Double chapters from tomorrow; thank you for reading.
The restaurant’s walls were lined with parasitic plants that maintained their bright green even in the desert heat, so air-conditioning for the win. I like the earthen feel the plants give the restaurant, and while their choice of lighting was a warm yellow meant to appear soothing, I feel anything but soothed.I have only ever read of terms like ‘cuckold’ in books or really layered pornos, yet I am about to enter such an arrangement.Well, I guess there is a first for everything; still, I should appreciate that Rhett looks more nervous than I do.This is the third time he has picked up and dropped his fork; our meal has yet to arrive, so he should not have any business with the cutlery yet-How cute, like a schoolboy meeting his crush.No.I shouldn't think this way; our time together could be coming to an end; I mean, how long would they let me interfere in their heaven-bound match? A few months max if I make my presence too noticeable.Yet again, I will have to minimise my presence
"What- what do I do? I do not want him to think of me as a child; I don’t want to lose my mate, not to you or anyone."“First of all, dress your age.”I utter as I walk toward her; my hand reaches her cheek, then lowers to her lower lip, which is covered in lipstick too dark for anyone not posing as a dominatrix.“That’s my only free advice; you’d have to bargain for the rest.”“Bargain?”I pull away from her and check the stalls. After ensuring they are empty and that we are the only two in the room, I speak."I need the title of Luna till the end of summer to get rid of...a few ghosts. In that time, I can train you in social etiquette.""Social etiquette, from a social pariah? You think I do not know of you?""Right in the heart."I press my hand to my chest in emphasis."To break the rules, you must know them. Plus, I am still relevant even if I am a ‘social pariah’. I receive thousands of invites to social events; I just happen to talk shit at them, but how many do you have? How r
"What?""Stay with me, Alba. If you go to him right now- he isn't stable, and you might-""Isn’t that precisely why I should be with him?"The ringing in my ears only seems to increase the more he speaks."Alba!"I start for the door, but his hand on my forearm is quick.“Rhett, I-I have to go.”The tremble in my voice gives away my desperation; I shouldn’t feel this terribly for something- someone I want nothing to do with yet…"I'll reject her, so pick me. I will not leave you."“What?”What in God’s name is he talking about?Why would he bring this up now?“I have to go!”“I am ready to drop everything for you, Alba, so please, please, don’t go.”"You are not rejecting her in my name but your fathers. Don't pin this on me! Don’t make me responsible for your choices."“But I want you! I-”His hand on mine trembles, perhaps with more desperation than my voice.“I want you to stay as my Luna, as my wife, stay by my side Alba. All I ask is that you don’t go to him now; wait until the f
"We can go home." Rhett offers. "No, no, I can go; you should stay. I think you are getting more done than I am." "I am not leaving you alone. We stay, or we go, together." His words sound sweet, but they only confirm that he doesn't trust me. I don't trust myself either, so this may be for the best. "Then we stay: I think they need me to purify something, right?" I turn to pose my question to the worker who is still eavesdropping on us. "Ah! Yes, there was a rupture in the pipes caused by water pressure." “Show me.” I utter, then detach my hand from Rhett to follow the man. After aiding him, more tasks awaited me...all of which I performed subpar because nothing in me was present. Still, the day ended, and without work to distract me during our drive home, my mind once again began to stray. It did not help that it was raining, a miracle and cause for celebration due to our efforts here, but all it does is increase my gloom. Still, I have to wait till the end of the week f
An eerie agony filled him when he woke up alone in the car. It was stupid that he expected her to be there.He had fallen asleep with a sense of joy his mother had warned about, awakening to the emptiness in his arms and in an instant, his joy was reduced to an illusion.Yet again, she left him.Yet again, he woke up alone when he was certain he had her.He had gotten nothing, not even a note on her departure—only an announcement from Magnolia two days later that she had decided to visit Mist with her fiancé to work on a project whose end was predicted in a decade; he couldn’t even summon her back to the capital because her arrival had been presented with rainfall that had been journaled by the news team as ‘miraculous’.She would always leave him whenever he turned away from her, he realised belatedly. Even his dreams were punctuated by her absence.His days grew heavier and duller the more she thrived in Mist. He lived on her image in the newspaper and their six-month promise. He wo
