Chapter 57: Knotted by the rival Alpha -2

Morning light cut through the high windows of the marital suite. Kaelen woke alone. The sheets still smelled of Lucian and sex. His body ached in deep places. The temporary bruise on his throat throbbed when he swallowed.

He dressed in the plain clothes left for him and waited until the corridor quieted. Guards rotated every twenty minutes. He timed it, slipped out, and followed the route he had memorized months ago as a spy.

Lucian’s private office sat two floors below. The lock yielded to a thin blade and steady hands. Inside, the room was ordered and cold. Maps covered one wall. A locked drawer under the desk held the real prize: encrypted troop movements and supply routes.

Kaelen worked the drawer open. He had the first data stick halfway into his pocket when the door opened behind him.

"Looking for something, husband?"

Kaelen spun. Lucian stood in the doorway, still in uniform, eyes sharp. The door shut with a soft click. The lock engaged from the inside.

"I was—"

"Stealing." Lucian crossed the room without hurry. "Again. Did last night teach you nothing?"

Kaelen’s back hit the edge of the desk. "This marriage does not make me yours to command."

Lucian’s voice dropped into the low register of Alpha command. "Kneel."

Kaelen’s knees hit the floor before his mind caught up. The order sank into his bones like iron. His cock twitched hard against his trousers.

Lucian stopped in front of him. "You came into my office to take what is mine. That earns punishment."

"Fuck your punishment."

"You will." Lucian unbuckled his belt with slow movements. "Open your mouth."

Kaelen’s jaw loosened against his will. Lucian freed his cock, already thick and heavy. He tapped the head against Kaelen’s lower lip.

"Suck."

Kaelen took him in. The taste of clean skin and Alpha musk flooded his tongue. Lucian’s hand settled in his hair and held him steady while he thrust shallowly into Kaelen’s mouth.

"Deeper."

Kaelen gagged as Lucian pushed farther. Tears pricked his eyes. Lucian did not ease off. He fucked Kaelen’s throat with controlled strokes, watching every wet sound and every choked breath.

"You look better like this," Lucian said. "On your knees where you belong. Stealing from me while my come is still inside you."

Kaelen’s hands clenched on his own thighs. Slick was already gathering between his legs. The command still hummed under his skin, keeping him in place.

Lucian pulled free with a wet sound. "Stand. Turn around. Hands on the desk."

Kaelen rose on unsteady legs and bent over the polished wood. Lucian yanked his trousers down to mid-thigh. Cool air hit bare skin. Two fingers pushed into him without warning, finding him already slick and open from the night before.

"Still loose from my knot. Convenient." Lucian scissored his fingers once, then pulled them free. "You will take me dry if that is what I decide. But I prefer you wet and begging."

He lined up and drove in hard. Kaelen’s forehead dropped to the desk. The stretch burned and filled him completely. Lucian set a punishing pace immediately, hips slamming forward, each thrust forcing a broken sound from Kaelen’s throat.

"This is what happens when you break the rules," Lucian said against his ear. "I take what I want. You take what I give."

Kaelen’s cock leaked steadily onto the side of the desk. Lucian reached around and stroked him in rough time with the thrusts. The dual sensation ripped a moan from Kaelen’s chest.

"You hate how much you need this." Lucian’s voice stayed low and steady. "Your body opens for me the second I touch you. Say it."

"I hate you."

"Not what I asked." Lucian’s hand tightened on Kaelen’s cock. "Say you need it."

Kaelen’s voice cracked. "I need it."

"Good." Lucian drove deeper, angling to hit the spot that made Kaelen’s vision blur. "Come when I tell you."

The command locked around Kaelen’s orgasm and held it just out of reach. He trembled, cock throbbing, every thrust pushing him closer without release.

"Please."

"Not yet." Lucian fucked him harder. The desk creaked under the force. Slick ran down Kaelen’s thighs. The wet slap of skin on skin filled the office.

Lucian’s knot began to swell. He forced it past Kaelen’s rim with a final hard thrust and locked them together. Thick pulses of come flooded deep inside. Only then did the command release.

"Come."

Kaelen spilled hard across the side of the desk, body shaking, a broken cry torn from his throat. Lucian held him through it, one arm banded around his waist, the other still wrapped around his spent cock.

They stayed tied while the minutes stretched. Lucian’s mouth found the bruise on Kaelen’s throat and bit down again, darker this time.

"You will not enter this office again without my leave," Lucian said against his skin. "Next time I will not be so gentle."

Kaelen’s laugh was rough. "That was gentle?"

"For you, yes."

When the knot finally softened Lucian pulled free. Come and slick ran down Kaelen’s thighs. Lucian cleaned him with a cloth from a drawer, then fixed his own clothes with the same calm efficiency.

"Go back to our rooms. Stay there until I send for you."

Kaelen pulled his trousers up with shaking hands. He left without another word.

In the suite he went straight to his bag. The false bottom was still intact. He opened it.

The suppressant patches were gone. Every last one.

Kaelen stared at the empty space for a long moment. Then he sat on the edge of the bed, body still aching from the office, and understood exactly how deep the trap had closed.

---

The gala hall glittered with crystal and false smiles. Lucian kept a possessive hand at the small of Kaelen’s back as they moved through the crowd. Every eye tracked them. The political marriage was already public knowledge. Unity had to be performed.

"Smile," Lucian murmured near his ear. "They need to believe you are content in my bed."

Kaelen’s mouth curved into something that almost looked real. "I am content imagining your slow death."

Lucian’s low laugh was private. "Keep talking like that and I will take you against the nearest wall before the toasts are finished."

They danced once for show. Lucian’s hand stayed firm on Kaelen’s waist. The missing suppressants left Kaelen’s scent sharper than it should have been. A few Alphas nearby glanced over with interest. Lucian’s answering glare sent them looking elsewhere.

The first shot came during the second dance. A dart hissed past Lucian’s throat. Kaelen moved on instinct. He shoved Lucian sideways and took the second dart high in the shoulder. Pain flared hot and immediate. The toxin was not lethal, only meant to slow an Alpha long enough for a cleaner kill.

Chaos erupted. Guards shouted. Guests scattered. Lucian’s arm locked around Kaelen’s waist and dragged him toward the nearest secure exit. Blood already soaked through Kaelen’s formal jacket.

"You idiot," Lucian snarled as they ran. "That was meant for me."

"You are welcome."