Maffi-Maffi

****

Beasts, living with us, become tame, but people, interacting with one another, become wild.

Heraclitus

****

Two weeks flew by in a flash.

Kaylie barely had time to blink before she found herself in the middle of the forest at night in nothing but a thin white shirt that barely covered her thighs, ready for an ancient ritual that was supposed to change her entire life.

The shirt followed all the traditions of the Night of the White Moon: simple, made of unbleached linen, and without any decorations. A so-called symbol of purity and beginnings. All the omegas were dressed exactly the same, equalizing the rich and the poor, the noble and the common, because on this night it didn't matter whose daughter you were or what your dowry was, only one thing mattered, and that was how fast you could run and how strong your will to survive was.

Eight other omegas of varying ages stood next to Kaylie.

From very young ones of about sixteen, whose faces were pale with fear, to mature women in their thirties who were participating not for the first time, as their previous partners had died, and now they had to find new ones.

Aria stood out among them all. Aria looked like a true beauty of the steppe mountains in her white shirt, her long dark hair cascading down her back in solid silk, and her large brown eyes full of some feverish excitement.

Kaylie caught her eye for a moment.

Aria smiled a gentle, almost apologetic smile, and Kaylie felt something inside her chest drop to her heels. Probably her heart, if it was even still intact considering how many times it had already fallen like that.

She's sure Sylus will hunt her, Kaylie realized with a pang. Sure that he'll choose her.

Maybe he would.

But she shouldn't get distracted by unnecessary soul-searching; she had worse problems to deal with.

Fear gripped her throat in an icy hold, because it was unknown what exactly awaited her out there in the darkness of the gloomy forest. Not to mention the resentment that burned hotter than red-hot iron toward the elders who had forced her into this ritual, toward the clan that didn't accept her for who she was, toward Sylus, who... who...

To the spirits with him!

She would still prove what she was capable of. That she could survive. That of all people, she was definitely worthy of this. That at least one alpha in this tribe would want her not out of pity, but because she... because...

Stop it! Kix snapped at herself. Now is not the time for these thoughts.

Urgan slowly approached the center of the clearing.

In his hands, Urgan held a censer from which rose clouds of fragrant smoke, probably herbs mixed with dried mushrooms and the bark of a sacred tree. The smell was thick, so intoxicating that Kaylie felt her head start to spin slightly.

"Tonight, we honor the tradition of our ancestors!" Urgan's elderly voice echoed. "The Night of the White Moon is a sacred ritual where the strongest alphas choose the strongest omegas to continue the lineage of our glorious clan."

Pretty words for a barbaric custom.

"Omegas," Urgan continued, scanning the row of shivering figures in white shirts. "You are given one hour until the moon rises to its zenith. Run into the forest. Hide. Use all your skills. Because when the moon reaches its highest point, the alphas will begin the hunt. And woe to the one who is caught by the weak! A strong alpha will give strong offspring. Such is the law of nature."

An hour. Just an hour's head start before the predators were unleashed on them.

"When an alpha catches an omega and knots her in his wolf form," Urgan raised his hand, pointing at the full moon. "The bond will become unbreakable. The pair will be blessed by the ancestral spirits. Thus it was, thus it is, and thus it will always be."

A chill ran down Kaylie's spine.

A knot. In wolf form, no less.

She had understood since childhood how strong this bond was and how easily an omega could "lose herself," completely submitting to her alpha's instincts. That was what Kaylie feared most of all — a total loss of control over her own body and will.

"Prepare yourselves," Urgan waved his hand, stepping aside.

And then Kaylie saw them.

The alphas stood on the opposite side of the clearing, about twenty men, all in light hunting clothes with predatorily burning eyes. Already waiting like predators ready to break off their chains.

And among all this pack of wild wolves shone a silver crown of hair that Kaylie would recognize out of a thousand.

Her heart immediately dropped like a stone into her stomach.

Sylus stood slightly apart from the others, leaning his shoulder against an ancient oak. His arms were crossed over his chest, his face like an impenetrable mask. But his eyes... Red eyes burned in the dark like red-hot coals, and they were looking right at her. Not at Aria, who stood closer to the center, her back straight and her chin raised proudly, and certainly not at the other omegas.

At Kaylie.

Only at her.

Something inside Kaylie clenched and trembled from the bitterness filling her mouth.

So he'll have to say goodbye to the status of an unbound alpha too, she thought with a sort of clinical detachment. The elders probably insisted. Or the khan. It's time to continue the bloodline, start a family, strengthen positions.

Of course, Sylus would choose Aria. How could it be otherwise? The perfect match for the perfect warrior.

And the fact that he was looking at Kaylie right now... well, that was just a check. He probably wanted to make sure she wouldn't do anything stupid. That she would submit to the ritual, just as she was ordered. A final check from a commander to his subordinate before everything changed once and for all.

That thought gave her strength.

Bitter, angry resolve flared brighter than fear.

Fine, then I'll show you, Sylus, the wolf inside her whispered. Exactly what this wrong omega is capable of. I'll show you all.

A rolling, hollow drumbeat swept through the forest, making the birds within a several-meter radius scatter from the trees.

The signal.

"Run!" Urgan shouted, waving his staff. "Run, omegas! And may the spirits of the forest keep you!"

Kaylie didn't need to be told twice.

She bolted first, overtaking even Aria, who hesitated for a moment, clearly expecting a more graceful and feminine start. Kaylie's bare feet dug into the soft earth, pushed off, and carried her far ahead, to where the ancient trees closed in a dense canopy, hiding even the face of the moonlight.

Behind her, she heard the shouts and trampling of the other omegas scattering in different directions, each choosing the path destined for her. Someone ran straight, hoping to get as far away as possible. Someone immediately turned aside, weaving between the trees.

But Kaylie didn't look back. She had her own plan.

After all, her years of hunting hadn't been in vain. Kaylie knew the forest like the back of her hand: where the streams flowed, where the thick bushes grew, where she could hide, and where it was easy to fall into a trap. And most importantly, she knew how wolves hunted.

Knew their habits and tactics.

Which meant she knew how to get away from them.

First of all, she tore a few branches from a thorny bush and laid them across her path, masking them with leaves. A simple trap, but an effective one, because wolf paws were sensitive, and the sharp thorns would force her unlucky pursuer to slow down, to waste time going around.

Then she found a fallen tree, jumped over it, and carefully swept away her tracks with other branches, running along the trunk itself for twenty meters before jumping down on the other side — this was supposed to confuse anyone trying to track her by scent.

Next, her path took her through a shallow stream, only ankle-deep but strong enough to wash away the scent of her feet. Kaylie waded through the water for a good half mile upstream until she stepped out onto a rocky bank.

Her next and final trap was more complex.

She dug a shallow pit, covered it with thin branches and leaves, and scattered even more branches on top, creating the illusion of a blockage. A wolf running at full speed wouldn't notice the trick and would fall through. Not a crippling trap, of course, but it would do to buy her some time.

After that, she climbed a tall, albeit old oak with thick branches, crossed them to the neighboring tree, and then to the next.

By the time the drum struck a second time, heralding the start of the hunt, Kaylie was already more than a mile away from the starting point, deep in the forest where the trees grew so densely that the moonlight barely broke through the thick foliage.

Let's see who can find me, she thought smugly.

Following that, a drawn-out, eerie howl of a hungry wolf rolled through the forest, full of promises.

The hunt had begun.

Kaylie shuddered, but not from fear.

From anticipation.

She waited another minute, listening to the sounds of the forest. Somewhere to the left came the crackle of branches; obviously, someone was running, and running heavily and clumsily at that. Probably one of the younger omegas who had panicked from the howl. The wolf's call repeated, but closer, and Kaylie heard an answering frightened shriek that was quickly cut off.

The first one was caught.

Kaylie stopped in one of the tall trees, intending to catch her breath and lay low on a thick branch, pressing her back against the trunk as she tried to calm her breathing. Her dirtied shirt clung stickily to her body from sweat, her short hair was ruffled from the long run, and the scratches on her arms and legs ached with pain.

But she was still free.

Still not caught.

Suddenly, something rustled under her tree.

Kaylie froze and even stopped breathing, peering into the bottomless darkness below, trying to make out the source of the sound. A large, almost silent shadow shifted to the side down there.

An alpha.

Pass by, she prayed soundlessly. Just pass by and don't look up...

As if reading all her thoughts, the shadow stopped, as luck would have it, right under her tree.

Kaylie gritted her teeth, preparing to jump if necessary.

Her hand slid to her thigh, where a small dagger was strapped — the only weapon she had managed to hide under her shirt contrary to the rules of the ritual. If this alpha tried to climb up...