A knock on the car window was all it took to jolt me. How long have I been holding him? How long had it been since we reached the palace? It is night now; the driver and security personnel have been long dismissed, all before he fell asleep on my chest. My gaze turns to the window: Magnolia stands on the other side in eveningwear. The position we are in is not in the least bit excusable, yet detaching myself from him seems impossible; his grip around my waist tightens the more I squirm. “Marko, you have to let go now.” I whisper, but he doesn’t budge. My peel from him is more forceful than it should be; still, I manage to slide out of the car. My shirt is wet from his tears. The chill of the night as his warmth escapes me emphasises this. “Sorry, he isn’t awake yet-.” “I’ll take it from here, priestess. I feel you have done enough. Do you know that you both are on every media outlet in the kingdom?” “I am his stepsister; I should be able to be photographed near him.” “Are
It is easy to step into Marko’s wide embrace; again, he makes me forget myself—forget that underneath my shirt, I am nude. His hold on me throbs my centre, but he maintains his strong arms on my waist, causing the shirt to lift slightly. The Ketrian anthem plays in my mind on repeat. I shouldn’t be this aroused after what I did in his shower, yet…I can’t help it. It works; the arousal stops when he sinks his face into my stomach; only something more tender that beats my heart ferociously takes over. I shouldn't feel this way, but it is perhaps because I have never seen him cry this much. Not even when his mother passed; then, he was just outraged. As heartbreaking as it is not to have the answers he craves or to account for my mother's existence, I adore that he still leans on me and that I have a part to play as his solace. I am not a sadist...at least, I don't think so. I am merely greedy. My mate found comfort in my arms. Though...can I still call him that? Marko leans ba
“What the hell was that?" I begin, my hands planted on my waist in a show of disapproval once we enter a private room away from the spring gloom and prying eyes. He doesn’t meet my gaze, so I call his attention. "Rhett, what was that?" "Do you want to end this?" His question is the same as the one he asked in my office. Then, I had no answer. But this time, I do. "Yes." He takes in a rugged breath. "I was emotional in the car-" "I know. I know, Rhett, and before you leap to your conclusions, I am not saying, ‘I want to end this’ because of Marko.” He snorts before his pacing from one end of the empty but furnished tearoom to the other picks up. “You may not believe me, but it’s true. Rhett, being with you means understanding your fear of your father, and my marrying you means accepting it, and I don’t feel comfortable doing that.” “I am not asking you to find comfort in my decisions but to honour your promise!” “How can I do that when-” I bite my lip to quell my outburst,
And that’s a wrap. The book will be marked as complete soon; I hope you loved both stories, the bonus ( ̄y▽ ̄)╭ ohohoho….. and the main story. Now on the meat of the matter, my next work will be out in late June or Mid-July titled: The Alpha's Ruby Obsession (I think, but most likely.) It will be 18+, not just because of the smut but because it is a little darker than this one, discussing themes to do with suicidal ideations and consent-non-consent relations, but don’t worry, I will tag the concerning chapters. It can be read as a stand-alone, but there are benefits to reading this book first. Lastly, this concerns my other book: Your last lie—please do not purchase it until perhaps next year (Late next year); it was my first book and thus very clumsy, I want to work on it, and if you have it in your library, you can remove it and select it later, the changes should reflect. Thank you for reading and voting for ‘Bound to My Wicked Stepbrother’. I would love to hear more from you; whe
TRIGGER WARNING: CONSENT. The pounding in my head trembles my vision. Christ, I am never drinking again. My struggle to change my position and take advantage of the day is met with a familiar stiffness; only the rattling sounds binding me send my eyes wide open. An unfamiliar room, brightly lit with top wall windows that ensure I cannot see outside, but enough light enters that I can see thousands upon thousands of pictures of me lining the walls. Hah... what the hell? Panic sets in low in my belly as struggle finds my limbs. I do not wish to scream; who knows what I will alert, but the rattling of the cuffs binding my hands and feet to the bed must have awoken something because movement sounds from the other side, beyond the dark staired hallway. It would have been easy to sit upright had it only been my hands bound, but both my hands and feet were chained to the bed, holding me indecently in place and... My clothes are different. "You are up? Good, I brought you some food.
