Page 40 of Warlord’s Prize

The vibrating nodule activates against my clit, but the angle creates a different kind of stimulation, more teasing than the direct contact of our usual position. I find myself pushing back against him, seeking more, my body asking for what my pride would never allow me to voice.

Understanding my wordless request, Kazuul shifts slightly, adjusting the angle until the head of his cock brushes against a spot inside me that makes my knees buckle. Only his strong grip on my hip keeps me upright as pleasure ricochets through me.

"There," I gasp, another barrier falling as I actively direct our coupling. "Please, right there."

His chest rumbles with approval at my boldness. "Show me what you need," he encourages, his pace slowing to allow me control I've never had before. "Take your pleasure from me."

The invitation stuns me momentarily—this powerful oni warlord, asking me to use his body for my satisfaction. It's such a reversal of our beginning that I almost can't process it. But my body has no such hesitation, already moving in a rhythm that maximizes my pleasure.

I find myself setting a pace that builds slowly, savoring the tension coiling in my core rather than rushing toward release. His massive hands support but don't control, allowing me to experiment with subtle shifts in angle and depth that reveal new dimensions of sensation.

"You're beautiful like this," he murmurs, voice tinged with something almost like awe. "Taking what you want."

The praise sends an unexpected thrill through me, another layer of pleasure added to the physical sensations overwhelming my senses. The vibrating nodule hums against my clit as I move, the combination of internal fullness and external stimulation building toward another peak.

When I feel his knot beginning to swell, I change the angle again, grinding back against him to take him deeper. The pressure of his growing knot against my entrance creates an exquisite edge between pleasure and pain that sends me hurtling toward climax.

"That's it," he growls, his restraint beginning to fracture as his own pleasure builds. "Take all of me."

My second orgasm hits with unexpected force, my inner walls clamping down around his massive length as waves of pleasure crash through me. The rhythmic pulsing of my climax triggers his own, his knot swelling fully to lock us together as his release floods me with burning heat.

The sensation of being filled so completely while still in the throes of my own pleasure extends my climax, drawing it out until I'm trembling with the intensity. A sob escapes me, not from pain but from overwhelming sensation.

With careful strength, Kazuul guides us both to lie on our sides, his massive body curled protectively around mine as his knot keeps us joined. His arm drapes over me, hand splaying possessively over the slight swell of my abdomen.

"This is the first time you've truly participated," he observes quietly, his voice a rumble I feel against my back. "Not just responded, but led."

The observation strikes at a truth I've been avoiding—my gradual shift from unwilling captive to willing participant. I could blame it on hormones or omega biology, but the reality is more complex. I've changed, just as he has.

"It feels different when it's a choice," I admit, the words barely audible but heavy with meaning.

His arm tightens slightly around me, acknowledgment without words. We remain locked together by biology, the intimate connection mirroring the more complex bonds forming between us.

"The emperor will try to separate us again," I murmur, strategic assessment automatic despite the languid satisfaction flowing through my veins.

"Let him try," Kazuul responds, his certainty like a physical presence between us. "What we have now is stronger than his schemes."

The simple declaration contains acknowledgment of both vulnerability and determination. We've survived the first imperial challenge, but the political landscape continues evolving around us. What remains uncertain is exactly what we're fighting to protect—my position, his authority, our child's future, or something more fundamental that neither conquest protocol nor resistance ideology adequately defines.

What I know with uncomfortable certainty is that I would make the same choices again—not just standing up in the imperial court, but all of it, beginning with my original journey to the Crimson Fortress. The realization shifts my understanding of myself in ways my resistance training never prepared me for. The strategic leader I once was and the claimed omega I've become are merging into someone new, someone I'm only beginning to recognize.

CHAPTER17

RESISTANCE TIES

The carriage hits another pothole,sending a jolt of pain through my lower back. At five months pregnant, finding a comfortable position seems impossible. I shift on the cushioned seat Kazuul insisted on for my journey to Eastbridge Trading Post, trying to ease the pressure on my spine.

"We'll arrive shortly, honored consort," the driver calls back, his tone carefully respectful.

It still feels strange being addressed this way by other humans. Just months ago, I was their leader. Now they bow and speak to me with the same deference they show oni officials. My hand drifts to the swell of my belly where the baby kicks and rolls beneath my palm. Each day its movements grow stronger, more defined. The oni healers seem both impressed and puzzled by how quickly this half-human, half-oni child develops.

My own body has changed too. My temperature runs hotter, my sense of smell has sharpened, and according to the healers, even my blood chemistry has shifted to nourish the hybrid life inside me.

The carriage slows as we reach Eastbridge's checkpoints. Through the window, I watch the guards—both human and oni—move with practiced coordination. Commander Thorne's new security protocols are clearly working.

"The Warlord's consort approaches!" The announcement triggers a flurry of activity as guards and officials rush to form a proper welcome line.

I fight the urge to roll my eyes at the display. These visits used to mean something entirely different to me. Once, I would have been cataloging guard rotations, memorizing patrol patterns, looking for weaknesses to exploit. Now I'm here to inspect the very systems I once planned to sabotage.

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