Chapter 29 THE MORNING AFTER
Ginnie
I woke up to warmth, not the gentle kind though. An arm was locked around my waist, firm, pinning me in place with no allowance for movement.
For one fragile second, I didn’t know where I was until the reality of what happened last night crashed down on me all at once.
Holy fuck!
I was in Varkos’s bedroom.
Shame flooded me so fast it burned, my throat tightening as the memories slammed into me—his mouth, his hand claiming forcefully, the way I had stupidly let myself forget how much I hated him.
What the hell have I done?
I should have known better, especially after the warning from Lady Ravena last night..and still, I had let myself fall weakly into him like I always did.
What is wrong with you? I screamed silently at myself. After everything—after her threat, you still let him fuck you.
His arm tightened in his sleep, pulling me closer in a possessive way, even unconscious.
I couldn’t stay here.
I couldn’t—
Shit!
The thought shattered through my mind.
Lily!
I hadn't slept in the staff quarters with her last night, she must have been gravely worried that something must have happened to me. I had left her all alone.
Nice parenting, Ginnie!
My heart began to pound violently with the thought that something must have happened to her. Without hesitating for a second more, I carefully reached for Varkos’s arm, my fingers trembling as I tried to release my water from his grip.
I could barely breathe as I shifted, in slow, quiet motions that wouldn’t stir him awake. I had just begun to sit up when his voice cut through the silence.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
I froze mid-way, slowly turning to face Varkos who was awake now, his dark piercing eyes sharp and alert, already watching me like he’d been awake far longer than he let on. His arm was still stretched where I’d been moments before, as if the absence irritated him.
“I—I need to go,” I said quickly. “I have to check on my little sister.”
“You don’t dare leave my room without my permission.” He snapped, his gaze never leaving me for even a second.
“I don’t need your permission to check on Lily,” I snapped, anger slicing through my fear, “Move your hand.”
I swung my legs toward the edge of the bed, but then his hand shot out, he caught my wrist and yanked me back down in one brutal motion. “Don’t,” he warned, his voice dropping to a low whisper. “Test me this morning.”
Pain flared in my wrist, sharp and hot from his tight grip. I sucked in a breath, stubbornly protesting as I tried to pull away.“What the hell is wrong with you?” I demanded, “Let go of my hand!”
He leaned closer, his grip tightening just enough to remind me how helpless I was against him, “What happened last night,” he said quietly, his eyes locked onto mine now. “What did it mean to you?”
A bitter laugh tore out of me before I could stop it. “Oh, please,” I scoffed, “what exactly did you want it to mean? You were horny. You needed to fuck so badly, and I happened to be available at the right time…”
“…all I did was warm your bed,” I continued coldly. “You got what you wanted, but that’s all over now.”
For a terrifying second, something dangerous flashed across his face. He loosened his tight grip on my wrist only to grab my chin, forcing my face up until I had no choice but to look at him.
“Watch your mouth when you speak to me,” he growled. “You don’t get to dictate what happened between us as nothing.”
“What do you want me to call it then?” I forced the words out despite the fear creeping into me, “Love?”
His jaw clenched.
“What happened wasn’t a mistake,” he snapped. “Because whether you choose to accept it or not…you belong to me now. Even your body.”
“No, Varkos,” I said firmly, “it was a stupid mistake that I’ll never let happen again—“
He didn’t let me finish my words, he leaned in until our noses nearly brushed each other’s, his breath warm against my lips. “That’s what you always say,” he whispered darkly, that wicked smirk curving at the corner of his lips. “And yet every time I touch you, you don’t push me away, you don’t even try to fight me,” his eyes dropped to her naked body.
“You moaned my name last night like it was a prayer every single time my dick was inside that tiny little pussy of yours.”
Heat rushed to my face, humiliation and fury colliding.
“Shut up,” I hissed.
Before I could say anything else, his mouth crashed against mine in a forceful kiss, deepening it more with every movement of his tongue. I shoved at his chest, but he barely moved, one hand gripping my hair as he held me there just long enough until he was done.
When he finally pulled back, the look on his face already said it all. “This will happen again,” his voice thundered across the room with brutal certainty. “So start getting used to it.”
The words slammed into me without mercy. I searched his face, hating myself for the flicker of feelings stirring inside me. “It won’t,” I snapped, “Because Kenna is your future Luna. She’ll be the one warming your bed soon.”
Something flickered across his face for a single second, guilt? Regret? Just long enough for me to see it. But then it vanished quickly—locked away behind that cold, ruthless mask I knew too well.
“You’re right about that. Kenna is my future Luna because I could never stoop so low to be with a human,” he said flatly. “I don’t regret rejecting that night…and I would do it again.”
“Of course you don’t!” I shook my head slowly, forcing the tears that threatened to spill, “You stood over me that night and told me I wasn’t enough. That a human could never be worthy of you, so I’ve already gotten that part clearly.”
I leaned closer before I could stop myself, anger bleeding into every word. “So tell me then?” The words rolled out of me bitterly, “Why is it that the same human you are so disgusted with is the same person who warmed your bed last night?”
His eyes darkened instantly, as if what I said just hurt his ego in a way he hated to admit, “I will never let myself fall in love with a human,” he shot back coldly, each word deliberate, final. “So don’t try to mistake physical desire for something it isn’t.”
“What happens between us is strictly just sex,” he continued. “Nothing more, you’re my personal slave. And you will satisfy me when I decide.”
Then he pulled back instinctively, creating a distance between us that only made the ache inside my chest grow worse.
Something inside me snapped, the last illusion I was still holding on to shattered quietly inside my chest. “I don’t give a fuck what you think,” my voice came out as a low whisper. “Maybe you’ve failed to see that I’m not that same girl you rejected six years ago.”
I didn’t wait for his reaction. Ignoring the way my body shook as I reached for my clothes, I began to dress quickly, refusing to spare him a single glance.
When I was done, I walked to the door.
The door slammed shut behind me.
Hard.