He isn’t coming. I repeat to myself as I splash some more warm water on my face. Ugh, what the hell was that sickly sweet champagne Magnolia guzzled down my throat in ‘celebration’? If she wants me to be drunk and embarrass myself, all she has to do is say that. A sigh escapes me at my tired expression in the bathroom mirror. My face is flushed, yet despite how tipsy I am, the hurt from seeing him arrive with his ‘ex-fiancée’ cut too deep to be blurred with liquor. Ever since the production ended, I woke up to sex dreams where Marko would bind me, trap me somewhere and have his way with me mercilessly. Of course, I would plead that he free me because, let’s face it, I would only plead that he does not touch me so that I could be regarded as sane. Because who in the hell would want to be bound and f*cked mercilessly by someone who all but regarded them as a slut? Guilt always devours me at the end of the vulgar dreams, I guess they are about to worsen now that he is with his ex-f
Marko "Cut”. The director's voice rang for what would be the last time, and applause followed. The moment was bittersweet, but the feel of Alba detaching from him as if he was plagued stung. "Alb-" "Don't...don't say anything, Marko. Let this end." "I don’t want-" "Don't want that?" Again, she interrupted him, finishing his sentence when he did not wish her to. "Marko, you called me a slut a few weeks ago, so let this 'slut' reform her ways, a safe distance from you.” “I never said you were a slut.” “No, you merely said that I spread my legs for anyone who gives me the time of day; if your argument is on semantics, try again." Alba uttered as she moved from him, but her dress, the same ivory gown that stole his chest as she walked down the Aisle, making him wish that for a moment the scene was real and she was his bride, made her curse as she moved. "God damn heels!" She muttered before leaving him...again. Should he manipulate her transport? No, she might not fall for
The ballroom echoed its commotion at Marko’s announcement of me as his future wife and Milos as his heir. I should cease wearing fitting gowns that limit my breathing during balls that I anticipate trouble. Still, his hand on my waist is more intense in this way, even as some show their distaste for our relationship vocally, despite our mention that we were mates chosen by the goddess. The tea party was brutal, but this, having to look in the eyes of hundreds of unsmiling faces as if our lives impacted them more than was appropriate, was a whole other thing. Despite all this, my proximity to Marko keeps me uncaring; but I cannot stop my chest’s clenching. Unlike me, he has cared how others viewed him since his youth, and he has always wanted to be a regal and dignified king framed by perfection. Am I not staining him? Please don't change your mind. Please want me still. Please- A tremble rocks through me at the thoughts chanting ceaselessly in my mind, so I step away from Mark
"Ahh...that hits the spot."Ruby utters as she places her pitcher of cider beer on the table with a thud. Without missing a beat, she turns to the table grill and turns the thinly sliced steaks before they burn.It was amusing watching her eat, actually more than amusing; I keep growing envious of her appetite.Still, how were the Clive illegitimate children treated for her to behave this similarly to Violet and me?While I like her playful maturity, we understand the scars that made us this way.After explaining my dream as the ‘sun’ to her (I am not sure if she believes me or thinks I am crazy), we settle and enjoy each other’s company at the eatery that offers each table a small grill and a wide selection of meats for one to fry up themselves if they do not wish for any item from the precooked menu.It took quite a bit of patience, but I finally finished the steak Violet made for me; it is hard to avoid eating when everything around me smells delicious; hell, even the smoke smelled
The woman’s voice holds remorse so deep that it stills me momentarily; it is only when tears stream down her face, ruining her perfect make-up, that I try my hardest to squat in the tightness of my dress and hold her in my arms, for God knows what reason.A feeling I had not felt since Red Graw dances in my chest."My Su-""I am sorry for the way it ended, my dearest misunderstood crimson moon."My lips utter with a voice that comes from deep within me before a smile tilts the corners of my lips upwards.Despite the smile playing on my face, a deep heaviness feels my chest.“It shall awaken soon; find your centre, my precious blood moon; only then will you find peace.” The moment her head slumps heavily on my shoulders, the ‘enchanted’ feeling dissipates from me before I feel her stiffen in my arms."Oh...oh, you must think I am insane."She whispers through my flesh before she peals away from me, hiding the crimson covering her face.“Help me up?”She asks her chauffeur, who assists
“That’s like saying I do not care for my skin.”The girl Violet converses with responds.“I am not responsible for how you choose to interpret my words.”Christ, Violet.I almost groan, but Georgia yells a question impolitely at me."Is that a ring? Are you engaged, priestess?" Silence follows the words; even the blonde, who almost responded to Violet’s taunt, turns her attention to me.“That’s right; you said you would discuss it inside,”Rebeca chimes.Hesitation echoes within me, I thought I would be amongst friends as I open up about this tender subject, but instead, I feel as if I am-"Yes, uh...I am getting married."I announce into the silence, and gasps follow from the majority of the lips but Rebecca’s."Oh! The Lycan King was carrying a baby in his arms in the papers, perhaps a week back. Was the baby yours? I mean, you did go missing for years after the whole Red Graw saga. Did they… I mean, is that why you are being removed from the royal line."Georgia asks; her brashnes
As opposed to an elegant parlour room, Rebecca escorts us outside to a greenhouse-like place that holds numerous colourful and bright plants that add to the bright aesthetic of the party, and despite being outside, the scent of pastries and tea hang deliciously in the air.My gaze turns to the nearby pond, and it is so clear that I can see my reflection in it, but more than that, I can see the tiredness in Rebecca’s build.I guess all the Clive relatives, regardless of association, had a tough time after Magnolia’s treason.The deeper we walk into the space, the more the sound of laughter and chatter calls to us only; it is not as inviting as she had once presented during the mate ball.“About Magnolia…”I begin, but she turns so suddenly on her track that I wind up trailing my words.“Oh, we are fine. Our relation is only from the maternal side.”What the hell is that supposed to mean?Does it matter from which side your cousins hail?“Anyway, I saw today’s papers; how are you holdin