Chapter 96 The First Step
I don’t know how long I've been crying.
Time loses its edges when grief finally has permission to breathe. My tears soak into Darius’s shirt, my claws relax and retract without me telling them to, my beast curling inward instead of pacing. He never once tells me to stop. Never shifts away. Never tries to fix it.
When the storm finally slows, I’m left hollowed out,raw, exhausted, painfully aware of my own breathing.
I pull back just enough to speak.
“I’m still angry,” I say, voice rough. “At you. At the Council. At the world. At myself.”
He nods like this is something he expected. Like it doesn’t scare him.
“I’m still broken,” I continue. “Some days I don’t even know where the cracks end and where I begin.”
His hand tightens just slightly at my back,not to stop me, not to silence me. Just to stay.
“And I’m still unsure,” I whisper. “About everything.”
I swallow hard.
Then the truth I’ve been circling finally forces its way out.
“But I feel safest with you.”
The words land between us, heavy and undeniable.
“I hate that,” I add quickly, anger flaring like a defense mechanism. “I hate that my body calms down when you’re near. I hate that my beast listens to you before it listens to me. I hate that you can still undo me after everything.”
My voice cracks.
“And I hate myself for wanting you anyway.”
His breath shudders.
I stare at his chest, not daring to look at his face as I say the last part.
“When you were injured… when I thought you might die…” My fingers curl into his shirt again. “I realized I couldn’t live in a world without you in it. And that terrifies me.”
Silence stretches.
Not cold. Not empty.
Full.
Darius lifts my chin gently, slow enough that I could pull away if I wanted to. I don’t.
“I don’t need forgiveness tonight,” he says quietly.
My heart stutters.
“I don’t need you to be healed. Or certain. Or ready.” His thumb brushes my jaw, reverent, restrained. “I just want to be chosen,once. Without obligation. Without bonds or duty or fear.”
His eyes search mine.
“Just… me.”
Something inside my chest caves in.
All my defenses. All my careful distance. All the walls I built out of survival.
I don’t answer him with words.
I lean forward and kiss him.
It’s not frantic. Not hungry. Not rushed.
It’s hesitant like we’re both afraid this moment might shatter if we breathe too hard.
His lips are warm. Still. Shocked.
For half a heartbeat, he doesn’t move at all.
Then he kisses me back.
Carefully.
Like I might vanish.
The bond hums, not screaming now, but resonating, deep and steady, like it’s finally found the note it’s been searching for.
It was like a spark igniting a wildfire, a heat that spread through my veins, consuming me. His hands slid to my waist, pulling me closer, his body heat seeping through my dress, branding me with the knowledge that I was his, even if only for this moment.
A soft moan escaped me, half pleasure, half desperation. I needed this, needed him, more than I’d ever needed anything. I straddled him, my legs trembling as I settled on his lap, his eyes never leaving mine.
He was already hard beneath me, the heat of his cock pressing against my core even through the layers of fabric,and I rolled my hips just once,just to feel him throb. His hands dropped to my waist, fingers biting into my skin, and then he was pushing me back, just enough to break the kiss.
His gaze was a brand, intense and all-consuming, and I felt the power of it, the way it stripped me bare.
“You’re killing me,” he rasped.
I didn’t answer. I just rocked against him again, my clit dragging over the rigid length of him, and his breath hitched.
The air between us thrummed with unspoken desire, a force so tangible I could almost touch it. With a sudden urgency, he sat up, His hands slid up my ribs, under my tank top, and then he was yanking it over my head in one roughmotion. The cool air hit my bare skin, my nipples tightening into aching points, and before I could even take another breath, his mouth was on me.
Oh god.
His lips sealed around one nipple, tongue flicking over the tip before he sucked,hard. Pleasure lanced through me, sharp and electric, and I arched into him with a broken moan. His free hand cupped my other breast, squeezing just enough to make me gasp, his thumb rolling over my nipple in slow, maddening circles. The wet heat of his mouth, the way his teeth grazed me just shy of pain, it was too much. My fingers tangled in his hair, holding him to me as I panted, my hips still grinding against him without rhythm, just need.
I threw my head back, a loud moan tearing from my throat, my hands tangling in his hair, pulling him closer. His suckling was voracious, hungry, like he was starving and I was his only meal.
"You taste so fucking good," he growled against my skin, his breath hot and ragged. "I could feast on you all night."
His words sent a shiver down my spine, a mix of pride and arousal that coiled low in my belly. I moaned again, my body arching into his touch, my nipples hardening under his tongue. He switched to the other breast, his mouth relentless, his hands roaming over my skin, mapping me like uncharted territory.
"Please," I whispered, my voice thick with need. "I need you, now."
He chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that vibrated against my core. "Impatient, aren’t we?" he teased, his lips trailing down my stomach, his breath ghosting over my skin.
I whimpered, my body tightening with anticipation. I was on the edge, teetering between pleasure and desperation, and he knew it. With a sudden fierceness, he flipped us, his body pressing me into the mattress. I gasped as his lips crashed into mine, hungry and demanding, his tongue thrusting into my mouth with a possessiveness that left me breathless.
“Fuck, Lyra,” he murmured against my skin, his breath hot and damp. “You’re so fucking perfect.”
