Power Imbalance

Three months.

My belly had grown round and heavy, impossible to hide under even the loosest silk. I stood sideways in front of the mirror, running both hands over the firm swell. The golden glow pulsed steadily beneath my skin, strongest over the curve where our son grew. He kicked hard, like he was reminding me he was there, alive, powerful.

“You’re getting too strong too fast,” I whispered, pressing gently where I felt his little foot.

The door opened. Vesperian stepped in, his eyes darkening the moment they landed on my changed body. “Come here.”

I went to him without hesitation. The bond pulled me like it always did now. He caught me by the hips, thumbs stroking over the taut skin of my belly before he kissed me slow and deep.

“Beautiful,” he growled against my mouth. “Carrying my son like you were made for it.”

We ended up on the bed quickly. He stripped me carefully, reverent hands mapping every new curve. When he settled between my thighs and pushed inside me, I moaned loudly, legs wrapping around his waist.

“Alpha...”

He thrust deep, steady and claiming. The draining magic rose automatically, hungry for his strength. But this time I focused. I reached for it with my mind and gently redirected the flow, pulling less from him, keeping more of the power circulating between me and the child. It worked. The siphon was softer. Gentler.

Vesperian groaned, hips stuttering for a second. “You feel... different again.”

I didn’t answer. I just rocked up to meet him, guilt twisting sharp in my chest even as pleasure built. I still craved him. Craved his touch, his knot, the way he looked at me like I was everything. But every time he buried himself inside me, I risked killing him faster. Every moan I gave him was another thread in the rope tightening around his neck.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered into his shoulder, too quiet for him to hear. “I’m so fucking sorry.”

He fucked me harder, like he could sense the conflict in me and wanted to burn it away. His hand stayed on my belly the whole time, feeling every strong kick from the child. The bond surged between the three of us, thick and overwhelming.

“You’re mine,” he growled, teeth grazing my neck. “Say it.”

“I’m yours,” I gasped, even as guilt clawed at me.

His pace turned more dominant, almost punishing, as if he could feel the subtle shift in the energy flow. Like he knew I was holding something back. He pinned my wrists above my head with one hand, driving deeper, eyes locked on mine.

“What are you doing, little Omega?” he demanded, voice rough. “I can feel you fighting something. Hiding something.”

I shook my head, tears pricking my eyes. “Just fuck me. Please.”

He did. His knot swelled fast, locking us together with brutal force. Pleasure exploded through me, but right in the middle of it, as his release flooded me hot and deep, a vision slammed into my mind.

Fire. The empire in flames. Our son, fully grown, eyes burning with uncontrollable power, standing in the ruins of the throne room while Alphas screamed and died around him. Palaces crumbled. Blood ran through the streets. I saw Vesperian broken on the ground, drained dry, reaching for me with a dying hand.

I cried out in pure terror, body convulsing around his knot even as tears poured down my face. “No…gods, no!”

Vesperian held me tighter through the orgasm, one hand cradling my face. “Eli? What is it? Talk to me.”

I clung to him, shaking, the vision still burning behind my eyes. The child kicked violently between us, almost like he’d seen it too. The draining magic had quieted, but the damage was already done. Vesperian’s strength felt thinner than ever.

I buried my face in his neck, sobbing quietly as his knot kept us tied together.

The future I just saw wasn’t just possible.

It felt inevitable.