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His rhythm remains measured, controlled—so different from the aggressive taking that marked our beginning. Each movement deliberate, designed to build pleasure rather than simply claim ownership. His wings create a canopy above us, filtering moonlight into patterns that dance across our joined bodies.

The secondary organ pulses against my clit in perfect counterpoint to his thrusts, suction increasing gradually as arousal builds between us. My hips lift to meet each movement, taking him deeper, wanting everything he can give me on this night that might be our last together.

Heat coils low in my belly, building with each careful stroke. The ridged texture of his cock creates friction against sensitive spots I never knew existed, while the specialized organ works my clit with increasing intensity. When I arch beneath him, seeking more pressure, more contact, more everything, his rumbling growl vibrates through his chest into mine.

"Mine," he murmurs against my throat, but the word carries reverence rather than dominance. "My brave omega. My fierce mate."

The praise sends electricity racing along my spine. When did his claiming words transform from violation to affirmation? When did possession become protection, dominance become devotion?

As his thrusts deepen, his knot begins to swell—that biological imperative that once terrified me now creating anticipation that makes me bear down, muscles working to help him lock inside me completely. The sensation of his knot slipping past my entrance draws gasps from both of us, the tight seal ensuring nothing escapes when his release comes.

Connected at the most primal level, bodies joined in ways that defy human understanding, we move together with growing urgency. The secondary organ increases its rhythm against my clit as his knot grinds against spots inside me that send lightning racing through my nervous system.

My climax builds slowly, then crashes over me in waves that pull his release alongside my own. Hot seed floods me in powerful pulses, his knot ensuring none escapes as the secondary organ maintains perfect suction against my clit, drawing out pleasure until I'm trembling and oversensitive beneath him.

But this time, something different happens. As his release continues, longer and more intense than any previous coupling, I feel something shift inside me—not physical but deeper. Emotional. The barriers I've maintained between attraction and affection, between biological response and genuine feeling, crumble completely.

I care about him. Not just as protector or provider, but as the complex, intelligent, surprisingly gentle alpha who's shown me consideration I never expected from my captor.

The realization should terrify me. Instead, it brings strange peace.

Afterward, still locked together by biology neither of us can change, Vex shifts us carefully to our sides. His wings adjust to maintain our privacy while relieving me of his weight. One massive hand moves to rest against my abdomen, where ourchild grows despite everything that should make such creation impossible.

"If we're separated," he tells me, voice low and serious, "head south immediately. Don't wait. Don't try to find me."

The words hit like physical blows. "I'm not leaving you."

His expression remains solemn, yellow eyes holding mine with uncompromising intensity. "The child you carry is more important than either of us. Promise me you'll run if I tell you to."

I want to argue, to insist we'll face whatever comes together. But the practical part of me—the nurse who's treated too many casualties—recognizes truth in his words. The hybrid child I carry represents possibility the Council fears enough to send specialized forces to contain.

"I promise," I finally whisper, though we both know battlefield decisions rarely follow planned protocols.

His arms tighten around me, wings shifting to enclose us more completely. In this stolen moment before tomorrow's inevitable conflict, I allow myself to acknowledge what I've been fighting for weeks.

Somewhere between storm and claiming, between captivity and choice, between human and Prime, we've created something the Council has no categories to contain.

Whether it survives tomorrow remains to be seen.

Outside, the wind picks up again—not enough to delay Council forces, but sufficient to mask any sounds of approach until it's too late to matter. I listen to Vex's heartbeat beneath my ear, steady and strong, and try not to think about how quickly binding technology can stop even the strongest heart.

Instead, I focus on the present—on warmth and connection and the strange comfort of being held by claws that could kill but choose instead to protect. Tomorrow will bring whatever it brings.

Tonight, we exist in defiance of everything that should make our connection impossible., we exist in defiance of everything that should make our connection impossible.

CHAPTER 20

THE BATTLE BEGINS

Amelia’s POV

I wake to emptiness.

The sleeping furs still hold Vex’s heat, but his massive body no longer shelters me from the mountain cold. Dawn light filters through the cave entrance—pale, merciless illumination that offers perfect flying conditions for the forces hunting us.

My heart lurches. Today.

I find him at the den mouth, motionless as carved stone. His wings are spread slightly, catching air currents that carry information I can’t interpret. The morning wind brings scents and sounds from across his territory—a sensory network I’ll never fully understand. The silence terrifies me more than roars would.