Chosen By The Cursed Alpha King Chapter 68

MAXIMUS'S POV

I didn't mean to say it.

The words slipped out, born from something deeper than lust, deeper than this primal hunger that had taken root inside me since the moment Emilia looked at me like I was more than a monster.

'Marry me,' I had whispered into her ear, my lips still brushing her skin.

The silence that followed was suffocating.

It felt like the entire cabin held its breath. Even the storm outside seemed to pause, as if the gods themselves were waiting for her response.

Slowly, Emilia turned her head, her hair brushing across my jaw. Her eyes—those deep eyes—searched mine, wide and shimmering with something I couldn't quite name.

"What... did you just say?" she whispered, voice fragile, almost breaking.

I blinked. My heart slammed against my ribs. For the first time in years—decades—I stuttered.

"I... I—" My throat closed around the words. Me. The Alpha King. The beast cursed to kill every woman I touched. And here I was, stumbling over my own damn tongue like a boy.

Her lips parted in disbelief, her brows furrowing as if she couldn't believe what she'd heard.

"I... it was the heat of the moment," I forced out, the excuse sharp, ugly on my tongue.

Her face fell. Not with relief. Not with anger. Something else flickered in her expression, something I didn't understand.

She shook her head, eyes glimmering with a fire I couldn't read. Then she pushed at my chest, trying to climb out of the bed.

"The fuck do you think you're going?" I growled, grabbing her wrist, pulling her back down.

"I need air," she snapped, frustration crackling in her voice. "You can't just... we had sex, Maximus. And then you drop something like that, like it's a joke. I need air."

"It's raining outside," I bit out, my grip tightening on her arm. "It's cold."

"I don't care," she hissed, trying again to get up.

The beast in me roared. I wasn't letting her go. Not now. Not ever.

With a snarl, I pushed her down onto the mattress, pinning her wrists above her head, my body caging hers in. Her chest heaved beneath me, her breaths sharp, angry, but her eyes... goddess, her eyes still burned with want.

"You're so fucking stubborn," I growled, pressing my cock against her stomach, making sure she felt exactly what she did to me. "But do you know what? It turns me on."

Her lips parted, a gasp breaking free, her eyes widening.

I pressed harder, grinding against her, watching her writhe beneath me.

"What if I really meant it, Emilia?" I rasped, voice rough, raw. "What if I do want us to get married?"

She rolled her eyes, the movement sharp, exasperated, but there was something softer beneath it. Something that made the corner of my mouth twitch in something close to a smile.

She didn't even realize what she was doing to me.

How her stubbornness, her fire, her refusal to bend to me completely only made me want her more.

It didn't make sense. None of it did. I wasn't supposed to feel this way. I wasn't supposed to crave someone this much.

But goddess help me—I knew it then, as sure as I knew the curse that had ruled my life.

Whether it was now or later, Emilia was going to be mine.

No one else.

Forever.

My fingers brushing over her swollen lips, She trembled, gasping as I rubbed her lightly,

"Let's put this mouth to good use," I growled, dragging my thumb across her bottom lip.

Her eyes darkened, pupils blown wide.

"Get on your knees."

For a heartbeat, she hesitated. Testing me. Then, slowly, she obeyed.

Fuck.

Watching her slide down the bed, her hair spilling over her shoulders, her bare body glistening with sweat, was enough to bring me to the edge without her even touching me.

Her hands wrapped around my cock, stroking me slowly, deliberately, her touch both tender and sinful. I sucked in a harsh breath, my entire body tightening.

Then her tongue flicked against the tip.

"Fuck," I groaned, my head falling back.

She licked me like I was her favorite kind of sweet, swirling her tongue around the head before pulling back with a soft pop that made my cock twitch violently in her grip.

The sight of her—on her knees, looking up at me through her lashes as she licked me like I was hers to devour—was enough to undo me.

"Goddess, Emilia," I cursed, my hand tangling in her hair, guiding her but never forcing. "You look so fucking good with my cock in your mouth."

She hummed, the vibration shooting straight through me, making my hips jerk. Then she took me deeper, her lips stretching around my size, gagging slightly before pulling back and sucking harder.

My eyes rolled back, a guttural groan tearing from my chest.

She played with my balls, her tongue teasing the underside of my cock before sucking me down again.

"Shit—" I choked out, my grip tightening in her hair. "Don't stop. Don't fucking stop."

Her pace quickened, her lips sliding, her tongue swirling, her moans vibrating against me.

It was too much. The sight of her, the sound of her, the feel of her...With a strangled growl, I came, spilling hot and hard down her throat. She swallowed greedily, licking every last drop, her eyes locked on mine the entire time.

"Fuck," I hissed, pulling her up roughly, my mouth crashing against hers, tasting myself on her tongue.

But I wasn't done.

I was greedy for her.

Always greedy.

I hauled her onto my lap, my hands gripping her ass as I guided her down, sinking her onto my cock. She gasped, her nails digging into my shoulders as I filled her again, stretching her wide, claiming her all over.

That night, there wasn't a position we didn't try.

I took her against the wall, bent over the table, straddling me in the chair. She rode me until her legs gave out, and I fucked her until her voice was nothing but a broken rasp of my name.

I had never felt so whole.

So utterly satisfied.

So fucking alive.

When the first light of dawn bled through the cabin's windows, the storm outside had calmed. The air smelled of rain, of sex, of her.

I turned to look at her.

Emilia.

My Emilia.

Her lips were swollen, her hair a wild mess, her body marked from my teeth and hands.

Totally spent.

Perfect.

Mine.

I pressed a soft kiss to the side of her neck, inhaling her scent, letting my eyes close just for a moment.

But then—something was wrong.

Her body was too still.

Too quiet.

Panic shot through me instantly, cold and sharp. My heart dropped, a sick twist in my gut.

"Emilia?" My voice was rough, panicked.

No answer.

Cold dread slammed into me like a blade. I sat up, shaking her gently. "Emilia... Emilia!"

Still nothing.

My heart sank, an unfamiliar terror clawing at my throat as I cupped her face, her skin too still beneath my fingers.

"Goddess, no..." I rasped, my voice breaking.

"Emilia!"