Ashen's POV
Hours passed in a blur of pain, my body trembling, drenched in sweat. My muscles ached from curling in on myself, trying to fight off the unbearable heat consuming me from the inside. It wouldn't stop. It just wouldn't stop.
I barely registered Dominic's presence beside me until his strong hands cupped my face, forcing me to focus on him. His golden eyes burned with frustration, concern, and something deeper something I refused to name.
"Ashen," he murmured, his voice softer than I'd ever heard it. "Please, let me help you."
I tried to shake my head, but the moment I moved, another wave of heat surged through me, making me gasp. My chest heaved, my breath ragged and shallow.
Dominic cursed under his breath. He shifted closer, the warmth of his body pressing against me. It should've made things worse, but instead, it grounded me, kept me from slipping further into my suffering.
"I—It won't stop," I admitted hoarsely, my voice barely above a whisper. My throat felt raw from crying out in pain for so long. "Why won't it stop?"
Dominic exhaled sharply, his jaw tightening. "Because your body is fighting you, Ashen. You keep rejecting what you are, but your omega it won't be ignored anymore."
I closed my eyes, shame twisting in my chest. He's right.
I hated it.
I hated that I was weak like this. That no matter how much I fought, my body still betrayed me.
I flinched when Dominic's fingers brushed against my damp hair, pushing it away from my forehead. His touch was gentle, careful as if he was afraid I'd shatter beneath him.
"You're not alone in this," he said firmly. "You don't have to fight it by yourself."
Tears burned behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. "I don't want this," I choked out.
"I know." His voice softened. "But it's happening anyway."
I swallowed hard, my entire body trembling with exhaustion.
Dominic hesitated, then slowly reached down, gripping my hand. His touch was steady, solid nothing like the possessive Alpha dominance I had expected.
He's being careful with me.
Something inside my chest cracked.
I turned my head slightly, just enough to meet his gaze. His expression was unreadable, but the intensity in his eyes made my stomach twist.
"Ashen," he whispered. "Let me take care of you."
My breath hitched.
The heat was still unbearable, but for the first time, I wasn't afraid of it.
I wasn't afraid because he was here.
My body still burned, my skin too hot, my muscles aching from hours of torment. I wanted to push him away, wanted to scream that I could handle this on my own. But the truth?
I couldn't.
Every time the heat surged through me, it left me gasping, shaking, my body demanding relief I couldn't give myself. My pride had me fighting it, but it was a losing battle.
Dominic's hand tightened around mine, his thumb brushing slow circles against my skin. A silent reassurance. A reminder that I wasn't alone.
I turned my head, my eyes meeting his. My vision was hazy, but his golden gaze was clear,steady, patient, waiting.
I swallowed hard. My pride screamed at me to refuse him again. But the pain in my body was relentless, and my mind was unraveling.
I squeezed my eyes shut, my voice barely above a whisper.
"… Please."
Dominic stilled.
It was such a simple word. But saying it it felt like a defeat I couldn't afford.
His grip on my hand tightened just slightly, then he moved closer, his breath warm against my cheek.
"I've got you," he murmured.
I sucked in a sharp breath as he pressed his lips against mine. It wasn't rough or demanding it was careful, slow, like he was giving me a moment to push him away.
I should have.
But when his tongue traced my bottom lip, heat surged lower, and I whimpered despite myself.
Goddess, this is humiliating.
My body was betraying me, melting into his touch, aching for him. And he knew it.
Dominic pulled back just slightly, his lips brushing against my jaw as his hand slid lower.
I gasped when his fingers reached the waistband of my shorts. My body jerked at the contact, but he hushed me, his other hand resting on my hip, grounding me.
"You're too tense," he whispered. "Relax."
I let out a choked laugh. "That's easy for you to say."
He hummed in amusement, but there was something deeper in his tone,something possessive. "I know this is hard for you, Ashen. But you don't have to fight me."
I swallowed, my body trembling as his fingers dipped just beneath the waistband, teasing.
"I—" My breath hitched. "I hate this."
Dominic's lips found my throat, his voice dark and knowing.
"No," he murmured. "You hate that you need this."
I wanted to argue. I wanted to shove him away.
But when his hand finally wrapped around me, I broke.
A sharp cry escaped my lips, my back arching as a wave of pleasure crashed through me.
Dominic's grip was firm, his strokes slow and teasing, drawing out my suffering with agonizing patience.
"You're so sensitive," he mused, his breath hot against my ear. "All that time fighting what you are… and now look at you."
My face burned.
I hated that he was right.
Hated that my body responded to him so perfectly, so easily, like it had been waiting for this all along.
I clenched my teeth, my hands fisting the sheets beneath me. "Dominic—"
He tightened his grip just slightly, his pace quickening. "Say it, Ashen."
I shook my head, biting my lip to hold back another sound.
He growled softly, his other hand sliding under my shirt, brushing over my chest. "Say it, or I stop."
I gasped, my body jerking at the threat.
"Please," I finally choked out. "Don't—don't stop."
Dominic groaned in approval. "That's better."
His strokes became relentless, pushing me closer and closer to the edge. I couldn't hold back the noises spilling from my lips anymore, couldn't stop my body from moving with his.
And when release finally crashed over me, I trembled beneath him, utterly wrecked.
Then Dominic brushed his lips against my temple,
The pain didn't stop. It clawed at my insides, burning me alive, leaving me panting, desperate, helpless.
I had already come apart beneath him, but my body still ached, still craved. My skin felt too tight, my muscles trembling with need that refused to be satisfied.
Dominic's breath was warm against my cheek as he whispered, "Why won't the pain go away?"
