This chapter was proofread by a fellow author. Please pardon any errors you may come across, as she is only human and did her best to understand the entire plot. :)
Emmeline very nearly swayed on her feet from the force of it, her thighs clenching instinctively against a sudden, searing rush of arousal.She had to dig her nails into her palms to keep from visibly reacting, from reaching out and grabbing Zavian and hauling his body flush against hers in a shameless public display.Yuna raised her eyebrows. "You're volunteering to teach Emmeline yourself?" Her tone was laced with reproach, glancing between her husband and Emmeline. "But shouldn't Minnie know her better? As her friend, it would make more sense for Minnie to show her the ropes."Minnie didn't even blink at Yuna's thinly veiled objection. "Don't worry about it. I'll help my husband teach Richard instead. If Mr. Blackthorn can actually skate, he'd better be the one to teach Emmeline."Minnie gave Zavian a pointed look, clearly missing the undercurrent between him and Emmeline. "Thank you for offering to take that on," she said.The subtle curve of Minnie's painted lips suggested she sus
A wave of intense rage crashed over Zavian at that brazen display.He could feel the entities within him straining against his mental restraints - roaring to be unleashed and rip Richard apart for daring to kiss their mate so boldly.A deep, guttural growl bubbled up from Zavian's throat as his fists clenched, every fiber of his being urging him to strike Richard down right then and there.He could feel the snarling and snapping at the mental chains holding his predators back from bursting forth.Zavian's breaths came in harsh pants through flared nostrils as he struggled to maintain control, to not expose the dangerous truth that Emmeline was his mate.His entire world had narrowed down to that revolting sight of another male claiming his mate, of her being violated right before his eyes. The bestial side of him raged and roared for blood, for vengeance against this usurper who thought he could stake ownership over what belonged to him alone.Emmeline raised her hand and lightly but f
"What's going on there?" Emmeline asked, furrowing her brows."Your husband seems to have fallen. Why don't you go check on him?" Zavian answered sarcastically.Emmeline shot him an annoyed look. "You of all people know how much I despise Richard. Don't speak to me with such dismissive sarcasm."Zavian’s expression darkened. "Maybe because I’ve never met a woman who kissed the man she hated."Emmeline exhaled shakily, indicating the extent of her excitement and frustration. "Mr. Blackthorn, please...""Emmeline, come here! Richard fell and he's not looking good." Minnie's voice echoed in the distance, forcing them to postpone their argument.Emmeline slowly skated toward the couple with Zavian following closely behind.They gathered around Richard, who was still on the floor with Taehyung beside him."What happened?" Emmeline asked with feigned concern.Minnie crossed her arms and tilted her head, a small, mocking sneer tugging at her lips. "Oh, nothing much. He managed to skate on fla
Emmeline returned to their previous meeting spot and found Minnie was the only one waiting there, brushing some fresh powder off her coat with a polite smile. "How's he doing?" she asked casually, her tone laced more with curiosity than genuine concern.Emmeline's lips twitched into a sly smirk. "His tongue works just fine, so I'd say he's doing great," she replied with dripping sarcasm.Her eyes scanned the snowy landscape, searching for that tall, brooding figure that made her heart flutter even when he was infuriatingly cruel. Not spotting Zavian anywhere, she turned back to Minnie with a slight frown. "Where did your husband and Mr. Blackthorn go? I told him I still needed his help with the skating!"Minnie chuckled lightly, nodding toward the slope where Zavian and Taehyung were tearing down a slick, winding track on roaring snowmobiles in what looked like an all-out race."My husband challenged Mr. Blackthorn to a little snowmobile competition," she explained with an indulgent ro
Emmeline's heart pounded wildly in her chest, her breath coming in shallow, panicked bursts.She tried to meet the blazing intensity of his gaze head-on, but the sheer force of his expression made her feel impossibly small and powerless. "I told you why I smiled," she managed, her voice cracking with the effort of holding his stare. "If I refused to listen to his commands, he would've hurt me again. Zavian, you have to believe me."But Zavian ignored her pleading words entirely, moving to grip her shoulders in a firm, punishing hold and pushed her back against the tree with the solid weight of his body. "What would you do if you were me, Emmeline?" he demanded in a voice raw with fury. "How would you put out the fire of your jealousy if Yuna kissed me in front of you... and I smiled at her afterward?"The weight of his accusation crushed Emmeline. The mere thought of Zavian with someone else - smiling at someone else was utterly unbearable.Hot tears blurred her vision as she whispered
Zavian finally pulled back just far enough to stare down at her, his expression hardening into something stern and unyielding. "You are my woman," he stated gravelly, his eyes boring into hers with an intensity. "And you belong to me alone!"Emmeline felt something inside her emotions at the weight of his claim. The vulnerability and longing she'd been fighting for so long crashed over her in an unstoppable wave. Without a moment's hesitation, she threw her arms around his neck, forcing him to bend down closer,"I know jealousy can make a person blind. It silences reason and makes you listen only to your fear of losing someone. I've felt that before too, Mr. Blackthorn." She whispered.Zavian’s forehead came to rest against hers, their mingled breaths gusting over swollen, ravished lips as he stared at her like she was the only thing anchoring him to the world.Emmeline swallowed hard, forcing herself to hold his gaze. "He told me to pretend. To act like we were some wild, passionate c
