Page 14

Hakan

T he silence stretched until I thought my heart might shatter from the tension. Everything we'd built, everything we'd fought for, hung on the Council's next words.

“In twenty years of examining testimony under truth magic, we have rarely seen such…purity of intent. Your love for Lady Ada is evident, as is your genuine desire for her welfare above your own.” Councilor Aydin paused, her eyes finding Ada in the gallery.

“However, with Gun Ata’s condition requiring us to choose our next ruler carefully, the final decision rests not with us alone, but with Lady Ada herself.

She must demonstrate that her judgment remains sound, that her choice of partner strengthens rather than weakens her claim to the throne. ”

Relief flooded through me so powerfully that my knees nearly buckled. They weren’t condemning me outright—they were giving Ada the chance to defend herself, to prove her worthiness on her terms.

All eyes turned to Ada when she rose gracefully, her light magic shimmering around her like a cloak of stars. She descended to the chamber floor, moving with the regal bearing of the ruler she had been born to be.

“My lords and ladies of the Council,” she began, her words carrying clearly through the vast space.

“You have questioned whether my judgment has been compromised by my choice of partner. I ask you to consider this: what does it say about my judgment that I chose a man who would sacrifice everything-his—his reputation, his power, his very heart—to defend my right to rule?”

She turned to face the assembled nobles, her presence commanding absolute attention.

"A weak ruler chooses advisors who flatter and agree.

A wise ruler chooses those who challenge her to be better, who support her dreams even when it costs them dearly.

" Her eyes found mine, and the love I saw there nearly brought me to my knees.

"I have chosen a man who submitted himself to your truth magic to defend my right to rule, risking his reputation, his alliances, his very standing in his realm.

Who sees my light not as something to possess, but as something to protect and cherish. "

“Furthermore,” she continued, her voice rising with passion, “the challenges facing our realm require innovation, adaptation, and the courage to forge new alliances. The old ways of isolation have weakened us. We need leaders who understand that strength comes from unity, not separation.”

With Gun Atay’s blessing for these proceedings, though his weakened state meant the Council bore more responsibility for such decisions than ever before, Councilor Aydin nodded slowly. “Lady Ada, do you accept Lord Hakan as your chosen partner, with full knowledge of what that alliance represents?”

“I do,” she stated without hesitation. “And I challenge anyone who questions this choice to show me a partner who would demonstrate greater devotion, greater sacrifice, or greater support for my goals as a ruler.”

The chamber fell silent. In the front row, Levent’s face was ashen—his challenge had backfired spectacularly, revealing not Ada’s weakness but her wisdom.

“Then let it be recorded,” Councilor Aydin declared, “that Lady Ada’s fitness to rule is confirmed by this Council. Her judgment is sound, her wisdom evident, and her choice of partner speaks to her strength, not her compromise. When the time comes for succession, she will have our full support.”

The formal proceedings dissolved into congratulations and political maneuvering, but I had eyes only for Ada when she approached me, her light magic dancing with anticipation.

“You would have really walked away?” She searched my face.

“If it meant your happiness,” I replied, and reached out to cup her cheek. “Your future matters more than my heart.”

“You beautiful fool.” She leaned into my touch. “Don’t you understand? You are my future.”

Before I could respond, she rose on her toes and kissed me, her light magic flaring with emotion.

Around us, the assembled nobles burst into applause, but I barely heard them.

My world had narrowed to this—Ada in my arms, her love freely given, our future stretching before us bright with possibility.

“Come,” she whispered against my lips, her words carrying a promise that set my blood on fire. “Let me show you how grateful I am for what you’ve done.”

Later that evening, I followed Ada to her chambers, my shadows writhing with scarcely contained hunger. The events of the day had left me raw, exposed, desperate to reclaim her, to make her mine all over again after nearly losing her.

The guards stepped aside without question—they knew better than to deny the Shadow Lord access to his chosen.

“That was quite the performance.” I closed the door behind me with a decisive click, my shadows immediately sealing us in complete privacy.

Ada turned from where she stood by the window, her formal court attire still pristine despite the day’s trials. But I could smell her arousal from here—jasmine and honey laced with something darker, more primal. The near loss of what we had affected her as deeply as it had affected me.

“Performance? I was defending my right to rule.”

“You were magnificent,” I growled, and stalked toward her with dangerous elegance.

My shadows coiled around my fingers, responding to the violent need coursing through me.

“Watching you command that room, seeing them bow to your authority…” I paused just close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from my body.

“It was almost enough to make me forget how badly I wanted to tear that dress off you and remind you exactly who you belonged to.”

Her breath hitched, pupils dilating while her carefully maintained composure began to crack. The scent of her desire intensified, my cock hardening painfully against the confines of my leather pants.

“The way you defended us,” I continued, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper, “the way you claimed me in front of all those lords… Do you have any idea what that did to me? How hard it made me, watching my woman declare her ownership?”

“Hakan—” she began.

But I silenced her by backing her toward the window, bracing my hands on either side of her head, caging her in.

"Send the guards away," I murmured against her ear, tracing the rapid pulse at her throat with my thumb. The touch was reverent—amazement that this incredible woman was mine. "I want you all to myself tonight."

