Chapter 343: _No More What Ifs

(Warning: Empire burning content ahead!)

Lucian’s POV

*****

The night wore on and soon, Elian was sleeping beside him. The Omega had taken the Suppressant reversal pills—which should begin working within the next twenty-eight hours.

Lucian’s fingers tightened around Elian’s waist. On the other end of the bed lay the Rogue king, who’d been silent since their mate drifted off.

He didn’t know if they were each waiting for the other to break the ice.

Hours passed. The silence became almost unbearable.

Just when Lucian struggled to open his mouth to say something, Kyren whispered:

"You know you and I could talk without him. Right?"

The Alpha King’s ears burned. "I didn’t say we couldn’t."

"Yes, but the way your heart has been beating like a rabbit being chased tells me you have something in your chest you’d like to let out."

"And you don’t?" Lucian lifted his head, careful not to shake Elian with his movement.

His eyes landed on his cousin’s form. The hybrid was shirtless, his lush white hair flowing in waves around his head. His eyes were shut but slowly opened when Lucian’s gaze held.

"Not necessarily. No." Kyren swerved his face to him with a deadpan. "But that doesn’t mean you can’t be the one to open a conversation."

Before Lucian could think of a response, Kyren lifted his upper body off the bed. He propped his jaw over a palm, his crimson eyes gleaming in the darkness.

He didn’t say a word but that look was telling enough.

Avoiding his gaze, Lucian sighed. "If I’m being honest?" His eyes flitted briefly over Elian. The way his chest fell and rose with each peaceful breath he took. "I’m... scared."

"These are trying times indeed. It’s no surprise you—"

"No, Kyren." Lucian’s voice shook. "Not just about the war looming over our heads." His lips pursed as he stared blankly at the dark room. "What if this war draws longer than necessary? And then Elian gets pregnant and we’ll have to raise the child with all that chaos? What if we end up neglecting them?"

He was forced to glance at Kyren.

To his surprise, the Rogue king’s crimson orbs softened, just for a beat. Then he shook his head. "Well, if there’s anything a certain omega with a Divine soul has taught me," he squeezed Elian’s arm tenderly. "It’s that dwelling on too many ’what ifs’ isn’t worth it."

More surprise flickered across Lucian’s face. "Look at you being all motivational."

"Oh, shut up."

Both men stifled laughs.

As more seconds passed, Lucian’s shoulders relaxed. He let his eyes roam over Elian’s naked chest. Then at his face and the silver-streaked blonde hair fringed over it.

"We NEED to bring your parents down." His expression shifted into something sterner. Sharper. "I’ve ended up carrying on with the same stupid neutrality my father had. And that’s proven to be doing more harm than good."

"Agreed." The Rogue king nodded. "But—your father had literal centuries. Your reign is only just beginning, Lucian."

They locked eyes just when a smile curved his lips. "You’ve still got time to smooth things over. Make YOUR own legacy."

Lucian found himself smiling back.

He was just about to lie back on his pillow when he smelt it.

An intoxicating mix of honey, Spring and something spicy. His lungs burned the instant he took in the scent. His wolf howled with need as his eyes flared with a feral light.

’... This scent.’ he snapped his neck to Elian’s sleeping form. ’He’s... going into heat?’

Kyren also shifted, a low growl rumbling deep in his chest. He grimaced, pressing his lips together like he was hiding something.

His fangs perhaps.

Suddenly, Elian’s eyes bolted open. He blinked like a man seeing the light after years of blindness.

"F–Fuck," the word came out in a lazy drawl as he sat up, slipping out of Lucian’s hold on his waist. He rubbed his head, gnashing his teeth. "It’s... it’s happening."

Without warning he rested his head against Lucian’s shoulder, while a hand slipped to Kyren. The Alpha King’s nostrils flared when he saw how Elian fondled his cousin’s twitching bulge beneath his pants.

The Rogue king stiffened, his eyes darkening with lust as they locked on Elian. "Are you sure you’re ready, little flame? You can still rest till morning—"

"I’m fucking burning," Elian hissed, his cheeks reddening like a tomato. "P–Please. I need this now. I’m not used to this feeling... It’s been so long—argh!"

He bit Lucian’s neck, moaning into his skin. The vibrations that came with it snapped whatever was left of the Alpha King’s restraint.

And from the look of things, it had similar effects on Kyren.

Ignoring any feelings his talk with Kyren stirred, Lucian sat up. He moved in a flash, pinning Elian by the shoulders until he was resting back-first on the bed.

"First..." he murmured while Kyren rose to his knees. "Breathe. And relax yourself as much as possible."

"Relax?" Elian croaked like he was going to cry. "Do you know how fucking uncomfortable this is? Shit. This is why I take suppressants to begin with. I don’t—"

Whatever he had to say faded away as Lucian pressed a wet kiss onto his lips. Elian jerked like he just got electrocuted. Then—his body eased beneath him.

Lucian’s control went into the wind. He brought his fingers to his pants, unbuckling them so fast you’d think he was being burned by it.

As he lowered it and his underwear until they pooled under his knees, he bucked his hips. The motion made his throbbing dick rub against Elian’s stomach like he was chasing something.

Elian whimpered, wrapping his arms around him. Beside them, Kyren also got rid of his pants. Lucian couldn’t tell when or how since he was busy chasing his own pleasure—but the Rogue king’s face soon brushed against his.

For just a breath, Lucian pulled away from Elian, letting Kyren ravage his lips next. As the latter kept himself occupied with that, the Alpha King lowered himself until he was between Elian’s thighs.

"Gods, you smell fucking divine." He gripped the edges of his mate’s waist, pulling off his pants until his dick bounced out like a spring.

It leaked with pre cum, the veins beating like they were begging for his touch. Without thinking twice, Lucian wrapped his mouth around the length.

From that moment onward, thought stopped mattering. There was only heat. Hunger. And the desperate need to belong to each other completely.

None of them was walking away from this night unchanged.