006 || Seeds Of Doubt

EMBER

Fear paralyzed me to the spot, my body shaking in the stranger's arms. My eyes widened as Azai approached the door slowly.

"Let go," I said, my voice muffled.

Tears pricked my eyes. I didn't want Azai to see me like this. The shame was too heavy for me to bear. It felt as though I was drowning. But the stranger didn't seem to care about my growing discomfort.

Suddenly, a flash of memory hit me.

Rough stone scraping my cheek. Kairos pinning me face-first against a wall exactly like this. His hand clamped brutally over my mouth while he shoved my thighs apart.

"Don't fight it, Ember," he growled into my ear, his voice thick with sick pleasure. "You know you want this."

"No—Kairos, stop! Please!" I had sobbed, tears streaming down my face.

I gagged against his palm, pure revulsion flooding my veins.

Kairos chuckled darkly. "You remember now, don't you?"

Had I been assaulted by this man? Was that it?

Before I could linger on the thought, Kairos released me, grabbing my wrist and pushing me forward. Pain shot through my body, nearly driving me to my knees.

At the exact same moment, the door to Azai's study opened. And there he was.

Azai stood there, his crimson eyes blazing as they locked onto us. Power rolled off him in freezing waves.

Tears welled up in my eyes from the immense guilt that stirred in my chest.

"Kairos?" Azai frowned.

"She was going to barge into your study uninvited. I was trying to stop her," the bastard lied smoothly.

My heart felt like it was shattering. Even if I told the truth, he wouldn't believe me, would he?

"Let her go," Azai finally said, and Kairos released me.

I stumbled forward, crashing right into Azai as my knees buckled. A pained whimper slipped from my lips as the fire in my back grew to unbearable levels.

But his scent...oh his scent...

It flooded my senses, bringing me an unreasonable amount of peace.

"You may leave now," I heard Azai say.

I tried to straighten, but his hand wrapped firmly around my waist. "Not you," he said, his voice low.

"Kairos."

"Yes, Alpha. I'll take my leave right away."

The sounds of his retreating footsteps doused me with a strong wave of relief, fresh tears welling up my eyes.

"What stunt are you throwing?" Azai eventually spoke, and I tried to pull away, only to let out a cry of anguish as lightning raced down my spine.

One moment, I was certain I was going to pass out, the next, I was airborne.

My face was pressed against his broad chest as he lifted me in bridal style, his grip surprisingly gentle. Even through the thick fur coat, he felt unnaturally cold.

Slowly, I pulled back to take a good look at his ethereal features, a lump in my throat.

I found myself reaching for his defined jawline.

How?

I couldn't help but wonder.

How did I end up betraying such a beautiful man?

His gaze met mine, and my mouth went dry. That simmering hate was still evident in his eyes, but I caught a glimpse of something else underneath the mask.

Raw, unfiltered pain.

Inside his study, a blast of heat crashed into me. It felt as though I'd just entered an inferno. Sweat beaded on my forehead and along my spine, worsening my condition. How could he sit calmly in such a place while wearing a fur coat?

A groan slipped from my lips as he set me down on a chair in front of his desk.

I gritted my teeth, leaning forward as much as I could.

I waited for him to take off his coat. But he didn't. He seemed perfectly fine. Something was very wrong.

"I'll assume you came to me for answers," he said.

I gulped, nodding weakly. I did want answers after all.

Our son...how was he still alive after being declared dead?

The heat in the study was suffocating, but it was nothing compared to the way Azai was looking at me.

He circled the desk slowly, like a wolf stalking prey.

When he reached me, he didn't sit. Instead, he gripped the arms of my chair and leaned down, caging me in.

His face was inches from mine. The unnatural cold rolling off his body made my nipples harden painfully against the thin nightgown.

"Ask your questions," he uttered. "Before I lose what little patience I have left."

I could barely breathe.

“That m-man, K-Kairos. He lied to you." The words tumbled out in a rush, and he blinked at me, a muscle ticking in his jaw.

“How so?”

“He…he touched me inappropriately—”

“That’s it? The questions you want to ask?” He said, the rumble of his deep voice sending heat burning in my lower belly.

I could feel my blood rushing to my face. What was I thinking? He wouldn’t believe me.

"Our son... how is he still alive?" I whispered.

Azai's gaze dropped to my lips, then lower, lingering on the swell of my breasts. "The bond between you and him never fully broke. That same bond is keeping him alive. And with you becoming my fated mate, our bond is linked to him as well." His eyes darkened.

"Which means I'll have to fuck you. Often. Until you're dripping with my seed and your belly starts to swell again."

My thighs clenched involuntarily. Shame and a rush of unwanted heat flooded between my legs.

Azai inhaled sharply, his nostrils flaring.

"You're getting wet already, aren't you?" His voice lowered to a dangerous growl. "Even after everything... your body still knows who it belongs to."

He straightened and yanked me up from the chair by my waist, spinning me so my back was against his chest. I cried out as the movement pulled at the lashes on my back, but he didn't let go.

One large, icy hand splayed across my stomach, pressing me back against the hard swell of his cock through his trousers.

"Feel that?" he rasped against my ear, grinding slowly against my ass. "That's what you do to me. Even when all I want to do is destroy you."

I whimpered, trembling. The contrast was dizzying. The blazing heat of the room, his freezing body, and the thick, heavy heat of his shaft pressing against me.

"Tell me about Kairos," he demanded, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. His free hand slid down, bunching my nightgown up until his cold fingers met the bare skin of my thigh. "Did he touch you here?"

I shook my head frantically, but his fingers kept moving higher, tracing the edge of my underwear.

"He... he grabbed me," I gasped. "Put his hand over my mouth and—"

Azai's fingers slipped beneath the fabric. I jolted as two icy digits stroked slowly through my folds, parting them.

"Like this?" he growled, his voice venomous. "Did he touch your cunt like this?"

A moan slipped out of me. His fingers were freezing, but the shock of cold against my burning, slick heat made pleasure spike through me brutally. I was soaked. Mortifyingly so.

"No," I whimpered. "He... I had a memory. He forced me before. Pinned me. I was begging him to stop—"

Azai snarled and pushed one thick finger inside me without warning. I cried out, rising onto my toes. The cold invasion was intense, almost painful, but my walls clenched greedily around him anyway.

"Liar," he hissed, pumping slowly, curling his finger inside me. "Your cunt is gripping me so tight. So fucking needy. Even now you're dripping down my hand while you talk about him forcing you."

Tears of shame and overwhelming pleasure streamed down my face. I grabbed his wrist, but I didn't know whether I was trying to stop him or hold him there.

"Azai... please..."

He plunged his finger harder into my entrance, the wet sounds filling the room. My juices coated his hand, dripping down my thighs.

“Does it turn you on?" he growled. "Making me doubt the only man who stayed loyal while you destroyed everything? Or are you trying to drive a wedge between us so you can finish what you started?"