She turned toward the door, her words carrying the authority of Gün Ata's daughter. "You may go. Do not disturb us until morning."

The soft sound of retreating footsteps faded, leaving us alone in her chambers.

I brought her closer, breathing in her familiar scent. “Now there’s nothing between us and the rest of the night.”

Her light flickered beneath her skin in response to my proximity, that telltale sign of arousal she could never quite hide from me. But there was something different tonight—something more vulnerable, more precious. The threat of losing each other had left us both desperate to reconnect.

“I nearly lost you today,” I said, my voice rough with emotion when I backed her slowly toward the bed. “When they asked if I would walk away…” I framed her face with my hands, thumbs brushing her cheekbones. “The thought of never touching you again nearly broke me.”

“But you didn’t lose me,” she whispered, her hands sliding up my chest to rest on my shoulders. “I’m here. I’m yours.”

“Yes, you are,” I said, certainty replacing any doubt. I moved my hands to her waist, pulling her closer. “And I’m never letting you go.”

She rose on her toes and kissed me, slow but certain, her lips parting under mine with familiar invitation.

I groaned into her mouth, deepening the kiss, my tongue sliding along hers as months of suppressed need poured into the connection.

Her taste was intoxicating—honey and starlight and everything I'd ever wanted.

I broke away only to rain kisses along her jaw, her neck, finding that spot behind her ear that always had her gasping. "You have no idea what you do to me," I breathed against her skin, my teeth grazing the sensitive flesh. "How fucking crazy you make me."

I found the laces of her gown, working them loose with practiced ease while my mouth continued its worship of her throat. Every movement was deliberate, savoring, but there was an urgency building between us—the desperate need to connect, to prove we were still whole.

The silk whispered to the floor, and she stood before me in the candlelight, perfect and willing and mine. I stepped back just to stare at her, drinking in every curve, every flush of arousal painting her skin.

"Look at you," I murmured, my tone thick with desire and something deeper. "So fucking beautiful it physically hurts."

I shed my clothes quickly, then drew her close to me, skin to skin, groaning at the contact.

My mouth crashed into hers again, hungrier now, more desperate.

She responded with equal fervor, her hands exploring the planes of my chest, her nails digging into my shoulders as if she needed to anchor herself to me.

“I need to taste you.” I lifted her onto the bed and followed her down. “All of you.”

I kissed my way down her body with agonizing slowness—her collarbone, the valley between her breasts, the soft skin of her stomach. Every kiss was worship, every touch reverent but hungry. When I reached her thighs, I glanced up to find her watching me, her eyes dark with want.

“Hakan,” she breathed, her words breaking on my name.

I pressed kisses to her inner thighs, taking my time, feeling her tremble beneath my mouth. When I finally tasted her, she arched off the bed with a cry that went straight to my cock. She was perfect—sweet and slick and mine.

I worshiped her with my mouth until she was gasping my name, her fingers twisted in my hair, her body taut as a bowstring. Only when she was on the edge, trembling and desperate, did I kiss my way back up her body.

“Please,” she whispered, her hands pulling at my shoulders, her legs wrapping around my hips. “I need you inside me.”

I kissed her deeply while I positioned myself at her entrance, swallowing her moan as I entered her slowly, reverently. Her light magic flared around us, dancing with my shadows in patterns of perfect harmony.

“Fuck, Ada,” I groaned against her mouth. I held myself still despite every instinct screaming at me to move. “You feel like heaven.”

She kissed me again, desperate and hungry, her tongue sliding along mine while her body adjusted to me. When she shifted her hips, silently asking for more, I responded with deliberate care—each thrust deep and measured, designed to worship rather than conquer.

Our mouths never stopped working together, kisses alternating between desperate hunger and tender devotion. Every gasp, every moan was swallowed by the other, creating an intimacy so complete it felt like we were sharing the same breath.

"I love you," she gasped into my lips when I drove deeper, her light exploding around us in brilliant waves. "God, Hakan, I love you so much."

"And I love you," I replied fiercely. I meant it with everything I was. "My light. My everything. My fucking salvation."

The rhythm we found was perfect—desperate but controlled, passionate but tender. Every thrust was answered by her rising hips, every kiss by her eager mouth. We flowed together like we were made for this, like every moment of our lives had led to this perfect connection.

When her climax built, I could feel it through our bond—the way her magic flared brighter, the way her body tightened around me. I kissed her deeper, swallowing her cries while she shattered in my arms.

The sensation of her coming around me, combined with the taste of her pleasure on my tongue, sent me over the edge. I came with a groan that she caught with her mouth, our bodies locked together as we rode out the waves of release.

Afterward, we lay tangled together, still kissing softly, trading gentle touches and whispered endearments. I held her against my chest, certain that nothing could touch what we had built together.

"Sweet dreams, my love," Ada whispered, already half asleep, pressing one last kiss to my chest.

"Sweet dreams, my goddess." I held her close while shadows and light danced together in the darkness.

This was what forever felt like, I thought, as sleep claimed me. I believed then that our love could overcome any obstacle fate might place before us.