The Alpha king's worthless mate

Chapter 10: The Kiss That Lied

Dominic stood frozen.

Her mouth was on his.

Soft. Warm. Trembling.

And completely unexpected.

For a heartbeat—just one—he didn’t move. Didn’t breathe. His arms hovered by her sides, caught between instinct and reason, his mind snarling with disbelief.

She had kissed him.

She. Had. Kissed. Him.

Thalia.

The Omega who screamed for attention like a child seconds ago.

The mate who’d cried against his chest last night, clinging like her soul would split in two without him.

The same girl now pressing her lips to his like she meant it. Like she owned the moment.

Her hands curled into his tunic.

Pulling him closer.

Testing him.

Tempting him.

Dominic's control cracked.

His mouth moved.

Not rough. Not cold.

But slow.

Dangerous.

He kissed her back.

At first like a man reclaiming control.

But then—

Something shifted.

Her breath hitched as his hand slid into her hair.

He tilted her head.

Deeper.

Her lips parted.

Heat bloomed.

The kiss was no longer pretend.

No longer performance.

It was a war.

Tongues clashed. Teeth grazed. Her fingers tangled in the back of his hair like she needed him to stay exactly where he was. Like if he pulled away, she’d shatter.

And gods help him—

He didn’t want to pull away.

He wanted more.

Her taste. Her sound. Her desperation.

He wanted all of it.

Even if he hated her for it.

Even if she’d manipulated him into this.

Even if she was the one thing in this cursed fortress that made him feel.

Her robe slipped from one shoulder.

His palm caught her waist—hot skin meeting his fingers like a jolt of lightning.

Her back arched.

A sound escaped her throat—something between a whimper and a challenge.

Dominic growled.

He didn’t mean to.

But it came anyway—low, guttural, laced with want and warning.

And still…

She didn’t flinch.

Didn’t run.

She kissed him harder.

Deeper.

His other hand slid up her spine, fingers spread wide against the dip of her back. He wanted to memorize her shape. Etch it into his bones. Destroy it and worship it at the same time.

But then—

She pulled away.

Just an inch.

Just enough to make him chase her lips without thinking.

She stopped him with a whisper.

“I win,” she breathed.

And that’s when he realized—

She wasn’t the one trembling anymore.

He was.

Dominic's eyes snapped open.

She was smiling.

Barely.

But it was there.

A flicker of triumph.

Of cunning.

Of Omega fire.

He grabbed her wrist, not rough—but firm.

“What game are you playing?” he growled.

Her eyes met his, unafraid.

“No game,” she whispered. “Just... learning how to survive.”

He stared at her.

At the flushed lips.

The tangled hair.

The wolf that wasn’t broken—but awakened.

And for the first time in days…

He didn’t know if he was the one holding her captive—

Or if she was the one binding him.

The air between them pulsed.

Heavy.

Tense.

Undeniable.

He could throw her to the bed.

Claim her.

Punish her.

But he didn’t.

He let go.

Slowly.

Like a man backing away from a fire he didn’t remember lighting.

“Dress,” he rasped, voice hoarse. “The court is waiting.”

Thalia exhaled shakily.

But she didn’t speak.

Didn’t smile again.

Just nodded.

And turned her back to him.

Dominic stared at the space she left behind.

The echo of her mouth still burned on his skin.

His wolf paced.

Restless.

Hungry.

Confused.

She had kissed him.

And now—

Everything had changed.

Even if he refused to admit it.

Thalia didn’t move.

Didn’t flinch.

Didn’t obey.

She just clung to the headboard of the bed like it was the last solid thing in her crumbling world.

“I’m not going!” she snapped.

Dominic paused, hand on the chamber door, eyes narrowing.

“What?”

“You heard me, Your High-and-Mighty Asshole.” She tightened her grip. “I’m. Not. Going.”

He turned fully.

Silver eyes gleaming. Cold. Controlled.

But beneath it?

A twitch in his brow.

She was holding the bed like it might fly away without her—barefoot, hair wild, cheeks flushed from the kiss they’d just shared, and eyes burning with pure, unfiltered rebellion.

Dominic raised an eyebrow. “You’re refusing me?”

“Refusing?” she hissed. “Oh, no. I’m cursing you. Thoroughly. For trying to drag me out to play your pretty little puppet in front of your court after that kiss? The audacity, Dominic!”

He blinked.

The audacity?

She was still rambling, rage tumbling from her lips like a child in meltdown.

“I swear on the Moon Goddess, if you touch me again, I’ll bite your royal throat off and feed it to your precious wolf!”

