Serpent Emperor's Bride

Chapter 274: The Guilty Prime Alpha

[Silthara Palace—Emperor’s Chamber—Continuation]

Levin’s heartbeat thundered inside his chest as he stared at his own husband, who is definitely not in his senses.

And then—TTTTHHHHHRRRRUUUUSSSTTT!!!!!!!!!!

"AGHHHHH..."

Levin’s eyes widened, his fingers spread on the sheets, and he huffed deeply, as he could feel it...both of his cocks inside him.

"Hnghh.....haa....hufff...."

Zeramet smirked and then started moving, and Levin could feel it...thick and unyielding, a constant pressure that made his thighs tremble every time Zeramet shifted even slightly above him.

"Ngh...Aghhh..."

Zeramet’s weight shifted. Levin felt the drag of that buried cock inside him, a slow rotation that made his hips jerk involuntarily. A growl rumbled through the chest pressed against his back.

Levin’s fingers curled against sheets. "Go...go slow...it’s...too...."

Then Zeramet’s weight lifted slightly, not enough to free Levin, just enough to let him feel the space between them, the cold air rushing in where hot skin had been.

Then Zeramet’s hand found the back of Levin’s neck and then pushed; his whole body seized, arched, and took hold. The stretch was so immense that for a moment there was nothing else in the world, nothing but the feeling of being filled beyond what he’d thought possible, of being split open and remade in a single thrust.

His vision went white at the edges.

Zeramet’s hips pulled back...just a fraction. The drag of both cocks inside him made Levin gasp, a sharp, punched-out sound that hung in the damp air.

"Hnghh....aaghhh...."

A thrust as both cocks slid back in, filling him again, and Levin’s fingers curled against the stone.

"Hnghh...aahhh...huff...go...slow...Zer..."

Another thrust...deeper. The angle shifted, and Levin felt the second cock press against something that made stars burst behind his eyes.

"Just bear it..."

Zeramet’s hand tightened on the back of his neck. His hips drew back, pulled out until only the tips remained inside, and Levin’s body clenched around them, desperate, wanting, already ruined for anything less.

Then Zeramet drove forward, and Levin forgot how to breathe.

The rhythm found them. Not fast, not yet. Each thrust was deliberate and measured, a punishment that took its time. Zeramet thrusted into him with a slow, grinding precision that left no part of Levin untouched.

Every nerve, every inch of that impossible stretch, and every breath forced out of his lungs in a broken moan.

"Zer—" Levin’s voice fractured. "Zer, aahhh...."

A thrust cut him off, deeper and harder. The second cock pressed against that spot again, and Levin’s whole body seized, a wordless cry tearing out of his throat.

"—AAAGHHHHHHH—"

Zeramet’s teeth found his shoulder, bit down, and held.

Levin’s scream turned into something else, a high, keening moan that vibrated through his chest, through the sheets and through the whole dark chamber.

The pain and the pleasure had merged into a single unbearable sensation, a current that ran through him from the mark behind his neck to the tips of his curled toes.

"NGHHHHHHHH—"

Zeramet’s hips found their rhythm, both cocks sliding in and out, a wet, obscene sound filling the chamber. The stretch was constant and overwhelming, a fullness that Levin knew he would never forget, never stop craving. Every thrust rearranged something inside him.

"HNGHHH—"

Levin’s arms gave out, his chest pressed flat against the sheets, his cheek against the sheets, and he let himself be held down and be claimed. He had come to this chamber knowing...knowing...that whatever waited for him here would remake him.

And it had.

Zeramet’s rhythm built, faster now, and harder. Each thrust drove both cocks deep, and Levin’s body accepted them, stretched around them, clenched around them. His own cock, forgotten, leaked against the sheets, untouched and desperate.

"Look at you." Zeramet’s voice was ragged and raw, a dragged growl. "Taking both of me. It belongs to you...only you, my moonflower."

Levin couldn’t answer, because his voice had been replaced by broken sounds and sharp intakes of breath.

"My moonflower." Zeramet’s tongue found the mark again, licking a long, wet stripe across the mate mark. "Tell me, you knew this would happen to you, and yet you still came."