I didn’t have words. I just pulled his head back up to mine and kissed him, my tongue plunging into his mouth like I could fuck him with it. He groaned, his hands sliding down to grip my ass, fingers digging in as he lifted me just enough to flip us.
Then he was gone,down my body, his lips trailing fire over my stomach, my hips, until his face was between my thighs. I could feel his breath through the thin fabric of my panties, hot and damp, and I squirmed, my fingers clutching at the sheets.
“Please”
He didn’t make me beg. His tongue dragged up the center of me, the wet heat seeping through the cotton, and
I cried out, my back arching off the bed. He did it again, slower this time, his nose pressing against my clit, and I could feel how swollen I was, how desperate.
"Please Darius," I begged, my voice breaking. "I need you, now."
He chuckled again, his tongue continuing its slow, deliberate path. "Such a needy little thing," he murmured, his breath fanning over my clit. "But you’ll wait, won’t you? For me."
I whimpered, my body trembling with need. I was on the edge, my nerves stretched taut, and he knew it. My panties were ruined, soaked through, and when he hooked his fingers into the waistband and tore them off me, the sound of fabric ripping was the sexiest thing I’d ever heard.
Then his mouth was on me,really on me,and I lost my mind.
His tongue parted my folds, thick and wet, sliding up and down my slit before circling my entrance. I moaned, my thighs trembling around his head, and when he finally pushed inside me, I sobbed. He fucked me with his tongue, slow at first, then harder, deeper, his nose grinding against my clit with every thrust. His thumb found my clit, pressing down in tight little circles, and the pleasure was so intense it bordered on pain.
“Oh fuck…” My voice broke. My hands flew to his hair, my hips bucking against his face. “Don’t stop, don’t stop…”
He didn’t. He ate me like he was starving, his tongue curling inside me, his lips sealing around my pussy to suck.
The sounds he made,wet, obscene, hungry,sent another wave of heat through me. I could feel my orgasm building, coiling tight in my belly, my thighs shaking, my breath coming in ragged gasps.
“I’m gonna, I’m gonna ”
I was lost, my body spiraling into a vortex of pleasure that threatened to consume me. I moaned, my hips bucking against his mouth, my hands clutching at the sheets as I teetered on the brink of orgasm.
"Cum for me, Lyra," he growled, his voice a low command that sent shivers down my spine. "Let me feel you shake around my tongue."
I was close, so close, my body coiled tight like a spring. But just as I was about to climax, he stopped, his mouth leaving me with a wet pop.
And then he stopped.
I whined, my body throbbing with the denial, but before I could protest, he was stripping off his sweatpants, his cock springing free, thick, veiny, the head already glistening. He didn’t even give me time to catch my breath.
One hand gripped my hip, lifting me just enough, and then he was inside me, filling me in one deep, relentless thrust.
“Fuck!” The stretch burned, but it was good, so good, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, my heels digging into his ass as he bottomed out. He groaned, his forehead dropping to mine, his cock twitching deep inside me.
“You feel so good,” he growled, his voice rough. “So fucking tight.”
Then he started to move.
Every thrust was perfect, deep, hard, his hips snapping against mine in a rhythm that made my vision blur. I kissed him, my tongue tangling with his, my nails raking down his back. He fucked me like he owned me, his cock dragging over that spot inside me that made my toes curl, his pubic bone grinding against my clit with every drive of his hips.
I kissed him, our lips meeting in a frenzy of passion, our tongues dueling as our bodies moved in perfect sync.
The thrusts of his cock were mirrored by the thrusts of his tongue, a delicious symmetry that made me moan with pleasure.
"You feel so good," I whispered, my voice breathless and raw. "I need you, all of you."
He growled in response, his hips snapping harder, his cock thrusting deep into my core. "Take me, Lyra," he commanded, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through me. "Take all of me."
And I did, my body accepting him, claiming him as my own. It was different this time, unlike our previous encounters. This was magical, like our souls were merging, pouring into each other in a way that transcended the physical.
I felt the bond, a deep, unbreakable connection that tied us together, body and soul. It was a mating bond, one I had resisted for so long, but now, in this moment, I couldn’t deny it any longer.
"I accept," I whispered, my voice trembling with emotion. "I’m yours, Darius. Body and soul."
He stilled above me, his eyes searching mine, his expression unreadable. And then, slowly, a smile spread across his face, a smile that was equal parts triumph and tenderness.
"Mine," he whispered, his voice a low growl that sent shivers down my spine. "Always and forever."
He kissed me then, a deep, passionate kiss that sealed our bond, our souls merging in a way that made me feel complete. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him tight as he thrust into me, our bodies moving in perfect harmony.
“Look at me,” he demanded, his voice a dark rasp. “I want to see your face when you come.”
I obeyed, my gaze locking with his as the pleasure crested, my pussy clenching around him, my body trembling beneath his.
The pleasure was overwhelming, a tsunami of sensation that threatened to consume me. I cried out, my body shaking with the force of my orgasm,His thrusts turned erratic, his cock swelling inside me, as he followed me over the edge, his release spilling deep as he buried his face in my neck, his teeth sinking into my shoulder while his cock pulsed deep within me, filling me with his seed.
We stayed like that for a long time,breathless, tangled, his cock still twitching inside me as aftershocks rippled through us both. His lips found mine again, slow and lazy this time, his hands stroking my skin like he was memorizing me.