Dominic moved toward her slowly.

Deliberately.

She shrieked and clung tighter to the headboard. “Don’t you dare come near me! I’ll hex your future offspring, you overgrown corpse!”

He reached for her arm.

She kicked at him.

He grabbed her waist.

She twisted like a wildcat.

“I hate you! I hate your lips, your smirk, your damn mirror-polished ego!”

Then, just as he got a good grip—

She let go.

And with perfect timing…

WHACK.

Her fist connected with the side of his head.

Hard.

Dominic stumbled back a step, stunned.

Had she just—?

Had his little Omega mate just knocked him in the head?

The nerve. The absolute madness.

By the time he processed it, she was already off the bed, a blur of legs and curses, bolting toward the bathroom.

He lunged, but the door slammed shut just before he reached it.

Click.

Locked.

Dominic stared at the wood.

Stunned.

Then—

“You bastard!” her voice came from the other side, high-pitched and furious. “You manipulative, power-drunk, muscle-for-brains mongrel!”

He blinked.

Then—smiled.

Just a little.

She was throwing a full tantrum.

Behind a locked door.

At him.

The same man who made entire Alphas tremble with a single glare was now standing outside his own bathroom like a wet-nosed pup who just got scolded.

“You’re embarrassing yourself,” he said flatly.

“I don’t care!” she barked. “Embarrassed is exactly what I feel after that sad excuse of a kiss!”

That wiped the smirk off his face.

“…Excuse me?”

“You heard me, Dominic Dreadmour!” she shouted. “I’ve had better kisses from a drunk stable boy in Rolling Park! And he had one tooth!”

A long pause.

“…What did you just say?”

“Oh, it gets worse!” Thalia snarled. “You kiss like you’re interrogating my tonsils! All teeth, no talent! I’ve kissed men—real men—who knew what they were doing. Not some arrogant alpha who thinks shoving his tongue in someone’s mouth equals passion!”

Dominic's wolf howled with outrage.

Inside, he wanted to break that door off its hinges.

But…

Outside?

He covered his mouth.

And laughed.

Silently.

Chest shaking.

This tiny storm of an Omega had locked herself away and was now insulting not just him, but his entire romantic legacy.

“My past women didn’t seem to mind,” he called casually.

“Because they were probably just as pathetic!” she shot back. “Anyone who moans for you clearly hasn’t experienced a real man! I bet they faked it just to shut you up!”

Dominic let out a low growl.

More amused than angry.

But he needed her to think otherwise.

So he leaned in, voice low and laced with quiet menace. “Open the door, little wolf. Or I’ll drag you to court wrapped in these sheets.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“Try me.”

A pause.

Then—

“Fine. But only if you admit I’m right.”

“About what?”

“That you’re a terrible kisser.”

Dominic exhaled hard.

His hand curled into a fist against the frame.

“Say it,” she taunted. “Say you kiss like an overexcited vampire—”

He slapped the door with his palm once, hard enough to make her jump.

“Thalia,” he said darkly. “You’ve got five seconds before I take the door off its hinges and throw you over my shoulder.”

A beat of silence.

Then—

“I’ll scream.”

“You already did.”

“I’ll bite.”

“I dare you.”

“I’ll cry.”

“I’ll ignore it.”

“I’ll… I’ll insult your wolf!”

Dominic leaned in again. “He’s already insulted by your taste in men.”

A sharp gasp from the other side.

“You bastard!”

“Open. The. Door.”

She didn’t.

But her voice softened slightly. “You liked it.”

“What?”

“The kiss.”

He stiffened.

“You liked it. Don’t lie.”

Dominic was quiet.

Too quiet.

Then—

His voice dropped to a whisper.

“I never said I didn’t.”

Another pause.

She didn’t reply.

But he heard her breath catch behind the door.

He almost smiled.

Almost.

But instead he said, “You have two minutes. Court doesn’t wait.”

Then he walked away—still smirking to himself—while his wolf rolled with laughter inside his chest.

She may have locked the door.

But it was far too late.

Because she had already opened something else entirely.

And he was the one now struggling to close it again.

The door creaked open.

Slow.

Quiet.

Dominic stopped pacing.

His head turned.

And there she was.

Thalia stood in the doorway, hair disheveled, cheeks flushed, her small frame still wrapped in nothing but the oversized tunic he’d left her in. Her chest rose and fell like she’d run a mile just to reach the door—and maybe she had.

But when their eyes met—

Neither of them moved.

She looked so small.

So fierce.

So untouchable.

Dominic’s lips parted, something sharp and unreadable brewing behind his eyes. “I said—”

He didn’t get the words out.