Zavian's grip loosened at her words. His shoulders relaxed, the hard line of his body softening as a hint of a smirk tugged his mouth."Is that what you've been waiting to hear?" Emmeline couldn't resist teasing, unable to smother her smile at the tension bleeding from his expression.Zavian looked away, burying hands in his jacket pockets. "I've been waiting to hear it," he admitted flatly.Emmeline chuckled, reaching to trail fingers over his stubbled jaw in a teasing caress. "That's how you know how patient I am," she murmured, her tone playful and seductive.Zavian’s brows furrowed briefly in irritation but before he could respond, she rose on tiptoes and pressed a quick, impulsive kiss to his lips.The sound lingered sweetly intimate in the chilly air between them."Let's head back before they ask questions," Emmeline suggested, pulling back to gaze through her lashes. "What excuse did you use to get us alone this long?""Minnie dropped her phone, so I pretended I lost my wallet a
Emmeline quickly tried to fix herself up, smoothing down her tousled hair and straightening her clothes, doing her best to hide any obvious traces of the sinful acts she and Zavian had just engaged in.Her swollen, reddened lips, however, were a different story – one that Zavian seemed immensely proud of, if the smug, satisfied smirk curving his sensual mouth was any indication."Don't even think about it," she muttered under her breath, shooting him a halfhearted glare. "If anyone asks, I'm just going to blame it on the cold air."Zavian’s grin widened. "Whatever you say, darling," he purred.Together, they headed toward the restaurant where the rest of their group was waiting, carefully maintaining the illusion that they'd just happened to run into each other outside by chance.No one appeared to suspect anything out of the ordinary as they rejoined the others, and Emmeline wondered – not for the first time – how it was possible their secret affair had managed to stay hidden for so l
“Your Majesty. It’s Cara.” A soft, feminine voice whispered, barely carrying across the lavish bedroom. “I’ve come as summoned.”Zavian didn’t turn. His focus stayed locked on Emmeline, on the fragile rise and fall of her chest and the pale strain in her face.The cords in his neck tightened as fury simmered like a storm restrained by threadbare control.Then he moved.The shift was subtle but it sent a chill rippling through the air.Slowly, he rose to his full height and turned to face the person near the door.Cara froze when Zavian’s eyes landed on her, and whatever words she meant to say died in her throat.His glare burned into her with blistering intensity… with an unspoken warning passed with a single look.“Keep my mate safe. Or you’ll understand what true destruction feels like!”Cara gave a quick, frightened nod. She dared not meet his eyes again.The air shifted once more when the door opened behind her. This time, the presence that filled the room carried a different energ
"Home," Zavian replied, a new warmth entering his voice. His hand moved to stroke her hair gently. "Our home."Seeing the confusion in her eyes, he elaborated. "Not the estate you're thinking of. This is different. We're in another realm entirely."His voice took on a note of reverence. "This is my true homeland, the place I was born. A world parallel to the one you know but governed by different laws and energies."Emmeline's eyes widened in surprise and wonder. Throughout their relationship, Zavian had hinted at his otherworldly origins, but she had never fully understood what that meant.The reality of it… that she had crossed between dimensions was almost too much to process in her weakened state.Instinctively, she tried to sit up, wanting to see more of this new world, but the movement sent sharp pain lancing through her body.Emmeline gasped, falling back against the pillows."Careful now," Zavian was quick to move one hand to support her head while the other rested lightly on h
Emmeline's eyes fluttered open to a bright light that streamed through tall windows.She squinted, allowing her vision to adjust gradually while trying to make sense of her surroundings.Her body felt as though it had endured a tremendous ordeal. Every muscle ached, every joint protested, and a profound weakness permeated her entire being.The pain was particularly intense from her waist down, radiating in waves that made movement seem like an impossible feat.Her limbs felt disconnected from her commands, heavy and unresponsive despite her mental efforts to move them.Emmeline felt an unusual sensation in her left hand after several moments of disorientation and she managed to lift it slightly into her field of vision with considerable effort.An intravenous line had been inserted into her vein, connected to a clear bag of fluid hanging from a sleek medical stand positioned beside her bed.Emmeline blinked slowly, allowing her gaze to wander around her.The room was surprisingly spaci