The figure raised his head, and suddenly the moonlight softly illuminated his face.

It was... Sylus.

Their eyes met each other in that exact moment.

Red eyes found blue with frightening precision, as if Sylus had always known where she was hiding. And maybe he had. Maybe he had caught her scent right from the start and was just giving her a chance to run around, to think she had a chance against him.

Utterly slowly, the corners of his lips stretched into a wide, predatory smirk:

"I found you, Kix."

Not giving herself a chance to hesitate, Kix jumped that very second.

Not down, of course, that would be suicide even for a shifter from such a height. Instead, she pushed off the trunk, flew to the neighboring tree, grabbed a branch, and dropped from there at a safe height. She landed on all fours, rolled, and bolted.

A low, guttural growl immediately sounded behind her back.

Kaylie ignored the warning in that sound, instead only picking up her pace, even though she knew it was useless.

After all, Sylus was faster, stronger, simply better.

The only thing she could somehow beat him at was cunning.

Diving into a thicket of blackberries, ignoring how the thorns mercilessly scratched her skin and tore the thin fabric of her shirt, she squeezed through a narrow passage between rocks where no alpha could fit and popped out onto the other side of the forest, where the stream was, and...

...ran into him face-to-face.

Sylus stood on the other bank, breathing heavily, not taking his intense, strained gaze off her, which made her swallow. He was far too wild.

"Now you're not going anywhere," he said hoarsely. "I see you, Kix."

Kaylie took a step back, her hand feeling for her dagger.

"Just try to come closer," she hissed fiercely. "And you'll find out exactly how well I wield this blade."

Sylus gave a short laugh and took a step into the water, then another.

"Do you really think you can wound me?" he smiled mockingly, slowly crossing the stream. "Go ahead, omega, try it."

An undisguised challenge rang in his words.

And Kaylie could never resist a challenge.

She waited for the moment when he almost reached her side of the bank, and swiftly darted forward, aiming the weapon at his shoulder. A non-lethal strike, just wanting to force him to back off.

But just as expected from the man who had taught her almost everything she knew, Sylus intercepted her wrist mid-flight, stopping the blade inches from his skin. His fingers gripped her arm tightly, but surprisingly, caused no pain.

Instead, Sylus yanked her toward him and Kaylie, losing her balance, crashed into his chest. But she managed to stick her leg out and kicked him in the knee, making him stagger back, giving her a couple of precious seconds to rip her hand free and spring back.

She launched her next strike from the bottom up, aiming for his stomach. Sylus leaned back a split second before the blow with a quiet chuckle, and the dagger sliced through empty air with a whistle.

Kix shot him an angry glare, frantically trying to find a gap in his defense, but he was too good. Sylus anticipated her every move seconds ahead, blocked every strike with almost insulting ease, and still managed to goad her.

"Faster. Aim higher. No, not like that, you're leaving your side open."

"I know what I'm doing!"

"Really? Because personally, I see you failing," Sylus shook his head, making a patronizing, casual sound. "I taught you all these moves myself. You can't win this fight."

"Then explain how I got away from the other alphas!" she threw back defiantly.

"Because they aren't me, and because I let you get away from me."

He moved forward so fast that Kaylie didn't even have time to react.

One of his hands grabbed her wrist, finally knocking the dagger out of it. The other wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against him, and there she was, already pressed against his body, so close that she could feel every breath taken by his massive chest.

The heat radiating from his body was almost unbearable, not to mention his scent... Gods, his scent. As always, it was cedar and the sharpness of smoke, but now something else was mixed into it. Something thick, dark, and musky...

The scent of a rut.

The pure, undiluted, primal aroma of an alpha in the midst of a very real mating frenzy.

Kaylie's face flared that very second when she felt her entire body start to respond to this scent, how the wolf inside her was scratching, whining, and demanding to submit. The omega in her recognized her alpha in rut and instinctively prepared to answer with a heat.

"What the..." she exhaled, tearing out of his grip and clamping her hand over her nose. "What the hell are you even doing here during a rut?! You... you're not supposed to be in the ritual in this state, it's against all..."

Tugging the corner of his lips, Sylus tilted his head to the side with curiosity, flaring his nostrils to inhale her pheromones more deeply. His red eyes darkened several shades, becoming almost black as his pupils dilated to their absolute limit, leaving only a thin crimson rim.

"And what else was I supposed to do..." his lips stretched into a wide, almost manic smile. "...when my omega challenges me?"

Kaylie blinked.

Once.

Twice.

The words refused to string themselves together.

"I..." her voice betrayed her and trembled. "I'm not your omega."

That was a mistake.

Kaylie realized this as soon as the damn stubborn words flew from her lips, because in the very next moment, something snapped in Sylus's already wild eyes. Like what happens with predators who decide that playtime is over.

He lunged forward straight at her.

She tried to dodge, but Sylus was too fast.

One minute she was standing on her own two feet, and the next she slammed back-first into the soft grass, a fall that knocked all the air out of her lungs. Sylus immediately followed, pinning her down with his weight, nailing her wrists above her head with one hand, aiming his other for her throat.

Not squeezing, just resting there, like a reminder of who dominated this field.

"What did you say?" his voice was so low it echoed in her chest as a prolonged vibration. "Repeat it. Look me in the eyes and repeat your words, omega."

Nervously licking her lip, Kix obediently raised her eyes to him, looking at the silver strands of his hair falling over his forehead, at his face twisted with anger, at the eyes that burned with such fire that it felt like just a little more and they'd simply burn her to ashes.

She was drastically short of air.

And not because of the pressure on her throat, since there was barely any there.

But because he was too close, too much, too unbearably... desired.

"No matter how foolish you are, Kix," he growled right into her ear, making her whole body jolt. "You are mine. Always have been mine. From the very day I first caught your scent and my wolf recognized you as his mate."

"No," the omega inside her responded to Sylus's proximity, but she tried to resist these urges. "You're not... you're with Aria..."

Something hot and wet slid up her neck. A tongue. He slowly licked her from shoulder to ear, possessively marking her with his saliva. The gesture was so unexpected that she moaned out of anger.

Yes, anger, not a strange, shameful arousal at all.

"What Aria, by the spirits?" Sylus growled irritably. "Why do you keep talking about her?"

"Because... because everyone knows..." Kaylie managed to force out with difficulty, losing her grip on reality as his tongue dragged across her skin again, this time pausing in the hollow where her neck met her shoulder. Right where her scent glands were located. "Everyone says that you two... t-that you..."

"I don't care what others say," he cut her off roughly. "I only care about one thing — you. Only you, my stubborn and foolish omega."

And then he bit her.

Not hard and without even breaking the skin, but his teeth still touched her sensitive skin at the juncture of her shoulder and neck, pressing down, making her cry out whether from pain, or shock, or something else she wasn't ready to admit.

A wave of heat rolled through her whole body; her hips pushed forward on their own, seeking more contact. It instantly became slick between her legs, and Kaylie realized with belated horror exactly what that meant.

No.

Not here.

And definitely not now.

But her body wouldn't listen to reason. The heat that had been slumbering on the edge of her consciousness all this week suddenly flared with full force. Her scent shifted direction: notes of timid vanilla and ripe strawberry joined the wild honey and frosty wind, becoming sweeter, riper, ready.

"Kix," Sylus rasped. "Your scent..."

His nose twitched, his nostrils flaring as he greedily dragged in the air. His body tensed above her; it seemed as if every muscle in Sylus had turned to actual stone, and the pressure of his pheromones took on an entirely feral hue.

Kaylie captured this fatal moment of his breaking point with her own eyes, watching as his face began to change, his cheekbones sharpening, his canines lengthening to push through his sensual lips. The fingers still gripping her wrists darkened, sprouting silver fur.

He was shifting, losing control and surrendering completely to primal instinct.

And the wolf inside him demanded only one thing: to take, to claim his rights, and most importantly... to knot.

In a final flash of human reason, his crimson eyes caught hers and held them:

"Run... Kix... run. Right now!"

The grip on her wrists slackened and Sylus rolled aside, fighting not only his transformation but his own beast, which demanded not to let the prey go.

Well, Kaylie didn't need to be told twice.

She instantly broke from his weakened hold, leaped to her feet, and bolted away.

Behind her back, his drawn-out roar rang out immediately, heralding the awakening of the wolf coming after her.

On the run, she hastily ripped off the white shirt, since the fabric only hindered the hunt, restricting her movements. The cold air washed over her skin with an icy breath, summoning the wild wolf outward. Kaylie closed her eyes, not slowing her pace, and surrendered to the shift, which happened almost without conscious effort.

