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She nods, trust evident despite the apprehension in her scent.

When the partially expanded knot presses against her entrance, beginning the stretch that will join us completely, I feel her momentary hesitation.

Then, remarkably, she bears down against me, her body yielding to the intrusion with deliberate intent rather than just biological response.

"That's it," I praise, the words coming between clenched teeth as pleasure threatens to overwhelm coherent thought. "Taking your alpha's knot like you were made for this."

With a final powerful thrust, the knot pushes past initial resistance, her body stretching impossibly to accommodate the fullness.

The sensation of being locked completely inside her triggers my release with overwhelming force.

My seed pulses deep within her, each wave accompanied by a full-body shudder I can't control.

The pressure of my knot against her most sensitive inner spots triggers her own climax in response, her inner walls squeezing rhythmically around me, intensifying my pleasure to near-unbearable levels.

The pulsing of her body milks additional waves of release from me, her omega biology instinctively maximizing breeding potential.

"Mine," I growl against her throat, fighting the urge to renew my claiming mark at this vulnerable moment. "My omega."

"Yours," she gasps between shuddering breaths, surrender complete in both body and voice. "Your omega."

The joining goes beyond mere physical relief—a completion that satisfies something deeper than reproductive instinct. We remain locked together, her body continuing to squeeze my knot with aftershocks of pleasure that trigger additional pulses of seed.

As the intense waves of pleasure gradually subside, I'm acutely aware of our position—my larger form still pinning her completely, my knot firmly locked inside her, ensuring not a drop of seed escapes its destination.

The fullness must be overwhelming for her, yet her scent carries satisfaction rather than distress.

During our previous claimings, I maintained this locked position only as long as strictly necessary before withdrawing to separate sleeping quarters, providing water and food but never comfort. Clinical and cold, like a medical procedure rather than mating.

This time, I make a different choice.

"We'll be locked together for hours," I tell her, my voice returning gradually to normal as the intense rut response subsides. "The knot won't go down until it's done its job."

She nods against my chest, a small shiver running through her despite the heat of our joining.

With careful movements that avoid disturbing the knot still binding us, I maneuver us onto our sides, cradling her smaller form against me.

The position requires flexibility no human spine could manage, another reminder of the inhuman nature she once feared.

My higher body temperature—several degrees above human normal—radiates heat that envelops her completely.

Another evolutionary advantage, designed to keep an omega carrying my offspring at the perfect temperature.

My tail adjusts its position, still wrapped around her thigh but no longer for control—now for continued connection, the fur-covered muscle providing additional warmth and stability.

She stiffens momentarily at this unexpected intimacy before gradually relaxing against me.

The vulnerability of this position—exposing my throat and belly while still joined—communicates trust no words could express.

In feline society, such exposure is reserved only for those within innermost circles.

"This is different," she murmurs, fatigue evident in her voice as the heat temporarily recedes. Her fingers hesitantly trace patterns through the short fur along my forearm, exploring rather than just enduring.

"Yes." I don't elaborate further. The change speaks for itself.

As my knot continues to pulse inside her, releasing additional waves of seed with each heartbeat, I feel a contentment that goes beyond mere biological satisfaction.

Her body accommodates me completely now, adapted to my inhuman dimensions in ways that would have seemed impossible during our first reluctant joining.

We remain locked together in the silence that follows, her breathing gradually steadying as the intensity of heat temporarily subsides.

The claiming has momentarily satisfied her omega biology, though I know from experience it will flare again within hours, demanding another joining, and another after that.

Heat cycles typically last three to four days, nature ensuring multiple breeding opportunities for optimal conception.

"Do you still wish for dragons?" I find myself asking, the question emerging unbidden in this moment of unexpected vulnerability.

Her laugh holds no bitterness, only tired amusement. "And burn from the inside? I've seen what they do to humans now." Her hand tightens slightly on my arm. "This is... not what I expected. But it's not what I feared either."

High praise from the omega who once looked at me with undisguised revulsion. Progress indeed.

As sleep gradually claims her, I remain awake, listening to the steady rhythm of her breathing.

The claiming mark stands prominent against her throat, the silvery scar catching moonlight from the narrow window.

Once it represented mere possession, territorial marker establishing boundaries other alphas must respect.

Now it symbolizes something more complex—a connection forged through conflict and reluctant respect, evolving toward something neither of us anticipated when this began.

Not love—that human concept seems inadequate for what exists between predator and former prey.

But partnership, perhaps. Chosen rather than merely endured.

The knot will bind us together until morning, biology ensuring optimal breeding conditions.

My seed continues its work deep inside her, the specialized chemistry triggering changes in her body to maximize fertility.

If conception occurs—and the odds increase with each claiming—her body will adapt further to accommodate hybrid offspring with elements of both our natures.

For the first time, that possibility creates anticipation rather than mere biological satisfaction.

My instincts recognize her strength would complement my own, her strategic mind balancing my tactical experience.

Strong offspring, with her adaptation skills and my predatory advantages.

Evolution at work, creating the next generation better suited to this new world order.

But for now, in this moment of temporary peace between biological storms, I allow myself to acknowledge what her choice to remain has awakened in me.

Not just possession, not just primal satisfaction, but something approaching contentment I'd long since abandoned hope of finding in this grim existence.

My tail tightens slightly around her thigh in unconscious response to the thought.

Mine. Not just by conquest, but by choice.