The room seemed to grow darker and heavier.It suddenly went dead quiet. Not peaceful quiet… the kind of silence that crushes your lungs and makes your skin crawl.The fire that had danced so merrily before had withered to pathetic embers, their feeble orange glow mocking the darkness closing in.Frost slithered up the walls like hungry fingers turning their sanctuary into a tomb.Emmeline trembled violently beneath Zavian, her heart hammering against her ribs. Not from the biting cold, but from the terrifying wrongness radiating from the man she loved.His touch—God, his touch had transformed completely. Those hands that once traced her skin with reverence now moved with mechanical precision like a puppeteer yanking invisible strings.His eyes kept fracturing before her, flashing between the current molten gold, blood-red, obsidian like the very abyss and a silver so bright it hurt to look at.Each transformation felt like a knife twisting in her gut, screaming the truth she couldn't
Emmeline’s chest rose and fell in uneven waves, still trembling from the aftershocks of everything he had unleashed within her.Her skin glistened with sweat and every inch of her painted in the memory of his touch.The raw and soul-rending pain had receded at last, melting into something distant, hazy… almost dreamlike.Whatever Zavian had done to her... It was like a balm to her broken edges, a breath of cool air after drowning in a sea of fire.She blinked slowly, eyes dazed and glassy as the sensations gradually settled into her bones.Her lungs dragged in air hungrily, as though she had finally surfaced after being submerged in a flame licking at every nerve and every thought.A sweet, dizzying relief coursed through her veins, loosening the tight coil of agony that had gripped her since the moment he claimed her.Her fingers curled weakly against his chest. “That’s it? Have I truly lost my virginity?” she whispered, dazed, as though she hadn’t just been wrecked beyond repair.A d
Emmeline felt as though her entire being was being shattered, only to be reforged in the same breath again and again in an endless, excruciating cycle.Her body was no longer her own. It was his canvas, his battlefield, and his altar all at once.Pain seared through her hot and unrelenting, blurring the lines between agony and ecstasy until she couldn’t tell them apart. Her brain felt liquified, scrambled, as if it were melting beneath the weight of every thrust, every stretch… every unrelenting claim.Black spots flickered at the corners of her vision like cinders floating in smoke, and her breath came in shallow, desperate gasps.She could no longer see Zavian clearly save for the gleam of his eyes and the heat of his penis pounding into her in a savage branding.Every brutal snap of his hips sent her body lurching forward, sent her spine arching in protest and raw need, only to be wrenched back again before she could even catch her breath.There was no mercy in his rhythm only relen
A guttural growl rumbled through Zavian’s chest as her slick walls clamped around him, struggling to accommodate his size.The stretch was unbearable for Emmeline. Her body trembled beneath his weight and her breath came in shallow gasps as she adjusted to the brutal invasion.“You’re so tight.” Zavian’s gaze lingered, devouring every expression that flickered across her face.“I’m fine so far,” Emmeline struggled to articulate her thoughts, squeezing her eyes tightly shut as she struggled to contain the tears that threatened to spill. Yet, the way her nails dug into his skin revealed the truth behind her facade.Zavian clenched his teeth so tightly that the sound reverberated through the room, evidence of his struggle for control. He thrust deeper, inch by inch, splitting her open but paused when a sharp cry tore from her throat and her back arching in protest.“It hurts… fuck, it hurts so bad,” Emmeline choked out in a voice cracked and broken, trembling with the rawness of it.Her b
Zavian’s grip tightened on Emmeline’s shoulder as he captured her lips in a fierce, possessive kiss.His tongue slipped into her mouth, demanding, tasting, claiming her as his own.Emmeline was too numb with pleasure to resist—not that she wanted to.Their mouths moved in a synchronized dance.Emmeline breath caught in the moment as his taste lingered on her lips, mingling with the remnants of her own essence that he had just devoured.She traced her fingertips over his chest, teasing the taut peaks of his nipples.Zavian let out a deep, guttural groan that sent her already oversensitized body quivering. His saliva trickled down her throat, laced with her arousal and setting her senses ablaze. Zavian finally released her, just as she was on the brink of breathlessness and fainting.“What do you think of your food?” he murmured.Emmeline licked the taste of her from his lips. She hesitated before scoffing lightly. “Either you’re exaggerating, or I’ve lost my sense of taste because I do
A tremor ran through Emmeline at his words and his tongue swirling around her aching bud. She gripped the sheets tighter, desperate to ground herself against the pleasure consuming her."Zavian," she whispered breathlessly. "You always know how to push me to the edge."Another strangled moan ripped from her throat when his tongue flicked over her clit.Zavian groaned in response, the vibrations sending another surge of pleasure through her."You're driving me mad," he rasped before sucking her into his mouth, drawing her deep, consuming her essence like a man starved.“Oh, Zavian!” A sharp cry escaped Emmeline. She writhed beneath him, every nerve in her body igniting like wildfire as her thighs quivering around his head."If only you could see what I see," Zavian mused. "How your folds swell for me, how they burn with need. Your lips don’t need rouge, love… their blush is natural, painted just for me."His gaze remained locked on hers, dark and filled with something primal. "You're be