Bones crunched, breaking and rearranging into a new form. Her skin became covered in pitch-black fur, her teeth turned into sharp fangs, her arms gave way to white wolf paws, and her legs to hind ones as she frantically flicked her tail.

A moment later, where a naked girl had once torn away, a sleek wolf with white markings on her muzzle, chest, and paws was running. Predatory eyes ignited like sharp sapphires in the darkness of the dense forest, firmly determined to get out of this race alive.

Even though a living nightmare was chasing her.

A massive snow-white wolf lunged from behind the trees with a roar that sent a flock of birds flying from their branches a good mile around. He was massive, almost twice the size of any normal wolf. His red eyes burned like red-hot coals, never losing sight of his prey.

The White Demon of the Steppe in all his power and the hunting madness of the rut.

Spirits, she definitely wouldn't survive this.

Kaylie hurtled forward faster, putting everything she had into her run. Her paws barely touched the ground. Trees flashed by on all sides as blurry patches, and the whistle of the wind in her ears fiercely spurred her on not to spare herself, not letting her slow down.

But Sylus was faster.

It didn't matter that she was smaller and lighter than him in size. It didn't matter that over these years she had come to know this forest better than any other shifter. It didn't matter how persistently she honed her own skills.

Sylus was their tribe's strongest alpha for a reason. In his wolf form, he simply had no equal.

And soon Kaylie felt his approach in her very gut. The satisfied growling reaching her back made her heart squeeze in fear; the thud of massive paws stepping on her trail got under her skin. She had to give him credit: he wasn't chasing her blindly, but rather... anticipating her every fork and wrong turn.

When she tried to veer left, he cut the corner, forcing her to turn back. When she tried to dive into thick underbrush, he appeared on the other side, cutting off her path. When she tried to loop back and run behind, he snapped his fangs threateningly, warning her that such a move was doomed.

Driving her into a trap, he wasn't just hunting, he was toying with her, which couldn't help but infuriate her.

The waterhole, a desperate idea flashed in her head. If I get to the waterhole, the water will wash away my scent and I can...

Kix didn't have time to finish thinking about what exactly she could do.

A huge white mass crashed painfully into her side, knocking her off her feet, and they rolled across the ground in a tangled ball of black and white fur. Kaylie tried to break free, but a massive paw pinned her back to the dirt that very second, not letting her get up.

The sheer size of the white wolf above her was oppressive, sapping her will to live, since just one of his paws was the size of her head, which already inspired no small amount of terror.

A couple of seconds later, he opened his jaws, exposing fangs the length of a human finger, and a low, threatening growl tore from his throat, echoing in her bones with a slight tremor.

Kaylie whined, turning away, but he growled louder, and she froze. Instinct screamed:

Submit, submit, submit.

He's an alpha, an alpha, an alpha.

He's your...

His muzzle lowered to the scruff of her neck, searing the skin under her fur, and then he snapped his jaws shut.

The pain was deafening.

His fangs sank deep into her skin, piercing the hide and reaching the actual flesh. Kaylie let out a pitiful, high-pitched wail, trying to jerk away, but that only made the pain worse. The fangs sank deeper, found the bone, and clamped down harder than before.

And then a distinct, quiet crunch shattered the night silence. Not a break, but it was painful enough to send pure agony through her bones. Yet along with that, something clicked in her consciousness.

An invisible bond stretching from her to him, tying them to one another.

A mark.

The possessive, undeniable mark of an alpha on his omega.

Sylus held the bite for a long time. So long that at some point Kaylie started losing consciousness from the pain and lack of air, and only after she went completely limp like a rag doll beneath him did he finally release his jaws.

Blinking her eyes open, she saw that the blood covering his entire muzzle was quietly dripping onto the ground. He methodically licked the unending fluid from her neck, and every touch of his rough tongue was both torture and relief.

The pain throbbed in time with her heartbeat, but somewhere deep inside, a strange feeling was rising... a sense of completeness.

A terrifying rightness to what was happening.

The white wolf lay down beside her, pulling her close with his paw, pressing her against his chest, and buried his muzzle contentedly into her scruff: right where the fresh mark was still bleeding. His tongue continued to carefully lap at the wound, cleaning it, marking it over and over.

Kaylie whined in protest but didn't dare fight back.

She simply couldn't.

Her body was too heavy, and her mind was fogged by the dome of his scent mixing with her own.

Now they smelled as one.

Like... a mated pair.

The shift back started irreversibly, but gradually. Fur retracted into skin, bones rearranged themselves back into human ones, paws turned back into hands and feet. The reverse process was painful — it was always painful — but after what she had just survived, it felt like nothing.

A few minutes later, two fully naked people lay on the dirt.

Kaylie came to her senses on her side, pressed against his chest. Sylus's arm wrapped around her waist, holding her in place, while his other arm lay under her head, serving as a makeshift pillow, elbow bent so that his forearm rested right in front of her face.

The intimacy of their position was almost overwhelming.

They had never lain so close to each other. Never. Even their sparring matches, which the twins constantly called mating games, couldn't compare to such an act of intimacy.

Probably because back then they had clothes on — some kind of layer, basic boundaries.

Now there was nothing.

Only bare skin against bare skin, his pungent scent enveloping her like a heavy blanket, and the realization of the fact that everything between them had changed.

"Kix, stop thinking so loudly," Sylus's voice murmured right by her ear.

"I'm not..." she began, but her voice cracked before it even gained strength.

"Not thinking?" he scoffed softly, his lips grazing the shell of her ear. "A lie. You're thinking. Always thinking. You're probably already planning how to run away from me the second I let you go."

"W-what... no!" Kaylie protested, poorly hiding her doubts.

To which Sylus only let out a quiet laugh.

"Don't you dare lie to your alpha," he purred completely without malice, contradicting his own words, as he trailed lower, to the spot where the fresh mark throbbed. "You aren't going anywhere else away from me. You're mine forever now."

A hot, wet tongue affectionately glided over her wound, sending a swarm of electrical shocks straight down. Kaylie groaned involuntarily, her hips jerking upward unconsciously, trying to find friction and ease the heat building in strength.

Because the heat was there, and not just there, but intensifying with every passing second, spilling straight from her center and turning her blood to molten lava. After all, the heat that had flared up during the chase hadn't disappeared. Quite the opposite, the mark had only amplified it and stoked it to full force.

The slickness pooling with her arousal gathered between her legs, uncomfortably trickling down her skin and smearing the inside of her thighs.

It was humiliating to realize how disgusting the nature of her omega body was and how badly it wanted...

"I can smell your scent," Sylus's voice dropped dangerously low. "Sweet. Ripe. Ready."

The hand on her stomach drifted down, leaving a trail of fire in its wake until it reached the triangle of dark hair, and Kaylie simply stopped breathing.

"D-don't," she forced out, even though her body was already arching to meet his touch.

She was about ready to send it all to hell, to shove him away once and for all because this obnoxious itch was impossible to endure, but at that moment his long finger slid down, right between her folds, and traced a mockingly precise, slow line from her opening to her clit.

All the necessary words were instantly forgotten.

All that remained was a pathetic, whimpering moan.

"Spirits, you're completely soaked," Sylus whispered reverently.

The finger moved, smearing the slickness in circular motions around her sensitive bud. Kaylie trembled, her fingers digging into his forearm, which was still resting beneath her head.

"Sylus," she rasped out, not recognizing her own voice. "I... I need..."

"What do you need, Kix?" he whispered, nipping her earlobe. "Tell your alpha. Just use your words."

But there were no words, only the fire of lust burning inside her and an emptiness demanding to be filled. Instead of any coherent words, Kaylie decided to answer by trying to push herself deeper against his hand.

"Such an impatient and greedy omega," Sylus teased her, entirely too cruel.

Without an ounce of pity he pulled his hand away, ignoring her helpless protest, and hovered over her, leaning on his elbows, thanks to which Kaylie saw him fully for the first time tonight.

The moonlight lovingly outlined every line and muscle of his body, covered with a few scars: the evidence of countless battles and hunts. His silver hair was tousled after all the running around and now tumbled over his forehead, giving him a sort of primal, entirely feral look.

A predator in human skin — that was who she saw in Sylus at that moment.

Kaylie's gaze unconsciously drifted lower and literally got stuck.

Because rising between his thighs was his cock. Thick, long, and needing no further stimulation. The head gleamed invitingly with leaked slick, veins bulging with arousal, and at his base she spotted the beginnings of a swelling — that very knot, not yet fully engorged, but already promising to tie someone up...

And that "someone", it seemed, was going to be her.

