Rough, damaged König learns to be soft for her.
You knew better than to provoke him like this. But maybe that was the point.
The silence between you had stretched for days. König had grown colder, rougher, harder to read. Not that he was ever gentle⊠but something in him had shifted. Something jagged lived behind his eyes now.
You missed him. Missed the version of him that held you close afterward, even if only for a few minutes. Missed the way he would pause with his lips against your spine, breathing you in like a man starved. Lately, he barely looked at you when he fucked you.
You mouthed off. Rolled your eyes. Wore that little lace set he hated, the one that made him call you a whore for attention. You teased and defied and bit at the chain until it snapped.
Now you were paying for it.
Your wrists were bound behind your back. His belt cinched tight around them, rough leather biting into your skin. You were bent over the bed, face buried in the sheets, ass in the air. Your panties were shoved to your knees, and he was behind you. Silent, seething.
His hand cracked across your thigh, and you jerked, letting out a cry.
âYou want to be treated like a slut?â he growled.
Another slap. Your legs buckled. His voice was venomous.
âIâll treat you like one.â
You choked on a moan as his fingers forced their way between your thighs. You were soaked already- of course you were. You hated how your body responded to this, how much it loved the pain, the power, the filth.
âFucking dripping,â he hissed. âOf course you are.â
You flinched as he spread you open with one hand, the other still gripping the belt like he wasnât done with it.
âPlease,â you gasped. âJust- just fuck me.â
âI said youâd earn it.â
The belt came down across your ass again. You cried out. He hit you again. Again. You were shaking by the time he finally dropped the belt to the floor.
The sound of his zipper felt like a warning. You tensed, body taut as wire, trembling with anticipation.
Then he pushed into youâno warning, no patience, no words. Just the sharp, brutal stretch of him filling you in one vicious thrust.
His hands gripped your hips like they were handles. He used you. Slammed into you like he was punishing you. No kisses. No tenderness. Just raw, relentless fucking.
You bit the sheets to muffle your sobs. It felt so good, and it hurt so bad, and you didnât know where the two sensations split anymore. All you knew was that you werenât okay.
And that he didnât seem to care.
âKönig,â you whimpered. âWhy are you-why are you doing this-?â
He growled low in his throat. âYou wanted this. You made me.â
âYou always want it rough,â he snapped. âDonât pretend you donât love this.â
He pounded into you harder, rougher, until your arms were screaming from the tension and your breath hitched into something close to a sob.
You tried to breathe. Tried to keep control. But your body was splitting in two-one half of you begging for more, the other screaming for something softer. For him.
He pulled out, only to flip you onto your back like you were weightless. The belt twisted your arms behind you, chest heaving, eyes glazed.
He climbed on top of you, one hand pressing your bound wrists into the mattress, the other sliding between your thighs again. He forced you open and slid back inside, watching your face as he filled you.
You cried out, your body arching up against his chest. He didnât kiss you.
âKönig,â you gasped, voice cracking. âWhy do you hate me?â
You stared up at him, eyes brimming with tears. âYou⊠you must hate me. To do this. To treat me like.. like I donât matter.â
His breath caught. His hips stilled.
âDo you hate me?â you asked, voice trembling. âDo you hurt me because you donât love me?â
His mask twitched. His hands softened just slightly, but his grip didnât loosen.
âI-I know I wanted this,â you said. âBut sometimes I think⊠maybe you do it like this because itâs easier. To treat me like a body. Like something you donât have to care about.â
The room was deathly quiet except for your sobbing.
âI just⊠I want to matter,â you whispered. âEven if you only ever touch me like this. Even if itâs always rough. I can take it. I just want to know that Iâm not nothing to you.â
He stared down at you, chest heaving, his cock still buried deep inside youâbut now he wasnât moving.
He said nothing for a long moment.
âI donât hate you.â
Your breath caught. His voice was ragged.
âI hate myself,â he said.
You blinked through tears, lips trembling. âThen why?â
His hands trembled on your body.
âBecause I donât know how else to be,â he muttered. âBecause when I touch you like this, I donât have to think about what I am. I just⊠take. And you let me.â
He lowered his head, forehead pressing against yours through the fabric of the mask.
