CHAPTER 44: NEED AND SHAME

Prince Zen looked down at the little slave who had gone limp in his arms... and smiled faintly. It seemed the heat really was too much for her to bear. She had fainted the first time when Kael had made her come, and now again... the same thing.

But his smile didn’t last long. His eyes hardened in the next moment. It wasn’t only the heat. No... it was because of what she had suffered at the hands of the Moonville Pack that she was so weak. So fragile. That thought stayed in his mind like a thorn. The Moonville Pack really didn’t seem to know its place. They acted as if the laws set by Stormhold didn’t exist, as if they could treat their Omegas however they wished. His brother had long given the order—living conditions for Omegas were to be improved. They were to be treated better, protected better. But Moonville had ignored it.

Zen felt his wolf push close to the surface, anger rising like a wave. His jaw tightened. For a moment he closed his eyes, forcing the beast inside him to calm down before it broke free. This wasn’t the time. Not here.

He shifted his grip on the girl in his arms. She was so light it felt as if she might break if he held her too tight. Her head rested against his chest, damp strands of hair clinging to her cheek. Without another glance at the water behind him, Zen stood and stepped out of the pool, carrying her easily, each stride silent but full of purpose.

The cool air outside the pool room met them, but he didn’t slow down. At the doorway of the bathroom, he saw Kael standing there, a towel in his hand, waiting.

Zen paused, and his hands tightened on her for a moment. Kael raised an eyebrow and in the next moment, a shared look of understanding passed between the two brothers as Zen stepped forward and passed the little fire in his arms to his brother.

But then, as he looked at his brother’s face, Zen’s eyes narrowed," Don’t be too happy. You suffered the same fate." Zen said as he got rid of his own clothes. Dam* it. He was not used to denying himself. Added to that, her heat was like a siren’s call to him. Having to hold back so as not to hurt her was too difficult!

It was why Kael had forced him to stay away when Emira had first woken up... As he threw away the clothes, he watched her stir in his arms and felt himself harden even more... Soon, he would indulge in this little fire to his heart’s content.

***

By the time Kael was about to lower her onto the bed, she was awake.

Her eyes opened- and froze when she saw him so close.

"You..." Her voice cracked, uncertain, her gaze darting from his face to the towel around her body.

But before Kael could speak, movement behind him made her head turn.

Zen stood there now, tying the belt of his black robe around his waist, his wet hair clinging to his temples, water still sliding down his chest before the fabric covered it.

Her face went crimson at the sight, and she heard Prince Kael chuckle softly under his breath.

But Emira could not pay attention to this... not to the brothers’ quiet movements, nor to the way they seemed so at ease around her when her own skin burned with shame. Now that she was sober for a few minutes, the weight of it all hit her like a stone. She thought back to everything she had done with them. Both of them.

BOTH. With how her body had reacted...

The word pounded in her head.

How was she supposed to live with that? How was she supposed to look at herself after this?

Even though she had accepted the enslavement—because she had no choice, the idea of belonging to more than one man and doing those things at once made her stomach twist. It felt wrong. It made her feel... dirty. As if every line she had drawn for herself had been trampled over.

A shiver ran through her, and in the next moment, she looked up...

And froze all over again.

Prince Kael was watching her. Those cold eyes pinned her where she sat, making her want to shrink in on herself. She huddled tighter, trying to make herself smaller, as if she could disappear under their gaze.

He straightened without a word and set a tray of food in front of her.

The smell hit her first and her stomach growled loudly enough for Kael’s mouth to twitch in amusement again. Heat rushed to her face as she grabbed the spoon quickly, refusing to meet either of their eyes.

She focused on the food. On the simple act of eating. But even as she chewed, she felt two things clearly. One-her heat was coming back. That restless ache in her veins wouldn’t leave her alone for now. What she’s had for these few moment was just a temporary reprieve.

Two- and more worrying was that neither man seemed to have any intention of leaving this room tonight.

Kael was sitting casually near the bed, his eyes sharp despite the lazy set of his shoulders, watching her eat in silence.

And opposite her...

Prince Zen.

He sat on the couch with his legs stretched out on the low table, his head tilted back, eyes closed as if he was resting. The belt of his robe hung loose around his waist, his chest rising and falling slowly.

Her gaze stayed on him.

She didn’t want to spend the night with them. Every cell in her body screamed against it. But she knew- she could not refuse them. She had no power here. She was their slave.

However...

Maybe... maybe if Zen told Kael to leave her alone... maybe he would.

She looked at Zen with a trace of hope in her eyes, watching him in silence. He and Kael seemed close. They understood each other without words. If Zen spoke up... maybe things would be different.