Her cheeks flamed hotter than a bonfire from such a shameless thought and Kix quickly averted her eyes, staring off to the side, except Sylus caught her chin in his fingers and forced her to look back at him.

"Don't look away. I want to see your eyes when I take you."

"I... I've never..." her voice inadvertently trembled from the fear seizing her head, mixed half-and-half with anticipation. "I don't know how..."

Something changed in his face. The predator's mask cracked after all, exposing something softer, almost human.

"I know," he whispered, leaning closer, brushing his lips against her forehead. "But don't worry. I'll take care of you just like I always do."

And then his mouth descended onto her lips and the world around them exploded.

The kiss was hungry, demanding, all-consuming. His lips moved against hers, his tongue demanding entry, and when she parted her mouth in response with a slight hesitation, he immediately slipped inside, conquering, marking her as his.

Kaylie tried to return it, clumsily mimicking his movements, and felt him smile.

"So innocent," he whispered between ravenous kisses. "So pure and... All mine."

His mouth began its journey: from her lips to her chin, from there down to her neck, bypassing the fresh mark. Every touch burned like fire, every kiss left a searing trail in its wake. But he didn't even think about stopping, descending further to her collarbones, licking the hollow between them, and then even lower.

To her breasts.

She had always been self-conscious about her body: too curvy and feminine for a hunter. Her damn breasts were much larger than those of other omegas her age, although she tried to hide them under tight bindings and loose shirts.

But right now she was completely bare and on display for her mate, who looked at her like he was seeing the most beautiful treasure in the world.

Kaylie gasped when his palms covered her breasts: large hands rough from hunting, fully encompassing the two heavy globes. He squeezed them, making her nipples instantly harden, pressing right into the centers of his palms.

"You have no idea how many nights I laid awake, imagining this: what you would look like under me," Sylus murmured, staring at how her breasts spilled out of his grip. "So... perfect."

After which he leaned down and slid his tongue over a nipple. Once, nice and slow, savoring the taste. Kaylie arched immediately, tangling her fingers into his hair. The sensations were too intense, too new, too...

And then his teeth bit into the pale pink areola. Not hard, but enough to make her cry out, choking on a sob as he latched on, sucking her nipple into his mouth, and began to suck roughly. His teeth scraped alternately against the tender skin, making her squirm helplessly beneath him, not knowing whether she wanted to break free or press closer.

"Ngh..." Kaylie let out a pitiful noise. "Sylus, please..."

But when his fangs, still elongated from the rut, sank into the soft flesh, piercing the skin, Kaylie screamed for real.

The pain was sharp, but brief.

Sylus wasn't trying to bite deep, just enough to leave a mark, to coax out the first drops of blood, and then his tongue lapped at every little wound, mixing her blood with his own saliva, marking her over and over, as if the previous hickeys weren't enough and he needed bites.

He switched to the other breast, repeating the same cycle of actions: sucked, bit, licked, until both breasts were covered in a scattering of small, bleeding bite marks that would take weeks to heal, reminding everyone and herself that she definitively belonged to him.

"Sylus... enough... I... I can't..." Kaylie's hands weakly pushed at his shoulders, but she simply had no strength to truly fight him off.

The sight of his face made her freeze: flushed, wet lips glistening in the moonlight, his chin smeared with her blood. His crimson eyes burned with such a primal hunger that Kaylie's breath hitched.

"Can't?" he repeated with a scoff. "Because if you ask me, your body is saying something completely different."

His hand slid down, over her stomach, past her navel, lower.

Kaylie tried to clamp her thighs shut, but his knee forced them back apart with strength. His fingers brushed the inside of her thigh and stilled when Sylus let out a low, guttural noise, a cross between a growl and a groan.

His nostrils flared, breathing in her scent, which was growing stronger and sweeter by the second.

"Spirits, Kix..." he exhaled hoarsely. "You're already slick for me, just like a good omega in heat should be."

Kaylie wanted to argue, to snap back, but she couldn't deny the truth.

It really was wet between her legs, so wet, in fact, that she could feel the slippery fluid disagreeably trickling down the inside of her thighs, smearing her skin. Her body was preparing to take its alpha, producing natural slick in such quantities that it was almost embarrassing in its sheer depravity.

Sylus's fingers slid higher, and Kaylie whimpered when he touched her there, in the most sensitive spot where nerve endings bunched into a tight little nub. He traced his fingertip around it mockingly slowly, teasingly gathering her slick and spreading it around even more.

And then one of his fingers slipped smoothly inside, and she choked on a sob, crying out from the sweet ache. Her internal muscles clamped down around the intrusion, trying either to expel it or pull it deeper.

"Tight," Sylus grumbled, adding a second finger. "So damn tight. Are you really a virgin, Kix? Have you really never let anyone touch you here?"

Her voice was gone, dissolved in a series of broken moans tearing from her throat against her will, so she kept quiet, entirely consumed by the movement of his fingers slipping in and pulling out again, stretching and prepping her. His thumb found that tight cluster of nerves and started circling it, making her gasp.

"Answer me," Sylus demanded, pausing his torture. "Have you had anyone before me?"

"No!" Kaylie cried out desperately, shifting her hips impatiently, trying to force him to keep going. "No one, never. So p-please keep going..."

A satisfied purr-like growl was her reward, as was the renewed motion of his fingers, ripping loud, pitiful noises from her chest that didn't sound like her voice at all.

Somewhere deep inside, something began to coil, winding tighter and tighter, ready to snap and explode...

And then everything suddenly vanished, leaving only a gaping void in its wake.

Kaylie sobbed in protest, but Sylus was already shifting further down.

His body slid toward her legs, his shoulders wedging her thighs farther apart, and his warm breath brushed against her most intimate spot.

"What are you..." she started, flustered, but the words died out when she realized what he was about to do. "No! You can't... that's..."

"I can," he cut her off mockingly. "And I will. I want to taste you, Kix. I want to know if you taste as sweet as you smell."

A long tongue swiped all the way up from her opening to that sensitive bud in one long, drag-out stroke. Kaylie shrieked, her hands flying down to fist into his silver hair in a futile attempt to hold him back, but Sylus didn't even acknowledge her pathetic attempts at resistance.

He kept lapping at her like a starving beast, in a greedy, rough tempo without a single drop of shame or restraint. His tongue plunged frantically inside, as far as it could reach, gladly licking the walls clean, scooping up all the wetness, and then moved back to that bundle of nerves and circled it, sucked it, scraped it with sharp teeth.

Kaylie writhed, bucking her hips into his face, entirely unable to rein in her movements.

Too good...

Too goo...

Too...

"Sylus!" her voice cracked into a frantic whisper. "I can't... I-I'm gonna..."

He groaned right into her flesh, and that vibration was the final straw.

The orgasm crashed over her out of nowhere, like a tsunami wave. One moment she was teetering on the edge, and the next she was free-falling, screaming, falling to pieces. Her muscles seized in frantic convulsions, barely held back tears springing from her eyes along with quiet sobs.

Not giving her a single second to catch her breath, he kept licking up her juices, dragging out the climax until she started twitching from overstimulation.

"Stop... P-please, stop..." Kaylie whimpered pathetically, weakly pushing his head down and away from her. "T-too much..."

He finally pulled back, tipping his head up. His face was painted in her very own slick, but the look on that face... Oh spirits, she was getting embarrassed just from how utterly smug he looked.

"Too much?" Sylus asked hoarsely, settling between her legs, affectionately stroking her knee. "And here we haven't even started playing for real, Kix."

Kaylie swallowed, feeling fear blending with some kind of twisted anticipation.

The cock that had remained ignored all this time was rock hard, the tip shining with pre-cum, and the knot at the base was already starting to form: the signature swelling that would engorge even further upon penetration, locking them together forever.

"It... it's not going to fit..."

Sylus chuckled, looming over her. One hand landed next to her head, propping his weight. The other steered his length to her opening, dragging the head down the slit, scooping up some of the slick.

"It will," he promised. "Your body was made to take me. To take my cock, my knot, my seed."

He started sliding inside, stretching her out more and more, and Kaylie choked on the sheer fullness of it. It was nothing like his fingers. This was something so much bigger, so much thicker, and more importantly, harder. Her body naturally protested, the muscles clamping down involuntarily to try and force him out, but he kept pushing forward, inch by inch.

"Relax," Sylus rumbled. "Just take me in."

Kaylie bit her lower lip, trying to adjust to his sheer size and letting him sink deeper. And then he bumped against something, a barrier that didn't want to yield.

Her maidenhead.

Something dark and triumphant flashed in his crimson eyes at the exact same time.

"My omega."

And he thrust hard, tearing through the barrier in one deep plunge.