Levin nodded, his forehead pressed against the sheets, and he nodded because it was true; it had been true the moment he’d crossed the threshold of this chamber, the moment he’d seen those ancient golden eyes, the moment Zeramet had first touched him.

"Tell me...who do you belong to?"

"I’m..." Levin’s voice cracked. "I’m yours."

Zeramet’s hips slammed forward, and Levin cried out as both cocks drove deeper than before, pressing against that spot, pressing against every boundary he’d ever had.

"Say it again."

"I’m yours —AH—I’m yours, I’m yours, I’m—"

Zeramet’s hand moved from Levin’s neck to his hair, gripping the dark strands and pulling his head back. The angle changed; every thrust hit deeper and harder, and Levin’s words dissolved into a stream of broken sounds.

"Do you like it...? Tell me you love it...my moonflower."

Levin nodded because he knew exactly what he was begging for.

"Yes...I love it, so please don’t stop." The words came out in a rush. "Please don’t stop, AGHH...I need..."

Zeramet’s laugh was low and dark, a sound that vibrated through Levin’s bones.

"Good moonflower."

He thrust harder, faster as both cocks slid in and out of that stretched, desperate hole, and Levin took all of it, his body shaking, his voice gone, his mind dissolving into nothing but sensation and the weight of the beast above him.

The climax built slowly, then all at once. It crested like a wave, rising up from somewhere deep in Levin’s core, and he felt the inevitability of it, the way his body clenched around both cocks, the way his own untouched cock pulsed...

"Zer—I’m—"

"Then come."

Zeramet’s command was the final push. Levin’s body seized, arched, and broke, his orgasm tearing through him like a blade, leaving him shaking and gasping beneath the weight of the First Beast.

He came against the sheets, his release pooling beneath him, his whole body clenching rhythmically around the cocks still buried deep inside him.

Zeramet did not stop; he thrust Levin through the orgasm, through the aftershocks, through the moment when Levin’s body went limp and oversensitive, every thrust a too-much that Levin had no strength left to protest.

"You are not done," Zeramet said, his voice a growl against Levin’s ear. "I have not finished with you."

Another thrust...and another...and another, and that day...not even for a second did Zeramet pull Levin away. The chamber remained cloaked in moonlight.

Outside...night had long settled over Silthara Palace. No one dared approach the sealed chamber, and within those ancient walls...only silence answered the darkness.

The First Beast refused to let Levin leave; every time Levin shifted, Zeramet’s hand tightened around his waist possessively, drawing him back without a word.

"You are not done."

Zeramet’s voice rumbled low beside his ear. "I have not finished yet."

Levin closed his eyes for a brief moment, and just like that, days had passed; now there was no anger in the beast’s gaze. Only an overwhelming, instinctive need to keep his mate close.

To ensure he remained safe, to ensure he remained within reach. Moonlight slowly spilled through the carved lattice windows, painting silver patterns across the chamber floor.

Levin rested against the massive coils surrounding him, fatigue finally catching up with his body after everything they had endured; his thoughts drifted beyond the chamber...beyond the ancient doors...to the royal nursery.

A faint smile appeared upon his tired face, and his voice was barely a whisper.

"...Did they...turn into their human forms?"

He imagined the two tiny hatchlings opening their eyes, searching for him, searching for their father.

His heart tightened.

"They must be crying by now..."

Exhaustion slowly overtook him, his eyelids grew heavy, and before sleep claimed him completely...one final thought crossed his mind.

"Wait for us a little longer...Your father and I will be there soon."

The chamber fell silent once more. Outside the sealed doors...the empire slept peacefully beneath the moon. Unaware...that within the darkness...a beast was slowly remembering how to become a father again.

***

[Silthara Palace — Malik’s Private Chamber — One Week Later — The Next Evening]

The evening sun bled across the western desert. Amber light filtered through the carved lattice windows, bathing the chamber in a warm, fading glow.

Levin’s eyelids slowly fluttered open. For several moments...he simply stared at the ceiling; his entire body felt unbearably heavy. Every muscle protested the slightest movement. His butt mainly...hurt like hell.

"...Ah..."