âYou should hate me,â he whispered. âIâm a monster.â
You stared at him-broken open, heart bleeding.
And then you whispered, âIf youâre a monster⊠then Iâm your monster.â
You leaned your forehead into his, tears sliding down your cheeks. âHurt me all you want. Just donât leave.â
He didnât answer. Just held you there-still inside you, still trembling-and for the first time in weeks, he didnât pull away.
König hadnât moved since you whispered those words-Hurt me all you want. Just donât leave. He hovered above you, cock still buried deep, his chest heaving with something that wasnât lust anymore.
You felt his body tremble.
It was the first time youâd ever seen him hesitate.
He pulled out gently, too gently, like he thought he might break you further if he didnât. You whimpered at the loss, at the emptiness between your legs, and at the cold that followed once he was no longer touching you.
Didnât untie your wrists.
Just stood beside the bed, towering and silent, the black mask hiding the man-but not the shame radiating off him like heat.
âKönig,â you whispered, your voice hoarse and wet with tears.
âKönig⊠say something.â
His head dropped. You watched his shoulders rise and fall in deep, uneven breaths. When he finally spoke, it was quiet. Flat. Broken.
âI shouldnât have done that.â
You stared up at him, tears still drying on your cheeks. âBut you always do.â
He turned slightly, just enough for you to see the angle of his jaw beneath the mask- tight, clenched, like he was holding himself together with sheer will.
âBecause I thought you wanted it,â he said. âBecause I told myself you needed it. And because if I gave you what you actually deservedâŠâ His voice cracked. âI wouldnât know how to live with it.â
You blinked. âWhat do you mean?â
He faced you fully now, but didnât come closer. His hands opened and closed at his sides like he didnât know what to do with them.
âYou think I donât care,â he said quietly. âBut youâre all I think about.â
He swallowed hard. âAnd thatâs the problem.â
âI was trained to kill,â he said, eyes locked on you now. âI was shaped into something that doesnât know how to hold anything without hurting it. You look at me like Iâm capable of more. Of love. Of softness. But all I know is how to destroy.â
âYou havenât destroyed me.â
Hollow laughter, bitter. âNot for lack of trying.â
He turned away again, pacing now. Rubbing his face like he could scrub the guilt off with his palms.
âI meant to scare you,â he said. âMeant to take control. But when you asked if I hated you..â
âIâve never felt so ashamed in my life.â
You watched his chest rise. Fall.
âI felt like a fucking animal. Not even that-less. Like a weapon too dull to do anything but ruin what it touches.â
You shifted on the bed, twisting your arms behind you.
âPlease,â you whispered. âUntie me.â
He turned, saw you still bound.
His expression shattered.
He crossed the room in two strides and dropped to his knees beside you. His fingers were too big for the buckle-he fumbled, cursed under his breath, finally tearing the belt loose with a rough jerk.
You winced, your wrists aching as the leather slid off. He reached for them with trembling hands.
âDonât-â you started.
But he didnât hurt you.
He cradled your wrists in his palms like they were glass, eyes scanning the angry red marks circling your skin. His touch was feather-light, reverent. And then-he leaned down and pressed a kiss to each one.
His breath was shaking against your skin. His hands still trembled.
âI never meant to make you cry like that,â he whispered. âI didnât think-I didnât feel.â
He looked up, and for the first time, you saw the man through the eye slits. Not the soldier. Not the monster.
A scared, lonely man whoâd never been taught how to love without pain.
âI donât know how to want someone without hurting them,â he whispered. âBut I swear to you, I donât hate you.â
You looked down at him. Kneeling, wounded, raw.
âI know,â you said softly.
He leaned his head against your thigh, forehead pressing to your skin through the mask. His arms wrapped around your waist like he was holding on for dear life.
You ran your fingers through his hair, gentle now. âYouâre not a monster.â
For the first time since you met him, König didnât want sex. He wanted stillness. Warmth. Forgiveness he didnât know how to ask for.
