Captured by the Alpha King

12 Onyx

12: Onyx

My rigid posture and unyielding expression show my fear, my fear that I almost f*****g lost her, though inwardly, anticipation simmers. Rowan nestles into my side, her delicious body molding against me, and a possessive urge rises. She is mine. Yet somehow I struggle to swallow the fear of losing her again. Seeing her on that table...

The crackling fire and soft strains of a violin concerto fill the room with warmth and intimacy. Rowan sighs, the tension easing from her body, and I wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer.

"This is nice," she murmurs, craning her neck to brush her lips over my jaw.

A shiver races down my spine at her feather-light kiss. "Being here with you is all I need." The admission slips out before I can restrain it, revealing a vulnerability I rarely show. But with Rowan, my defenses crumble. f*****g cursed mate bond. I love it, but my god feeling this vulnerable is a pain in the ass.

She smiles, eyes gleaming with emotion in the firelight. "You're all I need too, Onyx."

Her words ignite a fierce longing in my blood, and I capture her mouth in a searing kiss. She responds with equal fervor, fingers twisting in my hair to hold me close. I lose myself in her taste and scent, the softness of her lips and the warmth of her body.

When we break apart, chests heaving, an unfamiliar lightness fills my chest. A tenderness I've never known.

Rowan's eyes shine with tears, but her smile is radiant. She smooths a hand over my cheek, her touch reverent. "I love you, Onyx."

The words I've longed to hear, yet never expected. A knot forms in my throat, emotion threatening to overwhelm my restraint. I grip her hand, bringing it to my lips for a rough kiss. "And I you, Rowan. Always."

She blinks rapidly, tears spilling onto her cheeks. I brush them away with my thumbs, marveling at the softness of her skin. "I never thought I'd find love," she whispers. "Not like this. You've changed me, Onyx. Made me want things I never dreamed were possible."

Her admission echoes my own thoughts. Before Rowan, I lived only for duty and obligation and to f**k s**t up. Generally being a ragamuffin. Now I live for her. To keep her safe. To make her happy. "You've changed me too," I say gruffly. "Made me feel again. Made me want a life I never thought I deserved."

She smiles, eyes glowing with love and wonder. "We deserve this, Onyx. We deserve to be happy. Together."

Her words fill me with warmth, chasing away decades of darkness. She is my light, my hope, my salvation. And I will do anything, sacrifice anything, to protect what we have. I pull her close, reveling in the feel of her in my arms. "Together," I vow, brushing my lips over hers. "Always."

She sighs into the kiss, body melting against mine. The rest of the world fades away, leaving only her. My heart. My home. When our lips part, I rest my forehead against hers, breathing in her scent. A contentment like I've never known settles over me.

Here, in this moment, I have everything I need. Everything I never thought I deserved.

And I will fight with my last breath to keep it.

She gazes up at me, eyes shining with emotion. "I never dreamed I could be this happy. After my parents died... a part of me broke. All those men... they were distractions to fill a void that had taken over my soul."

Her words make my heart clench. I know the life she's led, the hardships she's endured. And to think I had a part in bringing her joy...it humbles me. I brush a strand of hair from her cheek, tracing the soft skin beneath. "You deserve to be happy, Rowan. After everything you've sacrificed, everything you've survived, you deserve the world."

"I don't need the world," she whispers. "I just need you."

Her quiet admission undoes me. I crush her against me, overcome. She loves me, imperfections and all. She sees the man behind the monster and loves me still.

I had long ago given up hope of finding salvation. Of discovering light in the bleak darkness that is my existence. And yet, here is this angel of a girl, with her quiet strength and indomitable spirit.

I hold her close, breathing her in. Feeling the steady beat of her heart against mine.

In this moment, I have everything I ever wanted but never dared to dream of. And I know, with sudden, fierce certainty, that I would walk through the fires of hell itself to keep her safe. To keep this, and the joy she's brought me.

She is my salvation, my redemption.

I cup her face in my hands, gazing into eyes that see into my soul. "I will do whatever it takes to protect you, Rowan. Whatever the cost. You are my light in the darkness, the one good thing I have left in this world, and I will not lose you. Not to my enemies, not to my past, not to anything."

She places her hands over mine, her smile tremulous but bright. "You won't lose me. I'm not going anywhere." Her thumbs stroke my knuckles, a soothing rhythm. "We'll face every challenge together. We're stronger than any enemy, any darkness, when we stand as one."

Her unyielding faith in us, in me, fills me with fierce determination. She believes we can overcome any obstacle, and so I will make it so. I seal my vow with a searing kiss, pouring all the love and promise in my heart into it.

Darkness holds no sway here. In this place, in this moment, there is only light.

The crackling fire is the only sound that penetrates the cocoon of peace surrounding us. Rowan is curled against my chest, her head nestled under my chin, my arms wrapped tight around her.

One hand strokes her hair, the silky strands slipping through my fingers. The other rests over her heart, feeling the steady beat that synchronizes with my own.

There are no enemies here, no wars to wage, no kingdoms to rule—only this woman in my arms. Nothing else matters but her warmth, her scent, the soft sound of her breathing.

"Stay with me, here, like this, wrapped in my arms where I know I can protect you," I whisper, loath to break the tranquility but unable to contain the plea.

She tilts her head up, eyes glowing in the firelight. "Always." Her hand covers mine, pressing it tighter against her heart. "I'm not going anywhere, Onyx. I'm yours, forever and always, in this life and the next."

I scoop Rowan into my arms and carry her upstairs to my bedchamber, our lips fused the entire way. By the time I kick the door closed behind us, we've already shed half our clothes.

Rowan's hands roam my bare chest as I lay her upon the bed, her touch igniting my blood. I cover her body with mine, relishing her softness, her warmth. She arches into me, her thighs parting to cradle my hips.

"Onyx," she breathes, and it's both plea and promise.

I take her mouth, forcing her lips open, my control fraying. The beast within rises up, roused by her nearness, her willingness, her love. It demands I claim her, dominate her, mate her.

Rowan senses the change in me. Her hands tighten on my shoulders, her kiss turning hungry and demanding. My darling mate welcomes the beast—and so I unleash it.

Clothing tears and falls away. I pin her wrists above her head, baring the long line of her throat. I drag my fangs along her pulse, snarling at the frantic beat of her heart.

"Yours," she says. "Always yours."

Triumph and possession roar through me. I take her with a fierce tenderness, each thrust a claiming, each caress a branding. The beast rejoices at her cries, her trembling, the tight clasp of her body. She is mine, this woman, my mate, my everything.

And I am forever hers. Theres something weird that stirs inside me as I think back to how much I hated Selene and the mate bond. Yet here I am, ready and willing to accept it as it is. Is this the power she talks of? Is this what my mom has with my dads? I don't understand, it's so strange. Yet here she is. My queen. The one I would move mountains for and slay dragons to save her.

She accepts me as I am. Right now, as she sees me. But will she accept me when she knows the truth about who I am inside? Will she accept the darkness that leaks from my pores?

To be honest, even if she walked away, there's not a goddamn thing I wouldnt do to bring her back to me.