She launched herself at him.

Like a wildfire with legs.

Dominic staggered back, just barely catching her as she jumped, her arms flung around his neck, her legs wrapping tightly around his waist.

And then—

Her mouth crashed into his.

Not a kiss.

A claim.

Dominic froze—then groaned deep in his chest as her tongue parted his lips with unexpected ease, kissing him like she owned his breath, his mouth, his mind. She tasted of heat and defiance, honey and wildfire, and the kiss was nothing like the last.

It was better.

A thousand times better.

Dominic tightened his grip on her thighs.

The way she kissed him—desperate, fierce, like she had something to prove—it lit something feral inside him. She didn’t hold back. Didn’t hesitate. Her mouth moved like she was trying to teach him something.

Teach him?

A flicker of jealousy twisted in Dominic’s gut.

Who the hell taught her to kiss like this?

But he didn’t know—

That this?

This was her first kiss.

Her very first.

And she wasn’t stopping.

She kept kissing him like she was starved for it—because she was.

She didn’t know what kisses were supposed to feel like. She only knew what his did to her. The taste of his mouth. The way his breath caught. The way his hands tightened on her thighs like she was the one driving him mad.

She didn’t stop.

Wouldn’t stop.

Because this?

This was the first thing in her life that felt good.

Dominic walked.

Blindly.

Carrying her across the room, lips still locked with hers, mouth drunk on her heat. He reached the bed, tried to lower her gently onto it—but she moved faster.

Flipped him.

He landed flat on his back with a grunt.

She was on top.

Dominic stared up at her, silver eyes wide, stunned.

“What the hell—”

But her mouth was already on his again.

Deeper.

Hotter.

Her hips rocked against his lap, and something inside him snarled in response. He gripped her waist, tried to slow her down—but she wasn’t slowing. She kissed him like she was born for it. Like she’d been doing it for years. Like she knew exactly what he liked and had every intention of using it against him.

Dominic’s thoughts blurred.

Damn it. Who taught her this?

He was spiraling.

Jealousy licking up his spine like a curse.

How many had she kissed?

How many had touched her like this?

He didn’t know the truth.

That he was her first.

And the only reason she kissed like this was because it was him.

Because his mouth tasted like home.

Because she'd imagined this moment more times than she could count.

She tore her lips from his with a gasp.

He barely had time to breathe before—

Rip.

His tunic shredded across his chest.

Dominic gaped.

“Thalia—what the hell do you think you’re—?”

“Shut up,” she breathed.

Then her mouth closed over his n****e.

Dominic swore.

Loud.

His head hit the mattress with a dull thud as his body arched involuntarily. Her tongue lapped softly over the sensitive nub, slow and sweet, then she sucked.

Dominic’s moan was raw.

Deep.

His hands fisted in the sheets as he groaned, “Thalia…”

She was humming now—moaning into his skin like the taste of him was something she craved. He looked down to see her tiny mouth still working his chest, her lashes fluttering as her tongue flicked the other n****e.

“F-f**k—”

He lost it.

Snarled.

Flipped her.

She gasped as her back hit the bed, and he loomed over her, chest heaving, silver eyes dark and hooded.

“You want to play rough?” he growled.

She didn’t answer.

Didn’t need to.

Because the moment he slid her tunic down her shoulder—exposing the swell of one bare breast—she arched into him.

“Damn you,” he muttered, voice cracking.

And then his mouth was on her.

She cried out the moment his lips closed around her n****e, his tongue laving soft, wet circles around the bud, then sucking hard. Her fingers curled in his hair. Her back arched. Her breath came in broken, wild gasps.

It was too much.

Too new.

Too good.

She wasn’t ready.

Not for this.

Not for him.

But her body didn't care.

She felt everything.

Every drag of his tongue.

Every bite of his teeth.

Every vibration from the sound of his low growls against her skin.

And Dominic?

Dominic was drowning in her.

This girl was undoing him.

One kiss at a time.

One taste at a time.

And he still didn’t know.

Didn’t realize.

That she’d never done this with anyone else.

That those moans were real.

That the way she clung to him wasn’t performance—it was truth.

She was giving him her firsts.

Every single one.

And he hadn’t even figured it out yet.

But when he looked into her face…

When he saw the wonder in her eyes…

He felt something stir in his chest.

Something dangerous.

Something terrifying.

Something he’d fought to silence since the moment he claimed her.

And this time—

He didn’t pull away.

He let himself feel it.

Because for once…

The bond wasn’t fighting them.

It was pulling them closer.