Chapter 334: _Against The Gods For Her
(Warning: More mature Content Ahead.)
I growled low, the sound rumbling from my chest as I pressed her back against the mattress.
Her hair spilt out beneath her like golden fire in the morning sunlight, her violet eyes shimmering with both tears and hunger.
She looked up at me as though I was her last anchor, her last tether to life itself, and gods help me, my chest ached with the weight of it.
My hands slid over her body, exploring, mapping her curves with reverence I didn’t bother to hide.
She trembled, but not from fear.
Her grief sat heavy between us, but so did our bond, pulling us closer, demanding we drown in each other instead of the shadows that clawed at her.
Her lips parted, ragged breaths spilling out as my mouth traced over her collarbone, my tongue flicking against the dip of her skin. She moaned softly, the sound broken but desperate, her fingers clutching at the fabric of my robe until it hung uselessly off my shoulders.
"Kaelos..." she whispered, her voice like a prayer. "Don’t stop."
I didn’t plan to.
Sliding my hand down her stomach, I felt her tense before she gasped, her back arching as my touch dipped lower. She clung to me, nails scraping down my chest as if she needed the sting to remind herself she was still alive.
Her tears hadn’t stopped, not fully.
They streaked down her temples as I kissed them away, tasting the salt of her sorrow even as her body writhed beneath me, begging for something else.
My lips hovered over hers, my breath mingling with hers, and I whispered. "Let me carry it, Odessa. All of it. The pain, the weight, the emptiness. Let me take it from you, just for this moment."
Her answer came in the form of a feral kiss, her teeth clashing against mine as though she wanted to consume me whole.
I returned it just as fiercely, my hand slipping between her thighs, parting her before my index finger found her entrance.
I stroked her until her whimper broke into a sob.
It wasn’t just lust. It was grief, turned into something scorching and frantic.
"Kaelos..." she cried against my mouth, her voice unravelling. "I need you inside me. Please. Now."
Her plea shredded me.
I yanked the robe off completely, baring myself to her. Her gaze fell over me, and for a heartbeat, she froze—like she couldn’t believe she was still capable of wanting.
But then she reached, her palm sliding over my chest, down my stomach, until I groaned at her touch.
"You’re mine," I growled, the words breaking as my forehead pressed to hers.
Her lips trembled into a whisper, "Always."
And that was all I needed before I positioned myself between her thighs, dragging my tip against her slick heat. She gasped, her body already trembling in anticipation, her nails digging lines into my shoulders.
Slowly, I pushed the entirety of my length into her.
Her mouth fell open on a silent cry, her eyes squeezing shut as I filled her, stretching her. I moaned through my teeth, holding back, savouring the molten clutch of her body around mine.
"Look at me," I rasped, my hand cupping her cheek, urging her eyes open. "Don’t hide. Not from me."
She obeyed, her violet eyes locking with mine as I buried myself fully inside her. Tears pooled there again, but so did fire.
We stayed still for a moment, just breathing each other in, our bond humming like a live wire between us.
Then I moved.
Slow thrusts at first, meant to remind her that she was alive, that we were alive together. Her body arched with mine, her legs wrapping around my waist to pull me deeper, harder.
Every roll of my hips dragged a moan from her throat, every kiss stole another broken sob, until grief and pleasure blurred together.
"Kaelos..." she panted, her voice cracking. "Don’t... don’t let go."
"Never," I groaned, driving harder into her, claiming her, grounding her with every thrust. "I’ve got you. I’ll always have you."
Her nails raked down my back, a mix of pain and pleasure that only made me thrust harder, faster. The sound of our bodies colliding filled the room, but so did her cries, her whispered pleas, her ragged breaths.
I kissed her through it all—her lips, her cheeks, her tears, her throat—worshipping every inch of her like she was the only thing keeping me from crumbling too.
Because she was.
Her body tightened around mine, her gasps turning into sharp cries as she broke beneath me, pleasure shattering through her grief like lightning splitting the night sky.
She clung to me desperately, sobbing my name as she came undone.
I followed, my release tearing through me as I thrust deep one last time, groaning into her mouth as I spilt inside her.
The world narrowed to her... the warmth of her body, the salt of her tears, the fierce grip of her arms around me like she’d never let me go.
When it was over, we collapsed together, our chests heaving and skin slick with sweat. I held her tightly, refusing to loosen my grip even an inch.
She buried her face against my neck, her breath still broken, her tears dampening my skin.
"I’m still here," I murmured into her hair, brushing strands away from her damp face. "We’re still here."
She let out a trembling laugh, a small one, but real. "For now."
I pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. "For always."
Her hand rose, cupping my cheek, her thumb tracing the corner of my mouth. "Don’t promise me forever, Kaelos."
