Bloodline Ghosts

I stayed frozen beneath him, impaled on his knot, my body still twitching around the thick stretch of him. Every small shift sent sparks of pleasure through me that I didn’t want but couldn’t stop. The draining magic hummed warm in my veins, pulling more of his strength into me. It felt like fire and victory all at once. I hated how good it felt.

“You… knew her?” I managed, voice hoarse.

Vesperian’s hand stayed heavy on my hip, holding me in place as his knot pulsed inside me. “Twenty-five years ago. Border negotiation. She was bold for a human. Looked me dead in the eye and told me exactly where I could shove my offers.” He chuckled, the sound low and dark against my ear. “I wanted her. Badly.”

I tried to turn my head but his weight kept me pinned. “She never mentioned you.”

“Of course she didn’t.” His fingers traced lazy circles on my skin. “She ran the moment she realized what I was. Disappeared before I could lock her down. Smart woman.”

My mind raced, connecting ugly dots while my body kept milking his knot, greedy for every drop of his release still filling me. The glow under my skin brightened faintly. I could feel his power flowing into me, making me stronger even as shame burned hotter than the heat.

“Why are you telling me this now?” I whispered. “While you’re still… inside me?”

“Because you’re hers,” he said simply. “And now you’re mine. Seems fitting.”

I clenched around him involuntarily. He groaned in approval and rocked his hips once, making me gasp.

“Easy, little Omega. We’re not done talking.”

I bit my lip hard. “What do you mean, I’m hers? She was human. I’m…”

“You’re the result of whatever she carried after she ran from me.” His voice stayed casual, like we were discussing the weather and not the fact that his cock was locked deep in my ass. “Your bloodline spits out male Omegas like it’s a curse. Rare. Dangerous. Fertile in ways that shouldn’t exist.”

My stomach twisted. “You’ve been hunting us.”

“Watching,” he corrected, but there was no real difference in his tone. “Your mother’s line has produced them for generations. I’ve kept track.”

The draining pulled harder. I felt a fresh wave of his strength slide into my muscles, sharpening my senses. His heartbeat thumped steady against my back, but I swore it was already just a little slower. Good. Let it drain him. Let him weaken while he used me.

I hated how much I liked that thought.

“She died when I was three,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “Never told me anything about a Lycan king. Just warned me to stay hidden. To never trust powerful men.”

Vesperian laughed softly. The sound vibrated through his chest into mine. “Smart advice. She must have known I’d come looking eventually.”

He shifted again, knot tugging inside me. A broken moan slipped out before I could catch it. I pressed my face into the sheets, mortified.

“Still fighting it?” he murmured. “Your body’s been pulling me in since the throne room. Same as your mother’s did. That fire. That defiance. Makes the surrender so much sweeter.”

“Fuck you,” I hissed.

“You are,” he replied, voice dripping satisfaction. He rolled his hips in a slow circle, grinding his knot against that spot inside me that made my toes curl. “And you’re going to keep doing it until you swell with my heir.”

Tears stung my eyes. Pleasure and power and rage all mixed together until I couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began. “Why me? If you’ve been watching my bloodline, why not kill me like the rest?”

Vesperian went quiet for a moment. His hand slid up my side, almost gentle. “Because I need what only your kind can give. A child. My child. The rest of them were too weak. You… you feel strong enough.”

My blood ran cold even as another pulse of stolen power warmed my chest.

“How many?” I asked, barely above a whisper.

“Hmm?”

“How many of us have you killed?”

He didn’t hesitate. “Seven of your cousins. Over the years. Some caught young, others when their heats first hit. None of them could handle what I need. Their bodies gave out before they could carry.”

Seven.

The number hit like a punch to the gut. I had cousins? Family I never knew about because this bastard hunted them down one by one?

“You monster,” I choked out.

“Perhaps.” His fingers brushed my mating gland, sending unwanted sparks through me. “But I’m the monster who’s going to breed you properly. Your bloodline ends with something useful instead of another grave.”

The draining magic surged again. I felt it latch on deeper, greedy for more of his legendary strength. My hands glowed faintly against the black sheets. He didn’t seem to notice yet, too focused on the way my body kept fluttering around his knot.

“I should have let them execute me,” I muttered.

Vesperian’s hand tightened on my hip. “No. You belong here now. Under me. Full of me.” He leaned down, lips brushing my ear. “And when you’re round with my son, you’ll thank me for sparing you.”

I laughed, bitter and broken. “Thank you? For turning me into a breeding bitch after wiping out my family?”

He pulled back slightly, knot tugging. I moaned despite myself, hips pushing back before I could stop.

“See?” he said, voice rough with fresh arousal. “Your body already knows its place. Even if your mind is still catching up.”

I wanted to scream at him. Wanted to fight. But the knot kept me locked, helpless, while his power kept flowing into me and my own cursed magic drank it down like the sweetest revenge.

“You’ve known about me,” I said slowly, piecing it together. “About all of us. For decades. You knew what I was the second I walked into that throne room… and you still chose to breed me instead of killing me on sight.”

Vesperian stayed quiet for a long moment, his breath warm on my neck. His knot finally started to go down, but he didn’t pull out. Just stayed buried deep, claiming every inch.

“Yes,” he finally answered, voice low and certain. “I’ve known about your kind far longer than you can imagine. And I still chose you.”

The weight of that truth settled over me like chains heavier than the silver ones from earlier. He’d hunted my bloodline. Killed my cousins. Known exactly what kind of monster I was.

And he’d claimed me anyway.

My draining magic pulsed stronger, glowing brighter beneath my skin as fresh terror and dark satisfaction twisted together in my chest.

He had no idea what he’d just invited into his bed.