A quiet groan escaped him as he carefully pushed himself upright; the blankets slipped from his shoulders, and he frowned.

His body had been cleaned; there was no wetness in between his legs. Fresh linen covered him. The black lotus pheromones lingered upon his skin, and then he blinked.

"...This isn’t..."

His gaze slowly wandered around the chamber; this was no longer the dark chamber where the First Beast had confined himself.

It was...their chamber. The chamber he and Zeramet had once shared before the Empire had fallen into chaos because of Slyvarakh. For a brief moment...his expression softened.

Then...he looked down.

Silence.

His brows twitched.

There were dark bruises scattered across his arms, thighs, chest, nipples, belly...even the ankle. Old bite marks had already begun fading. Even his shoulders bore the unmistakable traces of the First Instinct.

Levin slowly looked at his forearm, then his wrist and ankle. Then...he quietly pulled the blanket back over himself as he muttered faintly. "...Wonderful. I resemble an ancient map."

Just then the chamber doors quietly opened.

"You are awake, Consort."

The familiar voice carried none of the terrifying weight it once had; now it has gentleness, warmth, and calmness.

Levin slowly lifted his eyes, and there stood Zeramet, silver hair neatly tied behind his back, golden eyes gentle once more. No darkness, no beast, only...his husband. Relief immediately crossed Zeramet’s face as he walked forward with careful steps.

"I was beginning to worry. You slept for two entire days." His smile became sheepish. "The physicians assured me your body merely needed rest after everything, but I still checked your breathing every few moments."

Levin simply stared in silence. Zeramet rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "...I also asked Iru to bring soup whenever you’re awake...and your favorite tea."

Levin continued staring.

"...and even your favorite dessert, date palm dessert."

Nothing. Zeramet cleared his throat. "It appears...none of those are helping."

A dangerous calm settled over the room. Levin slowly threw the blanket aside and stood; the moment his feet touched the floor, his knees nearly betrayed him.

Both of them froze. Zeramet instinctively stepped forward. "Moonflower—"

Before he could reach him, Levin raised one finger, and his blue gaze shot a dangerous glare at him. "Dare...you touch me, once more...and I shall move into another chamber."

Zeramet stopped so abruptly that he nearly lost his balance.

"..."

The Prime Alpha of Zahryssar, the serpent who had defeated Slyvarakh, the warrior feared across the continent...actually looked frightened.

"...Moonflower..." His voice had become unusually careful. "I believe...we should discuss this peacefully."

Levin looked at him, and his eyebrow rose. "Peacefully?"

"Yes."

"Peacefully?"

"...Yes."

Levin folded his arms and glared at him dangerously. "I awaken after sleeping for two days."

"..."

"My entire body aches."

"..."

"The servants will probably spend the next month wondering why their Malika suddenly walks like an elderly priest."

"..."

"And you wish to discuss this..." he smiled, a terrifyingly polite smile. "...peacefully?"

Zeramet immediately lowered his gaze. "When you say it aloud...it sounds significantly worse."

"It is worse."

"...Yes."

Then Levin sighed...a long...very long sigh. He quietly gathered his robes before dressing himself. Every movement reminded him exactly why he was angry.

Zeramet wisely remained where he stood, completely still like a soldier awaiting judgment. Once fully dressed... Levin adjusted the collar of his robes, then walked toward the doors.

Just before leaving, he paused and, without turning around, spoke calmly, and Zeramet was about to follow him. "Do not dare to follow me. I intend to see our children, and if you appear behind me before I have forgiven you...I shall ensure the Royal Council learns precisely how frightened the mighty Prime Alpha becomes when his wife is angry."

Silence.

Then...the chamber doors opened.

THUD.

They closed behind him, leaving Zeramet standing alone in absolute silence. The Prime Alpha blinked once, then twice, and he slowly sat down upon the edge of the bed; his shoulders dropped.

And...deep silence.

After a long moment...he quietly buried his face in his hands. "...I am in trouble."

Outside the chamber... Levin continued walking through the palace corridors; his expression remained perfectly composed until no one was looking.

Then...a tiny smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "...Serves him right."

And with that...the Malika continued toward the royal nursery, where his children...were waiting.