The Lycan King's Rejected Omega

30 — Fervor

Asmeria and Thorian’s lips melded in a kiss, the ferocity of their mouths moving together potent enough to blur the lines between reality and a fairytail — because the kiss was magical, electrifying and rejuvenating.

His lips claimed hers with fervor, moving against them roughly yet, sensually in response to the primal hunger that consumed both of them whole.

Thorian's hands found their way to Asmeria's waist, pulling her closer with a possessive urgency, while Asmeria's fingers tangled in the soft strands of Thorian's hair, gripping tightly as if anchoring herself to him.

There was no finesse in their kiss, no gentle exploration; instead, it was a clash of tongues and teeth, a battle of whose need and desire superseded the other’s — and none relented to the other.

It was as though they sought to consume each other entirely. Their breath mingled in heated gasps, their tongues gliding against each other’s and their hearts pounding in the same rhythm

Every movement was filled with raw intensity — the press of their bodies, the scrape of teeth against lips, the urgent quest for more. Each moment left them both even more breathless, more needy and more vulnerable.

But their embrace was suddenly interrupted by a sharp knock on the door, causing them to pull away from each other abruptly, their eyes wide as though they had just been caught commiting a felony.

Their chests heaved up and down with heavy breaths, their lips slowen and glistening — Thorian even had a smudge of lipstick imprinted on his upper lips.

They shared a wary gaze with each other, as if being caught kissing was such a bad thing — they were married, the King and the Queen. But it felt so wrong, the aftermath guilt was unforgiving as it enveloped them.

Asmeria's voice was hoarse as she called out, "Come in," but it came out barely above a whisper.

She cleared her throat and repeated herself, louder this time.

Then, the door swung open to reveal a guard standing on the other side.

He bowed, “Your majesties, your carriage is ready.”

Asmeria nodded, her cheeks still flushed slightly from the interruption, and replied, "We will be right downstairs."

With a bow, the guard retreated, leaving Asmeria and Thorian alone once again. Asmeria's gaze lingered on Thorian for a moment, their eyes meeting for a moment.

Thorian’s mouth moved, about to sound an apology but he froze, and at the same time, Asmeria looked away, knowing what he was about to do and not wanting to hear a second of it,

Grabbing her purse, she straightened her posture and turned to Thorian, asking, "Can we go?"

He nodded in response, "Certainly," he tried to offer a smile — an attempt to brush out what they did as ‘nothing’, and just a casual kiss, but the smile appeared crooked, half-baked and planely fake. He couldn't pretend like he didn't know that the dynamic between them had shifted, drastically.

The both of them walked out of the bedroom, Thorian shutting the door behind them and then they walked out to the courtyard.

Asmeria’s brows furrowed as she met with only one carriage in waiting, her lips downturning in dissatisfaction at the prospects of sharing it with Thorian, alone, after what had just happened.

She turned to face him, “I request a separate carriage.”

“Impossible.” he spat, his brows crinkling in distaste — just like hers, but for a different reason. “What will people say when we arrive in different carriages? The last thing I want amidst all that is happening right now are false rumours. Get in.”

The clutch on her dress tightened, as she had held it up a bit to be able to walk freely, but now she was holding on a bit too tight to the bunch of silk in her hand as anger streamed in her veins.

She didn't protest, there was no need to. But it didn't change the fact that she was upset about the arrangement. Which made her enter into the carriage with a huff, once again packing up the bulk of her dress into her hands as she scooted to the very edge, her body pressed against the windows.

Thorian got in next, understanding that she wanted to be as far away from him as possible and maintained a distance between them. The carriage was shut immediately after and off they went.

The most of the ride there was observed in silence; Asmeria couldn't be bothered to talk to Thorian because she was preoccupied with thoughts of loathe, directed at herself for being stupid enough to kiss Thorian.

Thorian knew she was thinking exactly that, and that she was upset with him, so he kept to himself. The bottom-line was that they both enjoyed the kiss, the two-minutes mistake they made that would alter the rest of their lives.

Asmeria was disappointed in herself for keying into such needless desires while her dear son was missing, all because of the same man she had allowed herself to kiss.

Yes, because if he hadn’t literally forced she and her son to return back to his kingdom, they would have been safe. Evander would have still been with her.

How could she be insensitive enough to kiss Thorian? After the mistake of the other night, she still went ahead to commit an even graver one?

How disappointing indeed.

She tried to distract herself from her self-blame, gazing out through the carriage windows as she took in the sceneries. The paths were flanked with towering trees, the quaint buildings lining the cobblestone streets and timber-framed structures with thatched roofs dotted the landscape.