You curled into him, both of you naked and exposed in the worst ways, and for a long time, neither of you said a word.
But you both felt everything.
The air between you had shifted.
König hadnât moved from where he knelt, arms still loosely wrapped around your waist, head bowed as though in prayer. His breath warmed your thigh. His mask scratched your skin. But his grip-tentative now-had none of the violence it held before.
You ran your hand through his hair again, slower this time, more deliberate. You could feel his heart racing against you like heâd just stepped off a battlefield.
âKönig,â you said gently.
âKönig, look at me.â
He didnât move at first. Then slowlyâlike it hurtâhe raised his head, eyes meeting yours through the holes in his mask.
What you saw there nearly undid you.
âI didnât mean it,â he said, voice hoarse. âI didnât mean to make you ask if I loved you. I didnât mean for you to ever wonder.â
Your throat tightened. âBut I did.â
His head dropped again. âI know.â
âI do wonder,â you whispered. âAll the time.â
He slid his arms up your sides slowly-still trembling, still terrified youâd recoil-but you let him. His hands cupped your face like he was holding something precious. His thumbs brushed your cheeks.
âIâm sorry,â he choked. âGod, Iâm so fucking sorry.â
Tears burned behind your eyes again.
âI justâŠâ he shook his head, voice cracking, âI didnât know I was capable of love until I met you. And by the time I realized it, Iâd already done too much damage.â
You swallowed. âYou couldâve told me.â
âI thought if I stayed distant, if I kept it all rough and cold, itâd protect you. From me. From what I am.â
âYou think I needed protection?â you whispered.
âI thought you hated me,â you said, tears spilling freely now. âI thought you used me to get off. I thought I was nothing.â
Königâs breath hitched.
âI thought I didnât matter,â you sobbed. âAnd I loved you anyway. I loved you every night you left me alone. Every time you touched me like I was just a thing.â
He moved closer on his knees. âDonât say that-â
âItâs true,â you cried. âYou made me believe it. You didnât tell me otherwise. You let me sit in that silence and rot.â
He stared up at you, completely unraveling.
And then-quietly-he said it.
âI need you to forgive me.â
You blinked through the tears. âWhat?â
âI know I donât deserve it. But please,â he whispered, voice breaking. âPlease, Schatz. Forgive me.â
The rawness of it split something open in both of you.
He reached up, pulled his mask up over his mouth and nose, exposing the trembling curve of his lips. They were chapped. Pink. Vulnerable. Real.
Youâd never seen him like this.
âIâve never begged for anything in my life,â he said. âBut Iâll beg for this. For you.â
Your heart clenched so tightly it hurt. âKönigâŠâ
âIâll do whatever it takes,â he whispered. âIâll stop. Iâll learn. Iâll never touch you again unless you ask me to.â
You shook your head slowly, voice cracked. âI donât want you to stop touching me.â
You reached forward, pressing your palms gently to his chest.
âI want you to touch me like I matter.â
He let out a broken sound-half relief, half agony. His hands hovered in the air, like he was afraid to lay them on you, like he didnât trust himself.
âYouâre not off the hook,â you said, voice steady now, firmer. âI just want you to care. To touch me like I matter.â
He nodded. âI donât want to be off the hook.â
âBut I want to move forward,â you said, softer. âI want to believe that you can love me without violence. That you can hold me and not crush me.â
âI can,â he said instantly. âI swear, I can.â
König reached for you slowly- so slowly-and when his fingertips touched your waist, he exhaled like heâd been holding his breath for hours. He trailed his touch upward, along your ribs, over the curve of your shoulder, then down your arm to your still-marked wrist.
He kissed it. Gently. Twice.
Then he climbed into the bed beside you, his body trembling as he settled in behind you and pulled you into his chest. You let him.
He wrapped his arms around you like a man afraid to fall asleep. His nose pressed to your hair. You could feel his heart hammering against your spine.
âI love you,â he whispered, so soft you almost didnât catch it.
