Chapter One Hundred and Ten: His Promise

Chapter One Hundred and Ten: His Promise
Alarion’s body was a wall of heat pressed into Kaelia’s back, their legs tangled beneath the velvet blanket that clung to their sweat-slicked skin. His nose buried at the crook of Kaelia’s neck, breathing in slow, savoring inhales like a man addicted to something far too forbidden. His lips brushed Kaelia’s scent gland with reverence, his voice a smoky growl against delicate skin.

“You smell so soothing… like home,” Alarion murmured. “You’re killing me and healing, baby.”

Kaelia’s breath hitched, fingers lacing through the Alpha’s hand where it rested on her belly. She could feel the desire, thick and heavy between them, the way Alarion’s hips twitched as if resisting instinct with everything he had.

“I can feel you,” Kaelia whispered without thinking.
And she could. Pressed so close, it was impossible to ignore the way Alarion’s hardened length throbbed between them, hot and unforgiving through the thin fabric of his pants.

Alarion hissed, low and sharp, before letting out a strangled chuckle. “Are you gonna stop mocking me anytime soon?”

Kaelia turned her head slightly, just enough for their noses to brush. “I’m just… observing.”

The Alpha groaned. “It’s been too long. And you know that.”

Kaelia blinked. “Since we…”

Alarion’s voice dipped, hunger curling around each syllable. “Since I’ve had you. Since I’ve been inside you. Since I’ve been home. Baby, your man is starving and it's not an exaggeration.”

Kaelia whimpered again, the sound escaping without permission, her fingers tightening around Alarion’s wrist. That sinful mouth, that voice, that Alpha’s… it was too much.

“Don’t say things like that,” Kaelia breathed. “You’ll drive me insane.”

“I’m already there,” Alarion growled softly. “You’ve ruined me, Kaelia. Irreversibly.”

Kaelia swallowed, the tension coiling tighter between her thighs… until she winced suddenly. A flutter. Then a sharp press from inside.

The baby kicked.

Alarion jolted up immediately, instincts snapping into focus.

“Kaelia?” he asked, worried, already helping her turn to lie flat. “What happened? Are you okay? Did it hurt? Was it—"

“The baby kicked,” Kaelia murmured, breathless. “Not hard. Just… caught me off guard.”

Still, Alarion’s entire posture changed. He kissed Kaelia’s brow, then the tip of her nose, and gently rolled her onto her back with the utmost care. His large hands began massaging Kaelia’s calves, thumbs working soft circles into the skin.

“You’re too tense,” he said. “You’re not sleeping enough. When was the last time someone gave you a proper massage?”

Kaelia laughed lightly. “You make it sound like I have a whole lineup.”

“You do. I just fought them all off.”

Alarion cradled Kaelia’s belly next, both palms curved reverently around it. “Hey, little one,” he whispered to the bump. “We were just cuddling, okay? Your mama smells too good. Don’t make a scene.”

Kaelia chuckled, but the sound faded. The moment slowed.

Their hands stayed connected. Their foreheads touched.

And quietly, Kaelia spoke.

“I’m scared.”

Alarion stilled, then shifted to hold him better. “Of what, baby?”

“Everything. The court. The king. The whispers. What comes after. I feel like I’m holding a flame inside me, and any breeze could blow it out.”

Alarion kissed her temple. “You’re stronger than you think.”

Kaelia hesitated. Her voice dropped to something nearly inaudible.

“Do you think I’ll be allowed to attend?”

“Attend?”

“The festival,” Kaelia said, eyes not quite meeting his. “Do you think I’ll be allowed to go?”

“Why wouldn’t you?” Alarion asked, caught off guard.

Kaelia laughed under her breath, bitter and small. “Because I’m nothing but a Prince’s servant girl.”

Alarion’s heart clenched. “You’re everything,” he said instantly. “You’re the Prince’s mate. The mother of my heir.”

“Well, I think your devotion to your duty says otherwise. You’ve gotten busy with your duties and now I get a few minutes of your 24 hours. On the day of the feast, you'll be sitting right beside the king and even if I make it to the grand hall, I'll have to hide myself amidst the crowd…”

Her voice wavered.

“Standing amongst the crowd would prevent me from seeing your face because I'm too small and everyone else is huge. I'm pregnant. I can't play your personal assistant in the open anymore, that would have helped me stand close to you the whole night, but I can't stand that long… and what if someone sniffs me out? Scent blockers can no longer cover my scent since I got pregnant. I can't play your Beta servant anymore.”

Kaelia paused. Then, voice barely above a whisper:

“My pregnancy is growing more obvious by the day and sometimes I get scared. What if the walls of my chamber are too thin to protect me? What if you’re busy being a Prince when I’d need your help?”

The room was silent.

Then Alarion took Kaelia’s face in both hands, slowly, gently, as if holding porcelain, as if holding his world.

“I don’t care if the world is watching, Kaelia. You’ll be beside me. Not hidden. Not behind me. Beside me. That festival is important. It's a day of blessings, happiness, and favours, from the moon. And yes, you deserve all that, my love.”

Kaelia blinked fast.

“I’ll put a throne next to mine if I have to,” Alarion said. “And if anyone dares breathe wrong about it, they’ll be talking through broken jaws.”

Kaelia let out a choked laugh, watery and disbelieving.

“You think I’m joking?” Alarion asked, smiling crookedly. “I’ve never been more serious in my life.”

Kaelia’s lips trembled. “But what if—”

“No,” Alarion cut in, brushing his thumbs over Kaelia’s cheeks. “No more what ifs. You’ll be there. I’ll make sure of it. You belong at my side. Omega, Lupherian, Pregnant… everything you are. You’re mine. And no one, not even my father, can erase that… listen, I'm tired too, I'm tired of hiding you, of kissing you only in the dark, of holding your hand only within the walls of this chamber. You deserve better, way better than I'm giving. I can't continue like this. You are carrying my heir, it has turned to a sin; hiding you became a sin the moment you got pregnant with my heir. The only sin I'd commit wholeheartedly is being with you, not hiding you.”

Kaelia couldn’t help it. She surged forward and kissed him.

Not out of lust. But out of aching need… relief, trust, and love.

Alarion kissed her back like he was grounding himself in that moment, in them. Their mouths moved slow, warm, unhurried. Just breath and heat and lips.

When they finally parted, Kaelia rested against his chest, eyes fluttering.

And then she smiled faintly.

“It's been a while since I sent Aaron to get me some street snacks, why is he not back yet?”

Alarion raised a brow. “Yes, Aaron. You sent the prince to run errands?”

“He needed something to do,” Kaelia muttered sleepily.

“I'd have asked how you got the golden Prince of Eldoria to run errands for you but I know he'd do whatever as long it's you asking. That fucker.”

Kaelia giggled. “Oh dear, are you jealous?”

Alarion grinned, then leaned closer, lips brushing Kaelia’s ear.

“I'm a little bit jealous, but more horny.”

“Alarion!”

“What? It won't go soft without friction.”