Sure enough, her eyes got tired from watching as the trees and buildings swooshed by into a haze as they journeyed, and she welcomed it as a distraction.

But then, something became off and it made her tired eyes spring back to life. She retracted from the seat, staring more keenly at the scenario outside, which had now drastically changed.

There were no longer lush trees and townhouses; the buildings were ruined — as though they were ravaged by a wild fire.

The rest of the buildings that didn't appear to be torched, were destroyed; roofs were missing, some had their top halves completely demolished, shattered walls and collapsed roofs.

What had happened?

“Red Moon Pack attacked, last year.” Thorian’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she turned to look at him, her brows furrowed.

Had she asked her question out loud?

Of course, she hadn’t. Thorian had read her mind perfectly.

“Red Moon pack?” she asked, her brows scrunching up at the unfamiliar name.

He nodded, “Alpha Draven’s pack.” he answered and looked out his side of the window, noting the destroyed buildings that had now began reconstruction. “Our archnemisis. He claims his father’s father had Obsidian Pack stolen from him by my grandfather — so he wants it back, he’s trying to force us to surrender. Which we would not, we will continue to fight him with all we’ve got.”

She nodded and looked away from Thorian, proceeding to face her own side of the window as well. Draven. The name sounded vaguely familiar…

Oh, she remembered, it was one of the people Thorian had listed as his enemies, prospective kidnappers of his so— Evander.

She couldn’t bring herself to care though, about Thorian’s rivalry with Draven. But her heart did bleed for the innocent lives that were lost, and would still be lost because of the ongoing battle between them.

And maybe, she should try to care about the rivalry a little more too — she was the queen, after all. Her husband’s problems were hers to deal with as well.

She would keep saying it until she believed it.

…

The carriage slowed to a halt in front of the grand ballroom entrance, the wheels crunching over the gravel path.

Thorian and Asmeria exchanged a brief glance and Asmeria tore her gaze away quickly, taking a deep sigh.

It was time.

The carriage doors creaked open, revealing the warm glow of lantern light cascading onto the cobblestone pavement.

Thorian stepped out first and one of the guards helped Asmeria step down. Two maids rushed behind her, straightening the ruffles of her dress.

Thorian stared at her, his hand extended towards her. She hesitated for a moment, her gaze flickering from his hand to his face. But with a resigned sigh, she reached out and placed her hand in his, her fingers grazing his palm lightly.

"I know you're not in the right frame of mind, but we need to put up a front for these people," he whispered.

Asmeria nodded in response, her lips pressing into a thin line as she forced herself to adopt a neutral expression. With a collective exhale, they began to make their way towards the grand doors of the ballroom, their footsteps echoing in the quiet night.

The chilly breeze ruffled Asmeria's hair, strands of blonde dancing around her face as she walked beside Thorian. Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions, but she knew she had to push them aside for the sake of appearances.

As they approached the towering doors of the ballroom, the doors swung open before them.

The grand hall was bathed in the warm glow of countless crystal chandeliers, their sparkling lights reflecting off the polished marble floors below.

A sea of elegantly dressed nobles filled the space dressed in their vibrant gowns and tailored suits. Laughter and conversation floated through the air mingling with the strains of a string quartet playing in the corner.

Thorian and Asmeria stepped in, and heads turned towards them — the gorgeously late royal couple that had just made their official debut.

Their attentions were particularly fixed on the beautiful and elegant blonde woman who stood next to feared and respected Alpha Thorian. She was his wife, they had heard and she was as breathtaking as the rumours had depicted her to be.

But this wasn't the first woman Thorian had stepped out with, was she?

The servers moved gracefully among the guests, offering trays of champagne and hors d'oeuvres — a stout man appeared beside them and offered them their own refreshments. Thorian took a glass of champagne, neglecting the hors d'oeuvres and Asmeria declined.

She had forced herself into her tight corsetted dress, and if she took even the slightest morsel of food, she might explode.

Her gaze scoured the room, sighting at the far end of the ballroom, a grand staircase swept upwards, leading to a balcony. Her gaze shifted to the centre, now watching as couples swirled and twirled across the dance floor in a graceful waltz.

However, amidst the throng of guests, her eyes suddenly fixated on a familiar face in the crowd. Squinting slightly, she focused intently and it didn't take more than a second for her to rea

lize who it was.

Her eyes widened in horror. It was him, the man who had offered her help five years ago! The man she had laid with.