The pain was sharp and abrupt. Kaylie shrieked, her nails digging into his shoulders. Tears spilled from her eyes once again, rolling down her temples and into her hair.

Sylus stopped dead, giving her time to adjust as he rested his forehead against hers.

"Breathe," he ordered softly. "Just breathe. The pain will fade."

And it did.

Gradually the sharp, stabbing sting melted into a dull ache that slowly bled away to the sidelines. The omega body adapted, prepping for the tie, molding around him, and soon Kaylie felt nothing but fullness — absolute, all-consuming fullness that was simultaneously so bizarre and so right.

"Move," she exhaled. "Please... move..."

He didn't make her beg twice and started moving. Nice and slow at first, just short, shallow thrusts, giving her the chance to acclimate to the rhythm. But very quickly the careful slowness was gone. The rut took over, and Sylus started fucking her like an alpha should: hard, dominant, purely primal.

Every thrust sank deeper than the last, literally pounding her into the dirt. The sounds of them fucking carried across the entire clearing — the wet slap of flesh on flesh, their tangled moans and growls, the crunching of twigs and grass beneath their bodies.

Kaylie couldn't care less about who might hear them. Her entire world narrowed down to what was happening right here, just between the two of them.

"Say it," Sylus rumbled, leaning down right against her ear. "Say you're mine."

"Yours," Kaylie sobbed, locking her legs around his waist and dragging him closer to her. "I'm yours, yours, yours..."

The roar tearing from his throat triumphed over her utter defeat, which manifested itself as a second climax ripping through her without a lick of warning, forcing her to scream his name into the silence of the night sky.

Sylus groaned as her walls milked down on him.

His thrusts turned way more erratic and completely devoid of control.

"I want your knot," Kaylie heard her own begging voice, as if from the outside. "Please, Sylus, give me your knot. Tie me. Fill me up. Give me pups..."

Something just shattered inside him at those words. With a roar he drove in one final time, so damn deep that Kaylie swore he hammered right into her womb. The knot that had been sitting at his base started blowing up, ballooning thicker and thicker. It stretched her entrance raw from the inside out, plugging her shut, refusing to let a single drop of his future seed leak.

And then he started coming, hard.

Wave after heavy wave, his cum pumped into her, so thick and heavy that at some point it honestly felt like her stomach was starting to swell.

His knot kept swelling, too, taking up so much space that she couldn't even budge without sparking sharp pain. Now they were knotted completely and irrevocably.

Sylus collapsed right on top of her, heaving for breath.

His face buried into the crook of her neck, his teeth finding the mating bite again and pressing down softly, not breaking the skin this time, just holding it clamped between his jaws, and she felt his lips brush against her skin in the faintest movement.

"Forever my omega. No one is ever taking you away from me now. No one, ever."

The ritual was complete.

The mates were bound.

****

Pain does not humiliate. Fear humiliates.

Erich Maria Remarque

****

Returning to the place once called home turned out to be painfully disorienting.

The luxury of the penthouse, which just a few months ago seemed natural and familiar to Kaylie, now appeared in a completely different light — too bright, too pompous, too alien. As if she, like a screw from an old machine, had been bolted onto a completely different engine and now felt like an unnecessary part in the flawlessly tuned mechanism of an absolutely foreign life.

"I didn't think I'd ever have to drag you home by force," Sylus noted with a hint of disappointment, pulling her by the hand.

"I... I was walking on my own," Kaylie muttered to his back, feeling ashamed.

You're lying, Kix.

After all, she was trailing behind him like a real beaten puppy who knew she deserved the corresponding punishment.

Making matters worse was the fact that Sylus was purposefully towing her into his bedroom — the holy of holies, where she always found it hard to gain access due to the unspoken rules he had set himself.

Though when she was sixteen and was just a wild little animal to everyone, without a hint of femininity, such restrictions hadn't existed at all. She used to often crawl into his bed during nightmares or just when she was bored, and Sylus, though he grumbled about boundary violations, still let her under his wing.

But now it felt somehow wrong, inappropriate: invading the place where that other woman had once been. The hunter who, for an indefinite period, had completely ousted Kaylie from her role as his loyal assistant.

The thought of Aria, who had slept in this bed, worn his clothes, and drank coffee from his mug, made Kaylie's stomach clench painfully.

Kaylie tried to stop, her fingers digging into the doorframe:

"Boss, maybe it's better to talk in the living room?" her voice squeaked as innocently as possible. "Or in the study? I don't need to..."

"You need to go where I tell you," Sylus cut her off without even turning around. "Or have you forgotten who makes the decisions here?"

A tone that brokered no objections, a tone that made her straighten a non-existent dog tail and submissively listen, a tone that choked her fear in its infancy because Sylus's orders were always more important.

Slowly unclenching her fingers, she obediently followed him, even though every step took immense effort.

The bedroom greeted them with the dim light of nightstands and the familiar scent of her personal heaven — a mix of Sylus's expensive cologne, tart leather, and the faint notes of a perfume that clearly didn't belong to him.

Kaylie instinctively sniffed the air and felt her stomach twist into a familiar knot of painful jealousy.

She was here.

Slept in his bed, breathed the same air, saw his face when he woke up...

"Where is she?" slipped out before Kaylie could stop herself. "Aria. Is... is she still...?"

When Sylus finally turned to her, something akin to surprise flashed in his red eyes:

"Aria? She hasn't been here for a month. I took her back to the hunters right after it became clear that we couldn't... work together."

"Couldn't work together?" Kaylie echoed, feeling something inside freeze like arctic ice.

"The resonance of our Evol didn't work," he explained dryly, as if reporting the failure of some contract. "The experiment failed."

An experiment.

Those words destroyed Kaylie's internal world with the precision of a thermonuclear explosion. So, she would have just been a temporary replacement in case his fling with the hunter didn't work out.

A backup plan.

Plan B, pulled from the back drawer when Plan A falls through.

The pain was so sharp that it took her breath away for a moment. All these months she had suffered from jealousy, from images of Sylus together with Aria, and now it suddenly turned out the circumstances were even worse than she had imagined.

Moreover — Kix finally understood her true position in Sylus's life.

"I want to leave," she squeezed out in a cracked voice.

The disappointment in herself was all-consuming — how could she have followed him like a stupid puppy, knowing he was using her as a consolation prize? How could she have believed that there could be something real between them?

Without taking his suddenly darkened eyes off her, Sylus slowly tilted his head, and something in his movements sent her atrophied survival instincts into a red alert.

"You want to leave?" he repeated with that deceptive softness in his voice that always preceded a coming storm. "Interesting. And where exactly are you planning to go?"

He took a step toward her, then another. Kaylie instinctively backed away, the old habit of submitting to his will forcing her to retreat even when her mind screamed to resist, until her knees hit the edge of the bed frame.

"To my room," she muttered. "Just to my room, nowhere else."

"But you specifically said you wanted to leave me," he continued cornering her until there were only a few pathetic centimeters between them. "Again."

Frightened and aroused by this proximity, Kaylie tried to pull away but lost her balance and awkwardly fell on her back onto the bed.

"Then... then I'll find another place," she stuttered, frantically trying to scramble off the soft mattress.

But Sylus was already there, his strong hand swiftly grabbing her ankle and demandingly jerking her toward him, forcing her to fall back with a very obvious suggestion to lie down and not move.

Panic washed over her completely.

What is even happening? This didn't look at all like the punishment she had expected. Unpleasant but easily treatable beatings, ruthless revocation of all privileges, extra work or a transfer to the archives — anything but... this.

However, Sylus was already taking off his jacket, carelessly hanging it on the back of a nearby armchair.

"I spent a lot of time thinking about exactly how to punish you," he shared thoughtfully, loosening his tie. "Beat you? Too rough. Make you sleep by the welcome mat and treat you like a disobedient puppy? Too soft. And then I realized..."

Under the weight of Sylus climbing onto the bed, the mattress dipped slightly, and that quiet, barely audible creak seemed to snap her out of her bad trance, making her push off the bed with her hands and try to crawl backward until he grabbed her ankle in an iron grip.

"Realized what?" she asked hoarsely.

"That the best punishment for a disobedient puppy is to remind her who she belongs to," he answered, leaning over her.

Devilish sparks danced in his crimson eyes, and the smile on his chiseled face grew even more predatory, exactly how predators must look at their prey before tearing into their throat.

"I'm not your puppy!" she snapped, though her voice trembled with nerves.

"No?" he mockingly tilted his head, as if examining a valuable exhibit. "Then why did you willingly throw yourself into my arms at the first opportunity? Why did you cry and beg for forgiveness? Why did you promise never to run away again?"