"I don’t promise," I said firmly, my voice firm. "I vow."
Her lips curled into the faintest, broken smile before she leaned up, kissing me softly.
And in that moment, as her tears finally slowed, as her body relaxed into mine, I realised this wasn’t just sex.
It was survival.
It was love, forged in pain and sharpened by loss, clinging to the only thing that remained constant: each other.
So I held her, even after the tremors in her body stilled, even after her breath evened out against my chest. I held her as though letting go meant losing her forever.
Because if there was one thing I knew with certainty, it was that I’d burn the world to keep her here with me.
And this morning, at least, we had won that battle.
Together.
.
.
I don’t know how long it took, but a knock on the door was all it took to shatter our peace in the bedroom.
"Odessa? Alpha King?" Althea’s voice was what came from the other end.
I growled low, not bothering to mask my irritation. "What is it?"
"The elders of the Luminari have been waiting since last night," she said through the door. "Arachne and Nimue. They request to see Odessa... immediately."
My arm tightened around Odessa’s waist before the words had even fully left her mouth.
The thought of those self-righteous witches barging into our sanctuary—after what Odessa had endured, after what she had bled—sent heat through my veins.
Odessa stirred again, her violet eyes heavy-lidded but already aware. "They came?" she whispered, her voice hoarse from exhaustion.
"They dare," I muttered, brushing a strand of hair from her damp cheek. "You owe them nothing. Not today."
Her lips trembled, but her gaze was steady. "If I don’t go... they’ll make it worse. They’ll say I’m hiding. That I’ve lost control."
I clenched my jaw, hating that she was right.
The rain of blood, the trembling sky, her use of the Vein’s magic... none of it could be hidden. And they had been waiting for a reason to leash her further.
"They’ll not speak to you alone," I said, rising from the bed and reaching for my discarded robe. My voice was heavy as I continued. "If they wish to speak of last night, it will be before my throne. Under my roof."
Odessa nodded faintly, watching me dress. There was no strength left for argument, only quiet resignation. That alone made my blood boil hotter than fire.
By the time we entered the throne room, the Luminari elders were already waiting.
Arachne stood tall, her hair woven into a crown of braids, her robes a glittering black threaded with gold. Nimue lingered beside her, pale and sharp, her eyes cold as polished stone.
Their presence reeked of judgment.
I ascended the steps of my dais slowly, Odessa at my side. But we didn’t sit on our thrones.
My pack soldiers bowed low, their heads ducked, their eyes flicking warily between me and the witches who dared to summon my wife like she was some child.
"Your Grace," Arachne began, dipping her head with a courtesy that carried no warmth.
"We come at once because last night’s events cannot be ignored." Her gaze slid to Odessa, cool and calculating. "The blood-storm nearly drowned half the pack and beyond. The Vein’s magic surged thicker than ever. And all of it tied to her grief... and her defiance."
Odessa flinched beside me.
I stepped forward before she could form a reply, my voice echoing through the chamber:
"Careful."
Arachne’s lips pressed into a thin line.
Nimue spoke instead, her tone clipped. "We warned her. Six months abstaining from magic... our condition for her safety and for the world’s. She had but two months left. Instead she unraveled, and now the Vein stirs."
"She miscarried," I snapped, the word hitting the air like thunder. "She bled, she screamed, and the world answered. And you would turn her agony into a tribunal?"
"She risked us all," Nimue countered, her eyes flashing. "You coddle her, Kaelos, but the Vein does not care for your bond. When she draws upon it recklessly, the boundary thins."
Odessa’s voice, quiet but steady, rose then. "I didn’t call the Vein. It called me. The moment the life left my body, it’s chaotic magic tore through me. You think I wanted this?"
The chamber fell silent.
Her words cracked with raw grief, and I could feel her trembling beside me. My hand found hers, curling around it, grounding her as I faced the elders again.
"You will not shame her for surviving," I said, each syllable heavy with menace. "If the Vein stirred, then perhaps you should question why it lies so restless beneath us. Perhaps your coven should spend more time guarding its depths and less time binding my wife like she’s a wayward apprentice."
Arachne’s nostrils flared. "Her power is volatile—"
"Her power," I cut in, "is mine to shield, not yours to chain. Odessa belongs to me, to this court. If you wish to discuss protections, we will discuss them as equals. But you will not step into my hall and treat her as though she were a criminal."
Gasps rippled faintly through the chamber. Odessa’s fingers tightened around mine, her head bowing in something close to relief.
Nimue’s eyes narrowed. "So you would pit yourself against the Luminari for her?"
I bared my teeth with contempt. "I would pit myself against the gods themselves if they sought to harm her. Do not mistake my civility for weakness."