You turned your head just enough to see his face, still half-masked. âSay it again.â
âI love you,â he repeated, firmer now. âI love you. Not your body. Not your submission. You.â
You exhaled shakily. âI need to believe that.â
âIâll make you believe it,â he said. âEvery day, if I have to.â
You turned fully and laid your head on his bare chest. He cradled you there. Your breath slowed. So did his.
His fingers brushed your thigh, tentative again. âMay I?â
His touch trailed up your inner thighânot for domination, not to bend youâbut just to feel. To remind you that he could be soft. That he could choose it.
When he pressed his lips to your temple, something in you loosened for the first time in weeks.
You werenât healed. Not yet.
But you werenât afraid anymore.
It was hours before either of you moved again.
You laid together in silence, wrapped around each other like a battlefield truce. His arms stayed curled around you, but looser now-no more bruising grip. No more hands made to break.
Just the weight of his body warming yours.
The soft brush of his fingers down your spine. The slow, heavy breathing that let you feel every inch of him pressed against your back.
But even now, you knew he was waiting for permission. König-terrifying, enormous König-had spent the past hour touching you with the caution of a man handling sacred relics.
And you needed that. God, you needed that.
You rolled over slowly, facing him. He flinched slightly-still expecting rejection. Still braced for pain. But you lifted your hand to his face, dragging your knuckles over the edge of his jaw. His mask was still half-up, exposing just his mouth and chin.
He looked more naked like that than he ever had before.
You whispered, âTake it off.â
His eyes locked on yours. âThe mask?â
He hesitated⊠then pulled it off, slow and unsure.
And then he was there. All of him.
Sharp jawline. Faint stubble. That long scar at the corner of his lip youâd never seen up close. His mouth looked kiss-starved. His eyes were ocean-dark, raw and unguarded.
âYouâre beautiful,â you whispered.
His lips parted, stunned. Like no one had ever said that to him and meant it.
You leaned in and kissed him. Soft. Careful.
It was the first time a kiss between you didnât feel like a threat.
He kissed you back with aching restraint, hands tightening around your waist, but not pullingânot controlling. Just holding.
You climbed into his lap and straddled him, your thighs bracketing his hips. You didnât say anything when your bodies brushed togetherâjust pressed your forehead to his and let your lips trail his jaw.
âWill you let me?â you whispered. âWill you let me take you in without being afraid?â
He looked like he might break.
You reached down and guided him inside you, slowly, sinking onto him like your body was made to hold him. He was big, but now you welcomed the stretch, the fullness. You moaned into his mouth as you slid down all the way.
His breath left him in a shudder. âScheiĂeâŠâ
You rolled your hips once. His head fell back, mouth open, jaw tight. You kissed his throat.
âIs this okay?â you asked softly.
âJa,â he breathed. âYes. Yes, pleaseâdonât stop. Please donât stop.â
You moved gently, grinding against him, both hands on his chest. He let you take the lead. Let you ride him slow and deep while he watched you with something like worship in his eyes.
Just his hands on your waist, guiding you like he was afraid to break the spell. Like he wanted this to last forever.
Your pace stayed slow. Intimate. His cock stroked places inside you that had never felt tender until now.
You gasped. âFeels so good, KönigâŠâ
He held your face. âYou feel like heaven.â
Your hands found his. Interlocked fingers. He let out a guttural moan, so full of emotion it almost made you cry again.
âKiss me,â you whispered.
He did. And it was real this time.
You came like that, his mouth on yours, his arms around your back, your bodies moving together like two broken halves finally meeting at the seam.
And when you did, he followed with a hoarse groan and a whispered curse in German, burying his face in your shoulder.
After, he didnât let go. Not for a long time.
You collapsed against him, flushed and trembling. He pulled a blanket over both of you and wrapped himself around you like a shield.
âIâve never done that before,â he whispered.
He let out a quiet laugh. âHad that kind of sex.â
You smiled into his chest. âWe can do it again.â
He brushed his lips over your forehead. âWe will.â
There was silence, soft and heavy.
âWill you stay?â he asked. âAfter tonight. After all of this.â
âIâm not going anywhere.â
âGood,â he whispered. âBecause I want to learn how to love you right. Even if it takes me the rest of my life.â
It tasted like the beginning.