Every question was a precise strike to the most painful spots of her pride. Yes, yes, she was a total doormat, but he didn't have to throw it in her face!

"Because I'm an idiot!" she shouted angrily. "Because, alas, I'm such a stupid fool that I just can't see that to you, I'm nothing more than a toy for your entertainment!"

"Oh, but you're wrong," his voice softened, turning almost tender. "I'm not playing with you, Kix. I'm training you."

Before she could ask what exactly he was going to train her in, pinning her to his own bed with his body, Sylus grabbed the collar of her dark jumpsuit and sharply ripped it aside. The fabric gave way with the characteristic sound of a long, pitiful tear, exposing the creamy-white skin of her bared breasts, as Kaylie never wore a bra under her work clothes — it was simply impractical in the workshop.

One second... Two...

And instantly blushing the color of a tomato, Kaylie let out something between a squeal and a whimper, instinctively trying to cover herself with her hands, but Sylus, to her deepest shame, was faster, intercepting both her wrists and pinning them above her head into the pillow.

"No need to be shy," he purred, shamelessly examining her chest. "You have beautiful breasts. I've always noticed that."

Her face flushed even harder, ready to burst into flames from the overwhelming embarrassment and something else. Something hot and pleasantly pulsing low in her stomach, because remaining indifferent was simply beyond all her strength.

After all, Sylus...

Her boss, her god, the subject of all her secret fantasies.

...was looking at her naked body and giving her the most generous compliments of her entire life.

"Sylus," she exhaled quietly. "What are you doing?"

"What I should have done a long time ago," he answered simply, taking the untied tie off his neck while still holding her wrists with his other hand. "Showing you your place."

The silk fabric of the red tie wrapped around her wrists like a venomous snake. The knot wasn't too tight, but strong enough that she couldn't free herself.

"Why?" Kix blinked rapidly, tugging at her bound hands.

"Because you forgot who the master is here," he smirked, leaning back slightly to admire his work. "Three months of freedom completely went to your stupid head."

His hungry red gaze slid over her chest with blatant, almost possessive lust, making her skin break out in another hundred goosebumps. He was entirely too focused, entirely too pleased.

"Tell me," Sylus demanded, looking straight into her eyes. "Did you think about me on those cold nights in your dirty workshop? Did you imagine me touching you? Taking you as my woman, which you, my dear, have always been?"

The question was direct and ruthless, and Kaylie felt her face flush even brighter.

Because yes, she had thought about it.

Every single night.

Every damn day.

She imagined his hands on her body, his lips on her skin, his voice whispering dirty words in her ear.

"No," she lied, and her voice trembled from the sheer amount of deceit in one word.

"Liar," Sylus reprimanded softly. "Good puppies don't lie to their masters."

Sylus's large palm slid to her breast, squeezing the innocent pink peak, making her gasp from the electric shock that shot through her whole body.

"I'm not a puppy!" Kaylie cried out, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Then who are you?" he leaned even lower, reducing the distance between their faces to an absolute minimum. "My subordinate? My secretary? My... what?"

Kaylie opened her mouth to answer, but the words got stuck in her throat like a heavy lump.

Who was she to him? What did she mean? And did she even want to know the truth, no matter how bitter it might be?

"I..." she started uncertainly.

His fingers twisted her nipple, his other hand flicking the bud that had hardened from the stimulation, making her treacherously arch her back from the pressure of such a caress, giving herself away completely.

"You are mine," Sylus finished for her with absolute certainty. "Completely. Unconditionally. From your fingertips to your most intimate thoughts. My property, my toy, my... pet."

He said that last word with a special intonation. One that made the muscles low in her stomach tighten from a dark, shameful arousal shooting through her entire body, completely scrambling her thoughts.

"And do you know what happens to pets who run away from their masters?" he continued, biting the lobe of her reddened ear.

"What?" Kix licked her lips in anticipation.

Sharp teeth clamped down on her ear harder, biting the skin, making a moan tear from her throat that was simultaneously a parched plea and a hot protest. Her body betrayed her mind, immediately reacting to his every predatory movement, every commanding word, every uninvited look.

"They get punished," his breath on her neck made her shudder with pleasure. "Taught obedience. Shown their place."

The jumpsuit obediently gave way to the pressure of his Evol, which enveloped her whole body in a dark red mist that turned the remains of her clothes into tiny scraps, leaving her completely naked, covered only by the thin material of her black panties.

The total vulnerability and equally total perversion created a strange mix, driving all coherent thoughts from her head.

"You've lost weight," he noted, running a finger along her ribs. "Weren't eating well in your dirty hole?"

"I didn't have an appetite," Kaylie confessed honestly, involuntarily arching into the aftershock of his touches. "I couldn't eat when... when you weren't around..." and deciding that buttered him up enough, added a pleading: "P-please, Sylus..."

"Oh, now you're begging?" he teased her. "And what exactly is your request, my dear Kix?"

Logically, she knew what her body craved so badly.

She wanted him to keep touching her at the same commanding, confident pace, to not stop even if she begged him to, to finish what he had started without cutting it all off on the cruelest note.

But saying it out loud was beyond her strength.

"I... I don't know."

"Then let me decide for you," moving down to her thigh, he squeezed it with an immovable force. "After all, the master always knows what's best for his pet."

His fingers slipped even lower, to the most sensitive spot, tearing an almost animalistic whimper from her throat. The desire scorching her from head to toe grew more unbearable with every passing minute, because she craved more.

More touches.

More contact.

More... Sylus.

"Just like that," he whispered approvingly, digging his hungry gaze into her. "See how simple it is? Your master just has to touch you, and you turn into a trembling, moaning bitch."

The word hit her worse than any slap, but instead of the expected outrage, it only brought even more arousal.

Because it was the truth.

Next to him, she really did become a bitch — wet to the point of utter vulgarity, ready for absolutely anything, and most importantly, desperately craving his attention, his touches, his approval.

"Say it," he demanded, pushing several fingers at once into her wet passage. "Say what you are."

"I... I'm yours," Kaylie forced out, entirely capitulating.

"Who exactly?" he pushed her for more. "Come on, use your words, Kix."

"Your... your bitch," she exhaled, shuddering from a mix of self-humiliation and arousal. "I'm your bitch, Master."

"Good girl," Sylus praised, rewarding her with more insistent caresses. "Now show me how much you missed your master."

The wet sounds of her own body reacting to the intrusion of his fingers struck her like lightning from a clear sky. She cried out not from pain, but from an unbearable relief mixed with a shameful greed. The walls of her vagina pulsed, desperately clenching around his long, divine fingers, which she had dreamed of countless nights in Gunner's dirty workshop.

"So wet and tight," he muttered with mocking admiration, adding a third finger, watching how readily she took him. "I wonder how long you abstained from sex, thinking only of me?"

Kaylie cried out, pressing her face into her shoulder.

Even three of his long, skillful fingers were agonizingly... not enough. Her body demanded more — it wanted to be filled completely, wanted to feel his weight, his strength, his total possession.

But her bound hands didn't allow her to reach for him, pull him closer, to beg for more with her body.

"Sylus, p-please," she whispered, squirming on the silk sheets in an attempt to impale herself deeper onto his fingers. "Untie me... I... I want to touch you..."

"Why?" his low voice let out a mocking chuckle above her. "So you can run away again at the first opportunity?"

"No!" Kix exclaimed fiercely. "I will never... never run away again! I swear!"

"The oaths of a runaway puppy aren't worth much," he noted, slowing the pace of his hand's thrusts. "I need guarantees."

She felt like a musical instrument in the hands of a virtuoso musician who knew every string of her fallen flesh, flowing just from his existence. Kaylie felt her mind fog over with pleasure, felt the last remnants of her pride dissolve under the onslaught of his skillful caresses.

The caresses of her precious, magnificent god.

"What... what guarantees?" she breathed out between moans.

"Show me how deeply you regret your escape," Sylus demanded, withdrawing his fingers to her deep moan of righteous disappointment. "Beg me to forgive you. Beg the way an arrogant little puppy should."

The emptiness inside became unbearable.

Kaylie fidgeted on the bed, trying to rub against his thigh, against anything, to get back that delicious sensation of being filled. But Sylus kept his distance, watching her torment with almost sadistic satisfaction.

"I... I'm sorry," she babbled. "I'm so sorry I ran away. It was truly stupid."

"Not convincing enough," he shook his head in disappointment. "Try again. And this time, speak as if you actually understand the scale of your guilt."

The humiliation burned from the inside almost as much as the unsatisfied desire. But Kaylie was ready for anything just to have him keep touching her, just so he wouldn't leave her in this eternal torture of slow anticipation.

