A Dangerous Survival

Darius POV

“Mate,” Ash growled, his voice low and primal the moment our eyes locked eyes locked.

A jolt cracked through the air. She flinched, her body reacting before her mind could catch up.

My muscles tensed as if a storm brewed inside me. Centuries had passed since I last felt that word stir something inside me since the Moon Goddess had taken and given nothing in return. Yet now, standing before me, trembling in a hot maid’s dress, and smelling of fear, she was there.

An Omega.

She stood frozen by the doorframe, the torchlight flickering over the sheen of sweat on her skin. Her hands clutched her sides, breath shaky, eyes wide—not in awe, but in panic. Her wolf cowered, invisible but present, its fear clinging to her like mist.

I stepped forward. The wooden floor groaned beneath my feet.

She backed away instinctively, her back pressing against the cold, hard wall.

My power unraveled thread by thread, invisible and cold. Not a single finger lifted, yet the air thickened, pressing her backward until her knees hit the bed’s edge. She whimpered a sound too soft, too full of instinct. I didn’t stop it.

She lay there, trembling, her eyes never leaving mine. She didn’t scream, didn’t beg just looked at me with those wide, vulnerable eyes. I had meant to stay away, but her scent wrapped around me like a drug the moment she entered.

I had learned to resist the temptation, to hold myself back. But I couldn’t stop. Not anymore.

Her eyes were glassy, vacant, but she was different. I used my power to remove her clothes, leaving her bare, and I followed suit, undressing quickly. My body ached with the need to touch her, to claim her. I placed the tip of my cock at her entrance, but then she arched her back, her hips lifting toward me, wanting more.

“Don’t,” I groaned, barely able to hold back. But I couldn’t stop.

I pushed in, and she gasped, her breath echoing in the silent room. Her legs clenched around me, a soft moan escaping her lips. She’s too tight, too warm, I thought, my body trembling from the intense heat between us. The drag of her heat and the way her body reacted to mine with restraint unlocking nothing mattered anymore.

I forgot about the rule and gripped her thighs skin to skin.

Her body reacted, pulling me deeper. She didn’t scream. There were no flames. Nothing. She didn’t burn.

Her skin beneath mine was alive alive in a way I hadn’t felt in centuries. The beast inside me snarled, wounded and desperate, clawing its way up my spine.

It moved slowly at first, then harder, her moans desperate and high-pitched. I shouldn’t have touched her again, but I did.

My hand found her breast, squeezing it gently. She gasped, bracing herself against me. Still no pain. Still alive.

She clung to me, her eyes locked on mine, lips parted in shock, in pleasure. I drove deeper, harder. Each thrust made her cry out, made me groan in pleasure.

I couldn’t hold back any longer. My hand wrapped around her throat lightly, just enough to feel her pulse beneath my fingertips. I didn’t pull away. Instead, she reached for me, her hands gripping me. The restraint was unbearable, but I couldn’t stop myself.

We both came together, a sharp, dizzying release that left us both breathless.

I held her against me for a moment, her body still trembling in my arms, her eyes dazed. The heat between us lingered, but my mind quickly snapped back to the reality of the curse. I couldn’t let myself forget

“Go,” I ordered, my voice rough, hoarse.

She blinked, as if the words didn’t quite make sense. “Go?” she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper, trembling as much as her body.

“Leave,” I growled, my voice cold and detached. The power I had once controlled so easily slipped from my grasp, and I had no choice but to push her away.

A sharp pang of betrayal coursed through me as she turned, her fragile figure retreating toward the door. She hesitated only once before leaving, disappearing into the corridor without a word, without a glance back.

I stood there, frozen, the sound of her retreating footsteps echoing in my ears, a cruel reminder of what I had just done.

The moment she left, I felt something sharp and painful gnawing at me, the taste of regret bitter on my tongue. But the curse had kept me from touching her. It had kept me from even considering the possibility of binding her to me.

___________________________________

Elsewhere in the castle, whispers began to spread. The maids who had heard her screams so different from those of the other women who had entered the King’s chambers couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw her alive. How had she survived? How had she endured the King’s rut and walked away without burning?

They gathered in hushed groups, sharing their theories and exchanging nervous glances.

“She’s the one. The new maid,” one whispered, voice trembling with curiosity. “How did she survive him?”

“I don’t know,” another said, eyes wide with fear. “But she’s different. I saw it when she came out. There was no ash, no smoke. She wasn’t burnt. She looked…” The maid trailed off, as if trying to find the right words. “Alive. Alive in a way none of the others ever were.”

“But the King…” A third maid hesitated. “How did he let her survive? The curse, it’s supposed to kill anyone he touches.”

The speculation continued until one of them, bolder than the others, turned to look at the King’s betrothed, who had entered the room unnoticed.

“What do you think, Lady Nora?” she asked, her voice trembling. “Is this the end of the King’s curse?”

Lady Nora, the betrothed, stood still, a dark glimmer in her eyes. She had heard the rumors, the whispers, and now, standing there with the other maids, she realized something far more dangerous.

And if this Omega was the key to that survival, she was a threat to Lady Nora . She could no longer hold the King’s affections if he could touch and claim someone like her.

A cold smile twisted at the corners of Lady Nora’s lips as she realized the gravity of the situation. She couldn’t afford to let this Omega live. If she wanted to keep the King’s heart and his throne, she needed to find out how this Omega had survived. And if she couldn’t learn her secret…

She would make sure the Omega never had the chance to steal her position.