I clenched my jaw, trying to steady my breathing. "I—I don't know."
Dominic shifted above me, studying my face carefully. Then, his voice dropped lower, husky and unreadable.
"Maybe… I put my fingers inside you." His hand traced down my thigh. "Maybe that will help."
My entire body went rigid.
No. No, no, no.
I forced my gaze up to his, my chest heaving. "No." I shook my head violently, my voice hoarse with panic. "You don't get to—"
His mouth crashed against mine.
A soft, desperate noise slipped from my throat before I could stop it. His kiss was demanding, pulling me under, clouding my thoughts with heat.
Damn him.
He always did this pushed me until I had to surrender, until my body stopped fighting him even when my mind screamed at me to.
His fingers ghosted over my waist, teasing, pressing gentle circles against my overheated skin.
I shuddered.
His touch was careful,nothing like the rough dominance I'd expected. But that only made it worse.
It was too intimate. Too knowing.
I felt him shift lower, his lips trailing along my jaw, his fingers hooking into my shorts.
"Ashen," he murmured against my skin. "Let me help you."
I squeezed my eyes shut.
This was a mistake. A horrible, irreversible mistake.
But the pain wouldn't stop. The fire wouldn't fade.
And when Dominic slid my shorts down, his fingers brushing over my entrance—
A sob tore from my lips.
A sob ripped from my throat, but it wasn't just from the pain.
It was from the unbearable need. The cruel ache that refused to be soothed.
Dominic hovered over me, his breath steady while mine was a wreck shallow, desperate gasps between trembling lips. His fingers were barely there, just a ghost of a touch against my entrance, but my body reacted violently. My hips jerked, my legs trembling as another wave of heat crashed over me.
He pressed a soft kiss against my temple, a rare gentleness in the midst of my torment. "Breathe," he murmured. "I won't hurt you."
I swallowed hard, every muscle in my body locking up.
"I hate you," I rasped.
His lips quirked slightly, golden eyes flickering with amusement. "I know."
Then, without another word, he slid his finger in.
A sharp gasp tore from my throat, my nails digging into his arms. My body clenched around the intrusion, my mind spinning. Too much, too much, too much—
But then—fuck.
Something eased. The unbearable, pulsing pain didn't disappear, but it shifted, no longer clawing at me from the inside out. The tension in my body loosened just enough for me to breathe.
Dominic's other hand stroked my thigh, his touch firm, grounding. "That's it," he murmured. "Relax."
Relax? Was he insane?
I wanted to curse him out, to tell him to get his fucking hands off me—
But when he curled his finger slightly, pressing against something deep inside me, my head snapped back against the pillow, my mouth falling open in a silent cry.
Dominic chuckled.
"Fuck you," I choked out, my voice shaking.
"You will," he replied smoothly, adding a second finger. "Eventually."
I hated him.
I hated how smug he sounded.
I hated that my body betrayed me, hips tilting toward his touch, my breathing ragged.
But most of all
I hated that he was right..his fingers kept working its way,making me a total mess.
Then I came,with great force
The exhaustion hit me like a tidal wave. My body, wrung dry from hours of torment, finally gave in to the pull of sleep. I barely registered the warmth surrounding me,the steady heartbeat beneath my cheek, the firm arms locked around my waist, holding me in place.
Dominic.
I should have pushed him away. I should have shoved him off the bed, put as much distance between us as possible.
But I didn't.
Instead, I let my body sink into his, my face pressed against the heat of his bare chest. His scent wrapped around me like a drug, thick and intoxicating. My Omega purred at the closeness, satisfied, even as my mind screamed that this was wrong.
I wasn't supposed to need him.
I wasn't supposed to want this.
A large hand stroked over my back, slow and steady. I barely heard the words murmured against my hair.
"Sleep, Ashen. I've got you."
I was too tired to fight.
For once, I let myself believe him.
The Next Morning
I woke up alone.
For a split second, I thought I had imagined everything. The heat. The overwhelming need. The way Dominic had held me through the worst of it.
But then I moved.
A sharp soreness echoed through my body, a brutal reminder that it had been real. That Dominic had seen me at my weakest. That my heat had finally exposed me for what I was.
A damn Omega.
Shame twisted in my gut as I sat up, pulling the blankets around me. My skin felt raw, my body traitorous. And worse than anything—
Everyone knew now.
I clenched my fists. I could already hear the whispers, the rumors spreading like wildfire through the pack. The Beta who wasn't a Beta. The weak Omega who had tried to hide what he was.
A knock at the door made me flinch.
"Ashen," Dominic's voice was calm, unreadable.
I didn't answer.
The door pushed open anyway. He stepped inside, looking freshly showered, his golden eyes sharp as they took me in.
"You're upset."
I scoffed. "Brilliant observation, Alpha."
His jaw ticked. "I told you this would happen."
"Yeah? And I told you I should have run."
His eyes darkened dangerously. "If you ran, I would have found you."
I looked away, biting my tongue. He probably would have.
Dominic stepped closer, but I flinched, curling in on myself.
He sighed. "You don't have to hide from me."
Hide? I wasn't hiding. I was trapped.
"I'm calling a pack meeting," he said suddenly.
My head snapped up. "What?"
"I'm making it clear that no one is to challenge or question you. You are mine, and no one will disrespect what's mine."
His possessiveness sent a shiver down my spine, but my anger burned through it.
"You think a meeting will fix this? That everyone will magically forget what they saw? That Adam and the others won't laugh behind my back?"
Dominic's expression hardened. "No one will dare."
I wanted to believe him.
But I also knew that no matter what he said, I would never be seen the same way again.