"I b-beg you, forgive me!" swallowing a bitter lump, she uttered with a broken sob. "Forgive me for being such an ungrateful bitch! For running away from the best to the absolute worst! I'm not worthy of your forgiveness, but I beg you... I beg you, give me a chance to make it right!"

"Better," Sylus finally looked at her approvingly, with the air of a school teacher evaluating a stubborn student's answer. "But you have to show me what you're willing to do to stay right now."

He touched her again, but this time his movements were slow, teasing, truly agonizing. Kaylie shuddered anew, trying to impale herself deeper, moving her tense hips as if they weren't throbbing with pain every passing second, but he controlled every touch, so all her efforts were useless.

"Anything!" she shouted without a second thought. "Absolutely anything! Use me however you want! Do whatever you want to me! Just don't throw me away!"

Dangerous sparks danced in the red depths staring down at her.

"Anything?" he asked her quietly. "Even if I want you to crawl on all fours? To eat from a bowl on the floor? To wear a collar with my name?"

Every word was a blow to her pride, but Kaylie willingly nodded at every command, feeling salty tears continuously streaming down her face:

"Yes! Yes, anything! Just don't leave me!"

"Good girl," Sylus softened. "Now I see that you've truly understood your mistake."

Untying his tie around her wrists took barely a couple of seconds before she was finally freed, immediately reaching for him, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull herself forward.

When their lips met in a desperate and heated kiss, there was incomparably more hunger in it than tenderness. Slipping her tongue into his mouth, she tasted expensive whiskey and something dangerous — the taste of Sylus himself. That taste made her head spin completely, though perhaps the throbbing between her legs was growing more because his fingers had mercifully returned to her moisture-slicked vagina.

She threw her head back, arching into a smooth curve, gasping from the tearing sounds of the pleasure bestowed upon her. The white flash that washed over her consciousness wiped everything away — the shame, the fear, the pride — leaving behind only pure, primal bliss.

"Boss," Kix whispered hoarsely, gradually coming to her senses.

"What?" removing his hand, Sylus extended his fingers, slick with her love juices, to her mouth. "Want to taste yourself?"

A command, not a question, given in a tone that brokered no arguments.

Kaylie obediently opened her mouth, wrapping her bitten lips around his fingers, licking her own moisture off them. The taste was salty, slightly tart, and the realization that she was doing something outrageously dirty and perverted made her breath catch all over again.

"Look what a beautiful whore you can be for your master," Sylus approved of this undeniably provocative picture, watching her tongue greedily slide around his fingers, sucking them in along with her saliva when he pulled them away.

She was still re-learning how to exist in a world where her boss touched her not like a useful tool or an amusing puppy, but like coveted prey, when she felt a slight shift in space. Foreign hands unnoticeably grabbed her lower back, lifting her hips, and before Kaylie could process what was happening, the sensation of a wet and entirely too perfect touch of a tongue overtook her.

Sylus's tongue.

Inside her.

God bless her.

Kaylie's teary eyes snapped wide open, her spine abruptly straightening—or rather, failing to do so, because in a panic she grabbed his silver locks, trying to stop what felt absolutely wrong to her.

Because... because he couldn't do this.

He was her boss.

Her master.

Her Sylus.

He couldn't... couldn't humiliate himself like this in front of her. No. Especially not in front of someone like her. It was her honorable prerogative — to be humiliated, to be on her knees, to be the dust beneath his feet.

"Hands," was all he said in response, not tearing himself away from his task.

"B-but... you can't!" Kaylie objected stubbornly, perhaps squeezing the short strands of his hair too roughly in an attempt to crawl away despite the iron grip on her bare thighs. "You can't! Please... I-it's better if you let me... Don't humiliate yourself like this..."

How could she allow herself to taint the body of her god?

"Kaylie," for the first time all evening, an annoyed Sylus called her by her full name, pulling back just enough to look her in the eyes. "Hands. Right now."

It was the voice of a man accustomed to unquestioning obedience, and even in a situation as intimate as this, his power over her remained absolute.

Reluctantly and with almost pathetic slowness, Kaylie finally unclenched her fingers, freeing his hair, even though her whole body trembled from the conflict gnawing at her from the inside.

On one hand — the habit of thoughtlessly submitting to his every word. On the other — a deeply rooted conviction that she was unworthy of such treatment.

"But Boss, I'm... I'm just your puppy," Kix whimpered pleadingly. "How could you even..."

"Shut up," Sylus cut her off roughly, without a trace of real anger, but rather a condescending, almost tender annoyance. "And lie still. Or do you want me to tie you up again?"

The threat worked instantly.

Kaylie froze, nervously digging her fingers into the silk sheets beneath her, and tried to relax. But it was impossible — every cell of her body tensed in anticipation of the continuation, while her mind frantically darted between ecstasy and a feeling of her own worthlessness.

But when Sylus returned to the interrupted task, Kaylie almost choked on her own sob. Sylus's tongue was terrifyingly skillful, demanding, and ruthlessly methodical in its drive to push her to the edge of madness. He found every sensitive spot, every place where a mere touch turned her into a pitifully whimpering ball of perverted emotions.

"Sy... Sylus," she moaned, throwing her head back onto the pillow. "This... this is wrong... I should... I should be serving you, not..."

"You are serving me," he mumbled against her wet passage, and the vibration of his voice made her shudder involuntarily. "You're serving me by letting me do whatever I want to you."

The logic was flawless in its perversion.

Kaylie felt the last remnants of her resistance melt under the onslaught of his cold reasoning and exhausting caresses.

If Sylus wanted to do this — then it was right. If it brought him pleasure to see her in such a pathetic state — then she had to accept it. That was her philosophy of servitude, taken to an ironclad absolute.

"Finally stopped thinking and started feeling," Sylus "rejoiced" at the complete shutdown of all her muscles.

The entire world shrank to the size of this luxurious bed, to the space between her legs where sweet magic was happening.

"Boss, I... I'm close..." Kix's voice broke on a high note. "V-very close..."

Sylus smirked — she felt that enticing movement of his lips with her own hole clenching around him — and abruptly stopped. Kaylie let out a long moan of disappointment, almost a cry, when the desired release slipped away at the very last moment.

"No," she pleaded, writhing in sweet languor, trying to catch his eye. "Please, don't stop... I've been good, I listened to you..."

"Listened?" Sylus propped himself up on his elbows, licking the residual moisture off his lips. "You tried to stop me. Grabbed my hair. Said I shouldn't be doing this."

"I... I just didn't understand," Kaylie babbled helplessly, awkwardly trying to justify herself. "I thought I was unworthy..."

"And who said you get to decide what you can or cannot be worthy of?" he slowly crawled up her body, leaving a trail of scorching kisses on her stomach, in the cleavage of her plump breasts, on her sharply defined collarbones.

Every kiss was like a brand, marking her as his property, and she would have truly been glad for it if it didn't mean the end of another, much... sweeter branding.

"No one said that," she whispered. "I put it in my own head..."

"Exactly," Sylus hummed, reaching her neck and biting the tender skin with such a sharp movement that her voice broke into a painful scream. "You decided for yourself that you knew best. Decided you could judge your master's desires. Very presumptuous for a mere dog, don't you think?"

The bite was hard enough to leave a mark — a dark bruise that would serve as a reminder of his ownership for days to come. Kaylie sobbed, burning in the aftermath of the pain descending upon her, and realized that she wanted more of those marks. Wanted her whole body to be covered in the traces of his teeth and lips.

"Forgive me," Kix begged tearfully, turning her head to give him better access to her neck. "I won't decide for you anymore. I promise."

"The promises of a trained bitch," Sylus muttered thickly, shifting to the other side of her neck to reward her with a softer bite, or maybe just a hickey. "What are they even worth?"

"I'll prove it!" Kaylie exclaimed with desperate conviction. "Give me a chance to prove I've learned my lesson!"

"Alright," Sylus dropped a pleased chuckle, and...

What happened next erased everything else from her mind.

Sylus attacked the most intimate place in her body with such intensity that she choked on a scream. He varied the rhythm and intensity, at times bringing her almost to the peak of pleasure, then pulling back, forcing her to balance on the fragile edge of forbidden delight.

Waves of pleasure rolled in one after another, each stronger than the last, until she felt she was about to plunge into the abyss of her own personal little void.

"Sylus!" she screamed when the final wave crashed over her head.

The world around her exploded in white light.

Every cell inside her literally shuddered from the tsunami crashing down on them, every nerve burned from a very real sensory overload. She arched so hard she almost lifted off the bed, choking on the syllables of his name, curses, and sacred prayers.

