, even though the urge remained to reach out and check him for wounds. Her heart sunk with the realization of what had happened. Her hormones were too strong. There was no way she would be able to find a way to escape him if she couldn’t even bear to see him hurt. In fact, Malloron’s appearance in the room had been her chance to tell him that she wanted his help. Instead she had recoiled from his gaze, and possibly even his presence, instantly. It was unlikely she would thrive if he had to be the Alpha that cared for her during her pregnancy. She would struggle to get away from Drocco while her reactions were so strong.
As her fear calmed she looked up at him, ready for what he might say. But his unfocused gaze was directed over her head—he didn’t seem to be seeing anything. His purr was erratic and didn’t have that aggressive edge. He was distracted. She decided to take a chance. "What's going on?" she asked, tentatively.
Drocco was silent for a long moment. "Malloron holds us here, as I’m sure you may have guessed," he began. "He is attempting to negotiate your marriage to him."
“He still wants to marry me, even though I’m pregnant?” Cailyn asked, frowning.
“Yes,” Drocco growled, glancing down at her. “Don’t get too hopeful. I won’t allow any such marriage to take place.”
Cailyn clenched her jaw. "I'm aware of that, Drocco. I thought you may have been reasonable about it before my Haze, but—"
"You were mine to begin with," Drocco snapped. "There is nothing for me to be reasonable about."
Cailyn stayed silent. Malloron wouldn’t simply sit back and let Drocco embarrass him in his own territory. The Alpha was just as ruthless as Drocco, possibly worse.
After a few moments of silence, with Drocco in deep thought, his gaze still above her head, she asked. "What were you talking about just now?"
Drocco's jaw clenched. "Malloron is furious that I have impregnated you. He was intending to have you as his queen, even though he wasn’t attracted to you. He is curious about why you smell differently to what he experienced, and is extremely suspicious about why you went into your Haze almost as soon as I arrived. In fact, he is furious about that too. He would have preferred if you went into your Haze in his presence."
Cailyn couldn't help but shiver at the idea, and the corner of Drocco’s mouth quirked up at her reaction. “He wanted answers,” he added.
“What did you tell him?”
“Nothing you need to worry about.” He took a breath and looked down at her. “What I want to know is, what happened between the two of you?"
Cailyn's eyes widened slightly. "You mean…?"
"I know you didn't fuck," Drocco said, irritably. "But I want to know if anything else happened—a kiss, a touch…" He watched her closely, his jaw clenched, his whole body tense.
Cailyn narrowed her eyes. “Why do you care?” Her voice still shook. “I’m just a breeder for you, aren’t I? It doesn’t matter what happened between me and Malloron.”
A harsh growl rumbled through Drocco and his face contorted as he exhaled. “It matters.” He reached down between them. “It fucking matters.” He stroked her clit, his fiery eyes locked onto hers. “It has always mattered, Cailyn.”
Cailyn tried to hold her glare at him, but his touch between her legs was so gentle, so intimate compared to what their contact had been since her Haze, she couldn’t help but relax into it. When her slick had drenched his fingers, he brought them to his mouth and sucked it off, the look of desire in his eyes sparking a swoop in her stomach. He tucked his hands under her ass and lifted her up, maneuvering her over his cock, lowering her onto it. She whimpered at the sharp feel of it sliding up into her. She placed her hands on his chest and stared up at him as he sunk her down to encase him completely, sending shock waves of pleasure throughout her whole body.
“You belong to me, whether you are my mate or
my breeder.”
Cailyn dropped her gaze and took a deep breath, annoyed with herself. The man was a possessive Alpha who had consigned her to a life of slavery. No amount of tenderness could erase that. "No," she said, looking back up at him firmly. “Nothing happened.”
Drocco examined her face.
"Malloron didn't try to approach me in any kind of sexual way," Cailyn insisted. "He was a perfect gentleman. "
Drocco scowled. "Only because you were using the Talent to hide your Omega signals," he snapped. "If you hadn't been, he would have fucked you raw, regardless of what perception of himself he wanted to deceive you with."
Cailyn nodded slowly. She didn't bother to point out that’s exactly what Drocco had done.
"It’s a good thing in any case," Drocco said darkly. "He would be already dead if he had."
A pleasurable tingle skipped down Cailyn's spine. She chose to ignore it. Her thoughts drifted to Amara and her mission. "Is there any possibility that we may eventually gain access to the rest of the castle?"
Drocco's face contorted in anger as he looked down at her. "You want to stay here? Are you hoping to offer yourself to Malloron? Because I’ll never let that fucking happen!"
Cailyn paused, ordering her thoughts before she spoke. "You know that Malloron deals quite heavily in slavery? It's possible that he may have children as slaves in this castle."
Drocco shook his head. "What another ruler does in his own territory has nothing to do with me," he said firmly. "I'm not interested in anything that happens here. My only interest is getting you out."
"That may be," Cailyn said sternly. "But I don’t have the same outlook as you. I believe that if there are people suffering, they should be helped."
"And you intend to help them?" Drocco asked, almost mockingly. "A pregnant Omega, locked away with her Alpha? How do you intend to do that? You’d sooner be joining them than getting them out."