Sylus kept caressing her even as the orgasm reached its peak, stretching the pleasure out until she weakly started pushing him away, unable to bear any more stimulation. Only then did he finally bother to pull back, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction at the sight of Kaylie splayed across his bed, dying in the most beautiful sense of the word.

"Beautiful," he murmured, running a finger over her wet lips. "You cum so beautifully, my sweet Kix."

Kaylie couldn't answer: her breathing hadn't recovered yet, her mind was a watery vacuum separating her from the real world and the world of hellish lust. She felt emptied and simultaneously filled in ways that felt not just wrong, but monstrous. When Sylus asked something — she didn't even catch what it was — only a pitiful moan tore from her throat, something between a plea and a note of gratitude.

"More," she exhaled, not realizing she was speaking out loud. "Please, more..."

And he gave her more.

Even though her body was ready — entirely too shamelessly wet and greedily spread open for him — Sylus's imposing size still made her shudder from the painful stretch. He entered slowly, as if giving her time that didn't exist, keenly tracking every change in her face, every sob tearing from her mouth.

When he was about halfway in, Kaylie screamed, instinctively trying to get away from the overly intense sensations, but there was nowhere to run — his hands held her hips firmly, and she was clenching around him far too tightly for any real resistance, only coaxing him, begging him to go even deeper.

"Wait," she pleaded, squeezing her eyes shut so tight a fresh stream of tears broke through. "Give me... give me one second..."

Sylus smirked — a low, pleased sound that made something inside her clench even harder.

"A breather?" he repeated with a mocking softness. "After a three-month escape, you're asking me for a breather?"

Before Kaylie could voice any objection, his hands shifted to her buttocks, gripped them tight, and jerked her towards him, burying himself even deeper. She felt him stretch her to her absolute limit, filling her so completely it felt like — one more second, and she would simply tear in half in the vice of his mighty arms.

The sensation was overwhelming: she felt pierced all the way through, split in two, conquered by his size and strength with no chance of recovery. And at the same time — painfully right, as if she had been waiting her whole life for this exact moment.

"That's better," Sylus muttered with sadistic satisfaction, leaning close to her face. "Now you look exactly how my little bitch is supposed to look."

That signature predatory smile played on Sylus's lips, the one that was always a harbinger of a torturous death for any enemies. But not for her. For her, it was the smile of a god deigning to touch his mortal.

"Sylus!" she howled, digging her nails into his back so hard she probably left bloody streaks behind.

"Yes, exactly like that," he approved, setting a steady rhythm. "Scream my name. Let everyone know who you belong to."

Every movement was torture and bliss all at once. Her body desperately resisted the intrusion, while simultaneously greedily wrapping around him, unwilling to let go. Kaylie felt broken, slaughtered, defeated — and wasn't that what true happiness was all about?

She saw him from the depths of her submission — a formidable figure towering over her like an unshakable titan. His silver hair was disheveled from sweat and the heavy breathing rocking his chest, his red eyes burning with the triumphant fire of a victor. He was the embodiment of strength and power, a deity who had come down to her to bestow an inexpressible pleasure.

And she could touch him.

For the first time in her life, Kaylie was so close to her deity, felt his presence next to her so vividly, that she couldn't believe the reality of what was happening.

Fingers trembling with adoration traced his chest, exploring every line of muscle under the pale skin, every scar left by countless battles. It felt like touching living marble — cold at first glance, but radiating a sophisticated internal heat.

Kaylie was broken, yet at the same time she couldn't help but triumph — she had achieved this, waited for the moment he would want her not as a tool, but as a woman. Even if it came at the cost of humiliation and total submission.

"I'm finally home," she whispered, running her palms over his shoulders, surprised by her own boldness.

Crimson eyes looked down at her with an expression she couldn't fully decipher. They held satisfaction, possessiveness, but there was something else too — something almost tender, hidden behind the familiar mask of a hungry predator.

"Home," Sylus repeated, leaning lower and biting the lobe of her ear, still recovering from the previous bite. "And you will never leave again. I'll make sure of it."

It wasn't a promise, it was a threat.

But that didn't scare Kaylie — quite the opposite, a warm feeling of total security spread inside her. He wouldn't let her leave. Wouldn't let her do anything stupid again. He would keep her by his side, where she belonged, on a leash if necessary, just like disobedient puppies should be kept.

She understood this truth with a sudden clarity that pierced her mind like a myriad of stars the moment a new jolt of sharp pleasure consumed her entire core. Her internal muscles began to spasm around him, wringing his own orgasm out of him, which manifested as hot, rough thrusts filling her to the brim, claiming her as his property.

"Sylus!"

A white haze blinded her, and the only anchor in this chaos of sensations was Sylus's body above her, his hands moving to her waist, his heavy breathing at her ear. Kix clung to him with all her might, terrified of losing this perfection, terrified he would push her away right now and say the demonstration lesson was over.

But Sylus didn't pull away. Instead, he slowly dropped down onto his elbows, pressing his entire body against hers, and for a while they just lay there — tangled up, breathing heavily, but still connected in the most primitive and savage way.

Kaylie focused on this moment of intimacy, admiring the shine of his silver hair in the dim light of the bedroom. The sweat beading on his forehead made the strands darker, giving them an almost metallic glint, and a few unruly locks fell across his forehead, giving him an unexpectedly vulnerable look.

She swallowed the lump forming in her throat and shuddered when Sylus, still deep inside her, ran his knuckles across her cheek with an unprecedented tenderness.

"Why are you crying?" he asked hoarsely.

Kaylie blinked absentmindedly, as if only just now noticing the wetness running down her face. Touching the tear tracks on her cheeks with her fingers, she let out a quiet laugh: a sound full of genuine amazement and some childish delight.

"Probably because I..." she caught his hands and pressed a gentle kiss to each, leaning her cheek against his warm skin with a dizzyingly happy smile. "...am finally reunited with my master."

The words sounded simple, completely devoid of shame or even a second's hesitation.

There was such sincerity in them, such genuine joy, that Sylus froze for a moment, intently studying her face. Something fleeting flashed in his red eyes — surprise? Tenderness? Or just the satisfaction of seeing his power affirmed?

"Your master," he repeated slowly, as if tasting the words. "Interesting phrasing."

Kaylie felt a spike of anxiety — had she said the wrong thing? But before the fear could grow and turn into sheer panic, Sylus leaned forward and kissed her. Softly, gently — the complete opposite of the harshness he had displayed just minutes ago.

"I thought you called me Boss," he murmured against her lips.

"Boss is work," she shared quietly, wrapping her arms around his neck. "But a master... a master is forever."

"Forever is a very long time," Sylus noted after a minute of tense silence.

"Not for me," she stated firmly, without hesitation. "It's no different than air. You can hold your breath for a while, but sooner or later you still have to take a breath."

Sylus chuckled faintly with a hint of approval:

"A poetic metaphor for a girl who spent three months in a dirty workshop."

"Hey!" Kaylie genuinely bristled, lightly shoving his shoulder. "The workshop was perfectly decent. And I read books, by the way."

"Which ones exactly?" he asked out of curiosity. "Engine repair manuals?"

"Sometimes those too," she admitted, blushing. "But also... others. Romance novels and stuff... about love..."

She whispered those last words, clearly embarrassed by the confession that had just spilled out loud.

"Romance novels?" he echoed with mild mockery. "And what exactly did you learn from them?"

"That life is nothing like it is in books," Kaylie answered honestly. "In books, the girls are beautiful and smart, and the men are noble and romantic. But in reality..."

"In reality?" he nudged her when she trailed off.

"In reality, I fell in love with a sadist who keeps me on a short leash and gets lustful pleasure from my suffering," she blurted out all in one breath, then squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the subsequent explosion.

But instead of anger, there was a quiet but genuine laugh.

"A sadist?" Sylus appreciated the joke. "Quite a harsh accusation."

"But isn't it true?" Kix dared to open her eyes and look at him. "You enjoy watching me suffer."

"I do," he agreed without any denial. "But you're forgetting one important detail."

"What detail?"

"You enjoy your suffering too. Otherwise you wouldn't be lying underneath me looking so satisfied right now."

Kaylie felt her face flush with a mix of shame, pride, and arousal. Because he was absolutely, ruthlessly right. She really did get off on the pain he caused her. On the humiliation, the submission, the feeling of her own helplessness in his hands.

"I know it's wrong..." Kix hung her head.

"Why?" he leaned down to her ear. "Who says it's wrong? Society? Morals? Or your own pathetic attempt to salvage the last scraps of your pride?"

"I don't know," she whispered eventually. "I don't know what's right or wrong. I just know that next to you, I feel... alive."

"Even when I cause you pain?"